Cambodia

Although a quick stay, our time in Cambodia was packed with deep significance and bucket list experiences. We crossed the border from Vietnam into Cambodia by boat and made our way up the river to the port at Phnom Penh. Although the capital city was not packed with novelty, we enjoyed exploring the bustling markets where we could listen to live singers, peruse the assorted cheap goods and souvenirs and sample the variety of food booths offering local street fare (the homemade coconut ice cream served in coconut shells was to die for!). After we tired of fighting the crowds at the market, we made our way back towards our hotel. Apparently, we had unknowingly decided to stay just a block away from the hot and happening Red Light District of Phnom Penh. As we wound through the streets, the outside of every single bar was swarming with teenage girls glammed up for potential customers and at the outside of every massage parlor were women offering four hand massages with "happy endings". I'm not sure whose bright idea it was to get a couples massage and to save money by going to one of these shady establishments (it was mine), but WHAT AN EXPERIENCE! We join a pair of middle aged, fat, white guys in the waiting area and specify to the ladies that we would like a couples massage...together in the same room...no happy ending (ok, I specified all that). As we wait for the room to be prepared, the two male clients are brought  to the upstairs "private" rooms. We are brought to two old mattresses on the floor behind a curtain next to the lobby...obviously the spill over room for the "non-private" clients. It is then that the ladies tell us both to strip down and provide us a sheet to cover up with...per usual massage. As the massage progressed, though, the sheets became more and more worthless. We were both bent and stretched every which way until the sheets were all but crumpled in a heap next to us and we were exposed in all the wrong ways. Most of the massage was spent trying to re-cover and hide ourselves the best we could...with little success. Feeling violated, vulnerable and glad the massage was over, we awkwardly started to get dressed when a massive cockroach scurried across the floor and under the curtain right next to my mattress. I couldn't get out the door and back to the room to shower fast enough...but in hindsight, I guess we got our happy ending after all!!?!

It was after that horrendous massage experience that we decided we needed to spend a day doing something to lift our spirits...so, the next day we visited the genocide museum and killing fields.

Seriously though, all joking aside...

We spent the morning touring the Cambodian prison titled S-21 as a code name to hide the atrocities being committed there during the Khmer Rouge regime. The prison is now the Tuol Sleng (Hill of the Poisonous Trees) Genocide Museum that educates on the history of the Cambodian people turning against their neighbors, friends and family based on the twisted idealogy of the brutal regime. We wandered through room after room telling tales of the Khmer Rouge imprisoning, torturing and murdering their people on the basis of being TOO educated. Each floor of prison cells maintained the grungy, run down aesthetic and a scattering of the roomshosted dilapidated bed frames which prisoners had been cuffed to and tortured. Nearly 20,000 were murdered at this prison alone and at least another 150 prisons were scattered across the country committing similar atrocities. As we departed, the horrific stories of the place haunted us, but it wasn't until the afternoon during our visit to Choeung Ek (The Killing Fields) that reality set in.

    

At first glimpse, the site resembled a tranquil park with lush green grass, winding dirt paths, ancient oak trees and an ornately decorated monument. A closer look reveals its appalling past. The rolling hills of green grass blanket the countless pits that had been dug to exhume the remains of the mass graves buried on the property. As visitors pay their respects, traversing the winding paths, their tread unceremoniously unearths remaining bits of bone, teeth and tattered cloth that was missed during the excavation. The trunk of one particularly large, beautiful oak tree is decorated with a collage of colorful bracelets left as an homage to the infants whose lives were barbarously terminated against it. The beautiful Buddhist stupa that dominates the site with its 200ft stature houses floor to ceiling shelves cluttered with the bones that have been uncovered from the field around it. More than 5,000 skulls are categorized, labelled and displayed based on if death came to the victim by gunshot, hammer, narrow pointed stake, or a sharp chunk of palm tree bark. Undoubtedly, a large number, but merely a sampling of the one million plus people who were executed at this site alone.

As I process all of this terrifying information, one disturbing fact keeps resurfacing over and over again. This all happened in the late 70s. Such a gross injustice was happening just five years before I was born. Something about its recency made the whole thing worse in my mind. This was not an ancient tale from my history books, it was a news headline on CNN flashed across the TV screen at home. How could a civilized society in our modern times allow something like that to happen? And then my thoughts revert to the Syria and ISES and Darfur headlines of my time. Every day we stand by as silent observers shaking our heads at headlines about the persecutions happening around the world...then we flip the channel to the latest episode of Modern Family and feel a wave of relief as that foreign achy feeling in our chest starts to subside. I have to wonder if I'll be visiting a similar memorial site in Darfur at some point in my lifetime. I also wonder if I will feel even worse knowing I was old enough when it happened to try and make a difference. 

From Phnom Phen we caught a bus to Siem Reap--a much more appealing city and the home base for a visit to the complex of wats (temples) in the area including one of the Seven Wonders of the World--Angkor Wat. Although ridiculously hot, we had a beautifully clear day for exploring the ancient ruins. Our favorite was Ta Prohm, a wat that looked like it was straight out of the jungle book!

I'll let the images speak for themselves...

While in Siem Reap, we also met up with Roberto, a Chicagoan teaching in Cambodia that my co-worker connected us with. We enjoyed two fantastic evenings out on the town and off the tourist path before departing for Thailand!

Vietnam

I can't even estimate how much time I spent while still at home researching Southeast Asia and all the scams that you have to be aware of in order to avoid being ripped off at every turn.  I have pages of notes for each country that we reviewed multiple times--we arrived in Hanoi, Vietnam completely prepared to beat the scam artists at their own games.  We stepped off the plane full of confidence and alert to deny the taxi and tuk tuk drivers an easy target.  2.2 seconds later we had been scammed.

We hate Vietnam.

It didn't take long for our perspective to completely change about Vietnam, but that first day we tried to buy a SIM card and data plan for our phones--we were overcharged and then they never applied that data plan to the SIM card, so we were out 16 bucks and still didn't have internet. Although expensive by Vietnam standards, it was a cheap and swift lesson that you have to question everyone and everything, get it in writing, get the person's name and address and threaten the safety of them and their family members in order to get an honest answer...all while smiling to avoid insulting them. Once we learned that, Vietnam was a joy to explore!

Hanoi was absolutely crazy.  Jam packed with people. Masses and masses and masses of scooters going every which way. Zero traffic lights and virtually no sidewalks because they were being used as scooter mechanics, souvenir shops, restaurants and convenience stores. In order to cross the street, you literally just walked into oncoming traffic at a slow and steady pace and let the current of the traffic flow around you...hoping that the drivers were all paying attention to where they were going. Don't run, or you will probably get run over.

The capital city acted as our home base between excursions to other sites in northern Vietnam, so we spent multiple days enjoying the culture, food and hustle/bustle of the city. We visited markets and hunted out local joints to eat Pho (noodle soup with fresh herbs and slices of beef) and Banh Mi (French baguettes with meat and loads of veggies and herbs...SO good).  I was terrified to eat raw veggies and herbs or at street stands at first because everything I read said you would get sick from eating them in SE Asia.  It took about three days until I gave up on that and started eating it all...it's too hard to enjoy the local fare when you are avoiding all the good stuff. SE Asian culture is largely lived outside on the streets.  One of our best experiences in Hanoi was sitting on dirty plastic stools in a street corner bar, drinking beer that had been brewed in the back room, surrounded by hundreds of locals and travelers as we listened to a band play in the center of the intersection. Had we been to afraid to eat and drink what the locals do, we would have missed out on this truly authentic Vietnamese experience.

While in Hanoi, we also went to the war prison where John McCain was held as a POW...that sure offered a new perspective on what that experience was like for him. As you can see from the photos below, the group of air force pilots being held as POWs spent their time celebrating Christmas, playing board games and basketball, writing and receiving letters from home, and were given souvenirs of their stay upon their release. The experience didn't seem quite as traumatic as it was presented during his campaign for presidency! Vietnamese prisoners being held there...that was a different story.  Sadly, the conditions looked down right horrifying for them!

After a couple days in Hanoi, we took a two night trip to Halong Bay.  I expected the trip to this bay that is known for its iconic photos of sailing Vietnamese ships and hundreds of jagged peaks jutting out of the water to be the highlight of our visit to Vietnam.  Sadly, the site is so overrun with tour boats and churn and burn sightseeing trips that the experience was tainted by polluted waters and feeling like we were cattle being herded through the experience. Fortunately, the weather was grand, so the night on the boat was relaxing and the day spent kayaking from the island beach was beautiful, but it certainly wasn't the highlight of the country.

Upon returning from Halong Bay to Hanoi, we immediately jumped on an overnight bus up to Sapa, a tribal village up in the hill country bordering China.  We spent two days hiking through the lush, green, terraced rice fields that hung along the hillsides.  We were accompanied along the way by the local tribal women and children in their unique tribal wear trying to sell us colorful bags, scarves and jewelry.  We stayed with a group of about 16 other travelers at a homestay in one of the villages--sleeping on matresses in the loft of a barn under mosquito nets.  It turned out to be a great way to meet other travelers, and we ended up having great conversations with a group from the Cannery Islands and hit it off with a couple from Ireland.

Once returning on a second night bus to Hanoi we decided to start heading south with our new Irish friends, Breda and Jamie.  We caught a third night bus to Phung Nah National Park that is located in west central Vietnam.  By this third night bus in four nights, we vowed never to take a night bus in Vietnam ever again.  They are a nightmare. The fact that they allow you to avoid paying for a night at a hostel, are less expensive than the trains, have reclining seat/beds and WIFI on board doesn't even come close to making them a worthwhile mode of transportation.  The toilet fills the bus with a horrific stench, the drivers use the under carriage storage areas as a delivery service so you stop at various rural villages along the way to very loudly load and unload an assortment shady goods, random people come on the bus throughout the trip and the lights get flipped on--repeatedly waking you up.  Then, when you arrive at the final destination they bang on the windows and yell at you to get off the bus...even if it's 4:30am, pitch black and in the middle of nowhere...and then drive off, leaving you wondering if you just got scammed or if someone will be arriving shortly to meet you and lead you the rest of the way on your journey. The whole experience is exhausting, disconcerting and frustrating.

Anyways...I digress.  Phung Nah.  The park was stunning and the cave tour we took was a blast!  We toured two caves throughout the day, but the second was certainly the highlight. In order to reach the cave, we had to zipline over a river and then swim into the mouth of the cave.  As we trekked deeper into the cave, the ground got thicker and thicker with clay-like mud.  Once the mud reached our mid-thigh, we reached a drop off with a slide indention made in the mud that dropped into an entire pool of thick mud.  We dropped into the pool and went swimming up to our necks in what felt like chocolate pudding.  It was the strangest sensation I've ever felt!

After our exotic mud bath, we swam across an underground lake to clean off and then headed back in the pitch black out of the cave.  The rest of the afternoon was spent swimming in the river and ziplining into the deep water.

From Phung Nah we caught a local bus back to the coast--7 horrendous hours on the local "buses"--a collection of 15 passenger vans carrying about 30 local travelers at any given time with no AC, no suspension and no seatbelts. We arrived in Hue in the afternoon and decompressed by exploring the city, the Citadel and planning our 150km motobike trip from Hue to Hoi An for the next morning.

Once getting a crash course on riding the scooters, we joined a bike gang with 15 others and headed off!  We wound along back roads that took us through expanses of rice paddies dotted with small villages and local markets. Our guides led us down a twisting dirt road to a beautiful waterfall where we enjoyed a refreshing swim and then headed to lunch.  Lunch was enjoyed at an open air restaurant built over a turquoise blue lake with expanses of hazy rolling mountains in the distance.  We were offered a spread of seafood, chicken, pork and a variety of side dishes fit for royalty!  We ate and ate until we were stuffed and then set out for the mountains in the distance.  The mountain pass we traveled over in the afternoon was the highlight of the day.  The views of the vibrant blue sea spread out below us on one side and the lush green mountainside along the other added to the enjoyment of the adventure.  Along the way we stopped at an old US military post at the top of the mountain. Once reaching the bottom of the mountain we visited the beach along the coast in DeNang and a variety of caves.

We pulled into Hoi An, our final destination, around 6pm and took a short look around the quaint old city.  Sadly, we had to catch a flight to Ho Chi Minh City that night, so we couldn't enjoy really experiencing the adorable city along the sea--I guess we'll just have to come back to Vietnam some day! Our Le Family tour guides generously agreed to bring us to the airport to catch our flight to Ho Chi Minh City, so we said our goodbyes to Breda and Jamie and rode off. We had spent the last six great days traveling together, and although our schedules required us to split paths, we have hopes of crossing paths again in the Thai islands before they head back to Ireland. 

We spent very little time in Siagon (HCMC) and were not too broken up about it.  The city is more modern than Hanoi, but we found it chaotic, dirty and pretty uninteresting.  We spent our only day in the city at the war museum, which made our unenthused mood even more sour.  The museum was largely photos of the effects that the Americans' tactics during the war had on the local population.  We walked passed countless photos over three floors depicting grossly deformed children and adults that are still suffering the effects of Agent Orange. The result of these horrific chemicals were heartbreaking. I thought I knew.  I really thought I understood Vietnam and the mistake it was for the US to enter into that war...but I had no idea.  I have never been quite so ashamed to be an American as I was after learning the truth about the war from the perspective of the oppressed side. It was a hard pill to swallow.

The rest of our time in Vietnam was spent in the Mekong Delta.  We took a boat trip to the floating markets and then on up the delta to a rice paper factory and rural village along the river. It was beautiful the first half of the day, and then it poured the entire two hour boat ride back.  The rain added a bit of authenticity to the experience--I don't feel that you can truly experience the Mekong Delta without a torrential downpour.  Even so, it was nice to be back to our dry hotel room by the end of the trip.

From Can Tho in the Mekong area, we headed to Vinh Long, another town in the region. It was a spur of the moment decision and we had no idea where to stay or what to do while we were there.  The bus dropped us off outside the city in the rain. We had no choice but to accept rides from two motorbike taxis who dropped us in the center of town.  We wandered around looking for places to stay, but weren't impressed by the dumpy city on the edge of the river.  Feeling a bit discouraged, we decided to grab a drink at a bar by the river so we could use their WIFI to hash out a plan.  As we sat searching the web, a woman walked up and asked us if we were interested in doing a homestay on the island just across the river.  We eagerly said yes, checked out her reviews on Tripadvisor (so we were confident we wouldn't get abducted) and followed her to the ferry!

The homestay turned out to be great! The home was all open air, so there were mosquito nets over the bed, geckos scurrying along the walls, we ate dinner on the porch with the family and relaxed on hammocks under canopies of large palms.  There were no other travelers around, so we had the opportunity to experience a part of Vietnam that was largely untouched by the travel industry. The next morning we used their bikes and explored the back roads (more like sidewalks) of the island.  We stumbled upon the most random amusement park ever along one of the back roads.  The park was completely staffed for full operation--the zoo, pond filled with paddle boats, swim area, crocodile pit and ostrich rides were all ready for use, and we were the ONLY guests in the park.  Imagine an abandon, run down amusement park on Coney Islandu where you wandered around being suspiciously watched the entire time by the park staff.  Talk about weird!  We decided to feed the crocodiles and ride an ostrich just for the novelty of it. The video of Blair riding the bird is priceless!

Later that afternoon we caught a bus to the border of Cambodia and made our plans to cross the border the next morning.  Vietnam was an absolutely blast, and we could have easily enjoyed another week or two exploring the length of the country.  Even so, we were so excited by all the beautiful and fun things we were able to see and do during the time we had.