From Swimsuits to Sweaters

We traded our "Southeast Asia on a Shoestring" book for a bootlegged version of "Vietnam" in Phnom Penh, and headed to Vietnam. Our trip consisted of a bus ride and two boats, and we were in Communist Vietnam, specifically Chau Doc.

Our first impression was that the tour organizers were more efficient, and that the place was very busy. Even though Phnom Penh was crazy, Chau Doc was a small town compared, but still bustling. Also, Vietnamese coffee is something of its own. They place the cup in front of you with a small press on the top of the cup, and the end result very thick. It got some getting used to, but it's very tasty:

Fresh springrolls from a street cart:

We stayed in Chau Doc for 2 nights, but our hearts were already onto our next destination: the island of Phu Quoc, and the beach! which we hadn't seen for too long! A little while into the ride, the ticket lady on our bus to the dock started stuffing boxes of cigarettes down her blouse, and tying them onto her legs with rubber bands. Nope, not noticeable at all. Then her friend joined her, who seemed to be packing around even more. We weren't really sure why they have to smuggle them like this, but it was definitely entertaining!

We barely made it onto the boat leaving for Phu Quoc, but once there, we knew we were going to like it. Our first night was in a not-so-great room, but we checked into a nice air-conditioned, breakfast-included one the next day. Then...ahhhhhh...

Here, a guy pulls in a fishing net from the water:

We spent the next few days not doing much, just enjoying the hot weather and nice beach. We decided to explore the nearby town, so got a taxi there, as it was a long dusty walk. We got a few essentials, had a good local lunch of banh cuon (salad-like with bean sprouts, mint, pork, and spring rolls), and started to walk back to the hotel.

We happened across a "hot toc" or hairdressing place, and the man took one look at Ryan and ushered him inside. No, Ryan's still has his fro, it was his beard that went. He'd been wanting to get rid of it for a while, so half an hour later, after a shave and an interesting head massage, a very different looking Ryan emerged!

We had some excellent chicken and calamari BBQ that night, and tried a glass of Dalat wine, a local wine made from fruit grown in the mountains. The next day we spent on the beach, only getting up to buy fruit from a lady walking the beach:

and getting full body massages right there on the sand for $6 each. We thought we'd been a little too lazy, so we signed up for a snorkeling tour the next day as much to see the island as to get us some exercise. We cruised south to the An Thoi islands, stopped to fish a little (Ryan caught one fish) and then snorkeled in 2 areas. The corals were beautiful, and we saw many anemones with their clownfish families! Lunch was the fish that had been caught earlier, then back to shore.

Our last night on the island also happened to be the 6-month mark of our trip. We celebrated by having a nice dinner complimented with a bottle of Chilean chardonnay overlooking the sunset. We can't believe we are already half-way through but we know we still have a lot left to see.

We were sad to leave the island but the next morning we caught the early ferry back to the mainland, where we caught a bus to the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho. The floating markets and canals are the biggest attraction in this city, so the next day we charted a boat for just the two of us to explore the delta. It was an early morning, as the markets are best before 9am.

The markets weren't quite as big as we were expecting them to be, but they were neat to experience nonetheless. Being served fresh coffee from another tiny boat early in the morning and tasting the fresh fruits on offer was great.

After visiting the markets, we then headed back to Can Tho via the maze of canals that weave through the delta. Houses line the canals practically hanging over the river. This could have been a really nice experience except that the amount of rubbish in the river and canals is sad. Our boats propeller got caught in pieces of plastic more times than we'd like to remember. Maybe someday they'll realize what they're doing but unfortunately much of their trash goes right into their rivers.

We also stopped at a rice noodle making shop, where they soak the rice in water, cook the liquid like a crepe, then lay them on these big bamboo mats in the sun to dry, before they cut them into strips:

We spent two nights in Cantho, then thought it time to hit the big city of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). As soon as we entered the heart of the city we knew that we'd like it. We were impressed at how clean it was and the amount of parks that they had, and getting around on foot was quite easy. Though there was a ton of traffic, we found it manageable. At rush hour, they even use the sidewalks to drive on:

Finding a place to stay was easy and cheap as their tourist district is filled with endless guesthouses and mini-hotels. The following day we got a few errands done and visited the Wartime Remnants Museum. It was interesting to see what they thought of the "Anti-American War." Continuing on the theme, we also visited the Cu Chi Tunnels; a system of underground tunnels and lairs that the Viet Cong used to hide from and launch attacks against the Americans and Southern Vietnamese. Both of us experienced a little claustrophobia as we navigated some of the dark, tiny pathways.

After getting back from the tunnels, we stumbled across a place serving bia hoi or draught beer which is usually brewed independently. Although it's not the greatest beer in the world, the stuff is dirt cheap at 50 cents per liter.

Although we probably could have spent a few more nights in Saigon, we decided to pack up again and head for the mountain town of Dalat. Our early morning bus ride that should have taken 6 hours ended up taking around 10 hours after getting stuck behind an accident on the narrow and windy road. We finally made it to Dalat and were greeted with a crisp, cool temperature.

It rarely reaches above 24C and was a nice reprieve from the hot, muggy temps that we've been having. The region is known for its fruits, flowers, and vegetables and is the region in Vietnam where they make the Dalat wine we tried on Phu Quoc Island (although cheap, they still need some work to match the flavors of the rest of the world).

It rained every afternoon we where there, so we decided not to partake in any of the organized tours. Instead we just relaxed and took in the city while enjoying the comfortable climate. Dalat is also known for its artichoke tea, which may not sound tasty, but is actually the best tea Ryan has had and supposedly has very good health attributes. The tea is everywhere in the market along with fresh fruit jams and candies, so we loaded up on a bit of each. We also tried the delicious dessert of dau hu (a soy, ginger custard) from one of the street vendor ladies. Here is the many different varieties of rice on offer in the market:

Three days of relaxation in the mountains was all we needed, so we headed to Nha Trang, the beach and dive capital of Vietnam. We found a nice hotel right across from the beach and settled in. Since diving was our main agenda in Nha Trang, we scoped out several of the dive outfits and settled with Octopus Divers. The next day we headed out by boat to the dive sites and experienced the marine life of Vietnam. Although the visibility wasn't as good as it was in Thailand, we did see some cool things like colorful nudibranchs, lionfish, demon stinger fish, blue sea stars, and a Godfreys sea cucumber among other things. Overall, another good day in the water.

The next day we hopped on a sleeper bus to Hoi An, which left at 7:00pm and arrived in Hoi An at 6:45 the next morning. The old town part of Hoi An is World Heritage Site, and has some beautiful historical architecture. We plan on doing some sightseeing, trying to get some good photos, and eating some delicious Hoi An specialties.

Until next time...

The Marvels and Murders of Cambodia

Arriving in Siem Reap, we checked into the Sydney Angkor Hotel, and, after cleaning the red dust from every exposed part of our bodies (you should've seen the q-tips!) we decided to walk to the main tourist draw, "Pub Street" to get some dinner. Right away we got the impression that Cambodians are much more aggressive than the Lao, bombarding us with their constant "Hey mister/lady, you want tuk-tuk?" We quickly tired of saying no every minute, and started ignoring them. Nonetheless, we made it to the restaurants without a tuk-tuk, and decided to try a two-person traditional Khmer meal at Cambodian Soup. The fish amok and Khmer curry were excellent!

We decided we wanted to be nearer the action, so we checked into a different hotel the next day, the Heart of Angkor, which was also cheaper and had free internet (when it was working). Then it was off to hunt for the perfect tuk-tuk driver to shuttle us around the temples of Angkor for the next 3 days. We found a guy, and settled on $35 for 3 days of wheels (after some hard bargaining, of course). Then, we were off, with the first stop to buy our $40 3-day passes to the temples.

Our first temple was the famed Angkor Wat - surrounded by a massive moat, you get the impression that you're about to be impressed before you even see the thing! But, before we could even get out of our tuk-tuk, kids swarmed around selling all sorts of guide books. Ryan caved in and bought one, which ended up being a good purchase.



We spent about an hour and a half exploring the massive complex before heading to the next temple. The temple of Bayon was much smaller and more unique than Angkor Wat with all of its nooks and giant faces on the towering pillars.



The heat of the day was getting to us so we took a break for lunch and tried to cool off. After lunch we visited the less impressive yet still awe-inspiring Terrace of Elephants and Chan Say Thevada.

Lastly we made the hike up to Phnom Bakheng with every other tourist to watch the sunset. Unfortunately, the clouds got in the way and we never really saw the sun, so we left a little early to beat the mad dash back down the hill.

Later that night we had a $3 dinner (including some of the best fruit shakes yet) at one of the food stalls across the street from our guesthouse. Before heading back to our room, we toured the local night market where we each bought a traditional checkered krama. These can come in handy for everything; a scarf, headwrap, dust mask, sweatband, etc.

It was back out to the temples again early the next morning to try and beat the heat. We first headed to Preah Khan and then to Neak Pean, Ta Som, East Mebon, Pre Rup and finally Ta Prohm (made famous by the Tomb Raider movie).




By noon we were already hot, exhausted, and templed-out so we returned to Siem Reap for a lunch of pizza and beer, a little slice of home!

We woke up at 4:30 am the next morning to catch the sunrise at Angkor Wat. We almost crawled back into bed when we discovered it was pouring rain. However, we put on our brave-faces, donned our rain jackets, and headed out in the dark to meet our driver. He seemed optimistic and sure enough, within 15 minutes the rain let up. Although the sunrise wasn't anything special, there is something about the calm, dim light of early morning at Angkor Wat that makes it quite spectacular.

Once dawn was complete, we grabbed some breakfast, then started on a 30 minute drive to Banteay Srei. Although this temples is quite small compared to the others, it is the best preserved of any, and the meticulous sandstone carvings are amazing.


On our way back toward Angkor Wat, we stopped to sample some of the exotic fruits being sold all along the road, along with some palm sugar candy that locals everywhere make themselves. We made a quick stop at our final temple, Banteay Kdei before heading back to our hotel for an afternoon siesta.


We spent the following day relaxing and enjoying Siem Reap. For dinner, we found a Mexican food restaurant that served up good tacos, nachos, and margaritas. Talk about satisfying a craving. Us Californians can't go long without a Mexican food fix! So far, Siem Reap has definitely had the best and most options of Western food than any other place in SE Asia. Of course, this is probably due to the huge numbers of tourists that flock to the temples, but we didn't mind!

The next morning, we took an uneventful 6-hour bus ride to Phnom Penh. Getting off the bus in the middle of the city, we were bombarded by the worst group of touts that we'd encountered yet. They were literally between us and our bags that had been unceremonoiusly tossed off the bus. Somehow we made it out of there by ourselves, and walked to an area of the city that Lonely Planet deemed a "hotel area" for tourists. Yeah right. We didn't have many options once there, so we took a fan room at an average hotel.

The next day was going to be a hard one, mentally. It was time to visit the Killing Fields and the Tuol Sleng museum, both outposts for horrid things the Khmer Rouge inflicted on people they believed were traitors. It's hard to believe that these atrocities were done in the lifetime of some the younger people we know. From 1975-77, hundreds of thousands of people were killed. This 4-story monument holds thousands of skulls unearthed during the excavations of the mass graves at the Killing Fields:

These rooms at Tuol Sleng were once school classrooms, turned into holding cells and torture rooms:


We were a bit down in our moods after these experiences, so a pick-me-up was definitely needed. We discovered sugar cane juice. They pass the sugar cane stalks through a press several times, then add some sugar and a bit of lime to make a wonderful concoction.


Next up: Good morning Vietnam!

Laos Part II

The overnight bus ride from Vientiane to Pakse turned out to be well worth the money (for whatever reason, bus travel in Laos isn't exactly cheap compared to other parts of SE Asia). We actually got some shut-eye and arrived in Pakse around 6:30 a.m. where we immediately were corralled into another bus that took us another 2 hours south to Ban Nakasang. From here we chartered a longboat to Don Det, one of the islands comprising Si Phan Don (4 Thousand Islands) in the middle of the Mekong. We searched the north part of the island for lodging and decided that the $4.50 bungalows at Mr. B's were a good option. We spent the rest of the day relaxing in our hammocks on the deck of our bungalow.

The next day we decided to take a tour to see if we could spot any of the rare Irrawaddy dolphins and to witness the famous Khone Phapheng waterfall (biggest in SE Asia by volume). First, we took a boat back to Ban Nakasang where we got a minivan ride down to the Cambodian border. From here, we took a longboat 15 minutes up river to a rock right smack in the middle of the Mekong. At first, the six of us in our group were a bit curious as to what exactly we were doing. However, within 10 minutes, sure enough the dolphins showed up. We must have seen at least 10 different dolphins about 50-100 feet from the rock.

It was pretty neat to think that we were witnessing dolphins playing in the middle of this huge river, very far from any ocean waters. It was quite hot during our dolphin-watching, so we all took a refreshing dip in the Mekong. After about 30 minutes, we headed back to the minivan where we headed down to the waterfall.

We were all in awe of the amount of water that moved down the Khone Phapheng waterfall. After about 40 minutes of viewing and photo snapping, we headed back to our island retreat.

We got back to our bungalow in time to watch the sunset over the Mekong. What we didn't expect to find was the local island baker making his late afternoon rounds selling fresh baked pastries, cakes, and pizza breads. Of course we couldn't resist and had to compliment our Beer Laos and sunset with a mini pizza. A great end to a great day.

We woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and decided to rent bikes for the day. Of course after we found out where the bakery was located, we headed straight there for coffee, fruit and cinammon rolls. Mmmmm!!! After breakfast, we decided to explore both Don Det and the island of Don Khon, connected to each other via an old French railway bridge. We biked to another impressive waterfall on Don Khon, cooled off in the Mekong and saw some great little villages along the way. We covered the perimeters of both islands which took up most of the day and by the time we got back we were exhausted.


The next day we decided to leave Don Det, and grabbed a bus back up to Pakse where we caught another bus that took us up into the eastern hills of the Bolaven Plateau, the main coffee growing region of Laos. We arrived in Tadlo a little later than we expected and took refuge in the first guesthouse we came across, Tim's Guesthouse. Unfortunately, our room was invaded by what we think were mature flying termites. Needless to say, the next morning we found a better room at the Sisapueth Guesthouse on the Seset river. We had a great view of the beautiful, hypnotic waterfalls just up river from our place.

After settling in, again, we decided to explore the surrounding area a little bit. However, we decided to go about this upon the back of Munma, an Asian elephant kept at the Tadlo Lodge. We couldn't have chosen a better place for an elephant ride as we crossed rivers, strolled through villages, and witnessed wonderful views high above on Munma:

We spent the next two days relaxing in the quiet town of Tadlo and eating almost every meal at our favorite place, Mama Paps, where $1 will get you the biggest banana pancake that you've ever seen:

We decided it was time to leave Laos and head into Cambodia, not knowing how intricate the journey would be.

First, it was a short tuk-tuk ride to the bus stop in Tadlo; then we caught an early bus from Tadlo back to Pakse, where we then took a taxi to the Thai border at Vang Tao. Once in Thailand, we hopped on a sawngthaew to Phibun, then finally caught another bus to Ubon Ratchatani. It was late, and after utilizing 8 different vehicles that day to get here (a record for us so far), we got dinner, perused the night market, and called it a night. The next morning we woke up early and got a bus to the Thai-Cambodia border at Chong Chom. What we didn't realize is that this border crossing isn't used much by tourists, so our taxi ride to Siem Reap wasn't cheap. However, 3.5 dusty hours later, we made it to Siem Reap ready to tackle Angkor Wat.