Putting a bow on it...

Thanks to everyone who has kept up with our adventures and our - at times quirky or downright boring - blog posts!  Travelling has been fun but we can't wait to be back in the U.S. to see you all!

We take off for Chicago (via Tokyo) tomorrow morning - March 27th - at 7:15am.  24 hours and 12 time zones later, we'll be landing on U.S. soil, can't wait.
 
To put a bow on it, below are some of our 'best of' moments, places and experiences on this trip.  It has been a truly amazing experience and we're both feeling a little bit more cultured and certainly more sunburned than when we left.  Hope to see you all soon!
 
Best sunset: 1) Sitting on the porch of Golden Cottages 2 - Inle Lake, Myanmar 2) Boat cruise with friends - Tonle Sap Lake, Siem Reap, Cambodia

 

Best massage: Lanna Spa (staffed by ex-convicts from the women's prison in town) - Chiang Mai, Thailand

Best photo op: 1) 'Valley of Temples' - Bagan, Myanmar, 2) Ko Phi Phi, Thailand, 3) Terraced rice paddies - Sapa, Vietnam

Cutest baby animals: 1) Elephant - Chiang Mai, Thailand 2) Piglets - Sapa, Vietnam, 3) Tigers - Chiang Mai, Thailand

Best trek: 1) Thai Elephant Home - Chiang Mai, Thailand, 2) Kayaking in Halong Bay, Vietnam, 3) Hiking in Sapa, Vietnam

 

 

Best cooking school: T1) Ms. Vy @ Morning Glory - Hoi An, Vietnam, T1) Siam Rice Thai Cookery School - Chiang Mai, Thailand

 

Best shower view: Gibbons experience treehouse #2 - Laos Jungle

Biggest “thrill”: 1) Ziplining in the Gibbons experience (Matt), Gigantic bugs in the Gibbons experience (Carlyn)

Best boat ride: (1M/3C) Halong Bay, Vietnam, (1C/2M) Inle Lake, Myanmar, (2C/3M) Slowboat down the Mekong, Laos

Most overrated site: Main temple of Angkor Wat (it was still pretty cool though!)

 

Most underrated location: Hong Kong (we're definitely going back!)

Best “hidden gem” restaurants: 1) Nina’s Café - Hue, Vietnam, 2) Tangram Gardens - Siem Reap, Cambodia, 3) Xia Fei Shanghainese - Kowloon, Hong Kong

Best café: 1) Lakeview 4^th floor - Hanoi, Vietnam, 2) La Boulangerie Francais - Hue, Vietnam, 3) Hill Station - Sapa, Vietnam

Best non-Asian meal: Skewers - Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam (eggplant parmesan, gyros & hummus)

Worst airport: Luang Prabang, Laos

Best airport: International terminal at Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok

Best impulse buy: Levitan’s woven satchel - Inle Lake Myanmar

Best market: 1) Night market - Chiang Mai, Thailand, 2) Chatuchak weekend market - Bangkok

Most picturesque town: 1) Luang Prabang, Laos, 2) Hoi An, Vietnam

Best hotel breakfast: 1) Golden Cottages 2 - Inle lake, 2) Orchid hotel, Hue

Most consistently available American snack food: 1) Pringles, 2) Oreos

Biggest let down: 1) “local” dinner in Yangon, Myanmar (fear the vermicelli!), 2) our favorite Shianghainese restaurant closing from 5-6pm as we were running for a last meal

Most bizarre items traveling on motorbike: 1) full-grown orange tree, 2) full-size bureau, 3) family of four

Scariest drivers: 1) Hanoi, 2) Bangkok

Best thai food items: 1) all thai curries (Matt), 2) mango sticky rice (Carlyn)

 Best Friends!

That's all folks!