G-bag & the Greek on Tour

Meanders in Laos

gretch_costa — Sun, 5 Jul 2009 09:22:00 GMT

Tripping over ourselves to escape the Vietnamese touts at the border we entered Laos in an agitated state - certainly not the ideal way to start a journey into a country whose catch-phrase is 'baw paang yang', or 'no problems'. But it didn't take us long to settle into the groove, and by the end of the evening it was beer and some delectable local fare by the Mekong in Savannakhet - minus the agitation. Ah Laos...super chilled, super friendly and super happy! 'SaBaiDee' is the welcoming and truly genuine greeting that resonates wherever you go, accompained with a generous smile.
We spent the first few days on scooter mission - about 440km in total - around Central Laos and some magnificent limestone karst topography. The Kong Lor cave was a highlight for sure. Tucked away at the head of a brilliant-green, fertile valley rimmed with limestone cliffs, the cave is only reachable by boat. It took us just under an hour to navigate the 7km cave which was monstrous inside. The river which flowed through it was at least 30m wide and the stalgtites and staldmites were equally impressive. Lit only by the lights of the boatmen it was an eeire feeling cruising through the darkness. We overnighted near the cave entrance with a local family, who treated us to a dinner of fermented fish and the ubiquitous sticky rice, which we both have become addicted to. Tackling the toilet just past the pig sty and next to the chicken coop in the rain at 2am did test my navigation skills.
Our chinese-made, dodgy looking scooter miraculously managed to ferry us through some atrociously potholed and mud-slickened tracks without punctures nor injuries over the next two days, and we passed through winding, mountain passes, riverside villages and searched fruitlessly for several caves which appeared to have been washed out in the wet season.
Buses are slow in Laos, with 100-200km trips taking up to 8-9 hours, but they are a reprieve from the speedy, suicidal Vietnamese drivers. So we bumbled our way to Vientiane, the capital, along with plenty of locals and the odd basket full of chickens. Vientiane has to be the most chilled out capital I have been to. Especially on the weekend, nothing moves very quickly, which means the best thing to do is chill out with a coffee and croissant, or a beer and some yarns. Not hard to do really.
We were in two minds as to whether to go to the infamous Vang Vieng, which is on the way to the ancient capital of Luang Prabang. We had heard horror stories of the shennanigans that go on there, but were intigued by whispers of it's beautiful surroundings. You see, tubing down the Nam Song is a VERY popular activity with the youthful backpacking posse, and some local entrpreneurs have hooked onto what gets them going. Simple equation really; float down river in rubber tube, stop at bars along the way, drink cheap booze, drink 'happy' shakes (mushies or something more toxic), and listen to really loud doof doof music. What! I hear you say....that doesn't sound too bad and certainly not below me or Costa.Yes, but literally scores of drunk and stoned english teenagers (stumbling,drooling, hollering and scantily clad) were wandering the streets totally oblivious to their surroundings and utterly disrespectful of the local people who have to put up with it 365 days of the year. Maybe I'm just getting old....rant over.
Instead, we hit the Organic Mulberry Farm, a great little co-operative that grows their own vegies, runs a free English learning school for the locals, and even makes their own goats cheese, mulberry wine and hibiscus teas...YUM! We spent a couple of days helping plant hibiscus trees, doing odd jobs, cycling to nearby caves and enjoying some of the best food of the trip so far.
The dengue fever returned to Costa in Luang Prabang, but it was no matter as it was a town to cruise in - pagodas, wats, riverfronts, waterfalls and relaxed markets. The return of the greeks health had us in search of a trek, and we were joined by Dan, Courtney, Anika and Dale on a 2-day hike and 1 day kayaking trip in the Nam Ha National Park, near Luang Nam Tha - but not before I was struck by a violent and horrendous case of the runs which I had to endure through an 8 hour bus journey on some inconsiderately bumpy roads....well off the happy scale I was.
The hike was great, if not soggy, slippery and muddy due to the constant rain. We were meant to cross the Nam Tha river on the second day, but the bamboo raft was no match for the rising torrent so we had to head back to the starting point, albeit on a different path. 'Baw paang yang' - as it meant more time with the Lanten people (check the photos). The kayak was fun, not much of a challenge in the voluminous flooded waters, but it's always good to be on the water and get a river's perspective. The north-west was even more laid back than the rest of Laos, and even had a wild-west quality about it, or like an Australian outback town but uncannily located in the tropics.
Onward and northward ... China is calling, but it's through northern Vietnam that we have to travel to obtain our visas in Hanoi. Three days by bus, boat and van through some of the most isolated parts of Laos and Vietnam was an adventure. In any 'western' country the roads would have been deemed impassable - but the improvisation skills and tenacity of the population here ensure anything is possible - and indeed it would seem so. A makeshift snorkel fitted to the bus on demand facilitated our passage through otherwise impassable waterways, dozers clearing landslides as they happen, and diggers literally 'towing' buses and cars through the swampy muck via a cable attached to one of their teeth...no OSH in this part of the world, just get the job done.
Our final days in Vietnam were spent on some seriously tourist trodden paths - Sapa in the highlands, Hanoi the capital, and Halong Bay on the coast. All nice enough but that's all I can be bothered reporting....to Hong Kong now to finally catch up with Jess.

Central Vietnam and The Fever...

gretch_costa — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 02:22:00 GMT

So back into 'Nam, and you know about it the moment you step into Vietnamese territory. Coming from laid back, rural Cambodia into bustling, populated and concreted Vietnam is quite the contrast. But we were still in the hills, so nice enough. The short drive to Kon Tum was marred by the death of a little puppy - merciless driving :(, but the town was pleasant, nestled in the coffee-covered hills.

Onwards to Danang through some stunning scenery, paralleling the Ho Chi Minh Trail trod by the tenacious North Vietnamese. But it wasn't so much the scenery we were focused on, rather our means of self preservation which unfortunately we had no control over. The Vietnamese are notoriously bad drivers and up until now we have managed to do OK with it. This trip however was ridiculous. We spent the majority of the time on the wrong side of the median strip, and passing on blind corners...not a problem apparantly, well, at least nothing a last-minute swerve can't fix. As for the other 18 passengers (in a minivan, yep a 7 seater in our world), they didn't seem to care at all that their lives were being toiled with by the moustached freak at the wheel. But we obviously survived, Costa adamant it was trains from now on!

A short hop from the well-placed city of Danang to Hoi An, an ancient city steeped in Vietnamese history and trade with the outside world. Beautifully restored French Coonial buildings, and quiet, motor-less streets for the tourists....it made for a very relaxed atmosphere. By the second day however it started to feel more and more like Disneyland, it's existance only for the fruits of the pockets of tourists. Fair enough I suppose.

We managed to escape the sideshow to the ancient ruins of My Son, occupied between the 4th and 13th Century by the Cham people and more recently bombed by the Americans. Some pretty cool stuff, and amazing sculptural work with hints of Javanese and Khmer influence. They certainly found a cool spot in a granitic amphitheatre cloaked in rich forest.

Some premium beaches around Hoi An to chill at, pineapples and mangoes on the beach is a favourite pastime of mine. From Hoi An we caught a train to another historically important city, Hue, the site if the Imperial City and an access point to the DMZ (Demilitiarised Zone, during the Vietnam War). By this stage, Costa had been complaining about a headache, nausea, fever and general 'feel-like-shitness' for about 5 days, so we figured it was time to see a quack. Hue Hospital it was, though of a somewhat standard than what we may be used ot back home. Ushered to a blood stained bed, the rubbish bins were over-flowing with used bandages and needles and we were seperated from the yelping, screaming and groaning neighbouring patients by a blood splattered curtain - all of whose troubles seemed far worse than Costas. For those who know me well, hospital-going is not my forte, and I was constantly in and out of the building searching for fresh air. I was perplexed by the placement of a mini-theme park opposite the hospital, as it meant whether inside or outside my ears were met with screaming, either of pleasure or pain. It certainly added to the atmosphere!

Anyway, about the sick one. The doc thought it was Dengue Fever, a mosquito-borne disease that is very common in the tropics. Nausea, high fever, bone-aches and intense headaches are all symptoms during the acute phase which lasts about 7 days. It was suggested Costa stay the night, but we both figured we would be in a more hygienic environment back at our guesthouse. So with drugs in tow, off we went. To cut an already long story short, Costa got better, but the headaches returned after a few days. We checked into the Australian Embassy Clinic in Vientiane, Laos, where Dengue was confirmed, and he is well over the worst and now into the chronic stage, which means he can expect to be unwell for the next couple of months. bummer, but could be worse.

We sought refuge and solace in a magnificently secluded granite boulder creek about 50km south of Hue, at Suoi Voi Creek. Delicous, fresh, cool water, and boulder-hopping upstream to more inviting pools was a great way to ease the effects of the fever.

So we spent a few extra days in Hue to recover, exploring the impressive Imperial city on the north-west bank of the Perfume River. Bullet-riddled buildings and bombed ruins are slowly being reconstructed, but it was a very grand and stately place.

More war remnants were encountered in the DMZ orth of Hue. We visited the Vinh Moc tunnels which the unfortunate locals had to dig when they found themselves precariously placed in one of the most intensely bombed areas in Vietnam. Up to 40m deep, the tunnels were amazing and conveniently located close to some of the best beaches we have found in Vietnam, and best of all we were the only ones there.

Westward now to Laos, we farwelled Vietnam for the second time, and after much haggling to avoid the ubiquitious rip-off merchants in this country, we managed to negotiate our way through the Troung Son mountains and into the hills of Laos.

Eastern Cambodia - show us the hills!

gretch_costa — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 08:28:00 GMT

To Kratie, a little riverside town on the banks of the mighty Mekong, and shit yes it is mighty! The river is massive, and it actually seems to flow up here, whereas in the delta it's a red-brown, almost stagnant pool. Incredible sunsets enjoyed with cold beer and fresh peanuts on the riverfront, lurvely!

Motorbikes again, the best way to get around and explore villages and, yes really, more temples. They are everywhere, though they are usually inhabited by monks. Speaking of monks, those guys are great! We swam with a few locals in a georgeous crater lake in the Ratanikiri Province, in north-eastern Cambodia. They are very inquisitive and always keen to practice their english. Surely the fact that I was in a bikini had nothing to do with it, though when they asked to have photos taken with them I was not so sure! A bit about their day; up at 5am, meditation and prayers, breakfast, more meditation and prayers, some work (education or general stuff such as maintanence of the pagoda) then lunch before 11am. No solid food whatsoever after 11am. So they get around on coke and redbull for the rest of the day!

We stayed in Ban Lung in the Ratanikiri province for a few nights. It's up in the hills and plenty of waterfalls and jungle to check out. Very relaxed up here and we found the most superb private bungalows to stay in, all made of wood and set on the edge of a hill overlooking a beautiful valley. We could have stayed for weeks, but Vietnam was calling.

We took a very low-key and little used border back into Vietnam. A bumpy road through barely populated land on the Cambodian side and we were processed at a little wooden shack. On to the Vietnamese side and it was tar seal road, a massive concrete building and immediately more heavily populated. Back in 'nam.

Temples anyone? Angkor et al.

gretch_costa — Mon, 1 Jun 2009 07:46:00 GMT

I'm not going to go on about the temples too much - check the photos or go yourself! There are soooo many to explore and I think the best thing about the region is that all the temples are so diverse and unique. There are modest hilltop temples exploiting the landscape, intricate and detailed, almost miniature complexes, commanding gateways and arches, lingas and ummas, maze-like structures with imposing stone faces, walls and walls of murals depicting everyday life, war and conquest, and then of course the unabashed and dominanting Angkor Wat itself. Some have been restored incredibly well, others left as they were (well, sort of) with flexing tree roots seemingly holding them together. We spent two days in total, and I certainly could have done more. A highlight was the River of A Thousand Lingas, which was, unsurprisingly, lots of lingas (representing the penis) and other images carved into the riverbed amidst beautiful lush jungle. The king used to come here and meditate, and I can see why.

Apart from the temples, Siem Reap (the town which services the tourists) was a pretty cool spot. Fortunately for us it is the low season and the world is apparantly in a financial crisis which makes for even less tourists - though this place can easily cater for a lot of people. The best part - the food. You can pay up to $5 (and yep thats all you really do need) for a scrumtious dish. We discovered an incredible vegetarian restaurant, Chamkar, which was innovative and insanely good.

Costa had his 27th birthday here, and we managed to sort ourselves out with a bottle of tequila which served as the starter for an interesting night. A couple of tuk tuk drives and we ended up at another pumping Khmer nightclub, with huge sounds (not in a good way, just loud, very loud, and very electronic) with menacing strobes that slowly ate away my sanity. It all turned a bit ugly when the kick-fighting started, so outta there!

For those who know Marty Smith, we met up with his brother, Greg, who has been working as a chef in Siem Reap for over eight months. Great to catch up with someone we know, and also who knows the town. The Laundry Bar became a regular haunt and boasted an impressive range of music, all catalogued in a giant yellow book, a la Yellow Pages.

Push bikes around the country-side led us to a daytime rave at the local primary school - seriously, 6-12 year olds going for it in the school grounds in front of ridiculously loud speakers...surely not good for the young-uns ear drums! And a golf driving range - a bargain at $3 fro 100 balls, with complimentary iced tea. Nik managed to shoot well over the net, which being in a suburban area was probably not ideal...as for Costa, whose was a golf virgin, he repeatedly managed to slice to the left, not even making the net. But I think it was when he took his top off (bloody hot) that it was a bit much for the locals and the professionalism of the place... 'King Kong' has been heard more than once!!

We took off for a couple of days to Battambang, a little provincial town to the west. A great day cruising the rural villages on motorbikes, getting lost, exploring more temples, and trying some delicious local fare. Then it was back to Siem Reap as Nik was leaving us for the beaches of Malayasia, or was that the Malaysian women Nik?! So another good night (Havana this time, though it proved more deadly than the Tequila) to farewell the Rat, and the me and the greek were alone again....heading east.

Phnom Penh and it's grisly tale

gretch_costa — Wed, 27 May 2009 06:57:00 GMT

It would be impossible for anyone visiting Cambodia to avoid witnessing the effects of the brutal Khmer Rouge regime on this beautiful country. It is everywhere. For us it began even before we passed into Cambodian territory, in Vietnam's south-eastern provinces, with a memorial dedicated to 130 slain villagers. In Cambodia, the consequences of over two decades of civil war are expressed not only in the disabled or limbless population or the sluggish developing economy, but also in the predominantly rural way of life. Phnom Penh, the capital city, was reduced to just 50,000 people during the Khmer Rouge regime - the inhabitants forced out into the country to be 'reformed' into a classless, agrarian society. Today, Phnom Penh has a population of 2 million, and although this is sizable (though certainly not by SE Asian standards!) it does not possess the frantic pace expected of a capital city. It doesn't take long to reach the rice paddies and fruit plantations which skirt the city and dominate the rest of the Cambodian landscape.

As with most cities, Phnom Penh has museums, monuments and other historical buildings - however, I can safely say I have never been to any more disturbing or confronting. The Tuol Sleng Musuem (or S21, to the Khmer Rouge) was horrifying, as our photos may depict. As too was the Killing Fields where we were literally walking on human bones and tattered cloth that continue to come to the surface during the rains...sobering...yep. A couple of quotes which stick in my mind seem to exemplify the philosophy adopted by Pol Pot and his team....

"to keep you is no gain, to lose you is no loss"

"it is better to be rid of 10 people by mistake than to let one guilty person go free"

..indeed, a book I have been reading has suggested they only wanted/needed 1 million people for the revolution, nevermind the others.

The international war crimes tribunal is currently trying Duch (the head of the S21 torture compound)in Phnom Penh, but you wouldn't know about it. Most people seem indifferent to it as, although much has changed and is undoubtedly better, there are still former Khmer Rouge personnel in high official positions today (even the prime minister!), plus those that have been charged are kept in fancy houses with no shortgae of food and other luxuries. Coupled with what seems to be a disproportionate distribution of wealth in the country, Cambodia has a long way to go. I suppose what is most unfathomable, and in fact heartening, is the average Cambodians attitude - they are truly happy, laid-back people with big hearts and smiles...it's incredible. For every person over the age of 40 I think, what have those eyes seen? those ears heard?

Well enough of the history lesson and doom and gloom, what to do in Phnom Penh when you are laden with such grisly truths? As always, a few stiff drinks managed to sort it out, and now that Nik Parkin had joined us (plus a Swiss and Aussie tag along - Jasmine and Iris) we managed to see the wilder side of Phnom Penh (well, at least Nik did! dirty rat) To the 'Heart of Darkness', a Phnom Penh institution in the club scene; we were briskly searched for weapons at the door and managed to get in despite the scruffy backpacker attire. I was no match for those Cambodian women! Full to the brim with tarts, prositutes, seedy western men, Cambodian boys bumping and grinding other Cambodian boys, local ladyboys and the capitals rich bodyguards keeping watch, fetching drinks and making sure it didn't go too far. Classic!

So the search was on for a hangover cure the following day and it was found in the local fruit markets - juicy mangoes, fleshy lychees, succulent rambutans and the cure of all cures, fresh coconut juice. All enjoyed at a leisurely pace around the city. Bliss.

to Siem Reap and the mother of all temples, minus the swiss and the aussie...

Pol Pot's sinister ambitions

Into South Cambodia

gretch_costa — Tue, 26 May 2009 04:33:00 GMT

It was kind hard to leave the silky waters of Phu Quoc, but the south coast of Cambodia was calling so on we trot. Our transportation back to the mainland was somewhat different to the fast hydrofoil we had arrived on from Rach Gia. Our moto driver dropped us off at the end of the wharf while we both looked around for a modern watercarft...but none to be seen, except a brightly coloured, rickety looking, wooden,open-air boat. There were plenty of locals hopping on so it couldnt be that bad. And it wasn't'. The trip was mellow, though slightly longer, the breeze delicious and again all at a nice, realxed pace. They even showed James Bond (The Spy Who Loved Me, in case you were interested), rather than the standard screeching vietnamese pop we have become so accustomed to.

So we sailed into Ha Tien relaxed and ready for the madness...and again our expectations were shattered. The border town to the south-east of Cambodia, Ha Tien was a chilled-out fishing village. Plenty of friendly locals and a night market that we chomped and snacked our way around was a great farewell to Vietnam (for a little while anyway).

Our journey to the Cambodian border lead us past a limestone karst outcrop which towered over a small marketplace, It was here that the Khmer Rouge killed 130 villagers in the late '70s. Many towns along the Cambodian border have similar stories, and of course we were to see plenty more once inside Kampuchea (Cambodia to the locals) itelf. The border crossing was surprisingly low-key. Locas from both sides can go through with a valid passd (though no-one seems to check) as long as they have dismounted their motorbike, bicylce, pony or cow. For us it was a simple matter of showing our passports to anyone who was in uniform, and that was quite a few people.

back onto the motos, and off to Kep, a low-key seaside town. The 45 minute trip on the back of the bikes was a great intro to Cambodia. More rural than Vietnam, more space, more dirt and more cows. Stilt houses dot the ploughed landscape, with splashes of vivid green from the newly sown paddy fields. Orange and maroon clad monks seem to pop up everywhere, some looking decidedly devout, others smoking ciggies and pissing on trees!

Kep was magic - a cool coastal breeze and a uber-relaxed, no-hurry feel, perfect for swinging in a hammock by the seashore...bummer. Delectable fresh crab at the local crab market - our first taste of Cambodian cuisine. The town was a popular getaway for the French during the colonial era, and now the town is littered with beautiful but hollow, vine-covered villas, and the waterfront is lined with old lamplights and tiled walkways.

From Kep to Kampot, again courtesy of two friendly moto drivers. Kampot is bigger and more happening than Kep...but not much. A riverside retreat this time, the forest-clad Bokor National Park provides a refreshing back drop to the dirty roads of the town. A significant highlight was discovering a little cafe called Epic which employs mainly deaf and disabled locals, and just so happens to make amazing carrot cake and brownies...OHMEGOD good!

We toured around the country-side for a day, mainly visiting some pretty cool cave-temples under the limestone karst mounds which pepper the land. By the way, about pepper...Kampot has world-famous pepper...but who knew eh? As for the caves, we went to three. The first, a little disappointing as it was supposed to be the best, but we had a great local kid show us around, and I loved the feeling of mud oozing between my toes as we checked out the deepest caves, so it was fun (I like to call it mud, but there were a few bats flying around...). The second one was what we though was the third one, but it wasn't. Essentially some entreprenurial kids jumped out at us and said 'this way, this way', so of course we beleived them. Turns out it was an adventure. They made us squeeze through narrow, claustrophic and dusty caves, through viney jungle, to the top of the karst for spectacular views of the area, and then back through ant infested, prickly foliage into the caverns. It wasn't til the end that we realised this wasn't the cave with the temple in it....so off to the cave-temple. Very cool too. An ancient hindu temple had been built inside this cave back in 600AD. The temple was small but housed a (now defunct) stalactite and stalagmite formation, and of course copious amounts of incense and the usual offerings of bananas and mangoes.

So Kampot was fun, and we stayed there a little longer than planned as our next stop , Sihanoukville, wasn;t shaping up to be a place we wanted to spend time judging by what fellow travellers had to say. And, sure enough it wasn't. Sihanoukville is a busy resort/beach town with a real sleazy vibe to it. We have billboards about drink driving in NZ, they have billboards about child sex, prositution and human trafficking. The main beach is filthy (though it wouldn't take all that much to clean it up), and kids as young as 3 roam the beaches begging or selling bracelets, massages and god knows what else. As you could imagine, Costa and I did not take well to the situation. Syringes on the beach, and lone old men playing in the ocean with young Cambodians isn't what I want to support. So it was a one night hit for us and on to Phnom Penh.

And here we are...not much to report as we are saving the sightseeing until Nik Parkin (of the Tree Ninja Massif)arrives this arvo. But for now Phnom Penh is great - more low key than Saigon, less high rises and oh..about 10 million less people. Amazing what a difference that makes. Interestingly the child sex and prostitution theme continues here, with extensive notices in each guesthouse room about the do's and don'ts. A couple of classic bar signs we have already seen are:

Eden Bar - Liquor in the front, poker in the rear and..

Knickers and Liqour

Charming!

Finally, a few comparative comments between Vietnam and Cambodia

Far less people in Cambodia. Vietnam there were peps everywhere, even in rural areas (though we were in the south). Cambodia has space.
Cambodians speak good English. Nearly everyone here speaks reasonable english, unlike vietnam where hand signals and poor attempts at Vietnamese got us by. Cambodian are very surprised when we speak Khmer to them. I think this is becuase Vietnamese pay for school, whereas school is free for Cambodians
More expensive in Cambodia...(not complaining, I know it's cheap, just an observation!) And most things are US dollar.
People are less responsive to smiles. Vietnamese loved to smile when we did - not so much here?? Still lovvvvelly people though!
Far more of a western influence in Cambodia. English is everywhere and there is heaps of international food available, it's almost easier to eat foriegn food than Khmer cuisine.

Just little things, but they make a difference in the day to day.

Next Angkor Wat, and for those from the Huff Street Crew, I'm meeting up with Miss Jessica Jade, stoked!! Will have a havana for you all :)

G & C

The Mekong Delta

gretch_costa — Mon, 18 May 2009 04:20:00 GMT

After an annoying bus-scam incident which found us kicked off a bus and walking aimlessly for a couple of kilometres in the hot, sticky, city-smelling heat, we managed to arrive in the somewhat quieter riverside town of My Tho in the Mekong Delta. A treat to be out of the city. Coconut waffles, fresh market fruits and a steaming bowl of the local specialty 'Hu Tieu' were all culinary highlights...though these tend to be happening on a daily basis now, no complaints here.

Rivers, canals, ponds, streams,puddles and of course, people, characterise the Delta region. You can get everywhere by boat and bicycle, and every inch of land above waterlevel seems to be cultivated and ultilised. Longans, Bananas, Durian, Jackfruit, Mangoes, Pineapples, Lychees and other unidentified fruits abound, and every household has their own ponds where they raise fish to a delectable age. Most family plots of land are self-sufficient, everyone seems to have what they need and make extra money by selling the surplus, operating a food stall or making goods. Life slips by at the pace of the pedal or the oar in the rural regions, and quickens to the hum of the motorbike or the outboard motor nearer the towns.

From My Tho we skipped across a limb of the Mekong to sleepy Ben Tre, and stayed in a quiet rural guesthouse well out of town. A boat trip through the canals with Houng (see pictures) and visiting his family the next day was awesome...such amazing hospitality, and as is vietnamese etiquette, lots of food offerings. We were a little uncomfortable eating all this food when they seem to have so little, but it is the polite thing to do, so when in rome....

The touristy town of Can Tho was next, and touristy it was, though I'm sure it can be worse in the busy season. A trip to the floating markets in the morning was pretty cool, with people trading their produce from boat to boat, though sometimes being an observer (and a foreigner at that) can be an uncomfortable feeling. Some of the best fresh springs rolls were sampled here...love it!

Hot, sticky bus rides have become familiar already. Even seeing the woman in the next seat spew into a plastic bag and flung it out the window, doesn't draw the reaction it might do back home! But the buses are a cheap way to travel and get us from A to B, safely, so far.

We are currently a world away from the Mekong Delta (or so it seems) on the tropical island of Phu Quoc in the Gulf of Thailand...blissful! We have a bungalow on the beach, we eat with our feet in the sand and have watched some incredible sunsets from the beach-front restaurant. Thunderstorms have been spectacular, the air is clear and it rains regularly, keeping the temperature in check. We've whizzed through the villages and rainforest on a motorbike, managing to stay upright on some ultra-slippery roads. The island has a big fishing industry, and at night the oceanic horizon is sprinkled with lights from the squid boaters. Needless to say, we are loving it and don't want to leave, but Cambodia is calling and we must get a move on. So tomorrow we depart from Ha Tien and attempt the border crossing the following day. Wish us luck and wish you were here!

Ciao G & C

Ho Chi Minh City

gretch_costa — Sat, 9 May 2009 08:25:00 GMT

Ah ha! I finally have this thing working...took a bit of time, but hey, there's an afternoon storm going on so it don't matter. We've had a great couple of days here already, just finding our way around and acquainting ourselves with the vietnamese culture. Have done a few museums and temple visits. The War Remnants Museum was very moving and eye opening about the Vietnam War, and the History Musuem went right back to early hominids ~400K years ago, plus we saw a mummified vietnamese lady and plenty of ancient war relicts and other artifacts from the last 4000 years.

Food-wise we are in heaven. OHMYGOD it is good. We can't seem to go wrong with what we pick it's all good, and fresh. People are genuine and incredibly friendly, coffee is potent just as we like, and they do amazing french baguettes and crossaints...bummer eh!

We might head to the Cu Chi tunnels tomorrow (along with every other tourist I imagine), then it's off for ten days or so in the Mekong Delta.

Oh, gotta go, time up :)