Two Weeks in Vietnam

After leaving Phnom Penh I found myself in Saigon, a.k.a. Ho Chi Minh City, a.k.a. HCMC. I headed straight to my guesthouse house from the airport to wait for my friend Andrew, who would be joining me for the Vietnam and Laos portions of my trip. He eventually made it to the guesthouse and we promptly headed out into the Saigon night for a couple beers. The following day we relaxed and sorted out some details (money, further travel etc.). We also booked a tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels for the following day. These tunnels turned out ot be quite interesting; they were used by the Vietcong guerillas during the American War, and are located just outside metro Saigon. They had widened some of the tunnels so that tourists could go in (about half of our group ventured in). Andrew and I both did this, but I really don't think I would have been able to fit in, let alone survive, in the original tunnels. The next day we went to the War Remnants Museum. This museum was much more intriguing than I expected. It had the normal interpretation of the American War from the Vietnamese point of view, but this was not nearly the most interesting part. There was also a large photo exhibit, all the photos in which were taken by journalists of various countries who had been killed in the war. I realistically say that it was the best photo exhibit I've ever seen.


Following that day we grabbed a bus north, to the beach town of Nha Trang. The first hotel we wanted to stay had been torn down, but we got really lucky with our second choice. We ended up in the Perfume Grass Inn, which is the best overall place I've stayed in Asia so far. On our first full day in Nha Trang we took a boat trip out to some islands off the coast. It was relatively interesting, and let us do some swimming in the South China Sea. On this excursion we also encountered the Vietnamese vintage known as Dalat Wine... you can use it to clean paintbrushes, or drink it... and that's enough about that. The next day we were feeling rather lazy and decided to sit at the Louisiane Beach Club, watch the very large waves roll in, and sample some very good food and drink. This place brews their own beer that could rival many brew pubs in Canada; especially the wheat beer.

After that we jumped on an overnight bus for the central city of Hoi An. Hoi An is a beautiful old town that wouldn't look out of place on the shores of the south of France. Unfortunately we didn't have much time there, and the weather was rather awful the whole time. One thing made the journey there worthwhile; the dinner we had at th Mango Rooms restaurant was sublime, some of the best food I've had in Asia. If you're in Hoi An, go to the Mango Rooms! We didn't really do much in Hoi An except wander through the old town and try to stay relatively dry.

The next leg of our journey began with a taxi ride 30km north to the city of Danang, where we boarded an overnight train to Hanoi. Andrew and I shared our canbin with four Vietnamese, and we always had an audience for our games of rummy (I believe we played around sixty hands). We arrived weary and in search of a hotel. We were shown to the Hanoi Spirit by a tout, we decided it would do for one night... it barely did. Thankfully we were able to get into a great palce, the Thuy Nga, the next day. From there we began our explorations of Hanoi. First among these was a day trip to the marine park of Halong Bay, three hours south of Hanoi. Halong Bay is gorgeous, but our tour guide is wound far too tight to be a guide, the definite highlight was the hour Andrew and I had in a kayak. During this time we decided to roam Halong Bay at will, disregarding the instructions to stay close. The weather was fine, there was little to no current, and we wanted to get our money's worth.



After getting back to Hanoi we decided to make it an early night, and hit some of Hanoi's sights the next day. First stop was the Vietnamese Museum of Ethnology. This was quite a good museum that had an interesting focus on many of the minority tribes/cultures that live in Vietnam. It's also apparently a very popular spot for wedding photos. Next on the list was the Confucian Temple of Literature. It was a very nice, peaceful temple; but nothing Andrew and I hadn't both seen before. The last sight we went to that day was the Ho Loa Museum a.k.a. "The Hanoi Hilton". This was the prison where downed American pilots, such as John McCain, were held during the war. However the majority of the museum focused on the Vietnamese struggle for independence from the French, and only had a small section on the American War. We called it a day after that and resolved to get up early the next morning to pay our respects to Ho Chi Minh. We found Uncle Ho's embalmed corpse the next morning, and after waiting in a few different lines, were able to get a quick look. For me the procedure was just as interesting as seeing the man himself: no talking in line, certainly no laughing, no stopping, no hats no sunglasses, no shorts, no cameras, etc. But it was free.

The next day we headed to the Hanoi airport to begin what would become, unknowingly, our long trip to Luang Prabang in Laos. This is where we are now, and you'll hear more about Laos in a few days. Stay tuned.

Holiday in Cambodia

I just arrived in Saigon to 32 degree heat and a torrential downpour, so it seemed like a good time to update the blog. I had a great twelve days in Cambodia, I definitely enjoyed my time there more than Myanmar or Thailand. I arrived in Phnom Penh and was lucky enough to be met at the airport by my Khmer friend Sophia, whom I met through my friend Mike in Seoul (Check the first Thailand blog entry circa July). From there it was straight to the venerable Foreign Correspondents Club for a beer on the terrace. By this time it was already 11pm and I checked into a rather dodgy Chinese guesthouse. By 8:30am the next day I was quite ready to say goodbye to said guesthouse, and ventured out into Phnom Penh for breakfast with my friends Sophia and Vann.



After breakfast I checked myself into the Okay Guesthouse, it was even better than the name implies; quite a good place to stay if you're in Phnom Penh. After that it was off to the Vietnamese embassy, where I was able to get my visa processed in less than twenty-four hours. After getting those things sorted out it was time to do some tourist stuff. First stop was the Royal Palace. It was a rather impressive building, but it was so hot that day it a little more difficult to appreciate. After that Sophia took me to the National Museum of Cambodia, of which I had heard many good things. I was underwhelmed by the collection of artifacts, however it seemed like a large portion of the museum was closed for renovations. Easily the most impressive part was the building itself, and it was quite nice to sit in the courtyard for a while.

The next day I was on my own, and after sleeping in in the morning I went to Toul Sleng Prison, a converted school where the Khmer Rouge used to hold and torture prisoners before sending them to the killing fields. It was quite a sobering experience to say the least. Very little has been changed at Toul Sleng since the Khmer Rouge left, and you can still see the bloodstains on the walls in certain places. That was enough for one day, and I retired to my guesthouse.

The next day I made the forty minute tuk-tuk (3 wheel motorbike taxi) drive to the killing fields. For me Toul Sleng was a more powerful experience, although the giant pile of human skulls was certainly a chilling reminder of what had happened in this unassuming chunk of farmland not too long ago. After that I had a complete change of pace and went to check out the Russian Market. It's essential just a big, Asian, covered bazaar. However I was able to get a good deal on a couple short sleeve dress shirts; good for dealing with immigration agents and the like.

After a couple of somber experiences in Phnom Penh I decided it would be a good idea to hit the beach for a couple days, so I grabbed a bus down to the resort town of Sihanoukville. I really didn't do much except be lazy, eat, drink, and read. There was potential to do a lot more there, but I really just wanted to relax for a couple days. After days I headed back to Phnom Penh for one night, and then took a bus to Siem Reap; the jumping off point for visiting Angkor Wat.



Angkor Wat is the most impressive man-made set of creations I have ever seen. I bought a three-day pass and spent an average of nine hours a day exploring various temples. One of the highlights was getting up to watch the sun come up over Angkor Wat. It was quite busy, but still a very enjoyable experience. Immediately after the sunrise I headed to another famous Angkor temple, the Bayon. At 645am I had the place almost to myself, and it was great to wander around this beautiful temple before all the tour buses arrived. The temples were great, but they were almost all incredibly crowded. I would very much have liked to see them before the tour buses descended en masse. Even through these crowds you can't hide the beauty of one of humanity's greatest achievements. I think the pictures I took tell the story better, so I will add some to this entry when I return to Canada. Also, on the way out to one temple my tuk-tuk hit a cow. I was fine, the driver was fine, but the cow was a bit shaken up. Please insert bad "t-boning a cow" joke here.

I also found a couple nice cafes in Siem Reap, and the Blue Pumpkin deserves special mention. If I had more time there it would have been very easy to spend the hot hours of each sitting in one of these great cafes. One other thing I did in Siem Reap was visit the Landmine Museum. This is a very small museum run by a Khmer who was a former child soldier for the Khmer Rouge and the Vietnamese, and also receives some funding from a Canadian NGO I believe. It contained more information on landmines, and landmine removal than anywhere else in the world I dare say. All proceeds from museum go towards the continued de-mining of Cambodia. You can find more information about it here: www.cambodianlandminemuseum.org . That brings us to Saigon, where I sit now. The flight was only forty-five minutes long, and I got a complimentary upgrade to business class... I think I'm going to like Vietnam.