Cambodia Day 2

Phnom Penh

Yesterday we had arranged for a taxi to take us around today. We discovered the location of the Kings Palace walking around last night, so decided we would just use the taxi to get to places further out. It is very hot and muggy today.

We started with Toul Sleng Museum, also known as Prison S21. This is the school that Pol Pot turned into a prison for the incarceration and torture of 20,000 people - of which only 7 survived. It is grim and horrendous, and even more terrible to realise that things like this are still happening in the world today. There was also a small display from the Museum of Okinawa in Japan. It looks as if there is a partnership happening where the Japanese are teaching curation skills to the Cambodians in regards to presenting the prison, and the development of educational materials to go along with the displays. The displays are truly horrific. Pol Pot documented all of his atrocities with photographs, and they are graphic. In the end he became so paranoid that the jailers and torturers themselves became victims of the prison system, as they turned on each other.

Skulls in the Buddist Stupa at the Killing Fields

People weren't murdered at the gaol - they were taken to the Killing Fields, which is where we headed to next (Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre). You are given an audio tour when you enter, which was really informative. The focus is mostly on the victims, but there is also information on the perpetrators, and the lack of justice that is still being worked through today. Pol Pot remained the leader of the Khmer Rouge for 20 years after they were deposed, and the party was given a seat at the UN as the recognised leaders of Cambodia.

Pieces of bone and teeth that rise to the surface of the earth after rain.

There are so many mass graves at the site, not all have been excavated, and even now, after heavy rain, bones and pieces of clothing will still rise to the surface. All of the excavated skulls and bones have been collected into a monument named a stupa.

The Buddist Stupa - a monument to those murdered by the Pol Pot regime

I was beginning to get a headache from the heat and the really tough going at the memorials, so we quickly stopped off at a temple (Wat Phnom), before heading back to the hotel. I had a swim in the pool to try and cool down, followed by a sleep to get rid of my headache, which didn't really work. For dinner we walked to the waterfront and ate in a restaurant called Karma. Almost all of the restaurants along here offer a mix of Khmer, Western, French and Chinese or Indian. We were unable to find a restaurant that only offered Cambodian dishes, although we both sampled Amok, which is a type of spicy curry. We successfully caught a tuk-tuk back - last night when we tried to do so, all we got was "tour?", so we decided it was all too hard and had walked back.

The pool at our lovely hotel. Very welcome in the heat.

Early bed with my headache, that's why I didn't post. I realise this photo collage is a bit off-putting. That's the type of contradiction you come across here as a visitor.

Vietnam Day 8/Cambodia Day 1

Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh

Decided to sleep in today, so we didn't get up until about 9am. Even though we were 4 floors up with double glazing, you can still hear the traffic. I lay awake counting - the longest time period between hearing horns tooting was 2 seconds! Breakfast at the hotel. Sarah had a cup of tea that looked like they'd just waved a teabag over the hot water. She hasn't had much luck with tea over here - if you are coming to Vietnam, we suggest you carry teabags with you!

We went to the markets, but weren't really looking for anything. They had a big food section as well, it's fascinating to look at all of the fresh food, including fish and seafood that I couldn't identify (I think it might have been some form of sea slug. I saw it dried in packets as well). Sarah haggled with a seller, back and forth, until eventually the girl told her she was like the mafia!

We spent the rest of our morning trying to exchange our Dong to USD, just so we had enough to be able to pay for our visas on arrival into Cambodia. This turned out to be not only difficult, but well nigh impossible. After visiting 4 different banks, we finally asked why no-one would exchange, and he said that they don't hold USD in Vietnam. He then gave us an address, but we decided to leave it and exchange at the airport, which was fine. While we were sitting waiting for our flight, I was reading, and Sarah was playing a game on her iPad. I heard/saw her turn her head and say "Hello!" I thought she'd met someone she knew, but it turned out to be a little girl, hanging over the back of Sarah's chair, fascinated by the game. She stayed for ages, just watching the colours and the action.

Flying over Phnom Penh was beautiful. Huge swathes of bright green cultivated rectangular fields almost seem to float on brown rivers and streams of water. As we flew in, the sun was setting, so it appeared to set some of the water on fire. It was spectacular. 

Farewell Vietnam, hello Cambodia

When we arrived at the airport, we needed to fill in 4 different forms! There was an entry/exit form, a health declaration, a customs declaration and an application for a visa. The cost was $30 USD, and because we didn't bring a passport photograph with us, we had to pay a $2 fee each. The process was a little bit chaotic, but overall flowed well - much better and clearer than Vietnam. All of the people seem to be very friendly as well. When we passed through the final security screening, we were photographed and fingerprinted.

First impressions of Phnom Penh is that it is more sophisticated than Vietnam, which is not what I was expecting. US dollars is the primary (although unofficial) currency here, so not having to convert 15,000:1 will be a lot easier too (although the AUD is dropping quickly against USD). Only bad thing here is the number of mosquitoes. We'll have to see what it is like in the day time tomorrow.

Vietnam Day 7

Ho Chi Minh City

Woke up early for our transfer through Danang to Ho Chi Minh City. We were dropped off at the domestic terminal with plenty of time, found the airline, then lined up in the queue. We were then directed to the one window checking in our flight - and after the person in front of us was served, the lady simply put up a closed sign! We were a little bit gobsmacked, because no other windows were for HCMC, so we joined the line next door, which was for a Hanoi flight. Luckily, they were happy to check us in, but it certainly would not have been clear to anyone else who came along after us.

View from our hotel room

HCMC was 30^C and muggy, the most humid we have experienced. It is very much a large, modern bustling city. Even though we have experience crossing the road in Hanoi, it is so much worse in HCMC. We decided to walk to the Reunification Palace - and promptly got lost. Other places have given us a paper map of their towns, but no such luck here. Also, the street signage isn't as good as Hanoi or Hoi An. We were hungry, so stopped off at a franchised French bakery. The goods were delicious, but it was very much franchise fare. With our full bellies and a regroup, we managed to find our way.

Reunification Palace

The Reunification Palace was great. It was originally the Presidential Palace. In 1975, Communist tanks burst through the gates, and the South surrendered to the North. The Palace has essentially remained untouched (but preserved) since then. We saw all of the state rooms, and the Presidential rooms, an old movie theatre with the projection equipment, a games room, the spots on the roof where another bombing attempt had damaged it, and the bunker with old maps, telephones, telex and other communication equipment. We really enjoyed it, and it had the added benefit that we were inside for an afternoon thunderstorm, which bought cooling winds with it (although they didn't last long).

The National Security Council Chamber, with maps.

Helicopter and site of dropped bomb

Communications equipment

Projectors and control board for the movie theatre

We managed to find our way back to our hotel, then Sarah headed out for (what turned out to be) a very long massage. It had just gotten to the point where I thought I would have to head in to HCMC find her (neither of us have mobiles, so I'm not sure what my plan would have been!) when she returned.

Dinner was at Nha Hang Ngon, a kind of fancy street food collaborative. It was hot and humid again, so we ordered a beer as soon as we got there. We then ordered our food, and when it came, we asked for second beers. We got a very surprised look from the waiter! Feeling a lot more comfortable and competent around HCMC now, we wandered a little bit on the way back to the hotel. The streets and buildings are lit up with coloured lights, it's really pretty (but still crazy).

We can't find any half day tours, so we think tomorrow we might try heading to the massive markets near us, and then an art gallery - if we can find it!

Vietnam Day 6

Hoi An

Woke up to the sound of birds, which is unusual so far. Breakfast at the hotel, the only thing I recognised on my plate was fried rice! Also, they unfortunately serve Western coffee, not Vietnamese coffee. I LOVE Vietnamese coffee - same as Malaysia, it is served super strong with condensed milk. For Western coffee, the sugar packets each hold 2 teaspoons of sugar, not one.

We quickly dropped in to a little cafe next to the hotel for some real coffee and free WiFi, and talked to the proprietor's brother. He said his sister rents the shop and does all of the baking and cake making.

Hoi An Museum of History and Culture

 

Bells from various eras.

We walked into Hoi An to do some of the museums and cultural attractions today. We saw the history museum, a temple, the folklore museum (which was really abut traditional handicrafts), and the Japanese covered bridge.

Dogs and monkeys guard the Japanese Friendship Bridge

A temple we found on our way back - it doesn't seem to be in use, or upkept.

Today was the first day it got quite hot and muggy - by lunch, Sarah and I had had enough, particularly with the nagging from vendors. It got to the point where we didn't even want to reply hello, because you know that engaging in conversation will inevitably lead to "you come see my shop?" I know it is nowhere near as bad as it is in other places, but we were both fed up. I get that we as tourists are creating the situation, so we can't have everything - it's part of the experience. On the other hand, we have met plenty of Vietnamese people who are friendly, welcoming, and really like engaging in conversation about a whole range of topics.

A moat around a temple. Men were fishing in this water.

We came back to the cool of our hotel room (Ancient Hotel) and watched movies for the afternoon, after picking up our freshly washed and beautifully folded laundry from Mrs Anh, next door to the hotel. Hotel prices: $2 for 1 pair of pants; Mrs Anh prices: $6 for 3.5kg washing. The rub had been that while you were there, one of her friends or daughters tried to talk you into going to look at her shop, but that said it is an easy price to pay to have clean clothes again.

Still so much space left for more wires and boxes...

Don't trim the trees - use them to hold the wires up!

We then caught a free bus back into Old Town for dinner (I was up front with the driver, we had a good chat, and Sarah was talking to some American tourists), but we couldn't find the restaurant - or actually, we found too many of the same named restaurant. Lonely Planet and Google Maps disagreed about where it was, and when we got into the town, we saw at least 3 restaurants named the same, and none were at the addresses we thought it should be! We gave up and walked into one called The Little Menu, and had a Hoi An specialty called White Rose, which is like a rice based ravioli with pork, as well as some Saigon and Tiger beer.

I love Tassie - but I'm not sure why you'd travel to Hoi An to learn to cook "Australian"!

Leaving early tomorrow for Ho Chi Minh City.

Vietnam Day 5

Danang to Hoi An

Being driven from Da Nang airport to our hotel last night showed a pretty city, all lit up with coloured lights, and a huge dragon bridge (Google it for night-time images, it's so pretty!) The traffic is civilised, and there seem to be a lot of bars and beer halls where people have gathered.

This morning after breakfast in the hotel we went to the Museum of Cham sculpture, which is the only attraction in Da Nang. Most people use Da Nang as a transit point to get to Hoi An, and don't stop over. The sculptures were as old as the 8th Century, relics from sites that have been destroyed by the string of wars in the country. It, along with the original site, are recognised by UNESCO as having important historical and cultural value.

Snake naga, 11th - 12th Century

After the Museum, we had some time to fill before our transfer to Hoi An, so we walked across the dragon bridge, and then wandered around the streets.

The full dragon bridge across the River Han

The dragon's head

We came across a street filled with fruit and vegetable stalls on the footpath, and then discovered this crazy shopping centre that is probably the equivalent of a Plaza. Everything was broken into sections, with mazes of stalls. You could almost get lost in there, the pathways were so narrow. There was a shoe section - "Madam, you buy?" (He then looked at Sarah's feet, shook his head and said "No"!) There was a section for materials, including bolts of silk, with the tailors around the edge making up clothes. There was a clothes section, a household goods section, and a massive food section. This included buckets and buckets of dried fish and different types of shrimp, so the smell was rather pungent.

So ... much ... food!

The trip from Da Nang to Hoi An was along the coastline. For about 20km, there is either massive resort after massive resort, or else, land earmarked for massive resorts. The thing is, all of the promotional shots stuck to the outside of the fences are mostly faded and tattered, and contrasted to the gleaming 5 star proposal, when you see through the fences it is all just barren wasteland, up to the beaches. Straight after these resorts are small towns of probably the poorest type living that I have seen since we've been here. You know that they are likely to be gobbled up by the big corporations and turned into more resorts for tourists like us.

Vietnam is a land of juxtapositions. You see houses with beautifully painted facades to the front, but raw concrete on either side; mansions built next door to shanties; fancy new buildings going up, using sticks tied with rope as scaffolding; manicured gardens next to festering wastelands; brand new shiny Audis, Land Rovers and Toyotas on the road driving with run down lemons; WiFi available everywhere yet tangles of electrical wires with no common standard for pin type or even voltage. It's difficult to comprehend, sometimes.

Hoi An wasn't as I expected it to be, after all of the write-ups it gets, although that was my initial feeling. We walked into the Ancient Town, and I started to get a better feel for the place. There are tourists everywhere, so much so that they have 2 periods a day where they ban motorbikes in the centre of the town - you are only allowed on foot or bicycle. We can get free bicycle hire from the hotel, but the streets are not really any better here than Hanoi, and very very few people are wearing helmets. The old buildings are beautiful, and tomorrow we expect to be able to visit a few of the temples and museums etc. There are a lot of street stalls around, however they are all selling the same things. Every shop you walk past you hear "You buy? You buy?", but they aren't particularly pushy. Some ladies on the street stalls will approach you and then lead you to their bigger shops and try to get you to buy. Again, the pressure isn't too much, and they are pretty accepting when you finally beg off. Sarah had a go at bargaining, and had fun doing it.

Buildings from 18th - 19th Century

We walked back to the hotel in a cool, light rain. I am now sitting inside a girlhood dream - a canopy bed! I'm surrounded by white tulle curtains, pretending to be a princess. Sarah says I'm less like a princess and more like the boy in the bubble. She also says that my inability to get a drink of water through the curtain is my problem that I'll have to deal with on my own. Travelling companions!

 

Vietnam Day 4

Halong Bay Day 2

Woke up with Vietnam Belly. Luckily I had brought some tablets along with me, because we had a lot of travel today. Started the day with some Tai Chi on the top deck as the sun kept "rising" behind the karsts.

Sunrise over the karsts

Then came decision time - can I take a squidgy tummy on a boat ride to see the Surprise Cave? I took the risk, and am glad that I did (thank you, pharmaceuticals!) The cave is in the middle of one of the karsts, 100 steps up.

Cave opening in the side of the hill

There were SO MANY TOURISTS. There was actually boats lined up in a queue to drop people off.

It was worth it though, they have everything running as a fairly well oiled machine, so everyone was nicely spaced out and it wasn't too crowded. We were actually meant to go to Titop Island, but some American and French girls had the cave as part of their package, so we managed to tag along.

The view from the top

It was then back to the boat for brunch, packing, and cruising back to port. Originally, we were to go on the mini-bus for 4 hours back to Hanoi, but we arranged with a travel company to change to a private car half way, to take us directly to the airport. When we got off the boat to get on the minibus, we asked about the transfer, to be met with blank looks. They agreed to call the company, and about 3 people conferred for 15 minutes before telling us that the driver would contact the car. We began travelling, and at the half way stopover, which is where we were to be picked up, we asked the driver where the car would be. He said that there wouldn't be one! We then re-iterated that all of this was arranged back at port, so he hopped on the phone, and they arranged an unscheduled stop-off at a petrol station about another hour on, to hand us over. It was funny, because on both days the drivers of the minivans had stopped on the highways to pass packages to each other. One would stop on the side of the road, then the next van coming in the opposite direction just pulls across to the wrong side of the road, stops, and they exchange things though their driver's windows!

At the airport we got talking to a young Vietnamese guy who had studied his MBA in the US, and now runs his own company bringing whiskey and wine to Vietnam. He is the sole distributor for Beckham (as in David) whiskey for Vietnam, and showed us a photograph of him meeting the man himself. We had a really long and interesting conversation about Vietnam, Australia and the USA. Later in the airport bus we had a quick talk with a couple from South Africa.

Our new Hotel (Brilliant Hotel) in Da Nang is gorgeous (we are getting used to the 5 star lifestyle).

Luckily there was a blind on the window into the bathroom!

Gorgeous pool - too perfect to swim in...

 The service in Vietnam matches the 5 star label. You simply cannot carry your own bags for love nor money, and when waiting for a transfer, you WILL wait in the comfort of the hotel lobby - waiting outside is too shocking.

Vietnam Day 3

Halong Bay Day 1

We mucked up our alarm, but managed to still have enough time to get ready and have breakfast before the pickup for Halong Bay, at 8am. The smog was appalling today - we'd noticed it on other days, but today it was a lot worse. It looks like their agriculture involves a lot of burning, as we saw quite a bit from the plane when we flew into HCMC. It is a 4 hour drive to Halong Bay, in a 10 seater people mover. For some reason both Sarah and I had assumed that as we left the city of Hanoi, we would eventually hit countryside, much like the Mountains, or out Hawkesbury way. We were very wrong. Imagine driving the stretch of Great Western Highway, at 50km/h, with incessant tooting, in roads 10 times worse - for 4 hours. There was just town after town after town, and the traffic and chaos didn't let up. 

All the little boats waiting to take tourists to their cruisers

When we reached Halong Bay, the smog had cleared a little, and it was a beautiful sunny day. We caught a small transport boat out to our Oriental Sails ship. We have a lovely room right on the water - about 1 metre above.

Our room

 We knew lunch was included, and there was a menu on the table when we sat down, although with 5 dishes, it was bound to be the dinner menu. Wrong! At least all of the dishes were fairly small, so we aren't over-eating.

Huge lunch menu!

 After lunch we had time to sit on the upper, open deck of the boat and watch the bay go by. It's a working bay as well as a tourist one, so there are a lot of different ships, from massive container ships to tiny fishing boats.

Limestone karst with fishing boats & smog

At 4pm we had he choice of a bamboo boat ride out in the bay, or do-it-yourself kayaking. I've never been a fan of having the water run down my arms when kayaking, so we opted for the lazy option. We went to look at a floating fishing village, where all of the small houses float in a pocket between the limestone karsts. They float on big blocks of styrofoam, and are anchored to the rocks. If the weather gets really bad, they can be moved to a more protected part of the bay. They even have a tiny room for a primary school.

Floating house, complete with guard dog!

Young boy with toy gun, rowing with his feet.

 After we returned from the bamboo boat, Sarah had a massage in the room, while I returned to the upper deck to lie back and watch the sun finish setting over the limestone karsts. When arranging the massage, the cruise director asked Sarah if she would like a strong one. She said yes, so he said he would have to find a strong masseuse. Sarah said that the Captain would be OK, which really made the cruise director laugh. For the rest of the afternoon, he kept suggesting he would go and get the Captain for Sarah, and it looks like the joke went through the rest of the crew as well.

At 6:30pm, they had a vegetable carving demonstration, where the chef made flowers from tomatoes and carrots, a lotus flower from an onion, a waterlily from cucumber, and the piece de resistance - a swan from some apples.

After dinner, it was squid fishing from the back of the boat. We could see them, but they didn't want to bite. One of the best things about the tours we are doing is meeting all of the other tourists. This time there are a few from Australia, 2 pair from France, and a couple of Americans. It's great to have Vietnam as a shared experience to begin meeting other people, as well as sharing tips and tricks about all of the places to visit.

The squid really were there.