Well, to make the most of our remaining time in Vietnam, Lucian decided to put his bike on a cargo car up to Hanoi and we booked 2 tickets north. We ended up with a soft sleeper compartment with the top bunk (not too bad). We could only get the train that departed Hue at 3:00 PM, putting us into Hanoi at 4:00 AM. Mind you, this is about a 420 mile trip and it takes 13 hours...good lord.
So we packed up, found a taxi, and made our way to the train station. The train arrived a few minutes late, but that gave us time to survey our possible cabin mates. We were assigned to car 9 so we set up camp outside while a surplus of westerners made their way behind us. The largest group of people were from New Zealand, a mix of students from an all boys school and their teachers. Through eavesdropping we learned the boys were on their senior trip and we making their way from Saigon to Hanoi, like us.
We boarded the train and learned we were with two of the teachers from the school group, a history and geography teacher. The geography teacher looked like he packed an entire REI store in his bag, it was intense. We made small talk for a while then tried to settle into our accommodations. Everyone but me had a mattress cover, undoubtedly masking what was underneath. I was not so lucky and I immediately covered the stained mattress (complete with some old gum from the last passenger) with a sheet that was provided. I had a movie stored on my computer which I drained the battery watching and Lucian continued to read "Angels and Demons".
Rocking back and forth, I had a hard time on the long ride and just wanted to get to Hanoi. Sleeping was not had on my part and I longed for the European rail system which I have only heard good things about. I closed my eyes and just let the time pass, the faint smell of cigarettes wafting through the hall of the car. The lights flickered on at 4:00 AM and we slowly gathered our belongings. I felt greasy and ready to get off the train. Defeated was the word of the night.
The trip into Hanoi's Old Quarter was roughly 1 km, but we couldn't grasp walking the distance with our heavy packs. Departing the station we were greeted by a driver who led us to his taxi. We gave him the address of a guest house randomly selected from the Lonely Planet. He nodded and off we went. 10 minutes later and I was fed up. He was driving us in circles and I asked Lucian what we should do. Lucian said to only give him 20,000 VND ($1.00) and call it a night. The guy obviously knew what he was doing and I was in no mood to play "let's screw the tourist". We were let off at the entrance to a dark alley and he motioned toward it. Lucian pulled from his wallet what he we rightfully owed to the man and he put up a fight. Lucian calmly explained that we were cheated. "You drive us in circles sir." The man pushed Lucian and sped away in his taxi.
Furthermore, the dark alley held no hopes of any open guest houses, hotels, or hostels. The rickety gates closed and locked tightly over all of the entrances. I entertained the idea of sleeping outside with my pack as a pillow until 6:00 AM when the doors would be bound to start opening. Minutes later, two men sped up on their motorcycle and handed us a card to a hostel. Seeing as though we had no other choice, we followed on foot and were led to a dingy, moist, and overheated room. I shouldn't complain, as we never would've found a place to sleep if it wasn't for this. It took me hours to fall into a deep sleep but eventually I did.
We've since checked out of the place and Lucian found a great guest house just up the street. The Old Quarter district is overwhelmingly busy with a mix of crowded streets, fresh food sold on every corner, and blacksmiths working hard along the sidewalks. We happened to see our New Zealand "friends" again in fine form as they were parading down the street in an army of cyclos. I'm looking forward to some good food and seeing Ha Long Bay. Wish me luck!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Hue [Hway]
Hello all! I'm living out the rest of my one-month Vietnam visa visiting the capital of Hanoi and the impressive Ha Long Bay. As mentioned in my last post, I was anxiously awaiting a train to our next destination, Danang. Lucian was good and ready to ride his motorcycle the long distance until the endless rain began and ruined the grand journey. Thus, a somewhat stressful hour ensued at the Tuy Hoa train station as Lucian rushed to obtain a last-minute ticket to Danang. The problem was the motorcycle, which couldn't very well be left behind but we knew that the trains in Vietnam possessed a cargo car which accepted motorcycles. We were confident in our assumptions and were excited to get moving.
I had purchased my seat on the northbound train the day before so I was set. I attempted to help Lucian with his plight by asking the woman at the desk if it was okay for Lucian to board his bike on our train. The woman timidly said "no" and I was convinced she was wrong, immediately thinking we were both lost in translation. I started to ask various Vietnamese people at the station if anyone spoke English. My questions were answered with confused glances, lots of staring, and laughing. Being the only westerners in the station, we were officially known as the crazies.
We finally found someone that was kind enough to actually call a friend that spoke some broken English and he met us at the station. He explained that there was only one type of train that allowed motorcycles on its route. We could leave it in Tuy Hoa and it would be sent to Danang on the next cargo train out. We agreed, filled in the paperwork, and purchased a last-minute ticket. The next 8 1/2 hours were spent trying to pass the time as we wove through the countryside and might I add, numerous cemeteries.
Danang was less than thrilling but a nice place to relax and find some great food after Tuy Hoa's lack-thereof. We tracked down a bakery / full restaurant that made amazing cheeseburgers with homemade buns (don't judge...I wanted a good burger). The restaurant was run by an American couple who started the venture to support the deaf youth of Danang. The food was served and prepared by the deaf and the profits from the restaurant go to support the education of the deaf Vietnamese youth. We even met a volunteer at this place that was from Washington state. On top of the great restaurant, we also found a great brewpub with delicious beer for a great price.
Danang skyline with a beautiful moon
Inside the brewpub in Danang
Navigating through Hue 
I had purchased my seat on the northbound train the day before so I was set. I attempted to help Lucian with his plight by asking the woman at the desk if it was okay for Lucian to board his bike on our train. The woman timidly said "no" and I was convinced she was wrong, immediately thinking we were both lost in translation. I started to ask various Vietnamese people at the station if anyone spoke English. My questions were answered with confused glances, lots of staring, and laughing. Being the only westerners in the station, we were officially known as the crazies.
We finally found someone that was kind enough to actually call a friend that spoke some broken English and he met us at the station. He explained that there was only one type of train that allowed motorcycles on its route. We could leave it in Tuy Hoa and it would be sent to Danang on the next cargo train out. We agreed, filled in the paperwork, and purchased a last-minute ticket. The next 8 1/2 hours were spent trying to pass the time as we wove through the countryside and might I add, numerous cemeteries.
Danang was less than thrilling but a nice place to relax and find some great food after Tuy Hoa's lack-thereof. We tracked down a bakery / full restaurant that made amazing cheeseburgers with homemade buns (don't judge...I wanted a good burger). The restaurant was run by an American couple who started the venture to support the deaf youth of Danang. The food was served and prepared by the deaf and the profits from the restaurant go to support the education of the deaf Vietnamese youth. We even met a volunteer at this place that was from Washington state. On top of the great restaurant, we also found a great brewpub with delicious beer for a great price.
Hanging out in downtown Danang
We spent 3 days in Danang and decided to move up north to Hue, the center of history in Vietnam. We've spent our time walking around the town, eating delicious local food, visiting the Citadel, and taking a leisurely boat ride down the Perfume River. We also connected with a local Vietnamese college student via CouchSurfing that took us to a great local restaurant. We met one of his friends there and proceeded to drink copious amounts of Huda beer. It's not great beer, but as we sat down, we were greeted with a large, plastic crate with bottles of the stuff and a cooler of ice. "Peter", our local guide, taught us the proper way to drink beer in Vietnam, clinking our glasses together in a toast-like fashion and then agreeing where in Vietnam we wanted to drink to (i.e. Saigon was a sip, Hue was the middle of the glass, and Sapa meant to drain the glass empty). Hungover was not a feeling I wanted especially because it makes it hard to venture outdoors in this heat but we recovered and had a great second day in Hue.
Building near the entrance of the Citadel
Enjoying our boat trip
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Still in the 'Nam
I think it was Lucian who said the painfully obvious statement at the beginning of this trip. "There is actually a lot of traveling when you're...traveling." Well said, seriously. It's not like back home where you have a car and the freedom to come and go as you please. I underestimated the amount of travel required to travel from Saigon to Hanoi and I absolutely dread the "travel days" full of somewhat chaotic train/bus rides.
We left Da Lat about a week ago very early in the morning. Our hotel was great as the innkeeper spoke fluent English and French and really helped both of us out when it came to booking bus tickets, helping Lucian with his motorcycle, and helping us get our bearings around the town. He arranged for a taxi to pick me up and take me to the bus station that morning. I said goodbye to Lucian and hoped his ride went better to Nha Trang than into Da Lat.
The bus was overcrowded and overheated. The air-conditioning barely reached my body and I tried to settle into a deep, coma-like sleep that so many Vietnamese are able to do while traveling. We started up a very steep mountainside, going as fast as the bus possibly could, rounding the corners and bouncing along the rough roads. I felt sick...I took deep breaths and just tried to concentrate on drinking lots of water and listening to NPR. Of course, I know my body too well to expect the worst. So I quickly looked around for something to vomit into. My backpack was stuffed to the brim so I pulled my beautiful pashmina out and had to do the worst as I became sick among the beautiful scenery. The other passengers didn't hardly bat an eye as I discreetly tried to hide the pashmina under my seat, waiting for the next rest stop. I was able to save my mom's gift from Paris to me as I rinsed it out in a sink at our "lunch stop" (it was 9:30 AM).
We pulled into Nha Trang, relatively on time and I just wanted to sleep. A moto driver found me and took me to my first choice for a guest house. Lucian arrived on his bike a few hours later, looking worn out but proud of his ride and his Minsk. It was a beautiful day and we found a great cafe called Des Amis and ate to our heart's content. We went to the Louisiane Brewery that evening and sampled the microbrews (the first since being abroad). Lucian did more sampling than I did...
Nha Trang was great for people-watching, beach bumming, and eating a lot. Dropping out of the highlands, our hot and humid weather had returned and so did our lack of energy. We did visit the National Oceanographic Museum (ha) during our stay and it was a little sad. These poor sea creatures living in dirty tanks that were too small for them. There didn't seem to be any security patrolling the grounds, so naturally I thought of snatching one of the turtles and setting it free. I didn't.
Our next stop was in the smaller town of Tuy Hoa. Yeah, we're definitely stared at here...not many tourists. Not many restaurants either so we've frequented the local grocery store and trying to find good eats. Lucian found a "great" deal on an $.85 bottle of vodka. He's choking it down as we speak. The beach here reminds me of the Oregon coast and I like it. It's been cloudy and sporatically rainy so that just adds to the feel.
Tomorrow, I climb aboard the train to Danang, the third largest city in Vietnam, so hopefully communicating will be slightly easier. I'm excited for some real food too!
We left Da Lat about a week ago very early in the morning. Our hotel was great as the innkeeper spoke fluent English and French and really helped both of us out when it came to booking bus tickets, helping Lucian with his motorcycle, and helping us get our bearings around the town. He arranged for a taxi to pick me up and take me to the bus station that morning. I said goodbye to Lucian and hoped his ride went better to Nha Trang than into Da Lat.
The bus was overcrowded and overheated. The air-conditioning barely reached my body and I tried to settle into a deep, coma-like sleep that so many Vietnamese are able to do while traveling. We started up a very steep mountainside, going as fast as the bus possibly could, rounding the corners and bouncing along the rough roads. I felt sick...I took deep breaths and just tried to concentrate on drinking lots of water and listening to NPR. Of course, I know my body too well to expect the worst. So I quickly looked around for something to vomit into. My backpack was stuffed to the brim so I pulled my beautiful pashmina out and had to do the worst as I became sick among the beautiful scenery. The other passengers didn't hardly bat an eye as I discreetly tried to hide the pashmina under my seat, waiting for the next rest stop. I was able to save my mom's gift from Paris to me as I rinsed it out in a sink at our "lunch stop" (it was 9:30 AM).
We pulled into Nha Trang, relatively on time and I just wanted to sleep. A moto driver found me and took me to my first choice for a guest house. Lucian arrived on his bike a few hours later, looking worn out but proud of his ride and his Minsk. It was a beautiful day and we found a great cafe called Des Amis and ate to our heart's content. We went to the Louisiane Brewery that evening and sampled the microbrews (the first since being abroad). Lucian did more sampling than I did...
Great painting at Des Amis Cafe
Beer sampling
Nha Trang was great for people-watching, beach bumming, and eating a lot. Dropping out of the highlands, our hot and humid weather had returned and so did our lack of energy. We did visit the National Oceanographic Museum (ha) during our stay and it was a little sad. These poor sea creatures living in dirty tanks that were too small for them. There didn't seem to be any security patrolling the grounds, so naturally I thought of snatching one of the turtles and setting it free. I didn't.
Hawaii or Nha Trang?
Trapped turtle in a tank that was far too small...
Our next stop was in the smaller town of Tuy Hoa. Yeah, we're definitely stared at here...not many tourists. Not many restaurants either so we've frequented the local grocery store and trying to find good eats. Lucian found a "great" deal on an $.85 bottle of vodka. He's choking it down as we speak. The beach here reminds me of the Oregon coast and I like it. It's been cloudy and sporatically rainy so that just adds to the feel.
On the beach in Tuy Hoa, very windy
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Le Petit Paris: Da Lat
Long story short, Lucian purchased a motorcycle in Saigon for $300 in the backpacker's district. It was the model he was looking for, a Russian Minsk. Happily, he spent the next day charting his course and making sure the bike was running well. I decided to buy a bus ticket and meet him in Da Lat, a small city northwest of Saigon in the south central highlands. I couldn't see myself trying to maneuver on the busy and somewhat dangerous roads of Vietnam. My temper just wasn't going to have it...plus, it was impossible to find an automatic on the cheap.
So, fast forward to the next day. Lucian awoke, packed up, and set off in the early morning. I caught my bus at 9:15 AM, though with very little sleep, and silently prayed that I would have both of the seats to myself. God, I was dumb. The bus was full, maybe even over capacity, and I shared my time on the bus with an elderly Vietnamese woman who spoke zero English and looked me up and down as I smiled and pointed to my ticket with the seat number. She refused to move from the window seat, to which I was assigned and furthermore, refused to move her belongings which occupied half of the aisle seat. I knew it was going to be a long ride. To make matters more irritating, somehow this woman had a produce department in one of her large bags and continued to eat for most of our 8 hour journey. Side note: the trip from Saigon to Da Lat is only about 200 miles (8 hours, REALLY?). She nibbled her food over my knee and stuffed the cores and rinds from her fruits into my seat's pocket. At one point, I had just about had it when she dropped her entire (sticky) cob of corn in my lap...luckily, the woman was let off in a town about 2 hours before reaching Da Lat.
At one point on my bus journey, I got a true sense of how terrifying Vietnamese bus drivers are and how scary the roads in Vietnam are. There we were, perched atop the side of a steep mountain and our large charter bus maneuvered quite quickly around the dirt roads, inches from the side which had the disappointing protection of caution tape strung alongside. There were points when I thought, "I hope my passport stays with my body so they can call the American consulate. I'm going to die." The bus feverishly passed large trucks and moved from the right to left lane while taking corners. We hit a major construction zone at one point with 1/2 of a lane open and both sides of the road using the tiny space we had. It made no sense why we couldn't wait for other trucks to slowly and somewhat safely navigate through this mountain, it's not like we were making good time into Da Lat.
As we finally rolled in at dusk, I glanced at my notes and reminded myself of which hostel Lucian and I had decided to meet at. I hopped off the bus, grabbed my pack (which seems much bigger and heavier, though I really haven't added much) and looked for some mode of transportation. A guy sitting on his motorcycle close to the bus had an extra helmet and offered it to me. I gave him the address and he charged me the very fair rate of $.25 to take me to the Hotel Europa with views of the faux Eiffel Tower and colorful rooftops of the "suburbs." I checked in and left word with the front desk man that a Mr. Lucian would be checking in later.
Not even 20 minutes into my stay, a soft rapping on the door startled me and I opened the door to find a very tired and hungry Lucian, wet from the rain and grimy from riding his bike for 10 hours. We explored a bit, looking longingly for burgers and fries as we were sure noodles and rice were just not going to cut it tonight. We found enough food to cure our craving and we walked around the main part of the city. According to our Lonely Planet, "Da Lat looks like a cross between Vietnam and the French Alps." I suppose I have nothing to compare it to, but I will say that the weather is quite comfortable up in the hills.
Today we visited Hang Nga's Crazy House on the other side of town. The crazy house belonging to a Vietnamese woman who had a real sense of bizarre architecture. The attraction also serves as a working guest house where tourists can sleep in differently themed rooms, ususally centered around one animal. The pictures say more than I can, but it definitely reminded me of visits to the Enchanted Forest with my family when I was younger. By the looks of it, there were plans to add on much more the original house structure as the back of the grounds was a certifiable construction area. One more day in Da Lat and then it's off to the beachside city of Nha Trang.
Lucian's recent purchase
So, fast forward to the next day. Lucian awoke, packed up, and set off in the early morning. I caught my bus at 9:15 AM, though with very little sleep, and silently prayed that I would have both of the seats to myself. God, I was dumb. The bus was full, maybe even over capacity, and I shared my time on the bus with an elderly Vietnamese woman who spoke zero English and looked me up and down as I smiled and pointed to my ticket with the seat number. She refused to move from the window seat, to which I was assigned and furthermore, refused to move her belongings which occupied half of the aisle seat. I knew it was going to be a long ride. To make matters more irritating, somehow this woman had a produce department in one of her large bags and continued to eat for most of our 8 hour journey. Side note: the trip from Saigon to Da Lat is only about 200 miles (8 hours, REALLY?). She nibbled her food over my knee and stuffed the cores and rinds from her fruits into my seat's pocket. At one point, I had just about had it when she dropped her entire (sticky) cob of corn in my lap...luckily, the woman was let off in a town about 2 hours before reaching Da Lat.
At one point on my bus journey, I got a true sense of how terrifying Vietnamese bus drivers are and how scary the roads in Vietnam are. There we were, perched atop the side of a steep mountain and our large charter bus maneuvered quite quickly around the dirt roads, inches from the side which had the disappointing protection of caution tape strung alongside. There were points when I thought, "I hope my passport stays with my body so they can call the American consulate. I'm going to die." The bus feverishly passed large trucks and moved from the right to left lane while taking corners. We hit a major construction zone at one point with 1/2 of a lane open and both sides of the road using the tiny space we had. It made no sense why we couldn't wait for other trucks to slowly and somewhat safely navigate through this mountain, it's not like we were making good time into Da Lat.
As we finally rolled in at dusk, I glanced at my notes and reminded myself of which hostel Lucian and I had decided to meet at. I hopped off the bus, grabbed my pack (which seems much bigger and heavier, though I really haven't added much) and looked for some mode of transportation. A guy sitting on his motorcycle close to the bus had an extra helmet and offered it to me. I gave him the address and he charged me the very fair rate of $.25 to take me to the Hotel Europa with views of the faux Eiffel Tower and colorful rooftops of the "suburbs." I checked in and left word with the front desk man that a Mr. Lucian would be checking in later.
Not even 20 minutes into my stay, a soft rapping on the door startled me and I opened the door to find a very tired and hungry Lucian, wet from the rain and grimy from riding his bike for 10 hours. We explored a bit, looking longingly for burgers and fries as we were sure noodles and rice were just not going to cut it tonight. We found enough food to cure our craving and we walked around the main part of the city. According to our Lonely Planet, "Da Lat looks like a cross between Vietnam and the French Alps." I suppose I have nothing to compare it to, but I will say that the weather is quite comfortable up in the hills.
The closest thing to the real Eiffel Tower that I've come to thus far
A small view of the colorful homes in Da Lat
Today we visited Hang Nga's Crazy House on the other side of town. The crazy house belonging to a Vietnamese woman who had a real sense of bizarre architecture. The attraction also serves as a working guest house where tourists can sleep in differently themed rooms, ususally centered around one animal. The pictures say more than I can, but it definitely reminded me of visits to the Enchanted Forest with my family when I was younger. By the looks of it, there were plans to add on much more the original house structure as the back of the grounds was a certifiable construction area. One more day in Da Lat and then it's off to the beachside city of Nha Trang.
The entrance to the Crazy House
Inside the Crazy House
The main building on the grounds of the Crazy House
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Good Morning Vietnam
I'm sorry...I couldn't think of a better title.
We bought two baguettes and boarded the bus in Phnom Penh. The estimated travel time was 6 hours. I dreaded being on the bus for hours longer after I realized how slowly we were making our way out of the city. Leaving the border was a lot different than entering it. We crossed through into Vietnam and enjoyed the cheesiness of the movie "Armageddon" for the last 2 hours.
The bus dropped us at a park in the downtown area of Saigon and we were immediately greeted by a guest house owner who showed us our future accommodations. We walked through a hidden alley off the main road and it's almost like we were transported to another world. Just steps away, thousands of motorcycles roared by, honking and swerving and we were safe and sound in our relatively quiet house.
We went for Phở in the evening and explored our neighboring streets. To me, it's a little unnerving to be walking around in the street with motorcycles and cars honking and racing by. There really isn't another choice when the sidewalks are filled with food carts, vendors, and parked bikes. I'm just getting used to their money system, the dong. It's about 20,000 dong to $1.00. Baguettes and cream puffs are aplenty here as the colonization of Vietnam by France has deep roots here. A street above the alley lies a backpackers heaven. There are low-budget guest houses, cheap t-shirt shops, and food for around $2.00. We found a wonderful place to get beer in the evenings and usually only manage to spend around a dollar or so.
Yesterday, we visited the War Remnants Museum and saw, firsthand, how truly awful and unnecessary the violence from the Vietnam War was. There were US Army planes and helicopters, anti-war propaganda galleries, gruesome black and white pictures depicting the war from the Vietnamese point of view. For a moment, I was embarrassed for my country in that time period. On a lighter note, on our way to the museum we stopped in a park and had a seat to consult the map. A Vietnamese guy came up to us, bent down and told us he would clean our shoes. We both politely said no but thank you and he proceeded to take off my sandals. We both (more harshly) said no and asked him to stop. He didn't seem to care and began clean my sandals vigorously with a tooth brush. It was slightly irritating...okay, I was pissed. He wanted money in exchange for his services and I was really put off.
The locals are friendly, yelling "moto!" every couple of steps and offering directions to various hot spots. The unofficial mode of transportation here is definitely the motorcycle and it's surely not uncommon to see families of 4 zooming by. I had a good friend in college who is from Vietnam. Khanh currently lives in Seattle but has put me in touch with his family who lives north of Saigon on the coast. I hope I can meet them!
We bought two baguettes and boarded the bus in Phnom Penh. The estimated travel time was 6 hours. I dreaded being on the bus for hours longer after I realized how slowly we were making our way out of the city. Leaving the border was a lot different than entering it. We crossed through into Vietnam and enjoyed the cheesiness of the movie "Armageddon" for the last 2 hours.
The bus dropped us at a park in the downtown area of Saigon and we were immediately greeted by a guest house owner who showed us our future accommodations. We walked through a hidden alley off the main road and it's almost like we were transported to another world. Just steps away, thousands of motorcycles roared by, honking and swerving and we were safe and sound in our relatively quiet house.
We went for Phở in the evening and explored our neighboring streets. To me, it's a little unnerving to be walking around in the street with motorcycles and cars honking and racing by. There really isn't another choice when the sidewalks are filled with food carts, vendors, and parked bikes. I'm just getting used to their money system, the dong. It's about 20,000 dong to $1.00. Baguettes and cream puffs are aplenty here as the colonization of Vietnam by France has deep roots here. A street above the alley lies a backpackers heaven. There are low-budget guest houses, cheap t-shirt shops, and food for around $2.00. We found a wonderful place to get beer in the evenings and usually only manage to spend around a dollar or so.
Our wonderful meal the first night in Ho Chi Minh
Yesterday, we visited the War Remnants Museum and saw, firsthand, how truly awful and unnecessary the violence from the Vietnam War was. There were US Army planes and helicopters, anti-war propaganda galleries, gruesome black and white pictures depicting the war from the Vietnamese point of view. For a moment, I was embarrassed for my country in that time period. On a lighter note, on our way to the museum we stopped in a park and had a seat to consult the map. A Vietnamese guy came up to us, bent down and told us he would clean our shoes. We both politely said no but thank you and he proceeded to take off my sandals. We both (more harshly) said no and asked him to stop. He didn't seem to care and began clean my sandals vigorously with a tooth brush. It was slightly irritating...okay, I was pissed. He wanted money in exchange for his services and I was really put off.
Outside at the museum, U.S. Army Tank
One of the anti-war propaganda posters from the museum
Cleaning my sandals
The locals are friendly, yelling "moto!" every couple of steps and offering directions to various hot spots. The unofficial mode of transportation here is definitely the motorcycle and it's surely not uncommon to see families of 4 zooming by. I had a good friend in college who is from Vietnam. Khanh currently lives in Seattle but has put me in touch with his family who lives north of Saigon on the coast. I hope I can meet them!
Bicycle filled with fruit on the sidewalk
Vietnamese coffee slowly dripping over condensed milk
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Phnom Penh: History of Genocide and, Currently, the Land of Harassment
We left Trat and boarded our minibus to the border of Thailand and Cambodia. The bus bumped along and eventually rolled into the border where we were greeted by several locals bombarding us with offers for bus tickets (which we already had). Side note: after researching the border crossing and matters of our Cambodian visa, we were strictly warned not to get sucked into spending any more than 1,000 Bhat for a 30 day visa. If we were charged more, we were told to get a receipt and report the border guards to our embassy for a reimbursement.
So we smoothed through the Thai side and walked the few steps into the Kingdom of Cambodia. We were ushered into a line for a health inspection, which we had to pay for, (ahem, scam). They took our temps by holding a plastic tube up to our foreheads and waved us off to the next check point. We were taken into a dark, bare, and serious room filled with guards who demanded 1,200 from the both of us. Lucian calmly asked for a receipt and they sternly said "no receipt." Lucian then proceeded to talk to me about the embassy and reporting them and they immediately said that we get a special discount and asked for the set amount of 1,000 Bhat for the visa.
Having uneasy feelings after leaving the small room, I looked around for our bus. We cozied up to a couple from Dublin who had identical tickets to ours and we noticed we were assigned a guide - Mr. Sam, who on cue, showed up and led us to his Toyota Corolla. 6 people crammed in and I prayed we weren't driving the next leg of the trip with half of my butt on Lucian's knee and the Dublin girl's shoulder in my chin. We said he was taking us to the bus station and said before the bus leaves we should exchange our US dollars or Bhat into Cambodian Riel because the bus would be stopping at a nice restaurant and they only take Riel. We drove into a market and stopped at a makeshift stand. (Lucian if you don't want to hear it, skip the rest of the paragraph). She gave us a rate for our 2,570 Bhat and handed us a large stack of Riel. Mr. Sam hurried us back into the sedan and off we went to the bus station (a dry dirt field with some wooden benches). After settling in our seats, we thumbed through the wad of cash we had and realized we were f'ed over for $20 (the worst thing is, we knew better). Mr. Sam hassled us for a tip and wouldn't leave the bus until we gave him some cash. So much for his warning about Cambodians trying to rip off the tourists...
Our bus left a noon and we were told back in Trat that the ride would last about 5 hours. We stopped about 2 hours in, but not at a restaurant...it was strange hybrid of a bus stop with a fruit stand and tables. All in all, our extremely bumpy trip took an extra 2 hours and we rolled into Phnom Penh as it was getting dark. A persistent tuk-tuk driver said he would take us to a nice place, which he did, but then demanded a huge sum of money after driving 4 blocks. We fell right to sleep after a large meal and enjoyed the first comfy bed we had encountered in weeks.
The next day, we visited the Killing Fields and Genocidal Center of Choeung Ek. It was the gruesome sight where we they transported prisoners held under the cruel Khmer Rouge Regime in the 70s and executed them. Mass graves still stood un-impacted by other people and thousands of skulls from the victims sat in a temple at the center of the fields. The thing that was truly chilling to me were the scraps of clothing from the victims caught in the dirt on the grounds of the center. I decided to take a few pictures at the site. I felt weird about snapping photos at such a chilling place. I am not trying to exploit the victims or their families...I took pictures to remind myself and people close to me of the attrociousness of this act. I want to remember this awful piece in history and hopefully never forget.
A tuk tuk ride back to the city and took in the city on our last night. The next morning we caught a bus into Saigon...more to come!
So we smoothed through the Thai side and walked the few steps into the Kingdom of Cambodia. We were ushered into a line for a health inspection, which we had to pay for, (ahem, scam). They took our temps by holding a plastic tube up to our foreheads and waved us off to the next check point. We were taken into a dark, bare, and serious room filled with guards who demanded 1,200 from the both of us. Lucian calmly asked for a receipt and they sternly said "no receipt." Lucian then proceeded to talk to me about the embassy and reporting them and they immediately said that we get a special discount and asked for the set amount of 1,000 Bhat for the visa.
Having uneasy feelings after leaving the small room, I looked around for our bus. We cozied up to a couple from Dublin who had identical tickets to ours and we noticed we were assigned a guide - Mr. Sam, who on cue, showed up and led us to his Toyota Corolla. 6 people crammed in and I prayed we weren't driving the next leg of the trip with half of my butt on Lucian's knee and the Dublin girl's shoulder in my chin. We said he was taking us to the bus station and said before the bus leaves we should exchange our US dollars or Bhat into Cambodian Riel because the bus would be stopping at a nice restaurant and they only take Riel. We drove into a market and stopped at a makeshift stand. (Lucian if you don't want to hear it, skip the rest of the paragraph). She gave us a rate for our 2,570 Bhat and handed us a large stack of Riel. Mr. Sam hurried us back into the sedan and off we went to the bus station (a dry dirt field with some wooden benches). After settling in our seats, we thumbed through the wad of cash we had and realized we were f'ed over for $20 (the worst thing is, we knew better). Mr. Sam hassled us for a tip and wouldn't leave the bus until we gave him some cash. So much for his warning about Cambodians trying to rip off the tourists...
Our bus left a noon and we were told back in Trat that the ride would last about 5 hours. We stopped about 2 hours in, but not at a restaurant...it was strange hybrid of a bus stop with a fruit stand and tables. All in all, our extremely bumpy trip took an extra 2 hours and we rolled into Phnom Penh as it was getting dark. A persistent tuk-tuk driver said he would take us to a nice place, which he did, but then demanded a huge sum of money after driving 4 blocks. We fell right to sleep after a large meal and enjoyed the first comfy bed we had encountered in weeks.
Lucian is in heaven with a table full of Indian food
My impressions of Cambodia were skewed because of the shiestiness of our first day. We eventually settled in to our neighborhood and explored the riverfront. As we were having lunch on the sidewalk that day, no less than 10 people came up to us, asking us to buy hammocks, sunglasses, and pirated copies of Lonely Planet guides. A hungry, homeless man approached our table and picked at our plates when we were finished eating. Lucian offered him the rest of his canned beer. He took it, clinked Lucian's glass, and chugged it dry.
Cyclos lined up and waiting to be used
Trying to capture the intensity of the street markets
The next day, we visited the Killing Fields and Genocidal Center of Choeung Ek. It was the gruesome sight where we they transported prisoners held under the cruel Khmer Rouge Regime in the 70s and executed them. Mass graves still stood un-impacted by other people and thousands of skulls from the victims sat in a temple at the center of the fields. The thing that was truly chilling to me were the scraps of clothing from the victims caught in the dirt on the grounds of the center. I decided to take a few pictures at the site. I felt weird about snapping photos at such a chilling place. I am not trying to exploit the victims or their families...I took pictures to remind myself and people close to me of the attrociousness of this act. I want to remember this awful piece in history and hopefully never forget.
The commemorative stupa filled with the skulls of the victims
Enjoying a drink on our last night in Cambodia
A tuk tuk ride back to the city and took in the city on our last night. The next morning we caught a bus into Saigon...more to come!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Trat, Thailand
Lucian and I spent two more days on the island of Koh Chang, thoroughly enjoying ourselves. We moved from the Cliffside cottages in Bang Bao to Lonely Beach on the west side of the island. Lonely Beach was far from lonely as there was a profuse amount of foreign backpackers clustered together. We stayed at the Sunflower bungalows and headed straight for the beach.
The ocean was incredibly warm so it was not the best method for cooling off, however, it was greatly relaxing and fun playing and swimming in the turquoise shaded waters of Thailand. We ate and drank plenty at the numerous restaurants around town. One in particular caught our eye and we frequented it for its soups and fried rice.
Our third night was spent in an even less expensive bungalow just across the way from the Sunflower. Adorned with another sytrofoam bed, I hoped we saved our money for the right reasons. In fact, we did! We rented another motorcycle and cruised around the island taking in the beachside towns, local orchards, ocean views, and elephants! The elephant rides were slightly tempting from afar, but up close, they were expensive, not amusing, and who knows how the elephants were being treated...
Our last night was spent watching movies at one of the outdoor screens in Lonely Beach. I stood up, stretched out and doubled over in pain. A sharp sensation spread through my lower back and butt as I tried to walk to our bungalow. Lucian suggested that I take a quick shower, just to rinse off anything that might have gotten on me. I unenthusiastically hosed off and still felt scorching pain including a new sting closer to my shoulder. Lucian finally had a look and shook off the dress I had just put on. He found a rather large centipede struggling to get out. Holy hell...I felt like that blonde woman in Indiana Jones in the Temple of Doom. The disgusting creature bit and stung me in several places, leaving gorgeous, swollen dots of red around my body. Sleep was not had on the rock hard bed that night, even with the mosquito net draped safely over me.
Returning to the mainland was easy as we jumped aboard a small ferry to Trat, Thailand. We took a taxi into town and booked into a hostel. Early the next morning we were awoken by biblical thunder and lightening crashing down and a mini-monsoon downpour just outside of our door. I loved it and had no problem sleeping, even with the ear splitting noise. Trat is definitely not a thriving metropolis, but we are trying to relax and prepare for the next day of travel.
I'm so excited to say that I rode my own motorcycle around the countryside of SE Thailand yesterday. Albeit, it was a automatic...I had a great time and kept up with Lucian pretty well. He taught me how to ride his manual bike and I gave it a go but felt wobbly and bumpy most of the time.
Tomorrow, we will cross the border into Cambodia and head for Phnom Penh. I'm still having a great time, although I am dying in the humidity...Vietnam is coming soon! Last night we watched Apocalypse Now to commemorate the upcoming trip. Hopefully our travels go better than Martin Sheen's. "The horror...the horror..."
Main Street, Lonely Beach
The ocean was incredibly warm so it was not the best method for cooling off, however, it was greatly relaxing and fun playing and swimming in the turquoise shaded waters of Thailand. We ate and drank plenty at the numerous restaurants around town. One in particular caught our eye and we frequented it for its soups and fried rice.
White Sand Beach in Koh Chang
I will miss this terribly
Our third night was spent in an even less expensive bungalow just across the way from the Sunflower. Adorned with another sytrofoam bed, I hoped we saved our money for the right reasons. In fact, we did! We rented another motorcycle and cruised around the island taking in the beachside towns, local orchards, ocean views, and elephants! The elephant rides were slightly tempting from afar, but up close, they were expensive, not amusing, and who knows how the elephants were being treated...
I was able to take a quick picture as we sped by on the motorcycle
Holding kittens that decorated our bungalow's property on the third night
Our last night was spent watching movies at one of the outdoor screens in Lonely Beach. I stood up, stretched out and doubled over in pain. A sharp sensation spread through my lower back and butt as I tried to walk to our bungalow. Lucian suggested that I take a quick shower, just to rinse off anything that might have gotten on me. I unenthusiastically hosed off and still felt scorching pain including a new sting closer to my shoulder. Lucian finally had a look and shook off the dress I had just put on. He found a rather large centipede struggling to get out. Holy hell...I felt like that blonde woman in Indiana Jones in the Temple of Doom. The disgusting creature bit and stung me in several places, leaving gorgeous, swollen dots of red around my body. Sleep was not had on the rock hard bed that night, even with the mosquito net draped safely over me.
Returning to the mainland was easy as we jumped aboard a small ferry to Trat, Thailand. We took a taxi into town and booked into a hostel. Early the next morning we were awoken by biblical thunder and lightening crashing down and a mini-monsoon downpour just outside of our door. I loved it and had no problem sleeping, even with the ear splitting noise. Trat is definitely not a thriving metropolis, but we are trying to relax and prepare for the next day of travel.
Lucian enjoying an early morning yogurt drink in Trat
I am enjoying my own breakfast
I'm so excited to say that I rode my own motorcycle around the countryside of SE Thailand yesterday. Albeit, it was a automatic...I had a great time and kept up with Lucian pretty well. He taught me how to ride his manual bike and I gave it a go but felt wobbly and bumpy most of the time.
Tomorrow, we will cross the border into Cambodia and head for Phnom Penh. I'm still having a great time, although I am dying in the humidity...Vietnam is coming soon! Last night we watched Apocalypse Now to commemorate the upcoming trip. Hopefully our travels go better than Martin Sheen's. "The horror...the horror..."
Uhh, where do we go?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
