Phnom Penh

More photos of Phnom Penh can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/robyou/PhnomPenhCambodia7227262010?feat=directlink

We were bracing ourselves for a hard stretch in Phnom Penh after hearing mixed reviews from other travelers, but we found the city a pleasant contrast to Vietnam with its wide sidewalks (that aren't blocked by street vendors), cleaner streets, and quieter traffic (the horn is not used to communicate everything from "I'm passing you", "Get out of my way", or "You've just run over my chicken!"). Unfortunately, we didn't get to see much of this city as Steve fell ill the day we arrived...he literally "fell" as he fainted on the street while walking back to our hotel from lunch. Fortunately, there were a bunch of tuk tuk drivers (6 of them) loitering on the street who helped carry him the 50 meters to our hotel. Although he received a few cuts and scrapes on his face, what really scared the living daylights out of me was the treatment that the hotel staff administered to him to revive him from his unconsciousness. They performed a treatment called cao gio, also called coin rubbing or coining, which essentially involves applying tiger balm to the body and rubbing it repeatedly over the surface of the skin with a coin or spoon until blood appears. Good ol' wikipedia tells me that it is used by SE Asians to relieve a variety of illnesses such as aches, pains, fevers, colds, cough, nausea, abdominal pain, chills and symptoms related to changes in the weather. What we got was a very beat up looking Steve who literally earned some "tiger stripes" for enduring this treatment!

After a trip to a private hospital, Steve felt much better with 2 bags of IV in him, some antibiotics, and a clean bill of health (tested negative for malaria, dengue fever). We were very pleased with the care he received at the SOS Medical clinic after reading about how abysmal and medieval the medical care in Cambodia is. Although it was fairly expensive, even by Western standards, it was well worth it. I think we just broke even on our travel insurance policy premium!

Bikes, Bridges, and Boats

More photos of Mekong can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/robyou/MekongDelta7177222010?feat=directlink

Our four day biking excursion in the Mekong was so good, we decided to add a fifth day to the itinerary. With our dependable and good-natured guide Phat, and our friends Mike and Stefania, we were able to cover many miles on our sturdy mountain bikes. At times the sun was beating down, at others the rain was falling hard, but we always managed to reach our destination before dark. The delta is an extensive region of waterways, rice paddies, pineapple plantations, floating markets, and people. I had imagined a much more rural place, but the region is highly populated and bustling with all kinds of economic activity. One thing we really noticed during our month in Vietnam, traveling from north to south, was how food became cheaper the further south we went. I would assume this is a function of the productivity of the Mekong. It also seemed as if the people in the south were happier than their northern comrades. So it's time to say goodbye to Vietnam, and hello to our next destination Cambodia.

Steve

Robyn's Top Memories of the Mekong
- Ordering my coffee the same way every time, hot black coffee, no milk, no sugar, and getting a different result each instance.
- Finding out that the word for coconut, pineapple, and watermelon are virtually the same in Vietnamese (dua), but with different tonal variations. It still remains an enigma.
- I now know what it feels like to sit in a bike saddle for 4-6 hours a day, 4 days in a row!
- Eating in a local restaurant that also prepared snakes, rats, and frogs (of which we were sitting 4 ft away from their holding tanks). I ordered the fish.
- We were all really excited to stay at Phat's friend's house (a real home stay!) until it was time for bed and we found out that all 4 of us would be sleeping on the ground on thin straw mats under 1 mosquito net. We survived our cozy and uncomfortable foursome and had a good laugh in the morning!
- Hearing a chorus of 'Helloooooooos' and waves from every kid that we cycle pass.
- Watching Steve and Stefania go on a mosquito killing spree in our shared room a la Rambo-style, while Mike and I served as the mosquito bait.
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Ho Chi Minh City

More photos of Saigon can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/robyou/Saigon7147172010?feat=directlink

Does anyone call it Ho Chi Minh? We see official postings (bus schedules etc...) using that moniker, but most everyone we have met calls it Saigon. We arrived a couple of nights ago and have found this big city to be quite pleasant. It helps that the temperature has been uncommonly cool, and we have grown accustomed to the noise, the crowds, and the traffic. You can find almost anything here, so we have been branching out and trying some different types of food. Last night it was Mexican (not so good), today we just finished with an Indian meal (tasty) and tonight, who knows? Perhaps the snail soup that Dao and Howard recommended? It is the rainy season, and yesterday we got caught in our first real downpour. We noticed we were the only pedestrians making our way along the rain soaked streets. Seems everyone else (excluding our friends Mike and Stefania) had the good sense to wait it out under cover. Tomorrow we depart on a four day biking trip through the Mekong Delta, ending with a six hour boat ride to Phnom Penh Cambodia. Mike and Stefania our joining us for the trip, and it looks to be a great time. We will likely be out of touch for a few days, as we tour the rural villages and the floating markets of the Mekong.

Steve

Would this be legal in the States?

More photos can be seen at: http://picasaweb.google.com/robyou/DalatVietnam711714201002?feat=directlink

Not knowing what canyoning/abseiling was just a few short days ago, Steve and I had one of our best days yet.

Robyn

Yes, I concur. We both have come to the conclusion that as long as we are doing something active, we are happy. Our day canyoning in Dalat definitely fit the bill, putting smiles on both of our faces. Essentially abseiling is descending down a canyon, along with a river, swimming, hiking and when necessary repelling down the steep stuff. We had great guides from Groovy Gecko, who took the worry, or most of it anyway, out of the ropework and subsequent leaps over the falls. The other great thing about our day was hanging with our new friend Danny, whom we met on our way to Dalat, and who shared the back of the bus with us and his wife (six months pregnant) and their two sweet daughters Milly and Daisy. We also had the pleasure of meeting up with a some fellow Americans from Seattle, Beth and Jonathan. I guess it's worth mentioning that the other really pleasant aspect of this kind of journey is all the other travelers you meet along the way. It is really nice sharing stories, suggesting hotels and restaurants, and just having a sense of being in this sometimes challenging adventure together.

Steve

The Long Road To Dalat

Hoi An was charming, but after four days we felt the need to move on.   Keeping with our southerly descent we pondered heading to Nha Trang, the next logical stop on the well-worn tourist track.  After some debate, we decided to move past this less than inspiring beach town, and head to the mountain town of Dalat.  We knew it was going to be a fairly big travel day, but we weren't quite prepared for a full eighteen hour bus ride. Two buses actually, the first an overnight sleeper, the second a standard tour bus.  The sleeper bus was a decent way to travel, albeit bumpy, noisy, and a bit cramped.  Eleven hours later we were in Nha Trang for what was supposed to be an hour transfer, but actually turned out to be closer to three.   It didn't take us long to see that we had made the right decision to keep on moving.   The hotels all appeared to be cold utilitarian high rises and the beach while clean, was crowded and unremarkable.  The ride to Dalat started well enough, lovely coastal scenery, rice paddies, and small villages.  The problem was, we were told the ride would take five hours, and our Lonely Planet guidebook suggested that with the opening of a new road the trip would be closer to four.   I'm not sure if we were on the new road, or the guidebook jumped the gun, but the last thirty miles involved climbing up a steep dirt track under major construction.  We arrived in Dalat exhausted, dazed, and swearing never to ride in the back of a bus again.

Steve

Day 17: Holing up in Hoi An

More Photos of Hoi An: http://picasaweb.google.com.vn/robyou/HoiAnVietnam767102010?feat=directlink

Our 3rd day in Hoi An started with another beautiful breakfast spread at the hotel. It's amazing what a few weeks of selection deprivation will do to you. We've found our two most available breakfast options to be either eggs/white toast or crepes/bananas. Lovely options in their own right but tiresome after eating them continuously for over 2 wks. We haven't been partaking too often in the vietnamese standard breakfast of pho because it is still too darn hot, even in the morning! After breakfast, we toured some sites around Hoi An which was the confluence of Vietnamese, Chinese, and Japanese architecture in the 19th century and then took a taxi out to My Son which is the largest remains of the Champa civilization (Hindus). Coined the poor man's Angkor, it provided a little primer for our excursion to Angkor in a few weeks.

Day 16 - Hoi An Day Two

Our day began in the early morning hours as the governmental mandated power outage shut down the AC unit and we were awakened by a strange silence and the rapidly warming room. It got better though, breakfast on the back deck overlooking rice paddies was pleasant, and an afternoon bike ride to the beach and subsequent swimming, lounging and reading were just what we were hoping for. We also picked up our newly tailored outfits and were mostly happy with the results. Robyn decided she needed a jacket (she'll be shipping that home) so we picked that up this evening. It is amazing how quickly the garments are made here in Hoi An. All told, we spent $80 on two shirts, two pants and a jacket. We were told that there are between 400 and 500 tailor shops here, and after walking around for a of couple days, I believe it. If you happen to be in Vietnam and you need a newly tailored wardrobe, come spend a few days in Hoi An. The food and the sights are also quit impressive.

Steve

Day 15: Hoi An

We are finally hitting our stride. Despite the temperature, the traffic, the noise, the constant barrage of touts, and the bug bites, we are starting to relax and enjoy ourselves. Currently we are staying at a nice little hotel called Tien Thanh in Hoi An, about half way between Hanoi and Saigon. We arrived this afternoon by bus from Hue, an so far we have found this quaint little town to be just that, quaint. The town is known for it's tailoring industry and the beaches a few kilometers east. Though we keep wondering why we brought so many changes of clothes, too many to be sure, we decided we would each have a pair of linen pants and matching shirts made (pictures forthcoming). We celebrated our snazzy new clothes with a couple of bier Larues on our lovely veranda. Tomorrow we rent bikes ($1) and head to China beach.

Steve

Day 14: Hue - taking the good with the bad

Every trip has its ups and downs and today was a perfect example of that. We decided to get off the tourist path and rent a motorbike for the day to give it a go. Steve was an old pro riding a motorbike for the 1st time in over 20 yrs and although I had to hold on REAL tight as he got used to the manual shifting, we made it back unscathed. We toured the Citadel and Forbidden Purple City, the living quarters and compound for the Nguyen Dynasty, the last ruling dynasty. From there we headed to a beach not frequented by many tourists. After we had a really tasty lunch of fresh clams and pineapple, we had a not so pleasant encounter with a pack of drunk local Vietnamese men. Suffice it to say, i was ready to start throwing punches at them myself, but we ended up getting out of the water and basically leaving. That experience left me somewhat hardened and saddened for a few hrs until we came across a group of young boys flying kites. Their colorful kites lit up the sky and their laughter and smiles reminded me that all is right with the world.

Day 13: Hue - The further south we go, the better it gets...

More Photos of Hue can be found at: http://picasaweb.google.com/robyou/HueVietnam73762010#5492144885870952114

Moving south from Hanoi to the Imperial City of Hue, we noticed cooler temps (95 degrees vs 99!), falling prices ($15/nt vs $25 for a room), and far less traffic (only 3 motorbikes about to run you over vs 12 as you cross the street). That combined with friendlier folks make us much happier campers. Today we visited the DMZ, known as the demilitarized zone, which was the separating boundary between North and South Vietnam. The Vinh Moc Tunnels were the highlight which were a system of underground tunnels that the Vietnamese worked and lived in since the area sustained so much fighting that living above ground was unsafe. Although our guide was pretty clueless (hmmm... I don't think these tunnels were in use in 1950-1955 since the Vietnam War took place in 1965-1975?) and our butts were really sore from the 4 hour motorbike ride to get there, it was a worthwhile excursion to see such an example of human tenacity and ingenuity.

Flying into Hanoi, bleary-eyed and grumpy, I couldn't wait to step out into the hot sultry weather.  Twelve days later I continue to look forward to getting my sweat on every time we leave the relative comfort of our Hotel room.   Within minutes the perspiration is starting, sometimes from the heat, other times from the anxiety provoked at our first street crossing.  A street crossing in the old quarter of Hanoi reminds me of the days I used to play Frogger.  The main difference being that the cars and the scooters (millions of them) in Hanoi will slow down and even swerve to miss you, but like in the game, they will not stop for you.   Robyn and I have attempted to stare drivers down, but the best way to get across is just to slowly and steadily walk with a semblance of confidence and some thoughtful calculation as to when you should begin.

Steve

Northern Vietnam in 100 words or less

Photos of Hanoi can be seen at:http://picasaweb.google.com/robyou/Hanoi62262571732010?feat=directlink

Photos of Halong Bay: http://picasaweb.google.com/robyou/HalongBay6256272010?feat=directlink

Photos of Sapa: http://picasaweb.google.com/robyou/SapaVietnam628712010?feat=directlink

We've had a busy couple of wks, so busy that we lagged on our blogging (correction: sorry we couldn't even get the inaugural entry off the ground!) In that time, we've visited Hanoi, Halong Bay, and Sapa. We've managed to use 2 treatments of cipro (Steve now understands why he can't order iced drinks), get swindled by 12 year old hill tribe girls (with the saddest eyes you've ever seen, but graced with beautiful smiles), watch a dog and pig get slaughtered for an evening meal (although fresh, did not sway me over to the other side!) and almost lose a hiking boot in knee deep clay on the way to some natural hot springs (got my foot and shoe out with some valiant efforts from Steve and our guide Thien). Looking forward to what comes next after a good night's rest....

Btw, sorry we don't have pics to upload. Please complain to Apple on our behalf since they can't seem to provide the accessory to connect our camera to the iPad in sufficient quantities.

Robyn