Thailand, Cambodia, & Vietnam (2015) - A Tour of the Orient
Introduction
About eight months ago, we were approached by two friends who asked if we were interested in going to Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam with them. At first, we were skeptical, but after doing some research and seeing pictures online, we decided to go for it.
Since then, we have been slowly planning this trip, from renewing passports to purchasing things on Amazon in preparation.
It has been a long eight months of anticipation, but we are finally here, and the trip begins like so many others:
Day One:
“Of Flights”
We arrived early at the airport and indulged in the traditional Starbucks breakfast. We now have approximately twenty-five hours of travel ahead of us. Our first leg of the trip went well, although we both fought sleep. The plan has been to fight off sleep until we get onto the long haul flight from Atlanta to Seoul. That way, we can most closely mimic the sleep patterns of our destination.
Cynthia had a comfortable window seat while I sat next to a friendly old man who oddly enough was more than happy to stand up whenever we went to the lavatory.
An interesting thing; when we first arrived, we had to put Cynthia's bag about five rows behind us. When it came time to disembark the plane, people were very friendly and amiable, not pushy or annoyed as I slowly made his way back to the bag.
Had this been in Miami, I would have been stabbed.
We are now waiting at the gate for our long haul flight to Seoul, South Korea.
The trip from Atlanta to Seoul was long! We tried to sleep, but it was restless. We ended up watching a few movies and reading in between bouts of sleepiness. What was interesting is that for the majority of the fifteen-hour flight, it was daylight.
We went over Alaska and Russia, where Cynthia was able to snap an interesting picture of the mountain ranges below. All in all, the flight wasn’t as nightmarish as people made it out to be.
When we arrived in Seoul, we were greeted by one of the most beautiful airports we had ever been to. It was an exciting experience going to an airport where the primary language isn’t English. We had been to Europe and so forth, but there’s something jarring about going to a place where even the letters are so far away from what one’s used to.
Koreans love beauty products, and they apparently love putting chocolate on different types of fruit.
Once at the airport, we had an hour until our next flight; we ate at a cool stir-fry/noodle bar called StrEAT. From there we hopped onto our next flight, six more hours!
This flight was uneventful to me, I slept a good two-thirds of it. The only memorable thing was while I slept, the plane dropped a few feet. I honestly didn’t feel it and barely would have noticed had it not been for the two ladies across the aisle who were hollering, and Cynthia death-gripping my arm.
Arriving in Bangkok was a delight, after passing through Immigration, we were finally hit by the fact that we were so far away from home. Once we found our Gate1 driver, we headed out to the car; having the humid Thai heat hit us made the trip very, very real.
The hotel is beautiful; we can’t wait to go to sleep. Tomorrow, adventure!
Day Two:
“ Of Floating Markets, Meeting, and the Siam”
We woke up bright and early to meet the Frometa’s for breakfast. The buffet had a good spread of traditional breakfast foods, as well as Asian specialties. Being in Asia, I decided to eat Asian food for breakfast while Cynthia stuck to conventional things.
From there, we hopped on a boat shuttle that took us down the river towards the sky train station. A note about Bangkok’s public transportation system: It’s incredible. Not just good, but awesome. It makes some of the systems in the US look woefully inadequate. We made our way to the first of two floating markets. The path to the actual floating market was littered with street vendors selling all sorts of delicious-looking things.
We were attracted to the food and tried a few things, including a thin pancake like wafer with a sweet crème, a baked coconut, some sort of gooey ball mixed with coconut, baked riced cakes, and a few others. It was so good.
Eventually, we made our way to the actual floating portion of the market, where we sat and ate large prawns, fried fish, and the best pad thai we’d ever had. Something Amanda introduced us to sticks in our minds; it was what looked like folded leaves, but when you bit into them, it was an explosion of citrus/peanut/ginger/sweet, a cornucopia of delicious!
What’s so intriguing are the sites and peculiar sounds; we saw snakes in plastic bins, turtles for sale to be eaten, bread for sale to be fed to the fish, and a ton of unfamiliar fruit.
We quickly ran back to our hotel and got ready for the meeting at the Kingdom Hall, which resides on the 14th floor of an office building. The meeting was terrific, and meeting the friends there was so heartwarming. We got to meet Tia, who we had spoken to last week through a mutual friend. We also got to meet Rachel, a young British girl who was raised in Thailand. She was incredibly smart and intelligent, holding a conversation like an adult.
After the meeting, we went with Amy and Jeremy, two friends who were introduced to us by Lidia. They took us to a great place to eat. It was basically a huge food court inside a huge mall. This wasn’t your run of the mill mall. This mall was exquisite, with high-end stores, beautiful decoration, and tantalizing restaurants. We settled for Thai food and proceeded to walk around, catching the sights. Especially of interest in this mall was a gourmet market with a variety of local fruits, spices, desserts, and everything you can, and can't think of.
Eventually, the exhaustion of jet lag, compounded by a packed day left of tired.
Tomorrow we meet our tour group and begin a new adventure.
Day Three:
“Of Markets, Wats & Massages”
We arose this morning well-rested and ready for another day. After another Asian inspired breakfast, we finally met up with our tour group. Thus far, the tour group is smaller than it was in Ireland, and it seems, for the most part, we’ll get along throughout the trip.
Our first stop was Bangkok’s oldest market. The atmosphere was frenetic with cars, and scooters whizzing by, and with the throngs of bustling people; there was a constant buzz as we walked through the market.
The primary product for sale was flowers. There was a lot of flowers, but the majority were not there for decoration or as a gift for a loved one or friend. The majority of the flowers were meant to be placed on Buddhist altars. Now, apart from the flowers, there were whole alleys whose merchandise were vegetables and fruits. I bought an apple, although what we both really wanted to do was stroll through the alleys grabbing garlic, and peppers, and carrots and so forth to make a stir-fry.
From there, we made our way via bus to Wat Pho, which is a Buddhist temple compound that houses what one of the most popular reclining Buddha statues. This has to be one of the most ornate compounds we had ever seen. Everything seemed to have been made with painstaking detail, from the sculptures all around, to the high towers. All in all, it was a very interesting look at the religious culture of Thailand.
Once we finished at Wat Po, we arrived at a gem cutting facility. Gate1 apparently uses stops such as these to subsidize the trip, you’d think I’d be upset with that, but I think it’s great! Here we were taught how Thailand is a leading exporter of beautiful rubies and sapphire. They showed us how the gems were cut and mounted, and then once we developed an appreciation for the gems, we were taken into a showroom with a personal guide.
One of the highlights of the day was getting a Thai massage. We scoped out a few places, but a spa near our hotel had an affordable price and availability. This was a neat experience for us: They gave us these silly capri pants/nurse scrubs that were weird to put on. When we were lead into the room, we didn’t know whether to undress or stay dressed. The answer is to stay dressed! When the ladies entered the room, I figured I’d lay face down on the pillow, like in a regular Western massage. Nope! In the end, these professionals worked and kneaded out my muscles in a significant way. It hurt so good!
Dinner was with our entire group, the food was traditional Thai fare. Nothing unusual, bu serviceable. It wasn’t like what we’d had thus far. It’s Hotel food. After dinner, we visited Asiatique. This was a neat experience because you’re in Bangkok, but here is this Downtown Disney looking extravaganza. This place is enormous, with shops and restaurants all over. We had arrived too late for the Muay Thai show, so we walked around and took in the sites, a little off-put by how Western it all seemed.
Tomorrow is a day at leisure, but we already have things planned. Stay tuned.
Day Four:
“Of The Grand Palace, Packed Boats & Chao Phraya River Cruise”
Gate1 offers optional tours, and today they were offering a guided tour of the Grand Palace in Bangkok. We opted out of this optional tour and decided to go out on our own. We joined up with the Frometas early, around 7:15AM for breakfast. After a brief walk, a boat ride, and another walk through a small market that was just setting up, we arrived at the Grand Palace.
Getting to the Grand Palace so early was a bit of a necessity as the crowd could get out of control. We thought we were going in easy-breezy, but as we approached the gate to the compound, we were met with a bustling throng of people; mostly Chinese.
Chinese tourists have a reputation, and their reputation preceded them. They swarmed the compound with relentless fervor. At one point as we were having the security guards check our bags: A young Chinese girl slapped my bag aside and yelled at me in Chinese as she placed her purse in its place – even though I was in front of her in line. When you want to take a picture, they will walk right in front of you. If you walk in front of them accidentally, they will yell at you. They’re the best!
The Grand Palace is a large compound made of the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, a grand royal residence, monuments, and official ceremonial halls. This was by far the most ornate and ostentatious display of wealth, artistry and craftsmanship we’ve ever seen. The pictures don’t do it justice; it’s something to behold with the eyes. It was hot, so hot. Why did we decide to go to a warm climate in November?! After several hours of touring the compound, we left, sweaty and hot.
Amanda had researched a great little restaurant right off of the Chao Phraya River, where we ate lunch overlooking the water. It was a nice rest because of how dreadfully hot the day had been. After lunch we parted ways, the Frometas went to go get massages while we decided to stay in the hotel and relax. The boat ride back to the hotel was tough, it was packed and hot; there were people everywhere!
Around 4:20PM, or 16:20, we made our way to see Jeremy and Amy at Cloud 47. Cloud 47 is a sky bar that sits atop the roof of the United Center, a forty-seven story office building. The bar/club has a panoramic view of Bangkok; it was quite beautiful to behold the city turn from dusk to dark. Seeing Jeremy and Amy again was nice, but sad to say goodbye.
After saying our farewells, we joined back with the Frometas for our Chao Phraya River Cruise. We met them at Saphon Taksin pier, where the boat picked us up. The ship slowly made its way down the river, while waiters brought a variety of dishes in intervals. It was very nice. The breeze wafted through, while music played in the background by a young girl who Jose guessed was 15, but was probably 23, and the temperature was just right. At this point, a wall of sleep had hit me and became incredibly sleepy; Amanda was amused.
The cruise was delightful, and the food was excellent with a variety of different styles and flavors: seafood, traditional Thai, and vegetarian.
Overall it was a hectic and busy day, so we are looking forward to spending some time relaxing tomorrow when we reach Siem Reap. Two-hour massage for $40, yes!
Day Five:
“Of Siem Reap Bargaining”
Our day began early, and by early, I mean earlier than anyone should be awake. We needed to be ready to go by 3:45AM. This means we only got about three hours of sleep, and if you remember, the night before, I had practically fallen off the dinner cruise in a sleepy haze.
The check-in process went smoothly at the airport in Bangkok; this was a nice airport, with tons of high-end stores.
Our flight was only an hour-long, between take-off and landing. I only read two paragraphs of what intended to read before the flight was over. When we landed and disembarked the plane, we were met with a very different scene than what we saw in Bangkok.
Cambodia is a developing nation; the airport at Siem Reap is the size of a large McDonalds, and it's surrounded by farmland. Yep! When we boarded the bus, it was pretty clear that we were no longer in the technologically advanced, more Western-oriented Bangkok. Nevertheless, we knew that we were in for some good stuff.
Our tour guide, whose name is Long, was amicable and friendly. Yes, his name is Long, not that in his name is long, but his actual name is Long. We also met our tour manager Dang, pronounced Dong. Before going to our hotel, we had the chance to go to the local market. There were hundreds of little stalls selling all sorts of things. What is of note is that these stalls were selling high-end merchandise for incredibly reasonable prices (we’d later realize, everything is fake). So many things are made in Cambodia, things like Prada, Armani, The North Face, Beats, Michael Kors, etc. Cynthia ended up bargaining and making some great deals for things. We were so excited to do this, we can't wait to try again in a couple of days. Opposite of us, Jose Frometa wasn't very good at bargaining and would pretty much pay the first price the salesperson asked for. We had a good laugh about this.
We headed out to our hotel, and we were pleasantly surprised by how beautiful our room Was; also how spacious it was. A Hotel of this size and quality in the U.S. would cost in the $400s a night, easy.
Both us of quickly signed up for a two-hour massage, we both received a Khmer massage, which is very similar to a Thai massage, but not as silly in that they don't put you in a bunch of weird positions. Cynthia then received an oil massage, whereas I received a herbal compress massage. It was so good to get a two-hour massage, we both left feeling loose and sleepy. All for the hefty price of $80. That's not per person, or per massage. It was $80 in total!
Later we went to dinner with the tour group where we saw a series of Cambodian dances. So although not a lot happened today, it was a day that was packed, and exciting. Tomorrow we see Angkor Wat!
Day Six:
Angkor Thom & Angkor Wat
Today we were in for a treat; we visited Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat, one of them being one of the Seven Wonders of the World. We woke up early and had breakfast, being whisked away shortly after that at 8:00AM. Our first destination was Angkor Thom, where we would visit an old ruined temple whose main highlight are several trees that are literally growing out of the temple and whose roots are entangling the large sandstone blocks.
Our tour guide kept calling this the Tomb Raider temple because apparently, Angelina Jolie filmed a bunch of scenes for the Tomb Raider movie at this temple. I never saw the film, so I had no idea what he was talking about.
Angkor Thom is a large city where an ancient civilization called the Khmer built several temples. One of the kings built the temple we were visiting within the Angkor Thom complex for his mother. Now, when we arrived at the temple, we had to trek a bit through a trail. But when we arrived, the wait was worth it. A large tree jutted into the sky, sitting atop the roof of the ruined structure. It was a sight to behold. We explored the edifice, popping in and out of doorways and corridors; following the general path.
The design and architecture were beautiful, and the towering sandstone blocks contained artistic carvings. This place was in bad shape though as it had laid abandoned for over 500 years, being taken over by the trees, nature, and monkeys. Yes, monkeys took over the temple, ala Jungle Book.
We visited a few more structures, but none matched the Tomb Raider temple.
After lunch, we were given a brief respite for a nap.
During the afternoon session, we were now going to Angkor Wat, one of the Seven Wonders of the World! As we approached, we were surprised by the sheer number of people there. There were thousands of people, not to mention many many locals selling all sorts of touristy stuff. Unfortunately, most of those selling things were children, it was unfortunate. Our local guide told us not to buy from them because all we would be doing is reinforcing their decision to not get an education. In a later conversation, the guide, Long, told me that education is not required and that unless the family is wealthy, the kids don’t go to school and just sell things to tourists.
Once we approached Angkor Wat and were able to see the actual structure, it was awe-inspiring how massive and majestic this place was. Angkor in Khmer/Cambodian means City, while Wat means monastery; so Angkor Wat means the Monastery City, and is considered the largest religious structure in the world. After walking down a twelve meter wide stone causeway that crosses a sizeable man-made moat, we entered the gallery. A massive battlement looking structure whose inside walls contain reliefs that depict several historical and mythological stories.
Passing through the gallery, we entered into the courtyards and then into the main structure. Angkor Wat is separated into three levels. A bottom level, a middle level where historically only certain people can go, and then an upper-tier where only the elite could enter.
The painstaking attention to detail was readily apparent, even thousands of years later. Angkor Wat, unlike Angkor Thom, has never been abandoned, so although still a very old and somewhat ruined compound, it was in far better shape.
We made it out of Angkor Wat to watch the sunset behind us as we looked at the reflection of the spires in the moat. This will no doubt be one of the highlights of the trip, and most likely in all my travels. It’s up there with the Cliffs of Moher.
We made our way back to the hotel, freshened up, and headed out to dinner. This dinner didn’t have dancers, or anything crazy. Just a good dinner, and perhaps the best food we’ve had thus far in Siem Reap.
Tomorrow we have a very long day, so we’re going to bed early.
Day Seven:
“Of Ox Carts, River Tours, & National Museum”
We woke up refreshed after plenty of rest, knowing that today was going to be ridiculous. After packing up all our things, and leaving our luggage at the door for the bellman, we grabbed breakfast. The first order of business was making sure we were all ready for our trip to Ho Chi Minh City at the end of the day. Once all that had been taken care of, we took off.
Before our first destination, we went to a small road side stand that sold local Cambodian Delicacies; such as frogs, crickets, silkworm, and roach. I tried a frog but declined the rest. The frog honestly tasted like a chicken wing.
The first destination was an Ox Cart Ride. Each cart was pulled two oxen, that took us on a bumpy yet, scenic tour of several rice paddies. Although slightly uncomfortable, it was quite pleasant to see what a rice paddy looked like and to see rice farmers working their trade.
Once that was over, we made our way to Tonle Sap Lake. The road to the place was a dusty dirt road, which eventually deteriorated into a muddy mess. The bus driver thought he could make it over the mud and deep holes. Even after getting off the bus and investigating the road, he felt he could do it. Jose suggested we all get off the bus, but he was confident. Two minutes later, after a horribly failed attempt to get the bus over the mud and getting it stuck, we were walking. Eventually, we arrived at an impoverished little fishing village whose stench was hard to ignore. Within ten minutes, a series of Tuk- Tuks came by and picked us up to drive us the rest of the way to our destination.
Once we arrived, we boarded the boat and began cruising down the Tonle Sap River. The water was quite dirty, but along the shores of the river were small villages with floating houses. Inside these houses were families lounging in hammocks, cooking, playing, and so forth. They were in abject poverty, but as Long explained, many of them were happy with the simple things. We toured around a bit, landing us in a small floating rest stop whose highlight was bottles of a Cambodian liquor that contained a king cobra and a scorpion inside. No thanks.
After the lake tour, we were taken back to the market area and had a delicious Cambodian lunch. Shortly after we were shuttled over to the National Museum, which was informative, giving a lot of history of the Khmer empire. We were only given about fifty minutes there, so we had to blow through the exhibits.
We were then finally given some time to go shop, returning to the same guy we bought from earlier. From there, we headed out to Siem Reap airport, where hilarity ensued as we observed the Chinese tourists doing what Chinese tourists do; be super aggressive, pushy and yell a lot. What was supposed to be one line for a check-in counter, was an unruly, amorphous blob of people. Many even started forming a second line, just because they wanted to. An attended would shoo them off, but eventually, the second line would reform. They also starting forming equally amorphous lines behind our group, even though we were explicitly in a line for our tour group.
We hopped a flight to Ho Chi Minh, and arrived at the airport late into the night, around 11:15PM, knowing we’d have to be up at 6:30AM for another day of adventuring.
Day Eight:
“Of Ho Chi Minh City & Cu Chi Tunnels”
Today we spent a full day in Ho Chi Minh City, typically or historically known as Saigon. We began the day with a brief bus tour, leading us to the central post office. This place looked like an old-timey train station, including red phone booths, curved roof and all. It was packed, and it was hot.
Outside of the post office, there were two separate wedding couples taking pictures. The main reason for this was because across the street from the central post office was the Notre Dame Church. Not the one from Paris, obviously, but a church made in the style of Notre Dame. In addition to the wedding parties, there was a large group of teenagers in fancy outfits, who we later found out, were taking part in a graduation ceremony. It made for neat pictures, seeing the juxtaposition of the frenetic pace of the city with its army of motorbike riders, and the romanticism of a wedding day or the jubilation of graduation.
After that brief stop, we made our way to a lacquer workshop where we saw how lacquer items were created. The process is long and arduous, sometimes taking three weeks to months for a large piece. The process takes so long because quality lacquer pieces require at least 15 layers of lacquer plus hours of meticulous craftsmanship in applying ink and duck eggshell. After the exhibit, we were able to go into a store and see the merchandise, which was a little pricey, but understandable considering how much time it takes to produce.
We were then taken to a central market that held hundreds of stands under one roof. It was hot, crowded, and the items were all cheap knock-offs. We didn’t see anything too appealing. At one point we thought maybe we’d buy some food, or perhaps some candy, and as we made our way to investigate, Cynthia had a giant rat run across her path. We then reconsidered our plan, which was good because she later saw a giant roach.
After lunch, we had a two-hour drive to the Cu Chi Tunnels. On the way to the tunnels we stopped at a rubber tree forest, and Dang, our tour manager, told us a little about the rubber trees and how important they were to the Vietnamese people.
I had been really excited to see the Cu Chi Tunnels. These tunnels were where the Vietcong would hide and live for several days when the American military would bomb the area. Additionally, these tunnels served as an extensive network that connected hundreds of villages all around Saigon. Also, the tunnels served as strategic fighting positions. So a Vietcong soldier could attack, disappear underground, and reappear behind the enemy or even disappear entirely. They also showed us several sniper positions as well as large termite mounds that were used as ventilation and air filtration systems.
At one point, we were allowed to go into a small tunnel that went for about thirty meters. Four of us walked into the tunnels, but only three of us came out the other end. After going six feet in, I had a bit of a panic attack and backed out quickly – pushing people aside (ever since that day, I’ve exhibited signs of claustrophobia).
In the end, it was incredibly interesting and informative to see the opposite perspective of the Vietnam war and how the Vietcong viewed it. We were all impressed by how clever and ingenious the various tunnels, traps, and systems they used to defend the land.
When we got back to the hotel, we decided to get another(!) massage. Seriously, for $25 a massage, why not? Afterward, we called it a night and went to bed, looking forward to our next destination: Hoi An.
Day Nine:
“Of Hoi An, Custom Suits, and Restaurant Hopping.”
Today we made our way out of the organized chaos of Ho Chi Minh City, and into the countryside on our way to Hoi An, a small ancient town with a rich history of trade and culture. We first needed to fly into Da Nang, so we made our way to the airport and proceeded to go through the process that we have become all too familiar with.
The flight was short. Once we landed, we boarded a bus and began to make our way to our destination. On the way, Dang decided to stop at what is called “China Beach.” It wasn’t evident why it was named China Beach, though. The scenery was beautiful, and Dang was so hospitable in giving all of us a choice of beer or water, and a handful of sweet boiled peanuts. Off in the distance was an island with the statute of a venerated person.
From there we made our way to Hoi An proper, a quaint little fishing town that has served as a trading port for centuries and has been coveted by many people, from the Japanese to the Dutch, from the Portuguese to the Americans. We started off with a walking tour that included some Chinese temples, they were interesting but paled in comparison to the Wats and other structures we’d seen. There was also the Japanese Covered Bridge that was very ornate. The big thing in Hoi An is shopping though.
Hoi An, with its amalgamation of cultures, looks Asian, but also faintly European. And as you walk down its streets, you are met with hundreds of shops. The big thing in Hoi An is tailoring, from suits to dresses, to shirts, to pants, to robes, to shoes, if you want it, they’ll make it; even leather luggage and bags can be custom made. Aside from that, there was vibrantly colored lanterns all around the streets, and some of these are for sale as well. I ended up getting two suits custom-tailored for the price it would cost to get one pre-fab suit in the States. Cynthia got a dress and some shoes, while Jose also got some shoes made.
We went to dinner with the tour group at an excellent harbor-side restaurant. We like Vietnamese food a lot, more than Cambodia, but perhaps not as much as Thai.
From there, we finally got to see our hotel. This place is AMAZING! It’s a resort with multiple pools, multiple buildings and the rooms are enormous. It’s beautiful; it would easily be a five-star hotel in Miami. A $600/night hotel in Orlando. It almost reminds me of some of the Animal Kingdom hotels in Disney. Many of us have expressed that we would love to just stay here for the next week.
After settling in quickly, Cynthia, Amanda, and I decided to get massages in the hotel. That was a strange experience as the Vietnamese women don’t really respect privacy too much.
It was a long day, but a wonderful day. Tomorrow we’re going on a river tour and then have the rest of the day at leisure.
Day Ten:
“Of Thu Bon River, Cooking Class, and Shopping”
Today we started the day with a tour. We boarded the bus and made our way to the Hoi An harbor. From there we boarded a boat that slowly chugged its way up the river. The water was tranquil and smooth, the weather mild with a slight breeze. The captain made his way through the bends of the river slowly, giving us time to take pictures of the various boats and shoreside houses.
The people of Hoi An paint eyes on their boats, mainly as a superstition that by doing so, it is warding off the river monsters.
As we made our way through the river, we saw a fisherman with his wife throwing a large fishing net into the air, where it would spread out in an almost perfect circle. He then would manually drag the net back onto the boat and repeat the process.
Also on the river, we saw how the fishermen would dry their large fishing nets in the sun by spreading them out over the river on giant pylons.
Eventually, our boat ride lead us to a small village filled with locals and workshops. We saw a countryside shop, where the men and women were carving and working the wood to produce furniture, tools and other products. We also visited an actual shipbuilder, who specializes in wooden ships, but can also be contracted for metal-based ships. Funny enough, he said the wood boats are significantly more expensive, but last about ten years more than the metal-based boats.
From there, we visited an organic herb farm and walked its length, smelling the different herbs and flowers growing all around us. This farm belonged to a nearby restaurant where we then sat down to have a delicious lunch. This lunch was enjoyable in that we would be cooking our own lunch since this was a cooking class!
The head chef, who was also the owner of the restaurant gave us a cooking lesson, and four by four, we were allowed to cook Vietnamese Pancakes or as they call them Ban Saos. This was a ton of fun as the chef was hilarious and would poke fun at everyone. Cynthia did a great job while the cook kept calling me “boy.” After the lesson, he also brought out four courses of delicious food; chicken, fish, tofu, salad, ginger drink, etc. It was an incredibly filling meal.
We took the boat back into Hoi An, where the bus dropped the four of us off at the central market where I got my second fitting for my suits - while Cynthia and Jose did a second fitting for their shoes. It was nice walking around town and doing some shopping, but we soon headed back to the hotel to relax until the evening.
Once evening arrived, we went back to the central market and picked up our stuff, then went to a trendy looking Wine Bar that played downtempo music. We had wine, paid the bill and then headed to a local restaurant for Coa Loa, a local noodle dish, a specialty of Hoi An. It was quite good! From there we called it a night, knowing we’d have to be up by 6:00AM the next morning.
Day Eleven:
“Of The Marble Mountain, The Mountain Pass, and The Citadel”
We realize that the title for the entry sounds like a chapter out of Lord of the Rings; nevertheless, although not as epic, today’s activities were pretty great.
We woke up early, mainly because there was going to be a bit of traveling to our next destination, Hue. Our tour guide, Dang, gave us two options for making our way to Hue: Option 1) Go through the tunnel through the mountain, or 2) Take The Mountain Pass. The tunnel is faster and not susceptible to weather conditions, while The Mountain Pass is significantly more scenic but longer and vulnerable to weather. The bus decided to take The Mountain Pass.
Before taking the journey, we made a quick stop at the Marble Mountain, a manufacturer of small and large marble and semi-precious stone pieces. We were able to see several craftsmen working on the stone, from the initial phases with a hammer and chisel, to some who were polishing the marble to produce the smoothness and shine that we associate with marble products. Our tour guide asked the polishers how much they made in salary a month, and their response was the equivalent of $200. The sculptors responded with the equivalent of $300 per month. We looked around the gardens of the building where hundreds of large marble sculptures stood, it was fascinating, albeit a little creepy - as if a parade had suddenly been frozen in stone.
The bus slowly climbed its way up the mountain, and quickly, the vistas began. Through the windows of the bus, we could see vast panoramas of the shore, mountains, mist, and villages in the distance. At first, the mist was heavy in the air, but as the morning progressed, the sun broke through the clouds, and it dissipated, revealing a wholly new type of scene.
We finally arrived a Hue, a bustling city with a certain charm due to the beautiful Perfume River that runs through it. This is another world heritage site. We took a brief respite in our hotel room, which is nothing to write home about.
From there we took the bus to The Citadel, a relatively large walled-in royal city that served as a sort of bastion/residence for the king, and place of meeting. Hue and this Citadel was the capital of Vietnam for many years.
The King lived in this place and was surrounded by his high court, the Mandarins. Aside from the Mandarins, the king employed many eunuchs to assist him, and to tend to his many concubines. The process of turning a man into a eunuch was described in detail, and was pretty barbaric, causing many deaths.
We got to see the king’s court, his meeting rooms, and a few other administrative areas. But what we were most looking forward to was the Forbidden City. A city within the city where the queen, concubines, and the king would reside. We passed through the gates, expecting a massive and beautifully ornamented series of structures, only to see a few breezeways, a portico, and empty land. Confused, we asked if we were in the right place. Unfortunately, we were; the structures that made up the forbidden city had been destroyed in war, and in a cyclone.
After the citadel, we went back to the hotel and took a break. When it was time to eat we met with the Frometas, expecting to go to a cute little French/Vietnamese fusion restaurant called La Carambole, but instead the family of twelve Indians who were travelling in our group, who we affectionately call “The Patels,” told us about a great Indian place not too far away. In fact that Indian restaurant was on my list of researched restaurants, Ganesh Indian Restaurant.
After a $1 cab ride, we arrived and had great Indian food.
Now, Jose and Amanda needed to buy a new suitcase, so we asked Dang where to go. He recommended we go to a store called Big C. We realized Big C was only about a mile away from the restaurant, so we began walking the streets of Hue. Slowly we started to realize that we had not seen any foreigners in over fifteen minutes. It dawned on us that we were away from the touristy areas of the city and now with the locals.
We arrived at the sizeable multi-level building that housed Big C, but this building also housed a small mall, a theatre, a little karaoke bar, a venue, and Big C. When we entered the tumult of people and heard the noise and saw the hundreds of kids, teenagers, and adults hunched over little arcade games, we definitely knew we were not in tourist-town. A lot of the locals looked at us with a curious gaze, probably wondering why these tourists were there. Some even came up to us just to say Hi.
After scanning the mall, we made our way to Big C, which can be described as a Vietnamese K-Mart; filled with the crowds, lighting, products, and so forth. It was an experience to be with the locals, shopping with the locals, and being stared at with confusion, curiosity and interest by the locals. The products, for the most part, did not have any English on them. Some brand names were in English, but that’s about it. For instance, I thought I’d bought hair gel, but in the end, it turned out that it was shampoo. My mistake was that the packaging was exactly the same as the hair gel I originally picked up, but when I saw the travel-sized version, I quickly grabbed it, positive it was hair gel. Oh well.
It was fascinating to immerse ourselves in the situation, looking at the weird products, different flavors, and so forth that perhaps is so common for them, but so foreign to us. We didn’t take any photos because we didn’t want to bring more attention to ourselves than we already did, pretty much put a big X on our shirts that said: “TOURIST.”
Afterward, we took a taxi back to the hotel, looking forward to going rogue tomorrow, not joining up with the optional Gate 1 tour.
Day Twelve:
“Of River Walk, Garden House, Thai Mu Pagoda”
We went rogue today. Gate 1 had an optional tour down the Perfume River and a lunch with monks and nuns, thus we declined to pay for this optional tour and go out on our own. The day began with taking a walk out of the hotel and finding a path down to the river. We walked along the river for a couple of hours, discovering little statues and monuments along the way. Eventually, we found a small walking street that had an assortment of restaurants and cafes. For the most part, there were no tourists around, it was just locals sipping coffees, sitting on the curb, and hanging out.
The river was pretty, although we never smelled the perfume for which the river is named after. According do Dang, the river received that name because orchids from the mountains would collect dew, and would eventually let the water drop, which would flow down the mountain and end up in the river, giving the river a perfume. It’s a romantic story.
At the end of this river journey, we reached Dang Ba Market; this market was filled with nothing but locals selling and buying. Once more, we were the only foreigners around. This market had TONS of fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, herbs, spices, bread, pastries, and so forth, all sitting in bowls, in baskets, on paper, in scales. It was a sight to behold. We perused the items, and Jose buying some fruit. This in itself was hilarious because the seller did not speak English, and Jose did not speak Vietnamese – so naturally, Jose spoke to them in slow, loud Spanish. I suppose it worked because he did acquire the fruit he wanted.
Afterward, we made our way back to the hotel and were picked up by the tour that we booked with the hotel. The bus took us to a buffet which was okay, but then we boarded a boat and were taken to a small house that in the past, was given as a gift from the last Vietnamese King to his daughter. Over time that house was sold to one of the king’s mandarins, whose family continues to own it to this day. The house inside was small, but the materials were of top quality. The wood was dark and produced using a process that took three years, resulting in an almost iron-like finish.
All around the house were all sort of fruit and vegetable trees, aside from a handful of those trees which were quite exotic to us, most of them grow in Miami, some in the Frometa’s backyard. It was a neat little trip to something we would not have seen otherwise.
From there, we went to the Thai Mu Pagoda, an old structure that jutted high into the sky. What was funny is that although we were there to see this ancient edifice; what caught our attention the most was the beautiful sunset falling behind the mountains, and reflecting its last rays on the perfume river’s waters. A gorgeous and breathtaking sight.
We boarded the boat and headed back to the hotel, where we quickly freshened up and went to La Carambole. The food was delicious! The atmosphere was relaxed and casual. The menu was huge, having a bit of an eclectic mix of American, French, and Vietnamese food. We all chose Vietnamese style dishes. We walked back down the river, making our way to the hotel, stopping at a homemade ice cream shop where no one spoke English. I enjoyed my ice cream, whereas Cynthia and Jose were skeptical, and everyone liked Amanda’s Indian flavored ice cream. We’re not sure what that meant when she ordered it, and after having eaten it, we’re still not sure what it means.
We finished the night walking back to the hotel, calling it a night and getting ready to leave bright and early for a flight to Hanoi, then a long bus drive to Halong Bay!
Day Thirteen:
“Of Travel”
So yesterday, Day 13 was nothing but travel. A flight to Hanoi, followed by a long drive to Halong bay. We stopped half way at a market of sorts that employs disabled individuals to create art for sale. We bought a beautiful piece of tapestry to hang in our bedroom.
When we finally reached Halong Bay, it was cold; about 50F. Neither of us thought we would need jackets or sweaters in Vietnam, so we had to go to the local night market and buy some Chinese made jackets. They are actually pretty good!
As a note, we stayed at the Royal Lotus Hotel in Halong Bay, and that hotel was BEAUTIFUL. Modern with large rooms sporting floor to ceiling windows featuring vistas of the faraway bay. We got a massage here too, probably one of the better ones we've received. We've received a massage in every city we've gone to, we haven't really wrote about it because, as Amanda would say, 'they were kind of rubbish.'
I had a weird experience with my massage-therapist who told me I was handsome as she was massaging me. That's a story to be told in person. Nevertheless, the massage was actually quite good. A Thai massage, which we had wanted for a few days now.
Tomorrow we see Halong Bay, the place that initially inspired us to take this trip!
Day Fourteen:
“Of Halong Bay”
We arose to a cloudy day. As we opened our curtain, we could see the cloud cover stretched far into the horizon. Immediately I knew that attaining the right pictures would be a struggle, but nevertheless, the mist and clouds would shroud the mountains in mystery - or they would just be bad pictures.
As we ate breakfast we realized that the hotel was blasting Christmas music; in passing, Jose told Dang that as Americans we'd actually prefer to escape the barrage of Christmas tunes. This was a passing comment, or so we thought. We later found out that Dang relayed the information to not only that hotel but also to the last hotel we would stay in on this trip. He later informed us that the hotels do this to make foreigners feel more at home.
After a five-minute bus ride, we boarded a large vessel with a viewing deck as well as an indoor observation area. It was about 50 degrees Fahrenheit, but the wind was cold, and the mist clung to our clothes. I immediately went to the second floor as soon as the boat disengaged from the dock.
Dang asked the captain of the ship to separate us from the tourist ships and take us into the solitary spaces. Within twenty minutes, our ship sailed alone. The mountains came out of the sea, creating their own little ranges and valleys. We slowly passed hundreds of islands crowned with green foliage, some inhabited by monkeys; although we never saw any. It is hard to describe the beauty of this place - it's a marvel of creation that has to be seen to be truly appreciated.
Eventually, we docked at one of the taller peaks. We were now going to enter into a cave that a fisherman found by accident while he was attempting to hide from a particularly harsh wind storm. The lights in the cave were man-made, but the scope and size of the stalactites and stalagmites were staggering. We have been spelunking before, but this dwarfed anything we had seen prior.
We climbed down the mountain and reboarded our ship, where Dang awaited us at a table. He had prepared a cooking lesson where we would learn how to prepare and cook a proper spring roll. The process is pretty straight forward: You take a sheet of rice paper, slightly wet it so that it is moldable, pour the desired ingredients and roll. Cynthia's spring roll came out perfect, while my roll looked more like a disfigured cigar. As I rolled up my spring roll, Amanda commented that she could hear my concentration.
As we did this, the ship continued to slowly make its way around the bends of Halong bay's thousands of islands. I would switch between going outside, freezing, then coming back in to warm up, then go back out - all hoping to get as many pictures as I could. That is until I decided that instead of appreciating the beauty of this place through a lens, I would simply stand and take it all in.
When we arrived back to the dock, we boarded our bus and made the long trip back to Hanoi.
After arriving and securing our bags, we were hungry. Dang had recommended a small hole-in-the-wall Pho place. Thankfully it was literally around the corner. What was cool about this place was that they only served one thing: Pho, and they only served it one way. So as you walk in, all they do is count, and once you sit, your bowl of Pho arrives. It was the best Pho we had the entire trip, and it only cost us $2 apiece. Yes.
We then returned to our hotel to sleep, appreciative of being able to see such beautiful majesty in Halong Bay, but also excited for tomorrow's city tour.
Day Fifteen:
“Of Hanoi City”
Hanoi City reminded us of Hue. It is the capital of Vietnam, filled with motorbikes, shops, and people sitting on the sidewalks eating, drinking, and just plain talking. We began our day with a city tour. Unfortunately, it was cloudy and threatening rain. Once the tour began, the rain did too. We have to give credit to the vendors that inhabit this city because as soon as the rain started, at least five separate vendors descended upon our tour group with overpriced umbrellas and cheap raincoats.
The majority of the tour purchased a raincoat or umbrella, I initially resisted the idea, saying my hoodie would be enough - Cynthia bought me a raincoat anyway. As we continued with our tour, seeing the statue of famous dignitaries and making our way around Hoan Kiem Lake, the rain began to come down harder. I then had no choice but to put on the raincoat, and I was not happy about it.
In the middle of Hoan Kiem lake is a small monument to a large turtle named Kim Qui or Golden Turtle God. Nearby, there is a pagoda where that turtle is now preserved and where a few other local heroes and deities are worshipped. We eventually struck out and began walking through the old French quarter, and it showed. The houses here had a distinctly French flavor to them, although they still retain an Asian appearance.
In walking, we passed the royal palace, which we were not really supposed to take pictures of, but we did so quickly anyway. And just a block away was the main assembly hall of the communist party in Vietnam. There in that complex is a large square, a historically significant square. As Dang put it, it's Vietnam's Tiananmen Square. There, also lays the preserved body of Ho Chi Minh himself, housed within a guarded monolithic structure.
From there our city tour came to an end, so we decided it was time to go get Vietnamese coffee. We decided on a small coffee shop named Café 86. No one was inside except for three ladies chit-chatting in Vietnamese. We approached, and none of them really understood English. Jose was at a loss as to how to communicate because mainly, he would speak to them as if they spoke fluent English. I then pulled out my phone and using Bing Translate, was able to produce a greeting, introduce ourselves, and ask for two Vietnamese style coffees. The ladies were tickled that these four Americans were sitting in their shop, drinking their coffee. They brought us free tea, as well as bananas. My mom would be so proud!
Vietnamese coffee is a little different: First, condensed milk is pour into the bottom of a glass, and a coffee drainer is placed atop the glass with the coffee grounds and water. The coffee slowly filters down onto the condensed milk until it is filled. From there, depending on how sweet you want the coffee, you spoon in the condensed milk. The coffee was very strong, but sweet.
Later in the evening, we went to a water puppet show. A water puppet show is performed on a shallow body of water, where behind a silkscreen or curtain, puppeteers with long bamboo stick with puppets attached play out various short plays. It was very entertaining, especially the one about a chicken farmer protecting his chickens from a sly fox.
Our tour group left on the bus back to the hotel, but we had made reservations at a lovely spa about fifteen minutes away. As we walked towards the spa, Jose's stomach began to hurt. Nevertheless, we continued on. Unfortunately, once we were at the spa, and they called us up, Jose vomited on their floor. What we found curious, is that even though it was Jose who vomited on their floor, due to no fault of their own, the three girls attending us rushed to pick it up, continually saying 'sorry!' The massages were adequate, even though I caught Amanda's therapist texting during the massage (actually a common thing).
From there we finished late and decided to walk back to the hotel, knowing it would be about a thirty-five-minute walk. In the end, it was more like an hour and a half. Hanoi city comes to life at night. The lights, sounds, events, and activities give the city a breath of air when most cities would be settling in for the night. The walk along the lake was packed with people, some eating, some playing music, some just sitting and talking. Eventually, the wind brought to our ears a few notes of what we thought was Spanish music. We thought, "Nah, impossible." But then it happened, again. We decided we needed to find out what was going on. Eventually what we found was a group of about thirty Vietnamese people, dancing salsa music. And not just any salsa, this was choreographed ballroom style salsa coming out of of a huge boombox and amplifier. We were mesmerized by this and couldn't believe it. Cynthia and I decided to dance, as well. So when the right salsa came on, we danced together, in Hanoi City, in Vietnam, at night, by the lake, some salsa music. Yes, so this is a thing that we did. We lingered a bit, seeing them shift from salsa to bachata, to pop, to disco, to country. We could have stayed for hours, but we decided to keep exploring.
The night walk was to us, one of the highlights of this trip. It was beautiful, exciting and thrilling to be among the people, in the city, doing what they do. We barely saw any foreigners like us.
We finally reached our hotel, happy we did that walk instead of getting a cab.
Day Sixteen:
“Of Rural Hanoi”
Dang was very excited to take us to the next part of our tour, which was optional. We were going to visit the countryside of Hanoi, his hometown. He related to us that when he has days off, he likes to get on his motorbike and come out to the countryside and spend time with the people, walking the streets and alleyways of the small villages that dot the red river delta.
We took a bus ride out of the city, seeing the landscape gradually turn from metropolitan to suburb, to farms. Along the way, we stopped to see a herd of cows grazing near a cornfield. When we left the bus to take pictures, the locals asked Dang, "why are these Americans here?" The locals didn't mean disrespect, their question was genuine curiosity as to why would anyone want to come to their small village. In their minds, there was nothing to see.
Soon after that, we arrived in a small ancient village with its markets and curbside stands. The traffic was very light, but the peddlers and sellers were heavy. We were lead into the small house of a woman who Dang had befriended. She showed us what a typical home in this area consisted of; mainly, a room to sleep, a room for ancestor and Buddha worship, and a bathroom. She ended up selling us these little hard candied treats with peanuts inside. I loved them - Cynthia not so much.
This lead to us visiting one of the oldest Pagodas in Vietnam named the Master Pagoda. It was an ancient structure, and very well kept, but at this point in the trip, we were pagoda’ed out. We'd seen enough of them. Even though this Pagoda had four giant anime-styled statues of samurai looking warriors. It seemed pretty hilarious, and kind of a joke; but the people here were serious, these statues depicted heroes of the past who saved their village from marauders and supposed mythical creatures.
Continuing on this tour, we passed many small houses and shops, crossed an ancient bridge over a lotus flower pond.
Day Seventeen
“Of Farewells”
On our last day, we had some time to spare in the morning; thus, we did what we always do: get a massage. We looked over the spa menu, shocked at the high massage prices. Prices such as $25 to $40 for an hour massage. The four of us quickly realized how complacent we’d become, especially considering the ridiculous prices for massages back home.
After our massages, we gathered our belongings and made our way to the airport. We thanked Dang for all his hard work, he was a fantastic tour guide.
Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam were now behind us. We were thankful for the opportunity to travel with friends to these places that we most likely would not have gone to otherwise. Cynthia and I left charmed by these places, looking back to the beautiful memories we’d created. Maybe one day we will come back, we hope so.
