Pixie's Tips for Vietnam

I've compiled a listing of places to stay, eat and visit while in Vietnam.

BORDER CROSSING
If you are going to cross the border by road from Cambodia (Moc Bai) into Vietnam, make sure you try to do it as early as possible. The bureaucracy when you hit the Vietnam border is ridiculous. If you don't grease the right palms and keep your paperwork moving, you can get stuck at the border for hours. There are some women who change money (USD into VD) at a pretty good rate at the border.

HO CHI MINH CITY (SAIGON)
STAY:
Lucy and I stayed at the Majestic Hotel which is right on the Saigon River in the Dong Khoi district. It's walking distance to a lot of nice shops and restaurants. It's about 15 minutes brisk walk to Ben Tranh Market. You can probably find comparable places to stay for cheaper. Staying in the back-packers district (Pham Ngu Lao) is economical and there's lots of places for very cheap. You get what you pay for so make sure you check out the room before checking in.

EAT/DRINK...BE MERRY:
Pho 40 - great "local" feel to the restaurant. The sign on the front "no delicious, no pay" says it all.
Pho 2000 - President Clinton ate here. The pho is awesome here.
Lemongrass Restaurant - upscale restaurant with very good Vietnamese dishes. Located in the Dong Khoi district walking distance to all places below
Shadow Bar - an awesome bar in the Dong Khoi district. Great service and walking distance to
Rainforest Discotheque - a two storey club with great music and very energenic patrons. Watch out for those door prizes :)

DO:
Mekong Delta - worth a trip out just to see the area. It's a long bus-ride so make sure you try to go with a good tour company. There are two options for this trip, one to Can Tho and one to My Tho. The one to Can Tho actually takes you through the cool floating markets. The one ot My Tho is closer and takes you on a variety of stops and is described in "Mekong Delta - The Ultimate Jungle Cruise".
Cu Chi Tunnels - an awesome trip. This can be done in half a day. If you get a good guide, you can learn a lot. Definitely crawl through the tunnels - it gives you an incredible perspective of the lengths the Viet Cong went through in the war. Also I highly recommend the shooting range. It was a blast.

MUI NE (Beach Town)
It's about 3.5-4 hours drive from Saigon to Mui Ne. You can take a private car for about $60 or jump on a shuttle bus for $8. Buses go thorugh Mui Ne on the way to Nha Trang and further up the coast. You can get a good deal if you book through one of the travel shops all over Pham Ngu Lao.

STAY:
There are lots of great places to stay - most right on the beach.
Full Moon Resort - a nice, quiet retreat. A double room with two big beds, large private bathroom and A/C for $45 per night. They were constructing a new wing and a swimming pool when we visited and likely will spruce up the place by winter.
Mui Ne Sailing Club - Aussie owned and a wonderful place located near the southern most end of the beach. Pure luxury for a good price. You can get a double room with private bath and A/C for $45. If you want a private bungalow, you'll pay up to $95 depending on how close to the beach you want to be. Gorgeous pool and a really nice lounge/restaurant. Very upscale digs with a laid-back atmosphere. I'd consider staying here the next time I visit.
CoCo's Beach Resort - A nice upscale place at the middle of the beach. It's yellow umbrellas are inviting and you can "crash" here and use all their amenities for US$6/day. They also offer massages on the beach (under a nice white canvas pavillion).

EAT/DRINK...BE MERRY:
There are some great restaurants along the main street through Mui Ne. Most are located on the opposite side of the road as the beachside resorts. They seem quite busy when the sun goes down and provide an alternative to eating at the beach resorts.
Mui Ne Sailing Club - Excellent food! Highly recommend you check it out. The desserts are also very good and you can enjoy them (and a drink) at the beachside lounge.
Jibes - Great food and drinks. Extremely friendly staff. They are the home of the weekly beach BBQs and parties. Quiet when we were in town but I'm sure a very lively place during tourist season.

DO:
There really isn't a ton to do but relax on the beach and enjoy some water sports. Most resorts offer water toys (fins, boogie boards, etc.) for a cheap price. Windsurfers, kitesurfers and surfers are abound. The wind picks up around 1pm so you can take a walk along the beach and swim in the morning and then get out on the water in the afternoon. Two places are recommended for ger - Mui Ne Sailing Club (www.sailingclubvietnam.com) and Jibes (www.windsurf-vietnam.com).

Definitely find time to check out the sand dunes. They're a great site and for a short while you can imagine you're walking through the Sahara. You can rent motorbikes (if you know how to drive them) or get a motorbike taxi to take you up there (return trip is about 45,000 VD). Although it may seem ridiculous, oblige the youngsters and take a turn on a sandboard. They're great kids and some often supplement their parents' meager income with their earnings here. You'll make a friend for the day.

HOI AN
Not only is it an incredibly picturesque town, it's friendly locals, nearby beach and awesome shopping make Hoi An a highly recommended stop in Vietnam. You can get here by bus, train or plane. If you fly (~$50 ticket from Saigon), you need to fly into Danang and take a 45 minute ride into Hoi An.

STAY:
Thuy Duong 3 - there are three hotels with the same name. This is the newest and most centrally located (though nothing is really far in Hoi An). You can get a very nice double room with private bath, AC and a lovely pool, for $25/night. Single rooms go for as low as $15 with some bargaining.

EAT/DRINK...BE MERRY:
Banana Leaf - excellent food. Get a table upstairs if you can. It offers a nice view of the river.
The Cargo Club - excellent food. If dining in the evening, get a table upstairs and eat al fresco.
Mermaid Restaurant - a little farther out of the central core (close to the big market), but worth the trip. Excellent local dishes as well as sandwiches.
Treats Bar (1 and 2) - there are two bars owned by the same folks. Treats 1 is downtown and a place of much merriment. Ask for Hoang, the bartender - he'll treat you right. This is a favorite haunt of JP so if you drop his name, you'll get great service. Treats 2 is on the busy main street through town (close to the Thuy Duong 3), same menu and a very nice place to sit outside and watch the town go by.
Tam Tam Cafe & Bar - popular with tourists, this is a busy club with loud music and a lively atmosphere. It's right across from the Cargo Club which makes it an easy stop after dinner.

DO:
This can be summarized in one word - SHOP! At every corner you can get clothes handmade. Local art is everywhere - from paintings and lacquer-work, to silk lanterns and wood carvings. Of course to carry all of this, you will find great deals on luggage too! Some particular places to stop (good quality places):
Yaly Silk Shop (47 Nguyen Thai Hoc) - a wonderful shop with very helpful girls. Their clothes are a bit more expensive but they are well done. Most shops actually have websites or offer email so you can contact them again and get more clothes done. The Yaly girls are great in helping you choose styles and colors that suit you. They can help you find materials and do a great job measuring you too. They can usually turn around clothes in one day with minor alterations required.
Vu Phong Art Gallery (78 Nguyen Thai Hoc) - all art in this shop is original, painted by the son or the father. The father offers a more traditional style while the son, Vu Phong, paints more modern stylized works. Gorgeous and reasonably priced. The daughter, Van, is often manning the shop and is delightful girl.
Anh Thy Shoe Shop (112 Tran Phu) - handmade shoes of silk and leather. This is a great place to get unique footwear. They trace your feet and will do adjustments if at first the fit is not perfect.

HANOI
The captial city is accessible from pretty much everywhere. It's a gorgous place that has a unique flavor that is significantly different from the South.

STAY:
Hanoi Opera Hilton - I had to stay at the "Hanoi Hilton" just for kicks. It's a lovely hotel on the south-east cusp of town. It's about 15 minutes walk to the Old Quarter or a 2 minute motorbike ride. Rooms are huge and luxurious. A single room with breakfast was $65 on a discount website, $90 on the high-side. The bummer was that you can't really negotiate a good price for a motorbike taxi to and from the Old Quarter - hard to bargain when you're staying somewhere posh. I ended up going around the corner across from the real Opera House to catch a ride for about $1.

EAT/DRINK...BE MERRY:
Brother's Cafe - a converted monastery just outside of downtown Hanoi. They have a Vietnamese buffet that is quite good. Dinner is about $11/person.
Cyclo Bar & Restaurant - excellent food. Vietnamese/French delights. The atmosphere is fabulous as every table is adorned with real cyclos as chairs. Reasonable prices too.
Little Hanoi - cheap eats. Local foods and sandwiches. Great for on the go.
69 Bar-Restaurant - great food, awesome service and a laid-back atmosphere. My favorite hang out in Hanoi. Centrally located to catch all the street action.
Cha Ca La Vong - interesting place offering the famous fish dish. See "A Fanfare of Tasty Things" for a complete write-up of my experience
Fanny Ice Cream - an excellent place on the southwest corner of Hoan Kiem Lake to chill out - literally! Smooth ice creams in a multitude of flavors. Have it on a cone or go for a full sundae delight.
Trung Nguyen - the Starbucks of Vietnam. There's one in the Old Quarter and one outdoor cafe located at the southwest corner of Hoan Kiem Lake across from Fanny's.
Red Mask - this is JP's bar on Ta Hien alley. Small, quaint, dark. Cheap drinks, free pool and an interesting cast of visitors - what else do you need?

DO:
There's so much to do in Hanoi where do I begin? Here are just a few highlights. The Lonely Planet will describe everything else :)
Halong Bay - worth a trip to see this World Heritage site. Would recommend you do a 2 day (overnight) trip to save you from a very long day of travel
Dong Xuan Market - crazy flea market atmosphere where you can buy pretty much everything. Good deals on luggage and if you need to stock up on toiletries.
Ho Chi Minh Complex - you can't miss this. It's an incredible experience and you learn a lot about the country's history and the man who shaped it. Definitely go to the Mausoleum - the line is intimidating but goes fast (as the crowd is encouarged along by the guards). The Ho Chi Minh Museum is also excellent. You can get a full description of this in "Hanoi City Highlights"
Temple of Literature - Vietnam's first University, this is also a great way to learn about the history of the country and the influence of the Chinese
Museum of Ethnology - excellent museum! Highly recommend taking the short trip out of the city to see this. Again, it's covered in "Hanoi City Highlights".
Municipal Water Puppet Theater - I missed this, but from what I've heard worth $2
Sapa - I missed this, but have been told it's an incredible experience

Pixie's Tips for Cambodia

I've compiled a listing of places to stay, eat and visit while in Cambodia.

BORDER CROSSING
If you are going to cross the border by road from Thailand (Poipet) or Vietnam (Moc Bai) into Cambodia, make sure you try to do it as early as possible. Also be aware of tours that leave too late from the Thai border. In particular, if you're going from Thailand to Siem Reap (a 4-5 hour journey by road), there are buses that take you but some are not on the up-and-up. The scam is that they leave late, getting you into Cambodia late and disoriented. They then say they have to stop overnight and take everyone to a "friend's" guest house. Be aware of this and make sure your bus leaves early in the day to avoid this problem.

SIEM REAP
STAY:
Bun Nath Guest House - #446, National Road 6. Email: bunnath_gh@hotmail.com. Very clean. Double rooms with private bath and A/C was about $15/night. On the "edge" of the downtown area but still accessible and walking distance to most things.

EAT/DRINK...BE MERRY:
Dead Fish Cafe - a great restaurant right on the main street in Siem Reap. This is a many-things-to-many-people place. It's a restaurant, guesthouse, bar and internet cafe. The food is good and reasonably priced. You can sit upstairs in the "treehouse" and they even have a little stage up there where they perform local dance.
Soup Dragon - very good local and Vietnamese food. Don't miss out on the fresh spring rolls. I went back twice! They have a great lounge on the third-floor rooftop which overlooks the busy street below. An awesome place to just hang-out and chill.
Cafe Indochine - Upscale dining that's worth the price. A very nice treat. The atmosphere is relaxing and the food is excellent . The owner is a Frenchman and you probably get the nicest selections of wine here.
Martini Pub & Beer Garden - read "Khmer-Rave" posting for details of this place. Very interesting. A must-see/experience while in Siem Reap. Lots of fun.

DO:
Angkor Wat Complex - DUH...why else are you here? But there are also some great temples around the area that you can take a taxi to. If you want a good guide, try to find my buddy, Kun. His email is kuncambodia@hotmail.com. Don't know what he charges, but he's very knowledgeable and an all-round great guy.
Body Tune Spa - very clean and inviting spa. The girls are really nice and there's no funny business here (unlike some places in town). Ladies, you will feel quite comfortable here. AWESOME deals for massages. Two hour package (incl. foot reflexology and full aromatherapy massage) for $13!! Do it everyday!
Artisans d'Angkor - facility that trains local young people to be skilled woodworkers, stone sculptors and lacquer workers. Some beautiful things at the gift shop (also well A/C for those hot days).
Angkor Wat Miniatures - created by a man who was commissioned by the Pol Pot regime to draw the temple complex in case it was destroyed by the civil war. He has built little replicas of the complexes - really cool. It's a bit out of the way but it gets you through some more rural parts of town. Hard to find (do ask for directions) but very neat. $1 admission. Nice family.


PHNOM PENH
STAY:
Pacific Hotel - centrally located. It's walking distance from some great bars and a short tuk-tuk or motorbike ride to the riverfront. Rooms are very nice and modern. Double room with private bath and A/C about $35/night.

EAT/DRINK...BE MERRY:
Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) - right on the riverfront. Great location. Walking distance to many restaurants and bars. A good meeting place. Happy Hour from 5-7. Food isn't bad but there's so many more choices around the neighborhood.
Friends - EXCELLENT food. This place is actually a training school to teach local young people cooking and restaurant skills. The menu is great - lots of little "tapas" like dishes that can be shared. Reasonably priced. Fun, lively atmosphere. Walking distance from FCC.
Bayan Tree - just across from the Tuol Sleng Museum. Great food - sandwiches and local dishes served in a lush tropical atmophere. It's also a gorgeous guest-house.
Riverside Cafe & Bar - right across from the riverfront. Just north of the FCC. Nice atmosphere, very attentive bar-girls who always make sure you have a drink. A couple of pool tables and even a live band. Outside seating also makes it a nice place to meet and hang out.
Heart of Darkness - read "The Horror...The Horror" posting for details of our experience here. Very interesting bar with lots of interesting folks. It's similar to many pick-up joints anywhere else in the world. Great music - everyone's dancing!

DO:
Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda - an incredible sight. Great photo opportunities. Stunning color. You get a guide with admission.
National Museum of Art - a so-so museum. The building is gorgeous, but the artifacts and museum are just okay.
Tuol Sleng Museum (Museum of Genocidal Crimes) - absolute must-see to understand the horrific history these people have endured. Make sure you go with a guide as there isn't much signage at the site and it's easy to not really get the whole picture if you're trying to decipher it yourself. Don't miss the 2nd floor of Bldg E. Read "Around Phnom Penh" posting for details.
Killing Fields - just 15km outside P.P. More history of the Pol Pot Regime. Combined with above makes for a very sombre day.

An Asian in Asia

I’ve found it interesting being an Asian in Asia, particularly traveling by myself. Unlike traveling through Europe or Australia, I blend in here. People don’t really know how to take me. Sitting by myself in a restaurant, airport or similar location I usually get the following reactions: White foreigners think I’m local and don’t talk to me. Locals think I could be local or maybe a visitor from China or Japan and are hesitant to talk to me. But because I look like them, they are more willing to start a conversation, eventually. This is more common with the young people I run into at restaurants, internet cafes and shops. Their favorite question for me is “where are you from?” I notice that in a mixed group, white travelers will easily start conversations with other white travelers but are not as likely to approach me. Asian travelers tend to stick to the group they are traveling with or simply keep to themselves. Actually, very few Asian travelers talk to people they don’t know. I guess we’re just suspicious by nature. That or they all listened to their mothers and don’t talk to strangers.

I never listened to my mother. So most of the time I’m traveling alone I approach other people. I say “Hi” or make a remark about something just so they know my accent is Western. Sometimes this is all it takes for them to be comfortable in conversing with me. Women are usually easier to strike up conversations with than men but that hasn’t really stopped me from talking to everyone. In some situations, like in bars or restaurants, I wonder if foreigners think I’m a taxi-girl. J I guess that’s why it was great traveling with Lucy. People knew instantly that we were tourists and were more open to chatting with us. On the flipside, I will say that as a solo Asian traveler I’m not as often approached by persistent vendors. Vietnamese see white foreigners as dollar-signs. I believe that they know that other Asians are notorious cheapskates so why bother trying to sell them anything. When I initiate the conversation by saying hello, shop owners will respond and happily chat with me. Many think I’m Vietnamese until they ask where I’m from. I do play the Vietnamese discount angle and frequently I’m met with a cheaper price and a new friend.

The Ultimate Road Course

A red light at a Hanoi intersection. This jam went on for about 100m.

I have to say that the first thing that struck me about Vietnam was the traffic. I’ve never seen so many motorcycles in one intersection before, ever. Nothing better describes this than the word “cluster-fuck”. The few traffic signals that are about are mere suggestions. The lines on the road are completely ignored. Roundabouts, which are meant to slow down traffic, were treated more like welcome additions to the obstacle course that were placed on the street as a dare. The only weapon commuters have against this chaos of steel, rubber and diesel fuel are a rapidly fired horn and the constant flashing of high-beams. Blinkers are applied like strobe-lights, not as an indicator of intent, but more as a warning sign which screams “LOOK OUT, HERE I COME!”

Trucks and buses have the ultimate advantage of sheer size. Everyone looks out for them, even if only to honk at them to get out of the way. Motorbikes have the ability to quickly weave in and out of vehicles, buildings and stationary objects. Only when weighed down by an entire family of five does this particular mode of transportation become less than optimal and slightly more dangerous. Bicycles are by far the most disadvantaged vehicle on the road. They are slow, sluggish, and cannot be easily seen at night, though that doesn’t stop them from being ridden down dark narrow roads at night. The only thing that improves their road status is the size and width of their load. Perhaps this is why the Vietnamese have become experts on stacking crap high and wide on their bicycles. Fishing nets, fruit, boxes, plastic buckets, and even other bicycles. I saw a bunch of ladies riding bicycles piled high with plastic buckets, pails, strainers, bowls, feather dusters and other cleaning tools. It was like a big traveling Tupperware party! It seemed the more precariously balanced your load, the more leeway you’re given on the road. It’s kind of like avoiding the little old people driving 1979 Lincoln Continentals in Florida.


An example of how much crap an average Vietnamese can put on a bicycle.

With motorbikes, bicycles and cyclos whipping about the city, it was difficult to imagine how pedestrians made their way about. But you saw them do it with ease and often carrying merciless loads of vegetables, fruit or dirt. Crossing the street was an Olympic sport. Like JP told us in his parting advice, keep your pace and your direction and don’t do anything unpredictable like run or turn back. The speeding bikes can guess your path and will drive around you. Simply hold your breath, step off the curb, and don’t stop. Funny enough, I had actually overheard a conversation between a few tourists where one woman asked another whether she had crossed the street yet. Her tone was excited as if crossing the street in Hanoi was as important as visiting the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

Interesting People Along the Way...

Kun, the Comedian in Cambodia. Our local guide for our tour through Angkor Wat was Kun, who had fleeting aspirations of being an amateur comedian and pop star (karaoke trained, of course). Unfortunately, most of his jokes involved a farm animal and his delivery was dampened by the fact that he was killing himself laughing before the punch line. Throughout the day, several of us tried to help him out by giving him new material but he just couldn’t seem to get the timing thing down. Despite his lighthearted demeanor, Kun had a difficult life. His parents were victims of the Pol Pot regime. They were forced to marry, not by their parents, but by the government. During the regime, people were randomly “assigned” spouses, almost like a random lottery. Kun’s family was displaced several times and fled from village to village avoiding the Khmer Rouge. Kun told us about the history of the Siem Reap area as it was a major point of conflict during the regime.

Me and our comedian tour guide, Kun.

Leing, A Life of Hardship. Leing was our guide through Phnom Penh. She was a woman in her late 50’s who although carried herself in a stiff, upright stance, had a large and warm smile. Leing’s family had suffered a great deal during the Pol Pot regime. In 1975, her family fled to the countryside and spent 7 months making their way to the refugee camps on the border of Vietnam and Cambodia. They spent years with 8,000 of their fellow Cambodians at these camps. Three of her children were born in these camps and it wasn’t until 1991 that they dared return. The hardship of these decades took a toll on her family and her husband, broken and depressed, died just five months earlier. Leing fought back tears as she told us of her plight, but the fact that she was still so committed to telling her people’s story demonstrated the strength and spirit visible in many of her people.

Leing helping translate Lucy's "fortune" at a temple in Phnom Penh.

Paul, Another Aussie from Melbourne. After traveling through this part of the world for the past three weeks, I discovered that the entire population of Melbourne, Australia had just got up and left to go on holiday. I met at least one person from this city in just about every place I visited – from airport in Saigon, a restaurant in Hanoi, to an internet café in Hoi An. Paul was a really nice fellow who was killing time before he had to face the real world. He had been in real estate in Australia and decided that a life change was in order. His plan was to spend three months in SEAsia before going to London to find a paying job. He was recently abandoned by his English traveling companion and was eager to meet up with some new friends. It was a bonus that he was also staying in the same Hoi An hotel and me and Lucy. For the 12 hours that we knew him, Lucy and I agreed that he would be a kick to travel with and were bummed out that we missed the opportunity to know him better before we went our separate ways.

Lucy, JP, Bonnie, and Paul. Friends at Treats Bar - Hoi An, Vietnam.

A Cast of Characters in Hanoi. At the charming 69 Café and Bar, I made many new friends. I must have been considered a novelty at the café because slowly but surely, I met everyone who worked there, even the wait staff from upstairs! I met Phong, a girl who had come to Hanoi from the countryside to seek opportunity. Her dream was to open up her own restaurant someday. She enjoyed practicing her English with me and was very open and articulate in sharing her ideas for her future. I learned that my friendly French-speaking waiter was named Toi (means Stop). All his co-workers joked that after him, his parents didn’t want any more kids. When they heard that I was leaving Hanoi the next day, they all asked me when I was coming back to Vietnam and got me to promise them to come back again. I’ve never had such a warm reception among perfect strangers before. I think that in the spirit of traveling, one must open up to others if they wish to be embraced.

I met Michelle Kelly one day while enjoying dessert at Fanny’s Ice Cream. She was a 23-year-old from San Francisco who had spent a year teaching English in Osaka, Japan. After a brief trip home to settle relationship problems, she was embarking on a four month adventure through Southeast Asia. We compared travel notes and decided to meet for dinner at Brother’s Café, an old converted Buddhist monastery.

After dinner, Michelle and I visited the Red Mask, JP’s bar. Yelling “Oî Troi Oî” as I walked in, I was immediately greeted with enthusiasm by Hien and others at the bar. The spirit of JP truly lives here. It’s a small, dark bar was located at the end of Ta Hien – a narrow alley in the middle of the Old Quarter. Its atmosphere was quaint and drew a friendly crowd of locals and foreigners. After three Tiger beers, one of which was on the house, I found myself conversing with an older gent from Australia who after discovering I was Canadian, spent moments bragging about his run-in with a young Wayne Gretzky.

A few nights later I went back to the Red Mask and met up with Shane, an Aussie (from Melbourne, Australia, where else?) whom Lucy and I had first met in Hoi An. I also met Martin, a 22-year-old guy from Czech Republic who was studying in Switzerland. He was having relationship issues with a local girl (also a drug addict) and was drowning his pathetic sorrows in Tiger beer. Just past midnight, I decided it was time to go and as I walked out of the bar I was surprised by the empty streets that greeted me. Hanoi may have been a frenzied city in the daytime, but at this time of morning it was dead asleep. I guess that’s because markets will be open for business in four hours. Needless to say, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find way back to my hotel. Fortunately, one of the "friendly" bartenders at the Red Mask offered to give me a ride. I was grateful for the ride but about five minutes into it I realized we were going the wrong way. Even in my blurry state, I could tell that the hotel was not in the direction we were headed. I learned from my driver that he was giving me a private night tour of Hanoi’s highlights. He showed me the Mausoleum, the night market, and the temples. After some urging, he finally dropped me off at my hotel and had the gall to ask me for money! Well damn. So much for hospitality!

Hoang, our bartender at Treats Bar. Hoi An, Vietnam.

A Fanfare of Tasty Things

Lucy and I bravely eating some roadside springrolls in Saigon. The vendor looks nice enough...doesn't she? She wouldn't intentionally poison us...would she?

I hold true to my statement that I did not have a bad meal in Cambodia or Vietnam. Now granted some meals were way better than others, and some were experiments, but all in all, I didn’t die from anything I ingested. I even survived snake wine (barely). The food has been AWESOME and I feel I’ve gained 10 lbs just eating – carbs, carbs, carbs! Woo Hoo! The liberation of not having any signage that says carbs are bad for you! I’ve been subsisting on rice/rice noodles, fresh-caught seafood, vegetables, fruit, and coffee. The two treats I’ve had on a regular basis are bread and ice cream. Thank God the French brought both of those to Vietnam! You would never guess that the bread here is better than in the U.S. but it is! Crunchy baguettes that are soft inside – YUM! I had no idea about the ice cream thing. I knew that the Americans influenced the appreciation of ice cream during the war but had no idea that the French preceded them during their occupation of the country and really proliferated not only the consumption, but the manufacturer of really good ice cream. The coffee in Vietnam completely exceeds the quality of a cup of Starbucks. It’s got rocket-fuel in it. Seriously. One shot of this and you’ll be awake for days. Some people don’t like how strong and sweet they take it here, but I’ve learned to appreciate Vietnamese coffee as a delicious snack to be savored every afternoon and evening.

Besides the common dishes of pho (noodle soup pronounced "fuhr"), com (rice), and cha gio (spring rolls fresh and fried), I was introduced to a couple new local delights during my trip.

• Bun chá (pronounced boon chia). With help of local friends, I ate at a great local restaurant in the middle of Hanoi famous for this dish – the only thing they seemed to serve. The front of the tiny building was littered with motorcycles and valet parking was literally a guy pointing out any two foot space in the one block radius. Upon entering the establishment your first reaction is “it’s full, we’ll have to wait for a table”. But the secret of many of these restaurants is that one has to only look up to find more seating. Everything is stadium seating here! We walked up a tiny twisting staircase to the 2nd floor which happened to also be full-up so we walked up one more flight and found a small space at the end of a cafeteria-style table. Trán said that this went on for another two floors up. As we negotiated our way up the staircase I could only imagine the nimbleness by which the waitresses had to carry food up to their customers. There were no elevators and the kitchen (which consisted of an open range, a stock pot, and a wok) was on the first floor next to the motorcycle lot. Can you imagine people trying to pull that off in the US? Not! Bun chá was consisted of a bowl of rich soup filled with grilled meats. You added basil, garlic and chili to your taste and dipped the rice noodles into your bowl of soup before eating them. It was really tasty and something I will look for in the US. To supplement this meal was a gigantic pyramid of fried spring rolls. It was all so good I could have sat there and continued eating the rest of the afternoon. This experience was a far cry from my dinner which also involved a famous Vietnamese dish.
• Chá Ca was well known in northern Vietnam. There were several restaurants in Hanoi which served it as a specialty but one was recommended – like bun chá, it was the only dish served at this one place - Chá Ca La Vong on Chá Ca Street (how could you go wrong?). So I journeyed to the Old Quarter to taste this dish of grilled fish and vegetables. What I was presented with was a crushing blow to the high food standards I had set during the past three weeks. At first, a bowl of rice noodles was placed in front of me, and then a big plate of what I discovered was dill – big long stocks of dill. Then a charcoal brazier was carefully maneuvered onto the table and finally a sizzling pan filled with fish bits in an oily saffron broth was placed over it. The dill was dumped into this mixture and sautéed until wilted. That was it – a big mess of fish, dill, saffron and oil. I watched carefully around me to see exactly how I was supposed to eat this. I added peanuts, chili and fish sauce to my rice noodles and spooned the fish mixture over it. What I ended up with wasn’t exactly the tastiest thing in the world, but I’ll forever have a memory of it stained on my newly tailored shirt.

Observations from a Café Window

As I spent time sitting at the front table of the 69 Café & Bar, I noticed a number of interesting scenes happening on Ma May Street in front of me. At every moment there was a roadshow – bicycles, motorbikes, cyclos and every so often, a car. I saw all the family members from next door and watched in amazement as the mother miraculously rocked her baby girl to sleep right on the street corner amidst the yelling, honking and hokey music. I watched the old lady who walks around with a towel on her head. She doesn’t seem to have a purpose except to spend the early evening strolling the streets. I’m most puzzled by the guy who does laps around the block wheeling this contraption that looks like a giant electronic scale. It was like a traveling sideshow – guess your weight! By far, the most annoying thing was the little nut cart that came by every few minutes. They’re all over the city and each cart is filled with what looked like fresh roasted peanuts or chestnuts and were propelled by the bicycle they were attached to. On the surface, they seem harmless enough – like the Dickie Dee ice cream truck. However, unlike the nonsensical melodies that emit from the treat trucks in the U.S., these nut carts play painfully annoying melodies like Lambada, Jingle Bells, We Wish You A Merry Christmas, and God forbid, the whole damn Christmas mega-mix.

Hanoi City Highlights

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Check out the huge line to visit Uncle Ho himself.

Today was a day of great learning. I set up a tour of the city and was met by Trán, my guide for the day. She was a recent university graduate who had been with Handspan for five months. We started early this Sunday morning and headed directly for the Ho Chi Minh Complex. We were there at the opening and there was already a huge line to enter the mausoleum. It was almost as if these people were making a religious pilgrimage. Even the rules for dress and behavior were similar to entering a temple or mosque. As a “foreigner” I was allowed to cut the line which meant our wait was short. The mausoleum was gigantic and made completely of grey marble. There were private guards dressed from head-to-toe in white and stationed throughout the building. Ho Chi Minh’s preserved body was vacuum sealed for freshness inside a glass box – this seems to be a theme for Communist leaders. Speaking of which, I learned later that Uncle Ho was sent on a three-month vacation to Russia every year to be “touched-up”. It was quite a sight and as I left I looked back to see that the line to enter the tomb had doubled in size since I walked in.

The HCM complex was vast, taking up a sizeable portion of Hanoi city. It contained other significant buildings including House #54, the electrician’s house used by Uncle Ho when he refused to live in the Presidential Palace. The House on Stilts was his home during the war. It was just as simple as House #54, but beautifully crafted in wood. The grounds were sprawling and enclosed a small lake which was filled with carp. When Ho Chi Minh was alive, he used to spend a lot of time in his gardens and was said to have trained the carp to come to the surface to be fed when he clapped his hands. As a result, many visitors walk around the lake clapping furiously looking for carp. The famous One Pillar Pagoda was a very simple structure that did not live up to its notoriety.


The Ho Chi Minh Museum. Fascinating view of a notorious and beloved man.

The Ho Chi Minh Museum, on the other hand, blew me away. It was gorgeous and extraordinary. It was designed in the shape of a lotus, which symbolized prosperity. As you walk in you are met with a giant bronze sculpture of Ho Chi Minh wishing all visitors peace and freedom. One makes their way to the third floor where the story of this great leader unfolds and intertwines with the country’s history. We learn of his birth in China and his travels to Indochina and then to France. The exhibits displayed documents, pictures, newspaper clippings and letters which shaped his ideals like the Industrial Revolution and Russian Revolution. There are artifacts from Vietnam’s struggle for independence from the French and the then the conflict with Americans. They were organized in logical clusters based on topics or events. However, the most remarkable thing about this museum was the symbolism which was present in everything from floor to ceiling. Each marked a transition between displays, like an elaborately designed story. For example, the wall of tears/rain that was constructed of plastic bubbles containing actual water droplets symbolized the sorrow at Uncle Ho’s death. Wave-like sculptures on the floors and ceilings symbolize Ho Chi Minh’s travel from China to Indochina and then to France. Detailed murals depict the struggle of his people from their hard agrarian life to war. Adjacent clusters of artifacts were used to symbolize rich and poor lifestyles – all things that point to the socialist ideals Ho Chi Minh founded his country upon. It was a fascinating walk through history, a history not known to many Westerners. Admission into this “House of Ho” was free to all Vietnamese citizens – encouraging learning, understanding and preservation of one man’s ideals.

Gates at the Temple of Literature, Hanoi, Vietnam.

After leaving the tribute to the dead leader, we went to the Temple of Literature. It was the first university in Vietnam and was built upon the principles of Confucianism. The building was destroyed through the French Indochina and Vietnam wars but was restored by UNESCO in 2000. The temple was organized into five courtyards, each leading a student into further learning. Carvings of two carp feeding from sacred waters decorated the gateways. As a student progresses with his enlightenment, he changes from carp to dragon and completes the transformation. The symbolism reflects the difficult task of learning and education. Today, this place is still visited by students and families who want success in school and exams. The temple was very influenced by the Chinese and a student was encouraged to be a good Mandarin.


Diorama in the Museum of Ethnology. Hanoi, Vietnam.

Our last stop of the day was the Museum of Ethnology which was about 15 km outside central Hanoi. At first glance it looked like an unimpressive concrete building, but appearances were deceiving. This museum was one of the most interesting and dynamic landmarks I’ve visited in Vietnam. It celebrated the diversity of the people who lived in the country of Vietnam – some 54 different ethnic groups. The building was shaped like a drum (apparently very feng shui) and housed a rich and expansive collection of costumes and objects from the ceremonial to the every-day. As you moved through the building you were introduced to the different ethnic groups. Descriptions of each were very detailed and included maps, photos and stories in four languages. There were elaborate life-size dioramas which depicted a “day in the life” of these different peoples and short videos showing the actual activities or ceremonies performed by these groups in their villages. These multimedia presentations provided excellent interpretation of the artifacts and also offered visitors with a chance to sit, rest and learn. Outside the museum itself were authentic traditional homes of the Muong, Thai and Cham peoples, to name a few. I was able to not only view them from a distance, but walk through these buildings and learn more about how each of these ethnicities lived. The Museum of Ethnology was one of the most diverse museums, in both content and presentation, I’ve ever visited and was an effective tool in both teaching locals of the richness of their homeland and encouraging foreign visitors to explore more of this incredible country.


Real-size replica of a Thai longhouse. Museum of Ethnology, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Halong Bay

I got up early this morning to catch a tour to Halong Bay. On the bus I met two older women who worked at the American Embassy, a young man who was the son of one of the women, and a couple from the Netherlands. The small group size was great. We saw a lot of groups doing the same trip and some had over 20 people. I couldn’t imagine traveling in a cattle car like that. The countryside was filled with rice paddies and dilapidated stone buildings. Every so often we would pass through a small village packed with Saturday activity. It was a long ride to Halong Bay (3.5 hours) and by the time we got there, we were weary. The boat was very nice and the ride out to the bay was very relaxing and reawakened us from our travel.


Rice paddies along in Haiphong...on the way to Halong City.

Halong Bay has been a World Heritage site since 1994. It’s quite beautiful with gorgeous limestone islands dotting the water. It reminded me of southern Thailand and I was half expecting a James Bond nemesis to be squirreled away somewhere in an archipelago protected by “sharks with frickin’ laser beams on their heads” ad plotting to destroy the world. We had a really nice lunch of spring rolls, vegetables, fresh fish and other delights. The meal was followed by a trek out to the Amazing Cave. From the outside, it looked like a small gap in the rocks, but as we walked further in, the cave opened up to us and we were marveled by the incredible limestone features from the wave-like ceiling texture to the awesome stalactites.


View from the "Amazing Caves". Halong Bay, Vietnam.

As we started back to the harbor, the boat made a stop and we were asked if we’d like to have a swim in the bay. If it wasn’t for the fact that we’re in the middle of a boat lane and we saw the floating villages dumping their garbage into the water, we’d be excited by the prospect. But under these circumstances, none of us were thrilled by the idea of diving into the bay. Due to our disinterest in further exercise, we headed back to the harbor. Our journey back to Hanoi was quite long. The bus driver was more cautious on the return and our trip dragged on. We were relieved to see the Hanoi city limits. It was a long 12-hour day and if I never saw another mini-bus it would be too soon.

Hanoi...First Impressions

What an amazing place! Hanoi is beautiful and vibrant. It’s the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City, but with the quaintness of “Asia”. Missing are the huge concrete skyscrapers and wide sidewalks. Instead you see a lot of French architecture, narrow streets, and markets. Everywhere there is someone eager to give you a ride on a motorbike or cyclo.

People are very friendly and I’ve been doing my share of bargaining and buying. I’m working on my Vietnamese discount. Many locals I’ve run into think that I’m Vietnamese and I often play along, half-joking with them asking for a “Vietnamese discount.” This has lightened the situation with laughter and often given me great deals and excellent treatment in stores. I’ve found that you can get farther with a smile and a friendly chat than with the more common cold foreign brush-off. The thing with bargaining is, if they like you, they’ll deal.


Hanoi Street Market

This morning I visited Dong Xuan market which is like the biggest flea market you can imagine, times 10! It’s absolutely crazy. You can buy everything from parakeets to purses, dishwashers to dried fish. There really aren’t walkways through the stalls. You pretty much have to walk over people and climb over boxes and boxes of crap. I’ve never seen so many plastic shoes and knock-off luggage! Later in the afternoon, I spent about 20 minutes talking with a young girl in her family’s lacquer shop. She wanted to practice her English and I was learning Vietnamese. I was sitting on these tiny stools in the store chatting while her mother continuously poured me tea in a teeny-tiny ceramic cup and her father persistently offered me cigarettes. It was hysterical! You definitely don’t get this kind of treatment in the U.S.


Every kind of thing is for sale here.

Adventures in Hoi An

Today, I had a mission – SHOP! Lucy and I split up for maximum effectiveness. Since my time in Hoi An was limited, I immediately went to Yaly Silk Shop to get fitted for my new clothes. I was greeted by Vãn who helped me pick out some clothes in catalogs, choose materials and get measured. The entire process lasted about 90 minutes and by the end I had 4 shirts, 1 top, 3 pairs of pants, 1 pair of pajamas (for mum), and 1 ao dai (the Vietnamese traditional dress) for $217. Next I went to get fitted for some silk shoes. The young woman who was there was really sweet and told me that I was her first customer and that I will sure bring her luck for the rest of the day. On that street corner I started a conversation with a motorbike taxi driver who was excited that I was Canadian. He had a Canadian flag pin on his hat and was insistent on taking me to the beach. I told him that I was on a shopping mission and that I may take him up on his offer another day. Needless to say, every time I went through this intersection, he and his friends would yell out “Canada!” I was notorious in this small town already and I had only been here for less than 24 hours.


My friendly motorbike driver in Hoi An. I was greeted every day with "Hey Canada!!"

It seemed the entire town of Hoi An was aware that JP was coming. We spoke to three people in three different shops/cafes which had all received calls from JP telling them he was on his way. At around 4:00 pm I was at the internet café across the street when the man himself sat down right next to me. We agreed to meet at Treats at 6:00 pm. Lucy and I donned our “special shirts” that evening and proceeded to incite laughter as we walked down the street. Laughing and pointing weren’t exactly the reaction we were aiming for, but at least we were memorable. We showed up at Treats and JP was heartily impressed by our ingenuity. We got lots of pictures of our popular shirts and he agreed that Lucy and I would be fashion consultants for Troî Oî bar merchandise.

Prior to dinner, we were primed with lots of Tiger beer and snake wine! The latter made me ill for the rest of the evening and prevented me from really enjoying an awesome dinner at The Cargo Club. After dinner we went back to Treats for more refreshments, though I was still feeling ill from the snake wine. Instead of continuing to drink, I was roped into a game of pool with Paul (my new Aussie friend) and was summarily defeated three times. The rest was a blur. We closed the bar down around 12:30 am and wearily walked back to our hotel where I ended the evening with a voluntary purging of the snake wine.

Long Journey to Great Rewards

Holy crap, what a journey! Today, we traveled for about 12 straight hours. It began with a long four hour drive from Mui Ne to Ho Chi Minh City airport. Upon arrival, we discovered that our flight was delayed two hours. Hmmmm…what to do at the Saigon airport (domestic terminal) for two hours? We spent some of it at the restaurant slurping down rice noodle soup and beef balls. The rest of the time was wasted browsing the one shop they had in the terminal that sold cheesy souvenirs and weird processed foods. We did meet a few interesting people at the airport. The first was Claire, an Irish gal who was heading to Hanoi for her last days of vacation. We also met a couple of Dutch guys who were REALLY tall. I never got their names, but I ended up seeing them a lot during the rest of the trip.

Once we boarded the plane we still didn’t leave the ground for another 30 minutes since the weather was deteriorating and planes were grounded. Finally, we got off the ground and the flight to Danang was a mere 55 minutes. But the journey was not yet over. We still had a 45 minute drive from Danang airport to Hoi An. By 4:30 pm we finally made it to Thuy Duong 3 Hotel – very nice place complete with a lovely pool. Hoi An was a great little town. I’m so glad I changed my plans and came here instead of Hue. The town was quaint and friendly. It was easy to navigate around, safe, and it had the right amount of bustle. Hoi An had a neighborhood feel missing in Saigon and there was an openness about the city that welcomed all its many visitors.


A quiet street in Hoi An, Vietnam.

Since our episode at the Shadow Bar in Saigon Lucy and I decided that shirts were required for our next meeting with JP. We knew he was going to be in town the following day and wanted to surprise him with our “Oî Troî Oî” shirts. We found a lady who sold us black tank-tops for $1.50 and convinced a woman who owned a clothing shop to embroider the phrase on the shirts for $2.00. They were laughing so hard when we told them what we wanted sewn on the shirt. I guess they found our antics amusing for a totally different reason.

Sandboarding...Vietnamese-style

While in Mui Ne, we heard a lot about the exquisite sand dunes that feature prominently in travel brochures. It was an unusual natural phenomenon for a tropical climate, so we decided to embrace nature's quirkiness and visit the famed dunes of Mui Ne. Our friendly resort proprietor helped us corral three motorbikes to take us to the dunes and back for a mere 45,000 VD ($3.00). Pretty good deal. We hopped on the back of the bikes and were taken through the heart of the town and its pleasant-smelling fish market, stopping briefly to capture some great pictures of the fishing boats returning in the setting sun.

Extremely unusual for a tropical climate, these sand dunes are famous among local and visiting photographers.

When we reached the sand dunes we were immediately confronted by 10 kids all carrying plastic sheets the size of cafeteria trays. They marched with us over the dunes and were persistent in showing us the best places to slide down. Kevin was the first to give into them and had promised three kids that he would slide down on their equipment. My little guy was about 11 years old and quite a salesman. His English was excellent and he used it to spin his way into convincing me to trust him – “no problem”, he’d say J. So there we were, three travelers and our pint-size guides sand-boarding and sand-sliding down these 30 foot dunes. It was a lot of fun and well worth the 5,000 VD (30¢). On our way back to our hotel, most of the sand we wedged into our clothes was dusted off by the fury of the motorbike ride and the sprinkling of rain. I think that in a few years, these kids will definitely figure out how to capitalize on this little venture of theirs.


Our little friends at the dunes in Mui Ne, Vietnam.

Kevin experimenting with sandboarding.

A Little Piece of Heaven...Mui Ne

We woke around 8:30 in the morning to the sound of surf and the laughter of children. Our room at the Full Moon Resort was wonderful. We had two big double-beds, wooden shutters, a large bathroom with sit-in tub, and most importantly, well-functioning air-conditioning. Our door opened to a wrap-around veranda that was just steps from chaise lounges and the beach. The resort was under construction with a new wing and a swimming pool being built for the upcoming tourist season.

After breakfast Lucy and I decided to walk up the beach to explore our surroundings. Except for a few people, the beach was deserted. It was beautiful, secluded, clean and simply wonderful. After trekking up and back down the beach Lucy and I dove into the South China Sea in attempts to cool off. The water was a warm bathtub and filled with bits of algae which we later learned got into every crevice of your body. The people around were mostly couples and we had a tough time looking for cute single boys!

At the Mui Ne Sailing Club we struck up a conversation with an Aussie learned that we missed the surf by about a month. There was a typhoon over the Philippines in August that brought up 10-12 foot swells on this beach. The water remained flat for most of the day but as predicted by the Aussie, the wind picked up at 1:00 pm. By 2:00 pm kiters were on the water. There was a poor guy trying to learn to body-drag and was pretty much dragged all the way down the beach. The only proficient kiter was a guy riding a 12m black/green Airush. When Lucy and I stopped to watch he made a couple passes and did some tricks for us. At least we kept him occupied. Later that night I learned the kiter’s name was Paul. I was told this information by Matt, the resident kite instructor at Jibe’s. He was a very cute blondie from B.C. who rode a 14m grey Slingshot and gave me free stickers. Besides the brief chit-chat with the boys, the highlight of the day was being vigorously massaged by two old ladies who shared ten teeth between them. This local delight cost a whole 50,000 VD (about $3.50). Sweeeeeet!

The Beach or Bust!

We spent our last hours in Ho Chi Minh City at the Majestic’s rooftop bar drinking our dinner. We watched the crowds of people and motorcycles board the Saigon River ferries. We watched the traffic on the streets below and contemplated our trip to date. Reluctantly Lucy and I left this lap of luxury and boarded a bus to Mui Ne at 8:00 pm.

Street scene from the rooftop bar at the Majestic Hotel. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

The bus ride was a little crazy. It was filled with both locals and foreign travelers looking for a cheap way to blow town. I swear our driver and the pals he had along for the ride were trying to break a land speed record. He was absolutely crazy, doing double and triple passes along a winding two-lane road with oncoming traffic. I had a view of the front windshield and I should have looked away! The ride was so jostling that the poor woman sitting behind me and Lucy was carsick and spent ½ hour very politely puking into a bag. Her boyfriend/husband was not very sympathetic and tried to distract his ill partner by giving her a very annoying hand-held electronic game. The noises that emanated from that thing were maddening. Every so often it would emit a tinny laugh or ridiculous monkey noises. Between hushed vomit sessions and loud burps of ape sounds, Lucy and I were beside ourselves with delirium. After over four hours we finally made it to Mui Ne and thankfully stumbled into our peaceful beach havens.

Tunnel Heros

It was an incredibly hot day when we visited the Cu Chi Tunnels. Our tour guide was very funny and told us jokes that only he seemed to find amusing – why is it that every tour guide was an amateur comedian? He was about 65 years old and had fought with the Americans during the Vietnam War. During his entire time in the army he had tried to figure out ways to get out and he told us that there were in fact only two ways to get out of the army. He either had to cut off his trigger finger or have more children. It seems that the army had a policy that any man with six or more children was exempt from military service. So during his 8 years in the South Vietnamese Army, he fathered five children and just as the sixth was conceived, the war was over. Talk about bad timing.

Anyhow, he was very well versed in the war and gave us an excellent tour of the tunnels. The Cu Chi Tunnels were originally built in 1947 during the Indochina war against the French. However, during the conflict with the South Vietnamese, the tunnels expanded to cover 200km with some of the tunnels coming to mere meters of American bases. The tunnels were constructed in three levels:

• First level was where the Viet Cong lived day-to-day where their bunks, dining and war planning took place
• Second level was used as intermediary passages between the first level and the third level
• Third level was used solely for escape to the Saigon River
  

The tunnels were incredibly cramped, hot and musty. I’ve never been claustrophobic but after crawling 100m underground in these tunnels I was ready to emerge a “Tunnel Hero”.

Me emerging from a tiny tunnel opening. This was more complicated than it appeared.

An added bonus to this venture was the fact that I got to shoot an AK-47 for a bargain price of 50,000 VD (about $3.50). I squeezed off five bullets and because Lucy chickened-out at the last minute, I got to shoot her five in semi-automatic mode. Oh what fun!!

Oh yeah baby...that's me getting friendly with an AK-47. I have no idea where my bullets went, but it was darn fun pulling that trigger!

The Mekong - The Ultimate Jungle Cruise

We took a trip out to the Mekong Delta today. The trip was about two hours from Ho Chi Minh City but our super speedy driver got us there in about 2½ hours. This didn’t help Lucy’s hangover one bit. Once at the dock, we took a boat down the Mekong River and viewed some of the small islands in the delta. We got to Dragon Island and transferred to a smaller boat that was the Vietnamese version of Disney’s Jungle Cruise. The terrain was incredible and the more I took it all in, the more I kept wondering how America believed they could win a war in this country. It was hot, wet, jungle, mud and river. Taking this pleasure cruise through the area seemed wrong. I felt like we should have been wearing fatigues and camo gear, toting a rifle, and watching for a fleet of helicopters overhead dropping napalm to the beat of Flight of the Valkyries. We had our own swiftboat captain and he navigated our way to a hidden-away shelter area where we sampled coconut candy and fresh honey.

Another boat ride and we were at Unicorn Island where we had a basic Vietnamese meal at a strange “resort”. Our meal was enhanced by the funky 60’s elevator music that was played in a continuous loop. After lunch we had a walking tour of the island sampling strange fruits (like gross water chestnuts) and stopped to listen to traditional music played by two young girls. We were paddled around some scenic canals by two ladies who were covered head-to-toe in silk clothes. It was an awesome, peaceful way to see the beauty of the area. Lucy had recovered from her hang-over and was ready to take on a dare to drink an 8 oz. glass of the Mekong River for $1M. Clever negotiations got her down to $10. Although she didn’t do it, Lucy got a sense for how low her bar would be if she needed to make some quick cash during the latter days of her around-the-world trip.

Mekong Delta: The narrow canals through the jungle. We got a ride in one of these boats.

The Shadow Bar, Saigon

This bar was JP’s “favorite bar in Saigon” and it was filled with his “favorite girls in Saigon”. When we arrived, we met about 7 girls at the bar. They were all very nice and so helpful in teaching us Vietnamese. We also met Nú, JP’s girlfriend who lives in Paris. She was very charming and intelligent but I had a problem getting over the fact that she looked 12-years-old. Because it was National Day, the owner gave us a round of free drinks – in this case, JP’s suggestion of Aquavit. Everyone in the bar, including our new friend Sonny from South Africa, drank a shot followed by many Tiger beer chasers. The girls encouraged us to join them for an evening of dancing at the Rainforest Discotheque. This was a big, loud dance club that was pumping electronica out of incredibly large speakers. They even had a “brotha” mixing hip-hop tunes through the beats. The funniest part of the night was when they stopped the music to raffle off home appliances like washing machines and big screen TVs. It was hysterical – like a wacky game show. Lucy and I participated in the Vietnamese rave until past midnight at which time we meandered a few hundred feet back to our posh hotel for a good night’s sleep.

Moc Bai: The Cambodia/Vietnam Border

After three hours of road travel from Phnom Penh, including a short ferry ride across a Mekong River tributary, we were dropped off to once again make our way by foot across the border. Getting through immigration on the Cambodia side was rather painless, but when we tried to get into Vietnam, we were met head-on by Communist bureaucracy. Even at this pathetic little tin shack of an immigration office – seriously, it was a three walled lean-to at best – we experienced administrative bottleneck that moved at a snail’s pace and was only sped along by a big squirt of grease on the palms of the immigration officers and security guards. Thank goodness an experienced JP got us through with relative ease. He made sure we were at the border early, before other tour buses arrived, and he deftly maneuvered our passports through multiple inspection hurdles. I almost didn’t make it across the border. I got in trouble from a security officer when I tried to take a picture of the immigration shack. I guess I got black-listed because as everyone was getting back their passports, he took a long look at mine before handing it to me. I guess they take their bureaucratic jobs really seriously here. Once the ordeal at the border was over, we got on another bus and made our way to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. As Kevin put it, Vietnam is like Mexico without the burritos. We had officially moved from the Third World to the Second-and-a-Half World.

Around Phnom Penh

Unlike the small town of Siem Reap, the capital city of Phnom Penh was filled with things to see and do. We began with the Royal Residence and the Silver Pagoda. The king was not home (flag was down) so we had full run of the joint. Couple interesting notes about the king: first, he was held hostage in his own palace during the Pol Pot regime; second, he is now gravely ill and spends most of his time in China getting advanced medical treatment. Once our fill of elaborate temples was satisfied, we went to the National Museum. It’s a beautiful building, very detailed and ornately carved. We learned that bats used to roost in the terracotta slats of the museum’s roof. There were so many in number that their waste began seeping through the flimsy ceiling planks and destroying the works of art. It was only recently that the Australian government intervened and provided funding to build a more stable ceiling.

The Tuol Sleng Museum (or Museum of Genocidal Crimes) was an old school that was converted in 1975 to the largest detention and torture centers in the Pol Pot Regime. More than 17,000 people were held and tortured in S-21 and subsequently taken to the Killing Fields. As you walked through the decaying complex, you saw the rooms in which victims were held and the sick methods in which information was extracted from them. The remnants of rusting chains and ammunition boxes (used as toilets), and the blood stains in the halls, floors and even ceilings were grim and disturbing. The pictures of the hundreds of victims lined the wall and it was incredible how young some of these people were. One of the most interesting parts of the tour was on the second floor of Building E which housed a photo story of Khmer soldiers. Each story showed pictures of them during the days of the war and what their lives are like now. If anything, this exhibit tried to show the humanity of such an inhumane era. Many of these soldiers were kids and simply following the crowd. Many are still bearing the stigma for being a Pol Pot supporter. The points of view expressed revealed the other side of the story and provide a thought-provoking perspective on a painful part of this country’s history. What we saw next capped off this gruesome story.

A short, bumpy ride outside of town brought us to the infamous Killing Fields. We were allowed to walk through the fields and we often found ourselves stumbling upon clothes, bones and teeth still encased in the clay walkway. It was creepy to think that we were trampling over the dead and desecrating their resting places. I hope that the government will reconsider how to show this historical place in order to preserve the dignity of the dead. In the center of the field was a large stupa which housed all the bones and clothing remnants of the bodies found in the field. After all we learned today, it was an incredible realization that there has not been a part the world that is untouched by the horrors of war.

Skulls kept in the stupa at the Killing Fields Monument. Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The Horror...The Horror

After sampling some of the more refined dining and drinking spots in the capital, we were encouraged to visit the Heart of Darkness – a local dance bar. The place had a great atmosphere. It was separated into two areas – one was the main bar with some tables and a pool table; the other was a dance floor with some tall tables and two alcoves with cushions and a low table. Although dimly lit, one could still see the goings-on around us. It was fairly quite when we got there, but after 11:30, the place was on fire!

We saw lots of interesting people including lady-boys and a wide variety of taxi girls. There was blatant and open solicitation of sex everywhere we looked, but despite this activity Lucy and I agreed that we’d never felt safer. For one thing, most white guys were looking for local taxi girls and we didn’t quite fit that bill. The other guys were looking for, well, other guys, so it was clear we wouldn’t be targets in that quest either. Instead, we danced by ourselves and with JP’s friends (four sisters) most of the night. We were joined by a Nigerian guy who seemed to be there by himself and having a great time. He was sporting a video camera and was documenting the events of the evening including Lucy and myself.

That night we encouraged JP to write a book called “The Un-Lonely Planet” as he seemed to know everyone wherever we went. We will later learn he even knows the girl selling water at the Cambodia/Vietnam border! We also determined that the next Imaginative Traveller tour will be called “JP’s Pub Crawl – Hanoi to Bangkok”. It was way past 2:00 by the time Lucy, JP and I stumbled back to the hotel. Still running on adrenaline, Lucy and I turned on CNN and had a boisterous conversation about Bush politics and the Republican National Convention until past 3:00 am.