Cambodia

Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and the Temples of Angkor

Goodbye, Vietnam!

There are places that stir the soul and fire the imagination, creating a sense of anticipation (and even apprehension) before you arrive and stirring feelings that last long after you've gone. Cambodia is such a place. From the moment we crossed the border from Vietnam into Cambodia, it was clear we were in new territory. The roads were a bit rougher, the landscape more rural. We knew the this country would be one of highlights of our trip, and also one of the most challenging – if not physically, then almost certainly from an emotional point of view.

Stacey is greeted by a nāga (the first of many we would see in Cambodia) at Wat Phnom

Our first port of call was Phnom Penh, at the confluence of the Mekong, Bassac and Tonle Sap Rivers. Like Cambodia itself, this city has a history that is both seductive and repulsive. This very good article by travel writer Ian Buruma captures the essence of the place very well. During the 1920s, it was known as the “Pearl of Asia”, a bustling capital known for magnificent architecture, temples and a thriving economy. This changed dramatically after the Khmer Rouge came to power, when the populace either fled or were captured and put in re-education camps. At its worst, the city was practically a ghost town. Like the rest of the country, it stagnated and sat crumbling until 1979 when the regime was ousted by the Vietnamese. 

The fantastic Cambodian National Museum is a must-see destination in Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh has re-asserted itself in the years since then as the leading economic center of the country, with a population of around 2 million people. Today, the people of Phnom Penh are busy rebuilding and restoring their beloved city and making it better than ever.

 

Stupas of all sizes and colors are another feature of Cambodian Buddhist Temples

Two favorite forms of transportation in Cambodia - the Cyclo (Cycle Rickshaw) and the Tuk Tuk!

The Vietnam-Cambodia Friendship Monument, erected in the 1970's.  Vietnam briefly occupied Cambodia after removing the Khmer Rouge from power.  Despite this beneficial act, being Vietnam's neighbor has been mostly detrimental to Cambodia over the course of history.

Cambodia has seen the best and worst of human achievement and behavior. It is hard to reconcile how this country, the home of one of the world's greatest religious wonders, can also be the birthplace of the brutal Khmer Rouge, a twisted dictatorship that systematically murdered around 2 million people. Before that, Cambodia found itself stuck in the middle of competing global powers at the height of the Cold War, making it a staging ground for Vietnam resistance and a subsequent bombing target for the U.S. Military (see Cambodia Campaign). To say that Cambodia has been through Hell is an understatement. 

A commemorative stupa filled with the skulls of the victims at Choeung Ek.

Not far from the Phnom Penh is Choeung Ek, dubbed the 'Killing Fields'.  It's the site of some of the most heinous crimes conducted by the Khmer Rouge. Visiting this place is quite an emotional experience.  It's incredibly sad to hear the stories of what happened there. It also is a reminder of how lucky we are, and how clueless the rest of the world can sometimes be about the plight of people in troubled countries in the dark corners of the world. Personally, I (William) was not looking forward to seeing this place but the sad truth is that you cannot really understand Cambodia without knowing this side of its history.  

The "Magic Tree" where a loudspeaker blaring music was used to hide the sounds of executions being conducted, so that local villagers wouldn't hear what was happening at Choeung Ek.

Unlike it's neighbor Vietnam, Cambodia's re-emergence from darkness is relatively recent, the scars not quite healed, and yet you rarely see it in the faces of the people. Cambodians are perhaps Southeast Asia's most spirited and vivacious. There is a sense that people seem to love life. Perhaps they appreciate living in the moment more because they know firsthand that life is short. This is probably why many travelers love Cambodia so much.  

People out having a great time at one of Phnom Penh's Night Markets.

Selling tasty things at the Night Market

From Phnom Penh, we traveled north to Siem Reap. Interestingly, the name translates as “Siam Defeated” and refers to a past victory against Siam (today called Thailand). Siem Reap is a tourist town, no doubt about it – sustained by its proximity to the magnificent Temples of Angkor. Bars, restaurants, massage parlors, and hotels of every shape and size can be found here, and it's a perfect base for exploring the temples and other nearby attractions.  And of course, if you're looking for something really different, you can always go for a Fish Massage...

Oh My God, it tickled!

"Never try, never know!"

After months of travel, these fish had their work cut out for them!

Siem Reap had lots of night life including markets and food stalls

Siem Reap had lots of open-air 'video cafes' -- filled with seating almost like a movie theater, but with multiple video screens playing everything from sports to music videos!  In front are rows of parked motorbikes.

Bakong Temple was our first temple - fantastic at sunset!  In the foreground are orange-robed Buddhist monks.

We stayed in Siem Reap about a week – longer than many people – and were very happy we did. Many people fly in and do a whirlwind (and exhausting) tour of temples. While Angkor Wat is the most famous, what many people don't realize is that there are literally dozens of temples spread around the area. We chose instead to do a few each day, which allowed us more time to explore and see them in greater detail.

Rice paddy near Angkor.  Cambodia is one of the world's biggest producers of rice.

Each day we rode out to see new temples with our trusty Tuk Tuk driver!

View of the countryside from the Tuk Tuk - a great way to start the day!

Sunrise view of Ankgor Wat.

Interior courtyard of Angkor Wat

Lion-dragons guard this staircase at Angkor Wat

Many of the less-famous temples are, quite frankly, even more amazing in their own way than Angkor Wat. Angkor Thom and the Bayon with its giant, serene faces was a highlight, as was Banteay Srei with it's intricately-detailed pink sandstone carvings. The award for 'Most Enigmatic' would probably go to Ta Prohm and its ruins covered in giant, twisting tree roots that seem to sprout from every wall. 

What follows are a very small selection of photos from various temples...Enjoy!

The Bayon's most distinctive feature is the multitude of massive stone faces

Smiling pleasantly and facing the four corners of the universe.

Beautifully-detailed wall carvings depict moments in history.

The amazing Terrace of the Elephants

Terrace of the Elephants, part of the Bayon Temple complex

Giant trees and jungle shroud Ta Phrom in mystery...look closely and you can see Stacey on the left!

Exploring Ta Phrom is like walking onto a set from an Indiana Jones movie (no doubt why Tomb Raider was filmed there!).

Trees seem to sprout right from the ruins.  This one had a beautiful metallic sheen to the bark.

Tree roots spread over the ruins like alien organisms, giving it an other-worldly feeling

 

Monkeys guard a doorway to Benteay Srei - the" Gem in the Crown" of Angkor's Temples

 

Banteay Srei is constructed from pink sandstone and features multiple towers and libraries.

  

Banteay Srei has the most exquisite and beautiful stone carvings!

 

Closeup view of the library pediment which depicts the burning of Khandava Forest. 

Center: mandapa in front of the central tower
Far right: A pediment shows Narasimha clawing Hiranyakasipu

 

 

Here we are at Banteay Srei (can you tell it was one of our favorite temples?) 

Next stop: Luang Prabang, Loas!

Vietnam, Part 4

Now considerably behind our actual location (as of this post, we have left Cambodia and are headed to Laos!) this will be a highly-abbreviated overview of our final few weeks in Vietnam...

Cham ruins at Mỹ Sơn

Previously I mentioned our visit to the Cham Sculpture Museum in Danang. While in Hoi An, we had the opportunity to do a day trip to Mỹ Sơn, where you can see the remains of one of the ancient temple-cities of the Champan Empire, which flourished during the Second Century C.E., hearkening back over a thousand years to one of the regions most powerful ancient civilizations. At the height of their expansion, they occupied much of what is now Southern Vietnam. 

Remains of Cham cities can be found strewn across the landscape, and some of them are in excellent condition despite years of war/turmoil and the ravages of time. Unfortunately, Mỹ Sơn hasn't fared so well.  It was badly damaged during the Vietnam-American War, when Viet Cong used the place as a base and attracted the attention of U.S. Bombers. Even so, the ruins that remain are quite enigmatic and mysterious, surrounded by jungle and set against a backdrop of beautiful mountains.

Better-preserved Cham temples awaited us in Nha Trang. Unfortunately, they were undergoing preservation work and covered in scaffolding. Along with geckos, KFC and World Heritage Sites, this would be a very pervasive phenomena throughout our trip (most annoyingly at Angkor Wat...but I digress...)

Cham culture was strongly influenced by India and the Hindu religion, and their building techniques and design motifs were similar to Khmer (Funan) styles seen at Angkor and elsewhere. Interestingly, they were also rivals of their Khmer neighbors and fought several wars with them. At one time, the Cham even managed to sack Angkor Wat before being driven out.Today, descendants of this ancient people continue to live in Vietnam as an ethnic minority group.

In this staged photo created purely for your amusement, Stacey pretends to sleep on the "Sleeper Bus"

From Hoi An, we continued south to the city of Nha Trang via a “Sleeper Bus”. Basically this is a bus that's been outfitted with sleeping bays instead of seats where you can (in theory) lay down during the trip. In actuality, it wasn't an entirely successful venture. The bays were much too short for our body length, the road was quite bumpy and there was lots of horn honking (hey, it is Vietnam!) and there were frequent stops along the way. At each point, the helpful drivers insisted on waking up everyone so that we could get off the bus and use the disgusting roadside toilets and perhaps buy bananas. Everyone needs a bunch of 10-15 bananas at 3:00 in the morning, right?  We eventually got to our destination, but it's not something I'd do again.

 

Nha Trang's beaches are party central and a popular destination.

Nha Trang is a party beach town, and attracts a lot of young backpackers. It's also known for offshore diving. We only spent two days there, just long enough to recover from the sleeper bus and to enjoy a few sights around town. We hired a motorbike and braved the absolutely crazy traffic, which was essential to getting around but also a bit terrifying. Definitely was glad for the previous experience driving a motor scooter! 

We enjoyed a mud bath and spa treatment at Thap Ba Hot Springs, near Nha Trang

The beaches in Nha Trang didn't really do it for us, but they did whet our appetite for more. The next stretch of road between where we were and Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) was quite long, so we decided to break it up with a stop in Mui Ne.  Long considered one of Vietnam's best beaches, it's easy to see why. There's gorgeous white sand stretching as far as the eye can see. The waves are relatively gentle - big enough to be fun and for light surfing, but not as bruising as at China Beach. The town itself is mostly tourism focused and quite developed, but still relatively sleepy and low-key.

Sunset at Mui Ne.

We managed to enjoy a couple days of sitting on the beach and relaxing.  Little did we know that trouble was about to strike...

Big trouble comes in a little striped package

Some 5-8 days earlier, Stacey was bitten at some point by an Aedes mosquito like the one shown above.  They bite both day and night, and are common even in cities. They are also carriers of Dengue Fever, and now Stacey had it.  The symptoms resemble a severe flu at first (though without the coughing and stomach ailments) and include a massive headache and debilitating aches and pains, along with high fever, and sudden onset of fatigue. It comes on very quickly indeed, and within the span of a few hours she had gone from relaxing on the beach to collapsed in bed.  We decided it was serious enough to get to Saigon where there were better medical facilities.

The Franco-Vietnamese Hospital was not originally on our list of 'things to see' in Saigon...

A very long story made short, after many tests and doctor visits and several more days of declining health, she was eventually diagnosed with Dengue Fever.  It takes about a week for the antibodies to appear as your body fights the virus.  Dengue Fever is particularly insidious in that the symptoms change and occur in waves. The fever comes and goes, and sometimes you feel better only to be hit by something new (and worse!).  The second wave includes a drop in your blood platelets, which is dangerous if you don't monitor it. Of the fatalities associated with Dengue Fever, internal bleeding as a result of low platelets is usually the cause. Stacey's dropped to below 50,000 platelets per ML, so she had to be admitted to the hospital for observation. She spent three unpleasant days there waiting for them to rise to a safe level again. Oh, but the fun didn't end with that - she also got to enjoy a body-wide itchy rash and swelling. It was no fun, but she did eventually get better and strong enough to go back to the hotel.

The skyline of sprawling Saigon (renamed Ho Chi Minh City after the reunification)

For the next few weeks, she slowly got better but tired quickly. So, we took it easy for a while and did short excursions around Saigon. In the end, we spent about two weeks there, which was about 1.5 weeks longer than we planned! We did have to cut a bit from our planned itinerary as a result, but in the final analysis, we got lucky in that we had access to good medical facilities and Saigon was our next destination anyway.

A few sights from the city...

Modern Saigon is a bustling, busy and chaotic metropolis that buzzes at all hours.

Like Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Saigon / HCMC is a place of contrasts. The gleaming new Bitexco skyscraper towers over the old city. Note the helicopter landing pad on its side.

How would you like to be the repair person who has to sort out this tangled mess? This is the 'old Saigon' at it's best - chaotic, messy and seemingly out of control.

William's favorite Vietnamese food: Phở (Vietnamese Noodle Soup). Normally served with pork, this is a veggie version. Note the hot chillies, fresh sprouts, lime and Asian herbs including Thai basil, Vietnamese mint, and more. YUM!

The People's Committee Building, built in 1908 in French provincial style, could easily pass for a building in Paris.  In the foreground is a photo with "Uncle Ho" sitting and telling stories to happy children. It's a frequent depiction of Vietnam's most enduring leader-hero.

The beautiful Saigon Central Post Office, another of Saigon's many French-era buildings.

The interior of the post office is as impressive as the exterior. Any resemblance to the Eiffel Tower is surprise -- this building was designed by famous architect Gustave Eiffel.

Saigon had many very nice public parks and gardens. In addition to trees, this park also featured many large propaganda-style posters showing happy Vietnamese people under Communist flags.

The Cathedral Notre-Dame Basilica in Cathedral Square

Stacey descends into the Cu Chi Tunnels...

One interesting side trip from Saigon was to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels. They were used by the Viet Cong (with devastating effectiveness) to hide and strike at American troops during the Vietnam-America War. There were about 75 miles of tunnels at one point, deep enough to withstand even the biggest bomb strikes and capable of holding entire villages of people. It was a major thorn in the side of the American military. Today, a few of the tunnels remain as a tourist attraction.  Many have been enlarged to accommodate people more comfortably, but even so it's still quite claustrophobic. Like so many military history sites we saw/visited in Vietnam, this place stirred up some complex emotions that will be with me for some time.

Enjoying a boat journey in the Mekong Delta

Our time in Vietnam was coming to a close, but we couldn't leave without at least seeing some of the Mekong Delta.  We decided to exit to Cambodia via a 3-day whirlwind tour of the Delta that took is to several destinations. 

Arguably, this is the country's most defining region. Dubbed the 'River of Nine Dragons', referring to the nine distributaries as they pour out into the sea. It is the breadbasket of Vietnam, producing copious amounts of produce (especially rice) and fish. I can quote you statistics about just how huge the Mekong is, but none of them will do it justice.  Let's just say that I grew up next to the Mississippi River, and always thought it was big.  Well, each one the nine branches of the Mekong is as big as the Mississippi.  It's unbelievable.

A 'Floating Market' on the Mekong.

Here, the woman on the small boat is buying pumpkins.  Vendors hang fruits and veggies from long poles you can see from all around to let others know what they have for sale.

The entire region is swamped with water, so much so that boats are more useful than cars, and often they double as housing. Since before recorded history, people have lived in the Delta according to the ebbs and flows and natural cycles of this mighty, life-giving river. Despite the incursion of modernity, many of these traditions still continue.

Dragon Fruit (a 'first' for us in Vietnam) in the orchard and piled high for sale, heading for the floating market!

And that brings us to a close for Vietnam. Unfortunately, it's not as introspective and eloquent as I might have liked but time is short and I have to sign off. Anyone who wants to see my 3,000+ photos of Vietnam and hear all about it in more detail, just let me know when I get back to the U.S.  But, in the meantime, our little adventure continues.  Next stop: Phnom Penh, Cambodia followed by Siem Reap and the Temples of Angkor!  You won't want to miss it. ;)