The Much Awaited Asia's Bests!

With such an amazing continent & so many fantastic stops, this one was tough. But here we go...

Best Transportation: We've traveled by planes, trains & automobiles...and boats...and bikes...and cyclos...and tuk-tuks. But the ride that will stick in our memories was our very first trip in Asia - our moto ride from the Phnom Penh airport to our hotel. It was the one form of transport we had been told to avoid, but it was amazing.

Best Meal: This one was a tie between Shanghai's Bellagio with Jesse & Christy and Beijing's Source with Thaddeus & Kris. We discovered dragon beans and a wonderful concoction of beer and beef...and that, when in China, we get the best food when someone else orders for us!

Best Hotel: Phu Thien II in Hoi An. $30/night for a huge room, a balcony view of rice paddies, a 5 minute bike ride to a 60-mile beach, and free breakfast to boot!

Best Thing We Witnessed Carried on a Moto: Being in Vietnam for Tet, we saw some truly giant kumquat trees strapped precariously to some not-so-giant motos. So they win. However, runners-up include a 3x8 pane of glass, a brand-new 36 inch tv (not strapped on & with only the driver to hold it on), and a 7 foot tall curio cabinet.

Best Biking Adventure: For those of you keeping track, we rode bikes in many of the places we stopped. But our best had to be the ride around the entire city of Xi'an on top of the wall. Where else could you do this?

Best Random Encounter with a Local: A young Vietnamese university student who screeched to a halt on his moto on a crowded street in Hanoi to practice his English with us. However, his English wasn't great and the encounter consisted mostly of him jumping on Gus to bear-hug him while exclaiming, "I idolize America!" Oohh-kay...