Saturday, March 13, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
Cambodia
Maybe it was just in contrast to the past week spent traversing the noisy, congested, motobike filled streets of Vietnam, but the Saigon airport seemed like heaven! It was quiet, empty and full of wine...clearly we had to take advantage.
After a quick back and shoulder massage we headed for a drink and snack before our flight to Cambodia. Unfortunately we took a little too much time to enjoy the airport, and when we arrived at the gate, it had been changed!
Picture us -- backpacks, shopping bags and a take-away cup of red wine in hand -- running through the peaceful Saigon airport at full speed as they called overhead for "meechll cwoosso" to report to Gate 19....not a pretty sight!
Thankfully we made the flight, and a quick 45 minutes later we were in Siem Reap, Cambodia where Maggie (our friend who joined us for the rest of the trip) was waiting.
Siem Reap was an interesting place and quite a change from our previous stops. It's a quiet, town located about 7km from Angkor Wat and exists for the most part as a tourist town. This meant that every step we took we were harassed by people offering dinner, massages, t-shirts or "tuk-tuk" rides (a motobike with a cart attached which is the main form of transport around town). Not exactly ideal, but fortunately our hotel was a bit outside of the main tourist strip giving us some peace and quiet when we wanted, but not too far a walk when we felt the urge to take advantage of the various local offerings, including "fish massages" (see photo).
The region of Angkor served as the seat of the Khmer empire from the ninth to the thirteenth century. The ruins that remain are currently recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and were the main reason we had chosen to stop in Siem Reap, so our first priority was to figure out how best to visit this site of over 1000 temples. After doing some research we determined we needed to hire a "tuk-tuk" driver and a guide to take us around for the day. The guide was essential given how expansive Angkor Wat is, and the tuk-tuk would allow us to enjoy a nice breeze, as we trekked from one temple to the next in the midday heat (it averaged 40 degrees with no breeze).
The first day we spent about 5 hours at Angkor Wat visiting three different temples, Ta Prohm, Ta Keo and Angkor Thom, each unique and impressive in their own right.
Ta Prohm was built in 1186 and though it is merely a remnant of its past glory, it is held up by massive trees which create an amazing sight.
Angkor Thom, while not as famous as Angkor Wat (the temple which gives the park its name) is much larger in area, 10 square km, and at its height in 1200 ad, housed over a million people, a time when London had a population of just 50,000.
The second day we had a fabulous guide who took us to Angkor Wat, as well as a beautiful pink sandstone temple about 30km from the center of the park. During the hour tuk-tuk ride to the distant temple we were able to see rural cambodian life, as well as meet some people on the road, a unique and eye-opening experience! To close out our day our guide took us to the floating villages, an area of extreme poverty about 10km south of Siem Reap. The villages are located in Tonle Sap Lake and consists of houses made from bamboo, all of which lack electricity and running water.
Some Observations on Cambodia:
1. The poverty around Siem Reap was unlike any we'd ever seen. One can only imagine how much poorer the rest of the country is, away from the "city" of Siem Reap and its tourist revenue...
2. Siem Reap and the surrounding area is significantly quieter than Vietnam. You can cross the streets without fearing for your life, motobikes are around but not everywhere, and in general, there are just less people.
3. Angkor Wat was an amazing place to visit and definitely worth the trip, however I imagine our first thought when we think back on our time there will be of the heat and sweating from every inch of our bodies.
After a quick back and shoulder massage we headed for a drink and snack before our flight to Cambodia. Unfortunately we took a little too much time to enjoy the airport, and when we arrived at the gate, it had been changed!
Picture us -- backpacks, shopping bags and a take-away cup of red wine in hand -- running through the peaceful Saigon airport at full speed as they called overhead for "meechll cwoosso" to report to Gate 19....not a pretty sight!
Thankfully we made the flight, and a quick 45 minutes later we were in Siem Reap, Cambodia where Maggie (our friend who joined us for the rest of the trip) was waiting.
Siem Reap was an interesting place and quite a change from our previous stops. It's a quiet, town located about 7km from Angkor Wat and exists for the most part as a tourist town. This meant that every step we took we were harassed by people offering dinner, massages, t-shirts or "tuk-tuk" rides (a motobike with a cart attached which is the main form of transport around town). Not exactly ideal, but fortunately our hotel was a bit outside of the main tourist strip giving us some peace and quiet when we wanted, but not too far a walk when we felt the urge to take advantage of the various local offerings, including "fish massages" (see photo).
The region of Angkor served as the seat of the Khmer empire from the ninth to the thirteenth century. The ruins that remain are currently recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and were the main reason we had chosen to stop in Siem Reap, so our first priority was to figure out how best to visit this site of over 1000 temples. After doing some research we determined we needed to hire a "tuk-tuk" driver and a guide to take us around for the day. The guide was essential given how expansive Angkor Wat is, and the tuk-tuk would allow us to enjoy a nice breeze, as we trekked from one temple to the next in the midday heat (it averaged 40 degrees with no breeze).
The first day we spent about 5 hours at Angkor Wat visiting three different temples, Ta Prohm, Ta Keo and Angkor Thom, each unique and impressive in their own right.
Ta Prohm was built in 1186 and though it is merely a remnant of its past glory, it is held up by massive trees which create an amazing sight.
Angkor Thom, while not as famous as Angkor Wat (the temple which gives the park its name) is much larger in area, 10 square km, and at its height in 1200 ad, housed over a million people, a time when London had a population of just 50,000.
The second day we had a fabulous guide who took us to Angkor Wat, as well as a beautiful pink sandstone temple about 30km from the center of the park. During the hour tuk-tuk ride to the distant temple we were able to see rural cambodian life, as well as meet some people on the road, a unique and eye-opening experience! To close out our day our guide took us to the floating villages, an area of extreme poverty about 10km south of Siem Reap. The villages are located in Tonle Sap Lake and consists of houses made from bamboo, all of which lack electricity and running water.
Some Observations on Cambodia:
1. The poverty around Siem Reap was unlike any we'd ever seen. One can only imagine how much poorer the rest of the country is, away from the "city" of Siem Reap and its tourist revenue...
2. Siem Reap and the surrounding area is significantly quieter than Vietnam. You can cross the streets without fearing for your life, motobikes are around but not everywhere, and in general, there are just less people.
3. Angkor Wat was an amazing place to visit and definitely worth the trip, however I imagine our first thought when we think back on our time there will be of the heat and sweating from every inch of our bodies.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Our Journey Through Vietnam (Part 2)
Now that we'd made it to Da Nang, our top priority was determining how we were going to traverse the rest of the country. We stopped by a few travel agencies in the morning and they reconfirmed what we already knew -- no flights till March. With this information we set out to find the train station. On our walk we met "Jon" a Vietnamese man about twice our age and half our size whose job it was to provide bicycle tours around Da Nang. While our request to see the train station was not part of his regular route, he happily agreed and we were off. Two hours, a train and bus station later, we were still without tickets but had a new friend and a view of Da Nang that most tourists don't get to experience!
A little bit worried, but without other options, we headed to Hoi An (a stop we originally intended to make).
Hoi An, a historic old beach town in central Vietnam, lived up to all our expectations and more. Not only was it quaint, but the people were extremely friendly, the food was great and the custom made clothing (their specialty) was plentiful!
As luck would have it, the woman at our hotel was the nicest, most helpful woman we'd met. After numerous calls to the airlines/trains and buses confirmed that there were no cancellations, she was kind enough to humor us when we inquired about the possibility of hiring a driver to take us part of the way to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). She made some calls, worked her magic and arranged for a driver to take us from Hoi An to Nha Trang (550 km closer to our final destination) the next morning.**
11.5 hours later, we pulled up to Nha Trang (aka Miami). So, we made the decision to put our journey to Saigon on hold for a day of sun, cold beer, and $5 massages by the beach...
Back to the car for a measly 8hr drive, we arrived in Saigon on Monday afternoon with a good 26 hrs to spare before our flight to Cambodia!
Having successfully made it from Hanoi to Saigon, we breathed a sigh of relief and realized just how lucky we were to have been able to see Vietnam unfold from North to South. Ocean to the left, mountains to the right and rice paddies in between every small town we passed. We got a true glimpse of Vietnam, something we most certainly would have missed had we booked in advance!
Some Observations on Vietnam:
1. Even though communicating was difficult - very few people spoke English and we do not speak Vietnamese - the people we met were genuine, extremely friendly, and helpful.
2. We learned that everything is better with chili sauce! (Vietnamese food was great, but often times when we were unclear what we ordered, it turned out to be salty and a bit bland, in which case, you could never fail if you went for the chili sauce).
3. The driving was even more absurd than we ever could possibly describe. In fact, we both have been experiencing flashbacks to the sounds of beeping motobikes speeding by.
4. There were billboards throughout the countryside promoting Communism and Ho Chi Minh's legacy...an interesting and thought provoking sight for us.
** Initially, I wanted to rent a car to drive the rest of the way but, Mom, you'll be happy to know that I listened to Michelle at this point in the journey! This turned out to be the right move considering that not a single person we encountered on our 11hr drive spoke English but we also would not have been able to read a street sign or possibly understand the "guidelines" by which the Vietnamese drive.
A little bit worried, but without other options, we headed to Hoi An (a stop we originally intended to make).
Hoi An, a historic old beach town in central Vietnam, lived up to all our expectations and more. Not only was it quaint, but the people were extremely friendly, the food was great and the custom made clothing (their specialty) was plentiful!
As luck would have it, the woman at our hotel was the nicest, most helpful woman we'd met. After numerous calls to the airlines/trains and buses confirmed that there were no cancellations, she was kind enough to humor us when we inquired about the possibility of hiring a driver to take us part of the way to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). She made some calls, worked her magic and arranged for a driver to take us from Hoi An to Nha Trang (550 km closer to our final destination) the next morning.**
11.5 hours later, we pulled up to Nha Trang (aka Miami). So, we made the decision to put our journey to Saigon on hold for a day of sun, cold beer, and $5 massages by the beach...
Back to the car for a measly 8hr drive, we arrived in Saigon on Monday afternoon with a good 26 hrs to spare before our flight to Cambodia!
Having successfully made it from Hanoi to Saigon, we breathed a sigh of relief and realized just how lucky we were to have been able to see Vietnam unfold from North to South. Ocean to the left, mountains to the right and rice paddies in between every small town we passed. We got a true glimpse of Vietnam, something we most certainly would have missed had we booked in advance!
Some Observations on Vietnam:
1. Even though communicating was difficult - very few people spoke English and we do not speak Vietnamese - the people we met were genuine, extremely friendly, and helpful.
2. We learned that everything is better with chili sauce! (Vietnamese food was great, but often times when we were unclear what we ordered, it turned out to be salty and a bit bland, in which case, you could never fail if you went for the chili sauce).
3. The driving was even more absurd than we ever could possibly describe. In fact, we both have been experiencing flashbacks to the sounds of beeping motobikes speeding by.
4. There were billboards throughout the countryside promoting Communism and Ho Chi Minh's legacy...an interesting and thought provoking sight for us.
** Initially, I wanted to rent a car to drive the rest of the way but, Mom, you'll be happy to know that I listened to Michelle at this point in the journey! This turned out to be the right move considering that not a single person we encountered on our 11hr drive spoke English but we also would not have been able to read a street sign or possibly understand the "guidelines" by which the Vietnamese drive.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Our Journey through Vietnam
So the Chinese (aka Lunar) New Year was a great surprise/addition to our Beijing experience, however we had an even more interesting experience in Vietnam thanks to the Lunar New Year.
We had been told that traveling between cities in Vietnam was an easy endeavor, one that your hotel could book for you when you arrived, allowing some flexibility in your schedule....while this is the case 51 weeks a year, it is most definitely not the case during the New Year celebration.
We arrived in Vietnam late Tuesday night and were whisked off on our boat trip to Halong Bay early the next morning, thus, we were oblivious to this "minor" detail until we innocently asked our tour guide on the boat to help us make a reservation on the overnight train. After a few phone calls he returned to inform us that the train was booked until March and so were the flights....hmmmm
Taking some advice from a new friend, when we got back from Halong Bay we headed straight to the nicest hotel in town. There, the concierge was able to find us the last two seats on a flight from Hanoi to Da Nang (half way to Ho Chi Minh City) departing in two hours...
We had been told that traveling between cities in Vietnam was an easy endeavor, one that your hotel could book for you when you arrived, allowing some flexibility in your schedule....while this is the case 51 weeks a year, it is most definitely not the case during the New Year celebration.
We arrived in Vietnam late Tuesday night and were whisked off on our boat trip to Halong Bay early the next morning, thus, we were oblivious to this "minor" detail until we innocently asked our tour guide on the boat to help us make a reservation on the overnight train. After a few phone calls he returned to inform us that the train was booked until March and so were the flights....hmmmm
Taking some advice from a new friend, when we got back from Halong Bay we headed straight to the nicest hotel in town. There, the concierge was able to find us the last two seats on a flight from Hanoi to Da Nang (half way to Ho Chi Minh City) departing in two hours...
Monday, February 22, 2010
Northern Vietnam - Hanoi and Halong Bay
Arriving in Hanoi (the capital of Vietnam) was like stepping into an alternate world. If we thought the driving in Beijing was something to comment on, there are no words to describe the streets of Hanoi...but we'll try.
Essentially cars are very expensive for the Vietnamese, so everyone has a motorbike, literally everyone. In Hanoi, a city of 3million people, this means millions of motorbikes flooding the streets, like a swarm of bees. To add to the madness, in Hanoi there really aren't any traffic lights or stop signs (at least none that anyone observed), so everyone just uses their body language and horn to determine when they can go.
The streets of Hanoi were perilous, however we learned on our 3hr drive to Halong Bay that the "highways" are even more dangerous. Since the road is only two lanes, and there are motorbikes everywhere, we spent about 50% of the drive on the other side of the "highway." It appeared as though every driver needed to win his own game of chicken, accelerating to pass the car/truck in front of him, only to weave back in as the bus racing in the other direction grazed by. Anyone who has traveled with Michelle in a car, can imagine that she was not in her happy place, but seriously, I was terrified too!
Ok, enough about the roads. We were happy to arrive safely at Halong Bay and our next two days were spent exploring the calm waters of the bay. Halong Bay is an inlet in the South China Sea that stretches from Hanoi to China and is made up of over 2000 islands. It was a majestic world, reminiscent of Jurassic Park or something out of the movies. Pictures do not do it justice, but we'll attach some nonetheless :)
Essentially cars are very expensive for the Vietnamese, so everyone has a motorbike, literally everyone. In Hanoi, a city of 3million people, this means millions of motorbikes flooding the streets, like a swarm of bees. To add to the madness, in Hanoi there really aren't any traffic lights or stop signs (at least none that anyone observed), so everyone just uses their body language and horn to determine when they can go.
The streets of Hanoi were perilous, however we learned on our 3hr drive to Halong Bay that the "highways" are even more dangerous. Since the road is only two lanes, and there are motorbikes everywhere, we spent about 50% of the drive on the other side of the "highway." It appeared as though every driver needed to win his own game of chicken, accelerating to pass the car/truck in front of him, only to weave back in as the bus racing in the other direction grazed by. Anyone who has traveled with Michelle in a car, can imagine that she was not in her happy place, but seriously, I was terrified too!
Ok, enough about the roads. We were happy to arrive safely at Halong Bay and our next two days were spent exploring the calm waters of the bay. Halong Bay is an inlet in the South China Sea that stretches from Hanoi to China and is made up of over 2000 islands. It was a majestic world, reminiscent of Jurassic Park or something out of the movies. Pictures do not do it justice, but we'll attach some nonetheless :)
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Beijing Day #2-5
Since we have internet this morning and its a little early to head to the beach, we'll take a minute to fill you in on Beijing...
What an amazing time to be there, the stewardess was not lying, fireworks everywhere -- street and sky for days.
We dropped our bags at the hotel and headed out to celebrate the Lunar New Year with Matt, our local tour guide who made Beijing feel like home for three days. Together we wandered the hutongs (old city made up of alleys) with the locals -- fireworks in one hand, beer in the other -- then finished out the night on a rooftop terrace with 360 degree views of Beijing and its fireworks at midnight.
For the next three days Matt took us around the city showing us authentic Chinese cuisine, the best Peking Duck in town and some fabulous bars.
In spite of all our eating and drinking we did manage to make it to a few of the major sites. Most importantly we spent a gorgeous day at the Great Wall of China. In an effort to not miss any aspect of that experience we hiked up the Wall and then proceeded to walk the Wall for hours (an activity our calves have not yet recovered from - 6 days later).
Observations on Beijing:
1. The people are wonderful - friendly and extremely proud of their country.
2. The architecture is insane - there appears to be no rhyme or reason but brand new enormous and architecturally distinct buildings pop up each day, adorned with red neon lights (the color of happiness and good fortune).
3. The driving is an experience - we were told that in Beijing they put out an average 1,000 new cars a day on the streets, in addition to this, the average driver in Beijing has had his/her license for less than three years. These two facts combine to make the streets of Beijing an absolute madhouse.
4. The food is phenomenal - we desperately miss having Matt order our meals.
What an amazing time to be there, the stewardess was not lying, fireworks everywhere -- street and sky for days.
We dropped our bags at the hotel and headed out to celebrate the Lunar New Year with Matt, our local tour guide who made Beijing feel like home for three days. Together we wandered the hutongs (old city made up of alleys) with the locals -- fireworks in one hand, beer in the other -- then finished out the night on a rooftop terrace with 360 degree views of Beijing and its fireworks at midnight.
For the next three days Matt took us around the city showing us authentic Chinese cuisine, the best Peking Duck in town and some fabulous bars.
In spite of all our eating and drinking we did manage to make it to a few of the major sites. Most importantly we spent a gorgeous day at the Great Wall of China. In an effort to not miss any aspect of that experience we hiked up the Wall and then proceeded to walk the Wall for hours (an activity our calves have not yet recovered from - 6 days later).
Observations on Beijing:
1. The people are wonderful - friendly and extremely proud of their country.
2. The architecture is insane - there appears to be no rhyme or reason but brand new enormous and architecturally distinct buildings pop up each day, adorned with red neon lights (the color of happiness and good fortune).
3. The driving is an experience - we were told that in Beijing they put out an average 1,000 new cars a day on the streets, in addition to this, the average driver in Beijing has had his/her license for less than three years. These two facts combine to make the streets of Beijing an absolute madhouse.
4. The food is phenomenal - we desperately miss having Matt order our meals.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
So Michelle and I fully intended to keep this blog up while we were traveling...even sat down to log in when we arrived in Beijing, however, the Chinese government felt otherwise!
Apparently they arent big fans of blogs and so the "blogger" website is censored throughout China...go figure.
It was probably for the best since we barely slept in beijing let alone sat down!
Here was what we had for our first entry:
China Day #1 - Feb 13, 2010
We arrived safely!
Our journey started off well at Newark....the Continental Terminal Heineken Lounge had phenomenal Bloodys (for those of you who have traveled with michelle you know how important that is)!
Our flight for the most part was uneventful. Aside from Michelle approaching one of the stewardesses and volunteering to awaken me from an ambien slumber when they announced that someone on the plane was ill and in need of a doctor....fortunately (for the sick child) a fully liscened one was on board...
One thing we were told on the flight over is that the average chinese person saves 1/6th of their salary in order to purchase fireworks to set off in the streets for the next three days over the New Year holiday...oh man....this should be interesting!
Off to meet up with Matt Ryder to celebrate Chinese New Year Bejing style.
Apparently they arent big fans of blogs and so the "blogger" website is censored throughout China...go figure.
It was probably for the best since we barely slept in beijing let alone sat down!
Here was what we had for our first entry:
China Day #1 - Feb 13, 2010
We arrived safely!
Our journey started off well at Newark....the Continental Terminal Heineken Lounge had phenomenal Bloodys (for those of you who have traveled with michelle you know how important that is)!
Our flight for the most part was uneventful. Aside from Michelle approaching one of the stewardesses and volunteering to awaken me from an ambien slumber when they announced that someone on the plane was ill and in need of a doctor....fortunately (for the sick child) a fully liscened one was on board...
One thing we were told on the flight over is that the average chinese person saves 1/6th of their salary in order to purchase fireworks to set off in the streets for the next three days over the New Year holiday...oh man....this should be interesting!
Off to meet up with Matt Ryder to celebrate Chinese New Year Bejing style.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
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