Vietnam & Cambodia July to August 2008
23 April 2008 Vietnam and beyond
Planning is well underway for our next “Cultural Pilgrimage”, Vietnam in July / Aug this year.
Can you all please remind me NOT to talk holidays with Deb after a few red wines,
Next years Pilgimage is looking bigger than Ben Hur!!!!! and Deb’s getting excited!!!
24 May 2008 Visas – Tricky Little Suckers
We have got our Visas for Vietnam and I am just revisiting our Cambodian visas.
A long story (not really too long ) cut short, —> Dont apply for visas toooooo early.
We looked at our Cambodian Visas and found that they expired the day before we entered the country.!!
I rang the Cambodian Consulate here, they were so friendly and helpful, (they have offered to extend our Visas for a month – Yeah, much happiness )
29 April 2009 Vietnam & Cambodia Itinerary
We have booked everything and are all set to go
Our Itinerary follows for all those interested
Mon 21 July
Fly Adelaide – Sydney – Hanoi
Tues 22 July
A tour of the highlights of the Capital city, taking in the Old Quarter, Hoan
Kiem Lake in the centre, and the Temple
of Literature. Take lunch at a nearby restaurant which trains disadvantaged
youths about hospitality and catering, and helps
them to find employment and better their lives. Afternoon, visit the Museum of
Ethnology, highlighting Vietnams 54
different ethnic groups.
Wed 23 July
Mai Chau Tribal Village Tour
Depart Hanoi by road in a Southwesterly direction for Hoa
Binh province, where after passing Hoa Binh city, ascend winding
roads that hug the mountainside, and finally descend into a valley where Mai
Chau market and the local village Lak are
home to local Thai minority folk.
Thurs 24 July
1Night Halong Jasmine Cruise
Discover the splendours of Halong Bay aboard the Halong
Jasmine, a wooden junk that combines classic beauty with
modern comfort. While all those who visit Halong Bay are charmed by the
archipelagos beauty, few visitors are aware that the three thousand islands
that dot this bay are home to
many rare plants, including species found nowhere else in the world. We chose
boats name Halong Jasmine because,
like the plant it was named after, junk is perfectly suited to this
environment. With its golden sails,
polished woodwork and refined, Asian decor, the Halong Jasmine offers an
unforgettable ambiance of relaxed
elegance. See Halong Bay in style. Pass through the magical bay,
where thousands of sculpted limestone islands rise from the waves like dragons
teeth.
After lunch, take a short trek to a nearby summit for a panoramic view of the
bay dotted with Halong Jasmine
golden sails, go swimming on a quite beach or sunbathing on the sundeck. Later
afternoon, visit an interesting
fishing village with opportunity to interact with fish men who have been living
in the bay for almost three
generations.
At sunset time, kayak or simply take a bamboo row boat to discover a water
tunnel with many coral reefs in a
scenic lagoon. Back on board Halong Jasmine, enjoy cocktails while watching
sunset and later unwind at
Ginger restaurant.
Fri 25 July
Greet the day with a morning Tai Chi exercise with an opportunity to view the
sunrise over the bay. After
breakfast, visit beautiful limestone grotto then back to the boat for a final glimpse
of the Halong Bay while
cruising back to the dock. We disembark the boat and transfer back to Hanoi
hotel. Arrive Hanoi around 5pm.
Sat 26 July
Fly to Hue
Take a dragon boat cruise on the Perfume River to visit
Thien Mu Pagoda, Hue’s oldest and most beautiful pagoda built on a hill
overlooking the river. Each of the seven storeys is dedicated to a Buddha who
appeared in human form.
Continue on to the impressive Imperial Citadel, the home of the Nguyen Dynasty
Emperors. This amazing city was built along the
same lines as the Forbidden Palace in Beijing and was the country’s
administrative centre. Despite more than fifty years
of decay and attrition, the Citadel is still imposing and recent renovation
work has restored several of its
buildings to their previous glory. In front of the Hien Cam Lac, an elegant
three-storey pavilion, are nine large bronze
urns, each dedicated to one of the Nguyen Emperors, the largest being that of
Gia Long, builder of the citadel and
founder of the empire.
Sun 27 July
Today’s half day tour takes you to Hue’s Royal Tombs.
They are monuments to nine of the thirteen rulers of the Nguyen Dynasty
mostly built during the Emperor’s lifetime. Although designed individually,
sometimes by the intended occupant himself, they
share certain design conventions. The most majestic is that of Emperor Minh
Mang, a staunch
follower of Confucianism with many wives, concubines and a small army of children.
The tomb of Tu Duc, the poet Emperor
is set in an elegant garden with a magnificent lake and pavilion complex. In
complete contrast to Emperor Tu Duc’s
stylish creation, the tomb of Emperor Khai Dinh appears at first to be just a
concrete construction.
It’s interest lies within in an uneasy combination of Vietnamese and European
features and the use of fragments of
ceramics and glass for decoration. Finish the tour with a visit to Hue’s Dong
Da market.
Mon 28 July
Hoi An, a former international trading port during the
17th & 18th centuries, is a charming small town with an eclectic mix
of Western and Eastern influenced architecture. Enjoy a walking tour of Hoi An
on its narrow streets, visiting a former
merchants house, Phuc Kien Pagoda, the 400 year old Japanese Covered Bridge,
the animated market. We will learn about the
well preserved tradition, which has stayed unchanged for centuries.
Tues 29 July
Fly to Nha Trang and enjoy a relaxing day at Evanson Hideaway at Ana Mandara
Wed 30 July
An all day cruise on the turquoise waters and offshore
islands of Nha Trang bay takes you to Tam island and Con Se Tre island.
There are opportunities to swim and snorkel, sunbathe or just relax in the
shade. At lunch time, the decks are cleared, seats
fold down to become a table and the crew produces a sumptuous seafood lunch.
Thurs 31
July Fly to Ho Chi Minh City
You will be collected from your hotel for a half day City
tour. You will visit History Museum followed by the Reunification
Palace, most famous for the enduring images of the tank crashingthrough the
fence here, as the Vietnam War was ending in April
1975. It was then the seat of power for the South Vietnamese government. Walk
to the Central Post Office, Notre Dame
Cathedral and City Hall.
Fri 1 Aug
SAIGON to MY THO to CAN THO
Depart Saigon after breakfast for the 2 hour road journey
to Tien Giang. Upon arrival, board your private sampan for a
river cruise on the upper part of the Mekong River. Visit the fish market, then
on to the Thoi Son Island. Here you will
have the opportunity to taste diverse types of fruit, also tea mixed with bee
honey, followed by a sampan ride through the
winding and tiny canals offering a close up view of daily river life. After
lunch at a local restaurant, we drive to Can
Tho for the night. Overnight Can Tho.
Sat 2 Aug
CAN THO to CHAU DOC
Board the Vo Lai boat for a cruise to visit the Cai Rang floating market with a
stop at a noodle making factory. You
can even try passing one of the many fragile monkey bridges along the canals.
Disembark the boat then drive to Chau Doc.
On arrival Chau Doc, take a city tour of including the Tay An Pagoda, and the
Lady Chua Xu Pagoda. Drive further to Sam
Mountain for a panoramic view of the border area between Vietnam and Cambodia.
Enjoy the beautiful sunset before
returning to the hotel for the night.
Overnight in Chau Doc.
Sun 3 Aug
CHAU DOC to PHNOM PENH
After early breakfast, around 7am take boat ride from Chau Docover the border
to Cambodias capital, Phnom Penh. Boat
arrives between 12pm to 2pm.(Note: Arrival/departure time is subjected to
change due tothe water level)
Mon 4 Aug
Morning in Phnom Penh
Fly Phnom Penh to Siem Reap
Tues 5 Aug
An early start to catch the sunrise (optional). Return to the hotel for
breakfast. A morning tour of the temples includes the
South Gate of Angkor Thom, the famous Bayon, Baphoun, the Terrace of Elephants
and Terrace of the Leper King. In the
afternoon continue to Srah Srang, Banteay Kdei, Chau Say Tevoda, Thommanon, and
the fabulous Ta Prohm Temple, embraced by the
roots of enormous fig trees and gigantic creepers. The day ends with a sunset
at Phnom Bakheng.
Wed 6 Aug
Full Day Angkor Temples
An early start to catch the sunrise (optional). After
breakfast visit the fabulous Ta Prohm Temple, embraced by the
roots of enormous fig trees and gigantic creepers and Preah Khan. In the
afternoon visit the amazing temples of Banteay
Sam Rei. Later in the evening return to hotel. A big yellow Tethered Helium
Balloon ride 200 metres straight
up for an amazing view of Angkor Wat, Siem Reap town and a huge man made lake
west of Angkor Park called Western Baray.
Thurs 7 Aug
Day at leasure in Siem Reap
Depart for home via Ho Chi Minh City and Sydney
Fri 8 Aug
Arrive home around 1pm
7 July 2008 Almost ready for Take Off
Two weeks today at this time we will be in the air on our way to start our Vietnam holiday.
Just the normal things to put in place (mail redirections, food for Aiko, etc)
Ohh yes, we also have to survive the weekend party before we leave
Lots of fun to look forward to.
We will have our laptop with us on this holiday, so hopefully we can make more updates and include more photo’s as we go
As long as we can find wireless internet points we should be able to keep in contact with everyone.
Aint’t technology amazing
21 July 2008 Adelaide to Hanoi
The day started very early, up at 4am, breakfast, final packing, lock-up the house, turn the power off and the in our taxi by 4:40am. We got to the airport at 5am, and checked in. Due to Debs ticket being reissued because of a spelling mistake our tickets were longer linked, so we were seated in different areas of the plane. The check-in girl got it all sorted and we finished up in exit seats for the flight to Sydney, which was a bonus, all that extra leg room.
Our flight left 10 mins late due to congestion in Sydney airport, but we arrived at the terminal only 5 mins late. We got the bus transfer from the domestic terminal to International. On the way to check in with Vietnamese Airlines I realised our luggage tickets had fallen out of my pocket on the bus, we needed them for our check in, so I had to run back and get them before the bus took off. I got there just in time and all was well. We checked in and got all our flights sorted out and our tickets linked. The Airline staff were just so helpful.
One thing I forgot to mention, World Youth Day!!!! For the past week or so Sydney has hosted a big Catholic festival called World Youth day. It is apparently a celebration of all thing Catholic, and is headlined by the Pope, Benedict the 15th or something. Well all these young religious pilgrims are leaving Sydney today and tomorrow, according to our check-in girl!! And we are in the middle of it all! There are people from all over the world, our flight has very many Vietnamese and French pilgrims on it. At least they are all full of the joys of life, the check-in girl said a lot of them were singing first thing ( from 5am) at the airport!!! Lucky her J Any way besides them there are a couple of priests on board so I guess our flight is pretty safe LOL !!
The food is pretty tasty and they seem to be giving us plenty of drinks, so all is well.
Thank you to Carly for sorting out our paper delivery at home, we were surprised to find our paper in the driveway this morning after we cancelled deliveries while we were away.
Our adventure / cultural pilgrimage to Vietnam and Cambodia has begun J isn’t life great!!
About 15 mins out of HCMC the pilgrims went feral!!! It’s the first time I have ever been caught in the middle of a raging pillow fight as an international airliner was making its final approach to an airport. But thanks to what seemed like divine intervention, but was in reality the flight attendants, everything settled down and we landed all in one piece. J
Arrived Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) at 4:15pm local time and had a relatively smooth transit , going through immigration, customs and getting a transit bus. We are at the back of the plane this leg, we have gone from row 25 to row 52 L. Its 32 deg C here and reasonably humid.
It was great flying in seeing the Mekong delta, and all the rice fields and fish farms and boats out on the waterways.
HCMC is spread over a really large area and it appears from the air to have a lot of poor housing, it reminded both of us of the housing around Sao Paulo and Rio in Sth America.
We were met at the airport by our Hanoi guide and driver. ( Mr Dung and Mr Tuan). In the hour it took to drive to our hotel we both thought we got more information from him than we did from our tour leader in South America. He was fantastic. He gave us a lot of back ground info on Hanoi ( It celebrates 1000 years in 2010) and made plans with us for what we wanted to do tomorrow.
Check-in was easy at the hotel, they did all the paperwork for us and just had us sign, J. Our room is very nice and very comfortable. It has been a very long day, we are both glad the religious pilgrims are now somewhere else and it allows us “Cultural Pilgrims” to assume the correct state of mind J and begin to absorb everything around us, the sights sounds smells and noise of Vietnam.
9:30pm here (that’s midnight at home) time for bed.
22 July 2008 Hanoi
I guess we are both still on Adelaide time, we woke around 4:30am. But not to be ones to sit around doing nothing, we decided to go for a walk around the local lake. We got to see our very first Hanoi sunrise J. We had been told that lots and lots of locals get up early before the heat of the day and go down there to exercise, Tai Chi, aerobics and badminton. It seemed to be mainly the older people, 40+, not very many younger ones out and about.
Deb Here – We woke at 4.30am (7am at home) after only 6 hours sleep, I am hoping I get more than that soon! We decided to get up and go to the lake which is only a few mins walk from our hotel. Because it is so hot in Ha Noi in the summer (going to be 37 today and very humid) the locals get up at 4am and go for a walk and some exercise – aerobics, badminton, tai chi, I am not sure how hot it was low 30’s I would have thought and quite humid. It only took us around 40 mins to walk around the lake, there were thousands of Vietnamese out walking and exercising, it was wonderful, I really enjoyed it. And you will never guess but it was my idea to go!!! When we got back we had a look around the hotel, the bit we are in is new (Sofitel Metropole) we went and looked at the old bit, it is where we have breakfast, really lovely, very much like the Raffles in Singapore, very colonial. Our guide is collecting us at 8.30am to do a tour of Ha Noi, that’s the correct local spelling rather than Hanoi we westerners use.
We changed some money this morning and became instant millionaires J. Now come on everyone, how often can you say you have a lazy 1.66 million in your pocket!!!! J (17000 dong to one US$)
We were collected at 8:15 and we went straight to the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum. When we got there the queue was only about 40m long (Yes I do mean only, see a comment in a little while). After giving our guide our camera and mobile phones (no cameras allowed inside) we joined the queue and pretty quickly found ourselves inside the Mausoleum. There were guards everywhere, our guide told us they were all retired army people, who are employed to guard HCM. The mood inside the building was very reverent, the guards keeping everyone in line, quiet and moving. After rounding a few corners we came into the viewing room. HCM is lying in a glass case in a typical viewing pose, he looks very much like he is just sleeping. The case has 4 guards around it, and a walk way around it (sort of a U-turn walk way) with a barrier preventing you getting too close. On the wall at the head of the case are 2 symbols, the hammer and sickle of the Russian communist party and the Red Star of Vietnam (HCM was close to both Stalin and Marx). After we left the building we met back up with our guide and did a tour of the grounds, including the Palace HCM used (originally built by the French around 1900) the houses he lived in and the single column pagoda. We also went to the area in which Vietnam proclaimed its independence in 1945.As we left the queue to get into the Mausoleum was at least 400m long.
From there we went to the Museum of Ethnology. This gives a history of all the various ethnic groups that make up Vietnam. There are 54 different ethnic groups in Vietnam and this museum gives a very good understanding of how they all fit together.
After there we went to Nha Hang Ha Hoi restaurant for lunch. It is a training restaurant for street kids to give them skills in hospitality. The food was very nice and the service great, they all smiled lots and seemed to enjoy what they were doing. During lunch we arranged to have dinner with Brett Hyland and his fiancé, Breeze(Greg works with/for Brett on the NATA audits he does). Breeze works in Hanoi and we are looking forward to meeting her and sharing a meal with them. Rob Oke and his wife are also joining us, Rob used to work for NATA as well. We are going to a traditional Vietnamese restaurant and are looking forward to it very much
From there we went to the Temple of Literature. This was dedicated to Confucius in 1070, and later established as a university for educating mandarins (The ruling class) It provides a great history in the way that teachers are respected and idolised within Vietnam.
After there we went to the old quarter of Hanoi, and walked around several different market areas, it was fascinating, everything from shoes to live eels and fresh tea. We even saw about 3 pigs delivered on the back of a motor cycle!!
The afternoon has been very hot and humid. We got dropped off at our hotel at about 3:15, so we took time to cool down and relax a bit
23 July 2008 Mai Chau
Last night we had a great dinner with a friend of Greg’s, Brett and his fiancé Breeze who is Vietnamese. (they are getting married in a few more days) She took us to a Vietnamese restaurant and ordered lots of dishes for us, we had a feast, all for $15.00 not bad hey, was a great experience, felt really lucky!
We woke at 6.30am to the alarm, was so nice not to wake up early got 8 hours sleep yeah!! J
We were picked up at 8am by our guide and driver, drove 4 hours to Mai Chau, 150 km away, yes that is about 40km an hour!!! We did have a few stops along the way.
Hanoi drivers are the craziest I have ever seen, there are very few traffic lights, so people are constantly crossing at intersections from every direction possible and all at the same time!! You have to see it to believe it. Anyway the drive although long was very interesting, was great to get out into the country, it was the Vietnam I was expecting, green and lush, people working in paddy fields, buffalo, cows, goats ducks walking on the road along with all of the motor bikes (not many cars). Really beautiful scenery.
We enjoyed the village of Mai Chau, it is in the mountains, about 4oo people live there they are an ethnic Thai minority. We had fun with the children, a travel agent told us to take balloons for the children, they were a definite hit, we enjoyed engaging with them.
We had a good lunch in a communal house sitting on the floor, then wandered around the village (see the photos we have posted) before leaving for our 3 1/2 hour journey back to Hanoi.
We arrived back at 6.30pm to our hotel, had a few nibbles in our room and packed our bags. We are leaving at 8.30am tomorrow to go to Halong Bay, staying on a Junk for the night.
Thanks for your messages Ben & Kieran, and was great to talk to you today Carly we had a smile on our face all day. Thanks for your emails Mum, we are enjoying reading about your adventures. Hope you are all well and happy. We are having a great time, feels like we have been here for ages, must have something to do with how much we are cramming into each day, hey Kieran!!!
Love you all
us xo PS Dante Tessa Ella & Ethan, we posted you a card yesterday, showing you how crazy the traffic is here in Ha Noi
23 July 2008 Hanoi 1am
mmmm was an interesting nights sleep, or lack thereof
at 1am there was a call on Greg’s phone, from mastercard wanting to know if we had bought something from Bond St London for $4,500.00 (he told mastercard we were going to Vietnam for 18 days before we left) seems someone has made a copy of our card and is using it. so now the card has been cancelled, cba in australia told greg they would have a card to us the next day, but after being on the phone to mastercard international for what must have been 25 mins at 1am this morning, greg was told it would take 5 or so days to get to us, so greg told them not to bother unless they could give us a day as we were not in one spot for very long! will be interesting to see how we go at the other hotels when they ask for our credit card!! good job we bought some cash.
then at 5.50am this morning someone rang my phone which was packed away so missed the call (not anyone in my phone cos the number didnt come up) and now we are up earlier than we had planned.
we were going to leave one of our cases at this hotel because we are back here on friday for one night, but we have decided to take all our luggage with us to halong bay, seems to us someone at this hotel has used our card number for their benefit!! guess they needed it more than us!
anyway time for a shower and breakfast, we checkout of here in 2 hours
hope you all enjoy your day
love and hugs from us xo
24 July 2008 Hanoi to Halong Bay
We checked out of our hotel this morning and were picked up by our driver at around 8:30am. He approached us very tentatively and said Deb-or-ah ??? We smiled and said yes and we loaded up our stuff and headed east for our 3 ½ to 4 hr drive to Halong Bay. The drive was fairly repetitive with us alternating between farmland and newly developing factory areas. You can really see how “progress” is taking shape here. Our driver stopped for a break after about 2 hrs, and dropped us at an “arts” factory, where we wandered around for the stipulated 30min break. Most if not all the workers had some form of disability. It seems to be common for touristy factories to employ disabled people. Anyway everything seemed very touristy and over priced and not to our taste so we didn’t get anything. We went along a bit more and then the driver stopped again to have a smoke, and gave us an opportunity to take some pics of workers in a near by paddy field and some people shovelling coal onto a conveyer loading a truck. Its amazing what these people do. Just before this stop we saw 2 road accidents, one where a bus clipped a car and looked as though it spun it 180, and another where it looked like motor cycle and a push bike came to grief. No one seemed hurt in either, which was good. But I guess when the traffic seems to get to a max of about 40 kph any bump is going to be small.
We arrived in Halong Bay at about 12:15 pm and boarded our junk , The Halong Jasmin, after being taken out to it by a small launch, at about 12:30pm and were served cocktails on arrival. We have a nice room with a spa and our own private balcony. After we had got under way and were away from “civilisation” they served lunch. Crab soup, King prawns, mussels, fish, spring rolls, rice and fruit, all very nice.
At about 2pm we arrived at a small island that had a swimming beach and a very steep climb to a lookout at the top of the island, about 150m high. We were given the option to do either, or both if you were quick, in view of the heat and humidity we decided to take the swim. The water was wonderfully refreshing, albeit a bit warm.
We then sailed on a bit more and then got into the launches and went and cruised around a fishing village, where everyone lives in floating houses. Several young children raced to our launches in small woven cane boats, that they paddled at a furious rate, and tied up to them and then tried selling us shells and small things like that. It was almost a case of begging, but at least they were trying to sell things. We didn’t know this was going to happen and so had left all our cash on board the junk. The village was very interesting and colourful in terms of the lifestyle the fishermen lived and the houses they lived in.
Halong Bay is a UNESCO listed world heritage site, well about 1/3 of it is listed. It is a huge bay dotted with many islands and massive limestone monoliths. The islands and monoliths are very steep and generally uninhabited. They form an amazing landscape and cast an amazing and complex image against the skyline.
The sea is constantly eroding all the limestone, and every island and monolith is severely undercut by the wave action, and as we saw, in some cases tunnels have formed that pass right through from one side to the other. We cruised around and saw an example of this in the national park section of the Bay.
After that the Junk sailed off and we settled back and had a 15 min foot massage each, very relaxing. We eventually stopped at a calm anchorage point and settled in for the night, along with about 4 other boats (Junks). For dinner we had a seafood BBQ (The Rowes would have been proud of it) We had BBQ’d king prawns , fish, squid, shellfish(small clams) and pork ribs, along with lots of different salads. And then some fruit and cakes for desert.
We retired to our room for a spa and some us time, I think they were going to have a French movie filmed in Halong Bay on for entertainment, the spa was a much better option.
25 July Halong Bay to Hanoi
This morning we woke at around 6:45am and went up to the top deck for a Tai Chi class, a very relaxing way to start the day. After that we changed and went by launch to visit some limestone caves on one of the islands. The caves were pretty large, but not generally still growing. The ceilings in them were wave eroded into a sort of running scallop pattern, which was very interesting. It rained last night and the humidity today seems to have doubled!!!!
When we got back we had a refreshing shower and packed up ready to leave , then went up for brunch at 9:30am. After brunch we headed to the massage chairs and turned on the fan, I think we had found the most comfortable place to sit for our cruise back on the entire Junk.
Our driver picked us up as we got off the tender from the Junk at 11:30am. We headed off and after an hour he stopped at a Tourist factory and told us “30”, so we knew it was a ½ hr break and we would have to suffer another tour of a “Tourist Factory/Outlet shop being pestered by those horrid sales people. By the time the ½ hr was up we were standing by the car waiting for our driver, he simply smiled as he walked over and opened the car.
The drive back was pretty uneventful except for the last 40km or so. I think the monsoons hit, I haven’t seen rain like it since my time in Balikpapan. There were torrents falling from the sky and it really sorted out the motor bike riders, most could be found hiding under bridges waiting for the rain to stop. The roads became free of those pesky bikes and our driver took full advantage of it, he almost drove at 82 kph on a freeway, his normal speed was more like 50 kph.
Got back to our hotel, the Sofitel Metropolitan Hanoi, at about 3pm. When we went to check in we were told we had been upgraded to a Club Room, and check-in was on the top floor. Its pretty swish, to check-in all I did was sign for me and Deb. Our room is like a small suite, very palatial, J. After we settled in, and Deb had had a bath in a very deep “Olde Worlde” type bath with rose petals in it, we went up to the Club floor for drinks and canapés.
They had a wonderful selection of indulgent snacks and a very extensive drinks list, basically whatever you wanted to drink, from Champagne to Cocktails, it was there. And because we are in a Club room, its all gratis. J we stayed and had a couple of drinks and some food, and came back to our room about 6:45. We are just making the most of the indulgence J. Mmmmmmm, sounds just like us.
Hue tomorrow, bring it on
Thanks Carly for sorting out our mail, hope all is ok. Robert probably has our mail, the kids would have emptied the letter box I hope. And thank you for your message and yours Ben We did not check our footy tips from when we put them in last weekend, so hopefully we do well J Oh yes, there was an obscene amount of toiletries in this room, so I have gathered them altogether, weighs a tonne but our baggage is not heavy, thought we could give them to the Hutt St Centre for the homeless when we return, better idea than presents, what do you think Carly?? (Greg has just come over to see what I have written cos I was laughing!!! Love you)
Hope you all enjoy your weekend, lots of love to you all from us
26 July 2008 Hanoi to Hue
First of all
Happy Birthday Pat, 22. Enjoy your day of football (Rubgy for all those in SA, J )
Breakfast was a bit different this morning, what a difference being in Club Metropole makes. Deb had cereal to start and I just went to the buffet. While I was at the buffet the waiter came round and gave Deb the breakfast menu. All gratis when you stay at the Club. She chose to have the Eggs Benedict with a Champagne sauce, was very nice. Fresh juice and plunger coffee, and good tea. Anyway, we dragged ourselves away and checked out. Our guide and driver picked us up about 10 mins late, they were waiting for us at the other entrance to the Hotel, it has 2, the Old Colonial entrance and the Opera Wing entrance, we were at the later.
Anyway, we got to the airport at about 9am, flight due to leave at 10:10, so plenty of time, although we have been told not to get there any later than that, I guess they may give your seat away???
We saw a few of the people from our Halong Bay cruise at the airport and a couple were on our flight.
We got to Hue on time at around 11:30 and were taken to our hotel, and we checked-in. Our room overlooks the Perfume River and across the river to the local market and the citadel.
We got our guide (our guides name is Dat, or Eric if you prefer, but we like Dat, and our driver is Loc) to take us to a local Vietnamese restaurant for lunch, which he did. We had Hue Pancakes and Vietnamese Spring Rolls for starters , then Crispy Fried Squid and “Chua Thit Nac Bam” (missing all the appropriate accent notes over some of the letters) and steamed rice. “Chua Thit Nac Bam” is Pork with bamboo, tomato, pineapple, onions, lemon and chilli in a fish stock. The whole meal was delicious and cost 250,000 dong ( about $15 including drinks)
After lunch we went off and had a look at a couple of mausoleums of former local emperors. The first was that of king Tu Duc (pronounced Too Dook). He had over 100 wives, and numerous concubines, but never had any children. He was liked by his people and his mausoleum was built in 2 years and before he died. It covers a huge area and is very majestic.
The other we went to was that of King Minh Mang. It was built in the early 1900’s and was built at enormous cost, to pay for his mausoleum the King raised land taxes by 30%, which caused huge poverty and many deaths. This King was also believed by his people to be gay, due to his preference for perfumes and jewellery, and the way he dressed. He too had no children , which added to the speculation about his sexuality. His mausoleum is very ornate and cost many lives to build.
From here we went to have a walk around a local market. It was a pretty standard type asian market, a place where you could pretty well buy anything you wanted and lots of things you probably wouldn’t want. But very interesting all the same.
Then back to the hotel for a bit of a rest and cool down.
This evening we went to a “famous” local restaurant, it is listed in The Lonely Planet books, the Y Thao Garden, for dinner.
The restaurant had a set 7 course meal for $10US a head. The food was very nice. Towards the end of our meal our waitress came over and quietly gave me a note, which she immediately took off me when I had finished reading it. It basically said, that the cashier takes all tips left when you pay your bill and she wouldn’t get any of it. So we gave her a tip on the sly (I think it may have been her way of getting a bonus mmm ?) Anyway it was fun and we can spare a bit and don’t mind sharing a little where it can make a difference to someone. We got them to call us a taxi and we went back to our hotel and bed.
27 July 2008 Hue to Hoi An
Packed up and checked out by 9am after an average type breakfast, it did the job but not much else.
We walked across the road from our hotel and down along the river for 5 minutes to our river cruise boat. The owners live on board. The cruise went up the Perfume River for about 30 mins. The river gets its name from the smell it develops from the many fragrant forests and plants upstream that impart their scent to the water. It was really interesting to watch the ebb and flow of people and boats on the water and observe the daily life goings on of people on and around the river. We saw everything from work boats loaded up to within an inch of the river pouring in over their sides, people living on the boats, washing, fishing, harvesting water ferns for food, etc, so much activity. About 20 mins into our trip our boat pulled up alongside another in the middle of the river, it was a ”Toll Booth”, every boat going up the river must stop and pay a toll of 50,000 dong ($3.00) to the government. We disembarked at the riverbank just down from the Thien Mu Pagoda (The Pagoda of the heavenly Lady). It is Hue’s oldest and most beautiful pagoda, built on a hill overlooking the Perfume River. It is a Buddest monastery and a place where children of poor families can (if there is room) leave their children so they can get an education. They are brought up as Buddest Monks, the age ranges of children there was from about 4 to 16.
From there we drove alongside the river to the Citadel. It was the seat of power of the Nguyen dynasty in Vietnam. It is a huge complex formed as three sections, one within the other. The inner most area was the Hue Hidden City, modelled on the one of the same name in Beijing, it is currently being restored, the next area , surrounding the hidden City, was the area for the reigning King and his wives, concubines, his eunuchs and other family members and his close advisors. The most outer section was for other royal workers and the military. Each section had its own surrounding wall and moat, a very formidable structure. It really is a must see in Hue.
Dat,(our guide for those who have forgotten) explained that the Tet Offensive battles of the Vietnam War (Interestingly, the Vietnamese call the whole “Vietnam War” two different names, firstly up to 1972 the American War and then from 1972 to 1975 The Vietnam War, it depends on who was on the offensive I think) were commenced in and around Hue and much fighting occurred around the Citadel. The flag pole at the Citadel is meant to be the tallest in Vietnam.
We left Hue at about 11:15 for our 3 hr drive to Hoi An. On the way went through 2 mountain passes, The Lucky Elephant and The Rich Family, and we also went through a 6km long tunnel under the mountains, it cuts and hour journey down to 15 mins . On the way through the many mountain valleys we saw many military grave sites, there were hundreds and hundreds of graves, a legacy of the war that we never see or think about. We also drove through Danang, where the US forces originally landed and then used for R & R, and the likes of Bob Hope entertained them. We also drove along side China Beach.
We arrived in Hoi An at about 2pm and went straight into the old town so I could get measured up for a coat and trousers. We eventually got to our Hotel at about 3:15. We are in a river view room at the Hoi An Riverside Resort and Spa. The view is lovely, overlooking paddy fields, the river and a few homes. We are having a relaxing afternoon before heading out later to a restaurant recommended by Dat.
28 July 2008 Hoi An
We started our day with a latish breakfast, 8am, and then were picked up by Dat and Loc for our city tour. We visited the Chuc Thanh Pagoda, the oldest pagoda in Hoi An. It consists of 3 parts, a meeting hall at the entrance, an alter to pray for a purpose and an alter to pray for your ancestors. I lit 3 incense sticks (an odd number is lucky) one for both of us and one for everyone else J ) and placed them on the middle alter. So I wish all the very best for everyone, particularly those reading this, LOL. We then went and had a look at a silk factory, they showed us the various stages of development of the silk worms and how they spin the silk off the cocoons. Depending on the fineness of the thread required they either spun from 7 cocoons or 18. You get between 500m and 1000m of silk off 1 cocoon.
We then went to the Japanese Covered Bridge. It was finished in 1593 and took 2 years to build. Because of this, it has a Dog statue guarding one entrance and a Monkey statue guarding the other, representing the 2 years in which it was built. The bridge also had a temple in the very centre of it.
From there went took a tour through the house of an old merchant family. The family have been merchants in Hoi An for about 7 generations and have operated out of the same house all that time. The house is full of a very eclectic collection of ceramics and artefacts. It also has some very interesting architectural aspects to it that revolve around the way the Vietnamese people see the world, and the way the various elements interact.
Next we went back to my tailor, YALY Couture of Hoi An. I had a fitting for my coat and trousers, the coat was fine but the trousers weren’t quite right. We also decided to get a kimono made for each of us for summer. Deb’s in a floral cotton and mine in silk J. (It must be my birthday J)
That finished our tour of the old town and we were dropped off back at our hotel around 11:30am
We had a complimentary foot massage around 1pm very good J
We went back into the old town at about 2pm and had lunch and a small local restaurant. We both had a bowl of Cau Lau, (Noodles with Pork slices, fresh green vegetables noodle croutons in a broth made with local river water) specialty dish of Hoi An, it was magnificent. Cost us $2.00
After lunch we went back to the tailor to have a fitting of our kimonos and me for another for my trousers. The kimonos fitted well, but my trousers were still not right. They tried several times to get them right before finally getting the tailor to come down and fix them. While he had a go, we went for a walk around the local market. I love these places, so much colour, the smells, the sounds, the hum, and all the wonderful sides of humanity that gather there. We got some great photos.
Back to the tailor and the trousers still didn’t fit right, so they took more measurements and arranged to come to our hotel for the final fitting. So we came back to the hotel to cool down a tad.
We went and had dinner at a nearby restaurant that sits over the water, we can see it from our room. We had another version of Vietnamese spring rolls, they are so different everywhere you have them, even in the same town!!! And for a main we had a couple of fresh local crabs in black pepper sauce. The crabs were brought to our table alive so we could see how big they were.They were delicious, and the whole meals with drinks was $20 which included a $5.00 tip.
The girl from the tailor arrived at about 7:30pm. I tried the trousers on again and only 1 pair fitted properly so they took the others away. They had apparently made 2 new pair for me as they couldn’t fix the first ones. I was disappointed not to get the 2nd pair, but still happy with what we got.
It was then 8pm and time to relax in our room before bed. Nha Trang tomorrow, J we are being collected at 7.30am.
29 July 2008 Six Senses Hideaway., Nihn Van Bay, Nha Trang
We were up at 6:10am to finish packing and have breakfast. We checked out at 7:15am and headed to the airport.
We left Dat and Loc at the airport and checked-in. We managed to get exit seats with a window, very happy, J. Flight left 10 mins early for a 50 min flight to Nha Trang, we landed on time, after circling the bustling hub (not) that is Nha Trang airport. Our bags were among the last to come off the plane and then we met our guide, Nguyen, and driver, Dong, for the 1 hour journey to the wharf where we hopped on our speed boat for the trip over to our resort, Six Senses Hideaway, Nihn Van Bay. We have a Rock Villa that comprises 2 separate buildings, one is our day room with a large day bed and bar area, and the other has our bedroom and bathroom in it. We also have our own private swimming pool. It’s a hard life,J, and it is my birthday after all J it just goes on and on.
The resort is on its own time, 1 hour ahead of the mainland, so you always have time and nothing is rushed. Oh yes, our butlers name is An, J. (pronounced Arn)
We ordered room service lunch, I had a ham, cheese and chicken sandwich, with wedges, and Deb had a Vietnamese style baguette, with wedges. Very tasty and lots of it. This afternoon we have had a very relaxing time, taking the odd dip in the, oops, our pool (lol, living the life of the rich and famous )and other wise lying around reading. I walked off to the next (empty) villa and took a few pics of our villa and the resort. There are 54 steps down to our villa from the main track! Dinner at 7:30pm and we have asked An to pick us up,J, in his golf buggy at 7:20pm.
We had the buffet for dinner, Carbonara Pasta and Seafood Paella for starters then skewered prawns, chicken and pork, and salad for main, followed by a small selection of desert, very tasty.
We then went back to our villa for a swim and relaxation.
I have put a few more pics of our villa in my facebook, if you want to see them and aren’t already a “friend” of mine just request to add me as a friend through facebook,
30 July 2008 Six Senses Hideaway., Nihn Van Bay, Nha Trang
A lazy start to the day, we got up at around 8:30am, had a cup of coffee/tea then called for our butler to pick us up to take us to breakfast at 9:30am.
We had a very leisurely breakfast, and sat in the library contemplating the view for some time and then got a ride back to our villa to settle in for a very restful day relaxing, reading swimming and generally not doing very much at all. J Room service lunch sounds good again.
Lunch was a seafood pizza and the Vietnamese baguettes. Very yummy, we had a bottle of champagne with lunch, (gift from resort) very indulgent, J. This is fun LOL.
A quiet afternoon punctuated by dips in the pool, ohhhhh it’s such a hard life!!!!!
Dinner tonight in the wine cave J.
Dinner was wonderful, a very romantic setting. The table was decorated with stars and a heart, with bottles of wine lining the walls and tea-light candles lit all through the cave, it really did look stunning when we entered. We started our meal with a glass of Moet, this definitely was a “Moet Moment” J and then had dinner. The menu for the night had been personalised just for us, making us feel very special.
After dinner An was waiting to take us back to our villa. We made the most of our last night at Six Senses, and went for a swim. There were so many stars out, a fitting end to our stay.
31 July 2008 Nha Trang to HCMC (Ho Chi Minh City / Saigon)
We got up at 6:15am, got ready and finished packing and left our villa by 6:45am, An was waiting to take us for breakfast. We had a slow breakfast, partially because we were early and they were still in the process of setting up when we arrived, and also because we weren’t in any particular hurry to leave.
We were taken to check-out at about 7:25am and after we had settled up the resort manager came in and said good bye to us. He and An both escorted us to the wharf for our launch departure at 7:45am. Its nice to be fair welled by the head the resort, it continues that feeling of being special right to the end. J
We got back to the mainland in about 15mins, a much smoother trip than our ride over. Our guide picked us up and took us to the airport. We had checked in and gone to flight lounge with about 1 ¼ hrs to spare. Its not quite the same without a Qantas lounge to go to. Next stop HCMC.
We arrived in HCMC at about 10am and after getting our luggage we found our guide, Reno and driver Li. We asked to be taken to a local restaurant for lunch, we wanted to try a local dish. He took us to a small “chain type” eatery and ordered for us, we had the local specialty, Pho Tai, rice noodles in a broth with veges and beef, all for 80,000 dong (about $4.50). We then got dropped off at our hotel and checked in. We got picked up again at 1:30pm and were taken to the Unification Palace, the place in Saigon (thats what the locals still call HCMC) where the tank crashed through the main gate when the North Vietnamese marched victorious into the city.The history in the Palace was very interesting. Its seems the north has a different slant on the “American/Vietnam” war than the south has, and that they both differ wildly from that we are given in the west. The truth must be in there somewhere. From there we went to a museum specifically on the war. It was horrendous in part. It had much hardware memorabilia , tanks , artillery, etc in the grounds, and many rooms full of a pictorial history. Many of these were very gruesome in there graphic depiction of the war. We cannot fathom why or how man can be so brutal to other men. From there we went to the Cathedral. It was originally build by the French from totally imported materials!!!! Every stone, glass window, and tile!!!!! Deb lit a candle for us all and in a way to pray for the wrongs of war on all people.
We then went to the old post office, and magnificent building and then started to walk back to our hotel. 100m into our walk the heavens opened up and we eventually stopped at a busy corner and watched the world go bye until the rain eased enough for us to continue . It had been an interesting and very memorable afternoon tour. It is very interesting to see a war from through the eyes of the foe of the time. Very sobering!!!
1 August 2008 HCMC to Can Tho
We went for breakfast at the “club lounge”, was very nice and civilised.
We then checked out and were picked up by our guide at 8am for the 2 hr drive to My Tho.
We only stopped once on the way for a driver break and it wasn’t a tacky place, which was nice for a change, we spent the time, well Deb did anyway, taking photos of flowers in the grounds of the stop over place.
We arrived at My Tho around 10:00am and got on board a small river boat, and headed off for a cruise around 4 islands in the middle of the Tien River. They were called after the four magical animals. The Unicorn, the Phoenix, the Tortoise and the Dragon.
We had three(ooops sorry, Deb reminds me it was four) stops planned.
At the first place we tried tea with bees honey, its was nice. Then we(well only me really, Deb passed on this) had a t ry of what the locals call rice wine, it is really a distilate, and tases a bit like rocket fuel!!! Then there was the banana flavoured version, , it just keeps getting better LOL!!!! We walked around a little here and I found that they were selling snake wine, with real snakes in it, venom and all, and just for good health they also put the biggest scorpions I have ever seen in it too!!! Sorry to say but I left them there without trying it.
The second was at a place where we could try the fruit of the area. We were served a platter of Jack Fruit, Pineapple, Papaya, Dragon Fruit and another that escapes me. They were all very nice, the pineapple is always served with a salt and chilli mix. You are meant to dip the pineapple in it to give you a sweet and sour sensation, with a kick J.
Our next stop was at a coconut candy making “factory”. It was an open shop where they really did make and pack the stuff. We were show the whole process and then given some samples. Very chewy and tasty. We bought a little to have on our travels.
Finally, we were taken to another place for lunch. We had Elephant Ear fish spring rolls(these were made at our table, similar to the ones we had in Hanoi), prawn spring rolls, pork spring rolls, beef and veg, pork strips and a soup of some kind. It was all very delicious.
We then got aboard a sampan, and were paddled through the small canals that run through the island, a very pleasant time, seeing everyday life on the island, and eventually came back to our boat to go back to shore. The boat owner and his wife and young son lived on the boat, the wife (mother) and her child(son) were so wonderful to watch and interact with. We gave the boy a couple of balloons and his mum blew them up for him, his smile was worth bottling , as was hers. We gave her a little US$ as we left, we felt that they could use a little, J, and they gave us so much joy for a short time.
When we got back to the mainland , we got back in the car and drove to Can Tho for the night at our hotel, the Victoria. The drive back was pretty standard for over here, about 1 ½ hrs, all except the last 15 mins. We finished our drive with a car ferry trip across the river. There are 10 ferries that service this one crossing and its very busy. The whole crossing went like clock work, drive on, 10 min sail, drive off. They raise the on and off ramps by hand and then only just high enough to clear the wharf.
Another fascinating day in this fascinating and always enjoyable country was over.
No pictures today, we want to save as many as we can now for Siem Reap
2 August 2008 Deb’s Vietnam
Tomorrow morning at 8am we leave our hotel on our way up the river to Phnom Penh, by 9am we will cross the border into Cambodia.
I was asked on a questionnaire to describe Vietnam in one word, I said, “colourful”. It is green and lush with paddy fields everywhere, the people are colourful, gentle with beautiful smiles which light up when you smile at them, the rivers bustle with activity, the traffic is chaotic, the food delicious and cheap. You can have a main meal in a local restaurant for US$1.00
There are 84 million people in Vietnam, they don’t appear to have any environmental policies, fires are lit all over the country to clear the land, causing much smog, in the cities there is one motor bike for every 2 people, the streets are very polluted with the emissions, some towns are kept really clean and tidy others not so much. The people do not appear to take any care of themselves at work. I was surprised to find out the life expectancy was 70 (I thought it would have been less), occupational health and safety does not exist in this country.
Vietnam seems to run on time, all of our flights were very orderly and on time. Because labour is so cheap here there are lots of people to do one job, so things appear quite relaxed.
There is so much traffic on the roads it takes a long time to get anywhere. Today we travelled 114 km in 4 hours, average 40-50km/hr, it would have only taken an hour and a half 2 hours at the most at home, but there is much to see along the way.
We have taken so many photos, it is obvious from the ones I have taken that it is the young and the very old who interest me most, but there are other people who live here too J
We bought balloons to give to the children, we have had hours of fun, with the children with them, wonderful to see the joy on their faces some of which we captured on the camera, it bought me even more joy, such a little thing, so much happiness!
Some of my favourite memories;
On our first morning in Hanoi at 4.30am walking around Lake Hoan Kiem with all the locals, thousands of them, Chau Mai Village, talking to the children, Halong Bay, on a Junk, swimming in the bay, great views, barbecued prawns, the history in Hue, walking around the market in Hoi An, our guide Dat – beautiful smile and great sense of humour, 6 senses in Nha Trang – everything about it, I felt like a child at Christmas –swimming in our private pool at every opportunity – a romantic dinner in the wine cave, walking in the rain and singing thinking of our grandchildren in HCMC and jumping on the bed J, being on the Mekong Delta and interacting with the locals and spending the last half hour sitting on a seat next to the road outside our hotel in Chau Doc taking photos of the locals, smiling and waving to them and giving balloons to the children.
We went to a photo exhibition in HCMC with pictures of the war, I only got to one of the first pictures and I was gone, I couldn’t look at any more, I must have cried for half an hour, they were so barbaric. The picture that affected me won a Pulitzer prize. I had only just glanced at it when the tears started, it was a picture of a Vietnamese woman waist deep, crossing a river to get away from the American bombs she was holding her baby and had her other 4 children with her, I think that vision will stay with me forever, I am not surprised the photo won a prize, it affected me deeply.
I found it interesting that the North Vietnamese refer to the war as the American war, I had not heard that before, the Southern Vietnamese refer to it as the civil war.
There is a lot of poverty in Vietnam, it will be interesting to see what happens as more people leave the country for the cities. The poor who work earn US$100.00 per month, those who work in hospitality US$200.00 per month. We are certainly lucky in Australia.
It has been fun sharing Greg’s birthday in Vietnam, isn’t it great when it goes on and on
2 August 2008 Can Tho to Chau Doc
We were up at 6am this morning, a quick shower and breakfast and then into a boat at 7am to go up stream to the floating fruit and vegetable market on the Tien River at Can Tho and then to a “cottage “ rice noodle factory.
This morning was everything we love about travelling!!! It was all about watching REAL local people go about there daily lives and us being like a couple of flies on the wall taking it all in. It is a real privilege to be able to get a glimpse into the life and ways of other cultures and people. On the ride to the markets we got to see the ordinary people in their river side homes getting on with the start to their days, the people already out on the river working and trading, and all the colours and characters of life on the river. So much to see and enjoy. The market was a hive of activity with the people selling and buying the produce. It was also a great social place with the locals meeting and sharing stories and meals, and playing together.
The noodle factory was interesting and a look into how they actually produce the staples of life. The people there also raised pigs to supplement the income from the noodles. They seemed pretty well off compared to most on the river.
We got back to the hotel at 9am, and we stopped into the dining room for a top up of breakfast, coffee for me, and cheese and bread for Deb. We then went up to our room to freshen up, look at our mornings photos and finish packing.
We were checked out and in the car heading for Chau Doc by 10:05am.
On the way to Chau Doc we called into a freshwater crocodile farm. They had thousands of crocodiles from youngsters to large adults up to 4m long. The breed them for their meat and skins, most of which is exported.
We stopped for lunch, and as we like, had a Vietnamese meal, this one not as tasty as other, but still good.
We then drove to Chau Doc, and went to see a couple of temples. First to the Lady Chau Xu Pagoda. The locals found a statue up in the mountains in the 1800’s and brought it down to town after one of them had a vision. The statue has many legends told about it and lots of the locals come by to make offerings and pray to it.
Next was a Buddhist temple called the Tay An Pagoda. For some odd reason I found this Pagoda very peaceful, it just felt good inside.
We then went up to the top of Sam Mountain to view the surrounding country side and to get our first, albeit hazy, view of Cambodia. It was a great view from the many vantage points and we were also able to see the Forbidden mountains. The rice fields and township below looked spectacular.
After that we were taken to our Hotel, the Victoria. We have a room with views over the river and it is very interesting just to sit back and watch the world go by on the river. After a while we went out to a park next to our hotel and Deb took heaps of photos of the people of the town as they went by. They were all VERY friendly and many many gave us big smiles and waves.
Cambodia tomorrow, and a new adventure
3 August 2008 Chau Doc Vietnam to Phnom Penh Cambodia
We got up at around 6am. Deb had a good sleep, mine wasn’t!! The bed was way too soft!! Anyway, if that’s the worst of it I have done pretty well.
We had breakfast, very ordinary and then checked out and met our guide, Reno, at 7:30am out the back of the hotel, where we were going to catch our speed boat up the river.
The speed boat picked us up at 8:05am and we took off across the river and picked up a whole lot more people. The boat sat 18 inside (18 Vietnamese that is, lol, that’s short hand for the seats being small and the general room in the boat being a bit cramped) and another 4 seats out on the back. All up 20 tourists were on the boat and we were the only ones not from Europe.
Any way we drove straight up the river as we looked from our balcony at our hotel, and after an hour we got to the border. It all became a bit of a farce, first we stopped at the Vietnamese Border control point, we all had to get off, baggage and all, and get our passports stamped and all of our luggage scanned. Then everyone had to get back on board and we went another 100m and then we all had to get off again, thankfully we didn’t have to take our luggage off again as well. It was a bit bazaar. We all sat around for a while until a few people got their visas, and then we had to go through immigration. The guy at the counter did everything he could to make it look as though he kept finding problems with our visas, paperwork and passports. As he went about the process of stamping our passports, visa and other paperwork with 5 individual stamps on each, he seemed to be saying out loud what he was doing, it was a bit strange, but very amusing. By the time all this had been done it was now 10:40am.
We then set off up the river with our next stop being Phnom Penh. The river was amazing, for all of the trip it never got less than about 500m wide , and at times it looked over 2km wide. The life along the river never changed too much, everyone just seemed to being doing the same as they had for a very long time, fishing, dredging, and general trade. The left bank seemed to be suffering badly from erosion for most of the way.
It turned out to be about a 23 Pagoda trip from the border to Phnom Penh, mmm, that’s about 3 hrs for the rest of you who weren’t driven to that form of amusement to pass the time. I guess we can now say we have done that trip, and we never have to do it again. Don’t get me wrong, it was really worth doing ONCE!!!!!!
When we arrived we were a bit confused about our paperwork and whether we were meant to be picked up or not. Anyway, after the trip the last thing I needed was a whole lot of “Tuk Tuk” drivers hassling me while we were trying to work out what was going on. Anyway, I did get a little short with a few of them, . We eventually worked it out that we had to find our own way to the hotel, and so , I ate a little humble pie and we got a Tuk Tuk to our hotel, “Raffles Hotel de Royal”.
Our “room”, has a kitchen, lounge room, bedroom, bathroom and walk-in wardrobe!!!! It also has a sign saying don’t open the balcony doors unless you want to be invaded by mosquitoes.
We then contacted our travel company here to organise what time we were going to be picked up in the morning and to get our plane tickets. They are dropping everything off to us tonight.
Once we were all sorted, we changed $20 US into 15 $1’s and we got $5 of local money, that is 20,000 Riel, originally I asked for $40 in local, and they almost laughed, indicating I would need a wheel barrow to carry it all. We also got directions to the “Russian” Market, the Royal Museum and The Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC). The museum gave a taste of what we have to come in Siem Reap, the Russian market was one of those great Asian markets where you could get anything (and we didn’t buy a thing, but loved walking around it) and the FCC, suggested to us by Trevor, (who we met on our Antarctic trip) as a great place to sit and people watch and watch the Mekong flow by. He was right, we had a few drinks and bite to eat, and enjoyed watching the world pass-by from the 2nd floor windows. We left and got our Tuk Tuk driver to take us back to our hotel.
It was lots of fun getting out and about in the back of the Tuk Tuk, you can really get the feel of the city.
Later in the evening we went and had cocktails in the “Elephant Bar”. It was a very Raffles sort of thing to do, as you can only do in Raffles.
3 August 2008 Greg’s Vietnam
Every time we travel to a new country I get to experience something new that challenges the way I think and the things that I hold as true. It’s why I love travelling I guess.
Vietnam has opened my eyes to try and think of things from a perspective of a very different mindset. We go through our lives with a set of things we hold as truths, and to have these challenged is both confronting and empowering.
We have experienced Vietnam from many different perspectives. Watching people in the street and on the roads and rivers go about their daily lives is really eye opening into the real people of a country.
The best way to describe the Vietnamese people is probably to describe the way the roads operate.
Imagine a country with 84 million people and 1 motor bike for every two people, and then imagine having all those bikes on the road at the same time, going through the same intersection at once from every direction possible, with no regard to lanes or the correct side to be driving on and NOT having one accident or even a hint of road rage.
Everything happens at a gentle pace, around town if you get over about 30kph you feel like a racing driver and so unsafe.
You cannot visit this country without reflecting on what we call in our history the Vietnam War; over here they talk of the American War, the Civil War and the Vietnamese War. They are all periods of the same War, and they all reflect a change in what was happening through the eyes of the people that live in this country. After seeing a war through their eyes and the views of the other side, it changes the way you must think of it. Seeing the war museum and its very graphic, and horrific, tales and photographs, the hundreds of War cemeteries throughout the countryside and the way they honour their fallen and the bravery of the civilians and heroes is an amazing testament to these people. And now some 30 odd years on, the way they openly greet foreigners to their country, the warmth of their smiles and their generosity is amazing.
Vietnam the land is just as amazing as its people. We travelled from north to south and from the coast to the western border. It changes every time you move through the country. From cities of up to 8 million people to very small subsistent farming villages, from offices to rice paddies and fishing villages, all, so so different. Much of the coastal plains are being farmed for rice, fish, prawns, corn, wood and livestock. Most of the hills and mountainous areas are still forested, but you can see the encroachment of man. Many of the cities are expanding to accommodate the influx of people from the rural areas looking for work and the prospect of a better life. Urban sprawl and the start of high rise developments are changing the face of Vietnam’s cities.
In 5 years time this will be a very different place. The number of very large 5+star resorts and associated golf courses that are either under construction or obviously on the drawing board is scary and they are just destroying the real regional Vietnam, it will become another version of the “Gold Coast” in Australia.
Vietnam is a country that shouldn’t be rushed, it should be savoured slowly, but do it sooner rather than later, while it still retains its differences.
4 August 2008 Phnom Penh to Siem Reap Cambodia.
Happy Birthday Danni from both of us, we hope you had a wonderful day!!
We woke this morning at 6am , finished packing , had breakfast and checked out. We were picked up at 7:30am and taken to the airport for our 9:30am flight to Siem Reap. Apparently it can take between 25 mins and over an hour to get to the airport, depending on traffic.
We did the former, we had checked in, paid our airport tax and were in the gate lounge by 8:10am.
The time went quickly as we read up a bit more about what lay ahead for us.
The flight left on time and we arrived in Siem reap at 10:05am. We got picked up by our guide, Kim, and driver, Tola. Kim is full of beans and has lots of information, so we should get lots out of our time here.
After we checked in at our Hotel, Raffles Grand Hotel D’Angkor”, we went for a walk around the block to go to the Angkor National Museum, to brush up on our Angkor history before we go out to the temples. We eventually gave up on the walk and got a Tuk-Tuk (we hired him for 5 hours for $10, to take us all over town and wait for us at each drop off point). The museum was very interesting, it seems to be a new museum and they have done a great job at presenting the history, culture and beliefs of the Khmer people clearly and in a very entertaining way.
Once we had finished at the museum, we got Mr Phanna, our Tuk-Tuk driver (he even gave us his card, so if your ever in Siem Reap and need a good Tuk-Tuk let us know and we will give you his number) to take us to The Khmer Kitchen for lunch. We had Khmer Dumplings for starters, then Amok and a Khmer pork curry, everything was fantastic, so much flavour. Amok, is the local dish we were told we must try, it was great, just like all the other must try meals we have had.
From there we got back into our Tuk-Tuk and went to “Artisans D’Angkor”. It is a place where they “train” unemployed youths in the crafts of stone carving, wood carving and traditional painting. They make reproductions of the Khmer engravings and craftwork you see at the temples. It was interesting to see how the carvings were actually done, and the skill required to do it.
From there we went to the “Old Market”. I know we go to these everywhere we go, but we love them. They are all pretty much the same, but they are so full of life and colour.
Just to be different we went to the Phsar Kandal, (the Center (or New) Market). It was a clean version of the old, but with many less stall holders, no fresh food and missing the character we love of the old markets.
We jumped back into our Tuk-Tuk and started back to our hotel, when we saw some fruit stalls on the side of the road. We got Mr Phanna to stop and we got a bunch of lady finger bananas and a couple of dragon fruit for our room for $2.00
We then came back to our hotel to put our feet up, well Deb’s anyway, and just relax for the later part of the afternoon. I think we may go down for cocktails in the Elephant Bar again tonight.
I forgot to mention, the view from our balcony is straight across the road to the Royal Independence Gardens and the Royal Residence (from what we can gather it is a holiday or seasonal residence for the King), it all makes for a very picturesque outlook.
Thanks for your message on our site Ben, it is great to get them and good to hear what is happening at home
Hey Linda & Keiron how wonderful to get a message from you both, hope you are both well we will check out your link
love from us both to you all xo
5 August 2008 Siem Reap and Angkor Wat
Today we had an early start. Our alarm went off at 4:25am, and we crawled out of bed at 4:30 and into the shower to wake up. A quick cup of tea and coffee and then down to get picked up by Mr Kim, our guide at 4:55am.
It is our day to have a look at several of the Angkor Temples. The temples were all constructed between the 6th century and 12th centuries, and were built of sandstone or brick, or a combination of both. All of the temples fell into ruin after the decline of the Khmer civilisation sometime after the 12th century. All the temples are in various states of repair, with Angkor Wat being the most advance in its reconstruction.
We went straight out to Angkor Wat, well straight if you count the stop to get our photo ID day pass that is, for sunrise at the Temple. Angkor Wat is unusual as it is the only Temple to face west, the others face north/south. There are many reasons put forward for this ranging from it was the only place they could put the entrance due to the location of a river/ water courses to religious reasons of wanting to face the direction of a particular “God”. Either way it works well for viewing at sunrise. Twice a year, at the time of the equinox, the sun rises directly over the main spire of the temple, as it is late summer now (northern Hemisphere seasons) it was well north of the temple. It was still very spectacular to see the silhouette of the temple against the rising sun.
Once sunrise was over we went into the temple for a good look around and Mr Kim gave us a really good history and explanation of the wall engravings and the structure. It would not be as good if you didn’t have a very knowledgeable guide with you to explain everything you see. It is really hard to explain Angkor Wat in words that would do it justice. It continually reminded us of old roman ruins, with a bit of Egyptian and Aztec thrown in for good measure. It all feels so old, it is hard to believe that it “only” dates back a millennium or so. It is absolutely the best thing we have seen yet.
We came back to our hotel for breakfast at around 9am, and were back in the car by 9:45am and then went out to have a balloon ride near Angkor Wat. The balloon is helium filled and about 10m in diameter, and goes straight up in the air on a wire tether. They used to allow about 20 people to go up in it at any one time, but they have introduced stricter safety measures now and only 10 or less go up at a time. It can go up as high as 200m depending on the wind conditions. It was a light breeze this morning, so I guess we went up between 150 and 200m, but not right to the limit. The view was very good, even though it was a bit hazy. We were up top for about 12 minutes and got a great view of Angkor Wat and the nearby hilltop ruins of the Bakheng Temple.
From there we went to Angkor Thom and its central building, the Bayon Temple.. This was not in as good condition as Angkor Wat, but was a very much more intricate design. Angkor Tom was the former capital of the Khmer civilisation and housed a million people. The most striking feature of Angkor Thom is the presence of HUGE smiling faces on all the four sides of the 54 towers of the Bayon Temple in the centre of Angkor Thom. This whole structure, Angkor Thom, including the Bayon Temple complex is a work in progress, with the restoration being a mammoth jigsaw puzzle. It was truly amazing. There are just so many amazing engravings and masonry carvings that have all been done with an extraordinary degree of skill and craftsmanship. The engravings are very detailed and everyone tells a story.
Once we left there we went and had lunch in a Khmer restaurant and then came back to our hotel for a rest before we headed out for more exploring in the afternoon.
We started our afternoon at the temple made famous by “Lara Croft”. Ta Prohm is the site where you find the temple that is in part being swallowed up by the huge Banyan tree roots. It was amazing to see nature at work, and mans struggle against it. Our guide was very resourceful and managed to get us access to a few restricted areas for photo opportunities money couldn’t buy.
Next we went to Banteay Srei, or “Citadel of Woman”, a temple dedicated to Shiva. It is a very small temple compared to the others, but has some of the most intricate and best preserved stone carvings in the area. It was fascinating, and our guide managed to get us into normally “out of bounds” areas for some great photos.
On the way back from there we called into the Cambodia Landmine Museum. It was chilling in many respects. There are believed to be between 3 and 6 million landmines still to be found in Cambodia!! Currently approximately 2 people per day die due to landmines. (There are still 42 countries who have not signed the declaration against landmines. No prizes for guessing the countries with the biggest stockpiles of mines!!)
We eventually got back to our hotel around 6pm, and sat in the foyer with our guide to plan out tomorrow. It sounds like it’s going to be a very interesting and different kind of day. We are departing drastically from our planned itinerary. More adventures
Thankyou Carly for your message, sorry to hear you are not well, how did you go at the docs? You made us smile by adding Aiko to your sign off, only 3 more sleeps and we will be home, and you will be better.
Have the babies received their postcards, we have posted 5, we sent the last ones tonight! Should get them a week or so after we get home.
Lots of love to you all from us
6 August 2008 Siem Reap and Beyond
This morning we got picked up at 8am, a nice change from the early starts we have had lately.
We were taken out into the countryside south east of the Siem Reap (40km east, then17km south) to a small fishing village called Kampong Khlang Village. About 10,000 people live in the village and it sits on the levy banks around the Kampong Khlang River that feeds into Tonle Sap Lake. (The biggest freshwater lake in Cambodia.) On the drive there we eventually got onto a single lane dirt road. It was really interesting watching the activity as we passed. Not far from our destination we came across a large overloaded truck that had collapsed the road on a small bridge, our only way through. So the locals organised a couple of planks and our driver took the car over the waterway with two wheels on undulating ground next to the truck and two wheels on a couple of not so sturdy looking planks. He did a great job of it, and smoothly got the car over, we loaded back in and drove for about 5 or 10 mins to the village, where we got out. It was about 9:10am when we got there. We started walking up the road, and it was VERY evident that they don’t see too many white people up around these parts. We were very much the odd people out, but all the children and most of the locals soon warmed to us as we chatted with the ones who wanted to try out their English, and smiled at the others. We saw a little of their lives, from the fishmonger woman on the street with their baskets of fish, still flapping, to the young Buddest monks stacking wood, and we got great smiles from all of them.
We came to a point where we were loaded on board a “cruise” boat and were taken down the river to a floating fish market. The trip was excellent, so much colour and activity, a real window into the lives of the people. The market was small and was pretty well finished for the day by the time we got there, but it was worth the trip regardless. We got back to the village at about 11am, and drove back to the main road for lunch, on the way we had to cross that same waterway where the truck had come to grief again, by the same method as we used on the way in, the truck was only half unloaded and still very much stuck.
We drove on and had lunch at a local restaurant, and tried a few different dishes with a bit of help from our guide, Mr Kim. The food was good, chicken ginger and Beef with Oyster sauce, and we got to try a few fish meals, a soup and a sort of omelette as well, Deb liked them, I didn’t, too fishy for my liking.
After lunch we set out for Beng Mealea, a temple that is in ruins in the jungle some 70km northeast of Siem Reap. It was built by King Suryavarman II, who also went on to build Angkor Wat. It is similar in style to Angkor Wat, but much smaller, and of course in ruins (caused by the jungle, as it was left abandoned for over 300 years and only rediscovered in the last 20 years). We had a great time there, it had a feel like we were in a real life setting for Tomb Raiders, and Deb was Angelina (mmm he dreams!). We walked around and on the ruins and through tunnels, OK well original covered walkways, and it all felt fantastic.
After a fascinating day we got back to our hotel around 4pm, and reconfirmed our flights for tomorrow. Seems like this holiday/adventure is coming to an end, we have had a great time, and we still have tomorrow morning. Oh, and we still have cocktails in the Elephant Bar again tonight, seems like we are developing a habit there!!!
Glad to hear the postcards are arriving just as we are about to return and I forgot to mention we are looking forward to seeing Tessa’s video when we return. Good to know you are on the mend Carly, and looks like Aiko has become part of the family . Karlien we have had trouble with the cheese platter in Cambodia, we managed it in Vietnam but we have a plan for tomorrow morning! We just dont have our rock from Cambodia, have to sort that out soon!
We have just been told we can have a late check out tomorrow until 3pm but we have to move rooms, will be nice to have a private place to relax before heading home, our flight leaves at 6.20pm tomorrow, to HCMC, leaving there at 9.05pm. We are looking forward to seeing and talking to you all
Much love from us xo
7 August 2008 Leaving Cambodia
It’s a nice easy day today. We eased our way out of bed and once we were all awake we started to get our things together and do a final pack.
We went down and had breakfast, which included a cheese platter (well plate) and then went back to our room and got all our hand luggage. We have managed to get a late checkout, but it meant we had to move rooms, we went down market a bit, lol. The porters brought our large bags to our new room and then we set out for our final morning. We grabbed a Tuk-Tuk and went to a couple of markets, finishing up at the old market down town. I got a couple of books that I had seen around on Cambodia and the Angkor Temples, and we got a couple of final other things. We found our Tuk-Tuk guy and got him to take us to the FCC (Foreign Correspondents Club, for those who have already forgotten the abbreviation from Phnom Penh.) where we had lunch. Fittingly, we chose a Khmer Platter with all our favourites on it. A great last meal in this fascinating country.
We were back in our room at around 12:30pm and decided just to have a relaxing, and cool afternoon, before we check-out at 3:30pm, and begin our trip home.w
Anyone considering coming to Asia, Cambodia is well worth a visit, the people are gentle and joyous and Angkor Wat is spectacular.
Enjoy your journey
7 August 2008 Siem Reap to Home, Adelaide via HCMC and Sydney
Hi everyone,
We have made it as far as HCMC after getting away from Siem reap on an earlier flight than which we were booked on. It seem to cause havoc with the Vietnam Airlines system when we changed flights, but the staff were all very good humoured about it and we made the flight with exit row window seats.
We are now in HCMC International airport waiting for our flight home. We dont board for another 1 1/2 hrs.
We have done all our duty free shopping and are sitting back relaxing. We think we may have a window and exit row seats again,
The weather this afternoon was made for travelling, by the look of it you wouldn’t want to be doing anything else in it, very hazy and rainny looking.
I am rambling filling in time, , so I had better get off.
See everyone VERY soon
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