As we are firmly entrenched in week #2 in cambodia, i thought i might write a bit about our time here. Thanks to Jin as always for keeping up her end of the blog, i've been on internet sebbatical for the past couple of weeks and have stayed generally free of computers. that is to say, free from computers besides being the recipient of Jin's newfound knowledge of the more obscure fruits of Cambodia while watching her search the net next to me while I read. Additionally, i used the net for a moment to check the schedule of the NBA finals, and of course to keep up to date on Phish setlists of Summer Tour 2010.
We are now in Siam Reap, in roughly the center of Cambodia. We have finished our 3 day marathon tour of the Angkor sites. Tomorrow, tuesday morning, we are catching a bus to Battambang, a little SW of here. Battambang is the third largest city in Cambodia, behind Phnom Penh, and Siam Reap.
There isn't too much to do in Battambang of note, but our travels in Cambodia have been slim, and we figured we better see a bit more of something before we head to the neverending helpings of curries, pad thais and beaches that is thailand. There should be some less touristy scenes, more normal sort of life going on there, with a touch of bamboo trains, and colonial architecture.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
5.17-6.10越南
总的来说，便宜。最大的体会到消费品价格取决于消费水平。
这个国家不以旅游业为支柱，所以非旅游地的东西价格都很合理。所以跟旅游业无关的当地人都很友好。
越南地理位置超好，3000多公里的海岸线，无数岛屿。如果旅游业有更好的规划会更漂亮。
有时很矛盾，除了历史、自然风光，而在我感叹漂亮建筑的同时，就像是在感谢法国对当地的殖民。
殖民可能是留下一些光鲜独特的建筑风格，教予当地一些先进的知识。但更多的是它改变人们的价值观。人们失去自身价值判断标准，一切以殖民者的标准看齐。
河内（Ha Noi），首都。我们停留在老街区，中心湖四周4、5条街的范围，及其拥挤，人多，摩托更多。但很有意思，感觉很传统。人们时常在街边小桌凳吃喝聊天。晚上之繁华，完全没有人行道可言。布满无数小摊，吃的走了喝的还在。我们就看着谁碗里的不错，就指着人家的碗点吃的。
景点都遍布在老街区四周。全都靠步行解决（累得啊～）。第一次看到水晶棺里保存的人（一直都错过了毛主席的）胡志明主席陵墓。很庄严的单行道，必须行走在每天铺的红地毯进入。每2米吧就2个士兵各站左右。为保持尸体低温，室内极冷，过往游客不得逗留。我觉得是很真很干净的胡志明，安详的躺在里面，但ben觉得是蜡人可能性极大。
在河内前后加起来有5天吧，基本把市区走遍。如上所述，有意思的建筑都是法国殖民时期留下。对于没去过法国的我来说还是很有意思。
Ho Chi Ming Museum. Very interesting design.胡志明博物馆。设计很有意思。
One Pillar pagoda.一柱庙
Traffic here is unbelievable. Not much traffic lights or rules.河内交通混乱，但事故很少的样子。
吉婆岛（Cat Ba island）及下龙湾（Ha Long Bay）。先去了下龙湾南边的吉婆岛。路边摊吃了这么久没出过问题，到了第一天下馆子后就拉肚子3天。后来吃了抗生素才好！然后就是拉不出来3天...所以一不小心就呆了一个星期！这个道以攀岩出名，还有很大的一国家公园。但我们选择了轻松的游船，所以我尝试了第一次划皮划艇！
吉婆岛，2号海滩是最安静漂亮的一个（一共3个海滩，1号3号都有度假村驻扎）。一般就带本书趟一下午。
At Cat Ba island, this is the Cat Co 2 beach. we went there most often.
下龙湾就是阳朔的山出现在海上。也有很多有趣的不同种类的小山。就是我还很不习惯海水。每次跳进海，咸水进到口里或是鼻腔都要好一阵来调整呼吸。
芽庄（Nha Trang）第一次看到珊瑚！在一个受保护的岛屿旁边有很多种类颜色的珊瑚，因为离海岸近，所以不用潜水下去，只用浮在海面带有通气管的潜水镜往下看就很清楚了。稍微往下游一点就会不小心碰到珊瑚。终于我的背面晒得跟正面一个颜色。
The beach in Nha Trang is very popular with locals. 下午3、4点开始人们涌到海边玩。
We rent bike to visit the old temple from 12th centre.
我们骑车去看了个比较有历史的寺庙。挺有吴哥风味。
在芽庄吃到最便宜的路边摊！一个晚上我们辗转4-5个小摊吃得巨饱花了大概20块。
She had over 5 kinds of "rice cake in palm leaves", made by different kinds of rice and ingredients.虽然不能说很好吃，但看她把不同的米糕从棕叶里取出来很享受:)
胡志明市（Ho Chi Ming city/Saigon）30来年的时间，一个血腥的战争城市变成最适宜居住的城市。
不知是不是我们居住的地方好，出门走几条街就是一大片绿地公园，在高大的树荫下人们休闲的玩乐聊天。好喜欢那里的树～很多好高好直沿路两旁，公园里有各种其他花、树保证绿地的阴凉。
在越南其他城市很少看到高楼大厦，但胡志明市却有好些漂亮的高楼（还有很多正在建设）。
本来我对城市一直没有激情，但我是个超市迷，终于看到超市的时候完全抑制不住...那是城市最吸引的地方了。
The main post office is very special. 邮局是一景点。
The Reunification palace in Ho Chi Ming city. 独立宫
Ben says it is 70s style rooms. They are pretty. 70年代保留下来的。
The basement was designed for the war between South and North Vietnam.地下室是军事大本营。
这个国家不以旅游业为支柱，所以非旅游地的东西价格都很合理。所以跟旅游业无关的当地人都很友好。
越南地理位置超好，3000多公里的海岸线，无数岛屿。如果旅游业有更好的规划会更漂亮。
有时很矛盾，除了历史、自然风光，而在我感叹漂亮建筑的同时，就像是在感谢法国对当地的殖民。
殖民可能是留下一些光鲜独特的建筑风格，教予当地一些先进的知识。但更多的是它改变人们的价值观。人们失去自身价值判断标准，一切以殖民者的标准看齐。
河内（Ha Noi），首都。我们停留在老街区，中心湖四周4、5条街的范围，及其拥挤，人多，摩托更多。但很有意思，感觉很传统。人们时常在街边小桌凳吃喝聊天。晚上之繁华，完全没有人行道可言。布满无数小摊，吃的走了喝的还在。我们就看着谁碗里的不错，就指着人家的碗点吃的。
景点都遍布在老街区四周。全都靠步行解决（累得啊～）。第一次看到水晶棺里保存的人（一直都错过了毛主席的）胡志明主席陵墓。很庄严的单行道，必须行走在每天铺的红地毯进入。每2米吧就2个士兵各站左右。为保持尸体低温，室内极冷，过往游客不得逗留。我觉得是很真很干净的胡志明，安详的躺在里面，但ben觉得是蜡人可能性极大。
在河内前后加起来有5天吧，基本把市区走遍。如上所述，有意思的建筑都是法国殖民时期留下。对于没去过法国的我来说还是很有意思。
Ho Chi Ming Museum. Very interesting design.胡志明博物馆。设计很有意思。
One Pillar pagoda.一柱庙
Traffic here is unbelievable. Not much traffic lights or rules.河内交通混乱，但事故很少的样子。
吉婆岛（Cat Ba island）及下龙湾（Ha Long Bay）。先去了下龙湾南边的吉婆岛。路边摊吃了这么久没出过问题，到了第一天下馆子后就拉肚子3天。后来吃了抗生素才好！然后就是拉不出来3天...所以一不小心就呆了一个星期！这个道以攀岩出名，还有很大的一国家公园。但我们选择了轻松的游船，所以我尝试了第一次划皮划艇！
吉婆岛，2号海滩是最安静漂亮的一个（一共3个海滩，1号3号都有度假村驻扎）。一般就带本书趟一下午。
At Cat Ba island, this is the Cat Co 2 beach. we went there most often.
下龙湾就是阳朔的山出现在海上。也有很多有趣的不同种类的小山。就是我还很不习惯海水。每次跳进海，咸水进到口里或是鼻腔都要好一阵来调整呼吸。
芽庄（Nha Trang）第一次看到珊瑚！在一个受保护的岛屿旁边有很多种类颜色的珊瑚，因为离海岸近，所以不用潜水下去，只用浮在海面带有通气管的潜水镜往下看就很清楚了。稍微往下游一点就会不小心碰到珊瑚。终于我的背面晒得跟正面一个颜色。
The beach in Nha Trang is very popular with locals. 下午3、4点开始人们涌到海边玩。
We rent bike to visit the old temple from 12th centre.
我们骑车去看了个比较有历史的寺庙。挺有吴哥风味。
在芽庄吃到最便宜的路边摊！一个晚上我们辗转4-5个小摊吃得巨饱花了大概20块。
She had over 5 kinds of "rice cake in palm leaves", made by different kinds of rice and ingredients.虽然不能说很好吃，但看她把不同的米糕从棕叶里取出来很享受:)
胡志明市（Ho Chi Ming city/Saigon）30来年的时间，一个血腥的战争城市变成最适宜居住的城市。
不知是不是我们居住的地方好，出门走几条街就是一大片绿地公园，在高大的树荫下人们休闲的玩乐聊天。好喜欢那里的树～很多好高好直沿路两旁，公园里有各种其他花、树保证绿地的阴凉。
在越南其他城市很少看到高楼大厦，但胡志明市却有好些漂亮的高楼（还有很多正在建设）。
本来我对城市一直没有激情，但我是个超市迷，终于看到超市的时候完全抑制不住...那是城市最吸引的地方了。
The main post office is very special. 邮局是一景点。
The Reunification palace in Ho Chi Ming city. 独立宫
Ben says it is 70s style rooms. They are pretty. 70年代保留下来的。
The basement was designed for the war between South and North Vietnam.地下室是军事大本营。
Monday, June 14, 2010
Hanoi
Ha Long Bay_下龙湾景
Ha Long Bay Caves_下龙湾岩洞
大多数旅游船都到这个岩洞参观。大多钟乳石都与“下龙”这个天降神龙的传说有关。
导游说这是天堂的通路。这是被拦住不能接近的。这束光带给阴冷的溶洞一些生机。
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Xieng Khuan (Buddha Park), Vientiane
Ben rode his first scooter and took us to the park 25km away from city.
Ko Long Cave, Laos
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Hanoi
Hanoi is awesome. Getting off the bus from Vinh, I was a little disappointed by the lack of obvious sights to see, or beautiful buildings... But this is just hidden behind some crazy neighborhoods and a bunch of cheap plastic signs. The city is full of narrow streets going in every direction. Every sidewalk is either covered in hundreds of parked scooters, or in street food stands with tiny tables and chairs made for 4 year olds. The tiny tables and chairs, are not just at some, or most street food stands, but at EVERY stand, along with most cheap restaurants. It is kinda fun, but also a little ridiculous eating with your knees over your food, and sitting 6 inches above the ground. The food is amazing, and cheap, but almost exclusively Pho, or Vietnamese noodle soup. We did our best to locate everything that wasn't Pho, but youhave to be really committed and very brave. Then you have to point at exactly what other people are eating, and explain that you don't want Pho!
We stayed in the old quarter on both our trips there. At first, the old quarter doesn't seem all that old or fantastic. The streets are really narrow, and very chaotic, filled with cheap lighted signs, tons of scooters, dirty food stands, not so special stores, and millions of power wires.
My favorite thing to do in the city, besides eating, was seeing Ho Chi Minhs body on display. Probably one of the strangest things i've ever done, the experience was entirely surreal. We were hurried in to the large marble mausoleum, and watched extra closely by the armed military guards in their best uniforms. Uncle Ho is lying in a glass case in a high ceilinged room, looking white as can be, and with extra long pointy fingers in an extremely Mr. Burns-esque manner. We were rushed through the room, and no cameras were allowed at all, so it was hard to get a real grip on what I saw, but I do know that it was strange, damn strange! There are rumors that he has been replaced with a fax model, madame tussards style, and I would say that those are extremely well founded. If he is real, then he definitely will not be brought back to life anytime soon, but probably more likely to be made in to a really fancy candle.
We saw the "hanoi hilton" and the hanoi hilton... I have pictures to prove it. It was surreal seeing where McCain was held for so long, and thinking that 30 years later, I was wandering around the streets outside with Mercedes and Gringos aplenty... and yes there is an actual Hanoi Hilton Hotel.
After our 3rd day of wandering around, and our second trip to the city, we finally found the fancy part of the city, or embassy area. This is the old French style I was expecting and is extremely nice. The area is really nice, and has some awesome bakeries, great parks, and some really cool old buildings that really bring you back to the Colonial days.
The old quarter is really cool, and if you can get past the obvious ugliness, and wander down some old alleys and look behind the plastic signs, you will see some really cool buildings, and get really experience the classic Hanoi. The city overall is tons of fun, and has lots of great sights and beautiful buildings. The traffic is truly awesome, and is a sight in itself. The food is great, cheap, and its really silly sitting in a chair for a 4 year old and eating some Pho with fresh hot peppers and a plate of mint leaves. Overall, Hanoi is the best city i've been in since Hong Kong or Beijing, has the best street food of maybe anywhere we've been so far, and is entertaining if doing nothing but just walking down the street!
We stayed in the old quarter on both our trips there. At first, the old quarter doesn't seem all that old or fantastic. The streets are really narrow, and very chaotic, filled with cheap lighted signs, tons of scooters, dirty food stands, not so special stores, and millions of power wires.
My favorite thing to do in the city, besides eating, was seeing Ho Chi Minhs body on display. Probably one of the strangest things i've ever done, the experience was entirely surreal. We were hurried in to the large marble mausoleum, and watched extra closely by the armed military guards in their best uniforms. Uncle Ho is lying in a glass case in a high ceilinged room, looking white as can be, and with extra long pointy fingers in an extremely Mr. Burns-esque manner. We were rushed through the room, and no cameras were allowed at all, so it was hard to get a real grip on what I saw, but I do know that it was strange, damn strange! There are rumors that he has been replaced with a fax model, madame tussards style, and I would say that those are extremely well founded. If he is real, then he definitely will not be brought back to life anytime soon, but probably more likely to be made in to a really fancy candle.
We saw the "hanoi hilton" and the hanoi hilton... I have pictures to prove it. It was surreal seeing where McCain was held for so long, and thinking that 30 years later, I was wandering around the streets outside with Mercedes and Gringos aplenty... and yes there is an actual Hanoi Hilton Hotel.
After our 3rd day of wandering around, and our second trip to the city, we finally found the fancy part of the city, or embassy area. This is the old French style I was expecting and is extremely nice. The area is really nice, and has some awesome bakeries, great parks, and some really cool old buildings that really bring you back to the Colonial days.
The old quarter is really cool, and if you can get past the obvious ugliness, and wander down some old alleys and look behind the plastic signs, you will see some really cool buildings, and get really experience the classic Hanoi. The city overall is tons of fun, and has lots of great sights and beautiful buildings. The traffic is truly awesome, and is a sight in itself. The food is great, cheap, and its really silly sitting in a chair for a 4 year old and eating some Pho with fresh hot peppers and a plate of mint leaves. Overall, Hanoi is the best city i've been in since Hong Kong or Beijing, has the best street food of maybe anywhere we've been so far, and is entertaining if doing nothing but just walking down the street!
Vinh
Vinh. It was our first taste of Vietnam, and is not even in our Lonely Planet SE Asia Guidebook despite having around a quarter of a million people. There isn't much to the city, but that perhaps is its best asset. There are zero tourists there, and as long as you dont plan on doing much, it is a great place to relax for a couple days. The streets are wide, and long, and there is almost no sites to see. However, we did find some awesome food to eat, and a great, super cheap hotel to stay in. We ended up staying for a couple days, just to relax, do some laundry and chill after having no AC for our entire stay in Laos. We basically just ate cheap street food, got lost walking around and finding nothing, saw some old Soviet style architecture, watched a few movies on HBO, and did a whole lot of nothing. Not a bad way to spend a couple days after 2 full days on the road from Vientiane.
Headed Out
Ok, sorry for the slow updates... been busy not being online!
We are now in Ho Chi Minh City(Saigon)in SW Vietnam. We have been here for a few days already and are staying until thursday(wednesday night in the states) so I can get my Visa to Thailand. I didnt think i needed a visa for thailand, but if you enter over land, you only get a 2 week visa exemption, not an actual visa, thus it is impossible to get a visa extension. If you enter by air, you get a one month visa exemption upon arrival, but we arent flying anywhere. So, today we walked back to the Thai embassy to drop off my passport and get an actual visa, good for 60 days in the country.... On to Vietnam
So far, our Vietnam journey has taken us first to Vinh(from Laos), then north to Hanoi. From Hanoi we went to Haiphong, then took a ferry to Cat Ba island. We stayed on Cat Ba for a week(mostly because we were both really sick for 3 days), then went on a 2 day, 1 night Halong Bay Tour. The tour ended with a free bus ride back to Hanoi, where we stayed for a couple days. We then caught a 24 hour train to Nha Trang, on the beach of Southern Vietnam. After about 4 days there, we hopped another train to Saigon, where we have been for 3 nights so far.
Overall, Vietnam is pretty cool. The country is really pretty, but has way more people than Laos, and their impact is rather obvious. The infrastructure outside of Hanoi and Saigon is basically awful. The roads throughout the country are all only 2 lanes, one each way. This is despite the millions of busses that drive the obvious North to South(or vice versa) route from one beach town to another. Additionally, the power problems here are pretty obvious. Cat Ba Island literally loses power every day from 7am to 8pm, relying only on generators during this time. This seemed like something that would happen in a small island off the beaten path. Even more unexpected though was that Nha Trang, a city of around 400,000 has no power at all from 8am to 6pm every other day! This has made using the internet, or the AC, or chilling out and relaxing for a day rather difficult.
Now that we are in Saigon, things are much easier. The city is really large, but the downtown is rather small, and walking around is pretty easy. We are staying in the backpacker neighborhood, home of tons of cheap hotels, tons of great street food, even more fake books(yes, fake books, the ultimate in SE Asia backpacking ridiculousness), and near basically everything you'd want to do in the city.
Our hotel is really nice, we have a normal size room, AC, with a refridgerator, TV with tons of channels(at least 6 in english including ESPN, CNBC, NatGeo, Discovery, and some australian and euro channels,)a nice bathroom, and big fairly comfy bed. The hotel also has an elevator, which is a huge plus and is really secure.
Chilling in Vietnam has been fairly uneventful, and mostly just hanging out near or on the beach, lounging in our hotel(when we have power), seeing some cool sites, and taking in Halong Bay. I have managed to find and finish a bunch of great books, and also eat tons of awesome Pho! More to coom soon!
We are now in Ho Chi Minh City(Saigon)in SW Vietnam. We have been here for a few days already and are staying until thursday(wednesday night in the states) so I can get my Visa to Thailand. I didnt think i needed a visa for thailand, but if you enter over land, you only get a 2 week visa exemption, not an actual visa, thus it is impossible to get a visa extension. If you enter by air, you get a one month visa exemption upon arrival, but we arent flying anywhere. So, today we walked back to the Thai embassy to drop off my passport and get an actual visa, good for 60 days in the country.... On to Vietnam
So far, our Vietnam journey has taken us first to Vinh(from Laos), then north to Hanoi. From Hanoi we went to Haiphong, then took a ferry to Cat Ba island. We stayed on Cat Ba for a week(mostly because we were both really sick for 3 days), then went on a 2 day, 1 night Halong Bay Tour. The tour ended with a free bus ride back to Hanoi, where we stayed for a couple days. We then caught a 24 hour train to Nha Trang, on the beach of Southern Vietnam. After about 4 days there, we hopped another train to Saigon, where we have been for 3 nights so far.
Overall, Vietnam is pretty cool. The country is really pretty, but has way more people than Laos, and their impact is rather obvious. The infrastructure outside of Hanoi and Saigon is basically awful. The roads throughout the country are all only 2 lanes, one each way. This is despite the millions of busses that drive the obvious North to South(or vice versa) route from one beach town to another. Additionally, the power problems here are pretty obvious. Cat Ba Island literally loses power every day from 7am to 8pm, relying only on generators during this time. This seemed like something that would happen in a small island off the beaten path. Even more unexpected though was that Nha Trang, a city of around 400,000 has no power at all from 8am to 6pm every other day! This has made using the internet, or the AC, or chilling out and relaxing for a day rather difficult.
Now that we are in Saigon, things are much easier. The city is really large, but the downtown is rather small, and walking around is pretty easy. We are staying in the backpacker neighborhood, home of tons of cheap hotels, tons of great street food, even more fake books(yes, fake books, the ultimate in SE Asia backpacking ridiculousness), and near basically everything you'd want to do in the city.
Our hotel is really nice, we have a normal size room, AC, with a refridgerator, TV with tons of channels(at least 6 in english including ESPN, CNBC, NatGeo, Discovery, and some australian and euro channels,)a nice bathroom, and big fairly comfy bed. The hotel also has an elevator, which is a huge plus and is really secure.
Chilling in Vietnam has been fairly uneventful, and mostly just hanging out near or on the beach, lounging in our hotel(when we have power), seeing some cool sites, and taking in Halong Bay. I have managed to find and finish a bunch of great books, and also eat tons of awesome Pho! More to coom soon!
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