Take Me to Your Leader

Is that a stuffed animal or a real dog?... super cute and friendly dog that I got to hang out with while waiting for my squid to be grilled.

Kenting Night Market - "The Shops"

The night markets in Kenting had a wide variety of street vendors... everything from kids toys, to cheesy tourist crap, to high end leather belts, to flips flops. The Taiwanese Cowboy shown in the first picture had some pretty awesome belts (featuring Italian leather & genuine US leather). He was also quite the salesman... he put on a good show and spoke several languages for all the tourists coming by.

Kenting Market - "Massage Time"

Wherever I go in Asia, there seems to be an extraordinary amount of massage parlors (feet, back, neck, etc). Kenting was no exception. One of the creepier things I saw is featured in the top photo. There were several older guys (down a dark alley) sitting next to Hello Kitty chairs... and apparently waiting for customers to come by for a massage. I have no idea what the sign above them means... but I definitely did not want whatever it was that they were selling!

Kenting Night Markets - "The Food"

(other than people watching) My favorite thing about the night markets at Kenting was the food... lots of fresh oysters, squid, sashimi, meat, chicken, fish balls, crabs, curries, various types of fish... and DEEP FRIED OREOs! The deep fried Oreos were probably unhealthy food items I've ever eaten... but they were amazing (so I didn't care). I almost went back for seconds.
The prices were also ridiculously low... you could have a feast for the equivalent of less than $10USD.

Kenting Night Markets - "The Scene"

Just down the street from where I stayed in Nanwan is the town of Kenting. During the day, the main strip is relatively quiet. A few shops might be open selling sunscreen or beachtowels and there also are some lunch places mixed in. However, when I first cruised by during the day, it was basically empty (a lot of the places were closed). I didn't have any desire to go back. However, one of the people I met while surfing convinced me to take the bus down there one night and have another look. It was amazing how this area transforms after the sun goes down. All of the stores open up, neon lights illuminate the sky, restaurants/bars fill with patrons, food vendors line the street on both sides (selling grilled squid, fish balls, korean bbq, grilled chicken, fried oreos, sashimi)... it's a bit of a overload on your senses. If you're ever in the area, I recommend spending a night there (the grilled squid was amazing).

The "Mean" Streets of HK Island

Yes, there are lots of stairs and levels in Hong Kong (probably one of the reasons why there not many overweight people there). Here you see an outdoor market on one of the many hills.

I've decided to dedicate the weekend to posting images I took while visiting Hong Kong earlier this month. The first four images here represent some of the typical street scenes you see while walking around the city during the daytime.

Looking down.

One of the many winding roads making its way down the mountainside. 

Yes, there is lots of amazing shopping in Hong Kong. Here we are looking at 3 awesome shops (none of which I can afford to actually buy anything on the inside)

Winter Nights in Vietnam

Street market in Ho Chi Minh City

When I first got to Vietnam, I was exhausted... it took me two hours to get through customs, I was still jet lagged, and I didn't have a moment to rest since I had been in Asia. Nonetheless, Ho Chi Minh is an awesome city... and when I got there, I wanted to walk around and explore (plus, it's a bit difficult to sleep with the constant motorbike traffic all night). These are a few pictures I took while wandering around the streets by myself that first night. The majority of the photos came out poorly because I was too jet lagged to pay attention to the camera settings. What made the evening even more interesting was that I got completely lost and had to figure out how to ask for directions without knowing Vietnamese. The area I was at was relatively safe though... so didn't feel too bad walking around. Plus, I was coming from a much colder climate... and the warm weather felt amazing!

Street food in Ho Chi Minh City... delicious, but not the most sanitary

Street market in Ho Chi Minh City 

Neon Lights in Ho Chi Minh City