Bangkok!!!

We left Sihanoukville and made the 20 hour bus journey to Bangkok. Another trip which involved multiple vehicles, and a slow (on Cambodia's part) immigration process.

The line to exit Cambodia

We finally made it though. I have been looking forward to Thailand throughout our trip, which is why I saved it for last. Bangkok is an amazing city. One of the few places during our travels where I feel like I could actually live, the other being Ho Chi Minh. We made our way to the infamous Khao San Road, found a guesthouse, and walked around. Bangkok has plenty to do, but it felt a bit like Shanghai in the sense that unless you love shopping and drinking, (and have the funds for it) there isn't a lot culturally to see, but Khao San is an attraction all its own. After being in relatively quiet and low key places for the past 1.5 months, it took a bit of readjusting seeing so many other foreigners jam packed into such a small area. Because of the recent coup, things have become a bit more chill on Khao San. The roadside bars close at 2, and sure there were people who were drunk and whatever else, but I didn't witness the debauchery that I saw on The Beach.

    

 Khao San Road during daylight

Even though we were a bit templed out we felt obligated to visit The Grand Palace. It was nice, and definitely the nicest temple/palace we've seen, but after a while they all start to run together. We spent the rest of our time exploring different areas of the city. Siam Square is a cool place full of name brand as well as boutique stores, and a good place for people watching. We also strolled along Sukhummit, which is supposedly where the more affluent tourists stay. That may be true, but vendors were hawking the same stuff there.

   

The Royal Grand Palace

I'm sure you are wondering, and no we did not visit any ladyboy bars or see any "ping pong shows." Both are massive tourist traps, and while the latter does sound intriguing, I'm not sure I'm even interested in seeing a woman shoot a ball out of her lady parts. I did do one other interesting thing while there, which I'll talk about in my next entry.

  
                Grafitti near Khao San                                 Zoe and I trying to meanmug at Wat Pho

Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh's atmosphere sat nicely between the calm of Vientiane and the craziness of Hanoi. The city was gearing up for the water festival, Cambodia's version of the Laos boat festival, so it was a bit more lively than usual.

View from a tuk tuk

We visited the king's palace and a few temples, but the main tourist attractions in Phnom Penh are connected to Cambodia's not so distant dark past.

Tuol Sleng Museum aka S21 Prison

After the French left Cambodia, Pol Pot came into power and made everyone migrate from rural areas to cities. From there they would round up people and imprison them before they were executed. S21 is a prison that has been preserved and turned into a museum to highlight the genocide that took place. We hired a guide who took is on a tour through the prison and told us how the majority of her family had been killed. Like the war museum in Ho Chi Minh, it was a sobering experience but something everyone who visits Cambodia should see and learn more about. Prior to the research I did before coming to Cambodia, I knew nothing about this atrocity.

                   

Prisoners were for to relieve themselves in this box            Prisoners had their pictures taken upon arrival at S21

Graves of the last 14 victims at S21, killed right before the prison was liberated

The next day we visited the killing fields. After being tortured and made to confess to crimes they had not committed prisoners were taken here to be executed. The fields have been turned into a memorial now, but plenty reminders remain of what it used to be.

Tree where the Pol Pot soldiers beat children to death

Zoe and I pictured with Chum Mey, one of 7 survivors of S21. He lost all of his family. We purchased his book detailing his time at Tuol Sleng.

Phnom Penh wasn't all grim however. Since we were in the capital city there were more nightlife options and we met up with one of Zoe's old co workers a couple of times, and we managed to put together costumes for Halloween. 

Halloween. I was supposed to be a zombie Heisenberg, and Zoe the wicked witch.

Siem Reap and Ankor Wat

After another long journey and border crossing (where I was referred to as "that one" and was the only one asked where I was from, because apparently only black people have ebola) we made it to Siem Reap.

Offerings from the market.

Siem Reap is famous for Angkor Wat, and I was very much looking forward to exploring the ancient ruins. Rather than join a tour or have a Tuk Tuk drive us around, Zoe and I decided to bike around the numerous temples. This allowed us more flexibility and let us explore at our own pace. We set off around 630 in the morning and made it back to our hotel around 530.

Peekaboo!

Angkor

The temples were amazing up close. The manpower and detail that went into them is unbelievable. I haven't had the opportunity to visit Egypt yet to see the pyramids but I can't think of many other man-made structures as impressive, that have withstood the test of time.

It may not look like it, but this was pretty high up, and by the time i got up I had an audience.

One of many temples.

Apart from the temples there isn't much to do or see in Siem Reap so after recuperating from our day long exploration of the temples we decided to move on to the capital city, Phnom Penh.

Not a real elephant, obviously.

Luang PraBang

We made it to Luang PraBang after enduring another uncomfortable journey. Luang PraBang is a UNESCO World Heritage City, and the former capital of Laos. If you're into temples and monks, Luang PraBang lacks neither.

We visited the former royal palace, which is now The National Museum. 

Former Royal Palace/National Museum.

We also made the short hike up Chomsy Hill, which gave us a good view of the city.

We were greeted by many Buddhas on our journey up Chomsy Hill.

At the top.

 My favorite attraction, by far, however, were the Kuang Si Waterfalls. They were gorgeous and provided a nice relief from Luang PraBang's notorious heat. We spent an afternoon swimming, and enjoying the surroundings.

Yea, I jumped from that tree.

Waterfall selfie:)

La Pistoche, a swimming pool/bar, is another great place to visit if you're in Luang PraBang. Zoe and I spent an afternoon there relaxing. Just be prepared to be transported back to 2005. They were blasting classics such as Nelly's "AF1s" and "Laffy Taffy."

At La Pistoche

I enjoyed my time in the former capital of Laos, and I am happy that they seem to take their UNESCO status a bit more seriously than Hoi An.

Vang Vieng

Graffiti

Leaving Vientiane and the boat festival behind us we took a long, mountainous, and bumpy ride to Vang Vieng.

Vang Vieng has a reputation as a wild backpacker party spot in Laos, but apparently it's calmed down some. Still all the elements are there.

Tubing down the Mekong is a popular activity. However, rather than lazily floating down the river you're basically signing yourself up for the beer Olympics. Before our tubes had even touched water we were ushered to a riverside bar. Soon enough games of flip cup and beer pong were being played.

It took us about four hours to get to the stopping point and we stopped at about four bars along the way. It was low season so a lot of bars were closed. I'm sure the entire thing is an even crazier experience during high season, which would help explain the reports of people drowning.

Vang Vieng is also home to Blue Lagoon. The Blue Lagoon was 4 miles from our hostel. We decided to mountain bike there. Why not get a little exercise, and save some $$$? 

This was a mistake.

.

In a climate controlled gym 4 miles on a bike is nothing. However for about 1.5 hours of a 2 hour ride we biked on muddy, unpaved, pothole filled "roads." It was frustrating, especially seeing folks zoom by us on tuk tuks and motorbikes.

We eventually did make it and it was almost worth it. Blue lagoon consists of a lake and a cave. I enjoyed this cave a bit more than the one we visited in Vietnam. There were no lights or boardwalks here. You were given a headlight and left to your own devices. If you're like me, and quite adventurous, you'll thoroughly enjoy exploring.

After you're done spelunking (I only know this word from a Carmen San Diego computer game I played when I was 7 or 8) you can go chill in the lake or lay in the grass. There's also a restaurant serving everything from milkshakes to sandwiches.

The Blue Lagoon 

Friendly sign at The Blue Lagoon

After enjoying it all for a few hours we realized that we had to bike all the way back to our hostel. 

Yaaaay! 

 I really liked Vang Vieng's chill vibe, there were plenty of things to do, the food was good (I'd heard bad things about the food in Laos), and it was gorgeous. We had moves to make though, so after a while we set off for Luang Prabang. 

The gorgeous countryside in Vang Vieng

Vientiane

We had been told that Laos was really chill, so we were surprised when we arrived in Vientiane and found it full of people, loud music blaring from every corner, and vendors selling anything you can imagine.

Tuk Tuk driver

It turns out that we had arrived smack in the middle of the boat festival, which they hold every year to show their appreciation to the Mekong River, which helps sustain them so much. While we were looking forward to an opportunity to chill out after our long bus ride, it made for a much better experience. We were able to see a kick boxing fight, eat delicious street food, and see some boat races.

Boat Festival Crowd

Putaxai, aka Victory Gate a rendition of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris

Its a good thing the boat fest was going on because there isn't much to do in the capital city. We visited plenty of temples,and the Laos National Museum. After a few days we decided to head up to Vang Vieng, very happy with our decision to include Laos in our travels.

Presidential Palace

On the move for 24 hours

From Cat Ba to Laos proved to be quite the ordeal. First, we took a van back to the harbor, where we sailed for about 2 hours until we made it back to the mainland.

We had lunch, then hopped on a bus which took us to Hanoi. Once there, we were ushered into a travel agent's office where we waited 10 minutes, until we were told we needed to walk a few blocks to meet our taxi (keep in mind that we were hauling all of our belongings, and it was rush hour).

Our taxi finally arrived and after some confusion, dropped us off at the bus station. Zoe and I were exhausted and our journey had only truly begun. Our bus left Hanoi around 7pm, and we made it to the Laos border around 5:30am. Immigration didn't start processing until 7, so we waited around slept.

When the office did open it was a slow, but steady process. I'd heard horror stories of 3 hour processing times, but it took 1.5 hours tops, to exit Vietnam, secure our visas for Laos, and be on our way.

We left the border, hopped back on the bus, and arrived in Vientiane around 5pm, a full 32 hours after we departed Cat Ba! 

Hanoi

From Hue, we took another bus further North to Dong Hoi. Dong Hoi was pleasant, but there is literally nothing to do but lay on the beach, which we were quite happy to do. After a few days of resting we purchased train tickets for Hanoi. After seven hours on a sleeper train we arrived in Hanoi, and it was every bit as busy and bustling as HCMC.

As soon as we stepped out of the train station we were bombarded by motorbike taxis, and after some stiff negotiating, got a ride to our hotel. While in Hanoi we explored the usual tourist sites. We were really excited to visit the HCM Mausoleum, even though I think its a bit weird to have a body permanently laid out for public viewing. Unfortunately the mausoleum is closed until December, for renovations. We did, however, get to visit the HCM Museum, as well as tour his former residence. I know that I was in Vietnam, so I wasn't exactly getting an unbiased opinion, but HCM seemed like an alright guy, and the people genuinely seem to like him.

Me and Uncle Ho

The Hoan Kiem Lake was another great attraction in Hanoi. It was always full of people dancing, exercising, and chatting. One night Zoe and I sat by the lake drinking, talking, and people watching. I also went for a run around the lake our last day in Hanoi.

Of course Hanoi had its share of historical war sites. We pretty much had our fill in HCMC so the only one we bothered to visit was the Hoa La Prison, bka "The Hanoi Hilton." This is the infamous prison where John McCain was kept, they have even kept the flight suit he was captured in. The prison was a bit funny, only because of its clear propagandist purpose. Multiple exhibits showed America and its harsh treatment of Vietnamese prisoners. Meanwhile, they have pictures of American soldiers playing basketball, celebrating Christmas, and generally looking like they were having a grand ole time. As despicable as I find McCain and his politics, I believe his version of Hanoi Hilton.

McCain's flight suit

All in all Hanoi was cool, but I think I liked HCMC a bit more. From Hanoi we decided to move on to Cat Ba, which was to be our last stop in Vietnam.

Da Nang

After Nha Trang it was off to Da Lat. Da Lat is in central Vietnam and quite mountainous. Unfortunately when we went, it rained the entire time. There isn't much to do in Da Lat, and the rain spoiled what few activities we had planned. I can say that the people were nice, and the food was good. We recharged and left after two days.

From Da Lat we journeyed on to Da Nang, a coastal city further north. The trip took 16 hours. We took a sleeper bus, which was not made for my 6'4 frame.

 I got no sleep on this sleeper bus.

Sleeper Bus

Anyhow, we made it to Da Nang, and it ended up being my 2nd favorite city in Vietnam, behind Halong Bay. Our hotel was a short 5 minute walk from the beach and we were able to rent a motorbike for $5/day to get around the city. Traffic was much more civilized in Da Nang, so no accidents here.

Other than lounging on the mostly empty beach, we hiked up Marble Mountain. More like a mountain/park/cave we were able to stop and look at different Buddha statues and shrines on our way to the top. As you can see the views from the peak were absolutely gorgeous.

 

View from the top of Marble Mountain

We also rode out to the Linh Ung Buddhist Temple. Built in 2010, this temple featured a 67ft statue of Quan The Am, which was visible from the beach. We ended up spending four days here, and it was time well spent.

Something for your Amusement

Hey guys! Currently I'm in Cat Ba, an island in Northeast Vietnam. It's been great, easily my favorite part of Vietnam. Since I'm a bit behind on my blog, I'll detail my time here later. The real point of this post is to share the email I received from the hostel we are staying.

Mr. Zoom Backpackers Hostel in Cat Ba

In China there is a term referred to as "Chinglish," for badly translated or just plain nonsensical English. I don't know if there is a Vietnamese equivalent, but I'm going to go ahead and call it
"Vinglish."

Chinglish examples

The funny thing is the Vietnamese speak pretty decent English, and I've had no problems communicating with the owner of our hostel. Anyway, here is the email below....

Dear guests



Special thank for your booking in Mr Zoom backer hostel, the
believable accommodation for western tourist in Cat Ba island.

As your booking, we will save a perfect room for you, clean, tidy,
airy and friendly.

Now in Cat ba island, there are some guest houses put the same name
as: backpacker hostel, Cat Ba hostel, family hostel …ect;

Mr Zoom backpacker hostel has only one adress at Number 25, Nui Ngoc
street, Cat Ba town, Viet Nam, and  a mr Zoom restaurant at Cat Ba
street foot. Up now, we have not opened branches at anywhere else in
the town; don’t miss it, we are opposite main tourist habour, it is
easy to recognize and find; (50 metter from tourist habour; or from
Hoang Long bus station, just keep straight and turn left at fist
coner, up 40 metters then you will find it on the left hand).

The other things, when you arrive in the town, just leave the bus or
hydrofoil after long jouney, there are a group of motorbikes taxi,
porter, seller and hotel’s guide around you, they try to invite you
using their services and try to get your money as they as possible,
let’s watch out of them. Any way, the stranger hotel’s guide will
offer you a dust cheap price room, when you got it, the thing will be
happen, some force you to buy  tours around the bay and the island
with incredible price (so they got big commission at that), if not,
you have to leave the hotel in many reasons as: rooms is booked today,
or the hotel is preparing today……..

At mr zoom backer hostel you will never meet that situation.

So I just want to tell you some thing before you arrive the island, do
some attention to have a good time in Cat Ba island.

Greeting welcome.



Hope you enjoyed. I'm on a bus for 24 hours headed to Laos tomorrow. I'll try and bring my travels up to date in the next few days! :)