Cyclo-ing around My Tho, Vietnam

Can Tho is famous in the Delta for it's floating markets. We hopped in a long boat and cruised through the Cai Rang market which only deals in wholesale fruit and veg. Larger boats 'advertise' their products by hanging them off bamboo poles above the boats, then the smaller boats weave their way between and buy what they need. It's a bit mad, but works because it is easier to boat around than drive. Along the canals there are also these crazy 'Monkey Bridges' which are basically a skinny log with a bamboo handrail, but the Vietnamese can negotiate these with ease, carrying their big loads. We were also greeted along the way by a Vietnamese flasher who hid his face behind a palm leaf, leaving everything else hanging out!!! And all for the tourists!

Off to My Tho next (pronounced Me Toe), where we toured the city in a cyclo pictured in the photo. Not much space for me in front of Martin, but we had a great hour or two watching the fast pace of the town and motorbikes swerve around us! Our driver, Nib, was a fantastic guy, very friendly, very educated, so you may ask why he was driving a cyclo. Well, we seem to think he is one of the many intellectuals of Southern Vietnam that, , were sent to be re-educated once the Northern Vietnamese Communists gained control of the whole country back in 1973. All his possessions, home, and basic rights to work were taken away, leaving him a 'nobody' as far as Vietnam was concerned. He was happy though, and toured us around the markets, busy streets, and stopping at a nursery to some really stunned kids. He was a very special man and we will always remember him. Our next morning in My Tho began with a boat trip across the chocolate coloured Mekong to Dragon Island where there was a tasty coconut candy factory! We managed to cruise some more canals lined with lush palm leaves and banana trees, and stopped at an 'orchard' where we feasted on some of the local fruits (jack fruit, dragon fruit, pineapple, mini bananas), while listening to some local music and song (a bit like squealing!). Then it was on board the bus to the big city - Saigon or its new name since the war - Ho Chi Minh City after the Communist leader. * Mush and Stub

This Little Piggy Went to Market... on the back of a motorbike! Vietnam

Actually, he was a big piggy...!
Here in Vietnam there are sooooo many more motorbikes than Cambodia all buzzing around. And as with all SE Asian countries, the driving is pretty crazy with the biggest vehicle always having the right of way. I'm surprised there are not more accidents especially as they don't use mirrors or look before they pull out onto the street. Not put off, however, we took on the traffic riding in a cart pulled by a motorbike. And it was from here that we we saw many great sights, our favourite being the full size pig riding on the passenger's lap of a motorbike! How crazy is that?! As they turned the corner, the pig was squealing loudly - luckily I had camera in hand. It was a satisfying moment! As rush hour hit, we got caught in all the mayhem - a wonderful opportunity to say hello and chat with all the other riders and kids on bikes as we all cruised along en masse!

A final beer in a tiny plastic chair restaurant (the chairs are tiny, not the restaurant) that locals frequent, topped off our afternoon in Can Tho. Then onto dinner at a restaurant that spoke no English was great because they put their arms around us and waltzed us straight into the kitchen to look at the food so that we could choose exactly what we wanted! The little local joints are the best for this very reason - they always welcome us in. *Stub

And Gooooooooooood Morning Vietnam

We took a slow boat down the Mekong and stopped at the small immigration office of Cambodia, then were asked to unload from the boat in 'No Man's Land' and walk ourselves into Vietnam. And with that, we were on to the next leg of our journey, and with a full month visa in hand! We had already started our 4 day tour of the Mekong Delta which would finish in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). It was immediately evident on crossing the border, that Vietnam is a much more affluent country with respect to Cambodia and Laos.

First stop, Chau Doc, with it's stilt houses and tall TV antennas from every single rooftop. We were rowed around in one of these boats, stopping at a floating fish farm with cages underneath. Mostly, it seems that it is the women that work these funky rowing boats - something we had not seen much of in Cambodia or Laos, where the women work the fields and tend to the house and family. Note the pyjama outfit, but more on that later...

We visited a Cham village (a minority people here in the Delta) where they are famous for beautiful weaving. Then from Chau Doc, it was a few hours drive onto Can Tho - another big town. Near the waterfront in Can Tho, we checked out the giant Ho Chi Minh statue, or Uncle Ho, as he is called here. Since 1973, the South Vietnamese really had no choice but to show respect to their new Communist government. The statue looked a bit like the Tin Man from the Wizard of Oz! *Stub

Goodbye Cambodia!

Back in Phnom Penh again for a few days and this was to be our last stop in Cambodia before heading to the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam. We got our visas for Vietnam sorted here at the Embassy - something we were reluctant to do down south as we were not getting full information about the use and validity of the entry visas that were being issued (we are still unclear what time frame we are allowed to stay in Vietnam ...we'll see when we get to the border, I suppose).

We have enjoyed exploring the coast and countryside of Cambodge, as it is called in French. The wonderful temple ruins were amazing, and the villages and towns still have lots of French colonial architecture around (if somewhat dilapidated), and fresh french-style baguettes! When we see how people live, though, it's heartbreaking. Rich and poor right next door to each other. Lots live in poverty...maybe making $200 a year - if they're lucky!! And, as if enduring the immense suffering inflicted by the Khmer Rouge isn't enough, there are still many people getting injured from the millions of unexploded landmines. In some of the bigger towns there are people begging on the streets - quite a lot of amputees, children, and mothers with small babies. When we can, we give food, but unfortunately we can't give to everyone; we don't like to give money as you can imagine. Inspite of all they have suffered though, the people are happy and don't seem to dwell on the past. They are a little uncertain how to take foreignors though, some are very friendly and laugh and smile, while others are unsure and seem stunned. We have definitely enjoyed the kids we meet as they get very excited when they see us, and they have a great sense of humour - lots of sarcasm - which I love. The Cambodian people are very resourceful managing to carry anything and everything on the back of a bike. This makes for some rewarding people-watching with excellent photo opportunites! Pictured here are 5 people on a bike, but this record was soon to be broken with 6! All in all, Cambodia has been an intense, but enjoyable, enlightening experience for both of us. So with that, it's goodbye Cambodia. *Mush

Bokor Palace Hotel and Casino, Cambodia

Eight packed into the share-taxi, and the driver even had someone on his left hand side (double click pic for our photo album) for the drive from Sihanoukville to Kampot. Initally the road was of nice smooth tarmac, then about an a hour in, it turned to a dusty dirt road. At one point, when we were stopped, we watched as another car came spinning towards us and off the road right beside us, and landed in a ditch. 9 people piled out, and luckily, unhurt.
Our first day in Kampot, we rented a motorbike and cruised to Kep - an old beach town that got hit pretty hard by the Khmer Rouge. There were tons of nice looking old villas that were now abandoned and derelict, with bullet holes in them. Squatters were living under what was left of the roofs, and even an old pool made for some dirty swimming for some of kids! There was an old King's residence there, and even a newer one that wasn't really fit for a king!

Next day, it was up the hill to Bokor Hill Station. Another abandoned resort area, and you could tell by the bumpy road which we travelled by 4WD truck. The good thing about Bokor was the temperature - cooler as we were 3000 ft higher!!! Bokor has a real 'ghost town' appeal. The old buildings used to be hotels, an electrical station, a post office, a water tower, a Catholic church and the very impressive Bokor Palace Hotel and Casino. Of course, these buildings were all skeletons of what they used to be, with a funky orange moss growing all over. The view was impressive from the Bokor Palace and you could imagine that it would be a pretty swanky place in it's day. Now, however, it is graffiti walls, broken staircases and all smashed windows. Very neat to walk around, if a bit spooky. Michelle and I were supposed to stay up at the hill station, but when we arrived at the guesthouse they had no more beds. They did offer to give us some rickety camping chairs (not camping beds!)..... for the same price of $5 each, so unfortunately, we headed back down the bumpy road home. We did finish the day with a boat ride back to town. The tour guide, Nat, stopped to do some clamming, but only Martin and another guy got in to help. Nat scooped out 57 clams, Martin 27 and Rob 8, which Nat proceeded to cook on the way home for us all on a makeshift BBQ on the wooden boat. A tasty treat while we enjoyed sunset! *Stub

Beautiful Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Well, it was actually a nice area with a nice beach, but this was a shot of the grotty fishing village we visited on bikes one day. I've never seen so much trash on a beach!!
We arrived on Serendipity Beach in Sihanoukville (named after King Sihanouk), and Martin immediately became ill. A fever is a scary thing in a Malarial country, especially one with very poor medical, but we were able to get some blood tests done and clear of any bad disease - peace of mind. So, relaxing a little on the beach was finally in order.
The Cambodians tend to build a little too close to the beach and when tide is in, there is hardly any beach left. There were some good places to eat, and hang out in hammocks. Like I said earlier, we took a motorbike around the area and saw the fishing village built on stilts with rickety old plank walkways between the huts (don't look down because all you can see is garbage). Checked out all the other beaches in the area, while avoiding the crazy drivers. We also checked out a place called the Snake House, which had tons of dangerous snakes in cabinets around the restaurant, and even inside the tables. Cobras, pythons, tree snakes, etc, even a live croc in the pond.
Another day we took a boat trip out to the small islands off the coast of Cambodia. The snorkelling was better than expected and the relaxing on the beach was not bad either. Earl and I even went out to help the fishermen collect some kind of mussels, and Michelle did her usual beach combing, coming up with some real neat looking shells!! Snooky was a good time, but time to move on to Kampot. *Stub

Mobile Fuel Station, Phnom Penh

The city of Phnom Penh is not too impressive, but we love people-watching and seeing daily life go on by around us. One of our favourite things to do is just ride around in the tuk-tuks. You see some weird and wonderful sights of everyday life. The best being: 6 people on a 125CC bike, so many boxes piled on a bike that the driver is crammed against the steering column, a mobile gas station wheeled in by bike (as in the picture), 4 people crammed into a one seater rickshaw, a guy carrying a large pane of glass upwards on the back of a bike, tons piled in to a minivan with 2 motorbikes strapped to the back, people on the roof of minivans along with tons of luggage, and the list goes on. I guess these people need to get themselves and their stuff around somehow and are very resourceful.

We have been traveling around Cambodian style too - Michelle and I pile on the back of a motorbike (3 on a bike) and the driver takes us around for a Dollar or so. We sometimes keep our eyes tightly closed - it's best not to see what's going on.. they are terrible, terrible drivers pulling out in front of one another or going down the street the wrong way against traffic etc etc..... Scary! * Stub

Boeng Kak Lake from our Lazy Fish Guesthouse, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

In Phnom Penh, we are staying in a guest house on Boeng Kak Lake. A seriously polluted body of water (note, its perhaps appropriate middle name!), surrounded by houses, and some guesthouses with restaurants on stilts above the water. Some of them are relaxing chill-out places, but just try not to look over the edge! Lazy Fish was our first guesthouse, but we had to move rooms as we heard a rat chomping away at our wall ready to come in to check out our stuff! Charming! Inspite of this, the area has a great feel to it as it still retains its 'local' atmosphere, and at night all the locals come out and play games in the main street - (which is more of an alleyway) - together.

Joy and Earl are following our route at a day or two behind us, and after the visits to the gruesome sights of Khmer Rouge torture and murder, we decided to at least explore a little more of the positive side of Phnom Penh. The Palace and the Silver Pagoda were very nice, though not as impressive as Bangkok's Palace, but still very beautiful. Toured the 'Russian' Market where you can buy any type of motorcycle part you need it seems, or any type of food, or just plain old tourist souvenir junk. We've been to the impressive Central Market, but I like it for the building itself : a dome stands in the centre with 4 huge art deco arms radiating outwards full of stuff! Wat Phnom - temple on a hill... but apparently we were supposed to buy a ticket - who knew? A massive new US Embassy being built in the only place in town overlooked by a hill (how did the security conscious US figure on that area?) - it is a huge eyesore! We passed by an area of restaurants that only had hammocks inside - 4 hammocks around each of the low tables - looked pretty comfy! And relaxed at happy hour at the Foreign Correspondents Club (The 'F'), with drinks on the 3rd floor patio overlooking the Mekong River! Also managed fit in a couple of sunsets at the lakeside stilt restaurants. All in all a very pleasant time. * Mush and Stub

Tuol Sleng Prisoners, Phnom Penh

Our experiences in Cambodia have been varied - wonderful, educational and traumatic. Our next stop was Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. Here, we were to learn about the horrendous suffering of the Khmer people and how they endured so much during the Khmer Rouge's 'ethnic cleansing' - about 2 million people were tortured, killed, or starved to death - just 30 years ago from 1975-1979. I remember when I was a kid, I saw pictures on telly about Cambodia - pictures of people needing help, suffering from starvation. I was too young to realise the magnitude of their suffering, or more importantly, the cause of it. I had not realised that, like Mao's regime in China, the educated, intelligent people were obliterated after forced labour in the fields (to make Cambodia a strong producer and competitor in rice export). They wanted a nation of people who could/would not think for themselves. At Tuol Sleng - one of the many prisons controlled by the Khmer rouge, people were tortured to death in order to get alleged confessions about plotting with the CIA against the regime. Known as the 'Killing Fields', the people were shipped out of the prisons and the cities to be killed in mass graves. Even now learning about the gruesome details, it is hard to comprehend the atrocities, the pain and suffering. 2 million people! On the same level, if not worse than the Jewish Holocaust in WWII! What is worse is that the western world turned a blind eye. The leaders of the regime never were brought to justice. *Mush

The Bamboo Skyscrapers of Kompong Phhluk, Cambodia

Adventure today, and we had no idea what we were in store for. After arranging a tuk-tuk for the day with our usual driver Sila, we were unsure of what exactly was going to happen as his English was not great. So, as it turned out, we rode in the tuk-tuk, as far as the road would take us before it was just too rough. Then he and his brother (who had followed on a motorbike), disconnected the tuk-tuk and we hopped on the back of each bike for a very rough, 45 minute ride. It was so bumpy that the bikes would bottom out every now and again sending the shock up our spines! We ended up in what turned out to be the village of Kompong Phhluk. The very wide road down the centre split the 2 rows of bamboo huts built really high up on stilts (6-7 m, 20 ft) -essential for surviving the monsoon season when Lake Tonle Sap rises to about 5 times the dry season level! It was a very cool sight, especially with the shrimps drying on mats out in front of the places. We explored around the backs of the huts that bordered the river. There was just a bustle of activity around which made for an interesting time, especially with all the kids yelling "hello" at us. Michelle is getting to be a bit of a Pied Piper, as everywhere she goes, she has kids following her! They are a treat though, and we love speaking with them.

In addition to the village, we also took out one of the boats through the petrified forest, to the floating village in the lake. These people move their huts according to the water levels, as their way of life is to fish the lake intensely. The homes actually have fish pens attached where they fatten the fish up and then farm them. Out here, we watched a family sorting out one pen into sizes. Lots of 'flying' fish, as they would chuck them over the bamboo fences into whichever pen they required. At another hut we watched them shovel and sort a new catch right on the living room floor! Loads of fish were heaved up onto the deck where 6 ladies were squatting, waiting to sort them all out, before bagging and weighing them - ready for market. Our day was a real treat, and even though we had no idea what was actually going to happen, things worked out great! *Stub

Angkor Temple Kids, Cambodia

The rest of my Birthday week, we explored more of the ruins, sweltering in the unrelenting heat, somtimes occasionally heading back into town to our guesthouse during the middle of the day to avoid the unmerciful sun. (We drink a lot of rehydration salts just because it is SO hot). To get around, our first day we hired a motorbike trailer-tuk tuk-thing which was very nice. The next couple of days we had electric bicycles instead which was different, though a little bit of a pain as we would have to make sure we had enough battery life to get around. Fortunately, there were a few stations set up around the temples to do that. Later on in the week, friends Joy and Earl came in, and we shared a tuk-tuk, showing them around the ruins. There are so many that it can be quite overwhelming and difficult to know where to start.

One of our favourite things about the temples was to interact with the many kids that hang around trying to sell stuff: mainly postcards, guide books or books about Cambodia's horrendous history. One little girl, Kia, could count her packs of 10 postcards in five different languages - definitely a result of all the interaction the kids have with tourists! One day they asked us for pens and we enjoyed watching how engrossed they were drawing picures and very proudly writing their names beneath. The next minute, we were inundated with their drawings as gifts back to us. One quiet and shy boy, Ahn, had an obvious talent sketching one of the stone gateways from memory - he spent that much time there! To encourage him and to make him realise that he had a gift, we bought his sketch, returning later on in the week with more paper and a set of coloured pencils for him. Maybe, just maybe, we might have changed this boy's life for the better... I hope so, Ahn. * Mush

Our First Few Days in Cambodia

Well, we had no idea what to expect when we arrived in Cambodia. On our way from the airport, we would see the contrast between rich and poor that is so evident here. Beautiful, luxurious 5-Star hotels costing $300 to $800 per night alongside rickety huts over the river whose inhabitants would be lucky to make $200 in a year. On our first walks around town we were approached by myriads of young kids trying to sell us postcards, books, bracelets, etc. They are pretty damn persistant too! It is really hard because they are suffering a kind of poverty that I cannot even dream about. The good thing is that they have a sense of humour, and can be very sarcastic at times. Michelle and I have taken to joking around with the kids, because we do not want to be rude and ignore them (and also because we would have hundreds of cards and bracelets if we didn't!). Many great interactions with the kids, but a few definitely have a grudge on life and have made it evident.
Beggars are everywhere too. Most of them are amputees given the fact that Cambodia had, and still has, an immense number of land mines around the country. The mines were set by the horrible Khmer Rouge, the Vietnamese and others, and still plague the countryside. Unlike Laos where the landmines and cluster bombs were designed to kill, here, the unexploded ordnance were designed to maim leaving the victim alive to suffer a horrendous existence. It is so tough seeing these poor people without limbs, but you just cannot help everyone. If you help one, then another one comes over, and so on. We tend to give food to some that we see, as we have no idea where any money would go.

Traffic here is, as usual in Asia, chaos! There is no common sense used on the roads in Cambodia. Always driving against the flow, and pulling out into traffic. They don't even look and expect others to avoid them. Crazy! They also carry absolutely anything on their motorbikes. My favourite is the live pigs strapped upside down to a bamboo plank and mounted across the back seat of the bikes (good, full size pigs). We also saw someone transporting a table upside down and a passenger sitting in it!

I'm sure we will see many bizarre things in this ever evolving country, trying to pull itself out of the hole that was dug by the Khmer Rouge and all the atrocities and fighting that has been all too recent. One good thing though, it has not been taken over by US fast food joints, and there isn't a McDonald's in sight!!! *Stub

Ta Prohm, Angkor National Park,Cambodia

My most favouritist, favourite temple of the day (and of the week) was Ta Prohm. We loved the fact that, in places the trees from the encroaching jungle were either swallowing and destroying it's structure, or better yet, it was holding it all together in others ! Just incredible! All the trees were massive with huge, snake-like root systems that weaved all over the place. It's hard to describe how atmospheric this ruin was. It was breathtaking! The tall towering trees cast wonderful shadows, and dappled the towers and carved stones in great light. * Mush

The Bayon, Angkor National Park, Cambodia

What a way to spend one's Birthday: at one of the most famous archealogical sites in the world! It was an AMAAAZING day! The temples of Angkor Wat Archealogical National Park, without doubt, rival the Egyptian Pyramids or Peru's Machu Picchu! One of my favourite temples was The Bayon pictured here. As you approach the site through a long avenue of tall, tall trees, from afar it looks just like a big mountain of jumbled grey stone. But as you get closer, huge semi-smiling stone faces loom into view. At the top of the 54 towers, there are a total of 216 faces all looking in the four directions of the compass, North, South, East and West. The King apparently wanted to 'keep an eye' on his kingdom and his subjects. And as you walk around the terraces there's an eerie feeling of being watched! Not by one face, but probably at least seven or eight, either staring down from above or up close at eye level. This was a very cool temple that we came back to visit again and again over the week, and each time we would find something different, or the light at different times of day certainly created a different atmosphere. It was incredible. * Mush

Angkor What?? Siem Reap, Cambodia

I'm sure some of you may be asking that question, but simply, Angkor Wat is the largest temple ruins in the world - The Mother of all Temples! But not just one temple, a huge selection of ruins, temples, palaces, monuments, etc all around the same area. The whole area was built starting in the 800's and continued on until the 1400's.
So, we had flown to Siem Reap so that we wouldn't spend Michelle's birthday on the second day of a very long bus journey. Instead, we started her birthday with this - sunrise at Angkor Wat. To say that this place is impressive would be a major understatement!! This picture is of the main Angkor Wat.
The temple itself has many towers, and climbing up to the upper levels is a dangerous task as the stairs are worn and exceptionally steep (60 degrees or so). The carvings and bas-reliefs on the pillars and walls are stunning and still mostly in very good shape!
The water in the foreground is a manmade pond and the whole temple is surrounded by a huge moat that is about 3km long by 3km wide. I can't believe the effort it would take to even dig out these moats, let alone carry huge stones around to build the temple, and then carve out intricate pictures all over the pillars and walls. WOW! I guess the only downfall is the popularity of the place. It is attracting plenty of tourists these days, but even so, we were able to find areas that we could have to ourselves. All in all, a great start to Michelle's birthday. *Stub

Si Phan Don (The 4000 Islands), Laos

After a three-hour, extremely dusty bus ride (the bus had open sides, no windows) , followed by a narrow boat crossing, we arrived at what are known as the islands... the Four Thousand Islands - in the Mekong River in the south of Laos. These were to be our last few days in Laos and we wanted to make the most of them, but relax. Well after meeting up with Earl, Joy and Sarah (who had arrived earlier) on Don Det, we relaxed over some Beer Lao (it really is very tasty beer!). Anyway, the following few days we chilled out, rented bicycles and explored our island and the one it was connected to by bridge, Don Khon. We saw amazing waterfalls even though it is the dry season! We took a boat down the river almost to the border with Cambodia to see freshwater Irrawaddy (yes, a rather strange name!) dolphins. Very cool, and we saw lots of them although they were quite far away. These dolphins are becoming endangered as they were shot by the Khmer Rouge in neighbouring Cambodia, as well as the Vietnamese shooting them for sport after they 'rescued' Cambodia from the Khmer Rouge.

Another evening we took a sunset river cruise and had our own sand island to view it from. It was a beautiful river ride too, as we watched the fisherman fling out their nets and dive in after them to collect the catch. Finally, on our last day we rented out kayaks and pottered around the river and its 4000 islands... even a teeny lump of sand and a tuft of grass apparently counts as an island!! We 'discovered' island #2923! It was a very pretty place and we enjoyed exploring it and just chilling out. We spent a very pleasant last four days in Laos and we were sorry to leave such a lovely country and such warm, friendly people! * Mush