The Lovely Vietnam

We have been in this wonderful country for ten days now, and have found it to be most enjoyable. Many travelers had told us that Vietnam was their least-favorite country while traveling, and it almost discouraged us from coming at all. But now that we are here, Charlie and I can't understand why this was such a popular notion. Our first few days in Saigon exposed us the modernity of this flourishing country. Though it is officially a communist country, capitalism is booming everywhere. The quality of service here is much higher than that of Cambodia, and is on par with Thailand when looking at the variety of activities and ease of travel. Though it is a bit more expensive here than anywhere else we have gone, the rooms are always well-kept and include all the amenities (Having hot water is a beautiful thing if you haven't in months). Coming from Cambodia, it feels more like a first world country than another country recovering from war. While Cambodia doesn't have the resources, and too much corruption, to develop strong infrastructure (i.e. good roads, efficient transportation, healthcare etc), Vietnam has accomplished all of this.
The bustling city of Ho Chi Minh is as modern as any in the states. With garbage trucks, city maitnence workers, and a booming tourism economy.
After spending a few days in Ho Chi Minh (formerly known as Saigon before the communists took over) Charlie and I headed for the white sand beaches of Mui Ne.
Mui Ne consists of one long road that runs parallel to the South China Sea. Guesthouses, hotels and restaurants adorn both the beach side and inland side of the road. Palm trees line the tiled boardwalk that stretches the 3.5 km stretch of beach that is Mui Ne. The most noticeable thing about Mui Ne is that it is an international mecca for Kiteboarding. This awesome-looking sport combines wakeboarding with extreme kite-flying. We spent a few days watching hundreds of tanned, athletic people soar through the air doing tricks and stunts similiar to wakeboarding, or snowboarding. We were enthralled.
Of course we wanted to do it, but it turned out to be a rediculously expensive thing to learn on this touristy beach. To consol ourselves we hired a Jeep, with an Australian couple, and took off for a day of exploring the many white and red sand dunes in the area. This turned out to be the most incredible combination of desert and tropical ecosystems. Deep red creeks running through the most brilliant white sand dunes and palm trees looming overhead. The contrast was unlike anything we had ever seen.
We decided to leave the next morning, because it was a bit painful to sit on the beach and watch everyone else out in the water having fun. Especially because we had the desire but lacked the money to try. We decided, anyway, that we were definitely mountain people who had been on the beach too long.
And this is how we ended up in the wonderful mountain town of Dalat.
This is one of my favorite places we have been in Asia. It has the cool breeze of higher elevation, fresh pine scent and a French influence that is hard to ignore. It feels like we have dropped out of Asia and into a small European mountain town. The buildings have the destinct French style of architecture, with lots of whitewashed walls, tall vaulted ceilings, plenty of arches, pillars and even a miniture Eiffle Tower. There are little cafes everywhere, sometimes four or five on a block. And this isn't even the best part. It is what lies just outside town that has captured our hearts- plenty of mountains and freshwater.
Charlie and I met the coolest Canadian couple, whom are very much the Candian version of ourselves. They too have been traveling together for about three months and it was nice to hear and be around another couple that have spent so much quality time together. Together, without offending anyone, we could lighheartedly vent about the little quirks that we all find a bit annoying in our much-loved traveling companions. To say the least, we hit it off and were glad to actually have some friends for a few consecutive days.
Our first full day in Dalat was spent on rented motorbikes touring around the countryside. Dalat is well known for its good climate and soil for growing every kind of familiar vegetable and fruit out there(The wine made here is delicious, and only costs $1 to $2 a bottle). As the four of us drove through the cool mountain air and looked out over acres of organized farmland full of flowers, cucumbers, tomatoes, grapes etc, we realized what a fertile pocket of the country we had found. All the food here is fresh, farmed in an efficient manner and compare greately to the farmland around Missoula. People live really well here. They eat well, they drink well, and they live in a beautiful forested, waterfall and lake ridden area of Vietnam.
We found some impressive waterfalls, swam in the first clean freshwater lake we have seen in Asia and ate fresh fruits and veggies in the countryside markets. It was amazing.
Yesterday (our second day in Dalat) Charlie and I went to the market to purchase cucumbers, tomatoes, cream cheese, fresh shredded garlic, baguettes and, of course, some local wine to take on a romantic picnic by one of the many mountain lakes we had found. We drove our bright red motorbike the 15 minutes out of town and to the lake, set up our beach mat and chess board, and settled into the bush-ridden shores for an afternoon of relaxing. We made delicious fresh sandwhiches, which we haven't been able to find in Asia prior, and enjoyed the cooler temperatures of the mountains. It felt like home. Enjoying nature in the daytime and drinking wine with our new down-to-earth friends in the evening.
Though we could stay much longer, we have decided to leave in the morning to head north, as we only have two weeks left here before we fly from Hanoi back to Bangkok. We are off to see Hoi An, known for it's fine silk and plethora of tailors, for a day or two. Then we will see a bit of Hue, another older beach town with much history, before heading deep into the Northwest to some mountains that are said to be "The Alps of Asia' which sounds right up our alley.
For now we will continue enjoy ourselves and the romantic air of this quaint little town. It is so nice to be in a place that smells like home.

Much Love.

To the Village and Back Again... and Then to Vietnam

After our days in Siem Reap we thought we would go back to Phnom Penh for a few days while we waited for our Vietnam Visas to go through. We thought that on Valentines Day we would be spending the day riding a bus for seven hours from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Instead we ended up packing our bursting backpacks and climbing into the back of a Tuk Tuk operated by a driver, and new friend, named Seng Thy- or as we somehow began calling him, Cha Lee Cho. He is one of the five Tuk Tuk drivers that operates out of Happy Guesthouse, the place we had returned to after spending five days there earlier in the week. Him and his three brothers worked in one way or another at the guesthouse. Cha Lee and his brothers were all easy to smile, and charming- as it helps to be in a tourism-based industry. These brothers, along with almost everyone else that worked at Happy, all came from a small village of about 1,500 that stood 50 km southeast of the city. Over our time in Phnom Penh, we had made friends with each one and developed a friendly and familiar repoire with them. On our last night before our expected departer, Cha Lee said he was going home to his village the next morning and that he was sorry we couldn't come with him.

Well, Charlie and I looked at each other and shrugged our shoulders- why not?
Cha Lee assured us his offer was genuine and couldn't stop smiling. We felt that this was the kind of thing it would be silly to miss out on, considering we trusted him and felt good about the prospect of leaving the city and driving out into the countryside with him for a few days. And so, on Friday we threw our bags in the motorcyle-pulled chariot and braced ourselves for the bumpy ride. An hour and a half later we pulled off the pavement and dusted our way down the dry dirt road to Cha Lee's village.
Charlie and I were a bit nervous, as we were completely out of our element and didn't really know what to expect. But as soon as we pulled up to the modest house that was lifted over ten feet off the ground, and saw the smiling faces of Cha Lee's wife and four children sitting underneath the house on (yes, on) the dinner table, we relaxed. Soon after we arrived and were ushered under the house to sit, Cha Lee's wife - Mum - went into a shed-like kitchen and began bringing out bowls of rice, of pickled mango, of the raw pork we had just bought from the market and a salad of basil and cucumbers. It looked beautiful, except for the meat that had been hanging outdoors all day before we pulled up to buy it- and we're pretty sure it was the face of a pig, bones and all. We descretely avoided the meat and behaved most entheusiastic about the meal- especially considering that the whole family wasn't eating, but standing around us in a semi circle smiling. More relatives, neighbors and friends began showing up to meet us and watch us eat. As did the director of the local school, because Charlie and I had decided to buy all 400 students a book for learning English. Cha Lee had first mentioned this idea on the eve of our departer to the countryside. We had investegated at the main markets in Phnom Penh about prices, and the book most recomended for the task, and Cha Lee had his wife did some investegating at the local market by their village. In the end it would cost only $200 total to buy the entire school books. Charlie reasoned that it was a small price to pay for us but it may actually be a chance to do some good in the lives of these children. And of course, I agreed.

The next morning, Feb 14th, we spent our Valentines day at a rural Asian market searching out these specific books that were rumored to be there. Cha Lee and Mum helped us with negotiations and we efficiently purchased our humble gift. But, before we could go to the school and present them to the Director, the ingredients for our next few meals had to be bought. So Mum softly, but firmly, held on to my elbow as she towed me through the crowded market of women. While Cha Lee and Charlie browsed other school supplies, I was led through a sea of vegetables, live eels, fish, other animals, as well as many things I did not recognize. As we walked down the aisles between women parked on their blankets piled high with their products, all eyes were on me. I saw as everyone in front of us stopped what they were doing to look, some smiled and some didn't. But Mum seemed to know everyone and smiled her way through the crowd picking out vegetables, sauces and such. The deal of the trip was that Charlie and I would pay for our food, as Cha Lee's family (and the whole village) is very poor. So I gave Mum a ten dollar bill that paid for a weekend of feasting for the whole family. As she toted me toward the exit, past the whole (I mean totally whole- head, eyes, feet and all) skinned chickens, I thought that we might have escaped buying meat. It was a relief. Mum collected Charlie and Cha Lee, the books we had purchased and the food we had bought into the Tuk Tuk before placing her hand under my elbow once again to steer me across the street, much to my dismay, to a meat stand. Legs, hinds, and organs of a freshly slaughtered pig hung from hooks. Chopped bits of unidenifiable animal parts lay on a platter in front of a cross-legged woman holding a bloody butcher knife. With flies buzzing around us, Mum chose a chunk of meat and an organ to take with us. Seeing that I am not much of a meat lover, and eat mostly vegetarian, I was trying hard to keep a polite face.

The heat was intense and the smell of raw meat wasn't any less to bear, so I was happy when we all hopped in the Tuk Tuk and headed to the school.

As soon as we arrived the director and one, of the two, teachers for the school came up and thanked us again and again. Charlie nor I speak any Khmer, and these men didn't speak a lick of English, so our mutual feelings of gratitude were expressed largely through body language. It is rare to have the chance to give something directly to the place of need. Charlie and I had been talking about finding a volunteer oppurtunity for weeks, as Cambodia is the most in need of all the countries we are to visit. This was an oppurtunity for us to give a simple gift to happy, smiling children that we could actually meet. As Cha Lee eloquently put it when he suggested the donation: "You could buy yourselves some souvenier's, which is perfectly okay, or you could spend some money on the children, and that would be good for them and for Cambodia."

We spent most of the morning playing games with these beautiful children. Each one wanted their own picture taken and the camera caused a frenzy of about 100 little kids pushing each other frantically to get to the front of the crowd. They all wanted to be in the very front waving their peace signs wildly with smiles on their faces. And they had no idea who we were, or why we were there.

It was the most loved I have ever felt on Valentines Day.

Charlie and I were such a team that weekend. Through hairy meat and much attention we stuck together in our will to be openly polite, kind and friendly. We were able to give a few small gift's to our generous hosts without allowing ourselves to be taken advantage of (which is possible in a country that needs so much, and has so little). We re-affirmed our ability to do the right thing when presented with the oppurtunity and to gracefully get ourselves in, and out, of another eye-opening experience.

We have now been in Ho Chi Minh City for three days and already spent a long, alchohol-filled night with a group of Chinese guys who didn't speak more than two words of English, spent an entire day hung over in our hotel room (thank goodness for air-conditioning), gone to various fine art museums and galleries, and explored the modern and booming streets of this city. It is beautiful, international and full of colorful people that co-exist in a wonderful way. So far, we both very much love Vietnam.

Till next time...

Oriana and Charlie

Ancient Angkor

We have officially hit the two month mark which signifies our midpoint here in Asia. The last several days have been spent in Siam Reap, home to Angkor Wat. It is fascinating to see the enormity of these ancient wats. We had an exhausting Sunday exploring multiple sites where ruins and history run thick, dating back to the 12th century. These were all "smaller"temples surrounding the area near Angkor Wat. Today a couple hours were spent observing Angkor Wat, itself. Though crowded with hundreds of tourists, the experience was spectacular and somewhat surreal. Trying to comprehend how these temples were constructed struck me odd. Oriana suggested slaves, but then even it would be near impossible. The magnitude of these sites with their intricate carvings, statues and engravings are nearly as magnificent as one would imagine the pyramids at point of encounter. Angkor Thom was one of the most impressive, beholding glorious trees with intense root systems that grew along great stone walls and over massive entrances. This is also where Tomb Raider was filmed for you movie buffs! The days were miserably hot and unfortunately expensive, but we endured as one should in such matters. We didn't do much else as this is what Siam Reap revolves around and thrives on. Angkor Wat must reel in some heavy dough with the prices and number of people pouring in and out daily. We have been informed that Angkor was bought by an oil company, not American, thankfully, but where the money goes we are not sure of. Some of the temples have or are being restored on a small level, but it seems that most of that is happening from individual groups. For instance, the restoration at one sight is being carried out by a group of Japanese (maybe university?). We also heard that of the income a small percent (like 10) goes to restoration, another small percent goes to the oil company that purchased it all and the rest of about 80 % goes into a black hole (say the government). Anyway that's word on the street. Speaking of the street, none of the money appears to go to the people because there are thick, pesty swarms of children clustered everywhere as you approach and leave each sight trying to sell you postcards, books, sodas, anything and everything. I had a guy today try to sell me the hat he was wearing. Nonetheless, everyone seems pleasantly happy and some restoration is taking way. To sum it all up, Mindblowing. Tomorrow we head back to Phnom Penh to work out our visas for Vietnam where we will be heading in a few days. First to Saigon and then working our way north to Hanoi at which point we will fly back to Bangkok for one more month of fun in the sun along the southern coast. Much love ya'll...

Delving a Little Deeper

After visiting the prison, formerly a high school, where the Khmer Rouge tortured- before killing- just under 20,000 people Charlie and I were seeping into a mellow state of sadness for this country. Then we visited the place of execution. The main 'tourist sights' in Phnom Penh are a) Tuolslen Genocide Museum and b) Choeung Ek Memorial, also known as the Killing Fields. The first is the place where the Khmer Rouge imprisoned and tortured many innocent people, and the second is the place they took these people to kill them with axes, garden tools and anything else that was a low-cost weapon (of which bullets are not). The impact that 9,000 skulls make on a person is great. These 9,000 excavated skulls (that were able to be found whole) are contained in a monument placed over one of the mass graves in the killing fields. They are separated by age- 10-15 yrs old, 15-20 yrs old, 20-45 yrs old and over 45 yrs old. There are 12 stories surrounded by glass, showcasing the young to old, low to high. The clothes of those 'excavated' lay under the youngest skulls on the bottom. It is a very chilling sight. After a day like that, you either want to drink alot or wander aimlessly- both of which we did.
Today we wandered even more, taking Tuk-Tuk's to different parts of the city and eating and drinking and talking with the steet people and Tuk-Tuk drivers. They especially love Charlie, he has a way with them. First they love his name, and then his jokes and then his willingness, and want, to stop and chat for as long as they like. Almost every Taxi driver, Moto Driver or Tuk-Tuk driver has given a shortened version of his life story and shared a few jokes with Charlie before we move on. Everyone is very friendly, but many tourists tend to stare straight at the sidewalk and don't answer anyone when they ask, again and again every two feet, "Tuk-Tuk Madame? Moto Sir? Where are you going? Can I assist you?"
It can be overwhelming, but we are adjusting nicely. The trick is, as Charlie discovered, to just make friends with everyone. To smile, and joke, try to sell them something back, or just ask them how they are, where they are going etc. They find it quite funny. So today we just wandered Phnom Penh, making friends and eating local fruits and drinking local beer- which is cheap, by the way.
In the morning we leave for Siem Reap, and to see the famous Angkor Wat. Then, we have decided to leave for Vietnam a few days after that. We are reaching the half-way point in our trip, and we have one more month before we head back to Thailand for the last month of beach-status in the South.
We will post a bit more when we have things to report. For now we are just living.
Much Love

Going with the flow, back in the city...

We are in Phnom Penh currently and realizing once again the intensity of crossing a city street in Asia. After being on many beaches with low traffic and islands with no more than foot traffic making adjustments to the craze and disfunction of traffic flow is more than dazzling. In Thailand we became accustom to looking right then left, but here in Cambodia they drive on the right side of the street like at home so we are quickly relearning to look left then right. Honestly it is pretty much irrelevant which way you look in either place because there are absolutely no apparent traffic laws so every time I step off the curb I feel like a jack popping out of the box, my head bouncing to the right, back to the left and then all over the place as if it really were spring loaded. You learn to do this while dancing between moto-bikes, tuk tuks and anything else moving. It's quite a thrilling experience, every time. What I really mean by going with the flow is much broader than crossing the street.

Everyday is something new so you have to be flexible, patient and understanding with every step. Fortunately for us, we usually are or can at least balance one another out. Island life is easy and time seems to stand still, but entering a different country can be frustrating and exhausting for reasons ranging from language and currency to transportation and food. It was mind boggling when we first entered Cambodia. We were becoming pros with getting through Thailand and dealing in baht. 100 baht is approx. 3 dollars - no sweat. In Cambodia 4000 riel is 1 dollar - a bit more units. In Cambodia they except baht, riel and dollars interchangibly so you quickly need to get use to using all three currencies interchangibly. We didn't, because that's insane - and why dollars in Cambodia? No problem we're American; maybe the only two in the world without any US dollars. That's how our first few days went and then it was off the mainland - Ko Ru bound - that's Bamboo Island - and we posted up for 6 or 7 days. No resorts, no power until after 5:30 pm, no roads or vehicles and hardly any persons - that's where we spent the celebration for my 28th birthday (please send gifts to 801 kemp st. or deposit directly in bank account; thanks). The day prior to the most important day in the world was capped with an evening fishing trip off the island in which we accompanied an Aussie couple and a couple chaps from England. Pretty chill sunset fishing excursion - we were all reeling them in. Some colorful fish referred to as cucumber fish. I should mention we are fishing Khmer style which means you have the line in your hand, a hook with some squid and a plastic spool to wrap the line around. Pretty basic we thought which is why we were not expecting what happened next. Jane is pulling in another one, no big deal until she is taking an aggressive stance and racing time to get her line pulled in, suddenly she is working her way, like she had done this before, around the front of the boat and on around. Now she seems like the catch. She continues her battle while our two Khmer guides make it her way, fishing net in hand, to help out. Within minutes there's a shark in the boat. SHARK!... in the boat... The looked like a great white, but it was only a few feet long. They said it was a crazy shark - like that's the species and that is about as big as they get. They also said they had never caught one so this was new for everyone. The following day, most important day in the world, was my birthday. Oriana, the ever thoughtful Queen that she is, was full of surprises. First a couple of mystery bottles of red wine emerged. Wait that's second. First a bottle of whiskey, a book, some balm and a package of my favorite slims were revealed. The wine was later. I spent most the day completing my sand fortress which turned out after a couple days. A little later on while eating dinner the bottles of red were opened and flowed about. Now, you are all probably thinking 2 bottles of red wine - cool, but there was no wine on the island - it had to be specially delivered from the mainland. Good work baby! So we are having a good time, all the other guests are wishing me well and who would of thought, a cake came out. CAKE...there isn't cake on Bamboo island and definitely not a bakery - where does cake come from? The mainland where like the vino, was carefully and discretely boated an hour over to the island. Good work baby! So we had a little celebration and enough cake for all the guests present. I thought I was excited, but you should have seen the Swede, Marvin sitting next to me. When the cake came out he lit up like a little boy. It was great. To top everything off the staff rolled me a quite large khmer cigarette which put a grin on everyones face. So we left the island the following day and arrived in Phnom Penh yesterday. We are staying at a nice guesthouse on the lake and like I said before, getting use to the city again.

Tomorrow we are going to see some sites which I think will be a heavy load. We will see the killing fields and torture chambers where hundreds of thousands were brutaly murdered under the reign if the Khmer Rouge. In a few days we will head north to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat, then back this way to head into Vietnam. We are lovely and miss all of you. We know we need to load more pics but we lost our camera charger so until we resolve this be patient. much love-