Now in Phnom Penh

I recovered from the long trip to Phnom Penh quickly and now I am getting to know my way around. I have a very decent hotel called Spring Guest House which I found online. Just in case anyone is worried about my accommodations, you should feel reassured that a sign posted on all floors of the guesthouse states, "No Noise! No drugs! No weapons!" That ought to make you rest easier.

On my trip from Vietnam here I met an Aussie and a Kiwi and we all ended up independently in same hotel so I have enjoyed doing some things with these guys. Yesterday we hired a tuk tuk for the day to take us around to see the points of interest. We decided to get the unpleasantries out of the way first so started at the killing fields. This was where Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge executed thousands of intellectuals, monks, dissidents, etc. He tried to eliminate currency, religion, history, any link to the past, in order to start with the year 000. As if the killing fields were not bad enough then we saw Toul Slong Museum where the same people were taken before execution to be tortured and interrogated. You just would not believe such inhumanity is possible. I still have a very sickish feeling after being in these two horrible places. I was doubtful about seeing these spots at all, but as the Aussie friend pointed out, awareness of what happened may prevent recurrences.

On a higher note, I replaced my camera with a new Cannon and I am loving it. I will post some of my new pics for here. One is actually a video in the market which I will try to upload. I will probably leave Phnom Penh for Sihanoukville on the southern coast of Cambodia tomorrow. It is so hot and good beach weather.

Pictures

1-Market in Phnom Penh (Kinda makes you mouth water, doesn't it?)

2-Rice fields

3-Heading to town

Vietnam to Cambodia

I traveled all day yesterday from Chou Doc, Vietnam, to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I chose the slow boat option and I began to regret that choice after about the 5th or 6th hour of hard seats. At least the the temperature was pleasant, the company enjoyable and the scenery a constantly changing view of real river life along the Mekong. (I did not know that the Mekong is Asia's longest river starting in Tibet and ending in the South China Sea in Vietnam .) The only remainders I saw of the fighting in the Mekong Delta were some bomb craters that are now fish farms. Who knew the frozen catfish you buy at Publix marked "Product of Vietnam" probably were raised right where a bomb exploded 40 years ago?

We entered Cambodia at the most unusual border crossing I have ever seen. Our boat pulled up to a very unreliable looking little dock which was actually a piece of 2 X 10 lumber nailed to the top of a piling. I used every bit of concentration to maneuver the walk up that gangplank with my 40 pound backpack and wanted to kiss the ground after the 10 foot balancing act. In my backyard on Terrace Boulevard we had a joggling board that was fun to bounce on. I drew on skills developed on that joggling board 50 years ago.

After clearing customs there was an hour bus ride on to Phnom Penh. I had booked a hotel online from Saigon so took a tuktuk taxi from the bus and that is about all I have seen of Phnom Penh so far. I have a little bad news and that is my camera is going to have to go, so I will shop here for a new one. It is a little risky buying something that expensive here and I hope what I find is genuine. Wish me luck!

Moving on to Cambodia

Tonight I am in Chau Doc, Vietnam, near the border with Cambodia. Tomorrow I will go by boat on the Mekong River to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. I booked a package in Saigon which takes me to Cambodia with a tour of the Mekong Delta and hotel en route. We leave tomorrow morning at 7 and arrive in the afternoon at 5. It will be a long boat trip but surely interesting.

Having enjoyed being in Vietnam for the past two weeks, I have some parting thoughts. First, if this is communism, what is so bad about it? The country seems very prosperous, people well dressed, businesses booming, hardly any beggars on the street. I have been told there is repression of some ideas, but I have watched CNBC, HNN, American Idol and many great American movies on television. The internet does not have any restrictions that I have found. Anyway, that is my take on the communist situation. Second, their money called Dong is really confusing. One dollar equals 20000 Dong, so to convert currencies you have to drop 4 zeroes and divide by 2. All those zeroes get really problematic, and when I spend 10000 Dong for a Coke it feels like a lot more than 50 cents. Third, these people can cook! Fourth, I want to come back here.

Well, I have an early wakeup call tomorrow and so I will close. Sorry not to have any pics to post today but I think I had some setting wrong on my camera. The Mekong River is very picturesque so hope to be able to show it here.

I never met an ice cream I did not like.

I never met an ice cream I did not like until yesterday. I had been told about a fruit called durian fruit that is very expensive and very smelly but good tasting. I could not find the fresh fruit in the supermarket which finally opened yesterday but there was durian fruit ice cream which seemed to me like a sure bet. Not only did the ice cream smell to high heaven, something like burned tires and rotten garbage, but it tasted just the same. I gargled over and over to get rid of the after effects in my mouth. It was a first for me not to finish my ice cream.

All over the world it seems like fashion to sport tee shirts with foreign languages. I saw one here with the following English:
Star
Trip
Funny
Bounces
Heart
I wonder what message this is supposed to be.

I will leave Nha Trang at 11 this morning for a 7 hour bus ride back to Saigon. I had wanted to travel north to Hanoi but it is not in the cards. Well, next time! I hope that this will be my last long bus trip for a while. I plan to travel from Saigon to Cambodia leaving before my Vietnam visa expires on February 28.

Beach Central, Vietnam

For several days (I really can not keep up with what day it is anymore) I have been in Nha Trang which my Lonely Planet Guide calls "Beach Central, Vietnam". It is very crowded here with thosands of vacationing Vietnamese on their Tet holiday, plus a pretty fair amout of foreigners from all over. In my hotel there is a book swap desk and there were books in Russian, German, Japanese, Chinese, French but not one in English. I just finished rereading Prizzi's Family which kept me laughing all the way through. Since I could not swap a book I bought a pirate paperback copy of Dan Browns's Lost Symbol and can hardly put it down. In my opinion it is his most exciting book yet.

Nha Trang reminds me so much of Rio de Janiero. For starters the main drag separates the beachfront walkway and sidewalk from the hotels, shops and restaurants opposite. There is a cable car ride to an island just like the one to Sugarloaf and there are many small rock islands out in the sea. (The name of this city means "decorated teeth" and I suspect that name derives from some wild imagination seeing these rocky islets as the decoative teeth of the harbor. Sounds like a good story , even if not true. ) Unlike Rio I have not seen any skimpy tangas on the beach but it is a tad coolish for sunning. I love the way at night makeshift cafes spring up on the sidewalks with baby size chairs and tables and someone grilling aromatic fish, lobster and scallops. I get more and more risktaking daily but have not taken a chance on one of these places, yet!

Yesterday was action packed. Hong and I started at a breakfast buffet which was grand---Vietnamese and inetnational food--- for $3.50 per person. I had spring rolls, Chinese rice soup, scrambled eggs, fruit, pate, pickles and lots and lots of American coffee. Having made a big pig of myself skipping lunch was easy. We then rented a motorbike and toured around the city. We went back once again to the supermarket which had been closed the day before and today it was open but only for looking. You could not buy anything! I think tomorrow it is back in action and so I hope to stock up on picnic supplies. Supermarkets and hardware stores are such a good way to see how people live away from the tourist areas.

I got to run yesterday for the first time since leaving home and enjoyed it. After running I jumped into the ocean and was knocked around by the some of the strongest waves I have ever seen that I just stayed in a couple of minutes.

I have to move to a new hotel today as this one is full tonight. I have been staying in a lovely spot with a balcony overlooking the beach for only $45 per night. I am going to miss my balcony.

Photos

1-Hong and Ed on the beach

2-View from my hotel

3-Another beach scene

Wifi Challenged

Sorry that it has been a while since my last update. I have been moving about more than I like and consequently I have been internet challenged. I am now in Nha Trang on the coast of Vietnam. How I got here is a pretty long story and I will give a few details below.

Let me start with the good stuff. Remember my New Years Eve blog? I happened to meet a tour guide from Saigon late in the afternoon of that day and since he had no plans to celebrate the new year we met for dinner that night. We went to an outdoor street restaurant near my hotel and then joined more than 1.5 million celebrants to watch fireworks over the Mekong River at midnight. It was hot and crowded and one of those things that I am happy to have done once and would not like to do again.

The next day was New Years and he showed me the flower street which was closed to traffic (that in itself is a reason for joy) and filled with diplays of all kind of flowers many in the theme of tigers since this is the year of the tiger. You are supposed to wear new clothes on New Years day so see my fashion shots below. Walking around we found 3 troops of dragon dancers and that is something I have dreamed of seeing for years and now I can check it off my bucket list. These groups were made up of about 20 men who wore elaborate dragon costumes and danced, tumbled, somersaulted, leaped, teased to the beat of drums, cymbals and gongs. I have to say it was one of the most thrilling experiences of my life.

Later in the day my new friend Hong invited me to his family's home for their new year celebration. We went by motorbike ( him driving and me as the passenger more than a little scared most of the time) and I took a beautiful cake which I bought in a French bakery near my hotel. Everyone there greeted me warmly in varying degrees of English. All the children expected small amounts of "lucky money". There being no furniture in their living room we all sat on the floor and played cards before dinner was served on a cloth spread in the middle of the floor. It was a National Geographic moment.

Since it was the Tet holiday and Hong had no tours scheduled he offered to travel north with me to Mui Ne and Nha Trang, both beach towns in central Vietnam. We booked a hotel in Mui Ne and then searched and found a bus to go there the next day. The difficulty in booking both hotel and bus should have been an indication that things were going to be really crowded. Well we arrived in Mui Ne and found the hotel we had booked was very far from town so we decided to leave there and travel on to our second destination of Nha Trang. Fortunately we got 2 seats the following day on the train. The best seats we could get were "hard seats, air conditioned". On both counts I can report complete truth in advertising.

So here we are in Nha Trang. Our plan was to stay here for a few days and I would proceed to Hanoi and onward to Laos and Hong would return to Ho Chi Minh City. Who knew that every all modes of transport would be full even a week after Tet so now I am returning to Saigon also and from there I will head east to Cambodia.

So far the greatest of my culture shocks has been that almost every business in Vietnam seems to have shut down for Tet and all the people are on vacation. Hotels, trains and buses are full and today we went in search of a supermarket and even it is closed. Maybe these people need to talk to Walmart.

Two of the most unusual things I have eaten since last report are the stalks from gladiola flowers and some leaves that look just like the ivy growing in my backyard. I have taken the great leap of faith and begun to have ice in my drinks (It's just soooo hot!) and I am eating salads. All the food is very tasty and I have had no ill effects.

Photos

1-A National Geographic moment. New Years dinner in Saigon.

2-4 New Years fashions

5-7 Dragon dancing

Tet

Today is the first day of the lunar new year (in addition to being Valentine's Day) and it has been one of my favorite days ever. I am worn out and too tired to expound however I am headingn for Mui Ne beach tomorrow and I think I can try to do justice to this extraordinary day.

Happy New Years (Eve)!!!

Ever since I can remember on December 24 and 31 my family has traditionally greeted my sister Eve with "Merry Christmas, Eve!" and "Happy New Year, Eve"! Since this is the eve of the lunar new year I need to continue that custom so, "Happy New Year, Eve!".

I am still in my hotel room so I do not know what to expect out on the streets of Saigon today. I have been told that most businesses and markets will be closed for the next several days, and I am hopeful the tourist places will still operate. If you think back to the days of the Vietnam war there was a major battle called the Tet offensive. This is Tet and it is the major holiday of Vietnam, so the logic was to catch the Vietnamese off guard during their celebration.

Well, to catch up with what's been happening, I took a city tour yesterday. So much of the tour involved the war which here they call the United States war. There War Remembrance Museum was very upsetting and presented from a very biased anti American position. There were many displays of photos of Americans doing bad things to locals and another section devoted to the effects of Agent Orange. What was worst of all were the actual barbed wire tiger cages which were cells for captured enemy. I was reminded of how I felt touring a Nazi concentration camp in Germany. Interestingly the tour guide pointed out the very pro Vietnam anti American presentation once we were back on the bus.

Another war related stop on the tour was The Reunification Palace, the capitol and presidential residence of South Vietnam now occassionally used for government functions. Built in the 1950's after Vietnam was liberated from France, architecturally it is one of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen. If not a Frank Lloyd Wright design, it is definitely of that genre.

Of course gastronomy is among the highlights of my experiences. I have had pho- a noodle soup with some meat, veggies, basil and lemon grass- 3 or 4 times. My favorite restaurant so far is called Quan An Ngon where I had bunthitcha gio (I dare you to pronounce that!), crispy noodles topped with crispy pork and veggies, sauteed squid, crab soup, fruit and beer. This was a very fancy restaurant and the price was less than $10 per person.

It's still freezing at home. How glad I am to be avoiding that!

Photos at top---I hope as I work with this blog that I will learn how to better manage pics. Since I still am learning here are captions that I hope to learn to attach with the actual photo.

1- Uncle Ho bust as he is called here. In the Reunification Palace

2-Quan An Ngon Restaurant email: quananngon@hcm.vnn.vn

3-6' tall chrysanthemums

4-Tank at War Remembrance Museum

5-Pho at Pho24 Restaurant

The Other Side of the World

4 flights, 36 hours and a taxi from Saigon airport to downtown Ho Chi Minh City is what it took to get me from Tallahassee to my hotel in Vietnam where I am happy to find Wifi access right from my room. What a pleasure it was to exit customs this morning and see my name in the hands of a hotel rep who was there to deliver me effortlessly to the prearranged spot I had booked on line. That was $12 well spent.

I have eaten lunch, bought water and made a short walk around this area. So far my impressions of Saigon are that it is far less ramshackle than I expected, it is very hot and crossing the street requires timing and full awareness of traffic from all directions. I have seen georgeous orchids, chrysanthanthemums growing taller than 6 feet and pears almost as large as a football.

Today I feel too beat to be very adventurous or even to take pictures. I will change that modus operandus tomorrow.

All Packed Up!

After several postponements for various reasons tomorrow February 8 looks like D(eparture) day. My one rollaboard is packed with just the essentials I think I will need to get by and tonight I will verify for the umpteenth time that my passport is safely stowed before ritualistically zipping it signifying that it is unnecessary to add any last minute items I think of.

Logistically the plan for tomorrow is for friends Mary Young and Jimmy Manning to drive me to Thomasville (45 minutes) where we will meet my Sister and Brother in law Rena and Jimmy Hicks at the oh so yummy Thomas County Farmers Market Restaurant for an early lunch. Rena and Jimmy then will take me on down to Tallahassee where I catch American Airlines to Dallas Fort Owrth and then on to LA. In LAX I connect with Thai Air for the trans Pacific flight to Bangkok where I will take my next flight to Ho CHi Minh City, Vietnam. How many hours it is I don't know what with all the time zones and International Date Line. The time in my destination of Vietnam is exactly 12 hours ahead of Eastern Standard so I think that means I will be exactly on the opposite side of the Earth.

Above is my bag packed and ready for closure. I hope I packed well.