Bangkok & back again

Our Air Asia flight from Ha Noi to Bangkok goes smoothly and by mid-day we are safely ensconced in our chosen hotel. We are staying in Shoplandia, there is mall after mall after mall here.
First stop is lunch which we find in a little street kitchen on our very own street. It looks so good we virtually order one of everything!  From here,  we head to the MBK Centre which we’ve been told has loads of bargains. It doesn’t necessarily have loads of bargains but it has fake everything.  It is really interesting to go from here to a ‘real’ mall and check out the difference in quality – which in some cases is not really that apparent.

At the night market again you are able to buy anything and everything with sex shows thrown in. It’s quite sad really as the only people who are approached seemingly are westerners, what does that say!  Surprisingly I’m not too overwhelmed by all this (prude that I am) and do offer to go to one of the shows with Adrian if he wants.  He declines.

The Royal Palace in Bangkok is quite something and it’s a 3 km walk from our drum.  Trouble is the tuk tuks and taxis are so corrupt with ridiculous overcharging and whisking you off to gem shops and tailors “just to look boss” which amazingly reduces the cost of the fare quite considerably. It is fantastic and it is quite sizeable all decorated in little squares of coloured glass, with a magnificent Buddha carved from a single piece of jade that was apparently lost, hidden behind a layer of plaster.  The Palace and temples undergo a permanent  programme of renovation so is kept in tip top condition.

Finally we have found tasty food - I don't think I've stopped talking about KFCs for 2 days now!  I must master the art of a thai curry - after I've finished filling my face with lots and lots of tasty home cuisine.  Even tastier food is to be found in China Town.  We lose several hours in China Town just browsing the markets, sampling the street food and buying lots of stuff for home. I've bought a lifetime's supply of cinnamon sticks for less than £3, and star anise well, don't get me started.

I've had a wonderful holiday with lots of contrasts. Again and again when visiting other countries I am reminded how lucky I am to have done well in life's birth lottery.  When you consider that at the age of 7 my life could have been to work 15 hours a day in rice fields for the Khmer Rouge or, as an adult, I could have given birth to children with terrible deformities a resulting legacy of Agent Orange, you'll understand why I am happy to be just plain old Louise Sara Rogers who is lucky enough to visit these places and become a little more educated about them.  I'll never win any Nobel Peace Prizes but by the same token, I'll never start any wars.

All that remains to be said is "thank you" to Adrian who has spoiled me rotten for the last 6 weeks and been a most interesting and entertaining travelling companion.

Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay is on the north east coast of Viet Nam and is a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site because of it's strange geology.  It is quite a stunning stretch of coast line, with huge limestone craggs rising from the water and lots of little coves within.

Our plan was to sail round the bay on a Junk boat, spending one night on board and then some kayaking and swimming. Sadly we arrived in Ha Long Bay just hours after one of the Junk boats sank with 27 people on board, 12 people lost their lives. 

The tour operators tried to keep the sinking very quiet however a couple of Swiss girls we were with got a text message from a friend informing them about it and word quickly spread. The tour operators then tried to manoevre people into a one day tour but the internet was saying that they were still looking for survivors so the four of us opted out.  It felt a little disrespectful, and whilst the bay is large we are reminded time and again how small a world we live in.

We had a lovely quiet lunch at the edge of the beach in a sweet little restaurant and talked about cup cakes and a Swiss/English chain of cup cake and hot chocolate shops.  Oh that does sound tempting. Please can someone get me a cup cake in for when I get home!

On a lighter note, we met another travelling gnome today, Hans is from Holland and to date has visited 23 countries. Norman has someway to go to catch up but hey, you gotta start somewhere.

This evening sees us returning to Ha Noi and the lovely Ha Noi Street Hotel, tomorrow we will visit the museum of ethnology and arrange a shuttle bus to the airport for our flight to Bangkok on Saturday morning.

Delhi Belly and other germs

Well, no trip is ever without it's share of germs.  Usually it is Adrian who gets the Delhi belly but this time it's my turn! No idea where it's come from but it was a very worrying 11 hour train journey back to Ha Noi - thank you Imodium you didn't let me down!

All other germs and ailments have been Adrian's.  We arrived in Phnom Penh with the need for a hip replacement which thankfully has been postponed by the power of Ibuprofen! Then on arrival in Saigon we had Swavian Flu - yes you read it correctly, Swavian flu is a cross between Avian and Swine flus, in most but the hardiest it is deadly, thankfully Paracetamol was on hand to save the day. Finally we have a DVT in the knee! Even I am unable to find words to comment on this!

Bac Ha

Sunday is the day of the big market in Bac Ha where all the hill tribes do their trading.  It was easily the biggest market we've been to. The sights,smells and sounds were unbelievable.  Everywhere a sea of colour with the Montagnards (hill tribes) all in their different dresses. There was a livestock section selling buffalo which can go for as much as US$800, pigs, big dogs for eating,, little dogs for something else, chickens, ponies you name it, it could be bought. There was even tofu being made.

There was a large catering section selling goodness only knows what. Normally that would have been the place we would head for lunch however,  once we heard horse hotpot was an option we decided perhaps not! Our lunch was a vegetarian affair and caused a stir as Adrian wasn't able to sit on the little stool, he had to put one on top of the other and then got the very elderly vendor to help him up. The guy knows no shame. We had great fun bartering for our shopping and entering into the spirit of it, and came away happy that we got good deals.

From Bac Ha we went to Ban Ho which is a village of the flower Hmong tribe.  We went to the house of a family and were shown around - which is an overstatement, two rooms, one a kitchen, the other a living room with beds curtained off.  Here the family were making corn wine which we were able to taste.  It was like any countries fire water, but the Polish people on our trip really enjoyed and finished it off.  We had a walk around the fields that they were cultivating and saw some ploughing being done, this looked very skillful  but perhaps a little barbaric as they were holding onto the buffalo's tail.

From here we went to Lao Cai and to see the Chinese  border which we didn't bother with we just bought peanut brittle and had a sugar hit instead.

Sa Pa

Our ten hour train trip to Lao Cai is an experience.  There's all manner of things going on, hard seaters sitting in soft seaters seats, non-stop eating, puking, hawkers you name it and the train is absolutely filthy - I am so glad we changed our minds to the day train and not the overnighter!

At Lao Cai the minibuses are lined up ready, we are armed with the knowledge that the fare is 28,000 VND, and fall off our perches when one asks for 500,000 VND. They really do see all westerners as wallking dollars and it is now starting to get wearing. We finally agree on 150,000 VND for both of us. Sa Pa, when we finally arrive is in darkness but it feels nice and there are dozens of ladies and young girls dressed in the garb of the various hill tribes around all selling and it's persistent, in fact it's the hardest sell we've come across!

The Auberge sees us for tonight with a balcony and hot water for US$8. Beer and food is needed as all we've had today is ritz crackers. Adrian falls for the pasta pangs but I stick with Vietnamese food, beef Lok Lak - good choice.

The weather is beautiful today much better than we had anticipated, it must be 28 degrees and sunny sunny sunny. We walk to Cat Cat Village, which is a hill tribe village, we get up close (but no personal) with lots of Vietnamese pot bellied pigs and see a lady weaving, their outfits are quite beautifully decorated.  There are about 10 hill tribes around here and they all wear different clothing.  The path continues beyond the village to a beautiful waterfall and then rejoins the road to Sa Pa.

Dinner tonight is a set menu, vegetable soup, spring rolls, chicken (Adrian) beef (me) with steamed rice, a pancake with banana chocolate sauce followed by Sa Pa tea. Delicious.

It's bloody freezing in Sa Pa!!! It's 4.45pm  and we're sat huddled round a fire in the hotel. It poured down at 4.30am and the mist hasn't lifted all day.  Everything is damp, and yes, I am moaning! I went for a pedicure this  morning, all that flip flop walking has really taken its toll on my feet so I thought I'd treat them.  US$5 for a full pedicure absolute VFM.

Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh

The sleeper bus thankfully got us to Ha Noi alive - it was touch and go at one or two times! Sleep was off and on but was a saviour from the maniacal driving.  We found a nice little hotel just off the backpacker alley and by 8am had showered and breakfasted and on our way to see Ho Chi Minh. Passing a huge statue of Lenin en route how odd!

Ho Chi Minh, or Uncle Ho to his friends, is kept in an enormous mausoleum built specially for the purpose. The security is absolutely unbelievable.  We even had a bottle of water taken off us as we went through security. Adrian got told to unclasp his hands from behind his back, I got told to shut my guidebook which I was reading in the queue - yes, queue! It was good to see the old guy but it has to be said he looked very like a wax work. From here we went on to the Ho Chi Minh museum which was very interesting but quite propagandarist (if that is actually a word).

Ha Noi is a lovely capital city, nothing like what we were expecting at all and certainly not like Saigon which is what all the other travellers we've spoken to have said.  Strange what different people like isn't it! As you can imagine we're knackered from the bus so a good afternoon ziz is required.  Our bar in Ha Noi is a little locals bar at the road side with cheap draught beer which is a barrel in a fridge with a hose from it which if lifted stops dispensing - genius.  At the centre of the old quarter is a lake with a little island in. On the island is a little pagoda with an embalmed tortoise, legend has it that these live in the lake and even in 2007 a picture was taken of a large tortoise swimming in the lake - The Ha Noi'an Nessie!

Walking the streets is an absolute must here, there are so many shops all selling the same thing - eveything is beautiful and relatively inexpensive. Tickets to leave by the 6am train tomorrow have been purchased but we'll be back!

Hue

The road to Hue is stunning lush green mountains on the left, beautiful  coast line on the right. At our little stop there is a beautiful stretch of coastline with boats bobbing around. This is Viet Nam, beautiful and unspoilt, unfortunately it isn't all like this.

The bus drops us outside Binh Duong II Hotel which turns out to be the place for us. Our room has a bath, only the second one I've seen since we've been away, and a lovely balcony with table and chairs.

Dinner tonight is to be at a vegetarian restaurant which gets a write up in the book and sounds great. The menu is extensive and sounds mouthwateringly good.  It turns out we can only order noodle soup (I'm so sick of noodle soup) or the set menu for 90,000VND, there's no translation for this so we order one to share! It looks good apart from the sizeable bug in the rice (which she changes) and we tuck in.  Then the rats come out to play - needless to say we left fairly quickly.

The next day dawns with a serious mist and we head off to the railway station to book tickets on the reunification express - it's not to be, full today full tomorrow.  Eventually we settle for the overnight soft sleeper bus to Ha Noi, it's full today but we get seats for tomorrow.  Now our time in Hue can begin.

The Citadel is the old imperial city and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It ts quite beautiful and peaceful despite the hoards of Vietnamese tourists - it is still New Year you know. The centre of the Citadel is very much Indochinese but the outer, later buildings are quite definitely French, built by an Emperor who went to France to be educated. All  in all it's a quite beautiful place.  From here we head to the market which is still not fully open but it's interestin all the same.  Hue is THE place to buy the Vietnamese cone hats, they make a special one which when held up to the light shows a picture of the Pagoda, a poem about Hue, a couple within a heart and the victory bridge. They;re quite clever as you can't see anything inside and out unless you hold it up to the light.

Dinner tonight is preceeded by beers and backgammon on the balcony. We find a very busy restaurant just around the corner where they order beer in crates! Dinner is very tasty and the man on the next table gives us jelly fish to try - it's an acquired texture sort of crunchy and jellified all at once - and it's quite expensive.  He explains that the sign on the wall for BaBa (which we thought was the beer Bar Bar Bar) is turtle which is available as free range or farmed and priced accordingly.

A bright and sunny day awaits for our boat tour on the Song Huong (Perfume River) today. First stop on our twin hulled dragon boat is a little temple. This is followed by the Thien Mu Pagoda when I am asked (more than once) to pose for pictures with various Vietnamese people.  I think I might have missed a money making opportunity here!

Next stop is the tomb of Emperor Minh Mang which is really nice and peaceful.  The Emperor had 200 wives but only 142 children oh, and several concubines too. Busy chap! A good hour down river and we stop at another tomb, we decline this time and sit by the river in the sun it's so peaceful.

Lunch on the boat is rice and tofu, it's the best tofu I've tasted whilst we've been away, not spongy at all.  Could just do with a nice big slice of coffee and walnut cake!

After lunch another couple of tombs and a little shop where they make incence sticks and cone hats.  It's been an interesting and relaxing day and we're now on the road to Ha Noi.

Hoi An

Finally, we have found the Viet Nam we were looking for. Hoi An Old Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is beautiful. It's an eclectic mix of French and Chinese architecture and is a nice blend of Asia meets west.  The surrounding area is full of agriculture and rice paddies.

We have a day visiting all the listed buildings of the Old Town which are free today as it is New Year - Hurrah. Many purchases are made (including a Vietnamese hat for Norman the Gnome) - we're not great at the haggling but we're happy. In one of the Chinese Assembly Halls we visit there are huge spirals of incence hanging from the ceiling and people are paying to light them, presumably this is like lighting a candle in a church.

We meet up with Barry & Lynsey for beers, picture buying, a lantern exhibition and dinner - it's all go here!  Dinner is an exceptionally delicious Indian - yes I know we're in Viet Nam but they were Indian!

We decide we need another motorbike day so we can get around see what's out there.  We are heading to My Son where there are ruins of temples from the 4th Century.  It's 50km and we very quickly remember that these seats aren't made for big fat western bums! We travel through lots of towns, the road is very busy and Adrian is very adept at riding to the 'no rules' method used here in Viet Nam.  The temples are very different to the Temples of Angkor in construction but similar to look at. It's very peaceful here and lovely and warm. There's a little pool with some frogs in who are no more than 4 inches high and they sound they make is amazing, it's so loud, like they're all plugged in to little amplifiers.

On the way back to town we call in at a ship restaurant and conference centre, it's fabulous - levels of opulence we haven't seen here at all.  It is obviously where all the tours come for lunch and we're there as the staff are clearing up. We think it was built insitu rather than sailed there. We're offered crystalised ginger on board which is the hottest ginger I have every tasted. All the staff wish us Happy New Year and we are left to tour the ship at leisure.

We drive back to Hoi An and carry on to Cai Dao (China Beach), yes the sand is white and the sea is blue. The get to the sea you have to walk through all the little kitchens on the top of the beach with their little BBQs going, the smells are fantastic.  I paddle in the edge of the South China Sea whilst Adrian keeps his distance he has a strange phobia about sand on his feet - very odd.

We walk along the beach for perhaps a kilometre and then go into one of the very swish hotels that have their own private beach, it's lovely.  Cheapest room is £130 per night. From here we take the bike to the end of the road (literally) and it's beautiful so quiet. We sit on the beach and have a beer and watch the boats go by - this could be paradise.

Beer and dinner this evening is preceeded by lantern buying which is quite fraught as we're not sure what colour we want and can't remember how high our bedroom ceiling is.  It's a hard life!

Post Script

There was something I meant to share about the minibus ride from Kon Tum to Hoi An.  We were travelling on a 14 seater minibus, there were 30 passengers and a driver and his mate, at about 26 passengers all the luggage went on the roof to make space in the boot for more passengers, it was unbelievable.

On all the buses we have travelled on I have seen little bags like nappy sacks or pooh bags and thought they were for rubbish, they are all different colours, some black, some green some red.  It transpires these are for sick and on our bus they were clear!  Out of the 30 passengers 8 were throwing up, when they've thrown up in the bag they just drop it out of the window.  Can you imagine being on a motorbike at the wrong moment?

AnywayI thought that was an important point to share - it caused much hilarity on the back seat until someone let go of the bag when they'd puked a little and the breeze from the open windows blew it backwards - I won't say anymore but needless to say we howled.

The road to Hoi An and a Happy New Year

Another early start and we're sat on the back seat of a mini bus with Lynsey and Barry from London. It's a four hour journey but it flies by with a good free flowing conversation.  They're travelling for 8 months and are 5 months into their trip - it sounds like they're having a fantastic time.

Kon Tum is our destination today, again it's a little off the beaten track but is reputed to be the friendlist town in Vietnam but it's not coming across like that. When you smile many people do not smile back and it's not just the older generation whose suspicion you could understand.

It's delightfully hot here and our walk and market meanderings find us in need of beer.  'Our bar' is on a very busy roundabout and we settle down to watch the world go by - literally.  We see a man on a motorbike with a fridge freezer on the back, a family of 5 on one motorbike, huge pots of Chrysanthemums, orange trees you name it, it fits on the back of a motorbike. The a procession appears and a truck full of people are waving cheerily, we respond with the same amount of enthusiasm - then the coffin goes past! This is our second funereal experience here and it's far from a solemn affair.

We have a couple of beers and some very soupy noodle soup with Barry and Lynsey tonight and find we are travelling together again tomorrow.

It's another early start and we're on the back seat of a mini bus again.  The driver tries to scank us but thankfully there's another minibus and we manage a price war, sadly the money we save will have to go towards a bus to our destination when driver fails to deliver us in the correct town. Hey ho! It doesn't matter when we finally arrive in Hoi An.

Our hotel tonight even has an indoor pool! This town has a really good feel about it and this is soon backed up when we take a stroll into town for some lunch.  Tonight is New Years Eve and the plan is to have several beers and see the New Year in in style, so a rest is required.

Hoi An is lit up with lanterns across the street, on shop fronts on the bridges over the river and looks fantastic. There is an exihibition of artistic lanters, a pinata stand where they bang symbols at the side of your head as you are hitting the Pinata and a strange little square with all sorts of gambling games. We had a couple of bets on the roulette wheel but leave when we're evens. True to plan we have a few beers, another not so satisfying meal, some more beers and watch the evening's entertainment and just soak up the atmosphere. The entertainment consists of singing, dancing a little play and more singing and dancing. At midnight we cheer and clap and wish everyone Happy New Year and the Vietnamese just stand impassively. It's a little strange but on the way back to the hotel everyone is happy and smiling and wishing everyone chúc mừng năm mới.

Buôn Ma Thuột

7am sees us packed, breakfasted and hailing a taxi for the bus station.  We're bound for Buôn Ma Thuột today - an unknown entity as it isn't in the book!  The road is extremely bumpy - at one point Adrian is even thrown from his seat - but the scenery is stunning.  We're in the mountains and hill tribe life is all around.  In one little town we pass through the hill tribe ladies are dressed in their finest and look fabulous, lots of heavy colourful clothing.

At our lunch stop Adrian disappears in search of something to fill his ever hollow legs and I am approached by two young men who want to speak English.  It's difficult but we get there somehow and they help me with pronunciation of some place names.  Another man joins us who spoils things somewhat as he's extremely religious and does not hide his disappointment that I do not read the bible daily with my entire family, or at the very least say the rosary.  I try to explain to him how life in England is different to Vietnam but it's not working - we settle with I do try to always be a good person, but he suggests I should try the bible and the rosary.  Let me tell you it's a long 30 minutes and Mr Fox keeps a very safe distance and makes no attempt to help me out!

Buôn Ma Thuột has a great feel about it and after half a dozen attempts we find a room, there's a lot lost in translation here as they have very few tourists and not much English is spoken. We settle into the room and watch Mr Murray in the Australian Open Final - don't think we need say much more about that!

After a few beers we go in search of food, which tonight is BBQ'd pork with rice and vegetables at a little street kitchen. In the house behind is a pre-new year party going on and we are greet with many shouts of Happy New Year. After eating, we are literally dragged into the house and given beer and food.  It's hard life but someone has to do it. These people are so hospitable and friendly and they have very little English among them and as you probably know our Vietnamese is not that hot! Some young girls teach me to count to ten and we are both taught to say chúc mừng năm mới (Happy New Year).

After our efforts of the previous day we have a very lazy start and decide to just be man about town today.  A visit to the American tank which was left after the city was liberated leads us to a lovely park and then a fabulous flower market.  The road was a kilometre long and both sides are lined with people selling huge pots of yellow Chrysanthemums. This town is getting ready for New Year in a big way.

Da Lat

Da Lat is the start of an area known as the Central Highlands. It is quite high up and considerably cooler.  I love it as soon as we get out of the minibus. It is very reminiscent of Ooty in India and Tanah Rata in Malaysia. It was a French hill station, a retreat from the heat of the city.  The main feature of Da Lat is a huge lake which we reckon is about 3km round.  Top little hotel is found and a bar - what more can you ask for.

Just up from our hotel is a bakery that does us for breakfast for the duration of our stay here. For 40,000VND I have a cup of coffee, a croissant, half a baguette, Adrian has two eggs cooked to his preference, toast, half a baguette and we share a pineapple tart - how about that for VFM. Oh I should mention there are 31,000VND to the £.

We have a walk around the lake and en route visit the Da Lat Flower Garden. This is beautiful there are just flowers (mainly orchids) everywhere - there's a lot of plastic giraffes and tigers too but you get used to it. It is here that we meet our new travelling companion, Norman Amelie Gnome.

Next stop is a Pagoda presided over by an old lady bent over and with a humped back.  It's beautifully ornate with a pretty garden.  Just before we leave the lady asks Adrian to rub her back for her.

The next day in Da Lat we decide is a motorbike day. Off we head to see the last King of Vietnam's palace number 3 in Da Lat. It's a great

place built and furnished in the 1920's and still same same.  Here we team up with a Vietnamese couple called Ti and Wifey (we're fairly sure that's not her name but it's all the information we get) and decide to carry on touring together. Next stop is Palace number 2 which is now an hotel but very similar to number 3.

 

Datania Waterfall and Preen Waterfall are visited which are both beautiful but the parks are a little kitsch with the ubiquitous plastic giraffes and tigers and giant swans in the pools. After this we go our separate ways and Adrian and I head off to the old train station back in Da Lat town, where we run out of petrol! Adrian freewheels off down the hill and I have a look round. This is another 1920's building that hasn't changed at all and it's lovely.

Refuelled we head off to see, yes you guessed it, palace number 1.  This is the golf club house, apparently the King of Vietnam liked to practice his golf so he built a palace with a course - and why not.

On the way back we call for bus tickets we need to move on through the highlands and northwards towards Hanoi. Tet (New Year) starts soon and we may well get stuck somewhere.

Vung Tau

Earlyish sees us hot footing it through the streets of Saigon in search of the hydrofoil to Vung Tau. It's the pricey option but road traffic through Saigon is so slow! The hydrofoil really shifts and by 10.15am we're there.

Vung Tau is a strange place, it reminds me of Bournemouth in January. A lovely sea breeze makes it seem a little cooler. It is made up of two areas, Front Beach and Back Beach, we are staying in Back Beach as it is cheaper. Our hotel even manages a sea view and we take up residence on the balcony for a little bit of relaxation and some backgammon. A search for lunch doesn't turn up much and we discover that everything is in Front Beach or in the town which is a couple of kilometres walk away - so off we go.

It is Australia Day so we head to Ned Kelly's Bar to join what we hope are going to be quite raucous celebrations.  It's a girly bar and the celebrations are fairly low key. Anyway we get some beers and take up residence on the pool table.  Thankfully, the girlies are on my side and clap every ball I pot and, on one occasion, even tell Adrian he has taken on woman and woman is best. Even with the home crowd support I manage to lose 3-0 sorry girls!

When we get back to Back Beach it has awakened somewhat and there are several little food stalls selling sea food and as many little stalls selling shell mobiles and bits of jewellery - they all sell the same things which is very odd but it's nice to look and we're not hassled.

Unbelievably after our moans about Saigon and how busy it was on waking we are resolute to leave this place is too quiet.. We get on the first bus we see, tell them where we want to go and after much thinking and conversation between driver and ticket man they say we're okay.  Six hours, another bus and a minibus later we arrive in Da  Lat.

Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)

The 8,30 am bus finds us on our way out of Cambodia and headed to Vietnam. It takes about 4 hours to get to the border and there are no scams. Saigon is a complete shock - there are literally thousands of motorbikes on the road, and if the road doesn't move quickly enough they get on the pavement. The area we stay in is a little like Benidorm really. Absolutely full of westerners and offering western whatevers.  An evening stroll ends with Pho (a beef noodle soup) for dinner and an early night, this country hopping takes it out of you you know!

We visit the war remnants museum which is quite interesting although does not put the USA in a very good light at all.  There is a photographic display about Agent Orange, a chemical substance used by the Americans during the Vietnam war.  The photos show the devastating effect this has had on children born in the areas this was used. there are some terrible defects, there is even a photo showing preserved foetuses with deformities you wouldn't believe. Along with the pictures from the war it was quite depressing. There was a film showing which gave a brief resume of the war, there was a Vietnamese man with two American soldiers he had his hands tied behind his back and the soldier, without warning, turned and shot him in the head. At that point I decided I had had enough.

Whilst walking we pass through a park and see an enormous dragon being formed out of flowers.  The body is a hedge and it has a framework within which potted plants sit in to give colour. The head is made of flower heads stuck into foam on cocktail sticks. The effect is quite stunning.  This is in preparation for Vietnamese New Year next week.

The Reunification Palace is fantastic, it is like stepping back into the mid 1960's, it has never been modernised. Adrian particularly enjoyed the combat control centre in the basement! 

The tower in the middle has a roof terrace which overlooks the helipad! The helipad is also accessed via the cinema which seats 40 people.  It is an absolutely unbelievable place and still used for official events.


We find a nice bar for our final night in Saigon, and then head off for an Indian meal.  Note to self, when in Vietnam - eat Vietnamese food!

Phenom Penh

The bus to Phenom Penh takes 6 hours. After the relative calm so far, Phenom Penh is a culture shock - there are 1000s of motorbikes and tuk tuks. We headed to our chosen area for accommodation but it turns out to be a bit of a ghetto, even Adrian isn't overly bothered. Not too far away we come across a lovely little guest house and we have the penthouse suite, with air conditioning and a cold shower.

Immediately we hail a tuk tuk and head off to the Vietnamese embassy as it could take four days to get the visas.  Our luck is in and we are told to return 2 hours later for our passports.  We pass the time in a market which is mainly for tourists but it's great haggling with the stall holders.

Our lovely tuk tuk man makes himself available for a small charge, for the following day and we head off to Cheung Ek the killing field of Phenom Penh. This was a very emotional place to visi,t a vast monument displaying 8000 skulls is the centre piece. The place is full of mass graves that have been excavated and some that haven't. The ground is full of pieces of clothing that the floods bring to the surface. A short film shows the evacuation of Phenom Penh that took place and shows the people working in the rice fields. Reality strikes on how recently this has happened - the film is in colour.

Our next port of call is S21 prison, a former high school, although it is difficul to see that this place was every a place of learning and inspiration. There are 'mug shot' type pictures of the people who passed through the prison, the Khmer Rouge were as thorough as the Nazis for their record keeping here. I try to view every picture, all these people deserve to be looked at, but the whole thing is completely overwhelming. One face in particular, for some reason, stands out for me, so I print her here for all the people who suffered here.

Our final day in Phenom Penh finds us visiting the Royal Palace which is quite spectacular, in the Silver Pagoda we find the floor is laid with 1000 silver tiles, mostly hidden by carpets but in places visible - they are so beautiful.

Slow boat to Battambang

Monday morning sees us on a boat bound for the town of Battambang, which we have affectionately called Battenberg. It is a wonderful journey taking us down a river then across the Tonle Sap Lake and then down another river. We pass through several floating villages which are so serene.  Little boats which are mobile shops paddle from one house to another selling their wares.

Although the journey is beautiful I do have some misgivings about it. The passenger boats have no respect for the little boats and the erosion to the banks has to be seen to be believed. But they've been doing it this way for years so I should let them get on with it.

The journey takes 9 hours in total but we are rewarded with a lovely room with a cold shower! We head out fairly quickly for beer and a lovely Khmer red curry. Delicious.

After a down day we hire a motorbike and head off to visit Phnom Sampeau, our first killing field of Cambodia. We have a guide who describes quite graphically how the Khmer Rouge went about killing the people of Cambodia. At one site, we are faced with a glass edifice full of human bones. These have been excavated from a killing cave. It is so difficult to comprehend that these horrors happened in my lifetime. We also visited an huge lake with a dam that was built during the Khmer Rouge regime resulting in the loss of lots of lives. We move on to Banan a Wat that the locals believe was the model for Angkor Wat. There are similarities - the wat is approached via 358 steps with warning signs either side not to stray from the path as there are landmines. On the way back we cut loose and visit the only winery in Cambodia, we sample the wine, brandy and grape juice that they produce, then head back for beer.

A 12 km walk sees us visiting Wat Sampong Knong which has been locked since the Khmer Rouge was overthrown as it was used as a prison. A new Wat is being built alongside it. Nearby there is a monument called the Well of Shadows housing the bones of 10008 people who were murdered in the killing field here. There are a series of concrete bas-reliefs depicting a no-holds barred scene life during this time. Very very moving.

On our way back to town we call to a crocodile farm which is really scary, hundreds of crocodiles all sizes, the walkway we use to view them from above has only a railing one side, one false move and you're history.  There was a little baby one that was deformed, Adrian was very brave and held it, but I stuck to the turtle.  

Three Day Wonder

Wow, wow, wow - we have spent three days with our very own tuk tuk driver visiting the Temples of Angkor. Words cannot describe how I felt when we rounded the corner and saw the beautiful Angkor Wat from across the moat.  I read about Angkor Wat when I was about 8 years old and have wanted to see it ever since.  Well let me tell you I've been there.

I had wanted it to be the finale but actually it was our first of about 25 temples in total and it is sad to say, but very true, that you get a little temple weary.  Angkor Wat is without doubt the most impressive of the temples but Ta Prohm was fascinating.  It is the temple least cleared of the jungle and there are huge trees whose multiple roots grown into the stones. The trees are unbelievably tall.  Ta Prohm was the temple used in the Tomb Raider film.

On day 2 we saw the sun set from the top of Banteay Kdei at the advice of Ohn a little girl we met at the top of another temple.  I bought some lovely little fishes from her, yes... I looked  into her eyes.

Day 3 saw us visiting Banteay Srei which in terms of carvings is the most beautiful temple.  We also visited the River of 1000 Lingas.  A carved river bed 2km up a hill in the jungle.  I shared my lovely picnic lunch of fruit salad with 4 lovely little Cambodian children at the top.  It was ok, they weren't selling anything.

Oh what a night!

The Bequest Angkor Guest House may have had all we thought we wanted but we forgot that a good night's sleep is an all important part of the 'accomodation thing'.  All night long a rhythmic, thump had kept us away.  A 2am trip down to reception does nothing to resolve the matter just informs that it is the water system refilling and, yes, it is constant. OMG this can't go on.

Needless to say, the first job of the day is new digs.  The Key Royal Angkor is just around the corner and has all the things we need without the added regular boom of the water system.

Today is spent just getting to know the town of Siem Reap.  We find a bar we feel comfortable in and continue with the backgammon tournament.  When it comes to food we find that tonight we are drawn once again to the BBQ, it's cheap it's good.

Sadly there are a lot of children and seriously maimed people begging here. It is so hard, the small amount of money you would give them isn't going to change their life and you can't help them all. It's hard and Adrian tells me not to look into their eyes, at that point you are lost.  He's right of course.  A lovely little lad comes along and minutes later I am the proud owner of a book about the Khmer Rouge regime.

Not a great start...

It takes four and a half hours to get to Poipet which is the town near the Thai/Cambodian border and we sleep and play backgammon and watch the world go by. At Poipet we transfer to a tuk tuk, our lovely friendly driver tries his best to sucker us into a very expensive visa scam however, these explorers have done their homework and we're having none of it.  We later find out that the people who did fall for it paid more than three times the price for their visa, although thankfully it was legit when they got to the border.

Sadly, athough we knew about it we fell for the free shuttle bus scam which resulted in us getting very frustrated and not feeling too good about Cambodia.  Anyhow, after arriving in Cambodia at 3pm local time we finally arrive in Siem Reap at 8pm.

We found a lovely little guest house immediately, the Bequest Angkor Guest House suited us down to the ground, cheap, clean, and fully wifi'd up.

Siem Reap is lovely and the hurtful memories of scams start to dissipate over a beer and lovely BBQ in the food square.  I could get to like it here.

It's not the destination, it's the journey

Wow, what a journey! Oman Air did us very proud they are the BEST airline I have ever travelled with. It got to the point where you had to say "No more food, thank you".

Midnight sees us in the middle of Bangkok without a map or a clue - what intrepid explorers we are!!  Finally we arrive in the area we think we'd like to stay in and just catch the one and only guest house closing up.  The room is lovely and at 650BHT it's a steal.

Tuesday, 11th January sees us transferring just around the corner to the Tavee Guest House - hey, it's only 450BHT. Adrian is happy as he has found a Roti man just down the street and dreams of eggs and roti for breakfast for about 15p.  It's the simple things in life...

It's 32 degrees here today and perfect for a walk to the bus station to sort out travel to Cambodia.  The walk to the bus station fails us at Chatuchak Park, but we are not put off, the number 3 bus comes along on off we go again.  Transport is booked for the following day and we find the bus that takes us directly back to our lovely Guest House.

Sunset sees us walking along the canal and sitting in a little alley-way kitchen enjoying a bowlful of noodle-loveliness. The culinary journey starts here!