Stunning Limestone Scenery of Halong Bay, Vietnam

We had been warned by many people about the Halong Bay trips and how people did not get the trip they thought they signed up for. We did quite a bit of research and settled for a company called Columbus Travel and our trip exceeded all of our expectations! We booked with our friends Wes and Amanda from Winnipeg who we had spent some time with up the coast. For three days the tour cost $66 (about 35 quid) including 2 nights accommodation - one night was on the boat, another on Cat Ba island, all the food, and a day of kayaking. Not bad.

To start, we took the bus to Halong City from Hanoi and boarded the beautiful Santa Maria (seen in background with sails up). In a sea of boats at the port, the Santa Maria looked like the nicest with an amazing upper deck with some very comfy loungers to relax on. A couple of hours through the beautiful islands landed us here, at Song Sot Cave. The cave itself was huge and tastefully lit up. Some great formations, but the view from the entrance out to the bay was spectacular. Our junk looked great with the sails up.

The boat anchored just behind the islands pictured and we jumped off the top deck of the boat for a swim - avoiding the huge jellyfish. A fun night on the boat with the group of 15 and our guide Ang who sang some traditional Vietnamese songs before inviting us to sing some of our traditional songs. Now I can't think of any traditional Canadian songs, so the Canucks went with Spirit of the West's - Home For A Rest!! We had music accompaniment with the iPod. As always, Michelle is never one to shy away from singing, so got into the spirit of things with a couple of solos that everyone loved. Plenty of Halida beers, Vang DaLat (Vietnamese red wine) and watching the stars from the upper deck finished a good day and fun night. *Stub

Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum, Hanoi, Vietnam

As you can imagine, after such a sour start to Hanoi, we really didn't have our heart in it. We met up with Wes and Amanda who arrived on a different bus, and did a couple of things in the city: We went to see the Mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh - the Communist leader of the North during the Vietnam War. Preserved in formaldehyde, he looked like a Madame Tussauds wax figure. Apparently there are only 2 other people preserved in this way.. Lenin, and Chairman Mao of China. Ho Chi Minh gets sent to Moscow 3 months of the year for 'maintenance', which made us laugh.

We wandered around the old town and all the streets are named and sorted in to specific things that they sell. There was clothes, gravestones, tinbox, Buddhas and shrines, mirrors, towels, 'counterfeit street' (fake money for offerings), blacksmiths, musical instruments, etc. After this tour, our main priority was to book a trip to Halong Bay, and once we got that sorted, we found 'Bia Hoi' junction- this time cheaper - 2000 'Dong' a glass - that's 7p (12.5 cents), and chatted to a local, called Huang who owned a kebab stand and turned out to be very nice - of course, they're not all out to get you! Bia Hoi junction had a bia hoi stand on each corner and the little plastic chairs often strewn out into the street until the local police drive by, sound their siren and all the drinkers have to scurry up onto the pavement again - quite funny.

We also fitted in a water puppet show. This tradition started back in the flooded farm fields where the puppeteers actually stand in the waist deep water behind a screen and move puppets on long sticks in front. It was really impressive and even included some fireworks, smoke and some crazy actions. All played out to some beautiful Veitnamese music played on traditional instruments. *Stub and Mush

Our First Really Bad Experience On Our Trip So Far.. Hanoi, Vietnam

A frustrating bus ride to Hue, (pronounced Hway) which should have taken 2 hours took something like 4! The driver stopped for a 30 minute food-stop - twice in 2 hours! Nuts, but this was not the bad experience! Our stop in Hue itself was a quick one and we rented a couple of bicycles and explored the walled citadel, the Emperor's Palace (or what was left of it) and the surrounding streets. Then another 12 hr bus to Hanoi overnight.

We were looking forward to Hanoi - the capital in the north, but had a really horrible start. The bus was supposed to drop us right in the city - the Old Quarter, but all the foreignors got dropped off 30 minutes out of the city, and were told that free taxis would be provided to get into town. We suspected a scam and checked multiple times with the bus rep who accompanied us in the taxi; he reassured us that it was free to get to the Old Quarter - even to our hotel. When we arrived at the hotel of the other couple who were in our taxi, the bus rep demanded payment: apparently ''taxi is only free if you go to his bus company's hotel''. Our suspicions were true! We were taken aback though - the guy started shouting and swearing. We got out of the taxi and quickly retrieved our bags. As I bent to pick up my pack, he pushed me over and I fell to my knees. All the time he was shouting and swearing and wanting to fight Martin. We hurried away, finding a different hotel to stay in than the one we had mentioned to the guy. It took us a while to recover from the shock.

It's a shame as we were really enjoying Vietnam, but what a contrast to the people in the south! At Mui Ne we got treated like Royalty and nothing was too much trouble. The friendliness of the people noticeably declined as we've moved north, ending up with this - the worst incident of our travels! So, to calm our nerves again, we joined our friends that night at Bia Hoi Junction (in pic). * Mush

R & R on China Beach near Danang, Vietnam

With friends Lydia and Stiffler, we rented motorbikes for the day. Our first stop was 26km away - the Cham temples of My Son -6th Century ruined temples. It was a great ride, with the wind in our hair (as there are no helmets available). Through local villages and fields where they were farming the rice and laying it all out on the street. At the temples, we had to take a Jeep up inside the complex, but unfortunately, the temples were not as impressive as we had hoped. I guess they got damaged in the American War as well. It was kind of cool as they were deep in the jungle at times, still untouched. So, we cruised back to town to meet up with the rest of the gang to head North after lunch. There were many 'fittings' to be done at the local tailors before we left, so a bit late starting out.

North about 12km to Marble Mountain where we were greeted with tons of shops all selling tacky marble statues, some of them absolutely huge! I guess they no longer use the marble from this mountain, but it is shipped in from China. All the shops want you to 'park for free' at their shop, but you are supposed to buy something I think. We don't need any marble statues believe it or not, and especially don't want to carry any so were not the best clients! On top of Marble Mountain was a cool path between temples, pagodas, caves with huge Buddha statues and some great views over the coast and our next destination - China Beach. I guess this beach is where all the American GI's were given their leave during the war and were allowed to relax and surf or picnic on China Beach. A pretty nice beach for sure which ran for miles. Again, greeted by locals who wanted us to buy stuff, but succumbed to the fact we weren't buying and just played around with us on the beach (in pic). A good ride home along the dirt road alongside the beach to greetings of 'Hello' from all the locals kids. And, as we were still in Vietnam, what day would be complete without Bia Hoi!!! *Stub

Hoi An - The Tailor Capital of the World, Vietnam

It was an exhausting 12 hour overnight bus to Hoi An further up the coast, but the town had a nice cosy feel to it. The old town is actually a UNESCO heritage site and it feels quite traditional, preserving its cultural heritage. Actually, it had a very 'Chinese' feel to it and it reminded us a lot of traditional towns we saw in China, with narrow streets and chinese lanterns hanging everywhere.

Hoi An is famous for its millions of tailor shops. You can get ANYTHING and EVERYTHING made here - anything from shoes, leather boots, to professional suits, bikinis, dresses, and I'm sure a lot more other unusual clothing!! It's so popular with tourists because they get a lot of clothes made extremely cheaply. People spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars, apparently saving a lot of money! We were really restrained though and only got a few things - for me: 2 chinese-style shirts (one pictured here) and one pair of 3/4 trousers (my current ones are dying), and Martin, a couple of great looking linen shirts- all for a total of $48 - 25 quid! The only trouble about acquiring new stuff is either having enough to warrant sending a package home, or carrying it. Right now, we're carrying it!

Apart from getting clothes fitted, we criss-crossed paths with recent friends, Stefanie, Wes and Amanda, and Lydia and Jim. We had fun touring around on motorbikes exploring beaches and countryside. And of course, meeting up for 'Bia Hoi' on the street for about 3000 'Dong' a glass - that's 10p (20 cents)!! * Mush

We CAN Actually Float - Nha Trang Mud Baths

A 12 hour overnight bus landed us in Nha Trang. We were running out of time on our visa in Vietnam so we decided to spend only 11 hours here and keep moving North. We had bought a boat trip ticket from Saigon to use in Nha Trang, but neither of us felt like spending the day on the boat and in the sun again. Instead, we rented a motorbike and cruised about 45 km North to check out the salt farms. Well, we didn't find the local people in conical hats farming pyramids of salt that we had seen in postcards, all we saw were flat empty fields of nothing. We did manage to continue on to a pretty beach called Doc Let that was mostly locals and a fine, white powder sand.
The long drive back made our butts real sore for some reason! Too much sitting on buses I think. Our afternoon was spent at the mud baths and mineral spas. We were allotted 20 minutes in the mud pools, and could actually float on top of the mud - it was a weird feeling. After baking in the sun to harden the mud, we showered off and chilled out in the mineral spring spa. My sunburn from kiteboarding was killing me when I got in the hot water, so spent most of the time watching Mush from the side! We did feel revitalized after the experience though, and as it only cost 50000 dong ( just over $3) we managed to treat ourselves to some local seafood at a very local style restaurant before hopping on another night bus to Hoi An - the tailor mecca of Vietnam. *Stub

Martin recovers from a broken leg in record time... Dalat, Vietnam

A quick funny story :
While we were in Da Lat in the central hills, our U.S. taxes were due on the 15th April and Martin's friend, Butter, offered to help us fill our tax forms - actually, he pretty much did it all (thanks Butter!). Because of the time difference between here and America, Martin went out to the internet early one morning to catch Butter regarding the forms. Of course he said that he would be back in an hour or so. I pottered around our room. A couple of hours passed and no sign of Martin. And then I remembered he was going to rent a motrobike, so I gave him more time. By the time 3 and a half hours had gone by, I was pretty concerned and decided that it would be pretty rotten if he were sitting in a hospital bed all alone. The hospital was literally a 1 minute walk up the street (I'd visited there earlier in the week after being stung by a bee - I have a bad allergic reaction to bee stings). Anyway, I walked around trying to find someone who spoke English. Finally someone did and I asked after Martin. After about 5 minutes of investigation, I was told that he had been in, but apparently, I had just missed him by 15 minutes. This was a little strange as we were one minute away and I would have passed him on the street! Anyway, she then informed me that he had broken his leg! Well, I was beside myself, but I asked her again if she was sure it was a 'Martin Callum', and she was sure. I flew back to the hotel. Having seen the note I'd left for him, Martin was WALKING up towards the hospital. What a relief to see him, but I was a mess! And what a remarkable recovery!! So apparently, there's another Martin Callum or at least some foreigner with a broken leg out in Da Lat somewhere - poor guy! * Mush

Easy Riding in Da Lat, Vietnam

Our trip to Dalat was a short one, so we hired a couple of what are known as 'Easy riders' to get us around. Hiep and Joseph were in their late to early 50s, and on the back of their motorbikes we cruised the countryside and visiting various places of interest. Even though DaLat is known for its nice, cooler climate, the sun was scorching hot and would warm up the bike seat pretty quickly! My driver, Joseph, called it getting a 'barbecued bottom'! He was right!

We had a great day out seeing lush green valleys with its rich soil perfect for farming vegetables, strawberries, roses and coffee. We visited farms that grew mushrooms in millions of plastic bags of a manure/tree bark mixture (yummy), all suspended from the rafters. As we drove through the countryside our guys pointed out areas that had been hit by American napalm bombs during the war - a herbicide that killed plants and trees designed to leave no shelter or cover for enemy soldiers. The slopes were now covered in pine trees - a restoration project carried out by the government. Elephant Falls was next with a cool climb down around large rocks to get a decent view of the big curtain of water. Above the falls we stopped for some very delicious and very cheap food - about $1.30 (70p). Next, was a drive through the New Economic Zone - an area for north Vietnamese people relocated to make a new life after the war, using a variety of different trades and crafts to sustain them. We visited families that farmed silkworms - white, 4 inches long and all wriggling away in bamboo racks strewn across the kitchen. Can you imagine!! Eeeww! Having a life cycle of 1 month, silk worms build cocoons during their final 3 days. These then get sent to local factories for weaving. It was very interesting to see how the cocoons were softened in hot water and the silk thread removed and spooled onto bobbin after bobbin. Must mention, that the remaining worms were lifted out of the water and sent to market as produce!!!! Finally, our daytrip ended with a visit to 'Crazy House' pictured here - a bizarre hotel designed by an eccentric architect. All the rooms were totally unique with different themes - such as the bear room, the tiger room, the gourd room, the kangaroo room etc etc. Pretty cool.

The best bit about our day was that Joseph and Hiep were open to answering our personal questions and they were very honest. Having lived through the Vietnam war, they were able to tell us what life was like during and afterwards. We could see the pain in their eyes when they shared the fact that, like many others, members of their family (having been anti-communist), suffered after the war in re-education camps of the new Communist government. 30 years on and Vietnam doesn't really appear to be very Communis, to be honest - people are not regarded as equal in terms of financial/social status anymore and there are huge differences between rich and poor. Joseph, described Vietnam's current poilitcal status with a cute phrase: " Vietnam has a Communist hat, but Capitalist belly!''. To them, thay are just happy that life has moved on, and that they have food and they can send their kids to school. * Mush

Vietnam's Sahara - White Dunes, Mui Ne

Us four kiteboarding students were waiting for wind so we grouped together and rented a Jeep to tour the local sights. With Stefanie (Holland) and Philip (Switzerland) we headed out first to Fairy Stream. This turned out to be quite fun as the further up the stream we walked, the more interesting the formations became. With red and white sandstone and dunes on one side, and thick, lush, green palm trees on the other it was quite a sight, especially from on top. A quick stop at the fishing village with what seemed like hundreds of colourful fishing boats, surrounded by the strange round boats they paddle in. Of course,we were mobbed by kids again onshore. The funky eroded landscape of Red Canyon followed and then on to watch sunset on the Yellow Dunes almost completed our day out. A final stop at a Bia Hoi place (fresh draft beer) that only cost 3000 dong per litre -that's only about 20 cents. Of course, joined in the small plastic chairs by local men and watching kids bringing in jugs to buy for their fathers we can only presume.
The next day again, no wind! So, the 4 of us, plus Julie (French) rented bikes to head to the White Dunes. A long drive along the beautiful coastline and through some strange cemetaries with graves covered in swastikas, we arrived at the dunes in the heat of the day. With a parade of kids behind carrying sand sleds (which looked like crazy carpets for the Canadians) we marched our way up the huge dunes and I went for a couple of long slides. A fun time with the kids who chased me down to carry the sled back up. After that, we went jumping off the dunes (as pictured) to get a little more sand in the out of the way cracks!!!! A nice drive home on the bike was interrupted slightly by a cow crossing the road. We skidded to a full stop from 60km/h honking the entire time, to end up face to face with the stupid beast!!! After the scare, we stopped for some more Bia Hoi with the rest of the Bia Hoi team - Wes/Amanda (Can) and Lydia/Jim (Brits)! Finally we rewarded ourselves again with a huge BBQ squid feast at our favourite restaurant 'Smoky House' that I think has the friendliest staff in SE Asia! *Stub

Mui Ne, Mui Ne, Mui Ne.... (Vietnam)

It's a rich man's world .. if you want to kiteboard! (This place is pronounced 'Mu nay', by the way). Ever since we had seen kiteboarding we had both wanted to try it for the longest time.. Even living near the Columbia Gorge in Portland (a mecca for kiteboarding and windsurfing in North America), we still hadn't got around to trying it! After failed attempts at learning in Thailand (because of either too much or too little wind), we finally landed in the town of Mui Ne on Vietnam's south coast - THE place to learn in Vietnam. It certainly ate into our budget, but cheaper than learning in Portland, for sure. It takes a long time to make progress, and getting on the board apparently can take anywhere from 3-10 days. Quite a big window for an 'average', don't you think! Frustratingly, the wind died at the start of the week after only a few hours of lessons, so we explored some local attractions by motorbike, and then headed to Dalat - town in the mountains. (See our next entries). After a couple of days there, we headed back to Mui Ne as the forecast had improved. And on Saturday, about a week after we'd started learning, the wind picked up. Sadly, a bit too much for me (I'm a bit of a wimp, but it was blowing about 25 knots if not more..) and so, disappointingly, I didn't carry on. Martin, on the other hand did, as he was strong enough to battle the big waves and stronger wind on the kite. He did really well and pretty much got up on the board. Very cool! Unfortunately, the instructor had to stop the lesson for safety reasons. But at least Martin had accomplished enough to be able to practice by himself (when we have the money to get all the gear! Arggh!). The instructor commented that we both had shown a lot of determination, but I was really proud of Martin, especially after what amounted to only 5 hours of lessons. *Mush

Squished in the Cu Chi Tunnels, Vietnam

The Cu Chi tunnels, about 18 miles (30km) NW of Saigon, are a system of tunnels built during the war against the French and later expanded in the war with the Americans. The 250 km maze of tunnels were home to over 16,000 local villagers fighting who became guerilla fighters fighting for the North Vietnamese against South Vietnam and America. Some were even built under U.S. bases allowing them to launch surprise attacks. The North Vietnamese people were very resourceful and creative. They were able to hide themselves and the existence of their tunnels using trap doors and booby traps etc. Once underground they had living areas, weapons factories, hospitals, and kitchens - all cleverly designed to hide escaping smoke.

The tunnels themselves are really tiny - Vietnamese are an extremely slight and petite race, and the sections that we saw and crawled through had been widened especially for tourists! I tried to crouch down and crawl through, but it got very hot and claustrophobic for me, so I literally reversed back into the glorious daylight and fresh air. Phew! Martin, on the the other hand, had no trouble at all and did about 120m of the tunnels, every so often popping up in a bunker and then scurrying down again like a little mole. There's not a lot left of the tunnels now. The area has been classed as 'the most bombed, shelled, gassed, defoliated and generally devastated area in the history of warfare'. More bluntly put ...they bombed the *&#@ out of it! * Mush

Somebody's Watching you! The Cao Dai Religion , Vietnam

We took a day trip NW out of Saigon to a famous temple called Cao Dai Grand Temple in Tay Ninh Province. This temple or more specifically, the religion of Cao Daism is a relatively recent religion created in the 1920s, integrating several religions together - Confucionism, Buddhism, Taoism, Vietnamese spiritualism (apparently involving seancey-type stuff to contact the spirit world!) and Catholicism (a gift from the French). The church building itself is striking with lots of bright, happy colours. At the centre of each window (as you can see in the picture), the front facade, and the altar inside, is a single eye: apparently, the founder of the religion saw it in a vision! You make you're own mind up! The people pray 4 times a day and we were lucky to arrive just in time for the mid-day ceremony. The men and the women pray on different sides of the temple, and they are dressed mostly in white ao dai - (long tunics and trousers, if you remember). Others dress in different colours according to their original doctrine: yellow for Buddhism, blue for Taoism, red for Confucianism. The praying mainly consisted of chanting along to some basic musical rythyms. It was very interesting to watch and they didn't seem to mind spectators. Perhaps if anything, it's a good way to spread word of their religion. The cyclops-style single eye is a bit freaky though! *Mush

Saigon.... or is it Ho Chi Minh City??? - Vietnam

Saigon before the Northern Communists under Ho Chi Minh 'liberated' the city in April 1975, and as you can guess, it changed it's name to HCMC. Well, I must say that we both liked the feel of Saigon/HCMC. The people are accommodating, polite and smiley, but as we said before not as friendly as Laos. We stayed in a very nice, friendly family-run guesthouse. It had a great rooftop patio that we found by accident one night when the power went out. It was nice to eat breakfast up there too overlooking the other patios and rooftops of the city, and marvel at all the television ariels.

One of the first things that we noticed about the city is the veritable sea of human mass all on 2 wheels. I think there are 8 million people and 5 million motorbikes in the city! Nobody seems to walk anywhere. Everyone is on a bike or moped. Crazy! Crossing the street is an adventure and is not for the weak, and you just have to basically walk confidently, and steady as the bikes flow around you. Hesitate, or stop and you will get hit! Women seem to cover up completely when riding on the mopeds too, wearing long satin gloves right up to where their short sleeves end. We also noticed (and loved) that when cars and trucks reverse, instead of the normal beeping sound to warn people, Jingle Bells or Happy Birthday tunes ring out!! ha ha! That's Asia for you!

We visited the Fine Arts Museum in a great colonial villa, Ho Chi Minh Musuem with some gory details about Vietnamese politics, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Hotel de Ville (French influence), but our favourite was the Reunification Palace. This drab, communist looking building was where the president of South Vietnam lived until the Communist tanks blasted through the gates in April 1975. The building was basically left as it was found that day, in 60's and 70's retro decor which we thought was cool and very stylish. Of course, the president's meeting rooms were great, but the cream of the crop were the games room complete with old barrel bar and circular couch, and the dance room which was on top in the centre as you can see in the picture. Down underneath the building was where the war rooms and bomb shelters were. Some great maps of Vietnam complete with war plans, and we snuck a pic of Michelle sitting in the President's old war room chair disregarding the sign 'Do not touch' - Ooops!

We witnessed some huge storms in Saigon, one in which we could only find shelter in a fluffy teddy bear shop for 45 minutes! We couldn't find a restaurant or bar! Once out of the rain, we also took in the War Remnants museum. Previously called the Museum of American War Crimes, and it pulls no punches. It is filled with photos and stories of gruesome acts perpetrated by the US in the American War (as it is called here). It is pretty eye opening and a little hard to stomach. We do realize that it is of course a very one-sided story, but when you see all the kids born with deformations from parents affected by agent orange, the countryside flora and fauna killed from the effects of napalm and agent orange, and the innocent women and children killed in the war, it is pretty hard to stomach. *Stub

"Mad Hatters" in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

The Vietnamese attire is very striking and great to see. I was surprised to see just how many people actually wear the traditional 'don la' conical hats. It was great at the market to see them all lined up on the street selling their fruits and veg. Another fashion of Vietnam is the Ao Dai. It is a very elegant looking outfit worn by the women. It is composed of long, baggy satin trousers (like bell bottoms), and a beautiful long tunic that swoops down to about their knees or longer. The school girls all wear them, and we love seeing them in their matching white or lilac ao dai's, riding bicyles with the swoops of silk held in their hands as they ride along. If women aren't wearing the ao dai, then they seem to like wearing outfits that resemble pyjamas. Some are quite smart and just look like a matching top and bottoms, and others really are proper PJs! Yes, the sort with fluffy bunny rabbits or teddy bears - and they wear them all day long too! *Stub

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