Nha Trang, Vietnam

We got back into Vietnam.  The street side visa worked.  What a pleasant surprise to drop off your passport and get it back with a legitimate visa at a cheaper price than going through the Consulate.  On our way to Nha Trang, from the airport, we encountered the greatest taxi scam in SE Asia: the meter.  I am certain it was adjusted to move at lightening speed to ensure the driver could retire after our trip from the airport.

Nha Trang is a town located on the coast of the South China sea in the southern central area of Vietnam.  I am sitting in a small hostel bar listening to Kanye West and Daft Punk's Stronger. The bar has a state of the art disco light, a pool table, a big screen tv playing soccer, and the remaining room is taken up by a bout 6 tables and the computer where they offer free internet to those who consume their beverages. That's how I was roped in. I asked the young Vietnamese gentleman harassing me in the street if he knew where an internet cafe was and he told me it was free at his bar with the purchase of a glass of wine that costs as much as most dinners.  The only downfall of the bar is that is it about 95 degrees in here, only slightly warmer than outside.  It is better than wandering the street where a large rat recently scampered across the sidewalk, nearly over my toes. 

The beach in Nha Trang looks great.  It comes with a full carnival on the boardwalk.  Looking forward to the Vietnamese Ferris Wheel.

Angkor Wat

Exchange Rate: $1USD = 4100r (riel).  The unofficial currency of Cambodia is the US dollar and the ATMs dispense only US dollars.

Hello:  sua s'dei

Thank you: aw kohn

Prefered method of transportation: motorbike driven tuk tuk with a 4 seat carriage in the back. The largest and most comfortable tuk tuk I have seen to date.

The Angkor Wat temples were constructed from the 9th through 13th century by the ancient Khmer empire and are the largest religious temples in the world. They are magnificent. They are constructed by stone and surounded by giant moats and complex irrigation systems, even by today's standards. Words cannot describe to the enormity of the series of temples and the vast difference in styles and layout. 

The first day we spent touring the temples via tuk tuk.    A very nice tuk tuk.  Since it rains

 about 8 hours a day, the carriages have roll down sides to protect the passengers from the monsoon downpour.  We discovered this is a necessary element for the tuk tuk experience. The day was filled with a lot of driving, and walking, in the rain.  We started off visiting Angkor Wat, the largest of the temples seen to the right.  

Another highlight of the first day was Bayon, in Angkor Thom.  With 216 gargantuan faces staring at you from every direction, it is quite fascinating.   

The second day we went to a floating village in the morning.  Because of the rains, the roads on the way to the village were flooded.  The depth of the water was up to 8 inches and the cars, tuk tuks, bicycles and walkers took it like just another 'day in the life'.  Many of the homes on the side of the road were in standing water, surrounded by children playing in the monsoon lakes and people taking the flood as an opportunity to wash their car, their tuk tuk or their body.  The village was kind of a rip off at $25 per person to cruise out to the lake on a boat and be forced to stop by souvenir shops.  However, it was quite fascinating to see homes, on land during the dry season, floating in 20 feet of water.  And, we got to see a crocodile farm.

After the floating village, we went back to the temples.  The highlight of the second day was our last stop, timed perfectly to be right before the daily monsoon downpour, Pre Rup, a temple elevated to overlook the jungle and the rice fields.  After climbing the gigantic stairs (nothing in Angkor Wat is small), it was a stunning sight.

Siem Reap, the town adjacent to Angkor Wat is a French influenced town with great bars and restaurants. It is definitely a place to visit again.

Getting to Maddox's home country

Colleen and I met in Saigon and planned on heading to Cambodia for a few days then re-entering Vietnam for the balance of her trip.  When Colleen and I arrived at immigration in the Saigon airport, they took my visa, preventing me from re-entering Vietnam .  Asking why, the immigration officer kindly explained that we only had a single-entry visa, were screwed and there was nothing he could do to help us get back into the country in 3 days.  Vietnam is one of the few countries in Asia where you have to have a visa prior to entry.  Knowing this, we had ordered a multiple-entry visa, but had not noticed it was processed incorrectly at the Consulate.  When we left Saigon, we did not think we would be returning to Vietnam. 

When we arrived in Siem Reap, we hopped in a cab and headed to our hotel.  The cab driver started the ride with polite conversation about where we were from and how long we were staying.  He then informed us that the best way to get to Angkor Wat Temples was to hire a driver and gave us his pricey.  Unwilling to commit this quickly into the trip, we politely declined.  He continued to push and we continued to say we didn't know what our plans were, but that we would call him when we determined what they were.  This started a quiet tirade about the French couple who said they would call and never did.  As we continued our drive, at about 10 miles per hour and getting passed by everyone else on the road, he kept asking us to "help him" by hiring him, his voice getting softer and angrier.  When we made our determined indecision crystal clear, he pulled off the road, got out of his car, and removed the taxi sign from the top of the car.  Red flag.  He turned left onto a somewhat desolate road, continued to mumble about the headache we were giving him by not hiring him on the spot and picked up his cell phone.  At that point, Colleen and I asked to get out of the cab, which started a new, still angry, dialogue about why we were scared.  By the time we got through that, we were at our hotel, safely.  The desolate road was the road leading to our fancy hotel. 

The good news is, we found a company who can get us a visa to get back into Vietnam and we discovered the cab driver does not represent a typical Cambodian.  Everyone else we have met has been fantastic.  Even though they work really hard to sell you anything and everything, there is no feeling of resentment here.  Introducing, self-named, Spider Boy.  The most industrious kid we've ever met.  He was up at 4am selling tables at the restaurant, guide books, postcards and his soul if you would buy it.  The girl in the photo above was also selling post cards and, upon knowing we were from California, recited what we later determined to be the recital of every school-aged child in Cambodia "Sacremento is the Capital of California, it is in the United States and Washington DC is the capital of the United States.  There are 50 states, Alaska is the biggest and Rhode Island is the smallest.  There are 300 million people in America and our Prime Minister is George W. Bush."

Saigon: The home of the two story KFC

Exchange Rate:  $1USD = $16,500 Dong

Hello: Xin Chao

Thank you: Cam on

Time Difference:  14 hours ahead of PST

Preferred Method of transportation:  Cyclo: a bicycle driven carriage with a small seat in front

Ho Chi Minh City.  30 people are killed each day in traffic accidents in Vietnam, most of them, I suspect, in Ho Chi Minh.  There are 8 million people weaving cars and motorbikes through the unsignaled intersections, often at 90 degree angles to one anther.  Driving and crossing the street is a cross between playing a real life game of chicken and frogger.    Whoever honks the loudest, longest and doesn't flinch to oncoming traffic, usually gets the right-of-way.

Even compared to my stay in KL, my living situation has been stepped up a notch or two here.  We are staying at the Sheraton, Saigon.  Outside of the fact that anything you purchase in the hotel is 100 times more expensive than just outside the hotel, it is fantastic.  The shower has 3 different nozzles and the beds are Heavenly.

The food is amazing, two story KFC excepted, of course.  One of the delicacies we have not tried is balut. Balut is a fertilized duck egg with a nearly developed embryo inside.  It is cooked and served in the shell, cracked, and eaten out of the shell with a spoon.  It is said to be an aphrodisiac.  The Vietnamese have limits with this dish.  If the duckling is too old, meaning the bone structure, or beak, is too fully developed, they will pass on that egg and move on to a younger, more tender one.  Another untried delicacy is dog.  Yes, they admittedly eat dog here.  Again, limits are put in place as they only eat mean, crazy or stupid dogs.  The smart ones are safe.  Darwinism at its finest.

We went on a tour and experienced Vietnam's unique religion of Cao Dai and the Cu Chi tunnels of the Vietnam war.   Everyone should consider converting to Cao Dai.  The religion, as explained by our tour guide, is a cross between "Buddhism, Hinduism, Catholicism, Taoism, Confucianism, Protestantism and Materialism" and the symbol is the one-eye.  Basically, you get to worship whoever or whatever you want, including material things.  That is freedom of religion.  Cao Dai is practiced by 4 million people and only in south Vietnam.  We viewed a noon mass and although it was nice to see, it felt a bit intrusive to be wandering around on the balcony above the worship snapping pictures during the mass.  

The tour of the Cu Chi tunnels (pronounced koochi) was a mix of emotions, mostly shock and sadness for the American and Vietnamese soldiers and civilians who died.  One the to the tunnels, our guide explained to us the devastation caused by our use of Agent Orange, Napalm, C-130s and B52 bombers then took us to a handicraft shop where the government employs victims of this American devastation.  After Colleen and I slumped down in our minivan seats then watched the victims create beautiful works of art with surgeon like precision, we did our part to help by purchasing a whole bunch of stuff from the handicraft store.  

The introduction at the Cu Chi tunnels told stories of American slaughter, Vietnamese war heroes, including a teenage girl, who were honored for the mass killing of Americans, and the various methods of Guerrilla warfare employed by the Vietnamese.  The stories were told matter-of-factly, without hatred towards America, even by our guide who fought against us in the war and lost several family members and friends to our destruction of Cu Chi.  Even presented as such, it is extremely difficult to listen to.  Seen through the eyes of the South Vietnamese supporting the Vietcong, I can begin to understand the mayhem of the war.  The tour included demonstration of the underground traps set by the Vietnamese to mame, but not kill, American soldiers before we entered and crawled around the tunnels.  The opening to the tunnels were about 16" by 12", limiting the size of the people who can enter.  Additionally, the tunnels were narrowed at certain point to keep out the "big, fat Americans".  The tunnels we entered were about 3' high by 2' wide.  They were hot and damp.  It is unimaginable what it must have been like to live down there with little to no light.  

The most uplifting part of the Cu Chi tunnel tour was when we got to shoot an AK-47 and a M-16.  Talk about power.  The Chinese and Russians supplied some great weapons!

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

I flew through Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia, on my way from Indonesia to Vietnam.  Due to flight schedules, I spent the night and wished I had more time.  The city is amazing.  Very modern and progressive with a great public transportation system.  I treated myself to the finer things in traveling: a steak dinner with wine, a nice hotel including consistently hot water with pressure, crisp, clean sheets, a bath tub, and  no bugs.  It was like being on vacation!

Petronas Towers, shown to the left, used to be the tallest buildings in the world until Taipei 101 was built.  It is stunning by day and absolutely breathless lighting up the sky at night.  Unfortunately, I could not get to the 41st story view bridge the day I was there, but I spent a fair amount of time admiring the exterior.  What an architectural beauty with magnificent massing and detailing.  And, as with most modern Asian high-rise building, top of the line shopping on the bottom 5 floors.  

I hope to make it back to KL on another trip through Malaysia and spend some more time there.

Right after I posted my last blog, the gecko started up again, so I grabbed the handy flashlight Julie and Olin bought me for the trip and busted this guy peering around the rafter on my balcony.  
He was no fewer than 4 feet away from me eyeing my open, screenless windows trying to sneak his way over.  Slow to go into new places, my ass.  I will be sleeping in the heat tonight.  I think I pissed him off by closing the windows as I hear him saying over and over again in a deep, frog-like croak 'let me in'.    

Pulau Weh

From Danau Toba, I decided to go to Pulau Weh, a small island off the northern coast of Sumatra, in the Indian Ocean.  I stopped through Banda Aceh on my way.  Banda Aceh is a coastal city and the one hit hardest by the two natural distastes of 2004;  the oceanic earthquake and the following tsunami. Banda Aceh was the closest city to the epicenter of the 9.0 earthquake, which took down most of their buildings.  What remained was devastated by the tsunami that followed about an hour later.  160,000 people were killed, which was about 25% of their population.  The hotel I stayed at has photos of a large ship parked at the hotel site immediately following.  It's humbling to see the continued devastation.  While some things have been rebuilt, there is still a lot of work to be done in reconstructing housing, hospitals, ports, and the airport.  If Banda Aceh wasn't such a shit hole, I'd consider a job opportunity.

Pulau Weh is amazing.  It is a beautiful island, uninhabited due to the difficulty in getting here, and very calming (with the exception of my 'I'm not connected panic attack' which took place this afternoon when, right before the power, and

 internet, went down, I learned BofA was cutting off my ATM card due to suspicious charges and I couldn't figure out how to make a phone call to the United States to fix it. Don't worry, the power came back up a little while later and Kristi came to my rescue).  

I am staying on Gapang Beach and, although it is the main beach, it is very undeveloped.  There are only about 30 bungalows/room on the entire beach.  I don't mean establishments, I mean rooms.  

The electricity goes out for a couple hours each day and there has only been water for about 6 hours in the two days I've been here.  In the bathroom they have mandies, which are built up basins filled with water to compensate for the times without.  The water is used to flush the toilet, brush your teeth and shower.  I had my first mandi shower and let me say that pouring cold water on yourself in an attempt to cleanse is not as easy, or as fun, as it sounds.  

There are more chickens, geckos and goats than natives on the island.  And the geckos are huge.  I am trying to get past it, but they make such a loud sound, it's hard to forget they could fall from the ceiling at any moment.  In fact, there is one doing his thing right now, he can't be far.  And, since there is no air conditioning and it is rather hot, the only option I have for sleeping is to keep the windows open at night to allow the Indian Ocean breeze in.  I have heard that the large geckos take quite a while to enter a new space; I am hoping the one taunting me at this moment is not warning me he's ready to make his move.   

I have met most of the locals, since they run the dive shop, restaurant, etc, and heard their tsunami stories.  Because the beach is not very wide, the tsunami did not gain tremendous height in Pulau Weh and the devastation was not even close to what is was on Banda Aceh, located only a few kilometers away.  There were only 3 lives lost on the island.  I have talked to people who ran up the hill in order to flee, people in boats who had no knowledge of the tsunami until they came back to see the washed out shore, and people who were diving and only knew something was wrong when the fish all started acting strangely and swimming to the surface.

Pulau Weh is also devoutly Muslim.  There is only one restaurant open during the day and you have to go in the back door, speakeasy style.  Everything is closed off to give the appearance of being closed and to add and extra element of swarms of flies to your dining experience.  Surprisingly, the food is fantastic.  It doesn't hurt that it's the only option.

Diving here is phenomenal.  The underwater colors are so rich, it's like a whole new world.  The corals are by far the best part, but we also saw a honeycomb eel, which is a large eel that looks brown with yellow leopard type spots.  Very cool.

One of the best parts of the island is the hammock, where I make my home in the afternoon.

Cost of hammock: 0

Cost of room: 275 IDR

Preferred method of transportation: walking