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Vietnam, Cambodia, et. al.

Trip: Southeast Asia and more

There are [70] stories from my trip: Southeast Asia and more


A Change in Plans

CAMBODIA | Friday, 28 Nov 2008 | Views [488]

We learn more and become more comfortable with each passing day.   We are finally starting to make sense of the Angkor Archeological Complex and its place in time.   The contradictions are still there; Hindu or Buddhist, Shiva or Vishnu but they seem ... Read more >


Angkor Thom

CAMBODIA | Wednesday, 26 Nov 2008 | Views [1435]

What we usually refer to as Angkor Wat is more correctly part of the “Ruins of Angkor.”   Angkor Wat is just the five-towered temple although ‘just’ hardly applies.   Angkor Thom (Great Angkor) is a walled city another mile down the road. We learned ... Read more >


Angkor Wat

CAMBODIA | Tuesday, 25 Nov 2008 | Views [606]

It took about 30 minutes to ride the seven kilometers from the Lotus Lodge to Angkor Wat on munchin-sized bikes. The ticket options were for one, three or seven days and as expected the lines for single day tickets were the longest.   We got the ... Read more >


On The Road - Siem Reap

CAMBODIA | Monday, 24 Nov 2008 | Views [570]

The tuk tuk drivers were waiting, just as they always are.   “Tuk tuk?”   “No thank you,” we replied, as always.   “Maybe later?” they asked hopefully, as always.   But it was not to be.   We were leaving on a six-hour bus trip to Siem Reap and ... Read more >


Phnom Penh

CAMBODIA | Sunday, 23 Nov 2008 | Views [991]

This was a day of revelation, tour group style.   We got up early and were soon reunited with the group that spent the night on land.   Even Paula and Michael came to the floating hotel to change boats.   Initially we were upset that we didn’t get ... Read more >


Vietnam: Then and Now

VIETNAM | Saturday, 22 Nov 2008 | Views [1280]

I first 'visited' Vietnam in 1968.  During my time 'in country' Richard Nixon was elected president, Neil Armstrong walked on the moon and the massacre at My Lai became public knowledge.  In the US (back in "The World' as the GIs called it) the ... Read more >


Gallery: Cambodia

CAMBODIA | Friday, 21 Nov 2008 | Photo Gallery


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The Mekong

VIETNAM | Friday, 21 Nov 2008 | Views [936]

Our trip into the Mekong Delta wasn’t exactly what we believed we had signed up for.   Instead of a relaxing boat trip along the river we took a crowded tourist bus to My Tho.   Most of the others also felt they had been deceived.   It is a case ... Read more >


Gallery: Vietnam; Saigon and the Mekong

VIETNAM | Monday, 17 Nov 2008 | Photo Gallery


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Saigon

VIETNAM | Monday, 17 Nov 2008 | Views [847]

It was once known at ‘the Paris of the Orient’ and was the capital of South Vietnam.   Its official name is Ho Chi Minh City (HCMH) but everyone still calls it Saigon.   During the 400 km seven hour bus ride from Dalat we watched the scenery change ... Read more >


Easy Riders of Dalat

VIETNAM | Saturday, 15 Nov 2008 | Views [1216]

Dalat is different from other places in Vietnam.   LP says you would almost think you had stumbled into the Swiss Alps in springtime; true only if you had never been to Switzerland!   Still walking around Dalat without rain is pleasant.   Like ... Read more >


Gallery: Vietnam; Hoi An and Dalat

VIETNAM | Friday, 14 Nov 2008 | Photo Gallery


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Road to Dalat

VIETNAM | Friday, 14 Nov 2008 | Views [1318]

The first raindrops fell as our bus left from Hoi An.   And it poured all night long.   The sleeper bus is a good concept.   It has three rows of reclining ‘business-class’ beds, two levels high.   Unfortunately they are designed for shorter, narrower ... Read more >


A Hoi An Morning

VIETNAM | Thursday, 13 Nov 2008 | Views [592]

Five AM is the most peaceful hour in Vietnam.  There are no trucks or buses on the street; only the occasional motorbike putts by.  A lone woman trots to "her" spot on the kerb, her pho pots bouncing up and down suspended from a bamboo pole ... Read more >


Hoi An and Danang

VIETNAM | Wednesday, 12 Nov 2008 | Views [669]

The bus from Hue to Hoi An takes 3 hours with only a couple of stops.   At Danang, An, one of the bus company’s employees, started talking to me.   He served with the ARVN in the Americal Division during the war and we reminisced about ‘the good old ... Read more >


Hanoi to Hue

VIETNAM | Friday, 7 Nov 2008 | Views [804]

You can get a visa for Cambodia at most border crossings from Vietnam.   With the operative word being “most” we decided to get ours at the Cambodian embassy in Hanoi.   What is normally a 2-day process was expedited to 10 minutes for a few dollars.... Read more >


Gallery: Vietnam; Around Hue

VIETNAM | Thursday, 6 Nov 2008 | Photo Gallery


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The US Elections as Seen From Hanoi

VIETNAM | Thursday, 6 Nov 2008 | Views [447]

We have been out of touch on a junk cruising Halong Bay for the last couple of days.   Just because we didn’t know the results of the election doesn’t mean that we weren’t answering questions about the campaigns, the candidates, the electoral college, ... Read more >


Halong Bay and Cat Ba Island

VIETNAM | Wednesday, 5 Nov 2008 | Views [1364]

Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a ‘must do’ in northern Vietnam.   Lonely Planet says “Majestic and mysterious, inspiring and imperious, words alone cannot do justice to the natural wonder that is Halong Bay, were 3000 or more incredible ... Read more >


The Best Laid Plans (Chapter 3)

VIETNAM | Sunday, 2 Nov 2008 | Views [609]

I have titled at least one entry in each journal “The Best Laid Plans.” This one certainly qualifies. Your may have heard rumors of flooding in northern Vietnam. Well, they are true. The rains continued throughout the night and into the morning and when ... Read more >


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