Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Vietnam and the Philippines

After wrapping things up in Singapore and Thailand, had to continue heading east to Vietnam and the Philippines. We first landed in Saigon, and the weather was amazing.



Shot of the street from the lobby of my hotel. Love the palm trees in District 1.



Saigon has a beautiful river running through the city, with cranes saturating the shores.



Saigon produces some of the best beer I've ever had in "333." Unfortunately though, it's not available as an export.



City Hall located at the heart of District 1. Quite a sight in the early evening.



Hit this restaurant where they grill everything right there at the table. Incredibly fresh food too. And more "333" beer. Goodness.



Coffee and scooters - my kind of scene.



Had to get a shot of me next to the statue of Ho Chi Minh.



I'm always on the lookout for buildings steeped in Eastern architecture.



Candid shot of a backstreet early in the morning.



Further down the same street, I saw what looked to be like a small army of scooters getting ready to take off from the light.



After Vietnam, headed east again to the Philippines. There are beautiful islands to be seen in every direction as the plane begins to descend into Manila airport.



Next time I get out to the Philippines, I really need to spend some time out on these islands.



Preparing to land in Manila.



One thing I notice as we were landing was how densely packed certain patches of Manila are.



Once in Manila I saw some interesting "jeepneys." These things look like public cabs straight out of Mad Max.



Had to get a few different shots of these things. Unreal.



It's amazing to me how far 7-11's grasp runs through Southeast Asia.



A couple of kids just kicking it at the bus stop mid-day.



A shot of the business district of Manila, from a few miles outside of the district.



A shot of the mountains while heading down the freeway.



After a long journey, finally made it to the hotel where I proceeded to sleep.....a lot.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Singapore and Thailand

Back in November, I hit up a tour of SE Asia for work (yes, I'm that behind on posts)



The ports of Singapore are logistical awes - really incredible stuff



Lots of things to be received and shipped - had never seen a port like this before



Singapore continues to build up in order to keep pace with its incredible economic momentum



Singapore Slings on the 74th floor at the New Asia bar



Had to head down to the river in Singapore too; so many great restaurants here



You can pick out your own fish - yup, the food is that "fresh"



There are also numerous food courts spread out across Singapore - great food for a cheap price



Had to pop off a shot with the JPlus



I love this about Asia - the East meets West architecture of the city, and somehow it all works



And notice how clean the streets are in Singapore - you won't find any gum on these sidewalks



I made it out to Bangkok too - I love Thailand, and not just for the hot pink taxis



Coming into the city of Bangkok from Suvarnabhumi airport



Bangkok, despite being a highly populated city, has beautiful pockets of rivers and foliage in the most random spots



View from my room at the Sofitel; highly recommend that hotel if you go through bkk



Another shot of Bangkok's downtown skyline



Beneath these tin roofs are some amazing eating joints



Mango and sticky rice w/ ice cream in Bangkok - don't get better than this



One thing I really like about Bangkok, and Thailand in general, is everywhere you turn there are these small little religious statues



Get the best pad thai you've ever had for less than a buck out here



And of course, a trip to Bangkok would not be complete without grabbing a scotch at the bar on top of the State Tower