Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon

Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City - time to give Mekong Express another go! Glad we did because the bus half full so we had out own seats, nice cool AC with no dripping situation and a normal bus driver/guide. Everything was going well until about 2 hours in. All of a sudden, we were waiting to in line to get the entire bus on a ferry...the entire bus! So somehow that worked out fine and then began all the cross-border checks. Getting out of Cambodia was easy but we stopped three times in Vietnam, and had to get off the bus twice, with all of our luggage. Needless to say, this took forever and our 6 hour bus ride turned into almost 8 hours.

Ho Chi Minh City is different than any of the other places we 've been on during this trip. Its a bustling city, just like any other major city out there. We grabbed a quick and expensive for Vietnam ($10 each) dinner and passed out.

Our last day consisted of visiting the Opera House, Notre Dame (this one is brick red), the Reunification Palace, people watching in a park, Benh Thanh market haggling, lunch at Pho 2000 (visited by President Bill Clinton in the early 2000's) and a nice night out on the town. We hit up some rooftop lounges and enjoyed the sunset while we recapped our travel adventures. Good times!

24 hours stands between me and my couch.

All in all, it was an amazing journey and so happy to have shared it with one of my oldest and closest friends. There's much to be said about spending 17 days straight with someone and coming out of the experience with lifetime memories, a higher level of respect and appreciation for each other and knowing that we can get through any crisis together with a good sense of humor on our side :)

So, as Het's been saying all trip long, BINGO BANGO (as in done, finished). Another successful trip under our belts!

Cambodia's capital: Phnom Penh

Our bus ride from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh was...interesting. 6:30 am pickup, then transported to a large bus terminal, tagged our luggage and then onto the bus. The guide spoke in english throughout the trip but we could not understand a word of what she was saying. We kept looking at each other and saying "did you catch a word of that cause i have NO CLUE what shes saying?" Which was followed by bouts of laughter. Ha. Then the AC started dripping on us, which was nice in a way since the bus was so hot and it helped me cool down. The bus driver apparently had some errands to run because we stopped on the countryside, he bought some food, called his wife (assumption), then an hour or so later, dropped off the food to someone who was waiting on the side of the road. Also, there were stops for his roadside bathroom break and drop-offs of two women on the bus in the middle of nowhere. Nonetheless, about 7 hours later we arrived in Phnom Penh, all in one piece and luggage intact.

Outside the Central Market

Since we had about 24 hours in the capital city, we decided to forgo lunch and head to Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. Luckily along the way, we stumbled across an upscale cafe called Brown and grabbed a snack. We spent about two hours in the museum walking around in rooms where people had been tortured and killed. Pictures of victims filled up many of the rooms, along with written accounts of some of their time there. From what I gathered, during the Khmer Rouge Regime, innocent people were captured and taken to the secret prison and interrogation center called S-21. There they were accused of crimes that they had not committed and tortured and beaten until they gave a full confession. Then they were piled into a truck and taken to the killing fields.

After, we walked around the bustling city for a bit, stopping by the Central Market and then sat on the riverside to people watch. We tried out Phnom Penh Indian for dinner (thanks Neeluz!) and it was delicious. Best garlic naan ever.

they would smash babies on this tree

The next day, we took a long ride through dusty streets to the Choeung Ek killing fields. We walked around for a few hours, listening to the audio tour. Just unbelievable how cruel people can be and that genocide has occurred so many times in history...

bracelets in remembrance of women/children

Tried a local fave for lunch - Beef Loc Lak. Very yummy, but only if you like peppercorn.

Next: 2 pm bus from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City. We considered flying but it was more than we wanted to spend and decided that we'd give Mekong Express another go.

Siem Reap: Part II

Day 3 in Siem Reap: We spent the afternoon at Ta Prohm, which unlike the the other Wats has been left in its original condition. Huge trees have sprung out from under the original buildings; it was my favorite of the three sites we went to in Siem Reap. We had planned to see the sunset at one of the hills but it was overcast every day we were there so the sunrise will have to do for this time around! Funnily enough, we had Mexican food for dinner and chatted it up with our waiter who told us about his life in Cambodia and how he makes ends meet.

On our last day in Siem Reap, we went back to Common Ground and to the National Museum which was very nicely done, highly recommend this to anyone going as it gives a comprehensive overview of Cambodian history without being boring. Afternoon break and hit the night market for our last round of shopping in Cambodia. Picked up a few t-shirts and a token item to remember my time in this country by. 

For dinner, we tried some local eats at a nice place across the river called Viroth's. Gorgeous setting and our extravagant meal was about $8 each. The local soup, kind of like a Tom Yum, was delicious. Cambodian food is unlike anything I've had before. Whereas Vietnamese food has a subtle but refreshing taste, Cambodian food has tasty, complex flavors that are hearty yet not heavy like Thai food. Will be on the lookout for a place in nyc.

6:30 am bus ride aboard the Mekong Bus Express to Phnom Penh next. 6 hours with locals and tourists on a bus. Should be interesting...

Siem Reap: Part I

From the moment we walked out the airport in Siem Reap (which means the flat defeat of Siam aka Thailand), I knew that I was going to absolutely love this country. The airport was clean and sleek, with touches of Asian art. The air and energy reminds me of India, but less crowded.

Our ride - motorcycle attached to a carriage

Dr Fish eating dead skin cells off my feet!

We were craving non-asian food so we found as air conditioned oasis called The Blue Pumpkin (Old Market location) had a delicious Mango Fruit Shake and some american food. We walked around the Old Market and Night Market. They both carry the same trinkets though the Old Market has meats and veggies and was  particularly foul smelling in those food sections. We found a small restaurant run by an Aussie and hung there to cool off. It's hot and humid here like Vietnam and Laos so we're constantly popping into cafes to have water or different sodas that are uncommon to us.

 For dinner we tried Khmer BBQ which is much like Korean BBQ but less tasty. We cooked our veggies (cabbage) and meats at a grill at our table with butter as the base. This came with a side of fried rice. Meat, veggies and rice. Pretty simple.

Since we are spending 4 days here, we devised a quick plan to see the sunrise and explore Angkor Wat  the next morning, take a lunch break, rest and head back to Angkor Thom in the evening.

Angkor Wat sunrise

Angkor Wat: 6 am sunrise. Stunning but smaller than the Taj Mahal. The temple is the middle while it is surround by huge moats, making it the largest Hindu temple complex in the world. We took the classic tourist pictures while the mosquitoes feasted on us. A tour guide approached us and we decided to go with it. He walked around with us for about an hour, told us about Angkor Wat and took some fun pictures. Some interesting facts - it means City Temple, was initially dedicated to Vishnu and then to Buddhism, and
faces west instead of east as most temples do which leads one to think it may be a funerary temple.

The temples are pretty worn down and has not been preserved that well. It seems that the aid of many foreign countries (Japan, Germany and France) are helping to restore parts of the complex though even if there were scaffolding up, there were no workers in sight on a weekday morning. Makes you wonder about how foreign aid is used and why the Cambodians aren't spending money to tidy up their cash cow of tourism.

For late breakfast, we hit up Common Ground, which is owned by People for Care & Learning (PCL). PCL seeks to serve the poor by providing opps for impoverished people to transform their lives through education, feeding centers, orphan/widow care and microfinance. Obviously I was excited to support a good cause, especially one that is close to my heart, in a very simple way. 

In the afternoon, after the most amazing lunch at Abacus, we went to Angkor Thom and walked around for a few hours. Apparently this was the location of many Lara Croft: Tomb Raider movie moments though not sure that they filmed on site.

On the way home, we were caught in a rain storm and asked the tuk tuk driver to let us be so were completely soaked during our ride home which was fun! Nothing like a random downpour, there's a calming beauty about it.

look for the faces

Sa bai dee from Luang Prabang

After two flights from Hoi An, we reached Luang Prabang, Laos in the evening. Most of the lights in the airport were turned off which was a bit creepy. We got our visas right before passport control for $36. Our hotel (or shall I say guesthouse) hadn't responded to our emails for pick-up so we bought a ticket and hopped into a taxi. Surprisingly, there's a formal system like in NYC which was a relief since getting ripped off was no longer an issue.

The last two days in the town have been chill yet eventful. Yesterday we walked around town and along the Mekong River which was very peaceful. Then I sent some postcards (to a lucky few whose addresses I could remember, sad to say that it wasn't as many as I would have liked!). Very curious to see how long the postcards take to get back to the US. Hit up a spa (Spa Garden) for a foot massage. The girl who worked on me, Meo, is a 19 year old girl studying law, who is the eldest of 7 children. She was very sweet and asked for my email address so we could become facebook friends!

On the Nam Khan River

Adventure #4: We had signed up for a Sunset Cruise on the Mekong River. Sounds nice right? Yeah, apparently we are the only ones who thought so. We showed up the tour office and they looked a bit confused to see us. So we showed them our tickets and they had a young man escort us to the boat. Except we literally did not exchange a word or know where he was taking us. We just followed. We tend to do that a lot here. He took us down a "death trap," meaning no stairs, huge incline and just dirt and rocks everywhere. I slipped a few times but managed to catch myself just in time. Dangerous! And once we got the boat, there was no one there but us. Private cruise for around $5.50 each. And to think, they must still be making a profit when there were only two of us on it. Ridiculous.

We hit up the infamous night market and night food stalls which starts at dusk and runs until about 10 pm. Bought a few things, ate some dinner and crashed since we had to wake up early today.

Today we took an hour ride outside of Luang Prabang in a tuk tuk, with two medical students from SF, for a morning exploring the Pak Ou Caves and then the Elephant Village. The Pak Ou Caves were nice and the steps to get there were steep. With the humidity, we are already melting each moment of the day, so some steps just made all the more worse. Can't say I'm not getting my exercise in!

 Adventure #5: Elephants. Het's elephant, Sir-Spits-A-Lot, didn't wait to start the tricks. He threw up a bunch of dirt all over Het and since he was on a sneezing fit it was even more of a mess. So for an hour, Sir Spits-A-Lot sneezed and sneezed and sneezed, all of it hitting Het in the face. Gross to have an elephants sneezy bits all over you. Mine did it a few times but not as much. To make the situation even more insane, right when we were about to finish up the ride, the elephants decided to walk through muddy water. And guess who got sprayed with muddy water all over? You got it, Het. What a ride, literally!

We will see some of the Wats today and go back to the night market. After that, off to Siem Reap tomorrow!

I heart Hoi An

We wrapped up our morning in Hanoi by visiting the Dong Xuan Market. The guidebooks recommended to cut the offered price by 50% and then settle at 70% of the original offer. But, for some reason the vendors in Hanoi  weren't so interested in battling it out like I've seen at markets all over the world. In which case, they won at the end because I bought what I wanted without using much of my negotiation skills.

And....off to Hoi An! Our hotel, which is a homestay, is divine. My room is a one bedroom bungalow, with a kitchen, living room and an outside shower! Shout out to The Shahs for an awesome recommendation! Service here (and in Vietnam in general) has been outstanding.

Hoi An is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (seems like everything is these days!) and caters to tourists since they have been flocking here over the past 10 or so years. With colonial architecture, the buildings and shops are breathtaking. So glad we made it here even though its a bit out of the way but totally worth it.

We đid our part as tourists and ordered some custom made shoes! Dinner at Miss Ly's amazing restaurant - food was on point - White Rose  (dumpling with shrimp/meat in a light sauce) and Fried Wontons were delicious, in fact we may go back again for our last meal here. :)

Fried Wonton w/chicken and shrimp

The next day we took our bikes (regular for me and motorbike for Het) and pedaled/zoomed off to the daily Central Market. Visiting local markets are my favorite part of any trip because you get to see what the town is all about - and the pictures always come out nicely due to the environment.

For lunch, we tried the town's famous Cau Lau noodles at Morning Glory. Have to say, it wasn't my favorite. I think my heart was stolen by Hanoi's fresh rice noodles. Bun bo, yum.

Adventure #2 (of the trip): On the way back to the hotel, Het asked me to wait on the corner but for some reason that didn't register...so I pedaled off. The hotel's about 15 minutes from town so I expected to get there last. After about 10 minutes of waiting and worrying,  I started feeling bad about not waiting to see if everything was ok before i bolted. Back down to town and found each other at the starting point. Turns out that we were both looking for each other...for 45 minutes. Relieved, we headed back and changed for dinner and our cooking class.

We hit up the shoe store before and realized that our class was on the other side of tơwn and it was time to book it! And course, we got lost and it started to raining and the brakes on my bike don't work so well... Adventure #3! We finally found the place and even though the place is Red Bridge's cooking school, classes are held at the Cafe around the corner from the shoe store! So yeah...we laughed it off, took some pictures of the red bridge and head back to the hotel. Lost each other again along the way, 5 minute recovery this time. Dropped our bikes and took a taxi into town for a non-Vietnamese meal at Cargo, overlooking the river on the rooftop balcony.

Quite a day! And happy to say that we got through it in good spirits despite the miscommunication and worries. Planning to check out the beautiful Hoi An beaches tomorrow and pick up our shoes from town.

A day in Hanoi

We started the day with a visit to the Hanoi Prison which was an interesting experience. For some reason, it was hard to get the thought of men and women walking around this prison just a few decades ago out of my head. Men were all shackled to one platform in one room, and to recreate this they had statues in the rooms. It was too real for me. The Prison had much to say about America and Vietnam's perspective during the war. Random but John McCain had been in this prison at some point as well.

After we walked over to the French Quarter, saw the Opera House, the Hanoi Stock Exchange and passed the Hoan Kiem Lake which is in the center of the city. We grabbed lunch at an authentic spot in the Old Quarter - it was all locals and us :)

My lunch: Bun Bo, fresh rice noodles w/herbs and spices topped with beef and crispy fried garlic. 

yummy and less than $2!

We tried to go to the local market but everyone was packing up when we got there so will be heading back first thing tomorrow before our flight to Hoi An!

Hanoi and Ha Long Bay?

After a 24 hour journey, we arrived safely on Sunday evening! Had some luggage issues in that my friend's luggage was ripped/damaged but Cathay was able to take care of it for us.

 Woke up early this morning and boarded the bus for a 4 hour ride to Ha Long Bay for our first junk cruise on the Dragon's Pearl! After an 8 course seafood lunch (clams, oysters, crabs, etc) we were told that there was a typhoon watch and we wouldn't be able to stay on the boat overnight as planned :( They took us to a cave and to a beach for about an hour and then we headed back to the harbor. Another 4 hour bus ride later, we got into Hanoi and finally our new hotel. The cruise people were able to secure a hotel room for us which was nice and very helpful. We are officially calling this Adventure #1.So, unexpected but we now have a full day to explore Hanoi.

Looking forward to finally seeing some of Vietnam and to not be on any planes or buses tomorrow!