Asia Archives · Page 4 of 4 · Bon Voyage on a Big Adventure!

September 26, 2018

Days 76 – 79: Visit. Siem. Reap.

Visit. Siem. Reap. Like, now. Whatever you are doing, just stop, and get yourself to Cambodia.

Alright, so getting to Cambodia may involve a bit of planning, but I would seriously highly encourage you to start at least considering it.

Visiting Angkor Wat was an unbelievable, other worldly experience, and then the town of Siem Reap takes laid back to the next level. It totally exceeded our expectations with about a million cool coffee shops and cafes that all seem to be giving back to some worthwhile cause.

Day 76: Travel from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap

Buses run from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap multiple times a day, and despite the ride taking six hours, we had WiFi and the trip was pretty straightforward. We were picked up at our hotel at about 8:30 AM. We arrived in Siem Reap in the middle of the afternoon.

As I shared in our post on Phnom Penh, while we were there we ate at this incredible little hip place called Backyard Cafe. Well, Backyard Cafe has a sister restaurant, Vibe, in Siem Reap that was just as fabulous, so natch we went straight there to detox a bit from the long ride.

Siem Reap Vibe Cafe — A delicious veggie burger and nut milk smoothie at Vibe

We both got veggie burgers (my meat-loving husband wanted a veggie burger!) which were divine. We went back to our great little AirBNB and watched Angelina Jolie’s film First They Killed My Father about the Cambodian genocide. It was understandably tough to watch but definitely instructive for our time in Cambodia.

Day 77: Enjoying Siem Reap

We had originally planned to go to Angkor Wat our first full day in Cambodia, but our AirBNB host gave us good advice to take a day to settle in to enjoy Siem Reap first. Our AirBNB was in an incredible location in the Kandal Village neighborhood, so we walked around the corner to Common Grounds, another adorable coffee shop to work for the day.

Common Grounds for Breakfast…And Lunch

We had muffins and coffee for breakfast, and then worked right through to lunch where Rich enjoyed A PHILLY CHEESESTEAK. Rich, Southwest Philadelphia born and raised, offered the following assessment: “It’s not as good as Philly, obviously, but it is done better than some places in the United States.” High praise.

cheesesteak in siem reap — Not sure who is cheesing harder– Rich or the cheesesteak

Siem Reap has a major ex-pat culture, most notably ex-pats from Australia. While we were in the cafe, we witnessed a nonprofit meeting taking place at one table while a mom worked on her laptop and her son did what looked like homeschool math homework beside her. It was cool.

Dinner at Miss Wong Cocktail Bar

Siem Reap has a total party themed area known as Pub Street because, well, there are about a million bars and pubs where beers cost about a quarter each. Seriously.

Pub Street, Siem Reap. It’s early; this is chill.

While walking down pub street, a ten year old boy asked Rich if he wanted to pay roughly $1 to eat a tarantula. As most of us would have, Rich quickly declined. The boy said, “Come on. Be a man.” Hilarious.

That scene was a bit rowdy for us, so we ducked down an ally to grab dinner and a drink at Miss Wong Cocktail Bar, named for the famous painting by Vladimir Tretchikoff. The decor was super posh. The drinks were sophisticated. Rich and I felt a little more like the professionals we once were and a little less like the backpackers we have become. We had a great time.

Miss Wong in Siem Reap — At Miss Wong’s Cocktail Bar

Day 78: Angkor Wat

Visiting Angkor Wat was the type of experience that affirms that for every long travel day, every time we have gotten really lost, and every wrinkled outfit pulled out of the same dirty backpack taking this trip was one of the best decisions we have ever made.

About Angkor

Angkor was the capital city of the Khmer empire. Between the 9th to 15th centuries, historians believe that Angkor was a megacity, housing nearly 1 million people. At the time, that would have been 0.1% of the global population.

Today, in the Angkor complex, over 1,000 temples remain. Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom are the most famous temples, but there are many small and beautiful lesser known temples as well.

All of Angkor stands as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. These temples are incredibly well-preserved; there are hardly any areas that you cannot enter today. It is like a giant, historical playground.

Sunrise at AngKOR Wat

Our AirBNB contracts with a team of tuk tuk drivers, and they are pros at planning out the day. We received a printed menu of prices and locations, picked what we wanted to see, and arranged everything through our AirBNB.

We knew we wanted to see Angkor Wat at sunrise so our tuk tuk driver arrived to pick us up at 4:30 AM (!!!). He drove us about 30 minutes outside of town to be at the front of the line to buy tickets, and then we drove another 15 minutes or so to Angkor Wat. Using our iPhone flashlight, we followed the crowds– yes, crowds at 5:15 AM– to a prime view of the sunrise over Angkor Wat.

What is impossible to capture in words is the sheer scope and magnitude of Angkor Wat. How something so old can still tower so magnificently over the landscape is unreal. Watching the sun come up over Angkor Wat was amazing.

sunrise in siem reap at angkor wat — Waiting for the sun to come up at Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat in Siem Reap — At Sunrise at Angkor Wat

Sun’s Up– Let’s Explore

So once the sun is up, the couple of thousand people who had stood back to watch it come over the water head towards the entrance of the structure. The thing is, Angkor Wat is so large with so many halls and turns and stairs, that you can take a turn away from the crowd and find yourself alone in the temple. This has not been a common experience at most major tourist locations for us.

We wandered around, said whoa every other word, took pictures, and tried to take it all in.

We then got in line to climb to the top of the temple. After being in line for about 20 minutes, the worker informed me that having my scarf covering my shoulders was not sufficient coverage to enter the highest part of the temple because my straps under the scarf were small. I told Rich to go up anyway and got out of line.

Immediately, a t-shirt vendor arrived. We negotiated him down to paying about $3 for a cool Cambodia t-shirt, I put the t-shirt on over my dress, and we were back in business.

The climb to the top was terrifying. You climb the uneven stone steps straight up the equivalent of 4-5 stories. Rich was okay; I got to the top and was ready to kiss the ground and cry! In Europe and America, there would have been about a million warnings and signs removing all liability. Here, they figure you have enough sense to know if you can make it up or not.

The views of course were stunning. We were on top of an ancient world.

How I climbed all stairs all day. These stairs, at Angkor Thom, were a serious modern upgrade from the stairs at Angkor Wat.

To Angkor Thom and Beyond

You hire the skilled tuk tuk drivers for the day so when we finished at Angkor Wat, our driver was waiting for us. He took us to Angkor Thom, we explored, then we got back in the tuk tuk to travel to the next temple.

By the end of the tour, we had seen five of the largest temples. It was about 11:30 AM (remember, our day started at 4:30 AM). Rich and I were so sweaty, so dirty, so wiped, and so content. It had been an amazing day. Nap time!

Another temple. Remember, there are roughly ONE THOUSAND temples total.

Day 79: Rainy Season in Cambodia

The next day it rained. We slept in and then wandered to a late breakfast at New Leaf Eatery, another amazing cafe that donates a large chunk of its proceeds to local education.

We spent the rest of the rainy day inside, working on blogging and planning and just generally getting caught up.

For dinner, we walked three doors down– did we mention our location was amazing– to Crane, one more bar/cafe, this time focused on supporting local artists, where we enjoyed delicious curry for dinner. Siem Reap was the hippest.

If you want to have your mind blown by a wonder of the world, and then you want to eat lots of delicious, healthy food at places that support the community, Siem Reap is your spot. We could not have been more impressed by this laid back and lovely little Cambodian town.

September 21, 2018September 26, 2018

Day 74-75: Hello, Cambodia! Getting Started in Phnom Penh

After finishing off an amazing time in Chiang Rai, Thailand with a visit to a cat cafe, Rich and I jumped on a plane and landed pretty late in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

A unique, and totally endearing, Southeast Asia custom we have picked up on at almost every airport we have visited here is the friend and family welcome committee . For every passenger returning home, it seems there are at least three smiling faces eager to welcome the weary traveller.

Although come to think of it, maybe that is a southeastern U.S. tradition too. The husband of one of my dearest friends proposed to her when she landed in the Atlanta airport, and I know my sweet mother has met me in Nashville with a “Welcome home, Amanda” banner on at least one occasion (when I was 20+ years old).

But I digress. We were happy to land in Phnom Penh and even happier to see our names written on the sign held by our hotel’s driver!

Day 74: Exploring Phnom Penh…But First, Football

If you know us, you know Rich and I are pretty committed to football in general and the Georgia Bulldogs and Philadelphia Eagles in particular. We, of course, miss our family and friends back in the states. AND we also miss turning on the TV on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, plopping onto our huge grey couch, and watching football rabidly for hours.

I’m not going to give too much of our tradecraft away on how we have managed to do this, but so far, we have been able to watch two of the three Georgia games and one of the two Eagles games on our laptops. Because the Eagles played the Falcons in the NFL opener at 8:00 PM on a Thursday night, we saw the game live in Cambodia at 7:00 AM Friday morning.

Weird, huh?

When Thursday Night Football in America is Friday Morning Football in Cambodia

The Eagles, who happened to win the Super Bowl last year (#importantdetail), also won against the Falcons! While we were in high spirits, we got a particularly late start to our day in Phnom Penh.

We decided we would take it slow and walk to the Wat Phnom Temple. While only about a mile and a half in distance, this stroll took us a good hour because, much like Hanoi, sidewalks are not primarily used for walking. While no other city could be as frenetic as Hanoi, Phnom Penh was active. It had its share of motorbikes and tuk tuks, as well as street food being prepared on sidewalks. Interestingly, almost every car and SUV was either a Toyota or a Lexus– apparently there is a large grey market for luxury vehicles in Phnom Penh.

The Wat Phnom complex was a beautiful park with a temple sitting at the top of a hill, a larger-than-life working clock, children riding bikes, and pretty gardens. We even saw a monkey!

Wat Phnom in Phnom Penh — Outside the Wat Phnom complex.

Clock in Phnom Penh — I mean, this clock is awesome. And it’s 5 o’clock somewhere.

Wat Phhom interior in Phnom Penh — The beautiful inside of Wat Phnom

With our monkey friend (who rudely refused to turn around for the selfie)

From Wat Phnom, we went to dinner at Eleven One Kitchen. I enjoyed a delicious vegetable amok, a traditional curry dish cooked in banana leaves. Yum!

Our first full day: Birds win, and we settle into life in Cambodia. Not bad.

Day 75: Downtown Phnom Penh, Health Food, and Tragic History

Fortunately/unfortunately, there was no more morning football so we were able to head out to explore more sites in Phnom Penh much earlier than the day before.

The Royal Palace, Wat Langka, and Wat Botum Park

We knew we had a longer tour scheduled in the afternoon so we did a quick “walk by” tour of the Royal Palace, Wat Langka, and Wat Botum Park. It is clear that Phnom Penh is a city on the rise. There were many beautiful structures and monuments scattered about.

Additionally, while our walk the day before had been across cluttered, broken, and missing sidewalks, on our walk by more of the monuments, we found wider, cleaner sidewalks more like what we are accustomed to in the West. This part of town felt much more Ho Chi Minh City than Hanoi. It was pretty interesting to get a feel for both traditional and modern in the same city.

Royal Palace Phnom Penh — The Royal Palace in Phnom Penh

Rich with a war memorial in Wat Bokum Park

Rich with one of the major monuments. You can view the high rises in downtown Phnom Penh beyond the monument.

Rich with the Independence monument, signifying independence from France, and the Cambodian flag

Health Food at Backyard Cafe

For lunch, we stopped at Backyard Cafe, a vegan and plant-based cafe that supports a foundation providing healthy food and nutrition for school children in Cambodia.

Umm, this cafe was straight out of an Anthropologie + Goop collaborative Instagram spread. The decor was amazing and unbelievably on trend. Our vegan sandwiches (pumpkin, humus red peppers, etc.) were not bad either.

Yummy Backyard Cafe lunch with passion fruit juice

The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum

Visiting the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum was incredibly powerful and also really heavy too. I will do my best to share what I learned in the spirit of bearing witness.

Some Background on the Khmer Rouge

I am not a historian, but my (very) basic understanding is that Cambodia had been a part of French Indochina from 1867 until 1953. Cambodia became a constitutional monarchy. However, quickly the country became conflicted over what their involvement in the Vietnam War should be. While Cambodia wanted to claim neutrality, the leadership allowed Vietnam to transport supplies through Cambodia. Then they also allowed Americans to bomb Vietnamese troops in Cambodia as long as no Cambodians were killed.

This strategy did not exactly win over the Cambodian people, and following the war, there was a coup, and then confusion and a vacuum of power. Enter: Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.

Pol Pot believed there was a fundamental difference between “old” people (farmers, laborers, etc.) and “new” people who were educated, lived in cities, and had new ideas. He wanted to return Cambodia to an agrarian society, and as soon as the Khmer Rouge came to power in 1975, they entered and evacuated Phnom Penh. The Khmer Rouge told people that the Americans were going to bomb the city and that everyone could return in three days. Instead, the city dwellers were forced into farm labor, the military, or killed.

The Tuol Sleng Prison

The Tuol Sleng prison had originally been a secondary school located in the center of town. When the Khmer Rouge invaded, they installed high fences of barbed wire around the walls of the school and turned classrooms into cells and interrogation rooms. It became a secret facility known as S-21.

Over the next four years, more than 20,000 Cambodians, as well as some foreigners, were imprisoned there. The Khmer Rouge tortured inmates to extract confessions, and they executed more than 12,000 of these prisoners. Many of those imprisoned were teachers; some were there for wearing glasses, seen as a sign of “intellectualism.”

The tour of the prison is grisly. You see the cells where the last prisoners were discovered. The Khmer Rouge took pictures of all of the inmates upon entry, and thousands of these black and white pictures line the walls. It started pouring down rain while we were there. It was just so grim.

There are two former prisoners who survived who return every day to tell their story, and the chief of the prison has received a life sentence for crimes against humanity.

Reflection

So I like to keep the blog light and fun, but we visited a genocide museum. It is terribly sad. We visited Dachau several years ago. Like Dachau, at Tuol Sleng, evil feels close and palpable. As it should be, it in unsettling, but I think that immediacy is intentional. May every person who visits learn enough not to be a bystander should he or she ever come into contact with such evil.

A takeaway for me was how quickly divisions within a country can become terribly dangerous as well as how problematic it is to despise education and ideas.

The Khmer Rouge killed roughly 25% of Cambodia’s population, and most who were killed were the educated. Once the genocide ends, how do you educate your population when all of the teachers were killed and all of the students missed four years of school? How do you build buildings without architects or heal bodies without doctors? How long will it take Cambodia to truly recover?

We walked home from the museum in the rain, took long naps, and stayed in for dinner because we were so beat.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Cambodia as they continue to rebuild, restore, and heal their beautiful country.

September 13, 2018

Days 63- 69: More Vietnam! Our Time in Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City

Rich and I had heard really amazing things about Hoi An, Vietnam, and Hoi An came through! We stayed in an amazing AirBNB with one of our favorite hosts, ate delicious meals, and enjoyed wandering and exploring each day.

Rich and I felt a bit sick and rundown in Ho Chi Minh City, and we know long stretches of travel can do that to you. We still enjoyed our time there and found a few gems we would definitely revisit if we ever make our way back.

Day 63: Travel from Hue to Hoi An on a SLEEPING Bus

So the bus ride from Hue to Hoi An was only about four hours long, but the only type of bus available for the journey is a sleeping bus.

The sleeping bus has bunk bed- type accommodations as well as free WiFi. Woot!

Unfamiliar with a sleeping bus? We were too. Instead of having normal bus seats, you recline for the ride so you are able to get some sleep.

Once you go sleeping bus, you will never want to go back. Despite being a few inches taller than the typical passenger and perhaps needing another inch or two of leg room, the seats were remarkably comfortable. It was also great to have your own space (no offense, honey!) for the ride.

10/10 experience. Sleeping bus for the win.

sleeping bus to hoi an — Just a little sleeping bus selfie…

Rich sleeping on sleeping bus to Hoi An — Rich sleeping IMMEDIATELY on the sleeping bus. Seriously, we had not been moving for more than 10 minutes when he was 100% asleep.

We got to Hoi An and got a bit turned around when the google directions took us to the wrong address for our AirBNB (we were on foot with our luggage on the wrong road…), but our hostess Vuong somehow found us on her motorbike and graciously drove us to the right location.

The AirBNB was beautiful. We had arrived!

Super cute and cozy (although my bed making skills may leave a bit to be desired!)

Day 64: Enjoying the Beach in Hoi An

Our AirBNB included breakfast, which the first morning was fresh fruit in the refrigerator which I ~~cut~~ hacked open with the largest knife I have ever seen.

knife in Hoi An — Did I mention it was a pretty big knife?

Dragon fruit! Do we have this in America?

fruit in Hoi An — I have literally not a clue what this fruit is called. Didn’t keep me from eating it.

Then it was time to head to the beach! Our AirBNB included the use of two bicycles so we pedaled about 20 minutes through the town, then over rice fields to the beach. Cycling is not my favorite– I also think my bike was a little bit broken– but we made it.

water buffalo selfie in hoi an — It’s normal to stop your bike ride to take a selfie with a water buffalo, right?

The Beach at Hoi An

We paid about a quarter to have someone watch our bikes, and then the second we stepped on sand, we received offers for cheap prices for beach chairs. As we walked, the prices got lower until we arrived at a spot offering free chairs if you bought lunch. Rich asked if we could buy drinks instead and received a pretty nebulous answer that we took as a yes.

We settled in with a beer (Rich) and coconut juice (Amanda) to enjoy some sun! And this sun was hot! I was still overcoming the trauma of the jellyfish attack so Rich and I opted to stay out of the water.

When it came time to pay, of course, the restaurant added the price of the chairs to our bill. We negotiated adding an order of french fries and two beers (beers were about 75 cents a piece) to our order to come out even so it worked out in the end.

Banh Mi for Lunch

We rode our bikes back to town for a much less expensive and very delicious banh mi lunch. We got two banh mi sandwiches with fresh avocado and two cans of coke for $3.75 total.

banh mi in hoi an — Our delicious $3.75 TOTAL banh mi lunch.

Banh mi have saved our budget as we traveled through Vietnam.

Dinner and Lights in Pretty Hoi An

Hoi An at night is pretty spectacular. There are lights and lanterns everywhere, and there is an amazing Japanese bridge connecting the two sides of the river. On the river itself, visitors light “lantern flowers,” representing individual hopes and prayers, and send them out to float. It’s magical.

I found a fabulous restaurant called Nu online. We are pretty in touch with what we want in a restaurant at this point, and top criteria includes:

Vegetarian and vegan options. I’m not a vegetarian or vegan yet (ha!), but my experience says that places with vegetarian and vegan offerings are just more likely serve healthier food in general. I also eat vegetarian as much as I can to get enough nutrients to make up for the days we are subsisting on coffee, Oreos, and noodles (doesn’t happen often but has happened– Mom, you raised me better).
Fusion dishes. I’m sure it would be sexier and make us sound more adventurous to say we only eat 100% authentically local dishes abroad. We don’t. When a place gets good reviews from Westerners, it’s a good indication that we will probably like it too.
A small menu. We almost always like restaurants that specialize in a few items more than places that have the Cheesecake Factory-sized binder of choices. We are not picky– we can find something we will like on a small menu.

At Nu, we started with pork belly bao buns, and then had a beef noodle ragu and fried rice with sesame chicken entree, and then enjoyed a small cheesecake dessert. Yum.

Rich dragon in Hoi An — Rich with a dragon!

Day 65: Work Day and Pretty Night Out

After no internet on the Halong Bay cruise and an active 24 hours in Hue, we desperately needed to get caught up on blogging and trip planning. Our AirBNB host Vuong brought us egg banh mi for breakfast, and then we spent the whole day inside knocking out work. It was glorious.

Rich working in Hoi An — Work day in Hoi An! I worked from the bed while Rich set up a little office of his own.

Hoi An was one of the most picturesque (read: Insta-ready) places we had visited so we ran out before sunset to take as many pictures as possible.

While taking pictures around 5:30 PM, we realized we had not eaten since breakfast and were STARVING so we grabbed a quick pre-dinner banh mi. Which I then immediately spilled on my shirt– changing our Insta capturing approach. Oops!

banh mi on my shirt in Hoi An — Messy me! After I got in the fight with the banh mi…Can’t take me anywhere.

Hoi An vibes ONLY. This mural was in an adorable little boutique in downtown Hoi An.

Hoi An river — The river that runs through Hoi An is beautiful. This shot is from the Japanese bridge.

For dinner, we went back to Nu. It was that good.

Day 66: Travel to Ho Chi Minh City and American Lunch

Travel to Ho Chi Minh City (previously Saigon) was super easy. A shuttle picked us up from our hotel and drove us to the airport in Danang, about an hour away. We took one quick and easy flight to HCMC, and we were there around 11:30 AM. There was a local bus from the airport to the city, and we were in our AirBNB by 12:30 PM.

For lunch, we found an American sandwich shop called Journey’s, and it was like being back in America. Beyonce and Jay-Z on the stereo, crispy bacon on our BLT, and delicious air conditioning.

american sandwich in hcmc — Pressed about this amazing American sandwich

We were so full our dinner consisted of snacks (read: Oreos) from the Circle K. So like basically we had the most American day ever.

Day 67: Visit to the War Remnants Museum and the Reunification Palace

The War Remnants Museum

After our visit to the Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi, we were prepared for the War Remnants Museum to tell a decidedly North Vietnam/communist-friendly account of the conflict, and I think that is a pretty fair assessment of what we experienced at the museum.

I’m mostly glad we went because it certainly deepened my understanding of the history surrounding us in HCMC (Saigon at the time), but the images were especially sad. The effects of Agent Orange were devastating, and the how young soldiers on both sides of the war were was striking. For better or worse, war can seem abstract in America, but in so many places we have visited (Croatia, Malta, Vietnam), war is something that happened on that corner, and it is not abstract at all.

If you are in HCMC, I would recommend visiting the War Remnants museum, and I would also recommend a big lunch and a nap afterwards. It was deep, and I know I needed to retreat and recover to process a bit after our visit.

An American helicopter at the War Remnants Museum on Ho Chi Minh City.

The “Reunification” Palace

This is a government office building used by the Americans and South Vietnamese during the Vietnam War. On April 30, 1975, a North Vietnamese bulldozer rammed through the Palace’s front gate, signifying the fall of Saigon and an end to the war. The Americans had finished evacuating the day before.

The Vietnamese call it the Reunification Palace because they celebrate the reunification of North and South Vietnam. The South Vietnamese ex-pats refer to this time in history as Black April.

The palace is fascinating because everything in it has remained untouched. It is like walking on to a Vietnamese set of Mad Men. It is also one more reminder that this was a war fought in our parents’ lifetime.

Outside of the Reunification Palace in Saigon.

The Cabinet Room in the Reunification Palace

The heaviness of the day wore us out. We went home, ordered Indian delivery food for dinner, and ate on the couch in our pajamas.

Day 68: Rest, Recovery, and Rooftop Bar

Rich woke up feeling terrible with a sore throat. We picked up hot tea and a Gatorade equivalent at the Circle K and stayed inside to rest and recover.

I have no way to back this up, but I think some of the air pollution was getting to us. There is so much exhaust in the city, and people cook, using a variety of fuel sources, out on the sidewalk. My throat was okay, but my breathing just felt a bit labored. Add clean air to the list of American things I take for granted.

After a day inside, we decided to head out to a rooftop bar to take in another view of Saigon. The bar was located on the 28th floor of the Sheraton, and the views were really amazing. We were glad we ventured out.

Enjoying the views and each other (as always)

The view from the Sheraton rooftop bar in Ho Chi Minh City. I did not expect HCMC to be nearly as modern feeling as it was.

Day 69: More Rest Needed and Change of Plans

Rich woke up feeling better but not great. We had some pho from the restaurant downstairs for lunch, and then we headed to an incredible coffee shop named The Workshop to work. I was able to blog a bit while Rich worked on travel planning.

Our original plan had been to head to Sihanoukville, Cambodia from Ho Chi Minh City. However, the only way we could figure out to get there without spending way more on a flight than we wanted to spend was to take a 13+ hour bus ride (on a sitting not sleeping bus– the horror!). While there have been points in the trip that we have “toughed out” some situations, neither of us were quite feeling up to a 13 hour bus ride on a route that had a few particularly unsettling reviews.

So we decided to go to Thailand instead! In my humble opinion, something I really appreciate about our marriage is the agility with which Rich and I change course when we decide it is the right thing to do (travelling this year being a prime example). And a flight to Thailand and a hotel with a pool when we arrived sure sounded like a win.

While we didn’t see quite as much in Ho Chi Minh City as we had planned, we enjoyed its modern feel as well as being able to learn from its significant history. Stay tuned for how we enjoyed our last minute change of plans to visit Chiang Rai, Thailand!

September 12, 2018September 12, 2018

Days 60- 62: Halong Bay and Hue, Vietnam

If you follow our Insta, and you should be following our Insta (@bonvoyagebigadventure), you know that we had way too much fun with the Halong Bay jokes.

Amanda: Rich, we sure our a Halong way from home…

Rich: It’s going to be a Halong trip if you keep telling jokes like that!

View of Halong Bay — Taking in Halong Bay, Vietnam

Halong Bay, Vietnam is BEAUTIFUL, and we mostly enjoyed our trip– more on that below– and really enjoyed our time in Hue.

Days 60-61: Our Halong Bay Cruise and a Monster Attacks

Halong Bay, Vietnam is a UNESCO World Heritage Site filled with immense beauty and small fishing villages where, until recently, for multiple generations the people have lived their lives almost exclusively on the water.

Based on all of the research conducted by our expert trip planner (Rich), we concluded that the best way to see the Halong Bay was on an overnight cruise. After even more research, Rich selected the Bhaya Cruise Line for our cruise operator.

The Itinerary

Day 1:

The cruise company picks you up directly from where you are staying in Hanoi. You take about a four hour van ride to Halong Bay.
You are greeted with a welcome drink, board the ship, and receive a safety briefing while you eat lunch and the ship sets sail.
You cruise until you reach a fishing village, at which point you spend about an hour kayaking in and around the village.
You return to the boat and enter “safe” waters to enjoy a swim.
Then there is happy hour with half priced drinks and a cooking demonstration.
Then you enjoy a bbq dinner on the top deck of the ship, and there are optional evening activities (a movie, night fishing) after dinner.

Day 2:

There is optional sunrise Tai Chi, followed by a continental breakfast.
You travel to a cave to explore.
You cruise back to the bay and enjoy brunch.
You disembark, and the van drives the four hours back to Hanoi.

The Good

For the first several hours of the cruise, we were loving life. Navigating Hanoi had been a lot, and now we had a beautiful cabin to stay in and delicious food to eat, and we had to do zero work to obtain food and be surrounded in comfort. We could sit back and enjoy a little luxury!

And, of course, Halong Bay is breathtakingly beautiful with some of the most amazing vistas in the entire world. Watching the sunrise from our cabin was spectacular. We also sat for about 30 minutes on our private balcony overlooking the bay while the boat was cruising and we had returned from kayaking, which was heaven.

Rich in Halong bay — Handsome Rich and the Halong Bay

We loved sitting together on our private balcony.

The Bad/Meh

Visiting the fishing village felt a little invasive, and honestly distasteful, to me. We were a group of people wealthy enough to afford a cruise paddling around a neighborhood mouths agape trying not to say things like, “I can’t believe these are people’s homes.” (Read more nuanced research on the positive and negative effects of “slum tourism” here.)

You could say that we were looking at the beautiful, brightly colored houses, but I think that would be disingenuous. Had I lived in those homes, I would not want people paddling around looking at me, remarking upon the way my community lives. The original cruise we booked had us paddle through a cave, and then we received an email that we had received an “upgrade” on our cruise the day before. I would have preferred to paddle through the cave.

Instead, we did a walking tour of a cave which was also super meh. We were not exploring, we were walking about 100 yards total around in a circle. Had we known more what to expect, we would have enjoyed sitting for a few more minutes together on our private balcony.

Rich’s first time wearing a life jacket!

kayaking in Halong Bay — Kayaking through the fishing village. Amanda paddles; Rich rests his feet.

The Ugly

I got stung by a jelly fish. Or maybe by seven jellyfish. I had stings all over my body.

The staff made a big deal about docking in a spot with water that was “safe” to swim in, and I was actually the one pressuring Rich to jump in this time. We were two of the first people in the water, and then a young guy jumped in a minute or two later, and it was clear something happened to him in the water. We were remarking on what it might be, when I felt like I had been electrocuted– pain shot through my body like electricity.

“Something got me,” I said. “I have to get out now.”

Rich, who was wonderful while the attack was happening and for the entire time after, later conceded that his first thought was hoping I was okay and his second was to get himself out of the water before whatever it was came for him.

As soon as I was back on the boat, my skin turned prickly red and white bumps and welts appeared. And it hurt. I was really trying to be brave because, I mean, we are around the world adventurers (ha!), but it was scary and it hurt. In retrospect, I can’t believe I didn’t cry. Or that Rich didn’t cry either! I was a wreck, and gore/medical emergencies are not his favorite.

One of the staff members on the ship poured vinegar on me. Another started rubbing limes on my welts. One said not to shower, the other said shower immediately. We went back to the room where first I took a cold shower and then Rich read to take a hot shower and the we rubbed every medication in the First Aid kit all over my body. Rich was as calm and cool as a cucumber.

My frustration with the situation was that a.) I was the most uncomfortable I have been in years and b.) if they told us there was a chance of there being attacked by a jellyfish (but probably 7 jellyfish) I would have opted out! I got stung as a kid so I had done this before. It hurts!

Based on the staff’s quick response, it clearly had happened before. Another guest told me at breakfast the next day that they had participated in a night fishing activity and seen about 20 jellyfish in a five minute period! Come on!

So the Halong Bay cruise was not my favorite. We attempted to do the fanciest, most luxurious thing of the whole trip, and I ended up having the worst experience! I preferred eating hot dogs and camping in Iceland! Go figure. You live, you learn.

Day 62: Hue, Vietnam

After we disembarked from the boat, we had a six hour ride back to Hanoi, then we took a super easy bus back to the Hanoi airport, and then we flew to Hue, Vietnam. We got to our AirBNB at about 10:00 PM, which was actually a room in an adorable boutique hotel.

We sat next to a gentleman on our flight who had also been on our cruise and talked travel and life the entire flight (not like us– we are way too introverted to enjoy talking to strangers). He, his wife, and his teenage daughters live in Lisbon, Portugal, but he and his wife had lived in New York working in investment banking in the 90’s. We really enjoyed exchanging travel stories, and they were incredibly encouraging when we told them about our trip.

The gentleman also shared that despite owning his own investment banking company in Portugal, the most important thing he does every day is to make it home in time to have dinner with his wife and daughters. The family was really wonderful, and it was our pleasure to have met them.

Exploring Hue

After being on a boat for several days, it was nice to stretch our legs a bit. We walked about 30 minutes to the Imperial Palace, a complex filled with beautiful buildings from when Hue had been the capital of Vietnam.

golden dragon in Hue — Rich with a golden dragon! He likes to have his picture taken with animals and creatures, FYI.

Amanda at the Imperial Palace, from when Hue was the capital of Vietnam

We then walked another hour to visit the Thien Mu Pagoda, or the Pagoda of the Celestial Lady, an ancient temple overlooking the river. Most tourists do not walk quite this far–opting to take inexpensive tuk tuks instead– so we got curious looks both on the way there and on the way back!

We returned back to the hotel where we took advantage of the hotel jacuzzi and fell asleep in hammock chairs (I know, rough life!).

For dinner, we ate at one of our favorite restaurants of the entire trip: Nook Cafe and Bar. I had a delicious veggie curry and Rich ate honey fried chicken with coconut sticky rice. Yum!

This is Rich’s happy, I’m-about-to-eat-food face.

Hue was super hip, and I think we both could have happily stayed longer, enjoying being in a Vietnamese city that is a bit more modern with a slower pace than Hanoi. If you are planning a trip to Vietnam, we would definitely encourage you to add Hue to your list.

September 10, 2018

Days 57-59: Hanoi, Vietnam. We are in Southeast Asia!

I am a bit behind on the blog (what’s new?), but I am so excited to start sharing about our time in Vietnam, beginning with Hanoi.

I’m going to “jump in” with a little analogy: When Rich and I were in Rovinj, Croatia, there was a swimming spot on the sea located off of some rocks right by the town. There were two ways to get into the water. You could climb down a ladder and ease into the water or you could climb up on the biggest rock, run, and then jump at least ten feet down straight into the sea.

I took the ladder; Rich ran and jumped off the high rock.

Deciding to start our first trip to Asia for either of us in Hanoi was definitely jumping off of the highest rock. From the second, we stepped into the Hanoi airport, we were in a quite different world.

Let me be clear: we had a great time. Hanoi is an incredibly culturally rich city that has faced and overcome monumental challenges. In our time there, we learned a ton– both about Vietnam and about ourselves.

Day 56/57: Intercontinental Travel and Arriving in Hanoi

If you are a faithful reader, I left you last in Cefalu, Sicily on day 54 of our time abroad. I’m going to fast forward a bit: on day 55, we traveled by train from Cefalu back to Palermo. In the early morning (~4:30 AM) of day 56, we started our 24+ hours of travel to Hanoi which looked like:

A bus from Palermo to the airport
A flight from Palermo to Rome
A flight from Rome to Taipei
A flight from Taipei to Hanoi
A bus from the airport to our neighborhood

Quick Highlights of the Long(EST) Travel Day

Lounge Access. The international lounge in Rome was amazing, and we enjoyed a big breakfast. When we landed in Taiwan, the pace of the airport was a bit frenetic, and at the security checkpoint, the Taiwanese official spotted a small pair of scissors in Rich’s bag that we had no idea we had. We emptied everything out of his bag to discover the scissors came with our first aid kit and had already made it through about 1000 security checkpoints undetected. Suffice it to say, we needed the zen of the lounge in Taiwan, and it delivered.
Our Long Haul Flight on China Airlines. We have no complaints about this flight, and we have one really big kudos: The in-flight entertainment options included a 25 minute film on the Philadelphia Eagles winning the Super Bowl last season. We are HUGE Eagles fans, and I first found the film and watched it while Rich was sleeping. I cried. No really, I actually really and truly cried. When Rich woke up, we watched it together. Then he watched it two more times before the plane landed. I didn’t tell you this, but Rich may have cried each time he watched it too.

Arriving in Hanoi, Vietnam

So when we left our apartment in Palermo, Italy, it was about 4:30 AM on Monday local time, and when we landed in Hanoi, it was 11:00 AM on Tuesday. Crazy, huh?

We read that there was an easy, and cheap, bus (Bus 86- ~$1.50/person) to take us from the Hanoi airport to near where we were staying in Hanoi, and we were able to find it and get on pretty quickly.

Rich and I knew this day of travel was going to be challenging, particularly once we arrived on a different continent. We have gotten a fair number of questions from readers that basically boil down to how do you keep from killing each other, and one way is by talking through situations where we know we will want to kill each other in advance. It’s like running a race and visualizing where the hills are going to be and how you are going to keep your mind right when you get to them. We had already talked through staying calm, taking our time, remaining patient, etc.

Still, visualizing Hanoi and being in Hanoi are two totally different things. Once we got off the bus, we had about a 15 minute walk in the middle of the day with all of our belongings through the streets of Hanoi in approximately 95 degree heat.

What you should know about walking in Hanoi:

Sidewalks are not for walking. They are almost like personal carports. On the sidewalks, people cook food, park motorcycles, sit in small plastic chairs, burn trash, drink beer, sell items, make flower wreaths, prepare meat, keep animals, exercise, etc. You can try to walk on sidewalks…
Traffic signals are meaningless. Cars, motorbikes, bicycles, tuk tuk drivers, and pedestrians somehow just make it work, regulation-free. Someone told me that you just have to close your eyes and step into traffic when crossing the street and trust that the motorbikes and bicyclists will find a way around you. Let’s just say Rich and I did more hand holding (hand gripping?) in three days in Hanoi than we had previously done in three years of marriage combined.
The smells are overpowering. Some of the smells are breathtakingly positive– imagine freshly baked bread and sweet fruit– and some are a bit sickening, mostly where meat is being prepared. Walking down the street is like walking through kitchen after kitchen. The intensity of the smells was something I had not anticipated.

So learning to walk in Hanoi is probably best done without carrying all of your belongings after 24+ hours of travel. We made it to our AirBNB which was four flights up a stairwell with no air conditioning (we hardly ever fight but there may have been 30 seconds of screaming while we tried to get the key lock box open), and then immediately opened the door to our beautiful AirBNB and took off all our clothes (sorry to be graphic, but that is exactly what happened. We were literally dripping with sweat. And we’re married.). We had arrived!

AirBNB in Hanoi — Our super chic– and most importantly, well air conditioned– AirBNB

Day 58: Exploring Hanoi

Exercise at Hoan Kiem Lake

If you enjoy exercise, do not go to Hanoi without making it to Hoan Kiem Lake at 6:00 AM. It was everything.

So Hanoi is hot. And as I shared, the sidewalks are useless. If you want to exercise, you need to do it very first thing in the morning, and what better place to do it than at Hoan Kiem Lake, a centrally located lake surrounded by a large park.

We arrived at the lake right at 6:00 AM and exercise was already in full effect. There were runners, cyclists, workout classes, men lifting weights, and groups doing Tai Chi.

lifting weights in Hanoi — The weight lifting area at Hoan Kiem Lake

Exercise in Hanoi — The walkers and cyclists at Hoan Kiem Lake

We ran around the lake one time, which was about a mile, and we were, once again, the sweatiest. Rich wandered over to where the men were lifting weights and did a few bench presses after a local gentleman invited him to join in. There were no women anywhere near the bench so I used that as my excuse to stick to running.

Rich lifting weights in Hanoi — My strong husband lifts really heavy weights

The morning had the feel of a community 5k– people happy to sweat, laugh, and be healthy together. I loved this.

Coffee, The Ngoc Son Temple, Bun Cha, and the Temple of Literature

We grabbed coffee at the Note Cafe (super cute) and then went home so that Rich could participate in Fantasy Football Draft #1 (of 3) because #priorities.

Amanda's note at the Note Cafe — My Note at the Note Cafe

Note Cafe in Hanoi — Amanda at the Note Cafe post-workout. Everyone who visits leaves a note behind!

After that, we headed to the Ngoc Son Temple, a temple dedicated to Confucius and Tran Huong Dao, back at Hoan Kiem Lake.

From there, we walked to Bun Cha Huonh Lien, the famous spot where President Obama and Anthony Bourdain ate bun cha (imagine a variation on beef pho) together. The bun cha was delicious and cheap.

Obama and Bourdain in Hanoi — Selfie with the picture of President Obama and Anthony Bourdain. My sweaty hair is proof that we are really and truly in Hanoi.

bun cha in hanoi — Bun Cha- 85000 Vietnamese dongs (their currency) = ~$3.62

Our last stop of the day was the Temple of Literature. This temple dates back to 1070 and honors scholars throughout Vietnamese history. The educator (and nerd) in me thinks this is the coolest— if you did the best on your royal exams, given by the ruler himself, you had a statue of you erected for posterity. Amazing.

We also overheard a tour guide tell this priceless story about a man who spent his whole life studying and preparing for these exams and finally took it and passed when he was 80+ years old. #growthmindset #neverstoplearning

Inside temple of literature — Inside the Temple of Literature. I *think* that is Confucius.

Temple of Literature Hanoi — Amanda with a bonsai tree at the Temple of Literature

Temple of Literature in Hanoi — Rich at the Temple of Literature complex.

When we got back to our apartment, we took a long, glorious, air conditioned nap! The heat takes it out of you!

Day 59: Our Visit to the Hanoi Hilton

Day 58 was light and fun. Day 59 anchored us a bit. We were Americans visiting a country where individuals in our parents’ generation had waged a war.

The Hoa Lo Prison

The Hoa Lo Prison, nicknamed the Hanoi Hilton tongue-in-cheek by Americans during the Vietnam War, is a must visit in Hanoi.

The museum is in Vietnam, run by the Vietnamese, and thus, very much reflects a Vietnamese worldview. The tour starts by showing how the French built the prison and then continuously renovated it to hold more and more Vietnamese prisoners. It heralds the “brave communists” who risked personal safety to compose newsletters and encourage one another while imprisoned. The museum highlights several Vietnamese prisoners who were able to escape through a cistern and honors communists who paid the ultimate sacrifice by displaying photographs of their being beheaded.

You are able to walk in to almost all of the cells.

Hanoi Hilton prison — Outside of the Hoa Lo Prison, aka the Hanoi Hilton.

At the end of the tour, there are two small rooms dedicated to sharing the story of the captivity of the American pilots during the Vietnam War. The room shows smiling pictures of American soldiers playing basketball, strumming their guitars, celebrating Christmas, eating full meals, and receiving medical care.

Senator John McCain passed away two days after our visit to the Hanoi Hilton, and our visit in combination with his death, certainly made Rich and I think and talk a lot about bravery, propaganda, and how communities tell their own stories.

Senator McCain went months without medical treatment. He spent six years of his life imprisoned in Hanoi. He considered suicide because he was being beaten multiple times a day. While he refused an early release unless soldiers imprisoned before him were also released, he did sign a false confession he would regret all of his life.

McCain at Hanoi Hilton — A picture of Senator McCain visiting years later

When the Vietnamese were held in the Hoa Lo prison, the treatment was brutal and inhumane. When Americans were held, the treatment was kind and generous. Who the storyteller is changes the story.

A depiction of how the Vietnamese were kept by the French.

Hanoi Coffee Station, Banh Mi, and Bia Hoi

On a lighter note, we enjoyed some good food and drinks!

Banh Mi. A banh mi is a traditional Vietnamese sandwich on french bread. They are ubiquitous, cheap, and delicious.
Enjoying banh mi!
Bia Hoi. Bia Hoi is the local draft beer in Vietnam. It is very low alcohol content– about 3%– and each one costs about 35 cents. Bia Hoi was exactly what we needed after our visit to the Hanoi Hilton.
A much needed bia hoi. The best part is that they are served ICE cold.
Hanoi Coffee Station. In Vietnam, the coffee is typically served with condensed milk, and often with additions such as egg, butter, and coconut. Our host at the Hanoi Coffee Station explained to us that this is because Vietnamese Coffee is particularly bitter, and the flavors are necessary to make the coffee taste good. This gentleman extolled the Hanoi Coffee Station’s process of selecting and roasting their beans and truly he made us two of the most delicious cups of coffee of our entire time abroad.
Highly recommend the Hanoi Coffee Station for coffee and conversation

Our host at the Hanoi Coffee Station wanted to know more about how we drink coffee back in America. We told him about our favorite coffee, La Colombe, which started in Fishtown, our neighborhood in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and how they had developed an amazing draft latte. He asked about our travels, and we shared that we were , in fact, traveling for nearly a year.

This bright, kind, interesting young man then said very directly that because of the low wages in Vietnam, he would probably never leave the country, and it gutted me. Sure, we made some sacrifices to save money for this trip, but we did absolutely nothing to influence our both being born in a country with high wages and boundless opportunities, particularly for white, straight, healthy individuals like ourselves. Talk about unpacking your privilege backpack.

In Hanoi, many people live their lives on the sidewalks. They wake up before dawn and work until after dusk. They sweep the streets, they butcher animals, they prepare food sitting on low plastic stools or in deep squats. They laugh and love and yell and show kindness, and they have much more demanding lives than Rich or I could imagine living. While our time in Hanoi was sweaty and crossing streets was more than a little challenging, the experience was eye opening, humbling, and expanding, and I am glad we decided to dive in head first. I will always remember and appreciate our three days in Hanoi.