As one of my Oxalis guides, Tang, was recommending me to take the sleeper bus from Dong Hoi to Hoi An, I was trying to recall why exactly I had booked a day train ticket (that required us to leave Phong Nha at 6:20AM). After some checking of the train schedule I remembered it was because of Seat 61's recommendation to see the route from Hue to Danang during the day, saying that it was one of the most scenic train routes in all of Vietnam (admittedly I thought the same when we cruised through one of the stops prior to Dong Hoi a few hours south of Ninh Binh). Unbelievably clear blue water and pristine beaches....

The only odd thing about the journey was as we approached Hue, loud blaring music came on, and I was thinking, "Wow, so Vietnamese trains blast music like how folks say Myanmar buses do?" But then it turned into a really pleasant announcement in English about the historical capital of Hue and how it was a UNESCO site. Some folks we met actually recommended Hue and said that it was less touristy than Hoi An. Next time, I suppose, I'll have to come back for a seafood-themed trip. (Apparently Danang itself has a lot of great seafood places.)

Ok, so maybe I won't eat the steamed corn because the lady de husks it with her hands and doesn't clean them between handling money and touching the corn. And maybe I didn't try the rice porridge (they tend to ignore folks who are obviously not Vietnamese-- and I was too slow every time I saw the porridge pass by). However, on the way south there was a nice lunch cart that pulled through. Handy tip: If you want food, there is actually a lady who passes by and sells lunch/meal tickets, but don't freak out if you don't buy one-- the helpful cart people will gladly tell you the price (30,000 Dong) and won't deny you lunch just because the meal ticket lady ignored you. It wasn't bad-- soy chicken with cooked veggies, rice, and soup.  My point is, there are good and cheap options, and the folks who serve those who ride the train surprisingly don't jack up the prices for foreigners (seriously even the stalls at the Danang train station were selling lots of food and drinks for cheap).

My mom came back from Cancun a few years ago, describing how beautifully blue the water was. My dad took pictures, and I just didn't believe that it was that blue, but that the camera was over-saturating the colors. Now that I've been here, I can tell you that there are certain spots that are absolutely amazing. Now if only it wasn't so humid....

I came to Isla Mujeres for a family friend's wedding. It's an interesting place that's a vacation spot for both locals and foreigners alike.  We stayed near the ferry stop at Hotel Playa de La Media Luna.  There was a great beach, though it seemed that the nearby Mia hotel had an even better cove to snorkel and swim in. Nearby was Playa Norte, which had some amazing sand and deep blue oceans.  For the most part, there are lots of restaurants that cater to the American tourists, but if you look carefully as you walk a block or two off the main roads, you'll find some interesting places.

Handy Tips:

• The max amount of money you can change at most places is $300. The bank that seemed to give the best exchange rate (and a lot of locals lined up there too) was Banco Azteca, which was fairly close to the hotel media Luna.
  
• Rooster has got some amazing twists on standard breakfast fare. Be sure to try their french toast.
• Meals are great at Lola Valentina, located on Miguel Hidalgo. Get the octopus if you can, the BBQ-esque sauce is amazing.
• If you do go snorkeling, make sure that you sunblock your butt. Snorkeling requires a life jacket tied around your waist which leaves your butt and legs up near the surface. 
• Conch shells are sharp, so make sure if you buy one to blow on that it's somewhat sanded down. (note: pretty sure that the starfish and conches were a big part of the local ecosystem so just think about that before you buy one....)
• You can exchange pesos at the ferry terminal in Cancun (either withdraw from the ATM or pay the store clerk in dollars). The rate is better by 1 peso or so on the mainland. Don't change at the airport, though.
• Cocktails are good and cheap. Piña coladas, mojitos, margaritas... They were all good. 
• FYI toilet paper can't be flushed down toilets in most of the island....

Places of note: 

• Near the turtle farm, there's a fairly touristy beach known as Playa Lancheros that serves up some great grilled fish, aka. pescado tikin xik. It's cooked on a huge wood grill and everything tasted and smelled wonderful.
• Lagoon outside the Mia hotel. Almost felt like I was standing on a beach in the South Pacific.
• Ceviche-- they prepare it right in front of you at the restaurant with the turquoise paint a few stores north of the Ferry terminal. The restaurant is known as Picus Cockteleria and is brightly turquoise on the outside with plastic chairs and tables in the sand on the inside.

Chichen Itza is a fair distance from Cancun (~3.5 hr car ride). It's one of the oldest ancient pyramid sites in the Yucatan Peninsula and consisted of two ancient peoples, the Mayans and the Toltec. There is some shade, but for the most part, it gets really really hot.  Just as a side note, we stayed at one of the local hotels that was connected to the entrance so we could go in at 8 am (there is also an option on some days to go in at sunset).  If you take the tour from Cancun (as in join a group bus tour) the buses arrive around 11am, which means that you're in some pretty sweltering heat.

I've been to a bunch of major cities in Europe. I made my first trip when I was 8 (9-day trafalgar bus tour around France). I've been constantly trying to find those beautiful sights folks always talk about, or those quaint little towns. And I definitely loved places like Mont St. Michel, Paris, London, or Edinburgh. But something was missing....

Genoa, Italy feels like an authentic city.  A UNESCO site, the old city/port area is full of little shops and narrow streets, reminding me of the feel of side streets in Hong Kong.  There are buildings from the 11th century mixed with Renaissance palaces and grand fountains. Unlike so many towns I've been to, this just feels more raw and unpolished. This is the Europe I've been looking for.  

Totally by chance that I got to discover this place. Thanks to generous support of the project I've been working on with Ocean Alliance and Olin College's Intelligent Vehicles Lab, I got to tag along as we went to present our work at the IEEE OCEANS/MTS conference in Genoa, Italy. We scored a great airbnb apartment for the six of us, and discovered that food is really cheap in comparison to Boston. (Though apparently it's not as cheap as food in southern Italy.)  It certainly doesn't suck to be an ocean engineer, and everyone perks up when you tell them you build SnotBots (flying robots that collect whale breath).

I won't bore you with the details, but here are some facts I found intriguing:

• Genoa is the birthplace of Christopher Columbus. In fact,his family became very wealthy after he discovered America, and created a cover story that they had acquired family wealth through  a pirate uncle, so that people wouldn't try to link them to their working-class background.
• Genoa became insanely rich during this period because of their mad pirating skills. In fact, they would intercept Spanish ships combing back from South American colonies, and then loan money back to Spain.
• They had a lot of shipbuilding going on, and mostly built ships that were manned by their prisoners of war. 4 passengers to an oar, and 50 oars per ship for a total of 200 prisoners to power the ships.
• Today the city still remains a large important Italian port, although most of it goes through the commercial port, not the old port (has also been that way since the 60s).
• Most of the folks from the Italian region of Liguria migrated to South America (not nearly as many made it to the U.S.). In particular, many people immigrated to Argentina, and helped to create the tango, and the futbol team is named "Boca," after the small fishing town in Genoa called Bocadasse.

The fishing village called Bocadasse was all we had time to see of the Ligurian coastline!

We ate a lot of octopus. It was pretty amazing food in general.

Example of food at the conference. The pasta was amazing (you could buy it fresh from the bakeries, too) though I wasn't such a big fan of the fava bean.

Tips for traveling here:

• Most banks don't have a foreign exchange here. Instead, you need to go to a Cambio (it may also just say "Change" on the front of the store).
• Things are mostly closed on Sundays until after church and lunch (~ 3:30pm)
• There's a metro line but for the most part it's probably easier to walk. 
• The streets are made of cobblestones in the majority of the old town, so you may want to rethink about that rolling suitcase.

Sights to see:

• The museo del mare (Maritime Museum). You'll learn a bunch about Christopher Columbus, the port's history, climb around a submarine, and see some great models and paintings.  Also on the roof of the building, there are some fantastic gardens.
  
• Via Garibaldi. Once a street full of all the wealthiest families in Genova, it is now mostly businesses. Definitely worth the walk through to see and admire the architecture.
• Royal Palace Museum. Two different powerful families lived here and it's like a mini-Versailles of sorts. Worth the 2 euros if you're a student (half-price), but even at 4 euros it's a steal.
• That museum is also located on Via Balbi, which has some amazing architecture. Across from the Royal Palace Museum is the local university, and there's a nondescript-looking church called Basilica della Santissima Annunziata del Vastato that you need to see because it is absolutely amazing. 

• Piazza de Ferrari. It's got a great fountain and lots more architecture. There's also the Genoa Cathedral around the corner (with some great deadbolts and paintings and organ) as well as a major art museum. FYI there is also a Cambio here (brown awning across from the bronze statue).
• Bocadasse/Portofino/Cinque Terre. So, we didn't make it past Boca, but the other places are very well known for their picturesque views.

Piazza de Ferrari at night.

Basilica della Santissima Annunziata del Vastato. It was just as impressive as the cathedral that was close by. These folks sure had a lot of money back in the day (this church dates back to 17th century).

Links to my albums on Flickr:
https://flickr.com/photos/133489059@N03/sets/72157653298524295
https://flickr.com/photos/133489059@N03/sets/72157653225567106