North Viet Nam

Nha Trang, what more can we say but beautiful one day perfect the next, less crowded than the Gold and Sunny Coasts with beaches just as good. The weather has been fantastic our whole stay and combined with a bike ride up the coast road sightseeing and some fabulous Indian curries washed down with cold Bia Saigon it was oh so short.

Checking out the action at our favourite Indian restaurant Omar Khyam's in Nha Trang

 The streets here are chaotic like everywhere in Viet Nam and we experienced our first traffic accident when a bike hit our taxi front guard as we left the hotel. The guy was lucky not to fall in front of oncoming traffic and just took off down the road without stopping.

View from our 2nd hotel room in Nha Trang

Our next leg required our first overnighter on a “sleeper” bus, about 550km north to Hoi An, a small city on a river full of French architecture and not much else.  The bus ride surprisingly was not too bad in fact all buses should have these beds instead of bench seats. The bus left at 1930 so we had from midday till then to occupy ourselves. We found a comfy couple of beach chairs with soft cushions and layed back soaking up the sun at a nearby mini brewery on the beach called Louisiane. They brew a variety of nice ales which we sampled at a considerable greater expense than the Bia Saigon we have been drinking. The surf is non-existent similar to Townsville Strand but the water is refreshing and very clean. We’ve been swimming every day so far and its making us a bit homesick for the boat and the peace and quiet that comes with it.

Louisiade Brewery a great way to fill in a couple of hours

Hoi An provided us the opportunity to catch our breath before heading off the next day for the 3hr trip up to Hue (pronounced Hway) the old capital city prior to WW2. This city is full of history and contains a fully functional Citadel which was built during the 1800’s. The Citadel has perimeter walls approximately 10km long x 6m thick and a 30m wide moat to boot. Access is via numerous bridges with impressive gate structures and contained within is the Imperial Palace and about half the population of Hue. The city is situated on the banks of the Perfume River about 16km inland from the coastal beach communities.

One of the many statues in the park

We were coaxed into a hotel on the south side of the river by a very persistent owner and to our surprise we were offered what turned out to be the best quality hotel room so far: Price US$16/night “unbelievable” and that included breakfast, the night before in Hoi An we paid US$18 for a room with a foam mattress and no hot water or breakfast and surly staff, its hit and miss here that’s for sure. The owner and staff bent over backwards for us even showing concern when we ventured out into the heat of the day. The breakfast was great and the chef even convinced us to try a Vietnamese breakfast, his noodle pork broth with mixed greenery called “pho bo”, a far cry from our standard fried eggs with baguette (legacy from the French, neither bread nor roll more like a long round crust full of air and impossible to cut properly without making a mess everywhere)



One of the many entrances to the Imperial Palace within the Citadel

Our first day was spent walking around the Imperial Palace. It is actually a separate Citadel within the main Citadel with its walls 2.5km long, 2m thick and 6m high it was home for about 145 years to the Nguyen Dynasty which was similar in ways to the early Chinese Dynasties in how it operated, with each emperor having many wives, concubines and eunuchs to love and kill as the need arose. We hired another motorbike for 2 days and went out in search of several tombs and temples, some very impressive others just old ruins, depends on how infamous the Emperor was. Tu Duk (pronounced two duck obviously the brother of two dog) well his was the largest and most elaborate even though he wasn’t buried there it is home only to 200 of his trusted staff who were beheaded because they knew the true location of his grave. It’s amazing what you can get away with as King.

Pagoda at one of the temples

Having had enough of strange deathly behaviour we headed to the beach about 16km away for a cool break, only to be inundated with more tombs but on a lesser scale. All along the sand dunes at the back of the beach for miles and miles were family tombs, some much larger than the biggest you would see in a cemetery back home. Apparently money is sent home to Vietnam from relatives overseas and instead of improving their lifestyle they build these huge ugly monstrosities on the beach front. Some even had grass huts built beside them probably as a weekender so mum and dad wouldn’t get lonely. We have seen a few Christian churches in this region but not sure if that is the full explanation.

One of the grandiose beach tombs

 Once past the burial grounds the only beach access is via an assortment of same same restaurant/kiosks with deck chairs and shade covers. You park your bike under cover and yourself on a chair then get waited on for as long as you wish in our case it was 6hrs. Cheap icy Huda beers (brewed locally in Hue) between the swims made for a wonderful afternoon. The entertainment is free as you can play with the seagulls (local hawkers) as they persistently try to sell their wares/food at grossly over inflated prices. They flock to the newcomers and love the uninitiated who pay their list price which is 5 times the local price. We generally pay 2 times the local price and are happy with that. After a lovely afternoon we wobbled our way back to Hue thankfully missing all the potholes and bumps.

Guess who showing off a great set of hudas

Wife no2 getting fleeced by some seagulls (aka hawkers), believe me their is a story!!!

We caught another sleeper for the trip to Hanoi. It took 16 hrs and was pouring rain when we arrived. We finally found a hotel after inspecting about 10 in the Old Quarter which is where “everything IS apparently”. We think it’s where every motorbike in Hanoi is parked too. This place is not just bedlam it’s dangerous. Just walking in the street is a nightmare, you can’t stop or you will be run down, you have to keep moving or dart into a shop, café or restaurant where you then get harassed to buy something. It’s something that must be experienced to get the full appreciation.

The French designed History Museum

This place is where “dining out” means just that; gutter views are the norm with inside tables commanding much higher prices for both beer and food. After much searching we managed to find an excellent midrange restaurant where our gutter view is from a balcony perched on the 3^rd floor rather than 6 inches away like most. The food and beer is twice the price in Hanoi compared with everywhere else and haggling is fruitless. Most of the locals are more than happy to eat and drink in the gutter so this means very little incentive for change.

Sir, your table is ready!!!

The streets of The Old Quarter are more like alleys and contain shops which make every conceivable household product. The shops spill out onto the footpath and at times onto the roadway compromising both pedestrians and vehicles. Each street was in the past named after the products which were sold making it somewhat easier to find. These days it’s more like a maze for tourists as many streets change name part way along and bisect each other at all different angles.

Street dining Viet Nam style can be great fun for some

 After 5 long days we finally headed off to Halong Bay 3.5 hrs away by a very comfortable minibus provided by our Junk charter company Indochina Junks. We boarded the 40m long Dragon’s Pearl 3 at lunchtime for a 3 day 2 night cruise with 9 other couples from around the world. Our air conditioned double cabin was huge with separate en-suite. Unfortunately after the first night we had to change cabins (becoming a bit of a habit) as the AC didn’t work, luckily 1 was spare and provided great relief from the heat the next night.

Looking out from within a cave while kayaking

Halong Bay is similar to Phang Nha Bay in Thailand but about 10 times larger and much more beautiful. We headed to the isolated northern section of the bay and to our surprise was totally void of any other tourist operators other than ours. In 3 days we saw only 3 other Junks and avoided any interaction with them. The first afternoon started with the most incredible thunder and lightning storm as we weaved our way through the many limestone karsts and islands finally anchoring in a natural enclosed lagoon. The rain was so intense it was a virtual whiteout and with the lack of any electrical navigational equipment aboard the boat showed that traditional seafaring skills are well and truly alive in Vietnam. The Captain indicated that his compass was more than enough along with his experience to get where we had to go even with the 40kts squalls.

Our Junk Dragon's Pearl 3 - no speed machine but extremely comfortable

The next day we woke to clear skies and was spent kayaking through numerous caves and then swimming off the side of the junk before visiting a local fishing village. All couples were picked up individually from the junk by a basket boat (hulls made of woven bamboo) rowed by a young lady from the village and taken for a guided tour then returned back to the junk. Next it was off for a most memorable experience as we anchored off on island with a white sand beach and cave midway up the mountain. The crew had arranged to have a barbecue style dinner inside the cave. We arrived from the tender and entered the cave just after dark with our guide Zoe to a triumphant applause from the staff before being seated and presented an absolutely fantastic gourmet 7 course (Vietnamese style) meal with icy cold beers. The cave was only discovered by the charter company in 2007 although inhabited by fishermen for many years in the past. The company relocated the fishermen at considerable expense to preserve the caves integrity as the fishermen were cutting off and selling stalactite and stalagmite pieces. The cave dinner is only available for these cruises and was a real treat.

Our cave dinning table

After a very relaxing time aboard we headed back to base on day 3 with many of the passengers after hearing that we live on a yacht wanting us to commandeer the junk and take it back out to sea and prolong their experience indefinitely. The thought was very tempting and just proved how spoilt we are with our chosen lifestyle.

The cave entrance is in the trees on the right side, you can see thesteps leading up to it from the beach

Back to polluted noisy Hanoi and another 2 days of city life till we fly out to Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand on 24th July.

Beers and Cheers in this case Huda from Hue, bye for now. 

J&J

Good Morning Vietnam

Another day, another border crossing, if only it was that easy!!!



Border crossing between Cambodia and Vietnam in the deep south

We had to get an early start to make our next destination Phu Quoc Island (yes back in the salty sea) south of Cambodia in the Gulf of Thailand but owned by Vietnam. The border crossing has only recently been opened to enable tourist’s “better” access to the southern parts of both Cambodia and Vietnam. We booked the trip to include the first bus to the border, then another bus from the border to a seaport Ha Tien and from there a 1.5hr ferry trip across to the island. The first bus was in fact a minivan which surprisingly made the distance with a flat battery, no horn and no wipers, thankfully it only rained for about 15 minutes, we also had to keep yelling at the driver to keep him awake, finally he pulled over and bought a can of red bull, it worked. After hearing  stories through out our journeys from other travellers in similar situations we expected to be dumped at the border without any connections but to our surprise another minivan was waiting, this one was better and the driver much more with it. We crossed the border which looked like something out of a western movie, paid our bribes and continued on our way hoping to arrive before the 1330 ferry departed. The 1330 ferry became the 1630 ferry with a totally illogical explanation that made no sense at all for the delay and subsequently we arrived at our hotel at 1930, yes 3hrs later, please don’t ask why!!!  

Part of the reason for taking so long was the 0.5km long jetty we had to traverse at Phu Quoc after getting off the ferry

Phu Quoc is quite a large island and home to many fishing villages which supply Vietnam with good quality seafood, by far the best we have tasted so far in Asia. Our hotel/resort was pretty good especially after we upgraded to the beachfront bungalow. Exposed to the southwest winds the beach was cool and lovely but the seas a bit rough and unfortunately full of plastic rubbish (when will they learn???), it was low season and not many guests till the day before we left. Luckily the rain held off for the 4 days we stayed. The island also hosts a large prison which was used during the Vietnam War to house the Viet-cong prisoners and is still operational with much propaganda written about its history. We hired a bike to explore the island and found a nice beach on the leeward side which was free of plastic and had a very pleasant swim; the bike trip was more like a trail ride similar to the islands in Laos and great fun for one of us anyway.

Unloading the catch at the southern end of Phu Quoc

We decided to forego the return ferry ride to the mainland and multiple buses for the quick 1hr flight to Saigon (Ho Chi Min City). The service was good and saved a heap of undoubtable hassling. Tourist services are still pretty basic south of Saigon.

Best swimming spot was on the leeward side of the island

We found our hotel with the help of a friendly cabby and after the 3^rd room decided to stay albeit at a higher rate than we had budgeted. It is best not to book ahead as there are plenty of hotels and you get to choose the room or change hotel if not satisfied. We checked out the local restaurant scene and found our favourites about 2km walk away where all the backpackers hang out. The backpacker rooms are just too basic for us and the beds are mostly just a piece of foam, besides walking around Saigon is part of the fun and best way to see the entire goings on. Hiring a bike is not an option as the congestion on the road makes it way too dangerous.

A back street in Saigon, we believe the crossing is only for show, you have absolutely no rights as a pedestrian

The next day we headed for the Independence Palace, the place where the tank pushed down the gates and the remaining US staff fled by helicopter only hours before. Next it was off to the war museums. Again a sombre time to reflect on the tragedy that took place not many years ago except this time the perpetrators were Aussies and Yanks. The atrocities against the local people (including women and children) were horrendous especially with the use of defoliants and napalm which not only killed but led to future birth defects which are visible in the population all over the city.

A cross-section of the triple level tunnel system showing pyramid shaped living quarters, water well, traps and under river access

The next day we went on a tour 60km west of Saigon to the Cu Chi tunnels where the Viet-cong hid during the continual bombardment and chemical spraying. The construction of the 250km2 tunnel system was ingenious and completely baffled the US army. They actually built a base on top of the tunnel system and still couldn’t understand why they were being ambushed on their return to the base. They imported German shepherd dogs to ferret out the tunnels but soon the Viet-cong turned that to their advantage and captured, killed then ate the dogs. A good source of protein provided by the enemy (dog is still on many menus even today). The enemy also provided all the materials for the Viet-cong to make weapons, don’t forget these people were peasant farmers and weapons were virtually non-existent. The war was certainly the classic David and Goliath battle and proved the saying, “it’s not the dog in the fight but the fight in the dog”. The south (called US puppet regime by the Viet-cong) didn’t have a hope in the world of ever winning that war and despite the hundreds of thousand if not millions of people that died and suffered the same is still occurring again today in other parts of the world. Anyway enough of the wars!!!!

Access hatch to one of the tunnels, much too small for farangs to access or find

The transport system north of Saigon is much more advanced with both rail and bus services. We opted for an open bus ticket which allows for a single purchase with multiple stops at nominated locations between Saigon and Hanoi which is valid indefinitely and you can elect as you go the days or nights that you want to travel to the next destination. It works out much cheaper than individual purchases and the buses are much better than the local ones, they even have sleeper buses for the night runs. Tuktuks are not present in Vietnam which in a way is good so the bus companies provide free pickup from your hotel; taxis are available and pretty cheap.  Walking has been a big part of our days and nights which is keeping us fit and healthy especially as the food is fantastic so far, different to all else in Asia and believe it or not cheaper. The beer, good variety but our favourite is Bia Saigon from $0.50 per 450ml bottle cold at a restaurant, we also found a nice local rum (spelt rhum very nautical eh) and only $1 (20,000 dong) for a 650ml bottle.

Would you argue with this guy???

Our first trip on the open ticket was luxury compared to our other bus experiences as we headed for the hills and a city called Dalat 1500m above sea level, very picturesque and the first mountains we’ve seen since leaving China. At that elevation both the temperature and humidity are much lower a very pleasant change. It seems we have dodged the wet season thankfully and now that we are on the east coast of Vietnam the Southwest Monsoon has little influence other than perhaps a rogue typhoon in the South China Sea which hopefully shouldn’t come till September/October.

Local produce market in Dalat

Dalat is a strange city that is stuck in the 60’s, perhaps because it was spared contact with the war. All the locals hang out at “cafes” playing draughts drinking iced tea or coffee, there are “Peace” Hotels and “Peace” restaurants scattered around the city and a motor bike tour company called Easy Riders. They grow the most amazing fruit, vegetables and pot no doubt, but strangely didn’t include vegetables in any recipe prepared at either of the restaurants we visited even after numerous requests. Our hotel ended up being owned by the brother of the owner of the one we wanted to stay at but couldn’t as it was full, it was 1km further up the road but the included breakfast spread was exceptional (even had vegemite) and well worth the extra walking. 2 days was enough for us, the sights were miles out of town in all directions so we did a 7km circumnavigation of the lake located in the city centre by foot and inspected the local produce market.

Dalat!!!

Bus trip no 2 was as good as the first but with better scenery as we descended more rapidly back down to sea level via a big valley which was full of glass houses growing all sorts of produce and flowers. Several waterfalls cascaded down the cliff face and through a drain under the road then down the other side.

Local hawkers, the cooly hat is a fashion accessory here

Our destination this time was Nha Trang, a beachside city that could best be described as the Gold Coast of Vietnam, heaps of tourists and semi high rise accommodation. The water here is crystal clear and BLUE not green as we are now in the Pacific Ocean region not the Indian. Long white sandy beach and NO!!! plastic in the water other than Asians donned with an assortment of coloured  floaties.

Magnified view of nearby island from our balcony in Nha Treng

We looked at 6 hotels before choosing one that we were happy with, it was opposite the beach facing East on the top floor (5^th) with a balcony and an uninterrupted view to kill for. Full height corner window so you could lie in bed and look at the sea and cost only $30/night. Only downside is the incessant horn blowing from daylight to about 2100 but that comes with being in Asia.

Cable car access from mainland to the fun park island Vinpearl

  Had a fun afternoon on Vinpearl similar to Lunar Park and Waterworld. A cable car ride to and from the island is the highlight and a ride on the rollercoaster brought back long distant memories. We had a swim in the wave pool but declined on the slides as many kids were coming out battered and bruised and our aged bodies have suffered enough punishment over the years. There was also a world class aquarium with tunnel and conveyor which was superb and full of giant grouper, cod, sharks, rays and even a coral trout. Faith has been returned that big fish do exist still.

Familiar territory again without getting wet

Well that's it for now will post again soon, the internet is good in Vietnam hope it stays like that.

Beers and Cheers or in this case Bia Saigon

J&J

Lia Suhn Hao-y (Goodbye) Cambodia

Well after a rather hectic time in Siem Reap visiting the ancient temples of Angkor, we thought perhaps it was time for another boat trip so we headed off to Battambang via the Siem Reap River, across the western side of Tonle Sap Lake and up the Stung Sangke River. The ferry was an over sized longtail and could be described as a water version of a local bus as it stopped wherever anyone wanted to get on or off. In this country it’s possible as there are whole villages located on the water (called floating villages), even the schools are floating. The 5hr trip took 9hrs as the river was below the normal levels required for the larger faster vessel and the boat was pretty full of passengers. We only had 1 ‘rice’ stop which was unusual as normally the buses stop for rice top ups every 2 hrs. The locals here eat rice like the old F250 chewed up petrol and go about as far before needing a refill. While the locals eat rice the tourists search through the seaweed, squid and cuttlefish flavoured packets of chips looking for the forever elusive (non-existing) plain salted potato in the hope that one maybe left over from the war. Oh we do so miss our Smiths chips!!!

Cambodian life on the water

The life for the locals living on the water is far from the luxury we experience on Dreamweaver although they all seem to have satellite TV which we don’t. Their power comes from batteries which they have to get recharged each week at the local recharge station which is the lucky boat connected to shore power or has a generator. The “house boats” are generally tied to each other and migrate (towed) up stream of both rivers as the water level rises during the wet season (July – November) an extra 5m – 10m. The Tonle Sap Lake acts as a huge sump, collecting water not only from upstream rivers but also from the Mekong River downstream which backs up during the wet as the water cannot escape through the delta in Vietnam fast enough. This is why Cambodia is one of the most fertile regions in the world, why the Angkor Empire reigned for so long and why damming the Mekong in Laos would mean disaster for millions of Cambodian people.

Moving home

Arriving in Battambang in the rain we were inundated with tuktuk (pronounced took took) drivers again, as we tried to get off the boat which was via a narrow plank from the bow connected to a steep set of steel stairs rising up to the street level (literally we had to walk the plank to get off). Luckily we found a local who spoke good English, had a great sense of humour and knew a heap of Aussie slang phrases.He got us in when he yelled out come on mate let’s hit the frog and toad. He took us to the Vietnamese consulate first where we organised, paid and collected our visas within 15 minutes, easy peasy compared to our first attempt in China and a quarter the price. Next we went to a hotel he recommended which was first class; we took the penthouse top floor with huge garden balcony overlooking the town/city for US$17/night.

Battambang (disappearing stick) monument, depicts the origins of the city name and surrounding area

The next day we headed off with Kim our tuktuk driver/comedian to see the sights and what a great day it was, we learnt more in one day about Cambodia, Pol Pot, the Angkors, Buddhists and Hindu beliefs than we could ever have dreamt. 

The AK47 naga monument

First we saw the city architecture from the French Protectorate days and a Naga monument built in 2005 from AK47 rifles and other weapons left over from the wars, then a ride on a bamboo train “nori”which runs on the only railway track in Cambodia. The train is assembled by hand and is propelled by a small petrol engine with a v-belt connected to a pulley on the rear axle. The brake is a length of wood which is levered down on to the rear wheels. When 2 trains meet along the way the one with the least number of passengers  or lightest load must give way which entails full disassembly and removal from the rails to allow the other to pass.

Only moderately less comfortable than the local buses and about as fast

Next we went to another Angkor temple built earlier than those in Seam Reap and same same but different in  some aspects, after that spiritual moment we felt we should give something back to the local people so decided to help one of the poorer farmers we met along the way. He was traditionally ploughing his rice paddy to be ready for the up-coming rain. This was  not a good idea as you all probably know the colour red and bulls don’t mix well and in this case the plough was pulled by 2 big bulls as you can see from the photo things started off OK. You will have to see the video to see the final outcome. Not pretty but totally hilarious and thankfully no blood.

Lending a helping?? hand

On we went to our next destination while sampling some lotus fruit Kim collected from a roadside lotus pond, quite nice, the fruit pod looks like a shower rose. We decided to hire the service of 2 motorbikes with drivers/guides to ferry us up and down the 1km steep hill track to a temple and cave (known as the killing cave) which is where a lot of local people and monks were murdered by the Khmer Rouge and their bodies dumped down a cliff face which leads into the cave, not a pretty sight and again another reminder of man’s inhumanity. The view from the top of the surrounding paddy fields and hills was stunning.

The view from Sailing Boat mountain, the story behind the name ties in with the disappearing stick.

Off we go to the capitol Phnom Penh, another bus trip another adventure; this one was only a 2 rice stop trip so quite bearable and our front row seats gave us a bird’s eye view of the traffic chaos that unfolded before us. The buses drive down the centre of a two lane road playing chicken with each other, whoever is the biggest physically claims right of way with the smaller pushing back into the right-hand lane with total disregard for anything smaller again, motorbikes can easily be forced off the road altogether. Our tolerance to buses is obviously improving as we are now becoming quite adept to tuning off to the Asian love songs which are played at full volume incessantly for the duration of the journey, if we ever show signs of enjoyment please shoot us quickly and relieve our misery.

The view from our balcony in Phnom Penh you can see the Mekong junction at the end of the spit which is now covered with water

The room we found in Phnom Penh was fantastic and the staff were great, it was where all the best restaurants were located and had uninterrupted views across the road to the river and boardwalk, we were almost directly opposite the river junction where the Mekong River meets the Tonle Sap River causing it to flow backwards upstream towards the lake. The boardwalk is a narrow version of the Strand with heaps of people and activity every evening but as you can see not in the mornings. It was great to just sit back on our balcony with a beer and/or rum and watch the goings-on. One afternoon we looked up and there was an elephant walking past, we could have jumped on its back.

Surprisingly it works

While here we checked out the sights, firstly the” killing fields” and the Khmer Rouge prison S21 where the worst of the atrocities took place between 1975 and 1978, unfortunately because of local political interference and international embarrassment at what happened the perpetrators have not and most probably won’t ever be convicted for their obvious involvement in the crimes committed against the Cambodian people. The government here is intentionally keeping the people uneducated to prevent any opposition forming, so that the people’s only focus is survival by whatever means possible. Despite the severe hardship they face they are by far the best people we have met throughout Asia,even with a lack of education English is widely spoken and understood so communication is easier.

S21 prison was a school which they closed, the cells are 2m long x 800mm wide and each prisoner was chained to a steel ring grouted into the floor within the cell. Only 7 out of 17,000 survived.

Next we went to the Royal Palace which is a smaller version of the Thai Palace although it still possesses many ancient and modern artefacts and buildings. The royal family here are predominantly figure heads only, having very little to do with the running of the country, same same as most other monarchies.

The Silver Pagoda (home of the Emerald Buddha) at the Royal Palace, the floor is covered in sterling silver tiles each weighing 1.5kg 

We also paid a visit to the local “Kingdom Brewery”which is a private company that brews a local pilsener using German ingredients, it’s called Leopard. We had a personalised tour with the brew master who guided us through the whole production process and then helped us polish of a few, well, OK a lot of samples including an as yet unreleased dark ale which was bewy lubberly!!

 

Kim our driver in Battambang hopes to make it to OZ one day

Well we have certainly enjoyed our stay in Cambodia and could easily spend more time here, but have decided to move on to beat the impending wet season. In the week we have been here in Phnom Penh the river has already risen 1 meter and every day the clouds get thicker and darker, luckily for us however there’s been no rain.We will certainly return and check out the provinces further south and west or just sit back anywhere in this country and enjoy the local people, food and cheap beer. Its certainly worth a visit if you ever get the chance.

Bye for now,

Beers and Cheers from the Kingdom Brewery tap room bar

J&J

Cambodia - "Same Same but Better"

Hi from lovely Cambodia,

Well what a relief, to be in another country with kind and friendly people. The Cambodian people are probably the poorest in SE Asia due mainly to the numerous wars and the Khmer Rouge reign during the 70’s but they take the cake so far for being the best people we have met. 50% of the population is under 16 years of age. The kids yell out “hello” to us all day long where ever we go. They all learn English at school and love to practice whenever they get the opportunity. Everyone we have met has bent over backwards to help and cater to our needs, which are pretty basic compared to many tourists. So far (touch wood) we haven’t encountered a single scammer, even the tuktuk drivers are polite and honest. All the regular buses here are equal to the VIP buses in Laos so that’s a relief even though our journeys now are only 5-6hrs max, they are comfortable and our luggage is loaded inside the bus on seats rather than in the luggage compartments with the chickens or thrown on the roof.

View of the Mekong from our hotel room in Stung Treng

Our first stop in Cambodia was just across the border in Stung Treng, situated on the Southern bank of the Tonle San a tributary of the Mekong River. There is little if anything interesting here other than the people, but the hotel was very nice with a view out to the river and it provided an opportunity to taste the Khmer food and local beer. The food is better than Laos and the beer comparable with many more brands available, albeit slightly more expensive.

Local bed delivery service fresh from the factory

The next day we were off to Kampong Cham a larger town further down the Mekong River with a massive big bridge which was built in 2001. Australia has been responsible for the construction of many bridges in Cambodia replacing the pathetic ones (mostly single laned) provided by the French during their extended stay early last century. Again we booked into a riverfront hotel but unfortunately couldn’t get a room with a view, surprisingly for this time of the year all were full, in fact we could only stay for 2 nights as all the rooms were taken for an upcoming conference. We hired a motorbike from a local restaurant we favoured and took off to see the sights, a rubber processing plant which was fascinating to watch the whole process, plenty of temples and a couple of old monasteries full of monks ranging from the very young to the very old. These were intermixed with local villages situated along the Mekong and its tributaries. Most of the people still live in bamboo houses high-set so that they remain dry when the floods come. One of the shrines (stupa) we visited was full of human skulls and bones a legacy from the Pol Pot regime 1975 – 1979 where up to 3 million people were massacred and scattered in mass graves, this is one location of the many infamous killing fields.

A sad reminder of human cruelty

Well its goodbye to the Mekong for a while as we head west around the northern side of Tonle Sap, the largest fresh water lake in SE Asia and on to Siem Reap the tourist centre which services the ancient Angkor City built between 800AD and 1400AD. The ancient city is on par with the Egyptian Pyramids for its sheer size and bewildering construction in such primitive times. The Angkor Empire reigned over SE Asia for 600 years before the Thais and Chinese eroded their border defences. In that time they built a huge hydraulic water supply system to cultivate crops and massive religious (Buddhist and Hindu) temples within gigantic moated and walled confinements.

A giant cottonwood tree reclaiming Ta Prohm

The buildings and perimeter walls were generally constructed of laterite (volcanic rock) faced with intricately carved sandstone. The sandstone was rafted down the river 50 km from the quarry. The cities housed well in excess of 1 million people but only the gods could live in the stone buildings.

Same Same but Different

The most picturesque is Ta Prohm with many of the buildings and ruins overgrown with massive fig trees that appear to have sprouted on top of the stonework, along with the green moss and general disarray you could think you’d witnessed the world after the demise of mankind.

A giant fig reclaiming Ta Prohm

We spent 3 days touring the ruins ferried around by our favourite Tuktuk driver/guide Chhet, who we were able to choose out of the mass of want to be’s the day we arrived at the Siem Reap bus station.  His was the biggest and best looking Tuktuk, but like all the others totally devoid of anything resembling suspension.

Angkor Wat the biggest best preserved of all temples

We have tried to photograph the buildings and ruins the best we can however none of the photos do it justice as they don’t capture the feeling of total awe you get while there. It truly is a TOTALLY AWESOME!!! place. Angkor Wat, one of the last built and best preserved, can best be described as a piece of artwork as the perimeter galleries (about 1km in length) are lined with floor to roof carved sandstone panels depicting  battles between the gods and demons and other ancient battles. All the doorways have carvings of various types depicting significant religious events and characters which are only understood by the monks and historians. The highest towers are still a functioning Buddhist temple and require ‘appropriate dress’ to enter ie: shoulders and knees covered. The stairs leading to the top are very steep 4:1 representing the difficulty for one to reach the gods.

Same Same but Closer

The local hawkers (from the age of 5 years) have a saying which covers every conceivable option in every language when they ask (beg) you to buy their wares (silk weavings, T shirts, postcards even bottles of water) even if you already have one of each they will reply to us SAME SAME BUT DIFFERENT or BETTER, needless to say their bartering skills are commendable, a great challenge, and a lot of fun.  We did manage to get a few bargains helped by the fact that the tourist season is coming to a close.

Checking quality before the haggle starts 

The wet season is starting to show its presence with lightning and thunder storms every afternoon since arriving in Cambodia so we will no doubt have to suffer getting wet a few times as we continue our adventure.

Bye for now

Beers and Cheers (in this case Cambodian Angkor Premium a loverly drop)

J&J

Sabaai-dii (hello) from Laos

Back in familiar territory again on the banks of the Mekong River but in a more upmarket hotel than our last visit to Vientiane, similar location but no self- seeking hotel staff. In this country you’re an instant millionaire as AU$1 = 8,500kip. Just like good old Indonesia. So being multi-millionaires we stayed 3 nights and took in all the sights, mostly temples, monuments, grandiose French colonial buildings and the Lao version of the Arc de Triumph (photo in last blog). The best part of Vientiane is the cheap Beerlao (AU$1 per longneck), the food and walking through the parks along the Mekong soaking up the peace and quiet; it’s the most laid back capital city in the world.

One of the many monuments in Vientiane

Heading southeast on another “VIP” bus 6hrs later and 300km from Vientiane we reach our next destination Tha Khaek (pronounced Ta Kek) known for its limestone caves. We decided to upgrade our accommodation from the original selection as it’s necessary to read between the lines of the Lonely Planet descriptions. The writers would make good real estate salespeople. Simply it’s a matter of getting what you pay for. Anything below AU$20/night is really not good, unless you’re a budget driven YOUNG masochistic backpacker. We hired a bike the first day and did a circuit of the local caves which was very interesting, most are sacred and full of shrines and Buddha images. Getting to them was no easy feat as we had to drive on the right-hand side of the road looking for non-existent signs, navigate across a creek bed full of water, rutted dirt roads full of potholes and rocks, narrow wooden bridges with planks missing, darting chooks and the forever curious water buffaloes strolling across the road. At one cave we found a local who said he would guide us along the path which we discovered had been camouflaged with broken branches, by him no doubt, very enterprising person. The cave was quite large but restricted part way in by a deep creek crossing which I couldn’t cross without getting wet. John said not to bother but the guide was insistent and tried to carry me but fell and cut his foot, now wishing he hadn’t covered the track and led us in although 15,000kip richer he was probably glad to see us on our way.

View from one of the caves looking out onto unploughed paddy fields

The next day we headed off on a guided tour of the legendary Khong Lo cave, 120km northeast of Tha Khaek in a minibus, with our “English speaking” guide and separate driver (lunatic). The cave is 7.5km long running through a single limestone mountain and is navigable the whole way in a longtail (long skinny canoe with an engine and external drive shaft attached to the stern). There’s a couple of shallow spots and 1 small set of rapids inside which makes it very exhilarating. It’s pitch black the full length except the largest gallery which is lit with various coloured lights. This and other galleries are up to 100ft high and contain some incredible calcium features (stalactites and stalagmites). The trip through takes about 1.5hrs, the longtail skipper and the bowman have spotlights to guide the way.  The cave is closed from the end of June for 3 months as the flow of water is so great from the monsoon rains that it becomes too dangerous.

The lit gallery in cave

Exiting the other end after 7.5km

 

Next day we head off again, unfortunately on a local bus this time, headed for Pakse and 380km further south. Much better than the Chinese buses so we both take up a double seat each and sit back to “enjoy” the trip. Two hours later we arrive in Savannakhet and are pleasantly surprised by the quality of the bus station toilets, so impressed John paid to go twice in the hour long lunch break. Five minutes down the road after the break but still in town the bus stops virtually in the middle of the road and is promptly turned into a tabletop truck taking delivery of 10 new motorbikes which are singularly manhandled up the side and lashed to the roof. Without the photos no one would believe it. Still scratching our heads as to why they weren’t delivered and loaded at the bus station, 2hrs has gone by and we’ve travelled about 3km????? . Finally arrive in Pakse at 1900 in the dark again and travel the extra 8km to town from the bus station in a tuk tuk. We have to direct him as he does not know our hotel even though it’s in the main street. He stops at a friend’s hotel and tries to ditch us there, we ask his friend where our hotel is and he doesn’t know either. I look up while John is talking with the men and luckily see our hotel sign right next door where it should have been. The driver and his friend then ask us to pay 5 times the going rate for the trip from the bus station saying that we chartered his tuk tuk, this then ends in an argument, John offers ¼ his price and says the offer will decrease every time he says no. He took it and we left and checked in next door. Again arriving at night leaves us very vulnerable to these unsavoury characters.

 Pakse is a very uninteresting town and really only a stop to access the 4000 islands further south.  The entrance to Pakse from the north is via a single lane bridge donated by the French over 100 years ago. Perhaps they thought the town so boring that once out of it people would not want to return. We found a really good Indian restaurant across the road from the hotel with excellent spicy food and cheap beerlao, that’s all we need to keep us happy. Accommodation was cheap and nasty but central; the upmarket hotels were miles away from town.

2 nights in Pakse was enough so we booked a minibus and headed south to Don Khong Island the largest of the 4000 islands group. This group of islands creates a separation in the Mekong River into many fast flowing waterways  and because of underlying rock structures waterfalls have developed, one of which is the largest (by water volume) in Southeast Asia (photo below). The waterfalls also prevent access by boat from the south, from the north is ok providing you stop before the waterfalls which has been a problem for some locals in the past apparently. There are plans in the pipeline to build a dam across this section of the Mekong which will no doubt have a disastrous effect on the river system and the people who live off it.

The Buffalo are no longer beasts of burden since the introduction of the so called tractors instead they are kept for meat

To get to Don Khong one must get dropped off at the ferry (longtail) jetty on the mainland after a 2hr minibus trip then negotiate a fare across 1km of river. The trip took about 10min while the negotiations at least 30min, it was our 3^rd longtail skipper who finally agreed a price which was still double what we had been informed in Pakse. The 1^st wanted too much, the 2^nd wanted payment up front. John started to sing “don’t pay the ferryman till he gets you to the other side” I think the 3^rd one felt sorry for us. Actually it only cost us AU$1 each but that’s not the point.

A couple of the local kids happy for a photo snap

Don Khong is a wonderfully quiet island, we took a very spacious room at the most upmarket hotel, all other accommodation was in guesthouses which were very basic. The island was empty of tourists, we saw about a dozen whites (fa rangs) in the 4 days we stayed. From now till November is very quiet and rooms are very negotiable. We hired another motorbike for the day and did a full circumnavigation of the island, which only took 4hrs.

A local restaurant with water views

The island is full of rice paddies at various stages of cultivation, mango trees full of fruit and heaps of domestic farm animals that roam around everywhere. It was like being on one gigantic farm, the only farm fences were temporary ones to keep the animals out of the rice. We wondered how they know who owns what. These people are so laid back they probably don’t care.  Again we found a good restaurant with very friendly staff although the beer was more expensive AU$1.20 each, ah well, island prices I guess.

The Khonphasoy Waterfall has claimed the lives of 5 fa rangs so far and injured many others

Off again on yet another trip along the Mekong this time 1.5 hrs downstream in a longtail to Don Det Island and Don Khon Island which are part of the 4000 island group and joined by an old defunct French built railway line and bridge which served as a means to transport goods from the lower level of the waterfalls to the upper levels. It is in the lower Mekong where the rare Irrawaddy dolphin live. A dolphin that lives in fresh water although the numbers have dwindled dramatically due to modern fishing techniques. Another bike rental and its off again circumnavigating the 2 islands checking out the waterfalls and farmlands. We thought about a dolphin tour in a longtail but after speaking to a local fisherman we were advised that it's better in Cambodia.

Well that's about all for this blog, tomorrow we're off to Cambodia, another country another set of challenges no doubt.

Beers and Cheers (or in this case Myers's Rum)

J&J