Dubai and Nairobi, July 18 (Perry)

Dubai

After 5+ amazing months in Asia, both Jen and I had mixed emotions as we headed to the Bangkok airport. Both of us were a bit sad because we were finally leaving Thailand, a country that both Jen and I love. But the predominant feeling for the both of was a mixture excitement and fear. Reading the East Africa LP, we began to feel that the days of easy traveling were behind us. It doesn’t help the matter that Nairobi, the capital city of Kenya and our first stop, is known to be one of the more dangerous cities in Africa. But at the same time, we were feeling an obvious amount of excitement. Excitement of entering the unknown once again and leaving the comfort behind us. Our first stop in Africa would be Kenya and more specifically, the capital city of Nairobi. Excitement for the almost the same reason as the fear, for getting out of our comfort zone and starting a new leg of our trip.

Leaving Bangkok at 1:00 am, we wouldn't arrive in Nairobi until 7:00 at night. While a substantial layover was involved, thankfully for us it was in Dubai and it was long enough to actually do something with the time. Seeing that we would be arriving at 4:00 am in Dubai and departing for Nairobi at 3:00 pm, we figured we had plenty of time to leave the airport and check out some of the city sites. This time, both Jen and I were in complete agreement that the only way to do this was by an organized half-day tour.

Both of us were looking forward to seeing Dubai but we knew that if we didn't get any sleep on the flight, we would be in for a long day. Unfortunately for us, Air Emirates was not very accommodating to our needs. Usually it's me who can't resist staying awake and watching as many movies as possible, but this time, the 100 plus channels even got to Jen. While I only slept about an hour and a half more than Jen, the fact that I got any sleep at all would prove later on to be very beneficial.

Arriving on schedule, we had plenty of time to secure our visa, freshen up a bit, and catch a small bite to eat before we headed out of the airport to meet up with our tour group. Despite the 8:00 start time, we still managed to cut it pretty close as finding the meeting point turned out to be more difficult than we thought. Throw in the fact that by 7:30 in the morning it was already around 28 celsius, and you can see why we quickly abandoned our effort on foot and jumped into the nearest taxi. When we did finally make it to the meeting point, we were pleasantly surprised to find that it was just the two of us on the tour.

The itinerary for the day would concentrate on the newer developments in the city, such as the Palm and World Islands, various humongous and over the top malls, the Burj Al Arab (7 star hotel shaped like a sail) and the Burj Dubai (world’s tallest structure). While the sites were very impressive, what stands out for me was the heat. After our time in Asia, we both thought that heat wouldn't be an issue anymore. However, in Dubai, we were quickly reminded that we are Canadian and not made for this type of weather. Being a muslim region, Jen figured she should dress conservatively meaning covered shoulders and covered legs. She opted for cargo pants and a thin long-sleeve black top (black!?!). Me, I wore by swim trunks and Beer Lao shirt.

The tour started out interesting enough as by the second stop, we were on the beach looking at the world-famous 7 star hotel. Pretty amazing site. Still more amazing though was the more than 35 degree weather that early in the morning. At this point, I knew that it was going to be a long day for Jen. After returning to the van, the only words she could muster were, "I can't believe how hot it is. It's just so hot." This phrase would continue to dominate Jen's vocabulary for the next few hours as we stopped along the way. I also knew that the lack of sleep was starting to get to Jen as the head-bobbing started in the first hour. I felt pretty bad for Jen as here I am, wearing my standard beach attire while she's wearing an outfit more suited for a fall hike in Calgary.

In the end, the half-day tour was pretty good and we did manage to see some of the major sites. What I enjoyed seeing was the amount of construction that's still going on in Dubai. You know the email that was circulating awhile back showing how fast Dubai was developing? Well, it wasn't lying. The city is still full of cranes and half-constructed buildings. However, some projects seem to have been halted, and in many parts of the city there appears to be more incomplete than complete.

Nairobi

The flight to Nairobi was quite uneventful and for the life of me I can't remember what movie I watched (this is rare). Most likely because the two of us were in and out of sleep the whole way. While in Phuket, reading and planning for Kenya, we went ahead and booked a safari with a company called IntoAfrica. While the safari didn't start right away, the company was nice enough to find us some accommodations for the first few nights in Nairobi and to pick us up from the airport. Thank goodness. Once we picked up our bags and left the arrivals terminal, the airport was a complete sea of touts and taxi drivers, much worse than anything we had seen before.

Arriving at our accommodation, it was easy to see that this wasn't "Asia traveling" anymore. The Parkside Inn was definitely midrange in terms of price but in terms of value, it was probably the worst we've had since traveling. That being said, the place did have its good points. In addition to being centrally located, the place had in-house security and a great little restaurant that served a tasty english breakfast. After such a long journey getting here, we pretty much crashed as soon as we checked in.

The next morning, I woke up before Jen and decided that I would head outside to check out the area. Arriving at night, I didn't get much of a chance to see our surroundings. I didn't get 5 feet of the exit before I was chatting with a couple of men, who were all interested in finding out my plans while in Nairobi. Maybe it was the early morning or the lack of sleep but for whatever reason, I found myself chatting with these guys for about 30 minutes or so, revealing more information than necessary. I finally came to my senses near the end of the conversation and simply said, "Sorry, I can't make any decisions until I chat with my wife." Usually I would cringe upon saying these words, but good thing that I came up with this little excuse because somehow these guys had got me talking about doing a walking tour of Nairobi and potentially another safari with them. While I never said anything concrete, my feigned interest in the conversation was good enough for them. From that point on, whenever we left our hotel, there they were, asking us what our plans for the day were and trying to get us to simply go to the office and check out the various tours. In the end, we never booked anything with them but they actually turned out to be pretty nice guys.

Our first day in the city, we decided to check out the National Museum which was only about a 20-30 minute walk from our place. Although everything we've read says to avoid walking the streets at night, I felt pretty proud of ourselves when we successfully made it to the museum without incident. My pride was perhaps unwarranted, since it was actually mid-day . . . . About the only "incident" we had was when we stopped at an intersection to determine whether we should go left or right. A older gentlemen stopped and asked where we were going. I hate the fact that I immediately thought, "Okay, what's he selling?" so I reluctantly answered the musuem. Well the man turned out to be nothing but kind, pointed us in the right direction and gave us a friendly "Karibu Kenya", or "Welcome to Kenya".

The museum was quite impressive and we ended up spending the better part of the day there. In addition to the various cultural artifacts and of course, the many large and detailed animal displays, the museum is home to many of the significant finds concerning human evolution. They don't refer to Kenya as the "birthplace of man" for no reason as some of the oldest "human" remains ever found were found here. Despite all the culture and history the museum had to offer, it was the lunch that day that probably gave us the quickest introduction to Kenyan culture.

Scanning the menu at the museum cafeteria, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary and in the end, I decided on the mutton and Jen had the grilled fish. The side dishes were something entirely different. Not wanting to settle on plain old rice, we both opted for the local favorite called ugali, which is made from maize flower and water. After the first bite of ugali, it is obvious why it is, and will always remain just a local favorite. It’s really hard to describe the taste as I think most Kenyans believe it to be tasteless, but I would say that it has the definite aftertaste of white glue. Texture and appearance wise, it’s a cross between mashed potatoes and a bath sponge. Suffice it to say, that has been our one and only ugali experience.

The next day we continued our tour of Nairobi by heading to the Kenyatta Conference center which, despite the age of the building, is still Nairobi’s tallest. The building essentially looks like a tall apartment building with a ufo-shaped viewing deck placed on top. Although the building itself is not much to look at, it does offer some pretty nice views of the city and surrounding areas. After some obligatory photos, we took the elevator ride down and made our way to the next site. It was at this moment that we, I’m embarrassed to say, fell for our first Kenyan scam. Embarrassed not because we got scammed but because not only did we see it coming, we allowed it to continue to fruition. Here’s some background information. On the first day that we arrived, a man approached us and asked where we were from. Replying “Canada”, the man asked us what Canadians think of black people. We replied that Canadians treat black people like they treat any other race, equally and very kindly. Of course, hearing the desired answer, he continues on to say that he is from Zimbabwe and that because of his country’s problems he has fled to Kenya to look for work and that if we could help him out in any way it would be appreciated.

Now back to the current situation. Leaving the conference center, a man approached us and started to ask us where we were from. Again, he asked us what Canadians think of black people and we replied accordingly. Next, he began to ask us what the Canadian university system is like and that he would love the opportunity to ask us some questions. Don’t ask me why or how, but before we even had a chance to say no, Jen and I found ourselves seated with this complete stranger in a nearby restaurant. I just want to remind everyone that even as this is happening, we both know that we’re getting scammed.

Anyways, as we’re seated, the man continues on by saying he’s a student from Zimbabwe and that he and his friends came to Nairobi to look for work and that later on today, they must jump on a train to take them back home. Oh yeah, and they don’t have enough money for the trains so if we could help them it would be appreciated. Even though I didn’t believe this guys story, I still felt for him and believed that he needed money. But even my compassion and naivety has a limit and the limit was crossed when our waiter came and this guys, without even a polite look-over, proceeds to order food and a drink. This was the last straw for Jen who bluntly but politely said, “While we don’t mind paying for lunch, we are not in a position to give you any money at this time.” Start the fireworks. The man replies with something like, “I’m not talking to you, I’m talking to the man over here.” I’m cringing at this moment and thinking to myself, “Buddy, you are crazy if you think I’m going to go over my wife’s head and give you money.” Of course I knew it was time to leave when, after Jen replied with a surprised and stern “excuse me”, the man basically waved us off and told us to leave. Check please.

In the end, the total damage was only around 100 KSH or about $1.50 Canadian. I know it’s not politically correct to say, but in hindsight it would have been awesome if one of us had answered his “How do Canadians treat black people” question with, “The same way we treat Asians, terribly”. Anyways, the damage was minimal but it did leave both Jen and I in a sour mood for the rest of the day, which is a shame because I think we both would have enjoyed the art and crafts on display at the Nairobi Archives (our next stop) more had we been in better moods. I think what probably calmed us down the most was that right after the archives, we booked our trekking trip on Mt Kenya. More on that later but the excitement of having booked it definitely brightened our moods.

After having “survived” the city center of Nairobi we were somewhat relieved to be heading to Karen, a suburb of Nairobi named after Karen Blixen, best known as the author of “Out of Africa”. Our safari company had suggested moving to their guesthouse in Karen, called the Rock House, as that’s where the safari starts from. As you read “Rock House”, you literally need to picture a rock house because this place was something out of the “Flintstones”. As nice as the place turned out to be, the best part of our move was that it gave us chance to see some great sites and to meet and get to know some of the IntoAfrica staff. For starters, Lydia, who runs the show at the Rock House was the nicest woman who would do anything to make us feel at home. Because we were the only ones staying there the first day, that meant a lot of attention and a lot of good home cooking.

Once Jen and I finished our four-course lunch, Lydia asked us what we wanted to do for the rest of the day. Near to the guesthouse was a Giraffe Center, where they breed and integrate into the national parks, the endangered Rothschild giraffes, so we said we’d like to go there. Before we could even say anything, Lydia was on and off her cell phone and a guide had been arranged to take us there. This was our first meeting with Elijah, who we were happy to later find out, would be our guide for the safari. I don’t know why, but I really didn’t know what to expect at the Giraffe Center. Yeah, I knew there would be giraffes there but I didn’t realize that we’d be able to get so close to them. Standing on a raised walkway, you could feed and touch the giraffes. If you held some feed in a closed fist, you could feel the giraffes biting at your fingers trying to get in. Thank goodness they’re herbivores. I even held a longer piece of food in my teeth and had the giraffe “kiss” me on the lips. Correspondingly, it took many days and many teeth brushings before Jen would kiss me again.

The next day and the last one before we headed out on safari, we decided to check out the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, or as I like to think of it, the place where they have baby elephants and rhinos!!! Still full from Lydia’s previous night’s feast, Jen and I sat down for breakfast, which at first glance looked a bit more reasonable in size. Close to where we sat was a self-serve station consisting of tea and/or coffee and cereal with all the fixings. After serving myself a medium-sized bowl I sat down and started to enjoy my light breakfast. “You know there’s going to eggs and some sort of meat for breakfast.” Jen said. “Bet you fifty bucks that it’s only cereal.”, I replied. Since what is mine is Jen’s and vice versa, we didn’t bother exchanging any funds but let’s just say that I was very full that morning. Arriving to pick us up once again was Duncan, the same nice man who picked us up from the city center. While we really liked all the people we met with IntoAfrica, Duncan was our favorite. Not only was he super nice and interesting to talk to, he constantly went out of his way to help Jen and I get around. Thankfully, Duncan would also end up going on safari with us as one of the drivers.

Since we’d arrived in Nairobi, it always seemed that wherever we went, Jen and I were really the only tourists around. Not at the Wildlife Trust. Getting there about 10 minutes before opening, the place was packed and a hefty queue had already formed. Regardless, the place was worth the wait as we got to see up-close tons of baby elephants, some as young as a few months, feed and play around. What made it more worthwhile was hearing how some of the elephants had been orphaned and how they were eventually rescued and brought to the trust. Their stories were quite sad, and most involved poachers is one way or another. But the real star of the show was the baby black rhino, who was the last to make his appearance. Dressed in a little blue “jacket”, the baby rhino made his way to the excited crowd. I love baby elephants, but this baby rhino was ridiculously cute. Anyways, the rhino was definitely more shy than the elephants and after about 10 minutes he was gone.

Although we’ve only been in Kenya, Nairobi to be precise, for 5 days, I can honestly say that I love it so far. Yeah, when we first arrived I was bit weary and intimidated by the city. I hate to say it but having grown up in Regina, and then seeing nothing but Asian people 24/7 for the last 5 months, it was a bit of a culture shock when we first took to the streets. So much of a shock that within the first few steps I said to Jen, “I just can’t believe how many black people there are here.” Um, not sure what I was expecting?!

After spending some time in the city, the place has definitely left an impression on me. It’s not that Nairobi is the most fun city we’ve been to or that the sights we’ve seen have been the most amazing, it’s just the overall vibe of the place. Maybe it’s the fact that compared to Southeast Asia, Kenya feels a little more like the road less traveled. Or maybe it’s because the people that we’ve met, from the guys on the streets to the safari company staff, have been so nice. Whatever it is, I really can’t place my finger on it. I only know that I like it and I’m looking forward to the days ahead.

Bangkok, Hua Hin, and Phuket, July 14 (Jen)

After almost 3 months in Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia, arriving back in Bangkok felt like coming home. You might think it was the Starbucks, but actually it was my most amazing and wonderful Thai family that made us feel at home. We stayed with Thip for the second time, and she and Art took great care of us. Not to mention Moay, Thip’s help, who had a tasty Thai breakfast waiting on the table every morning and cheerfully did our laundry for us. Yes, we were completely spoiled at Thip’s place.

We spent quite a few days shopping. Bangkok has amazing shopping. I pretended that I was looking for items we really needed for our Africa trip, however the giant box we sent home on our last day in Bangkok tells a different story. In my defense, if I actually had a job right now it certainly would’ve been much worse. ;-) We did manage to get the essential items we were missing due to our lack of planning for anything beyond Asia (i.e. a tent, sleeping bags, water purification, etc.).

We also attempted to prepare our bodies for the next six months, thanks to the gym in Cakewalk’s building. Although, the progress we made working out was tempered by the copious amounts of delicious food we ate with my Thai family, and the 2 weeks we spent lounging in Phuket. To further our goal of getting healthy for the second leg of our journey, we also got a check up and a malaria test in Bangkok. I had read somewhere that it is possible to have malaria, but not show symptoms until later on. I was afraid that if we got sick in Africa, we may not know with which strain, and therefore might not get proper treatment. I am paranoid. My mind is at ease now though, as we both checked out just fine. (Don’t worry Moms, we will take the anti-malarials in Africa . . .)

Apart from shopping, our time in Bangkok was spent eating, catching up with my host family, eating, catching a few movies, and, well, eating. My host family knows all of the best restaurants everywhere they go, and exactly what to order. It is amazing food, and I cannot believe I managed to gain only 5 pounds. (I’m hoping all the hiking in Africa will get me back to normal . . .) Seriously though, I was so so happy to have some time to just hang out with all the sisters, and to see Mama and Papa a few more times. This family is truly made up of the most kind, sweet, and thoughtful people you could ever meet.

Our first weekend back, we were lucky enough to accompany Thip, Art, Nee, Lek, and Nee’s friend Oil to Art’s condo in Hua Hin. As you’ll see from the photos, these guys know how to make the most of a weekend trip. And Nee’s friend Oil is a fantastic photographer (Most of the pictures are hers, partly because we forgot our camera, but mostly because she took great shots.). Hua Hin is where the King of Thailand now lives, and is a major weekend destination for Bangkok residents. The beach was a little yucky (think everybody walking their dogs on the beach, but nobody picking up the poo), but the pool at Art’s place was perfect for swimming. Not to mention the view from his balcony and, of course, the amazing seafood we ate while we were there. (Did I mention that this family always knows the most amazing places to eat?) We also got a chance to visit Mama, Papa, and Nong Jin, along with some other of Mama’s relatives, who were attending a 5 day meditation retreat at a nearby temple.

In between all of the shopping and visiting, Perry and I stole away for what was supposed to be one week, but ended up being two weeks, in Phuket. I’ve not much to tell you about Phuket because we literally did nothing there. The entire purpose was to read our East Africa and Southern Africa Lonely Planet books thoroughly, get ourselves prepared and planned for the next few months, and generally recharge our batteries. I won’t say there wasn’t a tiny bit of tension between us as we both started to get stressed out over the various safety warnings, and the big budget jump we realized was coming. We had expected that our days of “living the life” on the cheap, as we’d gotten used to in Asia, were likely over. However, I don’t think we’d realized the full extent until after our couple of weeks research in Phuket. In the end though, after all the reading, internet searching, and of course more than a couple of Singha by the pool (got to make the most of it while we can!), we felt as ready and prepared as we were going to get. It was time to go!

Leaving Asia was emotional, especially for me because I still feel very attached to Thailand and to my family there. I think Perry felt it as well. We had become very comfortable in the region. We felt a mixture of sadness, nervousness, and pure excitement boarding the plane first to Dubai, and then to Nairobi.

I have to thank my wonderful Thai family for making our last days in Asia so wonderful. So many special last dinners stick out for me, including Chinese food with the whole family, dinner by the river with the gorgeous view of Wat Arun, and “the last supper” dim sum with Thip and Art on the way to the airport.

Since I have talked about them so much, I want to introduce each member of the Laoruanglert family so you can have some idea as you view our photos . . .

Thip - The most talented pastry chef, not to mention savy business woman and owner of Cakewalk. So busy, with a constantly ringing cell phone, Thip was still always willing to make time for some fun shopping, sightseeing, or to share a meal with us. J’Thip looks out for all of her younger sisters, including me!

Art - Talented designer of women’s clothing, Art’s name suits him perfectly. He is the one who takes care of Thip, the love of his life. Thank you Art for taking us everywhere!

Nong Jin - The busy organizer. Jin has many roles and many jobs, including helping Mama and Papa in the family business (SC Scrap Company), and helping Thip out with Cakewalk. Taking care of us and making us feel welcome was one more task she took on for herself. This girl is one of the most thoughtful people I’ve ever met.

Nong Lek - The most photogenic person I know. She loves the camera and the camera loves her too. I can’t believe anyone can look that cute all the time. Nong Lek thoroughly enjoys every minute of her life. She graduated her Masters while we were in town, and received her certificate directly from the princess.

Nong Nee - When I first saw Nong Nee this trip I said “You’ve grown so much!”. She said, “Oh Jenny, no . . . !” She tells me she hasn’t grown any taller at all, but she has definitely grown up since I last saw her. I was so happy we got to spend some days together in Hua Hin.

Nong Jan - No longer Papa’s baby, Jan is a pretty, young student with lots of talent as well. She is still studying, but finds time to help out Thip with product designs for Cakewalk. She lives with Thip during school, but was staying at the Bangbon house (where I used to live) most of the time we were there, focused on her thesis.

Mama - Mama has barely changed in the past 13 years. Mama is Mama to all her beautiful daughters, and to the lucky exchange students who get to be a part of this family. While we were in town, the family had a Japanese girl, Midori, staying with them. I could see Mama taking care of her the same way she used to take care of me. During the many massive feasts we had together, both during my year here and during this visit, Mama spends most of her time putting food on everybody’s plate but her own. I guess that’s the secret to staying beautiful and thin! If only I had the will power . . . .

Papa - It is a special man who can survive in a family of 6 women, and still invite more students into his home. Papa is so kind, a proud father, and a very successful business man. And, he absolutely LOVES Elvis Presley. He has become more interested in prayer and meditation over the years. (The bedroom where I used to stay has been converted into a Buddhist prayer room.) While we were in town, he (and Mama and Jin) toughed it out sleeping on the floor of a temple for 5 days at a meditation retreat near Hua Hin. Papa confided to his girls that unfortunately he hadn’t slept at all . . .

And of course, I also need to introduce you to Oh, who, along with Amber, was my girlfriend lifeline when I lived in Bangkok all those years ago. I’m so happy that I got a chance to see Oh and to connect with her again.

Oh - Oh is a lifelong friend. Even though we hadn’t spoken for so many years, it was easy to pick up where we left off. She was my girlfriend lifeline once more, as hanging out with Perry 24/7 has its’ positives and negatives (mostly positives though!). We had so much fun together in Chiang Mai, and again in Bangkok. We can’t wait for Oh to come and visit us in Canada. She is a professor at ABAC (an english university in Bangkok), so we're sure she can find the time during summer break. And, her travel bug is just as bad, if not worse, than ours . . .

For photos of all of these special people, and of our last few weeks in Asia, got to

http://gallery.me.com/adamschen

Siem Reap, Jun 13 to 16 (Perry)

Literally minutes before hoping on the bus to Siem Reap, Jen and I were able to secure a guesthouse along with a pickup from the bus station. People were actually waiting in the bus while I sent the email. Oops. Good thing though because what should have only been a 4 hour bus ride ended up being closer to 7, bringing us to Siem Reap in the middle of the night. Upon arrival, getting off of the bus was nothing new. Swarms of hotel touts and tuk-tuk drivers crowded the bus door, all vying for our business. At this point in our trip, we expect this scene and we’ve even gotten used to it, but having to deal with it at night and in a new town can be kind of unsettling. For this reason, you can imagine how happy and relieved we were when we finally found our driver in the crowd and he quickly herded us to his ride. Maybe it was because we saw him as our “savior” of sorts at that moment, or simply because he was such a nice guy, but for whatever reason “Chad”, as the guesthouse had named him, would be a prominent figure in our time in Siem Reap.

After settling in at the Rosy Guesthouse, a quaint place run by a super friendly European couple (the guy’s name was “Smiley” and he totally suited his name), we decided to check out the guesthouse restaurant. The main (if not only) reason to come to Siem Reap is to check out the temples of Angkor, the ancient capital of the Khmer empire. Often referred to as the eighth wonder of the world (per LP), the temples of Angkor are best identified with Angkor Wat, the largest religious building in the world (per LP), but are in fact numerous temples covering a significant bit of ground. Enter “Chad”. Shortly after completing our meal, Chad approached our table and asked what we were planning on doing tomorrow, knowing of course that we would want to visit the temples. Well, for $15 a day Jen and I could have our own personal tuk-tuk complete with guide, Chad. For Jen and I, this was a blessing. Honestly, trying to read up on all the temples and coming up with a plan of attack was a daunting, if not impossible task. Based solely on the LP’s descriptions and suggested itinerary, we had sort of an idea but no plan really. But Chad, he brought to the table a detailed 3 day schedule that would show us the highlights. Done!

With our guide and ride in place, we set off the following day where our first stop would be Angkor Wat. I can’t speak for the both of us, but I was pretty excited as we approached in our tuk-tuk and when we finally saw the temple itself, I was blown away. I mean, I knew the temple was big but I didn’t realize just how big until I saw it. For the next couple of hours, Jen and I explored the temple grounds, constantly being amazed by the detail and craftsmanship on display. We finally returned to our tuk-tuk and just as quickly, we were off to the next site.

Before arriving in Siem Reap, I joked with Jen that all I wanted to see was the one temple, Angkor Wat and then we should get the heck out of there. 3 day pass? More like a one hour pass. Well, as we rode the tuk-tuk to our next destination, the thought of “I’m done, nothing more to see here.” kept popping in my head. Well thankfully I kept my mouth shut. As we rode from one temple to the next, it become quite clear that there was much more to see than simply Angkor Wat. Now I’m not going to say that every temple we visited that day blew me away but there were definitely some standouts. For me, Bayon at Angkor Thom, with it’s 200 + rock faces and Ta Prohm, where the roots of ancient trees strangle the stonework, were amazing to see. I really can’t do them justice so check out the photo gallery for pictures. There are many.

On the way back to our guesthouse, Chad asked us whether or not we wanted to catch the sunrise at Angkor Wat the next day. That would mean being at the temple around 5 am and leaving the guesthouse thirty minutes earlier. Exhausted from the day and from the heat we thought it would be best to save our answer for later (because at that point it would’ve been “NO!”). Between the two of us, Jen loves sleeping much more than I do. Since we’ve been traveling, I usually wake up around 5:30 - 6:00 am everyday. Jen, closer to 8:30 unless we have somewhere to be or something to do. For those of you who have never had an early morning Jen experience, let me just say it can be interesting so when it comes to decisions involving early mornings, I usually let her decide. In this case, it was a no-brainer.

Finding ourselves in the tuk-tuk once again, but this time in the darkness of early morning, I kept having the thought that Jen and I would arrive at Angkor Wat and that we’d be 2 of but a handful of people taking in the sunrise. Don’t ask me why I thought this because only a day earlier the temple was packed. I guess it was more wishful thinking than anything and I quickly realized this when I saw 4 or 5 minibus tours pass us along the way. Regardless, the sunrise was amazing even if we did have to share it with a few hundred strangers. And because of our early start, many of the other temples that we saw that day were virtually empty. In all, we managed to fit in 6 temples before 1:00 p.m. and while there was definitely more to see, we were done for the day.

Feeling more lazy than actually tired, we took advantage of our room’s DVD player and the guesthouse’s extensive collection of movies. I was excited to see that they had “Slumdog Millionaire” as both Jen and I both wanted to see it. First off, I loved the movie. For those of you who have never seen the movie, it talks about child labor/slavery in India and shows how kids are taken, trained, and ultimately put on the street to collect money for these gangs. What saddened us more than the movie, was that Jen and I were seeing this everyday in Siem Reap. While exploring the sights at Angkor, there are two constants. The first is historical beauty and the second, unfortunately, is swarms of children who are either begging or selling. It really is sad to see these kids all programmed to say the same things over and over again. You want to give them money or buy something from them, but at the same time you know it’s more likely than not that very little if any of the money is going to benefit the kids. What makes it even tougher is that some of the kids are pretty good salespeople. Once they found out where we were from most of the kids would say, “Canada, prime minister Stephen Harper. Capital, Ottawa. Mister, you buy something?”. One of the kids even challenged me to a game of tic-tac-toe, where if I lost I would have to buy a book of postcards from him. Never being one to give up the chance to beat a kid at a kid’s game, I accepted and proceeded to lose royally. In my defense, I was hustled and while I didn’t end up buying anything from him, I did give him some riel that time.

While most of our days were spent temple hopping, we did manage to check out a bit of the town at night. While you would probably never come to Siem Reap for the city itself, it has some pretty nice areas. The main strip in the city definitely is “Pub Street” (the road’s actual name). During the day you probably wouldn’t even notice the street, but at night there’s no way you could miss it. Closed to cars and motorbikes at night, the street is lit up and buzzing with people, albeit mostly tourists. For this reason, some of the places are a bit overpriced but the couple of restaurants we tried out were both reasonably priced and very tasty. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have happy hour specials offering 2 for 1 cocktails and pints of Angkor Beer for 5000 riel (less than a dollar).

In total we spent 5 nights in Siem Reap, with nearly 3 full days of taking in the temples. Yup, we actually made it out for a third day but in hindsight two days was plenty for us. We actually ended up spending more time in the tuk-tuk than anywhere else on the 3rd day as the two temples that Chad took us to required 3 hours of travel there and back. There was a nice little hike involved though, which made it worthwhile.

Siem Reap was our last stop in Cambodia. It seemed we were always on the move in that country. We really didn’t settle in anywhere for an extended period of time. Not our usual pace. After 4 months of traveling where we really never rushed, we felt almost guilty to leave Cambodia after only 2 weeks. I guess the next logical question to ask is where were we rushing off to? Well, nowhere really. But with Africa looming in the next few weeks, I think Jen and I both wanted to get away from the backpacking life a bit, and have a chance to recharge our batteries. Next stop, our home away from home, Bangkok. I know it might not sound like a relaxing stop to most of you . . . . but you’ve never met Jen’s host family.

Mekong Delta & Phnom Penh, June 7 to 12 (Perry)

As we boarded the bus at the Sinh Cafe tour company in Ho Chi Minh City, Jen and I were looking forward to the Mekong Delta tour that would ultimately take us to Phnom Phen, Cambodia. Sure, for an extra $40 per person we could’ve flown and been in Cambodia in under 2 hours but we’d heard some good things about the Mekong Delta from fellow travelers and figured since we’re here we should see it. The tour was a two day affair of bus and boating on the Mekong with an overnight stop in Chau Doc, a small town in Vietnam along the Cambodian border. Sounds nice, right? In theory, yes but after four months of Southeast Asia, I’m afraid to say that Jen and I have become somewhat weary of these types of tours. After a while, you just want to get to where you’re going. It was only after our first stop at a local handicraft village that I realized that maybe we should have opted for the flight. First of all they are not villages, they’re stores and they’re not offering anything that you haven’t seen a thousand times before in the city streets.

The rest of the day consisted of a sub-par meal (is rice and pork fat really considered “a traditional vietnamese lunch”?), a performance of traditional vietnamese song and music (yikes!), and our arrival in Chau Doc. After seeing what the first day consisted of, we weren’t expecting much of the included accommodations. As it turns out we were right in keeping our expectations low. The second day started out with a row boat tour of a nearby floating village (sigh!) but the majority of the day was spent on the long tail boat to Phnom Phen. Figuring we’d be on the boat for the next 6 hours or so, Jen and I chose to sit in the back of the boat which offered a flat platform where you could stretch your legs or even lie down. Well, what looked like a definite step up from the regular bench seats turned out to be both good and bad. Sure, we were probably more comfortable than most of the other people on the boat but at the same time, we were probably 15 degrees hotter than they were as well. The platform-like area that we chose just happened to be right above the boat’s engine so instead of being merely hot in the 30 plus weather, we were literally roasting.

As it turns out though, our tour saved the best for last as the provided accommodation in Phnom Phen was quite impressive. This was not a case of keeping our expectations low, although at this point they were at an all-time low. The room was actually clean, big and very comfortable. In fact, we would’ve stayed there for the rest of the time but unfortunately the room was outside of our budget (yup, $25/night is officially out of our budget) and a bit too far from the city center. What kind of sealed the move to the city center was the fact that it took us over an hour to get back from dinner our first night in town. What is actually a 10 minute ride turned into an hour long adventure because, despite nodding his head and smiling, our tuktuk driver had absolutely no clue how to find our place, even with the hotel provided map. In the end we realized that he actually had no idea how to read maps, or maybe read in general. He, of course, didn’t want to tell us that and jeopardize the $3 fare. I think that was the first time we actually had to fire our tuktuk driver and find a new ride. (Jen still made me pay him $2 for the ride to . . . nowhere. Sucker.)

So the next morning we set off on a search for a new place to stay. We spent probably another hour in a tuktuk randomly driving around looking for a nice and cheap place (nonexistent in Phnom Phen, we learned), and finally settled on the OK Guesthouse. If ever there were an appropriate name for an establishment, this was it. Other than the dark and damp smelling rooms, the signs within the rooms kind of summed it up. While they start off as a general warning to tourists regarding the sex industry, things like “No matter how interested a girl may appear to be, she is most likely a prostitute and will demand money the next day” and “Please do not bring back any unregistered guests” they also go onto say that if you do need to bring back a "guest" to make sure you sign them in and walk them out. Nice.

After settling in, we set out to take in some of the sites. The National Museum offered us a taste of what to expect at Angkor Wat with an impressive collection of Khmer artifacts. Equally impressive was the Royal Palace, which displayed an assortment of architectural influences ranging from Khmer to French, and the Silver Pagoda, where the entire floor is covered with silver. While it may sound impressive, the section of the floor that was visible resembled more of steel than silver. Despite getting a late start in the day and battling the midday heat, we ended up with a full day of sightseeing.

In hindsight, our initial plan for day 2 of sightseeing was a bit ambitious but at the time it seemed pretty straightforward. Getting an early start to the day and having rented a motorbike, the plan was to visit the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek and then the Tuol Sleng Museum, both of which serve as a reminder of the horrific acts of the Khmer Rouge. On April 17, 1975 (um, my birthday) the Khmer Rouge engaged in one of the bloodiest revolutions in the world, when they took over Phnom Phen and went about collecting, imprisoning and ultimately killing millions of Cambodians, including the majority of the country’s educated people. From what we learned, the Khmer Rouge’s intentions was to make Cambodia a peasant-dominated rural society, where its citizens would live completely off the land. For fours years, money was abolished and urban centers were like ghost towns. It is estimated that approximately 2 million Cambodians (perhaps 1/5 of the country’s population) died as a direct result of the policies implemented by the Khmer Rouge.

After consulting with the LP, I found out that the drive out to the Killing Fields was about 14km outside of town and that thankfully, the route there is clearly signposted. For those of you who have been following the blog, you may recall one entry where I praise myself for my keen sense of direction. Well, as Jen is all too quick remind me, this experience has brought me back to reality. What should have been a 30 minute, uneventful drive turned out to be a frustration filled 3 hour trip. Did I use the odometer to gauge our distance travelled, you ask? I did but even as we reached the 40 km mark, I still didn’t think we had gone far enough. I mean, I didn’t see a sign and neither did Jen, so the best thing to do is to just keep on going, right? Only when it became glaringly obvious that we had gone too far (a mere 50 km from our starting point, when Jen finally lost all patience) did we finally stop, turn around and start asking some locals for directions.

After hours of driving, we finally arrived at the Killing Fields and while I can’t say the trip was worth it, the towering stupa (religious monument) filled with the remains of Khmer Rouge victims was eye-opening. Touring the surrounding grounds, more evidence of the horrors that took place here can be seen in the form of mass graves, and human remains and clothing that are poking out of the ground. While I had heard of the Killing Fields prior to coming to Cambodia, seeing it in person gave me a better understanding of how tragic the events really were. It was quite a raw and disturbing experience to see the stupa filled with actual people’s skulls, and actual people’s bones on the ground.

The next day, we visited the Tuol Sleng Museum, which was the prison used by the Khmer Rouge to house and torture their captives who would ultimately be taken to Choeung Ek. From the exterior, if not for the barb-wired fences surrounding the complex, Tuol Sleng still gives the appearance of its original intended use, a high school. Yet, once you enter the building itself, you are quickly reminded of the grim history surrounding the school. What’s interesting about the museum is that much has been left in the way that it was during its use as a prison. As we entered the first “room” in building “A”, which was used to house accused leaders of the opposition, you quickly realize the harsh living conditions these prisoners endured. Each room was 6 x 4 meters and in the middle of the room remained the bed frame and is some cases, the shackles that were used to tie down the prisoners. In addition, many of the rooms contained grim photographs showing the prisoners who were found dead in those actual rooms. In most cases, these photos showed prisoners who had been severely tortured laying on either blood soaked mattresses or floors. In fact, in some of the rooms you can still see blood stains on the floor.

Buildings “B, C, & D” consisted of a series of small individual cells that were created by dividing the floor with brick walls, and larger rooms that were used as mass cells. In some of the larger rooms, mug-shot style photographs of all the prisoners were on display. Apparently the Khmer Rouge were impeccable record keepers. What really stood out was the age range of the prisoners, anywhere from children to grandparents. Overall, Tuol Sleng was probably one of the more powerful museums that we had seen in Southeast Asia. Coming to Cambodia and not knowing all of its history, the museum was both graphic and informative. It certainly left Jen and I with a better understanding of what Cambodia and its people have gone through.

Apart from the heavy sights, Phnom Phen was a fairly nice city. It had nice coffee shops and restaurants (usually overpriced, but many were donating money for worthy local causes so we didn’t mind), a pretty good market, and loads of public green spaces. We mostly took it easy in the evenings though, so our impression might be a little rosier than some. One of the stranger things we encountered was a monk begging for cash from us in the afternoon. Still not sure if he was hungry, or heading down the wrong path, however I’d personally bet on wrong path. (I thought monks only ate in the morning? We did see some articles in the local papers discussing issues with monks in Phnom Phen.) Walking the streets, it was evident that there is definitely a lot of poverty and troubles in this city. After 4 days, we decided it was time for us to move on to Siem Reap.

For more photos http://gallery.me.com/adamschen

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), June 2 to 6 (Jen)

Since we arrived in HCMC in the dark, I was glad that we had pre-booked a guesthouse, and an airport pick up.  As time passes, I am less committed to spending as little as possible, and slightly more interested in preserving my sanity and comfort.  Both of these were in good hands at “Happy Inn” where we stayed for our entire time in HCMC.  It was a bit of a splurge at $25 per night, but it was truly time for a proper shower stall and a comfy bed with quality sheets.  

Next morning, after allowing ourselves to sleep-in and take advantage of our upgraded accommodations, we set out with our LP in hand.  We had “pho” for breakfast nearby our hotel, and proceeded to walk to the Reunification Palace.  This is the spot where a North Vietnamese Army tank burst through the gates as Saigon fell to the Communists.  We arrived just before 11am, and were promptly informed that it was closed to visitors between 11 and 1pm.  Oops!  Guess we should have read the LP, instead of just carrying it with us.  So, we headed to a coffee shop we had seen on the way and enjoyed our first real coffee in Vietnam.  By real coffee I mean western style americano, in a big paper cup.  (As opposed to the small cup of super strong and syrupy sweet coffee we normally find here.)  It’s amazing the things you miss from home.  For us a proper coffee in a paper cup is definitely near the top of the list (after YOU of course).  Our bad planning turned out alright as we had a nice chat with the staff at “Gloria’s Coffee”, then wandered around the city a little to see the Notre Dame Cathedral, have a good lunch, and locate one of the city’s malls and movie theaters at “Diamond Plaza”.  We returned to find that there wasn’t so much to see at the Reunification Palace.  After a look around, we assumed it was the historical significance of the spot that drew visitors and set off on our way.  We didn’t find out until later on that exploring the basement is the most interesting part, which we didn’t know existed.  (That wasn’t in the LP, I swear!)

Next we went to see the War Remnants Museum, previously called the Museum of American War Crimes.  This was a truly eye opening experience.  Of course the exhibits are one-sided, but even with that in mind it was difficult to stomach.  One thing that I have learned on this trip is that the US government is not interested in cleaning up their messes.  How do they not take responsibility for the effects of agent orange on Vietnamese civilians?  How do they not clear unexploded ordinances from this region so the land can be used by locals?  Are they repeating this pattern now in other parts of the world?  Likely I was just ignorant to begin with, but find I have learned a lot of shocking information.  Our visit to the museum was enriched by meeting an American Vietnam war veteran, Dick Harger (rhymes with “larger” he explained . . . ?!?).  He had come to Vietnam to research and complete his memoirs.  Initially, he was just looking for help in photographing some of the museum’s exhibits regarding agent orange.  (You can see these in a separate album on our photo site.)  We were lucky that he was willing to share his experiences with us and also joined us (actually treated us) for dinner on our last night in Saigon.  He was a very nice and interesting man.  It was easy to tell that this was an emotional visit for him.  

After a full day of walking, we headed back to Diamond Plaza for a movie and a rest.  Angels and Demons was pretty good, and the movie popcorn was kettle corn which was a great surprise!  Ah, to be back in the city again.  Perry & I have concluded that we are both definitely city people.

Second day in HCMC we got a late start again.  However, this time we blame it on the pouring rain which kept us indoors until at least 10am.  We headed for Cholon, or Saigon’s Chinatown.  This endeavor mostly involved us wandering the streets searching  for the many interesting markets supposedly in the area.  After wandering through very busy and narrow streets selling loads of fabrics, then paper, then auto parts, we finally stopped for yet more pho and a break.  (We do love pho!)  Accepting defeat, we hopped in a taxi and ended up at Binh Tay Market, Cholon’s biggest.  It was massive and overwhelming for sure, but didn’t have much that tempted us to part with our Dong.  The only thing we purchased was a bag of cashews.  Perry then headed to the gym, which was apparently steamy hot and full of locals at 5pm, and I headed back to Gloria’s coffee for some solo internet time.  Yes, it’s a bit lazy that I didn’t join Perry for a workout, but I was still favoring my bum knee by that time and wasn’t up for it after two days of walking Saigon.  (excuses, excuses . . .)

That night we went for Indian food with Lea, an Austrian girl we’d met on the train from Hanoi to Hue.  We luckily ran into each other again by chance outside of Happy Inn.  It is bizarre that these chance meetings seem to happen all the time.  I guess all of us travelers really are on the same route, and staying within a few blocks of each other in most cities and towns.  Even more bizarre though, was when I looked up from my “dahl” to see a girl I had worked with at PwC in Calgary!  Yep, Amber McRae and her fiance Mark just happened to be eating in the same restaurant as us.  Crazy small world.  It was great to see a familiar face (even though she has been living in Cayman for the past five years!) and we had some drinks together that night.  

Third day in HCMC we spent the morning at the Vietnamese Museum of Traditional Medicine.  It was a challenge to find, but worth the search.  We were the only ones there, so had a personal tour guide.  I find that sort of thing interesting, especially the natural remedies that are still in use today.  I had to resist purchasing all sorts of herbal teas.  And of course, it was good touristy fun when our guide dressed us up in traditional wear and stuck us behind the counter for photo ops!  I’m looking for votes on who looks more ridiculous . . . In the afternoon we moved on to the disappointing Jade Emperor Pagoda.  Travelfish called it “atmospheric”, but Perry and I were wondering if we were perhaps at the wrong place.  Nope.  Address confirmed, we wandered through.  I think Perry found the turtles out front the most interesting part.  I suppose it was interesting just how many deities one could worship here, but it didn’t compare to the many spectacular temples we have seen so far in our travels.  

Next morning was an early one, as we had booked a one day tour to the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Cao Dai Holy See (temple) in Tay Ninh.  We were slightly unprepared and surprised when greeted with the initial 3 hour bus ride to Tay Ninh.  We should have deduced that we would spend approximately 6 hours on the bus that day from the fact that there were only 2 stops on a full day excursion, but we didn’t.  The ride was worth it though, as you can see from our photos of the temple.  It was also interesting to see the “Holy See” because I’ve been reading “The Girl in the Picture” (the lifestory of Kim Phuc’s) and this temple is referred to in the book.  

Cu Chi Tunnels were cool, if a little claustrophobic.  I didn’t make it the full 100 meters of tunnel that they have enlarged and opened to tourists.  To think that tunnel was actually bigger than the originals used by the VietCong!  It is crazy to imagine how they lived underground like that.  The video they showed us was crazy as well.  It was obviously a little dated, and definitely wasn’t concerned with being “politically correct” for tourists.  It was mostly a glorification of certain peasant soldiers who had succeeded in killing American soldiers.  One was a young girl given some kind of award for “killing the most Americans”.  Fairly blunt.

Our last day in HCMC was spent shopping on Ly Van Si, where we found trendy boutiques selling clothes much too nice for our current lifestyle, and in the fabulous Ben Thanh market, which was walking distance from our guesthouse.  That market had absolutely everything we could want to send home from Vietnam, plus super tasty food stalls set up at night grilling fresh fish and huge prawns.  Yummy!  I think Dad would have been in heaven there.  

After five full days in HCMC, it was time to go.  Vietnam had worn me down.  Don’t get me wrong.  Vietnam has some truly spectacular scenery.  And, we met some really, really friendly people there.  But in general, the culture in Vietnam was just too “in your face” for me.  Not sure if it was too much time in cities overrun with aggressive motorbike drivers, or just the fact that we have been away from home for 4 months by now, but I needed to get out.  I was worried I might lose it on the 117th guy in a day relentlessly selling me sunglasses, or books, or a zippo, or marijuana, or . . . you get the picture.  So, we made a compromise between the fastest and the cheapest way to Phnom Penh and booked a two day journey through the Mekong Delta and into Cambodia by boat.  We’d splurged too much lately to justify another flight, and I wanted to give rural Vietnam a couple of more days to soften my impression.

For photos of our time in HCMC, see http://gallery.me.com/adamschen

p.s.

I have figured out how to add descriptions to the “back” of our photos.  Look for the little “i” in the lower right corner.  Click on that and you should be able to read my description if you are interested.  =)  

Hoi An, May 27 to June 1 (Perry)

Continuing our way south, we arrived in Hoi An wanting to accomplish at least two things.  One, enjoy local dishes only found in Hoi An and two, to shop.  While Hoi An is known to many as a charming old port town set on the Thu Bon River and for its Chinese, Japanese, and European influenced architecture, most backpackers know it as shopping central.  From the minute you set foot in town, tailors are all over you offering to custom-fit everything from suits to cowboy boots.  Before arriving, Jen and I came up with a game-plan of sorts to best handle the ensuing onslaught.  We decided that the first night we would just look and get a feel for which tailors were better than others.  Also, we would try to spread our business around, essentially hedging our bets should we happen upon some lesser skilled tailors.

I decided that I would get a suit and some dress shirts made despite the fact that my workplace is fairly casual.  As Jen put it, “It’s time for you to dress like a grownup”.  At the age of 34, I guess she’s right.  Jen was a bit more ambitious.  In addition to a couple of business suits and dress shirts, she decided that she would get some other items of clothing made, items which include a nightie.  More on that later.

For the suits, we decided to focus on quality over price.  Our choice was a no-brainer.  Walking the main strip in town, you couldn’t help but notice the place.  Whereas all the other businesses were basically indistinguishable, A Dong Silk stood out.  From the hardwood flooring, to the organized displays (mannequins without their “junk” hanging out) to the overall cleanliness of the place, it wasn’t hard to see why we chose this place.  Thankfully for us, the quality of service matched the outward appearance.  Having never had anything handmade and tailored to fit, both Jen and I were a bit overwhelmed at first.  I mean, we’ve both never had to pick out our own fabric and design, nor have we ever had to worry about sleeve lengths, pant lengths, or skirt lengths.  What color do you want the lining to be you ask?  I have no idea.  Luckily, we were matched with a couple of really sweet and really patient workers named Trang and Nee who helped us through the whole process.  In my mind Nee, who was helping me out, got the better end of the stick.  Not saying that Jen is very picky, but I’m pretty sure her fittings outnumbered mine 10 to 5.  In her defense, she did have more items made and for some reason or another, the tailors would never use a “perfect” fitting item as a template for the other.  I could definitely see some frustration setting in as Jen would get a shirt fitted, order a second thinking it would be at least similar, then have them come back completely different sizes.  At least they made all of her requested changes with a smile.  

In between all of our shopping, we managed to check out the rest of the town and some of the surrounding areas.  Most of our time in town was spent in Hoi An’s Old Town.  Set along the river, the Old Town is a collection of shops, restaurants, and cafes.  Here, Jen and I experienced some of Hoi An’s local delicacies including Cao Lau noodles which, to be made properly, must use water from the nearby Ba Le well, and “white rose” dumplings (tiny shrimp dumplings).  The dumplings were very tasty but both Jen and I couldn’t see what the big deal was about the noodles, even after trying a few different restaurants.  Having rented a motorbike for a couple of days, we checked out one of the local beaches called Cua Dai.  While I‘m not a beach person, I have to admit I was pretty excited to get back into the water.  We spent a day chilling on some lounge chairs, soaking in the sun, and playing in the waves.  Taking advantage of the gorgeous surroundings, we enjoyed a great seafood dinner along the beach that night.

Now back to the shopping.  I mentioned earlier that Jen had wanted to get some simpler items made in addition to her suits.  I believe the list included a skirt, a dress, and a nightie.  (In the end, she also decided to gamble on a leather handbag.)  For these simple items, we thought that using some of the smaller and cheaper tailors would be best.  It all started out very promising.  As we were trying to spread our business around, we visited 3 additional tailors to get the items made.  The first stop was a shop run by a pleasant enough lady who would make a skirt and dress for Jen.  She went through the motion of measuring and double checking all her numbers so all seemed good.  We probably should have questioned our choice when she asked for full payment up front, but after agreeing upon a 50% deposit, we left her to her work.  The skirt turned out alright but the dress turned into an ordeal.  With tailored work, we assumed a couple of fittings would be in order.  But, we also assumed that with each fitting the dress would actually change.  Not in this case.  Even I could deduce that the dress was a bit small when Jen needed help to get the thing off.  In the end, Jen gave up on that lady and just got the people at A Dong Silk to fix up her dress.

The handbag process was a bit different but showed the same level of service.  As with the skirt and dress lady, instead of actually listening to what Jen wanted, they simply tried to convince her that the way they made it was fine.  Now, I don’t know much about handbags, but even I can tell when there’s about 2 extra inches of leather on the closing flap.  After the fourth visit, they finally got it right.  

The nightie experience was the most ridiculous.  To set the scene, first let me describe what Jen had in mind.  For some reason, about 95% of the women in Vietnam wear floral patterned pajamas as everyday clothing.  Theirs are more the top and pants variety, but nevertheless, Jen seemed to agree with their logic . . . why not get something that can double day and night.  What Jen had in mind was a loose fitting dress that in theory would look pretty good, and at the same time be comfortable enough for sleeping.    I’m no tailor, but the design that Jen requested looked fairly simple.  I wasn’t there for the first fitting, but all Jen could say afterwards was, “there’s just SO much fabric”.  In fact the saleslady, who was pregnant by the way, even laughed that the dress would be better for her, and joked that there was enough room for three people.  Thankfully I was able to witness the second fitting.  The moment Jen exited the fitting room, I thought I was looking at the 5th Golden Girl.  I mean, the thing was a gigantic mu-mu.  Another couple who happened to witness the unveiling couldn’t contain their laughter either.  Even the saleslady laughed, but still couldn’t quite fix it up after 3 fittings.  Finally we figured it was more hassle than it was worth, and never went back.  I wonder if that saleslady realizes or cares that we never came back to pick up our mu-mu.  Maybe she’s wearing it, or perhaps is using it for bedsheets.  Regardless, we’re pretty sure she’d already made her money on our 50% deposit.  Lesson learned in Hoi An; we got what we paid for in all instances.  

Worn out from the shopping adventures, we posted our suits home and caught a flight directly to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).  By this time, we’d had enough overnight travel and determined that the extra $30 for a 1 hour flight versus a 16 hour bus was fully worth it . . . .

For our few photos of Hoi An, go to http://gallery.me.com/adamschen

Hue, May 25 to 26 (Perry)

After our time in Northern Vietnam, the next stop for Jen and I was Hue.  According to Lonely Planet, “Hue, which was the political capital of Vietnam from 1802 to 1945, is one of the country’s cultural, religious, and educational centers”.  In other words, the town is filled with pagodas and tombs.  Being that Hue is on the central coast of Vietnam, getting there turned out to be an exhausting experience which included 2 overnight trains in 3 days.  The first train took us from Sapa to Hanoi, where we arrived at 4 in the morning.  Because we had already spent 4 days in Hanoi, we booked a train leaving later on that night to complete the journey to Hue.  Usually, having 11 hours to “kill” in a foreign city is an opportunity that Jen and I use to observe real life and to experience new things.  Exhausted as we were, this time it meant hanging out in the mall, drinking a bunch of coffee, and catching the new Star Trek movie; which was amazing by the way (if you don’t believe me, just ask Jen).

Arriving in Hue early the next morning, Jen and I did something that we both said we would never do.  Having traveled in Asia for a while now, it is inevitable that the two of us have become quite weary and skeptical of the numerous taxi drivers and guesthouse employees who are there to greet you the minute you exit a train, bus or airport.  We’ve both said that, out of principle (i.e. so as not to encourage this bombardment), we would never go with the first person who approached us.  This was the person who would be all up in your face before you even had time to put your pack on.  In Hue, most likely because of the sleep deprivation, we hesitantly went with the first guesthouse.  In this case, it all worked out. 

The Binh Duong 2 hotel turned out to be one of the better accommodations that we’ve had in Vietnam.  For only $15 USD per night, we had a clean, large room equipped with a refrigerator, satellite TV, air conditioning, free internet, balcony, and even a small sitting area.  In fact this was the first guesthouse we’ve stayed in that offered room service.  While this may not sound like the luxury that I’m trying to get across, please keep in mind that the longer we travel, the easier we are to please.  After spending the first day recharging our batteries and taking advantage of the air-con in our room, we figured that the best and cheapest way to see the city’s many sites was to join a tour the following morning.  

Hoping aboard a greyhound-sized bus, the tour started off at the Citadel (former imperial city), followed by stops at a traditional style Hue home, the “Heavenly Lady Pagoda”, and various tombs of  former emperors (namely, if I remember correctly, the second, twelfth, and fourth emperors), and culminated with a “dragon boat” ride down the river.  With all the great tours and guides we’ve had in the past 4 months, our luck was bound to run out sometime.  It did in Hue.  It’s not that the tour was necessarily bad but relatively speaking, it’s probably the worst tour we’ve been on so far.  The sights themselves were generally nice with the tomb of the 14th Emperor, the traditional house, and the Heavenly Lady Pagoda sticking out in my mind.  Perhaps it’s because Jen and I are not used to tours that size that we didn’t have best of times.  At every stop, we were a group of 20 plus joining 2 or 3 more groups of equal size from other companies, and we were herded in and out of the sights.  It felt like we were rushed at every stop and our time was so regimented.  Our guide actually got mad at us for being a few minutes late getting back to the bus after one particular stop.  

Actually the one thing that will stick out in my mind about the Hue tour is an incident that occurred at the second last stop of the day.  First let me give you some background information to make myself look a little better.  For those of you who have not traveled to Vietnam before, the people here are, how would I say . . . , a bit aggressive.  Don’t get me wrong, we’ve met some really nice people here, but in general the Vietnamese are pretty aggressive.  On this particular tour we were responsible for purchasing our own tickets to enter the sights and without fail, just as I was about to purchase our tickets, the same Vietnamese woman would simply push her way in and jump ahead of me.  I mean literally, she would shoulder me out of the way to buy herself an extra minute at the sights.  For almost the entire day, I was the bigger person and I conceded my position in line.  Well, near the end of the day, I’d had enough.  Oh, I let her push her way in but the minute she tried to leave the line, I timed a perfect shoulder check that rocked her against the ticket booth.  If only you could have seen the smile on my face as I told Jen of my accomplishment.  I do feel a tiny bit bad, but I must admit that as I write this paragraph there is a silly grin on my face.

Anyways, after having seen most of the sights of Hue in a day, we decided that it was time to get moving again so the following day we boarded the bus and made our way to Hoi An.  

For photos of Hue, go to http://gallery.me.com/adamschen