Honeymoon in the 'Nam

So where could possibly even be MORE romantic than Bali??? How about Vietnam?! We purchased our plane tickets there with our Aeroplan points, and got to fly business class for the first time. And it was SO worth it. It actually makes flying FUN (which might also have to do with unlimited free booze). In the airport lounge they even had a free breakfast buffet! How awesome is that? While they did have some toast and similar items, they also served Pad Thai, and Congee (rice pudding - and not the good kind). By the time we landed in Vietnam I was stuffed, and slightly hungover. Good times!

Hanoi is an absolutely beautiful city. Colonized by the French, the architecture and cuisine has a decidedly French twist. Women selling pastries and baguettes on the streets are a constant feature all over town, and ornate wrought iron and mouldings are over many of the older buildings. It was a cosmopolitan city, lots of trees, great shopping, and pretty awesome museums.
My favourite was definitely the Military History Museum. The museum featured items from their ancient past, up until the present day, obviously with an emphasis on the Vietnam War. It was quite exciting and eye-opening to hear about the war from the point of view of theNorth Vietnamese. The photos of American protests to the war featured strongly...and boosted the morale of the Vietnamese to see there was so much dischord within the American public. The outdoor display of captured and shot down American planes, choppers, and artillery was really stunning. They included stats on how many aircraft were shot down by Vietnamese soldiers, which was really shocking. The most upsetting items on display

was the clothing of killed US Airmen, as well as their ID cards and personal effects. I couldn't help but wonder if their families had any idea their son's final effects were in a display triumphant display in a Hanoi Museum. Other items included the clothing of children who had been shot and bombed by the Americans, as well as colonial French helmets, samurai swords and a variety of bicycles used in various wars. Quite fabulous overall!

Soooo....we're married!

So by the time I've gotten around to writing this, its pretty much old news. Well, 21 days old by my Facebook counter anyway. Getting married this way was definitely a good idea. So relaxed, so laid back, and so....us. I guess neither of us could imagine having a huge wedding with all the bells and whistles, and years of planning and budgeting, not to mention the insane stress-factor. This could not have been any LESS stressful. We started the day with a long hike, then just relaxed for the afternoon, got cleaned up, and got hitched! We just wanted the day to be about us, and about our love for each other, and avoid all the other drama and pitfalls that can so easily happen. So it was a pretty fabulous day. And even though it rained (HARD), it was still perfect.

Bali - Part 2 - The Resort

Since we were in Bali for a few days to get married and have a mini-honeymoon, we decided to go all out. We stayed at The Four Seasons Sayan. Located in the central part of the island, which is the cultural centre of Bali, as well as its agricultrual heartland. Mostly jungle, there are also many rice paddies surrounding the village. Its amazing. The entrance to the hotel is enough to blow your mind. To get into the main building you must cross a walkway that is placed high above a jungle valley. The views are spectacular.

The building has a very modern design which blends into the landscape. For the first two nights we stayed in a suite. Each suite has 2 levels, and 2 patios overlooking the Ayung River. The last 3 nights we had a villa with a private plunge pool overlooking the valley. It was fabulous! And peaceful...at least for the first night. Our visit happened to coincide with a local Hindu Festival. Which is cool, except it meant that from sundown to sunup, for two nights, we had to listen to the most bizzarre stuff being blasted on loudspeakers across the village. Traditional Hindu music is okay with me, but the creepy laughtracks were...creepy, and the whistling was really insane. I couldn't wait to go home and get a good night's sleep!

The most impressive thing about the hotel was the level of service. Everyone knows your name! For the first two days I was Miss O'Mara. And by 5pm the third day I was Mrs. Hurren. People we hadn't even interacted with knew us on sight! It was incredible! I even asked the manager if there was a photo of us behind the desk that the staff had to study! He laughed, and said it was Balinese culture...they are just really great with faces.

On our last day we checked out and went to the Hotel's Jimbaran location, which was conveniently closer to the airport to kill time. There we sat on the beach all day, soaked in the sun and generally relaxed. They even provide showers for us before flying out. While we loved Jimbaran, we preferred the Sayan location...it had a much more chill vibe that I loved. And the nibblies at the bar were better in Sayan!