These Are Mark Zuckerberg's Vacation Fantasies
Like anyone taking a vacation, Mark Zuckerberg wanted to escape his every-day (not-so-boring) life. And he did: hopping to Vietnam, a country where Facebook is illegal. And he's doing what any rich dude looking for a break would do: buying fantasies.
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Let's Play The Amazing Race
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Normal Amazing Race hopefuls shoot a shoddy YouTube video and assume they'll never hear back. Rich people make their own version of the show. Zuck, girlfriend Priscilla Chan and friends played an "Amazing Race style game" according to Gizmodo's Sam Biddle:
The pals, divided into teams, partook in traditional Tet holiday fun like "blindfolded goat-catching," "pole-climbing," and other feats of dominance. And now, close your eyes and imagine Mark Zuckerberg trying to catch a Vietnamese goat while blindfolded.
Considering there is no traveling involved, this sounds more Real-World/Road-Rules Challenge: The Gauntlet-esque to us. But rich dudes do what they want.
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Let's Take as Many Modes of Transportation as We Can Think of
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To get from one location to another, Zuck and his gaggle have opted for various means of transport throughout the vacation. After flying into Hanoi in December 22, they took a chartered helicopter, which the Vietnamese Website Tuoitre News says costs around $6,400 per trip to Ha Long Bay, and spent the day on a junk cruise ship and kayaking. They then flew (helicopter, private jet, hot-air balloon?) to Sapa, where Zuckerberg rode a buffalo (pictured up top). Then they did some hiking (below), too, before the Amazing Race Spectacular. That's six modes of transportation. At least.
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Let's Eat Exotic Foods
After their hike and Gauntlet games, the gang feasted on gourmet (mostly) vegetarian meals. Again, from Biddle:
Dinners
Grilled Fillet With Coconut With Barbecue Sauce Fried Tofu With Tomato Sauce Fried Egg With Sapa Mushroom Sapa trout carpaccio with shallot and lemon oil Grilled pork and apple skewers with Sapa honey (Don't touch that, Mark!) Sapa mushroom risotto Eggplant, tomato and onion gratin
Lunch
Cucumber Salad Fried Shrimp vegetable Fried Channa Maculata Fish Potato with Cheese
Desserts
Baked pear and cinnamon crumble Creme caramel Gingerbread pudding Rice pudding with Strawberry sauce
Zuck's not even a vegetarian. But considering he can get delicious everything he wants in the Bay Area, for the Facebook founder, this counts as a culinary experience -- Biddle's sources say it's a bet with Chan.
Let's Sure as Hell Not Go on Facebook
Some have suggested that Zuck's using this excursion as a hybrid business-pleasure trip, spending some of his visit to talk Vietnam into opening to social network up legally. However, a Facebook spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal that this trip is "strictly personal." And even with the government ban, the social network still ranks as the second-most popular in the country, as this ComScore chart The Next Web dug up shows. Besides, it looks like Zuck's too busy riding buffalo to talk business.
