Back to Cambodia

I last left you in Hoi An on my way back to Cambodia.  It required a 50 minute flight from DaNang to Pleiku.  An overnight stay and the first place I hit rain the entire time I have been in Vietnam.  Which is rather amazing since while I was gone it rained constantly in Cambodia.  Phnom Penh flooded and over 100 people died due to flash flooding in various locations throughout the country.

Pleiku was the first place in Vietnam where I was off the tourist circuit so I was having a difficult time communicating.  Almost no one spoke English.  It took multiple tries, but finally got a taxi to the bus station, and a place on a mini van headed to the Cambodia border.   It was approximately 90 kilometers but the trip took nearly 3 hours.

[caption id="attachment_173" align="alignright" width="150"] Yaklom Lake, Ratanakiri Cambodia[/caption]

When we were within a stones throw of Cambodia, people started to speak Khmer, so things were looking up.  I coordinated travel to the Eco Lodge where I was going to stay.  It was the easiest border crossing ever, I was the only white person crossing, but I already had a visa.

It had rained on and off the entire morning from Pleiku to the border, but it had stopped at the border.  Within an hour we arrived at the Yaklom Lodge.  Come to find out I was the only one staying there.  Excellent I thought, quiet time to myself.

The problem with an eco lodge is this, no electricity, it works off of solar power, but it was overcast the day I arrived, and rained the entire next two days, so no power.  They ran a generator each night for 3 hours.  So, it was dreary, dark and damp the entire time I was there.

[caption id="attachment_174" align="alignleft" width="150"] Yaklom Lodge Ratanakiri, Cambodia[/caption]

But no matter, I got reading, planning, praying and napping done.  It was a good time to be unconnected from the internet and spend some time with my own thoughts..  I realized that I have made the mental shift, I am moving back to the states, and these past three weeks, have created the space for that transition to happen.

So, my third day I coordinated a moto to pick me up and take me to the bus depot to catch a mini van to Phnom Penh.  I was told the trip would take 10 hours at a cost of 50,000 Riel or $12.50.  It was an interminably bumpy 9.5-hour trip.

It was through some of the most gorgeous green rice fields, on roads I had never traveled before.  I had not gotten out to see much of Ratanakiri due to the rain, but this scenery was amazing.  However the serenity of it all was broken up by 9.5-hours of Khmer Karaoke.  I thought because I was in a mini van I would not have to listen to or watch Karaoke boy was I wrong.

As is always true, even of the best trips it is good to come home to my own bed, my friends and my life.  But this life has less than 90 days before I take my belongings and relocate to SoCal.  Life is a daily adventure I say.

Overnight train to Hoi An

Overnight Train to Hoi An

[caption id="attachment_167" align="alignright" width="150"] China Beach - DaNang[/caption]

When I last left you, I was on my way to the train station in Hanoi.  With a bit of pantomime and a lot of pointing I got to my berth, #21 in car #6 and got settled in.  Shortly there after came an English bloke as he called himself.  We were both traveling rather light and had the bottom berths.

Then our cabin mates arrived, two French girls, dressed in dresses and pulling rather large hard-sided suitcases with them.  Clive and I rolled our eyes a bit and helped to get the one bag under the berth and the other slid in under the table.  Then he averted his eyes so the girls could ascend to their respective berths.

All of this happened by about 7:20 and we were on our way right on time.  However we had all been told that the trains are notorious for running late, so starting on time was good, but we were not holding our collective breaths. The other three were stopping in Hue, an ancient capital of Vietnam and I was continuing on to DaNang, which is an additional 100 miles or so.

All in the train was suppose to be 15 hours and at 17 and a half I arrived in DaNang.  Where I jumped on the back of an Easy Rider – I guy driving a very nice Honda motorcycle and enjoyed the breeze and the view for the 30 kilometers to Hoi

[caption id="attachment_168" align="alignleft" width="150"] Japanese Bridge - Hoi An[/caption]

An.  We passed China Beach; eat your heart out Dana Delany.  Saw what used to be the Air force base, and pulled into the quaint town of Hoi An.

Hoi An was an old shipping port, but when things changed in the 18^th century, the town sat stagnant, for over 200 years.  That means that it has old world charm in the old quarter and has turned into a tourist’s delight.  There are beaches, fresh seafood, amazing architecture and even an ancient covered Japanese bridge.

Central Vietnam is known for its food.  Hue is an ancient capital that the emperors insisted on never eating the same food in a year.  This created a culinary heritage that has great variety.  Friday I went on the Taste of Hoi An tour.  It was a walking and eating tour.  We tried over 60 different things, from breakfast to dessert items.  It was a wonderful tour led by an Australian man who is a true foodie.  I have learned lots about Vietnamese food and eating.

[caption id="attachment_169" align="alignright" width="150"] Electric biking around Hoi An[/caption]

I have been here for 4 days – 1 on the moto checking out Marble Mountain – where they extract vast amounts of marble for statuary.  1 day around the pool just kicking it at the hotel.  1 day on the food tour, and hanging around the old quarter and today I am renting an electric bike and going a bit further afield to see the lived in parts of the city.

Tomorrow I head out for Pleiku on my way to the Ratanikiri provice of Cambodia, where I will spend 3 full days being unplugged, catching some serious nap time in a hammoc

k, with a book or two.  Will catch up with you guys at the end of next week.

TTFN as Tigger would say – Ta Ta For Now

Halong Bay

Halong Bay – UNESCO World Heritage site.

[caption id="attachment_160" align="alignright" width="150"] Cruising along in Halong Bay[/caption]

You have seen pictures of this place, you just might not recognize the name.  It is crystal blue water with a multitude of small rock islands that jut nearly straight up from the ocean.  It is incredibly picturesque.  That is why I am sure that you have seen it.

I booked a 3 day 2 night cruise.  They said they would pick me up at my hostel at 8:00 at 8:05 they arrived. It was a 3.5-hour bus drive to get there.  With a stop at one of those very touristy places, set up to sell you over priced souvenirs, however it did have a very clean bathroom with toilet paper – always a good thing on a long drive.

I am constantly amazed how not only here but in Cambodia, that the road to one of the biggest tourist attractions is not given better attention when it comes to maintenance. It was a Friday and the road was torn up almost everywhere, but there were no workman to be found.  Needless to say it was a bumpy ride.

[caption id="attachment_161" align="alignleft" width="150"] Kayaking around the islands[/caption]

There were 12 of us on the cruise and I was the only American. Three college-aged guys from Austrian who I shared a table with.  A French couple who live in China, an English couple on Vacation, and four guys from Spain.  It was a great group, which made the time together that much better.

Our first afternoon found us cruising along, a nice smooth stretch of water until we arrived at a cave.  I wasn’t much interested so I took my book up on top of our boat and enjoyed the view and quiet time.  Then we went and kayaked.  It was one of the main reasons that I wanted to go on this cruise.

Awesome is the only I can say.  See these pictures.  I have been doing a push up regiment for the past 10 weeks, which I am so glad, because otherwise the paddling would have been very difficult.  As it was I was by myself so after 30 minutes I was exhausted, wet and wearing a huge smile.

[caption id="attachment_163" align="alignright" width="150"] Sun, Sand & Swimming[/caption]

The next day we arrived on Cat Ba Island – wandered around in the National Park for awhile, then went to a beach to swim and enjoy the beauty.  Spent the night on the island and then headed back to the port and back on the terrible road to Hanoi.

Upon my return they moved me to a different hostel, so I got to explore a different part of town.  Including a huge Catholic Church with mass in progress.  The church was filled to overflowing, that came as a big surprise.

Off to the night train to Hoi An, check back in a couple of days.

 

 

Hanoi, Vietnam

[caption id="attachment_153" align="alignright" width="150"] Aerial View[/caption]

I arrived in Hanoi Tuesday night after a one and half hour flight from Phnom Penh.  The airport is way across town, so I was glad that I had arranged for airport pick up with the hostel where I was staying, it made the transition so much easier.

I love staying in hostels, when I can book a single room.  I am not so much of a person who likes to share a dorm room, and I have a bit more money than the average backpacker.

But sitting in the hostel, allows me to meet some of the most interesting young people, and not so young who are travelling around for extended periods.  They have wonderful stories to tell and info to share on where to go and what to do, and the approximate costs.

The Little Hanoi Hostel has proven to be a hotbed of info and stories.  When I travel often it is by myself so this is a time of good interaction, because I do not speak Vietnamese so the interaction with the locals is limited.

[caption id="attachment_155" align="alignleft" width="150"] Lake in the center of Hanoi[/caption]

Hanoi is surprisingly low rise.  It reminds me of Phnom Penh when I first came in 2000.  I would say the typical building is 5 stories tall with a few beyond that in the business center.

I am staying in the old quarter and it is filled with skinny buildings that house businesses on the bottom floor and homes above.  However they are even narrower than the buildings in Cambodia.   There is no consistency in architecture, so there are really nice buildings intermixed with literal shacks.

It has been awhile since I have been anywhere that I did not have some of the language, so the inability to communicate is frustrating.  I constantly want to respond in Khmer, but no one here will speak that language because we are approximately 1000 kms north of the Cambodia border.

[caption id="attachment_157" align="alignright" width="150"] Me at the Happy Coffee Bean - doing some writing[/caption]

Today I took a cyclo ride.  This is one of the many things the French introduced to French Indochina.  We are seeing less and less cyclos in Phnom Penh, because Tuk Tuks have taken over, but here I have yet to see a Tuk Tuk so the cyclo is alive and well as a transportation option.  We used to call them the Cambodian pick up truck, because they can haul just about anything. (including entire dining room sets)

One of the things I am enjoying is the amount of Vespas on the street. So many old ones intermixed with the new ones.  I finally found a shop and was able to buy a few accessories for my Vespa in the States.

I am off on a 3 day 2 night cruise of Halong Bay, will check in again after that portion of my trip.

Trip to Preah Vihear Temple

[caption id="attachment_144" align="aligncenter" width="762"] Spectacular view[/caption]

I have lived in Cambodia a long time, but I was working, so traveling around the country was not a high priority.  I drove around a lot in the middle years doing ministry.  So, for vacation I wanted to get out of Cambodia and enjoy a nice Thai beach or head into Bangkok where there were movie theaters and fast food.

I once tried to vacation in Kompong Som (Sihanoukville) but when you speak the language it is a lot harder to ignore the beggars and pushy little kids selling things.  So, I always figured there was more time to go and see some of the sites of Cambodia.

So, here I am 13 years later and my list is quite long of things I want to see in Cambodia.  Admittedly I will probably not get it all done, but am making a valiant effort.  On the other hand it gives me something to look forward to upon my return.

A rather long intro to explain what put me in the taxi for the 3.5 hour trip to Preah Vihear.   I was picked up by a rather nice taxi guy, who was explaining to me that when we arrive, I would have to rent a moto or a 4x4 truck, to get me to the actual temple.  That they do not allow his Camry to go up the mountain.

[caption id="attachment_145" align="alignright" width="191"] 2nd Level Temple[/caption]

A side note on language; Phnom as in Phnom Penh means mountain.  If you have ever been to Phnom Penh, you know it is an exceptionally flat city.  So, I am always a bit hesitant when a Cambodian calls something a mountain – usually they are referring to a small hill.  There is one mountain range in Cambodia running down the western side of the country all the way to the coast, called the Cardamom Mountains.  They truly are mountains.

So, I was taking, a I will wait and see approach to making a decision about this.  But as we got closer, he pointed out the mountain, and it truly was a mountain that was rather steep, I could tell by the switchbacks in the road.  Needless to say I opted for the truck.

[caption id="attachment_147" align="alignleft" width="186"] Selfie - I am getting better at it - note the sneer[/caption]

As I was walking to the window to pay, all of the truck and moto drivers were talking about me.  When I got close enough, I said, “I speak Khmer.”  To my right was the taxi driver nodding in agreement.  I love doing this because they get so embarrassed, because they know that they were not saying things they would have wanted me to overhear.

The truck ride was rather short but steep.  We arrived at the parking area, where there were places to g

et food, and a huge group of soldiers playing volleyball.  Most of the soldiers have been moved to Phnom Penh to assist during the political rallies.

[caption id="attachment_149" align="alignright" width="150"] Thai Border & Walkway[/caption]

I had to walk up a wet rocky surface to get to the actual temple.  Which consists of 4 temple sections, connected by 7 walkways of approximately 200 meters each.  The taxi driver, who was still with me pointed out the border of Thailand.

My first thought was, “why are they fighting over this.  It is in the middle of nowhere and although the views are spectacular, it is clearly in Cambodia, attested to by its Unesco World Heritage Site status.

[caption id="attachment_150" align="alignleft" width="150"] This is the view from the front seat[/caption]

I was the only foreigner there that day, luckily I finished my wanderings, grabbed some rice and pork for lunch and we were down the mountain when the rain started.  I would not have wanted to make the drive in that rain.  There was one point in the truck where it felt like we were looking straight down.

Pictures did not do it justice.  There are only 2 Unesco World Heritage Sites in Cambodia – the Preah Vihear Temple and Angkor Wat, so check I have those covered.  Stay tuned for further travels and musings.