Bangkok, Thailand: Last day...

So before I go on my last excursion out into the jungle of shopping malls in Bangkok, I'd like to make a quick last note before I fly out in less than 24 hours...

This has been an awesome experience! I'm just a bit sad to see it ending already... I could have spent a lot longer here, but I'll write about it some other time. It'll be a bit weird coming home after traveling for so long, but... it'll be nice I suppose.

See y'all soon.

Siem Reap, Camboida

Home to the world renown "Angkor Wat", Siem Reap is a haven for tourists of all types. You'll meet a barrage of backpackers and higher-end tourists all around town, with varying services and hotels to match.

First Impressions

I never imagined Siem Reap to be so developed! Rolling into town, the last thing I expected to see was the Grand Hotel d'Angkor... but, I guess it caters to the Brangelina-types with too much money in their pockets.

With one/three/week day passes to Angkor Wat running at a cool 20/40/80 US dollars, respectively, I wouldn't be surprised if the entire Cambodian economy was weighted on these tourist dollars. Despite the steady flow of cash from the tourism industry, there is still quite a bit of disparity between the rich and the poor. The government provides no social net for those in poverty, so its quite common to see beggars of all ages - mostly children. Hopefully the government's gears are in motion to get that changed.

Angkor Wat

This entire area is under a mass reconstruction funded by governments from all over the world. It seems as though every big nation has their hand in restoring one of the many crumbling temples in the region. It waters down the experience a bit, but it still doesn't make it any less spectacular than it really is.

This is one of those "must-see places before you pass onto the afterlife"... words can't describe the work that went into these structures which were erected in the 13th century. For those non-backpacker types, its easy to come to Siem Reap and enjoy the wonders of Angkor Wat in the comfort of a fancy hotel and western accommodations.

To me, there are a few too many tourists here for my liking... its like going out to enjoy the western rockies in peace and quiet and ending up in Banff. Beautiful, but... intense.

Anyhow, I should go soak up some sun. Check this place out! I will post pictures another day...

Hoi An, Vietnam: A Tailor-made Haven

NOTE: I've uploaded photos from way back - starting my last post from Chiang Mai. Scroll down to check out some of the shots!

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Those who are seeking a bargain on tailored items such as prom dresses, tuxedos, and suits... look no further. Hoi An is the place to go for all your tailoring needs! There are literally HUNDREDS of tailoring shops around town (even for shoes and purses), so its hard to gauge which place is the best to go to. 99% of the cloth shops make virtually identical products, the only difference being the craftsmanship. A full (tailored) suit can range anywhere from $50 - $400 USD, depending on the material.

So, where did I end up going? After a bit of research, I found that the shops named "A Dong Silk Wear", and "Yaly Couture" were the top and least-criticized shops in this town. Of course, this quality assurance comes at a price, as they typically sell suits which are in the upper price bracket. I figured going this route should save the hassle of getting a poor product, not to mention save all the time from the guesswork for fitting. Luckily, this choice worked out as expected... the suits I got made are tip-top! I won't get into how many I actually bought, but it was a damn good deal... now... I just need to buy a duffel bag to fit them all in.

Fact of the matter is, those who are shopping around here can wheel and deal their way to getting the suit/dress of their desires. Some places are better than others, and the best way to find out is to do your research! Go into those shops and look at their display products. Check the seams, and how well their clothes were put together. That's the best advice anybody can give...

Now, I shouldn't skimp over the details of Hoi An. This little city has quite a history behind it, as it used to be a major shipping port in central Vietnam (because of the river that runs through it). There are structures and buildings that date back to the 4th century, with architecture from the Chinese, Japanese, and French. Unluckily for this little port - the river changed its flow (and size) drastically somewhere in the end of the 19th century. This booming port, was then reduced to not much of anything... the land was infertile and there wasn't anything for kilometers away.

Along came the tourists, and you now have modern-day Hoi An. Okay, so I skipped a few hundred years, but this little ex-port has made quite a recovery from its poverty-ridden state. You can see the remnants of its old-self all over the place in its architecture. I forgot which of the two, but My Son (its, a place... I don't have a child) or the Cham Temple is one of those protected world heritage sites by UNESCO. I should brush up on my research before writing about it........ regardless, its worth a trip, even if tailored shoes, suits, and dresses aren't your thing.



Anyhow, I've got my shopping fix in for this trip, and we'll be heading to Saigon this Friday by plane. We chose the plane to avert 24 hour disaster to my rumpus via bus... I'm pretty relieved about that. :) Check out the pictures I uploaded! Catch y'all later...

Hanoi to Hue - The Satan Express

If anyone wanted to find out what a bus ride to hell would be like... just buy a ticket for Hanoi to Hoi An in Vietnam. Those of you interested in traveling to Vietnam should seriously consider flying and THEN busing from one of three major airports to see what they want to see.

Let me explain a bit further:

In order to get to Hoi An from Hanoi by bus, you need to buy a ticket from one of the hundreds of tour operators in Hanoi. We chose a place called Sinh Cafe because the Lonely Planet guidebook recommended it. Keep in mind that on any given street, there are about 10 Sinh Cafe's... are they all the same? Who knows... we just chose the one with the address listed in our book.

They told us to come to their cafe at 6:30PM so we could get picked up and dropped off to our actual bus. We waited... and waited (questioning the validity of the ticket we purchased earlier)... and waited......... so at 7:50PM, this minivan picks us up, and was obviously in a rush to get us to the bus. We arrive to find that the thing is almost to capacity. They managed to fit everyone perfectly! Or... so we thought... an additional 15 people waltzed on, and to their dismay, realized that there were no seats available.

So, what do bus operators in Vietnam do? They overload them. A bus which normally seats 46 people was force-fit 60... the remaining people had to squat in the aisle. Did I mention that this bus ride was 14 hours long?

The bus, at first glance was quite appealing. Modern with air conditioning, and reclining vinyl seats... too bad the first impression didn't last. Once we started moving, it became apparent that the seats were as good as sitting on a hard, flat, wooden seat. Being one of the last people to board the bus, we had to sit at the back. This location gives the suspension a mechanical advantage to catapult passengers with my seating position... like the fulcrum-action of a see-saw. What's there to worry about? The bus was new anyways, so the suspension has to be pretty good, right?

WRONG

The bus' rear suspension felt like it was attached to a single, hard-coiled spring... similar to one that you'd find in early 60's pogo sticks. These springs, compounded with the fact that the roads are some of the bumpiest in Asia, meant that people in the back row were literally being tossed around like peas. Hard to picture? Try sleeping on a trampoline... with a 400 pound kid jumping on it. Voila! Our bus.

What made matters worse was the fact that the bad driving here translates into bad accidents. We were probably at a standstill for almost two hours because of three separate accidents (two of them looked fatal).

Hue, Vietnam

We were told to get off at Hue to transfer to another bus so we could go to Hoi An. We arrived in Hue at 11AM the next morning, and nobody at our drop-off point knew where we were supposed to go. Sinh Cafe did not give us any further instructions, so instead, we were left to our own devices. After wandering the streets of Hue for a bit, being pointed in different directions, we finally arrived at Camel Travel. What the hell is that? We're not sure either. Boo to Sinh Cafe! They did not tell us of the long stopover, or inform us of the company we were actually dealing with (which would have saved the hassle). Other people looking to travel with them should look at alternative companies, such as Vega Travel, or Kangaroo Cafe.

We plopped off at an internet cafe to kill time, only to get kicked out because the torrential downpour outside was leaking into the room we were in... we only realized this after we stood up - our feet were deep in water. The streets were much worse. Walking around meant stepping in murky street water of unknown depths... you had to be careful where you stepped or else you might get your foot stuck in a storm drain.

Did I mention we had to ride the bus for a few more hours?

Hoi An, Vietnam

Five hours. That's how long it takes to get from Hue to Hoi An. After the 14 hour bus ride from Hanoi to Hue, my ass was in the worst pain imaginable. WORST PAIN EVER!!! Add another 5, and you'd be wishing that someone could amputate that part of your body.

We're here... and that's all that matters. The rain here is the hardest out of any place we've been so far. Its heavy, and it doesn't go away for hours. There are so many good things to say about Hoi An, but I'll save that for another post.

Long story short:
DON'T TAKE THE BUS FROM HANOI TO HOI AN!!!
Take a plane from Hanoi to Da Nang, and THEN bus it to Hoi An. It'll save a lot of pain (in the ass), and trouble.

Heat + Humidity = Death

Just before we leave for Hoi An, I would also like to make a comment about the climate here in Hanoi. As the title suggests, its very hot and humid. Those brave enough to sit outside without some shade is sure to get sun-burnt to a crisp.

Today we managed to make it to the Museum of Ethnology - a showcase of Vietnamese culture throughout the entire country. We took the local bus #14, and the bus driver's assistant was nice enough to tell us where to get off and walk to. The ride cost about 3000 VND, (which is about 25 cents) on a fairly comfy and most importantly, air-conditioned bus. Anyhow, the entrance fee of 20,000 VND was worth the investment. The museum is a very clean, modern, and well-maintained facility with bi-lingual exhibits (Viet and English), and the occasional video montage. It explains the hardships of the early communist era, up to modern-day Vietnam. It's quite an interesting history even for non-history buffs like myself.

After the museum, we paid a three-wheeled motorcycle taxi to take us to the Temple of Literature - an ancient university of sorts. By this point, we were so hot and tired that we didn't pay much attention to a lot of the details. Luckily, we just snapped a bunch of photos to review at a later time.

The heat was getting unbearable after the Temple of Literature... we walked around for about an hour and a half looking for food, and then headed for the huge market on the north end of the Old Quarter (didn't find a thing to buy). Blah blah blah, and here I am now, back at the guest house using their internet. Its just too bloody hot to do anything else right now!

Hanoi, Vietnam - WTF (Watch Those Feet)

Those who are old enough to remember the Atari gaming classic, "Frogger", is aware of the chaotic traffic that the poor little frog has to endure to reach his home across the river. Fast forward to present day Hanoi - where the Frogger scenario is played out literally the second you step foot onto the streets.

Crossing the street involves a delicate balance of speed and guts. Standing at an intersection waiting to cross in Canada might persuade some drivers to stop out of common courtesy and let you cross, but here, its a whole different ball game. The technique is quite simple once you get the hang of it... look in the direction that traffic is approaching, and just walk slowly... SLOWLY!!! The drivers of cars and (mostly) scooters will just drive around you. You can't let the odd honk scare you into running, because doing so will certainly cause a chaotic traffic accident involving yourself, and about 200 scooters piled on your (very) dead body.

Other than crossing roads, Hanoi is quite an interesting city. Its a bit overwhelming coming from Laos, where the pace of life was of an old man with a walker. Again, the internet isn't so fast here so I can't really upload any photos right now, but I'll try to asap.



Moving along - I just came back from a two day trip to Ha Long Bay...

Ha Long Bay

Ever wanted to sleep on an old refurbished Chinese Junk boat? Well, this is the place to do it... it was actually a lot nicer than I had expected. There were full services, and a private room with air conditioning, toilet, and hot shower... not exactly roughing it. I think the surprise comes from the fact that I was used to sleeping with at least a few mosquitoes, spiders, and ants in my room from the last two countries.

Anyhow, we literally just sat on this boat, and did a tour of some of the most heavily touristed places in Asia - Ha Long Bay. This bay consists of thousands of tiny little rock-islands that protrude from the water, formed millions of years ago from flowing water. Its quite beautiful, and its definitely worth the 50 dollars I paid. There were cheaper tours available, but the words, "air conditioning" is like music to my ears lately.

We walked up to a cave called "Surprising Cave". This cave is HUGE! If you were Batman, and were looking for a cave for all your gizmos and gadgets, not to mention a huge cavernous place to chill in Southeast Asia - this is the place to do it. This was followed by some kayaking, and then a lot of chilling out on the boat... oh... and eating. Lots of eating.



First Impressions

So far, Vietnam is quite the interesting place to be. The taste is kindof bittersweet... coming from such a slow and relaxed pace of Laos, and even Thailand - getting accustomed to the pace of life here is kind of tough. Oh, not to mention that things are a whole lot more expensive here.

People are generally very friendly, but you kindof have to look out for some people who are looking to scam an extra buck off of you. For example, the first guesthouse we stayed at originally quoted 8 dollars a night... the following morning was 10 dollars, with a 1% tax, poorly miscalculated to becoming 11 dollars. How did I let it happen? Well, its only 11 dollars, but you get the point. I would post the name to avert potential travelers from staying there (definitely wasn't in the Lonely Planet, but they tried tricking us to thinking that it was), but the name escapes me right now.

The amount of waste that this city generates is appalling. I mean, North Americans aren't one to boast their recycling and waste policies, but there is just garbage EVERYWHERE on these streets. Along with the garbage comes the smell, and the funny milky-coloured water that runs along the gutters of the streets... don't ask. The air pollution hovers here like a hot fart in a cardboard box, and its compounded by the fact that there is about 1000 scooters and cars that pass through any given intersection per hour for at least 18 hours of a day.

Another strange, yet interesting thing to note is that everyone thinks that I'm either:
1) Japanese
2) Korean
3) Vietnamese
... in that order. Why? Maybe its because the facial hair throws people off. Who knows... I'm going to start my conversations with 'Kon-ichi-wa' just to see what happens these next few days.

Anyhow, tomorrow night we're headed to Hoi An. Apparently its supposed to be like a little beach town on the mid-east coast of Vietnam... back to a nice slow pace yet again. I can't wait! ... well, other than the fact that I need to endure another 14 hour bus ride.