Nomadic Newlyweds Do China - The Video!

“You’re a ladyboy… like Justin Bieber”–Cambodia

PHNOM PENH

We left Saigon for the 6 hour coach journey to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, which again included some on and off the bus type antics at both Vietnamese and Cambodian border crossings. The first thing that struck me about Cambodia as we made our way slowly north to the capital, was just how flat the area is, the paddy fields stretching out as far as the eye can see on both sides of the road, with only the occasional palm tree or water buffalo interrupting the landscape.

Arrival in Phnom Penh was the usual manic affair, being inundated with tuk tuk / taxi drivers the second you step off of the bus, but we take our time, withdraw some cash from an ATM (which issues US dollars and charges you $4 for the privilege)  before catching a ride to our hostel. Our hostel is a friendly place and the guys that work there sit and chat to us while we eat, telling us about a restaurant frequented by locals that has the best BBQ steaks and cheap beer, which we agree to go to later that evening. In the meantime we decide to go for a stroll along the riverside to take in the late afternoon sunshine.

The promenade along the river front is lined with palm trees and flags from every country and as we walk we are approached by a 7 year old girl selling books (all good photocopies). This is commonplace in SE Asia and we politely decline, before stopping to watch a movie in the process of being filmed. While we rest the young girl sits with us and starts to braid Heathers hair, while some of her friends come over and sit at our feet, all speaking English with ease. It’s heart breaking that these kids, who are not only smart, but witty with it, are not afforded a free education as they live in the city and have to sell books for a tiny commission to help their families make ends meet. Despite the warnings not to, we buy a couple of books for a couple of dollars each and head off for a cold beer at one of the many bars. As we enjoy our drink, a young boy comes up to us, again selling books, we tell him that we already have books, but he won’t take no for an answer, challenging me to a game of rock, paper, scissors to decide whether I should buy more books from him or not. When I again decline he says “you’re not a man….. you’re a ladyboy.…. like Justin Bieber” before storming off down the street while Heather and I were in fits of laughter!

Riverside – Phnom Penh

Despite having some reservations, we met Sam (not sure that was his real name) our friendly local along with an Aussie guy called Chris and headed off to the infamous restaurant. As we arrived the early signs were good, as the smell emanating from the barbeque was to die for and the place was full of locals. We ordered the filet steaks and prepared our own steak sauce using the ingredients left on the table; a salt pepper mix, lime, chilli and garlic. By the time our steaks arrived we had already consumed a large jug of beer (which would be followed by at least 3 more) and tucked into some of the best steak we have tasted on our travels. Sam explained that it was Cambodian tradition to “cheers” every time anyone took a sip of their beer with the first person to “cheers” deciding whether or not the whole glass had to be finished in one or not. The total bill for 5 filet steaks, 4 big jugs of beer and a large fruit platter, came to $17, and to think that we nearly didn’t go!

Amazing local steak and cheap beer!

Next morning, we had arranged for Sam to drive us to a couple of the main sights in Phnom Penh, those associated with the Khmer Rouge. A few years back I had read a harrowing account of life under Pol Pot, Survival in the Killing Field by Haing S Ngor, best known for his role in the movie The Killing Fields, but also a survivor of the Khmer Rouge lead genocide of the mid 1970’s, and since then I had wanted to visit the area and learn more about those dark days.

We drove 9 miles outside the city to Choeung Ek (the Killing Fields), the site of an estimated 20,000 executions by the Khmer Rouge and the location of the mass graves of almost 9,000 men, women and children. Today the area is a memorial and is marked by a Buddhist Stupa, containing 5,000 skulls as well as the rest of the remains found on the site. The area is surprisingly peaceful, but as you walk around the area littered with shallow graves, you are reminded of the horrors that once took place as teeth, bone and remains of cloth still appear on the surface after heavy rain.

I won’t write about the full horrors that took place here as this is our travel blog, not a history lesson, but should you wish to read more on the Killing Fields & the Khmer Rouge, please click here

Stupa at the centre of Choeung Ek

Glass case inside the Buddhist Stupa containing the remains of 5,000 people

Teeth and bone fragments on the surface after recent heavy rain

After leaving Choeung Ek, both Heather and I were both quiet, reflecting on what we had just seen. It really does make you look at the older Cambodian people in a different light, knowing the hardship that they had been through, yet continuing to live with a smile on their face. Our next stop on the tour was Toul Sleng Prison or S.21 as it is more commonly known. S21 was formerly a high school, before being converted into a prison / torture chamber by the Pol Pot regime. In one of the blocks, the classrooms had been left as they were found, as “interrogation chambers” each on containing an iron bed, some shackles and a black and white photo of the the torture that was carried out there,  Most of the prisoners from S.21 were taken to Choeung Ek for execution after confessing (correctly or incorrectly) to crimes against the Khmer Rouge, ranging from being members of the previous administration to being doctors or other educated persons. Truly harrowing stuff.

Toul Sleng Prison

Interrogation chamber

SIEM REAP

Another day, another 6 hour bus ride, this time to Siem Reap, the town closest to the great temples and city of Angkor.

After a quick walk around to get lunch and our bearings, we discover that Richard O’Dwyer, a friend from work, was staying in the same hotel as us! We had known that we would be in Siem Reap and had pre-arranged to meet for drinks that evening, but to find him sitting in the reception of our hotel was a little bit surreal to say the least! That evening we headed out for dinner with Richard and his friends Danny, Hayley & Lucy and carried on with a jug of Cuba Libre and the infamous Angkor What? bar. It was great to catch up with Richard but we had to call it a night relatively early as we had some serious sightseeing to do the next day.

Drinks with Richard

We had declined our tuk tuk drivers offer of a 5am collection to see the sun rise at Angkor Wat and settled for the much more Heather friendly time of 9:30am, stopping off at the ticket office before heading to the first stop on the days itinerary, Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat is a Hindu / Buddhist temple complex, built in the early 1100’s by Suryavarman II as the state temple and capital of the Khmer empire, it is also the worlds largest religious building, the perimeter walls measuring in at 1.5km x 1.3km. As you approach the temple, you have to cross the 200m wide moat that surrounds the complex, but its not until pass inside the outer walls that you get your first glimpse of that iconic Cambodian image. It’s incredibly difficult to put into words the sheer scale of the place, the walk from the outer wall to the central temple takes a good 5 minutes in the searing tropical sunshine and the shade, when you reach it, is most welcome. Surrounding the central temple are 800m of stone bas-relief friezes, depicting Hindu epics Ramayana and the Mahabharata. These carving stretch the full perimeter of the inner temple walls and it takes a good hour or so just to take these in.

I climb to the the top of the inner temple (Heather isn’t allowed as she can’t cover her knees) and from here it is easy to see, that after the decline of the Khmer empire in the 16th century, how the surrounding jungle completely reclaimed the area until its rediscovery in the mid 1800’s.

The long walk from the perimeter walls to the central temple complex

Stone carvings in the hallways

Central Temple at Angkor Wat

Bas-relief friezes surrounding the walls of the inner temple

Close up of the bas-relief

From Angkor Wat, our tuk tuk takes us over to the walled city of Angkor Thom, the Khmer capital from the late 1100’s which, while London was home to a mere 50,000 people, Angkor Thom was inhabited by approximately one million. The main temple inside this ancient city is Bayon, The main feature of Bayon are the 54 towers each decorated with four enormous faces of Avalokiteshvara which apparently bare a resemblance to the king who ordered its construction. The temple itself is a sprawling maze of corridors along with more huge bas-relief friezes that depict everyday life in 12th Century Cambodia.

Giant faces at Bayon

One of the many buildings inside the city walls of Angkor Thom

Our final stop of the day was at Ta Prohm, a Buddhist Temple complex that has been left exactly as it was found by European explorers in the 19th Century. The jungle had completely reclaimed the area, huge trees grow on top of thick walls, with their huge roots engulfing the masonry, walls crumbling and vegetation growing through the bulging cracks in the ceilings of huge halls. It feels as if you have walked right onto the set of Indiana Jones (in fact a scene from Tomb Raider was filmed here).

Heather exploring the ruins of Ta Prohm

Awesome power of the jungle

After the previous days exhausting temple schedule, we spent our final day in Siem Reap relaxing. The highlight of the day was without doubt the “fish massage”. We had heard about this before we had left on our travels and Heather was keen to try it, so we paid our $3 for 15 minutes (which also included a free beer) and sank our feet into the large tank of small fish. As soon as your feet hit the water the fish are onto them, nibbling away at the dead skin cells and it tickles like hell, but after a few minutes you get used to the sensation and it becomes extremely relaxing. There was another tank with larger fish (about 3 inches long) but after a trial run of putting my hand in the tank, I decided I’d stick with what I had!

Most unusual foot massage

The little suckers get right in between your toes!

Cambodia is somewhere that we hadn’t originally planned to visit and then, as an after thought, added a week to our itinerary to see the major sights. In hindsight this was nowhere near enough time for this beautiful country and its even more beautiful people, but it gives us even more reason to return and explore some more.

- Mark “all templed out” Cleverly

Same same but different: Vietnam

 

Sorry for such a lag in updates. We were presented with the choice of lying on white sandy beaches in Thailand or sitting in a hot internet cafe and we have a nice tan to show for our decision. I’ll apologize in advance for the lengthy post but in an effort to catch up I’m writing about our entire time in Vietnam.

Hanoi

So, We’ve finally left China – Allelujah!- and boarded a night train to cross the border into Vietnam. We didn’t get much sleep as we had to stop twice to get off at the Chinese and Vietnamese immigration offices but we did meet some nice folks along the way. Sometimes you meet a person who really inspires you and makes you stop and take a look at your own life. Bill was one of those people. He is a 70 something retired US Marine who travels the world alone. He walks with a cane and talks to anybody who will listen. Bill began his world travels 5 years ago after his wife died, only stopping for treatment when he was diagnosed with cancer. As soon as he got the all clear he was off again spending time in places completely off the beaten track. He sat and told stories to us in the restaurant car of our overnight train and we all listened to his stories.

We arrived in Hanoi around 4 am and was lucky enough to have met an extremely generous English woman who offered to pay for our (and some other travellers) taxi to our hostel as we hadn’t had the chance to exchange for Vietnamese Dong.  After a quick nap we had a wander around the cities Old Quarter in search for food. The streets are heaving with motorbikes all fighting to get ahead of each other. The sidewalks are packed with parked motorbikes blocking a safe passage so walking in the city is no easy feat. The only break in the parked bikes on the sidewalks are for the small restaurants to set up their baby sized plastic tables and chairs. There are hundreds of these restaurants all serving local food and all of them are always packed with both locals and foreigners.  I was on a mission to find a Pho restaurant as it has been one of my favorite foods since my best friends mom made it for us when we were young. We weren’t disappointed as they are everywhere. My first bowl of Pho was amazing.

First bowl of Pho. delicious.

Crossing these roads is no easy feat 

Street stalls selling fresh herbs, spices and seafood

Brightly colored lanterns

The next day we left the hostel and passed on the constant offers for a motorbike ride (how the two of us and a driver would fit comfortably on a bike, I don’t know) opting to walk the city instead. We walk into a well to do area lined with large houses in old French architecture. I assume they house important government officials since they are all heavily guarded and we are shooed away when we try to take pictures. A quick stop at Ho Chi Minhs tomb, the leader of the communist regime and a much beloved figure in Vietnam, to snap photos but unfortunately it has already closed for the day. Normally, Ho Chi Minh is displayed for visitors in a glass casket (yikes) –despite his dying wishes to be cremated… but his body was on a restoration trip to Russia at the time.

Huge mansions lining the well to do street

Ho Chi Minhs tomb

Next on the tour was the ‘Hanoi Hilton’, originally used by the French to house Vietnamese revolutionaries and later to hold American prisoners of war. There’s not much left of the building as much of it has been knocked down to make room for tower blocks but we walk into the entrance through thick walls topped with broken glass. The first part of the building told stories of the Vietnamese prisoners held there. Bleak stories of mistreatment, statues of emaciated prisoners and torture devices filled the dark and damp rooms. Any reference to the revolutionaries were spoke of highly and they were spoke of as courageous patriots. Next on the tour, and the part I was most interested in, was the area where the American prisoners of war were once held. Guide books mention the blatant propaganda in these places but seeing it in person is completely different. A video played about the Vietnam war naming Americans as war criminals and baby killers. They showed the bombing that took place on Vietnam soil and told how they courageously fought us off. They had a flight suit supposedly from John McCain when he was captured and featured pictures of Americans while they were imprisoned. The picture they painted of the Americans time in the prison is completely different than the previous rooms full of horror stories. Photos of American soldiers decorating Christmas trees and playing basketball cover the walls. The torture and malnutrition is left out of these descriptions.

Haunting statues of Vietnamese prisoners

John McCains flight suit from when he was captured during the war

The outer walls covered in broken glass

Next on our walking tour was the Temple of Literature, Vietnams first University is almost 1000 years old. We walked through the beautiful courtyard lined with stone turtles and statues. That day a class was celebration graduation and the grounds were covered with excited teenagers in traditional dress in a rainbow of bright colors. That night we ate Pho, again, and had drinks and watched football (soccer) at an Irish pub.

Turtle statues that lined the courtyard

Excited recent grads in beautiful traditional clothes

Ha Long Bay

The next day we had arranged a 2 day boat tour to Halong Bay, a breath taking bay full of limestone hills. We drove the distance to the bay chatting  with the small group of people we would spend the next few days with. We boarded our boat and was pleasantly surprised by how nice it was after hearing tons of horror stories about rip off trips. Before we left the hotel we mentioned in passing that we are on an extended honeymoon of sorts. The lady apparently told the tour guide who gave us the best room and sprinkled rose petals on our bed. They also gave us a bowl of fresh fruit and a complimentary bottle of wine that we chose to share with the rest of the group. We were really touched by the act of kindness as we have spent the last two and a half months avoiding rip offs and scams.

We had a quick lunch of fresh seafood and rice and arrived at our first stop, the caves. There were 3 in all dubbed the “Surprise” caves because the get progressively bigger (and your tour guide hinds behind a rock and yells surprise every time you walk into a new one). Our tour guide, Ocean, pointed out oddly shaped stalactites and stalagmites and we played ‘guess what animal Ocean thinks that lumpy rock looks like'. Mark wasn’t impressed but I was, especially by the time we got to the last one that was the size of an airplane hanger. After we all waited for the Japanese couple that took a picture in front of every single rock (we were in a cave so this takes some time) we took a small boat to a floating village where we all climbed into double kayaks. Mark and I dashed off and only got into a dozen or so small tifts about paddle timing and finally sat back to enjoy the view. The water was emerald green and the hills towered around us. We were among plenty of other kayakers but it didn’t feel crowded and we even explored a few caves on our own. When our time was up we waited again for the snap happy couple and then re-boarded our boat to prepare for dinner and karaoke that night.

Inside the surprise caves

Dinner was delicious and the drinks flowed and we got to know our boat mates a bit better. We shared our bottle of wine-one bottle doesn’t really stretch to 16 people but they appreciated the gesture. Ocean cranked up the karaoke machine and we all sang into the night. Mark’s dedication to Ice Ice Baby practice at home on the Xbox paid off when he was given a standing ovation. It was a very good night.

Karaoke night

The next morning we had to check out of our room by 9am but we were determined to take a dip in the water before it was too late so we woke up extra early. Mark dove from the top and I chose the second deck but we quickly got out when the rush of cold water hit us. The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing on the sundeck while we cruised back to port.

Jumping off the boat

Vendors paddling all day to make a sale

When we arrived back at our hostel the manager told us there were no longer rooms available but they would be moving us to their sister location nearby-an upgrade for the same price. She told us she had a surprise for us and brought out a specially made chocolate cake that said ‘’Happy Honey'” on it in honor of our honeymoon. We were again, so touched by the effort they went to make us feel special and gave her a big hug and a slice of cake before we left.

Hoi An

We arrived in Hoi An the next day on an early flight. It is a lovely backpackers town packed full of tailor shops with restaurants and souvenir shops sprinkled in. Skinny roads criss cross throughout the town and motorbikes and pedestrians compete for space. The buildings are all old French architecture that give the place the feel of a sleepy European town until you come across a traditional old Vietnamese house.

The second day we purchased a package ticket that allowed us entrance into 5 different sights in town. We skipped out on the museums this time and started with the Tran Family Chapel. It is a beautiful house around 200 years old passed down through many generations of the same family. A guide showed us one room before she ushered us into the rest of the house that has sadly been converted into a gift shop.

Inside the Tran Family Chapel

The second stop was Dragon Bridge, where we decided to snap pictures from the outside instead of packing on the tiny passage with the other hoard of tourists.

Next, was the Duc House which was a beautifully decorated religious meeting place. It had a large fountain in the center of a dragon and a fish with mosaic tiles for scales. Gigantic incense spirals hung from the ceiling and the walls were covered in brightly colored paintings. At that point it started raining so we ducked into a riverside restaurant instead of finishing our tour.

The next day we boarded another group tour to the My Son ruins, a group of abandoned Hindu temples deep in the Vietnamese jungle. They were seriously damaged during the war by American bombers and our tour guide made sure to bring that up…multiple times. His animosity towards Americans was apparent and was probably passed down from his father, who he told us was a Viet Cong soldier. We decided to break away from the guide and we wandered through the paths that each led to hidden pockets of the jungle full of ancient temples. The jungle was beautiful but it was hard to not imagine visions of soldiers of both armies crawling through the dense vegetation in the bloody war.

Ancient Hindu temples in the Vietnamese jungle

Nah Trang

Mark and I had both really been looking forward to Nah Trang as it has a beautiful beach. The first beach we have come in contact with since setting off on our trip. Unfortunately, as soon as we stepped off the overnight bus the rains started and really didn’t let up the entire time we were there. Determined to see the ocean we threw on our waterproof jackets and walked down the beach anyway earning some odd looks from locals.

We ate at an amazing seafood restaurant and then sloshed through the puddles to a popular bar where we met two local girls who sold jewellery and postcards on the street. We really didn’t want anything but were so charmed by these girls that we ended up buying both and didn’t mind at all. We decided to cut our time at Nah Trang short because the rain showed no signs of stopping and the beach was the main attraction. We boarded a flight along with 15 Miss Earth Contestants (Note: Not Miss World the much better version) obviously on the only day during the entire trip I decided not to wear makeup and headed to Saigon.

Our lovely new friend and post card provider

Saigon

Saigon, Vietnams largest city, was full of energy the moment we stepped off the plane. We were dropped off near our hostel and eventually found it down a narrow alleyway. The woman who owned it greeted us with a smile and showed us to our room chatting about anything she could think of the whole time. When we left to get our bearings of the city we walked back down the alleyway and realized that it was mostly made up of peoples houses and it was really interesting to see locals sat outside eating together or chatting together, some in their pyjamas, living their normal lives. Its so rare in these cities to get a glimpse into the lives of people who live there because most of the interaction you get is with shop keepers, taxi drivers or tour guides. Also, while we were taking it all in a toddler peed on Marks foot, which, at least for me, added to the charm.

The next day we went to explore the city and came to the Reunification Palace, the site of the end of the Vietnam war, that happened to be closed for the day. We walked down the street to the war museum, formerly known as the American War Crimes Museum, I probably don’t have to explain what we found there but it did include the most graphic images and even a container of deformed foetus’.  There was, however, a really interesting photography exhibit highlighting the war photographers. These photos, to me, were much more powerful than the rooms full of mutilated bodies on the floor below. It was scorching hot that day and the constant fight with the ever present mob of motorbikes really got to me so we headed back to the safety of our hostel.

Reunification palace

That night we sat on plastic chairs outside of a tiny bar positioned on a busy intersection and just watched the chaos of Saigon. A constant stream of motorbikes and tuk tuks rolled by. Tourists walked with wide eyes and locals with determination. Later, Mark fell asleep in bed and I was up reading when I heard the faint sound of cheering. I thought I was going crazy but 30 minutes later when I was still hearing the sounds I got up to investigate. I grabbed the camera and ran into the street where hundreds of people had gathered to watch even more people on motorbikes drive by. They were all dressed in red and waving Vietnamese flags or golden trophies and cheers and horns filled the air. I later found out that they were celebrating the Vietnamese soccer teams win that advanced them into the semi finals of an Asian cup. It was such an unexpected surprise and the energy and excitement was contagious.

Just a normal intersection of Saigon..no traffic lights

Mid day snooze

Vietnam is easily one of the best countries I have ever visited. Although it is still tainted by the war it is thriving and has held on to its own identity. The food is some of the best we have come across and the people were some of the friendliest. It is definitely a place I hope to return to some day.

 

-H