Another Brooks Brothers non-iron shirt blows out

Only have a few left now.  Amazing how they all fail in the same place.

Wine visits in Montalcino and Chianti Classico

The two best visits in Montalcino and Chianti Classico were head and shoulders above the rest: Uccelliera and Sestadisopra.  Other excellent visits were Valdicava, Siro Pacenti, Felsina and Fontodi.  My least favorite visit was Ciacci Piccolomini.  It wasn't terrible, it just had a commercial feel compared to the others, which were small and intimate visits.  Ciacci even has a US style wine and gift shop.

Cinque Terre, Italia

Enjoying a lazy day in the Cinque Terre today.  The last day before the long journey back to New York.  Did some hiking yesterday from Vernazza to Riomagiore.  The regular trail from Corniglia to Manarola was closed with a detour up into the hills above.  The first 30 minutes were very steep and difficult.  What used to be a fairly easy 45 minute hike is now a 2 hour grueling march due to a land slide.  The views were great and it felt good after we got back to Vernazza and enjoyed a cold beer.

Great dinner last night in Monterosso at Ristorante Miky.  Spaghetti al vongole and salt baked sea bass.    

Taking it easy this afternoon and then a boat ride after lunch.

Day trip to Florence

We took a nice day trip to Florence today.  Took the bus from Siena, an easy 1 hour and 20 minutes for 7 Euro.  Walked around a bit and visited the Accademia and Uffizi.  Seeing the David again was awesome.  I last saw him when I was in junior high school with my Spanish class from Sepulveda.  What an incredible piece of art.  The Uffizi was less impressive - just not my type of museum.

Florence is a beautiful city.  Lots of tourists and too many cars and motorbikes zipping down the narrow lanes though.  I find myself really loving the small towns in Italia and caring less so about the bigger cities.

Off to Cinque Terre tomorrow.

Last day in Montalcino

3 great tastings today - started with Siro Pacenti at 0930.  Very impressive facility and top notch wines.  Rosso and Brunello are both aged in French barrique.  The wines are structured and built to age.  From there we went to the best tasting of the whole trip - Uccellieria.  More than two hours of tastings that included multiple barrel samples, current releases and library wines.  Incredible generosity, talent and passion.  Andres and his wife met with us but they don't speak much English.  The wines were unbelievable and give all of us wine lovers good things to look forward to.  The final visit was Ciacci.  Very professional tasting, beautiful facility and good wines.

Off to Siena tomorrow.

Orvieto

Chianti Classico

What a beautiful area.  Lots of small winding roads and spectacular views.  Back to tasting in Montalcino tomorrow. 

Tuscany the beautiful

Breathtaking views today in Chianti Classico.  Two great tastings at Felsina and Fontodi.  Excellent wines and nice people.  More truffles for lunch.

Orvieto

Really nice small town.  Hotel Duomo was excellent.  Lots of interesting restaurants and good local wines.  I wish I had another day here.

Montalcino Day 1

Great morning tasting at Valdicava with Vincenzo.  Tasted the young 2010 and 2009 Brunellos.  The afternoon tasting at Sesta di Sopra was even better.  Great wines and the people there was so warm and welcoming.  We tasted in the living room.  Small town that is quiet at night.  Good dinner with some hearty Tuscan cuisine.  Off to Chianti Classico in the morning.

Roma Sparita, Rome

Incredible Cacio e Pepe.  The best I've had to date.  Light and very peppery as opposed to Da Felice, which was heavy and soupy.  Served in a cheese bowl??  Are you kidding.  A simple dish that delivers incredible flavor.  Everyone in the restaurant had this on their table. Other dishes here were very good too including the pizza.  Nice wine list and the reds are actually served at cellar temperature (rare in Italy).  The setting is in a quiet Piazza in the colorful Trastevere neighborhood.  Thanks for the tip Tony Bourdain!

On to Orvieto

Had a good full day in Roma yesterday.  Lots of walking and a couple good meals.  Roma Sparita was awesome.  Cacio e pepe was better than Da Felice.  Da Felice is really soupy, which is good but on the heavy side.  Sparita is lighter with lots of cracked pepper and the clincher is the cheese bowl that it is served in.  Incredible dish.  Thanks to Tony Bourdain for the find.  Nice spot in a quiet piazza in Trastevre.  Good pizza too.

Picked up the car this morning and drove to Orvieto.  Good drive and the countryside is beautiful in Umbria.  Nice town too.  Took some good pictures.  Off to Montalcino and tasting at Valdicava in the morning.

First day in Rome

Had a good first day in Rome that consisted of two naps and lots of walking.  Once Dave got in we had a killer lunch near the Piazza Novona.  A little pizza place that was in the Rick Steves guide - pizza was OTC and spaghetti carbonara also very good.  Had a glass of wine afterwards at Cul de Sac - kick ass wine bar also near the Piazza Novona.  Walked around after lunch and passed by most of the big Rome sights.  Tons of and tons of tourists in Rome.  It seems that there always is but I thought this was the 'shoulder season'.  Dinner last night at Da Felice.  Totally different vibe the second time around.  Very friendly and English was widely spoken.  Food was very good.

Up rather early today.  Planning on visiting the catacombs and then Vatican in the afternoon.

Landing feet first in Rome

Easy flight from Newark to Rome last night and into this morning.  No ground delays despite fog and light rain.  We quickly climbed through the fog and clouds and were soaring through blue skies within a minute of liftoff.  My seatmate was a hip older gentleman that was going on two separate cruises leaving from Rome.  More than 30 days in total.

Dinner was some of the worst airline food I've ever eaten.  Got some sleep (thanks to the Ambian) and enjoyed a great view of the sun rising over the northern coast of France.  On the approach Rome we had a nice flyby from a Alitalia 767 or 777.  He was below us but pretty close.  Nothing dangerous or close enough to trigger TCAS.

Customs in Europe always makes me laugh and this morning was no exception.  The agent looked at my passport for all of about 0.5 seconds and didn't bother to stamp it.  From the aiport I took the train into the city and then a quick walk to my hotel.  Our room isn't ready yet so I'm here waiting for Dave O.  Perfect weather this morning.       

Another Brooks Brother Elbow Blowout

This time it was my most recent purchase from Brooks Brothers, another no iron shirt.  It also happends to be my favorite shirt to wear to work.  This morning I reached down to feel my elbow and I find that the fabric is in shreds.  What kind of crappy ass fabric is Brooks Brothers using in its shirts?  I'm beyond fed up.  You charge $80 for a shirt that is defective? 

Brooks Brothers Non-Iron Shirt Elbow Blow Out

I have owned several Brooks Brothers non-iron shirts over the years.  For me they are great for my regular business casual attire at work and they fit my slim frame well.  Plus, they are great to travel with since they don't wrinkle.  Unfortunately, one by one, the fabric on the elbows of the shirts keep ripping.  I used to return them and get new ones but now I'm so fed up that I will never purchase them again.  I had my latest blowout yesterday.  It was another lightly worn shirt that blew out on the elbow.  The funny part is that the shirt was a replacement for another shirt that blew out.  I was told by Brooks Brothers directly that the issue with the fabric failing prematurly had been fixed.  Obviously, this isn't the case. 

These shirts aren't cheap and it is a real shame that they are not durrable.  They just lost a long-time customer.   

Next trip...Toscana, Italia

stay tuned for the details...departing on 13-October

I have the following wine visits already set up:

Ciacci
Sesta di Sopra
Uccelliera
Valdicava

Felsina
Fontodi
Quercibella

Mon Nom Sod, MBK Bangkok

After being blown away by my first taste of Mon Nom Sod (also spelled Mont Nom Sod) at the flagship in Banglampu, I just had to taste the delicious toast again before I left Thailand.  MBK was a lot closer to my hotel on Sukhumvit so we tried that branch located on the second floor of the legendary shopping mall MBK.  It was again totally delicious, however, I give the edge to the mothership branch in Banglampu for the absolute best taste.  Here is a pic of the toast insanity!  Sweetened condensed milk is my favorite topping.  The farm fresh milk is also stellar.  This is a must when in Bangkok.

MOS Burger, Bangkok

I had my first taste of the well regarded Japanese burger chain MOS Burger at the Siam Paragon food court.  Let me tell you, I was very, very impressed with my burger.  I sampled the 'Premium Beef Burger', which was super tasty.  The portion size is just right.  Easy to handle and it doesn't fill you up too much.  It isn't greasy in the least bit and all of the ingredients are fresh.  I also had a taste of the fish sandwich, which was really good.  The french fries are served in a cute little portion size although they didn't stand out. 

I can't see this restaurant ever being popular in America since people here are so obsessed with huge portions.  Fine with me though.  I look forward to exploring more of the menu on my next trip to Tokyo.

Dinner in Huay Kwang, Bangkok

Here are a few pics from our dinner in Huay Kwang last night.  This area is an excellent place to walk around and enjoy delicious Thai food.  Highlights from last night were the pad kra prow and the mango with sticky rice.

Back in Bangkok

Made it out of rustic Laos back to civilization in Bangkok.  Flew on Nok Air into the old international airport at Don Muang.  Equipment was an old 737-400.  Not much to see with the thick haze hanging over the Kingdom of Thailand today.  

Feels great to be back here, I always feel so comfortable.  I have about 24 hours left in my trip now before my flight to LAX.  Back at the hotel sipping on a cold Leo and watching the news about the big quake in Japan.  Some horrible shots of the tsunami rolling over the coast line. 

My hotel in Bangkok is a brilliant place - Baan Sukhumvit Soi 18.  Excellent location near MRT and Skytrain.  Comfortable rooms with big baths.  Friendly service and a delicious breakfast.  Super quiet too.  I highly recommend it.

Dinner tonight at the Huay Kwang nightmarket.  Can't wait!

Laos, Vang Vieng

Yesterday was one of those days where traveling isn't the bed of roses it usually is or should be.  The memory of the young girl with her face smashed like a pancake was still fresh in my head.  I had thought of renting a motorbike until that incident.  People here drive bad, really bad.  There isn't much to see in Vientiane and in a few hours you know the whole town.  The food isn't anything special and there is no real street food scene like in Thailand.  I was getting bored quickly. 

I wanted to see the countryside and some mountains.  Vang Vieng was the place since it was only 3 hours away.  But that is only true in the guide book.  In order to pick up our bag from Tom's house we were scammed on the taxi.  I guess I could have lost my cool and looked for different cabs but I didn't have the time.  I try to remember in Asia that losing your cool is a very bad thing.  It shows the loss of face.  Usually I'm not the type of guy to lose his cool.  So we get our minivan to the country.  The van is full of young backpackers from Canada and a German couple.  The full van proceeds to drive the city streets for an hour and then ends up right back at our starting place.  People, me included start wondering what the hell is going on.  Our driver gets out and leaves for 30 minutes and doesn't say a word.  The German guy loses his cool.  He get out and demands his bag back.  He raises his voice.  I guess he doesn't know about losing face and frankly I don't think he cares.  He gets his bags and leaves.  Two young Americans fill the seats of the Germans.  

Finally, we are on the road for a 3.5 hour drive through some of the worst roads I've been on before.  I'm staying cool but Lilly is really unhappy.  We fight for the next day.  We arrive in a beautiful town that is unfortunately overrun by young backpackers who are more interested in drugs and drinking than anything else.  I knew this would be the case though.  It was just as Lonely Planet said it would be.  The scenery was breathtaking though as you can see below.  We didn't have time to explore more of the area or enjoy the river.  Too bad since I'll never be back. 

It was hard to find a place to eat dinner since basically every restaurant is full of space cadet kids watching reruns of Family Guy and Friends.  Went to bed early and made the long drive back in the morning.  On the way back we were scammed again.  I really don't appreciate people ripping me off.  I thought the Lao people were supposed to be nice.  So I was in a really, really pissed off mood this afternoon. It really takes a lot to piss me off.  It took more than a few cold Beer Laos to cool me down.

I'm fine now but I can't wait to leave Laos and return to Thailand.  I really don't care much for this country.  I compare it to Cambodia in Southeast Asia where it is dirty poor and just very dirty.  At least Cambodia has the jewel of Angkor Wat.  Laos has nothing close to that.  I'm glad I have been here once to see what it is all about.  After all, that's what traveling is all about.  The only real way to learn about different countries and cities is by being there.  I've learned that I don't need to come back here.   

I've traveled to many countries in Asia but I really only care to return to Japan, Thailand and Vietnam of the places I've been thus far.  Well, I do plan to get back to HK and Singapore again since I didn't spend enough time in either spot.  Still on the must visit list are Bali, Indonesia and Philippines.  I have no desire to visit Korea.  Burma seems to rustic for me.

The day ended on a better note.  I had a wonderful tour of the US Embassy in Laos and met the Ambassador.  Dinner was in a nice spot on the river but the food was lacking.  Nothing in this country has wowed me like in Thailand. 

Really looking forward to Bangkok tomorrow. 

Vientiane, Laos

Made it to Laos via land crossing from the Thailand border.  The trip was pretty interesting.  We showed up at the US Embassy and connected with Tom.  He took us out for an excellent dinner last night and several rounds of drinks.  I couldn't keep up with him, he's Irish!

The city of Vientiane is pretty low-key.  Not a lot of stuff to see.  We were out and about this afternoon in Tom's BMW and saw a hideous road accident.  A young girl on a motorbike was hit by a large truck.  It was extremely gruesome and I quickly looked away.  There was a large crowd gathered on the street looking at her.  Horrible.  She didn't have a helmet on.  

Tom's house is large and comfortable.  We are trying to decide if we are taking a side trip tomorrow.  Lilly isn't hot on the idea of going to Vang Viene.

Off to dinner soon.  The food in Laos has been delicious so far.  There isn't much of a street food scene here like in Thailand.

Lima Coco Resort, Ko Samet

I am lukewarm on this place.  If it wasn't for a spectacular piece of sand in front of the property I would say avoid it entirely.  I have two main issues with this place: service and hot water.  The service is badly lacking for a resort.  Heck, it is lacking for a lowly motel.  On top of it all the staff is so unfriendly.  Come on now!  This is Thailand, people are supposed to be friendly.  Most of the time the staff is just standing around while they could actually be doing something productive like clearing tables or taking orders.  There is no hot water in the showers.  Not a huge deal if you are paying a low price but I paid more than 100 USD per night.  Not acceptable.  Wi-fi is only available near the front desk, another minor annoyance and it is sloooow.  I'd tell you to stay at the other resorts on this fine beach at Ao Prao although they will set you back some serious baht. 

Oh, and check out the photo below from the bathroom.  Don't put your toilet paper in the toilet?  

Journey from Bangkok to Vientiane, Laos

We'll fly this afternoon to Udon Thani on Nok Air.  Upon landing we will drive to the border of Thailand and Laos.  I will apply for a visa on arrival at the Laos border.  From the border to the city of Vientiane should be an easy 15 minute drive.  Looking forward to completing the Southeast Asia sweep with my visit to Laos.  Should be interesting to visit with Tom and see how his year has been in Laos. 

Back to Bangkok and on to Laos this afternoon

The trip back to Bangkok from Samet was a bit slow yesterday.  Lots of stops on the bus.  Upon return to the big city we headed straight for the famous Chatachuk Weekend Market.  This was my first visit and it was a blast.  So many good things to buy and of course eat.  I bought a little candle set.  For a little snack a had a grilled roti drizzled with sweetened condensed milk that was other worldly.  I really had to stop myself from having a second one.  Hot, crunchy, soft and gooey all at once.  Fabulous!

Headed to Siam Paragon for dinner and had Coco Curry.  It was delicious but not as good as what I had in Tokyo.  No surprise there.  After dinner a 2 hour massage. 

A couple pics from yesterday.

Great day on the beach in Samet

We spent the entire day lounging on the beach in front of Lima Coco.  This area is rather secluded with a fine stretch of sand.  On either side of us are two spectacular resorts ($500 per night places). The water is warm and clear with a greenish hue.  A perfect place to cool off every so often.  The weather yesterday was close to perfect with just a light haze.  For refreshment we enjoyed many cold Singhas, fresh coconut juice and incredible banana shakes, all served at our beach chairs.  Lunch was served on the beach too.  Pad Woo Sen for me and it really hit the spot.  In the afternoon we rented a kayak for an hour.  Good exercise and nice views.  Rough life, I know!

Off to Bangkok this morning and Laos tomorrow.

Plans for Laos are set

We will stay with Lilly's brother-in-law Tom in Vientiane, Laos.  He is the #2 US diplomat in the country.  He lives in a large 3 bedroom house and has maids and drivers.  Sounds like a nice gig!  We'll most likely do one night in Vang Vieng.  The pictures of the city look spectacular!

JO's Rules for Travel

Always, always follow TripAdvisor.  When in doubt, just follow TripAdvisor.

Golden Mount, Bangkok

This is a can't miss spot when touring Bangkok.  After a nice climb up the stairs you can enjoy a great view of the Big Mango.

Mon Nom Sod, Bangkok

This famous kanom (dessert) place absolutely blew my mind.  Located in the Banglampu area and famous for decades, Mon Nom Sod is (nom sod means fresh milk in Thai) a gem in a city that perhaps has more opportunities to eat well than any place on the planet.  The specialty here is grilled toast with different toppings.  The setting is simple elegance with great air conditioning.  We had toast topped with butter and condensed milk.  Simple but utterly profound.  I'm going back to try the chocolate topping.  This is a can't miss spot in Bangkok.

Ko Samet, Thailand

We departed Bangkok early this morning for a bus and boat trip to the island of Samet.  The trip took about 3 hours in total.  The weather has been not so hot all day.  Light rain in the morning and no sun.  I'm not a huge fan of the hotel I booked on this island - Lima Coco.  The beach is real nice though.  Very quiet and relaxing.

Bangkok Day 3

Another busy day out in the Big Mango.  We visited a few new things near the Banglampu area including a nice temple and the Royal Mount.  Lunch was at Chote Chitr at long last.  I certainly enjoyed it although it wasn't worth all the hassle I went through to find it.  The food was very good although I was somewhat turned off by how focused the restaurant is on tourists.  I'm fairly certain that no Bangkok residents would ever eat at Chote Chitr due to the relatively high prices.  I guess I've become a total snob for local, local places although the cooking was certainly good at Chote Chitr.    

After lunch we visited a famous Thai dessert place that was other worldly, Nom Mod Sod.  I will definitely visit this place again before I depart for LA.

After our dessert we visited the Golden Mount.  This is very nice temple with great views of Bangkok.  I really enjoyed visiting the Golden Mount and would definitely return again.

In the late afternoon the sky opened up and it absolutely poured for awhile.  

Dinner was at an old favorite of mine near Soi Nana - Took Lae Dae inside the Foodland Market on Soi 5.  I ordered the pad kee mao noodles.  They were decent but I've had much better.  I asked for it spicy and my dish came 'farang spicy'. 

Some pics from Chote Chitr: