Category: 2015 Travels

In Singapore again and home tomorrow.
So great seeing the London crew- the main highlight.

It has very interesting to see Cambodia and Vietnam and we have met some wonderful people along the way – both the friendly and gracious Cambodians and Vietnamese and our tour mates.
The highlights on tour
*Angkor Wat
*Sailing on the Mekong
*Some new food tastes
*The markets

Mark says next holiday is resort style and doing nothing.

Thanks for following along with us. A few more photos to backload and all posts will be complete. (click on the i top right corner of each picture to see commentary)

We piked out of excursion today to Cu Chi Tunnels and enjoyed a long lazy start to the day. Very nice. Wandered about a little before group lunch – another great menu!

Short but successful visit this afternoon to Ben Thanh Market – lively and very busy and everything for sale. Did a bit of bargaining.

The city is crowded with motorcycles – 40 million they say. We did well to avoid them going every which way and navigated our way through busy intersections. The traffic does not stop.

Ho Chi Minh changed it’s name in 1976 but many still refer to it as Saigon and the locals say 2 syllables are easier than 3.

Sad to say goodbye to our new friends tonight at tour end but new friendships will continue.

Ho Chi Minh 2

 

End of the Mekong cruise first thing this morning. Great to see some of Cambodia and Vietnam  and to explore a little of the countryside and life on and around the Mekong River. Very diverse, such a history, incredibly different lifestyles, wonderfully polite, friendly and welcoming people so keen to welcome and encourage tourists to their countries.

We docked at My Tho and it was a short bus trip – airconditioned, wi-fi, to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon).

Our first stop here was the post office! Designed by Gustave Eiffel (yes the Paris one) it was just like an old style PO in working order with a ceiling reminiscent of Grand Central Station in NY. Kinda neat to see.

Then to Notre Dame Cathedral- nowhere near as grand as the Paris one.

We had a tour of the Reunification Palace or Independence Palace, once the symbol of the South Vietnamese government and now a museum. Bit rusty on our history so time to brush up. Palace significant part of history and also architecturally important. Interesting to see the bunkers and miles of tunnels.

Admired some amazing lacquer work and furniture and watched some clever artisans at Minh Phoung Fine Art and Handicraft.

Ho Chi Minh 1 photos

This afternoon we had a Vietnamese Culinary Course – received a certificate even. Lots of fun and we were very well fed with 5 courses – no need for dinner tonight. It was great to go to the market with one of the culinary centre staff and see what we were going to use.

Culinary course

Slumming it at Park Hyatt, very centrally located. Hot today but much less humidity- yeah!

A busy but fun day today – all the better because we took sampan’s most of the way in a lovely breeze – not much walking in the heat.

 At Sa Dec – sampan to a bustling market on the river. Fascinating- very fresh food- vegetables and fish and other goods. A large market and such variety.

Ended this part of walk at Huynh Le House, a late 19th century home made famous by French novelist Marguerite Duras and her novel L’Amant (now on the reading list).

At the markets

It was interesting to see a brick factory where bricks and tiles are made from Mekong River mud and fired in old beehive-like kilns or the new “modern” version. Next door is a rice husking factory and the husks are used to fire the brick factory kilns, ashes are then used as fertiliser – nothing is wasted here. Very very hot, hard and dusty work – low paid – many working here as supplementary work.

Brick works

Sailing through the canals is a great way to observe locals going about their daily routines – children swimming, men throwing nets and families harvesting water hyacinths.

In Cai Be a little further down the river we sailed through the floating markets. Fruits and vegetables for sale plus a variety of other items- you advertise your wares by putting a sample atop a pole on your boat- eg. kumara on a stick. Houses all stilted of course along the river as tidal and also avoid monsoon increases.

Stopped at An Kiet House – beautiful home and garden and then to a rice factory – this was the highlight of the day!

They pop rice candy, make rice paper, coconut candy and other products. They also pickle snakes and other interesting herbal products. A close encounter with a snake – Mark was brave!! and Gill had a go at making rice crackers – belting hot by the fire and definitely some practice needed.

Sampan trip to house, rice factory 1

Part 2 Meeting the snake

Anchored mid-stream in the Mekong so sampan ride to Tan Chau to visit a Cao Dai temple – one of the newest religions in Vietnam – kinda embraces them all.

Then an Xe Loi ride – a traditional rickshaw with the cyclist in the front this time and the passenger in the back. A fun way to see some of the village and children all waving and thinking no doubt “those weird tourists!

Visited a rattan weaving factory – aka a cottage industry where they were making floor mats and baskets out of rushes – a two person job on the loom. curl the end of the rush onto a large “shuttle” and shoot it across loom. Second person is actually sitting on loom and pulls paddle down.

“Sampaned” it along the canals (an experience) to a fish farm and watched the feeding frenzy – there are multitudes of fish farms along the river canals and also along Mekong itself. Also to a very fertile area known as Emerald Island – (Ever Green Island) where all sorts of crops grown and a small village is located. People very friendly and welcoming and kids keen to chat and practice their English. Very close encounter with the people and their way of life.

Tan Chau

This afternoon was a further relaxing sail down the Mekong- blowing a gale but it was great way of keeping cool.

In the Mekong Delta the people live, work and shop on the water. Will see more of this tomorrow.

TGFI !!

Lovely afternoon to glide along the Mekong towards Vietnam, crossing the border late afternoon.

Some very picturesque scenes of fertile river banks, crops and villages.

Cruising on the Mekong

Gorgeous sunrise on the Mekong this morning.

A timely reminder that  new days dawn here in spite of atrocities committed in contemporary history. There is along way to go.

A sombre visit this morning to the Choeung Ek Killing Field and Tuol Sleng, also known as S21, the Khmer Rouge’s largest detention and torture headquarters.

Choeung Ek is one of 389 killing fields.

Not to forget either that in several other places in the world,  atrocities are still occurring in one way or another.

Woke to a steady downpour but short and sharp.  Phnom Pehn is a city of contrasts – new modern including a few “skyscrapers” next to traditional street hawkers and markets.

Had a cyclo tour this morning – way to get even close to the sights and smells, dust and exhaust!! Stopped first at the Royal Palace for a look around- King Sihamoni was home but we didn’t see him. Palace built in 19th century and classic example of Kymer style. Inside teh palace complex is the Silver Pagoda – floor inlaid with 5,000 silver tiles. Several Buddha statue inside studded with diamonds and other significant artifacts.

The National Museum was also visited via cyclo. Museum has collection of Kymer sculpture in 4 open-air galleries built around a courtyard.

Lovely quiet afternoon in the air-conditioned cool and we both had massages. Most relaxing.

A local orphanage entertained us before dinner. The children were absolutely delightful. The orphanage is a wonderful example of a community group helping children in their community- they are almost entirely self-sufficient, living very modestly with great things happening for the children. James (17 months) completely stole the show with his charm and gangnam moves.

Interesting visit to a Kymer village (Angkor Ban) this morning – about 2000 people living on bank of Mekong river.Very fertile area and lots of produce, herbs contributing to largely self-sufficient lifestyle. Range of housing styles but generally all built on poles – cattle, storage downstairs,. Floors made of bamboo and are very strong and allowing efficient ventilation  for sleeping, cooking and living upstairs.

Highlight was a visit to a school class where children very keen to practice their English and pronunciation. They were delightful and so focussed- English was very good! Mutually enjoyable time I think.

This afternoon we sailed up river to Phnom Pehn. Attended a Kymer cooking class and in a private lesson as it turned out, we made fresh spring rolls, loc lak (traditional meat dish) and bananas in coconut milk (especially delicious).

Still very hot and humid.

 

In Kampong Cham this morning – then sailed a little way downstream and back again, sailing upstream towards Ho Chi Minh city over the next week. The Mekong is 12th largest river in the world. Some nice scenes along riverbanks in places but water is very polluted. Presently beginning of the dry season and river is currently about 9m lower than it usually is at this time. They have started to build the “famous” bamboo bridge in Kampong Cham and we saw this today. It is built every year then dismantled  for the monsoon season. Pretty impressive – 1km long when complete and strong enough for traffic. Saw an amazing photo of completed bridge totally chocker with people and traffic.
Buddhism is main religion here and multiple temples everywhere.
This morning we visited a temple and then some lovely gardens at the twin holy mountains of Phnom Pros and Phnom Srey (Man Hill and Woman Hill). Some massive gilded Buddha statues and stupa erected to honour dead from a nearby Khmer Rouge killing field. Lots of monkeys about so felt reassured that my $ were well spent on a rabies inocculation.

Kampong Cham Tour 2015

This afternoon we went to a Buddhist Monstery on the top of Wat Hanchey. A “water blessing” by the monks – interesting experience. Both pre- Angkor and Angkor temples mingles with contemporary Buddhist structures so a sense of past and present religious life.

Photos at Buddhist Monastery Wat Hanchey

The monks are often very young when they enter the monastery as this is seen as the best way to get a better education. Monks are not required to sign up for life and can come and go.

Our boat is the River Orchid.

Lovely sunset tonight, lightening behind the clouds (very impressive) and fireworks as well.