Vietnam Archives - Wandering North

Asia Cambodia South East Asia 2013 Vietnam

Holiday in Cambodia

Yesterday morning (whatever day that was) we stepped out the back of our hotel in Chau Doc and onto a speed boat bound for Phnom Penh. It was a comfortable boat, covered except at the back and the front and with wonderful breezes blowing through. The entire journey, including the stop at the border was about 6 hours, but it was pleasant. Alongside the shores we saw more jungly trees and fields with people tilling the soil by hand, houses on stilts or just corrugated metal shacks built right along the shore, people fishing with poles or giant butterfly nets which the scooped into the water while balancing on the edge on small wooden boats, and, once we crossed into Cambodia, small herds of skinny white cows.

We stopped at the border leaving Vietnam, then reboarded and stopped again at the border entering Cambodia where we got our new visas.

Finally we saw the skyline of Phnom Penh and we pulled up to Sisowath Quay. We both immediately loved it. The buildings were an interesting mix of French inspired architecture, dilapidated low rises, and stunning temple peaks. We boarded a tuk tuk (our first) and we snaked through the traffic, which was similar to that of Ho Chi Minh in terms of its style and composition but was slightly less frenetic.

Our hotel, the Blue Lime, is pretty great. It has a South Beach feel to it, with its beautiful pool surrounded by Palm trees and lazy cabanas. Our room is perfect and has a modern design and there is an outdoor bar and restaurant by the pool, perfect for relaxing with a passion fruit juice (as I am doing now). All this (and breakfast) for about $45 night.

After getting settled we went for a walk in search of food. The streets are very pleasant for walking (despite having to walk in traffic much of the time), as there are so many appealing and interesting street side eateries, shops, vendors, and whatnot to look at. The poverty though is evident, as steps away from the main temples and restaurants catering to tourists are people living on the street or naked kids picking through garbage.

We found a restaurant and had our first Cambodian meal – the de facto national dish ‘amok’, a mild, steamed curry. Betty Lou had fish and I had I had a vegetarian version. It was delicious and for two of us it was about $6. A few small kids came up to sell us things, but I didn’t feel bothered. The place is crawling with tourists, but that didn’t bother me either. It is all a pleasant atmosphere.

After lunch we visited the Royal Palace, which is really a serene complex of stunning temples and pagodas decorated in intricate and ornate design; the peaked roofs glitter like dragon scales and Buddhas sat amongst the greenery. Walking among the trees and the buildings were many monks, dressed in their beautiful saffron robes. It was all lovely.

We retired to the room for a bit and then I decided to go for a walk to see what the nightlife was like. It was all really the same, but it felt even livelier (and that is certainly true of the bars and restaurants). I was having a fine time wandering until the skies opened up and it began to pour. I tried to wait it out in a bookshop but became restless and decided to head back to the hotel which was 3-4 blocks away only. In those few blocks however I got drenched; my eyes blinded by the torrential rain and my shoes transformed into pools. I returned though in one piece and enjoyed a wonderful sleep.

Asia South East Asia 2013 Vietnam

Journey up the Mekong

We left Ho Chi Minh in the morning on a minibus bound for a town on the Mekong river, where we joined about two dozen others on a small boat which took us out further onto the river where we boarded our proper boat – the “Mekong Eyes”, a lovely wooden converted rice barge turned into a fairly posh cruising boat. It was simply lovely. We had a well appointed room and the boat had a dining room and a wonderful top deck with places to sit and take in the view. It almost felt too fancy for me, but I guess sometimes it’s nice to travel in style.

We began sailing and we relaxed on the top deck watching the lush, green jungly landscape pass by, with its occasional small, ramshackle houses on the shore. Various other boats passed by – mostly fishing boats and small sampans rowed by women and men standing atop them and rowing with long oars. It was very peaceful and pleasant (and perfect for cigar smoking).

After a delicious lunch, we took small boats to a village along the river where we were able to wander past rice paddy fields dotted with above ground graves, tiny houses with open air rooms and families resting in hammocks, chopping wood for the stove, and cooking and eating meals, and past trees growing papayas, jack fruit, coconuts and bananas. After returning to the big boat we spent the rest of the day watching the shore slip past until it was dark and the sky was dotted with migrating bats.

We had a wonderful sleep on board, delayed only slightly by a fantastic lightening storm, which lit up the night sky.

This morning after breakfast we again took a small boat to the floating market, where countless boats crowded together on a wide part of the river to sell all manner of produce and hot coffee and tea. The boats, which ranged from small canoe-like contraptions to larger boats displayed their wares by way of tying them to masts on their boats – the pineapple vendor, for example, had a pineapple hanging from a stick, high above the boat so that others would know what was for sale. The market was so lively and colourful as the boats all paddled and motored their way amongst each other to connect vendors with buyers. Along the shores we had excellent views of people’s houses and could see people going about their daily lives on the water.

After the market we took in some other sights on foot and then after a meal of delicious fruits, we left our boat and travelled by bus about three hours to Chau Doc; a small but busy city near the border with Cambodia.

Our hotel in Chau Doc is ridiculously fancy. It is the Victoria hotel and is this posh establishment on the water with a beautiful outdoor pool, restaurant, and beautiful rooms. We went for a walk though the city, which was buzzing with motor scooters and has a bustling, colourful market. We walked though the market, looking with wonder at the many unidentifiable fruits and vegetables and taking in the sights and (pungent) smells. The evening has wound up with a cigar on the hotel grounds, looking out over the water.

In the morning we are catching a speed boat to Phnom Pehn, where the second leg of out trip shall begin.

Asia South East Asia 2013 Vietnam

Ho Chi Minh

What can we say but…

We arrived yesterday late morning after two flights and a layover in Taipei. We were greeted by the roar of motorcycles and horn honking as we took a car and zoomed to our hotel through the chaotic traffic – mostly motorcycles/scooters, often with multiple passengers (the most we saw on one was a family of five). Our hotel – the Bich Duyen – is on a quiet back lane off one of the main streets in the backpacker area. It is a great location and the hotel is clean and cheap and pleasant.

We went out yesterday walking through the city. We quickly learned how to cross the street against the traffic, which seldom stops. The key is: just step out into the street, keep your eyes open, but just walk ahead and trust that the hundreds of motorcycles will just part around you. So far it has worked. One time though we must have hesitated too long before crossing, as a tiny, old woman crossed the street towards us, took me and my mother by the hand and walked us back across, me laughing with fear the whole time.

The city, for the most part, is not attractive, but is very interesting. We wandered down narrow back lanes lined with what appeared to be one room houses and people cooking on the street over open coals, all manner of meat, vegetables, and tofu. There is a wonderful assortment of street snacks here – all of which looks delicious, but little of it vegetarian. Women are everywhere in their conical hats, carrying food for sale and other trinkets.

We visited the Ben Thanh market which was a maze of items for sale, including textiles, clothing, household items, and food. We sat at the low, plastic (child-sized) tables and stools outside one of the food stalls and had a bowl of vegetables and noodles, and a thickly sweet iced coffee.

We also visited a couple of temples/pagodas. The Jade Emperor Pagoda had ponds outside teeming with fish and turtles, which people fed with needlessly large amounts of bread, which floated on top of the water appetizingly. The inside was beautiful though – small and dark with carvings of Buddhas and tigers, with two altars of gold Buddhas and dozens of people making offerings of flowers and incense. The incense was thick and filled the room with an atmospheric haze. We visited a similar temple in the Cholon (Chinatown) neighborhood where we were charged by a brave rat, which sent us off on our way prematurely.

In the evening we went out for dinner and sat on a patio on a busy street, with a cigar, watching the traffic and people. It was a pleasant evening. The weather has been nice; it is hot and humid, but not oppressively so. i think it is nice.

We have just had breakfast at our hotel and will now go on a walk in the neighborhood before catching a bus to the Mekong, where we will tranfer to a boat, taking us north.

Category: Vietnam