When we arrived in Ao Nang it was the afternoon and the beach did not look too nice. The tide was low and it seemed more crowded from Lanta. Our hotel was further up the road from the beach and was nice. We really enjoyed our time there. The owner, Sun was so nice. It was great talking to him. We were able to learn about what it takes to own and run a hotel. His family owns it and he runs it. The place had only been open for nine months. He said there was lots to do. Ideally Latanya and I would love to own a small hotel of our own in Thailand. That would be a dream. You never know. We pretty much chilled out for the night.
The next day we took a long tail boat to Railay. The Ao Nang beach looked much better in the morning and was already busy when we left. Railay is part of the mainland too however because of the drastic steep cliffs the beach can only be accessed by boat. The beach was pretty crowded but the water was amazing. I borrowed a snorkeling mask from our hotel and looked around for a bit. I could honestly swim all day and all night. The water felt so great. If only the California Pacific felt this good. After a day at the beach we went back to Ao Nang and went to a reggae bar. They had a live band who played a lot of familiar cover songs. It was a great atmosphere. We made friends with their promoter. He had long dreads and was super friendly. We hadn't really done a night out on the trip so this was a nice change.
The next day Latanya did a spa and I just chilled on the beach. It was great to be relaxing. Our trip was coming to an end. That night we went back to a restaurant we ate at the day before. They had the most amazing dry spicy curry. The day before I had it at 80% spicy and that night I went for the full 100% and it was so good. Any more spice might have killed me. Not only was the food great but it was also cheap. We ate there for breakfast the next day too. After breakfast it was time to head back to Phuket for the night.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Thailand Part II
In order to get to the island of Koh Lanta from Phuket we needed to take a ferry. The boat we took was about an hour and a half to Railay beach where we had to change boats on the sea. Both boats came together and we made the transfer. The next boat took over two hours and landed us at the harbor on Lanta. We were told that we had a free transfer to our hotel but all we could see were annoying taxi drivers charging ridiculous rates. Luckily a nice woman offered her help and arranged a free ride to our hotel. The island of Lanta is quite large with several beaches running along the west coast. Our beach was further to the south about three fourths of the way down the island. Our hotel was small. The grounds consisted of only nine rooms. The room was nice enough but the view was amazing. The hotel was right on the beach. For the next five days we were to be beach bums. We ate beach side nearly every day and night.
We took a cooking class at Lanta Thai cookery school and made some amazing Thai dishes. We learned how to make Green Curry and it's curry paste. We also made Tom Yam soup, Panang Curry and Phad Thai. Our teacher was such a great chef. We took the morning class and because of this we were the only students and had a private session. It was great just to talk to our teacher one on one. We learned about how he got into cooking and about his family. He taught us a lot about Thai food and culture. Everything we made was made fresh and grown on site. Even the coconut milk was made from the trees right outside. Because we made four dishes each there was no way we could eat it all. We took it to go and saved it for lunch and dinner. We were really surprised how easy it was. We can't wait to experiment when we go home.
Most other days were spent in the water and on the beach. We would wake up have our complimentary breakfast, omelette, toast, jam, fruit, tea and juice. After that we would take a dip. Then we would lounge under our umbrella. After that repeat several times until our afternoon nap. Our beach was often quite empty looking. Most other hotels were as small as ours. We felt isolated from the world. The only western anything was a 7/11 about a 15 minute walk away. The island of Lanta was much to our liking, seclusion and relaxation. At dinner time we would try a new restuarant.
The last night we ate on some axe pillows on the beach. The waiter told us after dinner to grab a free shirt at the bar. We were excited, a free shirt. We wondered what the shirt could possibly say. Perhaps it said Koh Lanta or maybe our beach or perhaps the restaurant's name. When we finished our meal and drinks we walked up to the bar in antticipaton of these free shirts to discover they were not free shirts afterall. Instead we were offered free shots. Big difference. We were laughing so hard because we were seriously discussing these free shirts for the past twenty minutes. We each had a different shot. Latanya had a shot of scorpion and spider juice. Which was a tequilla tasting liquor. There were about three scorpions maranating in the bottle. One of which was huge. I had a snake blood shot, which was a rice wine with snake blood mixed in it. It tasted like cough syrup with tequilla and Jagermeister. It was not tasty but surely an experience. The next day we were going back on the ferry to Ao Nang.
We took a cooking class at Lanta Thai cookery school and made some amazing Thai dishes. We learned how to make Green Curry and it's curry paste. We also made Tom Yam soup, Panang Curry and Phad Thai. Our teacher was such a great chef. We took the morning class and because of this we were the only students and had a private session. It was great just to talk to our teacher one on one. We learned about how he got into cooking and about his family. He taught us a lot about Thai food and culture. Everything we made was made fresh and grown on site. Even the coconut milk was made from the trees right outside. Because we made four dishes each there was no way we could eat it all. We took it to go and saved it for lunch and dinner. We were really surprised how easy it was. We can't wait to experiment when we go home.
Most other days were spent in the water and on the beach. We would wake up have our complimentary breakfast, omelette, toast, jam, fruit, tea and juice. After that we would take a dip. Then we would lounge under our umbrella. After that repeat several times until our afternoon nap. Our beach was often quite empty looking. Most other hotels were as small as ours. We felt isolated from the world. The only western anything was a 7/11 about a 15 minute walk away. The island of Lanta was much to our liking, seclusion and relaxation. At dinner time we would try a new restuarant.
The last night we ate on some axe pillows on the beach. The waiter told us after dinner to grab a free shirt at the bar. We were excited, a free shirt. We wondered what the shirt could possibly say. Perhaps it said Koh Lanta or maybe our beach or perhaps the restaurant's name. When we finished our meal and drinks we walked up to the bar in antticipaton of these free shirts to discover they were not free shirts afterall. Instead we were offered free shots. Big difference. We were laughing so hard because we were seriously discussing these free shirts for the past twenty minutes. We each had a different shot. Latanya had a shot of scorpion and spider juice. Which was a tequilla tasting liquor. There were about three scorpions maranating in the bottle. One of which was huge. I had a snake blood shot, which was a rice wine with snake blood mixed in it. It tasted like cough syrup with tequilla and Jagermeister. It was not tasty but surely an experience. The next day we were going back on the ferry to Ao Nang.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Thailand Part I
The all nighter wasn't too bad. I managed to get a few minutes of sleep here and there. Our journey to Thailand was much anticipated: we were really eager to get back to cheaper living. Singapore was a little too rich for our blood. In Phuket we took a bus to Phuket Town. Phuket town has a little charm in it's older buildings but it wasn't anything special. We were using the town as a starting point for flying into Thailand. When checked in we immediately wanted to go to sleep however we could not go into our room until two. It was still 11 am at this point so we went for an early lunch. We wanted to dive right into the Thai food so we to a local restaurant recommended in our guide book. On display were about 15 dishes with their names in Thai. Latanya asked the waiter for the spicy dishes with 4 dishes to choose from she chose a chicken dish. We were so excited to try an exotic Thai meal. The food was tasty it had the right amount of spice and coconut milk. We washed it down with a Singha beer. So excited about trying food that we picked at random, Latanya asked what the name of this exotic dish was. The waiter responded, chicken curry not exactly an exotic dish in Thailand. Boy were we happy to be back in Thailand. The weather was quite warn and felt so good. It was easy to forget about the Korean winter.
At two we went to our room and didn't leave until the next morning. We only had one more night in Phuket so we wanted to see a beach. We took an overpriced taxi to Patong beach and chilled out for the day. The beach was nice but overly crowded with tons of Europeans sunbathing. The water was magnificent. Later that night we had green curry pizza which was to die for and walked through the Phuket town night market. The next day we were to take a ferry to Koh Lanta to get some real beach living.
At two we went to our room and didn't leave until the next morning. We only had one more night in Phuket so we wanted to see a beach. We took an overpriced taxi to Patong beach and chilled out for the day. The beach was nice but overly crowded with tons of Europeans sunbathing. The water was magnificent. Later that night we had green curry pizza which was to die for and walked through the Phuket town night market. The next day we were to take a ferry to Koh Lanta to get some real beach living.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Singapore...Singapore
We awoke bright and early to catch another early flight. Enjoyed a hearty complimentary breakfast of omelettes, bacon, sausage, fried rice, spring rolls, dumplings washed down with water, tea, coffee, and apple juice. Checked out of the hotel and headed to the airport via the Asian Ruby Hotel van. It's amazing how a $12 taxi ride can get you to the airport in 45 minutes. By now we have the airport check-in routine down or so we thought. At different counters we both got stopped by immigration, the officers wanted to take an extra look at our passports. They said my picture did not look like me and they questioned the authencity of Dan's passport. With the line growing behind us and 5 minutes of nervously waiting for clearance we were cleared. The flight was about 4 hours long and not fully booked so there was enough room for us to strech out and get comfortable.
Landed in Singapore, hopped on a bus, onto a train into the city, and walked about 10 minutes from the stop to our hostel. We saved money by booking two beds in a 16 bunk bed room. Checked in and headed into the city we were able to see a lot of Singapore's main sites: the Opera house, Singapore river, the Marina Sands hotel, Singapore flyer, etc. Singapore is a clean, multicultural, modern, expensive, and heavily regulated city. There were two main things we wanted to do drink (Singapore sling) and eat (chilli crab).
First stop was the Raffles Hotel Long Bar the home of the Singapore Sling. The signature drink was created by Ngiam Tong Boon a bartendar at the Raffles Hotel in 1915. The Raffles Hotel is an upscale establishment that charges $20 per drink. After budgeting for the last few weeks we decided to splurge a little. The drinks were delicious and came with complimentary salted peanuts that you can throw the shells on the floor when finished eating. So I figured the $20 would be going to something useful like the clean up crew.
Next on our list was the search for chilli crab. Chilli crab is a famous dish in town. We first saw them on Top Chef at a hawker center (a open center food court where inexpensive food is sold, the food is safe and inspected by health inspectors) and we were so excited to try them. The first center we tried had no chilli crab I asked an employee in the train station if he had any recommendations. He was extremely helpful and called around to get information for us and recommended a seafood restaurant. We took the train to the restaurant and ran into a talkative older man who told us there were hawker centers in the area. He also told us how Singapore maintained its orderly societey. He said, Singapore is a multicultural city that is extremely clean and it's maintained by the government enforcing heavy fines, jail time, caining, and public embarrassment for offenders. While he was telling us this story I almost passed out from hunger pains. We parted ways and looked for the seafood restaurant which turned out to be too expensive and kept looking for a hawker center. Finally we spotted a center that sold chilli crab.
In a big fish tank live crabs moved around as the owner picked out a 2 lb 3 oz crab for us to eat and disappered into the kitchen. A few minutes later he returned with a big plate of chilli crab and shrimp fried rice. All the build up I had to eat the chilli crab and it was just OK. I know Dan really enjoyed it. I was expecting a spicy fiery chilli crab but the taste was more sweet and tangy. The meal was overpriced $31 for eating on the street corner in plastic chairs with no table cloth or napkins. Slightly disappointed yet full we hopped on the train and headed towards a touristy area. We walked through many different cultural districts of Singapore trying to avoid going back to our 16 room bunk bed room.
The envitable can only be postponed for so long I tried doing multiple things on the Internet to pass time till I felt tired. Finally, I mentally prepared myself to go bed I turned on the light in the room to find my bed and woke some people up. Sorry but I didn't get the bunk bed room memo. I laid on the top bunk for 5 seconds just enough time to smell the moldy sheets that was long enough for me to pull an all nighter. The main hall of the hostel has a big couch Dan is asleep and I'm writing on the blog 2 more hours to go.
Landed in Singapore, hopped on a bus, onto a train into the city, and walked about 10 minutes from the stop to our hostel. We saved money by booking two beds in a 16 bunk bed room. Checked in and headed into the city we were able to see a lot of Singapore's main sites: the Opera house, Singapore river, the Marina Sands hotel, Singapore flyer, etc. Singapore is a clean, multicultural, modern, expensive, and heavily regulated city. There were two main things we wanted to do drink (Singapore sling) and eat (chilli crab).
First stop was the Raffles Hotel Long Bar the home of the Singapore Sling. The signature drink was created by Ngiam Tong Boon a bartendar at the Raffles Hotel in 1915. The Raffles Hotel is an upscale establishment that charges $20 per drink. After budgeting for the last few weeks we decided to splurge a little. The drinks were delicious and came with complimentary salted peanuts that you can throw the shells on the floor when finished eating. So I figured the $20 would be going to something useful like the clean up crew.
Next on our list was the search for chilli crab. Chilli crab is a famous dish in town. We first saw them on Top Chef at a hawker center (a open center food court where inexpensive food is sold, the food is safe and inspected by health inspectors) and we were so excited to try them. The first center we tried had no chilli crab I asked an employee in the train station if he had any recommendations. He was extremely helpful and called around to get information for us and recommended a seafood restaurant. We took the train to the restaurant and ran into a talkative older man who told us there were hawker centers in the area. He also told us how Singapore maintained its orderly societey. He said, Singapore is a multicultural city that is extremely clean and it's maintained by the government enforcing heavy fines, jail time, caining, and public embarrassment for offenders. While he was telling us this story I almost passed out from hunger pains. We parted ways and looked for the seafood restaurant which turned out to be too expensive and kept looking for a hawker center. Finally we spotted a center that sold chilli crab.
In a big fish tank live crabs moved around as the owner picked out a 2 lb 3 oz crab for us to eat and disappered into the kitchen. A few minutes later he returned with a big plate of chilli crab and shrimp fried rice. All the build up I had to eat the chilli crab and it was just OK. I know Dan really enjoyed it. I was expecting a spicy fiery chilli crab but the taste was more sweet and tangy. The meal was overpriced $31 for eating on the street corner in plastic chairs with no table cloth or napkins. Slightly disappointed yet full we hopped on the train and headed towards a touristy area. We walked through many different cultural districts of Singapore trying to avoid going back to our 16 room bunk bed room.
The envitable can only be postponed for so long I tried doing multiple things on the Internet to pass time till I felt tired. Finally, I mentally prepared myself to go bed I turned on the light in the room to find my bed and woke some people up. Sorry but I didn't get the bunk bed room memo. I laid on the top bunk for 5 seconds just enough time to smell the moldy sheets that was long enough for me to pull an all nighter. The main hall of the hostel has a big couch Dan is asleep and I'm writing on the blog 2 more hours to go.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Vietnam- Part III
Before heading to the Da Nang airport we arranged a ride with our hotel. At this point Vietnam has been great. The only downside to the country is that they do try to ripoff tourists. Even our hotels. For example the hotel tried to charge us $15 to the airport according to the South East Asia on a budget book we knew the cost would be cheaper finally settling on $10. The same thing happened in Hanoi. The hotel started at $20 we bargained them down to $12. A warning before traveling is to know what services cost so you have an idea of what you should pay. Luckily we researched and did not lose out on a lot of money.
We arrived in Hanoi and were shocked by how cold it was in the low 60s. After speaking with many locals they said this was the coldest it has ever been but it was funny to see them dressed up in hats, scarfs, and gloves. We took a mini shuttle bus into the city due to traffic it took almost 2 hours. The driver also tried to scam us from a ridiculous $6 to $2 dollars each. Motor bikes were all over the road. We could not decided which city was worse Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi.
We walked to our hotel from the shuttle drop off point. It only took about 15 minutes or so. Our hotel was in the middle of the Old Quarter. The quarter consisted of small streets with lots of action. There were motorbikes wizing past you left and right, while rickshaw drivers hollered at you..."ride..ride", and the locals squatted at curbside resturants watching passers going by. Hanoi was a rather large city with a few good sights to see. The main attraction for us was the Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. Ho Chi Minh's body is persereved in a floral wodden carriage covered by a glass case. Just like Lenin and Mao, anyone can visit just no talking or pictures. Security was obviously pretty tight. I have alreay seen Lenin I knew what to expect but Latanya did not. It was an eerie experience, the body of Ho Chin Minh was well preserved with an extremely pale face looking like he was in a deep sleep. Next door to mausoleum was Ho Chin Minh house on stilts, where he lived and worked from 1958 to 1969.
The other must see was a day trip to Ha Long Bay. The bay is famous for it's dramatic natural wonder. It consists of around 1600 islands. All of which are absolutely beautiful. The islands had dramatic cliffs and caves. We took a four hour tour by boat. The weather was quite overcast however as we went out to the bay we were able to see perfectly. We visited a floating village and went into a couple of caves. The day trip was great. The sheer sight of Ha Long Bay made us just fall in love with Vietnam even more.
While in Hanoi we definitely only needed the two full days we had there. We were getting a little tired of the fast paced streets. They take a lot out of you. Our next stop is a short trip to Singapore.
We arrived in Hanoi and were shocked by how cold it was in the low 60s. After speaking with many locals they said this was the coldest it has ever been but it was funny to see them dressed up in hats, scarfs, and gloves. We took a mini shuttle bus into the city due to traffic it took almost 2 hours. The driver also tried to scam us from a ridiculous $6 to $2 dollars each. Motor bikes were all over the road. We could not decided which city was worse Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi.
We walked to our hotel from the shuttle drop off point. It only took about 15 minutes or so. Our hotel was in the middle of the Old Quarter. The quarter consisted of small streets with lots of action. There were motorbikes wizing past you left and right, while rickshaw drivers hollered at you..."ride..ride", and the locals squatted at curbside resturants watching passers going by. Hanoi was a rather large city with a few good sights to see. The main attraction for us was the Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. Ho Chi Minh's body is persereved in a floral wodden carriage covered by a glass case. Just like Lenin and Mao, anyone can visit just no talking or pictures. Security was obviously pretty tight. I have alreay seen Lenin I knew what to expect but Latanya did not. It was an eerie experience, the body of Ho Chin Minh was well preserved with an extremely pale face looking like he was in a deep sleep. Next door to mausoleum was Ho Chin Minh house on stilts, where he lived and worked from 1958 to 1969.
The other must see was a day trip to Ha Long Bay. The bay is famous for it's dramatic natural wonder. It consists of around 1600 islands. All of which are absolutely beautiful. The islands had dramatic cliffs and caves. We took a four hour tour by boat. The weather was quite overcast however as we went out to the bay we were able to see perfectly. We visited a floating village and went into a couple of caves. The day trip was great. The sheer sight of Ha Long Bay made us just fall in love with Vietnam even more.
While in Hanoi we definitely only needed the two full days we had there. We were getting a little tired of the fast paced streets. They take a lot out of you. Our next stop is a short trip to Singapore.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Vietnam- Part II
Our trip to the airport was an early one, a short flight but long enough for a nap. The flight left at 6:45am arriving in Da Nang, Vietnam around 8. Our destination was Hoi An ultimately we decided to take a metered taxi into the city...bad idea. It cost about 17 dollars for a 30 minute ride...lol. At home that's a great deal but in Vietnam thats a whole lot of money. The drive to the hotel was alongside a developing beach side community fit with casinos, condos, a Greg Norman golf course, and several 5 star beach hotels.
We arrived at our hotel and checked in right away. The hotel was a brand new boutique hotel about a 10 minute walk from the city center. The boutique hotels in South East Asia are a great deal they are the median between hostels and hotels. Also they have all the bells and whistles of the pricey hotels including free breakfast for $15-$20/ per person.
One of the big reasons for coming to Hoi An was to get some tailoring. The ancient little town is known for great tailoring for cheap. Our first stop was to take a look at some recommended shops and get some quotes. After about three hours of looking and inquiring we decided on the first shop we went into called A Dong Silk. We felt their qualitity and customer service were a perfect match for our needs. It would have been easy to settle for a taloired suit for under $50 however you get what you pay for. I ended up getting two suits and a tie for $170. Latanya got three suits with pants and skirts as well as two shirts for $400. Latanya also got some custom made sandals, the sales person traced her foot on a piece of notebook paper and in 24 hours she had three pairs of sandals.
The next couple of days were spent doing about four fittings and a lot of strolling around. The small town of Hoi An was quaint and rustic. It was really charming. The people were very friendly and welcoming.
We had some amazing food like, Cha Mia, Banh Bao, Banh Vac, Hoanh and Cao Lau. All the food we have had in Vietnam has been just great. So after all our fittings and adjustments our suits were finished the day before we left. All together five suits and two shirts took a total of two nights and two days. Our shop did such a fantastic job. We definately would recommed them. Like I said before you can easily find a cheaper place but for the piece of mind, the quality and the service was impecable. We have added a bag each along with our backpacks now. Well our next stop is Honoi. It will be our last destination in Vietnam.
We arrived at our hotel and checked in right away. The hotel was a brand new boutique hotel about a 10 minute walk from the city center. The boutique hotels in South East Asia are a great deal they are the median between hostels and hotels. Also they have all the bells and whistles of the pricey hotels including free breakfast for $15-$20/ per person.
One of the big reasons for coming to Hoi An was to get some tailoring. The ancient little town is known for great tailoring for cheap. Our first stop was to take a look at some recommended shops and get some quotes. After about three hours of looking and inquiring we decided on the first shop we went into called A Dong Silk. We felt their qualitity and customer service were a perfect match for our needs. It would have been easy to settle for a taloired suit for under $50 however you get what you pay for. I ended up getting two suits and a tie for $170. Latanya got three suits with pants and skirts as well as two shirts for $400. Latanya also got some custom made sandals, the sales person traced her foot on a piece of notebook paper and in 24 hours she had three pairs of sandals.
The next couple of days were spent doing about four fittings and a lot of strolling around. The small town of Hoi An was quaint and rustic. It was really charming. The people were very friendly and welcoming.
We had some amazing food like, Cha Mia, Banh Bao, Banh Vac, Hoanh and Cao Lau. All the food we have had in Vietnam has been just great. So after all our fittings and adjustments our suits were finished the day before we left. All together five suits and two shirts took a total of two nights and two days. Our shop did such a fantastic job. We definately would recommed them. Like I said before you can easily find a cheaper place but for the piece of mind, the quality and the service was impecable. We have added a bag each along with our backpacks now. Well our next stop is Honoi. It will be our last destination in Vietnam.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Vietnam Part I
We akwoke the same way as we did the prevous day. Quickly grabbed breakfast and then waited for our transport to the bus. However this time was a little different. The transport was 30 minutes late. Not knowing when our bus is coming or even where to catch the bus we were quite frustrated at this point. Latanya asked the reception lady to call the company twice but her response was they were coming. But when? After a few more minutes passed she called again and the same answer, but when? A taxi arrived I asked if a taxi was picking us up and she said no. Latanya asked the taxi driver but he did not speak English very well and shook his head. We waited some more, and so did the taxi driver. He called his boss and the receptionist called the company. We were about 20 mintutes from departure and extremely nervous. Not wanting to miss the bus we headed for the taxi which turned out to be the transportation we were waiting for. The driver frantically drove us to a group of buses.
We tried to get on the first bus but the driver said no, it's not our bus and points to the bus behind his. We try to get on the second bus but this driver points to the first bus. In complete frustation we head back to the first bus, the driver points to a random bus ticket office. However there are several offices, which one? He just points again. So we start showing our tickets to everyone and they all say no. Finally one lady says yes tells us to get on the first bus. We tell her that the driver said no. We try again and again he countines to say no. Not taking No for an answer we go back to the lady and she says yes that's the one. Finally she talks to the driver and we are able to get on the bus!
Once on the bus we realize that it's rather nice and full of mosquitoes. It's practically identical to the airport bus we take in Korea. We departed on time and headed out of the busy city. We tried to take a nap here and there to catch up on some sleep but due to the poor road conditions and constant honking we were unsuccessful. It was about a 3 hour drive to the border. Just before the border was a mini Vegas we almost forgot where we were. All the passagers had to get off the bus to go through Cambodian immigration to exit the country. We got back on just to cross the border and then back off to go through the Vietnam immigration to enter their country. We were one of the first buses to pass through so the whole process took around 20 to 30 minutes. After we finished several buses started to pull in. What great timing!
As we drove to Ho Chi Min city we noticed the country side was a little different than in Cambodia. Vietnam appeared to be less rural, with less huts, and more concrete structures. It probably took another hour and half to get to the city. Once we made it into the city limits it took another 40 minutes to get to where we were going. We were looking at the chaos of the city. We thought Phnom Pehn was congested, but HCMC was far worse. Unlike Cambodia Vietnam does not have tuk tuks, instead they have taxis. The amount of motor bikes were astounding. The streets were just filled from curb to curb of erratic drivers. As we continued to drive through the city Latanya was reading a street sign and I quickly asked her to repeat it. She did and I said this is our street. Sweet we could just get out here. The driver had been letting off passengers throughout the city, no problem right? Well he said no. What? NO? No, you open this door now, that's our street. No. We were so mad. Finally after argueing for 3 blocks he let us out into frogger like traffic of motor bikes. Once safely to the curb we walked back to our street and found our hotel easily. Our hotel was the best yet too bad we couldn't stay longer.
We checked in and then hit the sites quickly. We saw the reunification palace, a giant pagoda, and the war reminants museum. All were educational but educational in the sense that you can see how a government can control what is learned in history. It was all very anti-American. We already knew that it would be.
After walking around some more we had some delicious Pho and the strongest Vietnamese coffee that was great with the first sip but the after taste was extremely bitter. Afterwards, we headed back to our hotel. We planned not to spend too much time in the big cities like Phnom Pehn and HCMC because we wanted to spend time else where. The next day we were off yet again. This time we were flying to Da Nang, Vietnam to go to Hoi An.
We tried to get on the first bus but the driver said no, it's not our bus and points to the bus behind his. We try to get on the second bus but this driver points to the first bus. In complete frustation we head back to the first bus, the driver points to a random bus ticket office. However there are several offices, which one? He just points again. So we start showing our tickets to everyone and they all say no. Finally one lady says yes tells us to get on the first bus. We tell her that the driver said no. We try again and again he countines to say no. Not taking No for an answer we go back to the lady and she says yes that's the one. Finally she talks to the driver and we are able to get on the bus!
Once on the bus we realize that it's rather nice and full of mosquitoes. It's practically identical to the airport bus we take in Korea. We departed on time and headed out of the busy city. We tried to take a nap here and there to catch up on some sleep but due to the poor road conditions and constant honking we were unsuccessful. It was about a 3 hour drive to the border. Just before the border was a mini Vegas we almost forgot where we were. All the passagers had to get off the bus to go through Cambodian immigration to exit the country. We got back on just to cross the border and then back off to go through the Vietnam immigration to enter their country. We were one of the first buses to pass through so the whole process took around 20 to 30 minutes. After we finished several buses started to pull in. What great timing!
As we drove to Ho Chi Min city we noticed the country side was a little different than in Cambodia. Vietnam appeared to be less rural, with less huts, and more concrete structures. It probably took another hour and half to get to the city. Once we made it into the city limits it took another 40 minutes to get to where we were going. We were looking at the chaos of the city. We thought Phnom Pehn was congested, but HCMC was far worse. Unlike Cambodia Vietnam does not have tuk tuks, instead they have taxis. The amount of motor bikes were astounding. The streets were just filled from curb to curb of erratic drivers. As we continued to drive through the city Latanya was reading a street sign and I quickly asked her to repeat it. She did and I said this is our street. Sweet we could just get out here. The driver had been letting off passengers throughout the city, no problem right? Well he said no. What? NO? No, you open this door now, that's our street. No. We were so mad. Finally after argueing for 3 blocks he let us out into frogger like traffic of motor bikes. Once safely to the curb we walked back to our street and found our hotel easily. Our hotel was the best yet too bad we couldn't stay longer.
We checked in and then hit the sites quickly. We saw the reunification palace, a giant pagoda, and the war reminants museum. All were educational but educational in the sense that you can see how a government can control what is learned in history. It was all very anti-American. We already knew that it would be.
After walking around some more we had some delicious Pho and the strongest Vietnamese coffee that was great with the first sip but the after taste was extremely bitter. Afterwards, we headed back to our hotel. We planned not to spend too much time in the big cities like Phnom Pehn and HCMC because we wanted to spend time else where. The next day we were off yet again. This time we were flying to Da Nang, Vietnam to go to Hoi An.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Cambodia Part III
We had to make the bus for 7am. The bus company included a mini bus pick up at 6:15am. The man was on time and we were his first passangers. Thus far everything was going to plan. We picked up several other people and then arrived at the bus. But this was not our bus yet. We had to take this bus to a bigger bus. Mind you this bus was quite big itself. But once we arrived at the bus station terminal we realized buses do get bigger. We got on and our seats were number 1 and 2. The seats were almost in the very front of the upper section. of the bus. The bus driver was right underneath us. We had a great view of the road and the surrounding areas. There were a couple of make shift seats in front of us that were not numbered. We would find out later that these seats were for locals that we would pick up randomly on the side of the road in the country side. We only sat for about ten minutes or so and then we took off. The bus was giagantic. It's too bad the roads were not. The Cambodian Highway aka, barely paved road was more like a paved road for one way of traffic. The kicker was that it was for two ways of traffic full of multuple types of transportation. On the road were, cars, buses, tractors, huge trucks, motos, bicycles, dogs, cows, and pedestrians. It was an adventure already.
By taking the bus, which was a six hour long journey, we were able to see the Cambodian country side. We were able to see the Cambodian life was really simple. You could tell right away that it is very poor. In fact the average Cambodian lives off of less than a dollar a day. I was told that teachers make $30 a month. Most dwellings along the country side were simple huts on stilts. The were mostly made of wood with some made of concrete. Because it is the dry season there wasn't much water along side the roads. But one could tell that in the wet season there would be. The huts were tiny in size and housed whole families. We passed many schools along the way too. All of the children were dressed in the little white shirts and blue skirt or pants uniforms. They looked so cute. They would either walk to school or ride a bike. It looked liked the older ones would have bikes and younger ones would just walk. The schools were not too big. They mostly consisted of three long structures all facing each other and thus creating a school yard. In each structure there were several rooms to make the classrooms. It was so fascinating to see.
Other highlights of the country side were many cows searching for food. They looked malnourished. I think the dry season had something to do with that. All the fields were mostly yellow and brown, hardly and green apart from the trees. When we entered Phnom Pehn we realized we were in a different area of Cambodia all together. Phnom Pehn was a big city. It's the capital of Cambodia and full of motos, tuk tuks, cars, and buses. We could feel the difference from the countryside right away.
When we arrived at the bus station we were looking for our driver that was supposed to pick us up. However he was nowhere to be found. We ended up grabing an annoying resilient tuk tuk driver and gave him the address of our hotel. He was happy to get the work. Since we were only staying in Phnom Pehn for the night and taking a bus the next day we had to see the sights quite quickly. At this point it was after 2pm and most things closed at 5pm. He dropped us off at the hotel and waited to take us around for a tour. We checked in quickly and hopped back in the tuk tuk. We had to go straight to the Killing Fields, about 30 minutes drive outside the city.
For those of you familar with the histroy of Cambodia will know about the Khmer Rouge and the mass killings that took place in the 1970s. It was a much needed visit for me. I felt almost required to pay respect to the victims of the genocide of Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge. The fields themselves were quite eye opening. I've been to a consentration camp in Germany and this was much of the same feeling. The only difference was that it was much more recent. It's just so hard to take in. Genocide is still happening. But why? What kind of world do we live in? As human race we have yet to evovle. These are the emotions that arise when you see the mass graves that held hundreds of bodies. The worst part were the torturous tactics used to kill the people. If interested in the history of the Khmer Rouge and what actually happened please don't hesitate to do a little further reading. It's an interesting tale. It can be quite graphic and depressing, but knowing everything.
So after an emotional walk through the fields we were taken back in to the city and shown the rest of the city. We saw the palace and a few statues. We went to the river bank and then finally back to our hotel for dinner. It was a quick few hours of events. We felt we had a good overview of Phnom Pehn and were preppered to take our next bus ride the next day to Ho Chi Min, Vietnam.
By taking the bus, which was a six hour long journey, we were able to see the Cambodian country side. We were able to see the Cambodian life was really simple. You could tell right away that it is very poor. In fact the average Cambodian lives off of less than a dollar a day. I was told that teachers make $30 a month. Most dwellings along the country side were simple huts on stilts. The were mostly made of wood with some made of concrete. Because it is the dry season there wasn't much water along side the roads. But one could tell that in the wet season there would be. The huts were tiny in size and housed whole families. We passed many schools along the way too. All of the children were dressed in the little white shirts and blue skirt or pants uniforms. They looked so cute. They would either walk to school or ride a bike. It looked liked the older ones would have bikes and younger ones would just walk. The schools were not too big. They mostly consisted of three long structures all facing each other and thus creating a school yard. In each structure there were several rooms to make the classrooms. It was so fascinating to see.
Other highlights of the country side were many cows searching for food. They looked malnourished. I think the dry season had something to do with that. All the fields were mostly yellow and brown, hardly and green apart from the trees. When we entered Phnom Pehn we realized we were in a different area of Cambodia all together. Phnom Pehn was a big city. It's the capital of Cambodia and full of motos, tuk tuks, cars, and buses. We could feel the difference from the countryside right away.
When we arrived at the bus station we were looking for our driver that was supposed to pick us up. However he was nowhere to be found. We ended up grabing an annoying resilient tuk tuk driver and gave him the address of our hotel. He was happy to get the work. Since we were only staying in Phnom Pehn for the night and taking a bus the next day we had to see the sights quite quickly. At this point it was after 2pm and most things closed at 5pm. He dropped us off at the hotel and waited to take us around for a tour. We checked in quickly and hopped back in the tuk tuk. We had to go straight to the Killing Fields, about 30 minutes drive outside the city.
For those of you familar with the histroy of Cambodia will know about the Khmer Rouge and the mass killings that took place in the 1970s. It was a much needed visit for me. I felt almost required to pay respect to the victims of the genocide of Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge. The fields themselves were quite eye opening. I've been to a consentration camp in Germany and this was much of the same feeling. The only difference was that it was much more recent. It's just so hard to take in. Genocide is still happening. But why? What kind of world do we live in? As human race we have yet to evovle. These are the emotions that arise when you see the mass graves that held hundreds of bodies. The worst part were the torturous tactics used to kill the people. If interested in the history of the Khmer Rouge and what actually happened please don't hesitate to do a little further reading. It's an interesting tale. It can be quite graphic and depressing, but knowing everything.
So after an emotional walk through the fields we were taken back in to the city and shown the rest of the city. We saw the palace and a few statues. We went to the river bank and then finally back to our hotel for dinner. It was a quick few hours of events. We felt we had a good overview of Phnom Pehn and were preppered to take our next bus ride the next day to Ho Chi Min, Vietnam.
Cambodia Part II
The next morning was a lazy one trying to catch up a little on our sleep. We took our time when we awoke. After breakfast and a shower we picked up our bus tickets from the manager. It was so helpful of him to arrange it all for us. The first leg of the trip from Siem Reap to Phnom Pehn went for about $10 a piece. The second leg was $12 each. A lot better than flying. The flights were so expensive when we first looked. They were about $200 each. That's a heck of a difference.
We decided to take a look at the town in the daylight this time. We first made our way to the Royal Residence and the gardens. They weren't that wonderful. They were quite small and not too exciting. We found that most of Siem Reap would be much of the same. But we did like that though. We walked along the river bank which looked a little dirty with the brown color of the water. I mean we were in Cambodia! We checked out a few more temples and then mailed some post cards. The post offce seemed really unorganized and maybe the post cards will make it. Finally we made it to town and walked around the market for awhile. We stopped at an Indian restaurant to get a bite to eat and a cold drink to cool off. The weather was great. It was nice to be out of the freezing cold of Korea. We were absorbing the city as much as we could. After the snack and drink we went back to the hotel to make our massage apointment.
We have had quite a few massages in Thailand and we thought that a Cambodian one would be much of the same, but it was not. First off it was a lot cheaper. In Thailand they run for about $9 for a full body massage of an hour. In Cambodia it was $5 for the same. However the technique was much different. I left the session in so much pain. These two little masseuses were so agile and put us in positions we thought we could never be in. They also did this Matrix move on us that swung our torse around so quickly and popped our backs with several consecative pops. That part felt great. I think my lower back was brused though. After our massage we went back to town to have dinner. We went back to the same place Khumer Kitchen as the night before. We had the same curry and then had the Amok (a famous Cambodian dish). The Amok was so favorful and the curry was even better than the night before. Were we really pleased by everything in Cambodia at this point. The people were friendly, the food was great, and the scenery is so beautiful. The next day we were going to catch our first long distance bus in Cambodia. Latanya was so nervous.
We decided to take a look at the town in the daylight this time. We first made our way to the Royal Residence and the gardens. They weren't that wonderful. They were quite small and not too exciting. We found that most of Siem Reap would be much of the same. But we did like that though. We walked along the river bank which looked a little dirty with the brown color of the water. I mean we were in Cambodia! We checked out a few more temples and then mailed some post cards. The post offce seemed really unorganized and maybe the post cards will make it. Finally we made it to town and walked around the market for awhile. We stopped at an Indian restaurant to get a bite to eat and a cold drink to cool off. The weather was great. It was nice to be out of the freezing cold of Korea. We were absorbing the city as much as we could. After the snack and drink we went back to the hotel to make our massage apointment.
We have had quite a few massages in Thailand and we thought that a Cambodian one would be much of the same, but it was not. First off it was a lot cheaper. In Thailand they run for about $9 for a full body massage of an hour. In Cambodia it was $5 for the same. However the technique was much different. I left the session in so much pain. These two little masseuses were so agile and put us in positions we thought we could never be in. They also did this Matrix move on us that swung our torse around so quickly and popped our backs with several consecative pops. That part felt great. I think my lower back was brused though. After our massage we went back to town to have dinner. We went back to the same place Khumer Kitchen as the night before. We had the same curry and then had the Amok (a famous Cambodian dish). The Amok was so favorful and the curry was even better than the night before. Were we really pleased by everything in Cambodia at this point. The people were friendly, the food was great, and the scenery is so beautiful. The next day we were going to catch our first long distance bus in Cambodia. Latanya was so nervous.
Cambodia Part I
So, getting up at 2am is not fun at all. We were so tired but also excited about seeing Cambodia yet also really nervous. We had no idea what it was going to be like. You have an image of a place in your head but it's not until you actually get there when you can really visualize it for yourself.
We decided to walk to Central train station instead of taking a taxi to save ten bucks. We had walked the majority of the route the day before. So I had a good idea of what to expect. It was dark however and no one was out. It ended up being a 20 minute walk and we found the station without a hitch. We got on the airport bus which left the train station at 3:15 sharp. Once we arrived at the airport it was all a breeze. Checked in on the computer kiosk, hopped on our flight, and landed in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It was dawn at this point and the country side looked so beautiful. The airport was a quite small modern hut and immigration was an assembly line of visa officers that only accepted US currency. The wait was not too long to get our visas on arrival.
Our tuk tuk driver was waiting for us when we got out of the airport. For those of you don't know a tuk tuk comes in many shapes and sizes. This one was a small motor bike with a two wheeled covered wagon. Our driver was really nice. He took us straight to our hotel to check in.
The manager was very nice and helpful. He told us a little about the area, set up our tuk tuk tour of Angkor, and got our bus tickets for us to Phnom Pehn and Ho Chi Min. We
quickly threw down our bags and headed to our driver. It was 15 dollars for an all day driver around Angkor. Angkor was not far from our hotel, only about ten minutes or so. We arrived at the main entrance and bought tickets. Our driver showed us the area map and together him and I mapped our route. We both decided to keep Angkor Wat for last. Angkor Wat is the most famous of all the temples of Angkor. As we drove we were amongst many other tourist also on tuk tuks, tour buses, and tour vans. This is the most touristed site in Cambodia and we could already see why.
We headed for the area known as Angkor Thom which was the capital city at one point. It was great to see these temples which were over 800 years old. Each time our driver dropped us off at a temple we were able to climb, hike and touch the history. It was so amazing to be up close and personal to these historical monuments. All of the temples were pretty much free of any original statues. They were replaced with replicas because of theft. The grounds of Angkor is just too vast to be able to protect against thieves. My favorite temple was Ta Prohm. This temple is so magnificent. The jungle has not been removed from the surrounding area and over the years it has taken over the structures. Humongous trees are growing over and through the walls. It really was an amazing sight to see and made famous for it's backdrop in the first Tomb Raider movie. Ta Keo was another interesting temple. It was never completed because it was struck by lighting. The lighting was a bad omen and the people refused to complete it.
After a about 10 temples or so a lot of waking and climbing we were ready for Angkor Wat. We entered from the back and were taken back by the sheer size of it. Each conical tower resembled a lotus flower bud. They soared high in the sky. We began our ascent and took in each little passage way. It was really fun just to get lost. We eventually made it to the top and took it all in. We sat for awhile and just relaxed knowing that we are sitting in a true wonder of the world. After taking it in for awhile we slowly made our way down. We checked out other areas and passage ways. When we went out the front and down the main path we were able to be amazed once again. The whole view from the front was just beyond words. We finally found our driver after a few minutes of searching. It was pretty hot at this point. He drove us back to our hotel. Man what a long day already. After Angkor we took a much needed nap. We were so exhausted.
We woke up and took a tuk tuk into town to grab some dinner. I read about a good little restuarant called the Khmer Kitchen. It serves up some good local dishes. We had a Khmer Curry and Loc Lac, as well as a beer to share. It was delicious!!!! We were already planning our meal for tomorrow. After dinner we strolled for a little bit had another beer at a resturant serving up 50 cent draft for happy hour. How awesome is that!!! Oh and dinner was 8 dollars for two dishes anda big beer. Boy do we love it here. After our happy hour drink we grabbed a tuk tuk to our hotel and called it a night. What a sucessful day. Tomorrow was going to be a little more relaxing for sure.
We decided to walk to Central train station instead of taking a taxi to save ten bucks. We had walked the majority of the route the day before. So I had a good idea of what to expect. It was dark however and no one was out. It ended up being a 20 minute walk and we found the station without a hitch. We got on the airport bus which left the train station at 3:15 sharp. Once we arrived at the airport it was all a breeze. Checked in on the computer kiosk, hopped on our flight, and landed in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It was dawn at this point and the country side looked so beautiful. The airport was a quite small modern hut and immigration was an assembly line of visa officers that only accepted US currency. The wait was not too long to get our visas on arrival.
Our tuk tuk driver was waiting for us when we got out of the airport. For those of you don't know a tuk tuk comes in many shapes and sizes. This one was a small motor bike with a two wheeled covered wagon. Our driver was really nice. He took us straight to our hotel to check in.
The manager was very nice and helpful. He told us a little about the area, set up our tuk tuk tour of Angkor, and got our bus tickets for us to Phnom Pehn and Ho Chi Min. We
quickly threw down our bags and headed to our driver. It was 15 dollars for an all day driver around Angkor. Angkor was not far from our hotel, only about ten minutes or so. We arrived at the main entrance and bought tickets. Our driver showed us the area map and together him and I mapped our route. We both decided to keep Angkor Wat for last. Angkor Wat is the most famous of all the temples of Angkor. As we drove we were amongst many other tourist also on tuk tuks, tour buses, and tour vans. This is the most touristed site in Cambodia and we could already see why.
We headed for the area known as Angkor Thom which was the capital city at one point. It was great to see these temples which were over 800 years old. Each time our driver dropped us off at a temple we were able to climb, hike and touch the history. It was so amazing to be up close and personal to these historical monuments. All of the temples were pretty much free of any original statues. They were replaced with replicas because of theft. The grounds of Angkor is just too vast to be able to protect against thieves. My favorite temple was Ta Prohm. This temple is so magnificent. The jungle has not been removed from the surrounding area and over the years it has taken over the structures. Humongous trees are growing over and through the walls. It really was an amazing sight to see and made famous for it's backdrop in the first Tomb Raider movie. Ta Keo was another interesting temple. It was never completed because it was struck by lighting. The lighting was a bad omen and the people refused to complete it.
After a about 10 temples or so a lot of waking and climbing we were ready for Angkor Wat. We entered from the back and were taken back by the sheer size of it. Each conical tower resembled a lotus flower bud. They soared high in the sky. We began our ascent and took in each little passage way. It was really fun just to get lost. We eventually made it to the top and took it all in. We sat for awhile and just relaxed knowing that we are sitting in a true wonder of the world. After taking it in for awhile we slowly made our way down. We checked out other areas and passage ways. When we went out the front and down the main path we were able to be amazed once again. The whole view from the front was just beyond words. We finally found our driver after a few minutes of searching. It was pretty hot at this point. He drove us back to our hotel. Man what a long day already. After Angkor we took a much needed nap. We were so exhausted.
We woke up and took a tuk tuk into town to grab some dinner. I read about a good little restuarant called the Khmer Kitchen. It serves up some good local dishes. We had a Khmer Curry and Loc Lac, as well as a beer to share. It was delicious!!!! We were already planning our meal for tomorrow. After dinner we strolled for a little bit had another beer at a resturant serving up 50 cent draft for happy hour. How awesome is that!!! Oh and dinner was 8 dollars for two dishes anda big beer. Boy do we love it here. After our happy hour drink we grabbed a tuk tuk to our hotel and called it a night. What a sucessful day. Tomorrow was going to be a little more relaxing for sure.
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