HCMC/Saigon - City of Surprises - Part 1

HCMC/Saigon

How often do you hear the question what was(any city) like? it is a difficult question to answer because cities are such multilayered entities. You can only speak from your experience. You can capture moments in the life of a city from the streets, the restaurants, hotels, museums, markets or other attractions that you visit. We must add to this list as always the interesting people you meet along the way. Our five day stay was informative and often exciting. Our hotel was located across from a park filled with folks exercising, ballroom dancing and playing badminton early every morning. One of our best decisions was signing up for the Saigon Unseen Tour; the five hour tour exposed us to Saigon warts and all. The cleverly designed tour on the back of motorbikes included viewing sweat shops, temples, rich and poor neighborhoods, markets and narrow streets/alleys that we would never have found on our own. The energy on the street at night is amazing. Here are some of the things we did: Independence Palace, War Remnants Museum, Ben Thanh Market and a 2 day visit to the Mekong Delta. We would highly recommend all of these places should you visit Saigon.

Mui Ne

This is our first Christmas away from family and friends so we carefully chose a destination and accommodation. We are happy to report that we chose well. The Mui Ne Hills Guesthouse made us feel so welcome and they organized a special Christmas Eve BBQ for the guests. The eclectic
mix of people at the guesthouse made for a very enjoyable 7 day stay. Mui Ne is noted as the windiest part of .Vietnam and Kite and wind surfers from around the world come here to experience the challenges of the big surf. We particularly loved the beach experience watching the athleticism of these surfers leaping high into the air and skimming across the waves. We did not spend all our time on the beach. We climbed the red and white sand dunes and visited the picturesque fishing village. Yesterday we took a jeep tour to Ta Cu Mountain to see one of the largest reclining Buddhas in South East Asia. What a spectacular sight! Today as we write we are resting by the pool and tomorrow we are back to Ho Chi Minh Ciy for 2 more days. More on that in our next blog.

Trip at a glance

Weather - overall cloudy but pleasant - no rain Temperatures - 30 to 35 Celsius - very humid -85%

Meals - $8-$30 For example - last night's meal at an Indian Restaurant - $27.50 (4 glasses of wine, 2 excellent dishes and tip included)

Summary - 93 days - $131 per day this includes all transportation, meals, accommodation, in short everything

Beautiful Kep Cambodia

Kep

We were not impressed with Sihanoukville so we chose to come to Kep. Instantly Kep captured our interest and it is better good luck than good management that we found the Beach House Hotel. The accommodation was outstanding in every way with an outstanding view from our balcony. You could not beat the location just 2 km from the famous Kep Crab Market and an ocean beach across the street from the hotel. The hotel also featured a lovely pool. One highlight was a day tour to Rabbit Island where we hiked and explored it's wonderful beaches.Getting to the island was an adventure as the winds created very rough seas. We arrived slightly before seasickness set in. The tourist destination town of Kampot is easily toured from Kep and many travelers stay in Kampot rather than Kep. As mentioned in previous blogs it is always about the people you meet. We met 2 young ladies and 2 young men from France who were delightful (you know who you are)and had dinner with them. Anne we hope your journey is going well. We feel very lucky to be here at this time as the Kep area is on the verge of being californicated. Big time Chinese money is being invested and Bokor mountain which defines the area will be transformed into a place of megadevelopment including hotels, casinos, etc. The most unforgettable part of Kep was my 65th birthday at the Veranda Restaurant.

 Beach House Hotel Pool

 Road to Crab Market

Rabbit Island

Phnom Penh - Part Two - December 15 and 16
We left Kep on December 15 and arrived in Phnom Penh about 4 hours later. We stayed at the same hotel - Blue Lime - and once again thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We could not resist another lunch at Le Rits that is run by an NGO. If anyone ever visits Phnom Penh this is another good choice for accommodation and meals. Since we had only 1 day left in Phnom Penh we did a walkabout and finished the day with a sunset cruise. The sunset did not materialize because of the clouds but it was an interesting experience observing the many fish boats that are home to a large number of families.

Trip at a glance

Weather - same same -sunny hot and humid

Hotels- the Beach House( breakfast not included) - Kep, Cambodia - $40/night - excellent and Blue Lime - Phnom Penh - $60(superior Room this time)

Tours - Rabbit Island - $8/person

Meals - $6-$40 for two people

Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville

PHNOM PENH - PICKING UP THE PIECES
The inspiration for this title came from our visit to the Killing Fields outside of Phnom Penh.The visit renders one speechless as you hear the stories and read the stories relating how the Khmer Rouge detained, tortured and murdered between 3 and 4 million Of their own people. This slaughter occurred in a short period of 3 years, 8 months and 20 days between 1975 and 1979. It is difficult to travel in Cambodia and not meet people who have had family members killed or were themselves victims of this murderous regime. We would like to think that such atrocities were abberations but clearly this is not the case. All we have to do is pick up the newspaper or go online to find current examples of "Man's inhumanity to Man".

Cambodia is a sad country drenched in poverty but the Cambodian People seem to have a way about them. They are resilient, hardworking and a joy to be around. We especially enjoy the Tuk Tuk drivers who have a great sense of humor and a strong entrepreneurial spirit. Cambodia has been a highlight of our SE Asia tour. in spite of the things mentioned above - the lack of respect for human rights by governments, local elites, and international nations and corporations, Cambodia is still a beautiful country for the traveller. The landscapes are spectacular and the cultural attractions are many.

Sihanoukville
We knew a little about this "sin"city before we came. It gets it's reputation from the millions of visitors who come here every year for sun, sand and regrettably easy access to the services of prostitutes. We should not have been surprised that upon our arrival we witnessed a tattooed older man with a young Cambodian Lady at the restaurant where we had dinner or a nasty altercation that took place as we left the breakfast table to go to our room the following morning. it was then that we decided we were not staying there any longer. We checked out 2 local beaches(one was Ostres Beach, supposedly the nicest public beach). We were not impressed by either one so we took Doug's sister's recommendation and headed to Kep. This is where we are as we write and The Beach House Hotel is spectacular! More on Kep in our next blog...

Trip at a glance

Weather - 25-30 degrees during the day and sunny

Meals - $10-$30 (more expensive than other places)

Accommodation - Blue Lime Hotel - Phnom Penh - $40/night and The Beach House - Kep - $40/night

Transportation - Bus - 5 to 7 hour trips -$7/person

An Outstanding 8 Days in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Siem Reap is a must see for mainly one reason - Angkor Wat. It simply defines the region. The whole city depends on the revenue from the millions of people who visit this architecturally stunning religious site. We discovered at the end of our time here that the National Museum of Cambodia should be seen prior to a trip out to Angkor Wat. Fortunately we made the right decision to hire a guide who gave a great tour and had a vast knowledge of the temple site. We had a three day pass ($40 each) which gave us ample opportunity to view the magnificent structures at the temple sites. Keep in mind that Angkor Wat was carved out of the jungle and over the centuries plant life has become imbedded in the stone buildings (not only plants but trees). Suffice it to say the more information you have before your visit will enhance your time there. It was not all about the temples.

Here are some of the things we did and things you might consider if you travel here: Floating Village with a guide ( Thy Chan - he was exceptional and goes the extra mile to make sure your needs are met - thysiemreaptuktuk@gmail.com ), night market where you will meet many other travelers like yourself, artisan workshops, NGO - New Hope for Cambodia and the National Museum.

We keep referring to this trip we are on as an informal experiential course in SE Asian Studies. Our instructors are the people we meet everyday - hotel employees, tuktuk drivers, guides, books, the Internet and in particular other travelers. Siem Reap has many faces. Many of the hotels are like palaces and are often surrounded by some of the worst poverty that we have seen so far. We had the good fortune to visit New Hope for Cambodia that is located in the center of the worst slum in Siem Reap. Many of the children in this area end up in the sex trade. This NGO offers education to 400 kids, medical support to families, and training to assist families unlearning how to support themselves.

You can why we would enjoy our 8 days here. The hotel was one of the best yet: great room, great staff and a great pool all for $30/night. A nice bookend to the trip was Doug's participation in a 10 km run at Angkor Wat that saw 5200 runners from 58 countries take part.

Tomorrow we head to Phnom Penh. Soon with our daughter-in-law's help we will get more pictures on the blog.

Trip at a glance

Weather - hot and humid

Hotel- Prum Bayon - excellent - $30/night

Guide,car and driver - $50/day

Admission to Temples - $40 each

Meals - $7-$31