Our trip to Vietnam and Cambodia was absolutely amazing. This was one trip that I really wanted to do while we were over here and while we were crunched for time, we were thankfully able to squeeze it in.
Since we will be home shortly, I will save all the really good stories so that we have something to talk about when we get back. Since I have been keeping you all up to date I am sure most of our stories are old news!
Anyway, our trip was a whirlwind holiday. We flew from Bangkok to Hanoi, took the train to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh), and then took a bus through Cambodia to Seam Reap for our last stop at Angkor Wat. We were going to try and take a boat up the Mekong into Cambodia, but were unable to find anything in the one day travel allotment we had allowed ourselves. While we saw some beautiful countryside we wouldn't have seen otherwise, we both agree that next time we are flying to all of our destinations! (Yes, Ryan said he would rather fly 60 mins than take an 12 hour bus ride!!)
Our first stop was Hanoi. In Ryan's words, it was like Bangkok on Red Bull. This city was chaotic. It was completely overwhelming, and this is from two people who have been living in a crazy city for the last 11 months, I don't know what people who come straight over from Canada think! There were just so many people crammed into a tiny little spot. They all seemed to get about their business, so I suppose it was an orderly chaos, but it was truly a sight.
We stayed in the Old Quarter. It was very much like China Town in Bangkok, only there was no break from the madness. We lucked out with a very nice hotel, and while our room did not face the outside, we soon discovered this made for a much quieter night's sleep.
After our first night we were picked up in the morning for our overnight stay in Ha Long Bay. Ha Long Bay is a World Heritage Site (therefore preserved) and is absolutely beautiful. It was just miles of limestone rocks jutting out of the Sea. We stayed on a Junk, which is a really neat Asian ship. We stayed in a tiny cabin, but had our own bathroom. It was small, but clean and we had a good night's sleep.
In the morning we took out kayaks and got to kayak under caves and through all the rocks. It was really neat.
After our cruise, we headed back to Hanoi where we enjoyed another dinner before heading off to the train station. We spent two nights and one full day on the train. Again, we had a small room, but this time we had to share it with two others. They were Vietnemese and kept pretty much to themselves. Ryan and I watched the scenery, read, played cards, and caught up on our beauty sleep, preparing ourselves for our tour of Saigon.
We arrived in Saigon at 5am and while our room wasn't available, the hotel staff let us leave our bags in the lobby so we could begin our city tour. We started at the War Crimes Museum. They had all sorts of pictures and memorabilia from the war. Some of it was very graphic and when we got to the part about the after effects of the Napalm and Agent Orange I had to leave the room. There was just too much disfiguration and I couldn't handle it. There was also a mock-jail where they held POWs. I didn't know they had wax figures in the cells, and it was super creepy. We didn't take pictures b/c I told Ryan that the picture in my mind was bad enough, we don't need to show anyone else.
The museum was really well done, but it was a little one-sided. You could definitely read the propaganda between the lines. We saw the same thing when we visited the Ho Chi Minh Museum. While I am sure we were not reading direct translations, there was definitely an air of propaganda about.
The rest of our city tour included City Hall, Reunification Hall, the Notre Dame Cathedral, and several markets of course. What is really neat is they sell a number of things left over from the war. While it is hard to tell what is still real, you can get some really neat items made from shrapnel, casings, etc. There is a huge market for US Standard issue zippo lighters that were found after the war. Still, there are some morbid things like US dog tags for sale . . .
I really liked Saigon. The people there were really friendly and seemed to be very happy (they were always smiling!). In Hanoi we always felt like we needed to watch our back, there was just a slight negative atmosphere. But in Saigon everyone just seemed to enjoy life. We had to catch ourselves a few times, as people came up to speak to us, just for the sake of trying out their English - in Bangkok this usually means they are trying to sell you something - but in Saigon they just wanted to meet us. Plus, they all got a really big kick out of me. I kept telling Ryan that I think these people think I am somebody else. I mean, we live in an Asian country and I don't get stares like I did in Vietnam (friendly stares though, not like the ones I was drawing in Jakarta). One guy tried to get Ryan to buy some jewerly for his "fashion lady" so we figured they thought I was a model or something! Ah well, it was good for the ego!
After our city tour we booked a trip out to the Cu Chi Tunnels. These are a series of tunnels the VC built for use originally during the French War and then again in their War with the US. The tunnel system is so extensive the VC could live under there for weeks on end, they included kitchens, hospitals, sleeping quarters . . .
The scary bit was walking up to the tunnels where they had on display all the booby traps and whatnot they had set up for the enemy.
Yes that is Ryan and I shooting an AK-47. We could hear the guns firing the whole time we were walking past all the booby-trap exhibits, it really made you feel like you shouldn't stray too far off the path.
Also, sections of the tunnels have been made wider so that the average tourist can fit through them!
With our Saigon adventures coming to a close, we headed out for our last night. A memorable dinner at a tasty restaurant and then drinks at the Apocalypse Now bar.
The next morning we woke up at the crack of dawn and headed off to catch our bus for Seam Reap.
The bus ride was very LONG. We had a number of stops so we didn't sit on the bus all day, but after a quick stop in Phenom Phen, and several bathroom breaks later (one that did not include a bathroom and I got to go in behind a bush in front of 30 or so other people!) we were very happy to arrive at our hotel: the Majestic Angkor (12 hours later!). Again, we saw a lot of the Cambodian countryside, and although Cambodia is said to be one of the poorest countries in this region the homes did not look desolate and the people looked very happy.
Our hotel in Cambodia was gorgeous. We had paid a little extra for a nice hotel to end our trip with (still nothing by Cdn standards) but were not expecting the first rate hotel we got. The staff were great, the food was yummy, and our room was spectacular! On our arrival they had put fresh roses around our room and thrown rose petals on the bed. The bathtub was filled with rose petals, lotus flowers and orchids, and various buds were placed in decorative spots throughout the room. Our room smelled so nice, it really was the perfect place to end our trip.
Day One in Angkor saw us renting a tuk-tuk and driver for our 10-hour or so tour of Angkor Wat (for only 15$ - we gave him a nice tip!). Angkor Wat is really a series of temples that were built around the 1200s. It was so surreal walking around the grounds imagining what they must have looked like over 800 years ago. These ruins were so old that there were trees growing out of them! At times we really couldn't believe what we were seeing and although they look fake, I guarantee you our pictures are real!
The steps don't look so steep from this angle, but the guy coming down the newer staircase was cursing up a storm and looked at me in a very confused way as if to say "how could you even think of attempting to climb up that ancient staircase!".
(Oh by the way, at these temples we actually were allowed to climb on them, so before you go thinking Ryan and I hadn't read our pamphlets properly again you can rest assured that we were allowed - albeit at our own risk!)
This last picture is our last dinner in Cambodia. One thing that we have found here in good old South East Asia is that sometimes the translation into English doesn't turn out so good. Case in point: the menu said Chicken in Green Paper. I asked our waiter "what is green paper?" He tried to explain, but I told him I would be adventurous and try it for my self. I was a little disappointed to discover my meal was a simple (but tasty) chicken and green pepper dish! Nonetheless, it did get a good laugh from us! Ryan's meal is a traditional Cambodian curry served in a coconut.
I really think that out of all the trips we have had since we came over here, this one tops the list. We met a number of really interesting people, saw some really cool things, ate some great food, and made a number of really good memories.
I will tell you how much I have grown over here. Not only did I eat a lot of seafood, but it was actually enjoyable (its way better fresh from the ocean); and I didn't even flinch when we walked past the stall selling pig's heads in the market in Hanoi (ew, pretty gross eh?)
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