Goodbye

“It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done to say goodbye to my friends and this place.  I thought it would be easy.  I look back on our times together and know it will never be the same again.  I hope everyone will always remember what we used to be, and smile.  Then, at that moment, we’ll all know it was the best time of our life.”   – A.A. Milne

The End

Today I’m leaving for San Francisco. 
I don’t know how to describe this past year.  It has been spectacular – the places, the culture, the people, the adventures … it really has changed my life in so many ways.

South East Asia has been more than I could have imagined.  Thailand was fun, Laos was peaceful, Vietnam was shocking and Cambodia was beautiful.  But just as much as I enjoyed the places I saw, I also enjoyed the people I met.  The travelers in South East Asia are some of the best I’ve come across.  I feel truly lucky to have made connections and friendships with so many beautiful people.  They shaped my trip and made impressions on my life.  Each one of them holds a small piece of my heart and I will never forget them.

Thank you to:
Audrey – my partner in crime, Nacho and crew, the wonderful people at Edible Jazz – Tic, Burt, Emma and Simon, Jax and Rochelle – my lifesavers, Greggie – what can I say?  You have all my love!, the incredible and remarkable Glenn and Vincent – again, I’m speechless, quiet Jake, crazy Helen and Heather, the sweet Dutchies, John and Dermot – my Irish trekkers, Travis, the San Francisco crew: my motorbike racing, parasailing, clothing making crew – Eddie, Steve-O, Cam and Mattie – I LOVE you guys and can’t wait to see you this spring, Cameron, Ericson and Kurtis – my quiet Canadians?, Michael B – I’m still in shock!, Dennis and Margaret, Brian – or is it David? – and Erin, German Michael and the Battambang boat crew and Ivo, my tall Ivo.  I know I’m forgetting people but these stand out most in my mind.  Thank you for the life long memories.

Goodbye sweet road; it’s been outstanding.

Siem Reap

There are few words to describe the Temples of Angkor.  I was fascinated by the beauty and history.  The area is an old kingdom of architectural bliss.  Each temple is so different from the others; each is extraordinary for differnt reasons.  I thought that Angkor Wat itself was more remarkable from the outside than the inside; it’s the actual size of the temple that is more impressive than the interior beauty.  My three favorite temples were Bayon, Ta Prohm and Banteay Srei. 
Bayon was full of carved faces.  Every time you turned your head, stone eyes were looking back at you from every direction.  The temple itself was much smaller than Angkor (most are) so it was easier to roam around and explore it. 
Ta Prohm is famous for more than just being an Angkor Temple.  It is also the filming spot for Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones.  Ta Prohm is awesome!  The temple is starting to crumble under the weight of the surrounding forest.  Because little work has been done to remove the vegetation, it allows visitors to really get a grasp of what all the temples must have looked like when they were rediscovered in the 1800’s.  I loved Ta Prohm – roots creeping over stone walls, flowers growing through the cracks, cicadas screeching from the trees above.  It was excellent.
And then there was Banteay Srei, one of the most beautiful temples in the world.  Made of of Rose Stone, Banteay Srei’s carvings are considered some of the most intricate around.  It was incredible.  My friend Dennis and I wandered around in absolute awe.  The temple was dedicated to the female so naturally, many of the carvings were of women.
Although I explored the temples for two days, I could have wandered around more.  Unfortunately, the heat, the dust and the long days made me extremely tired.  But, I was impressed with all that I was able to see.  Angkor is one of the most fascinating places in the world and should really be visited by all.
Day 1: Angkor Wat, Bayon, Baphuon, Elephant Terrace, Leper King Terrace, The Royal Palace, Preah Pithu, Suor Prat Towers, Ta Keo and Ta Prohm.
Day 2: Banteay Srei, Pre Rup, East Mebon, Neak Pean and Preah Khan.

This is a video of one of the old gates of the walled city of Angkor Thom.  You can hear the cicadas.  (Sorry about the quality and the direction.)

Battambang

I love Battambang. 
I arrived yesterday evening, found a nice hotel and walked around town for a while.  Battambang is just south of Siem Reap and is Cambodia’s second largest city.  Although, you would never know it.  The city pretty much shuts down around 9pm and during the day, the streets aren’t nearly as crazy as those in Phnom Penh.

I made my way to one of the restaurants listed in Lonely Planet and wound up eating with a great guy from the Checz Republic.  Before I knew it, we were on a hunt to find a decent bar to sit and talk (and drink beer, of course).  After a motorbike ride around the city and a few failed attempts at finding “the spot”, we took to the streets and walked back towards our neck of the woods.  On the way, we came across a carnival – ferris wheels, merry-go-rounds and games.  We couldn’t resist a few rounds of the dart throwing game.  Although we didn’t hit the balloons we were aiming for, we did manage to pop quite a few.  The best part about the carnival was that we were the only white people there and Ivo (the Checz guy) is almost 6.5 feet tall.  The Cambodians went nuts.  Everyone was pointing at us and laughing; people were even jumping in front of him to compare their size with his.  It was hilarious.  He had a great time with it too.  In the end, we ended up back at the same restaurant we started at but the journey was fun and the evening was really great.

This morning I woke up and began what turned out to be a a wonderful day, absolutely wonderful.  I took a cooking class at the Smokin’ Pot restaurant.  The class included a market tour and then three meals – one fish, one beef and one chicken.  I wasn’t as impressed with the Cambodia dishes as I have been with those in Laos and Vietnam but the class was fun and I met some good people. 
Afterward, I asked a motorbike driver to take me to the outskirts of town so I could explore the nearby temples.  The 1-hour ride on unpaved, rocky, dusty roads was breathtaking.  It is, hands down, some of the most beautiful landscape I have seen in South East Asia.  Cambodia is so strange because it is far less advanced than both Thailand and Vietnam.  I literally felt like I had stepped back in time as I watched the local people plow their fields with their oxen, transport their hay and rice in ox carts, bath in the local ponds and transport carry various objects in baskets balanced on their heads.  It really was an experience.  And, of course, the local children were welcoming and adorable; they stopped what they were doing to wave to me as I rode by. 

My first stop was Wat Battam.  The local people say that Angkor Wat was actually designed after Battam.  I don’t know if that’s the case or not but Battam was beautiful.  Built in the 11th century, it still stands with very little rubble or structural damage.  Each dome is made up of stacked stones, some with designs carved into them.  The climb to the top was difficult as there are a total of 331 steps but the view was well worth the sweat. 
After wandering around and poking my head into different holes and doors, I got back on the motorbike for a 30-minute ride through the country to the bamboo train stop.  The bamboo train was wicked.  It is one of my favorite experiences so far.  The track is really old and not of the rails are connected correctly so the ride is a bit bumpy.  But, each “train” is made up of a wooden platform with a bamboo floor.  They set the cart onto some metal wheels, stick the motor on the bike and away you go … flying through the country side.  It was so fun!

I’m really glad I decided to visit Battambang.  It is one of my favorite stops in Cambodia so far.  Sadly, I’m leaving tomorrow morning.  I’m catching the 7am boat for a 5-hour (supposedly incredibly beautiful) journey up to Siem Reap. 

Look out Angkor Wat … here I come!

Phnom Penh (again)

When I found out that my two good buddies from Laos were going to be in Phnom Penh for a few nights, I decided change my plans from a direct bus to Siem Reap to a direct bus back to Phnom Penh with an overnight stay in the city.  Aside from absolutely adoring Jax and Rochelle, I was also CRAVING female company.  (Don’t get me wrong, since Audrey and I split up, I’ve had a great three-and-half weeks with all my new travel friends but they have all been men and, well, a girl needs to have a little break every once in a while.)
Arriving at the guest house and seeing Jax on the balcony was one of the most exciting moments in the past week or so.  I was elated.  It’s hard to describe how comforting it is to see a familiar face after traveling on your own for quite a while. 
The three of us had a wonderful afternoon – shopping at the Russian Market and, randomly and very sporadically, stopping in a coffee shop to have a drink before heading back to our hotel. 
As fate (or luck or just plain weirdness) would have it, the one coffee shop in all of Phnom Penh that I happened to walk into was the same exact coffee shop that one of my old high school friends was sitting in.  We were in complete shock to run into each other.  We hadn’t seen each other in over 5-years and had no idea what the other was up to.  He was surprised to hear that I was backpacking around the world and I was impressed to learn that he is a human rights lawyer working in Cambodia.  So strange!
And, as luck would also have it, he had a group of friends visiting from Los Angeles and San Francisco and they had a fun and interesting evening planned that we were invited to take part in.
It’s very hard for me to put Saturday night into words so I’ll sum it up briefly and let your imagination fill in the blanks:

16-people dressed in Santa Clause costumes eating in a North Korean restaurant (that is actually owned by the North Korean government) and watching the waitresses dance and sing karaoke in their smurf-blue dresses. 

16-people dressed in Santa Clause costumes squeezed into two tuk-tuks and cruising down the busy streets of Phnom Penh while the Khmers honk, wave, laugh and shout, “Happy Christmas”!

16-people dressed in Santa Clause costumes attempt to get a group photo taken in front of the Christmas lights that decorate the American Embassy in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

16-people dressed in Santa Clause costumes watch two live bands play at two different bars and manage to control the dance floor with their presence.

16-people dressed in Santa Clause costumes enter the nightclub The Heart of Darkness, take over the stage on the dance floor and boogie down until 3:30 in the morning.

This could all make a very interesting Christmas carol.  Any suggestions?

Sihanoukville

(If you can pronounce it, you’re doing better than me!)
I spent four wonderful and relaxing days in Sihanoukville, a small beach town in southern Cambodia.  I met three Canadian guys in Phnom Penh and traveled down south with them.  Although the nightlife in town is somewhat lively, I didn’t indulge in very much late night activity which made my experience in town much more relaxing than it would have been otherwise.  The mellow change of pace and positive atmosphere was a nice change from the depressing history and busy city I was confronted with in Phnom Penh.
Every morning I walked down to the beach, pulled up a soft lounge chair, opened up my book, stripped down to my bikini and basked in the sun for hours and hours. 
The town is fairly large but the two main beaches are on opposite ends.  I chose Serendipity Beach which was a bit more crowded but had spectacular sunsets. 
One afternoon, the Canadians and I booked a boat trip that included a bbq lunch on a completely undeveloped island.  The beach there was absolutely breathtaking – the sand was sugar white and the ocean crystal blue.  The guys and I waded in the warm water, playing frisbee and happily drinking Lao Beer.  (I’m so happy to have access to Lao Beer again!) 
If I can plan everything well, I would like to end my trip in Sihanoukville too.  It will be one last warm, tropical experience before ending this year of adventure and heading back to San Francisco.

Phnom Penh

After my bus broke down and I was accidentally left at the border, I finally made it into Cambodia. I arrived last night and found a small room in a guest house that is built over the lake. The mosquitoes are relentless in the evening but the deliciously cheap restaurant and the spectacular sunsets make up for the bugs.

Upon arrival I was a little upset, grumpy and overwhelmed – I think it was the lack of food and all the travel hiccups – but I made a group of friends rather quickly and ended my first night in Phnom Penh dancing the night away at a nightclub.

This morning I woke up feeling rested and ready to go; my attitude was greatly improved and I had a remarkable day. Cambodia has such an interesting and disturbing history and I was excited to do a little sightseeing. My first stop was the Genocide Museum Tuol Sleng, formerly known as the Khmer Rouge S-21 Prison. Once a high school, the building was seized by the Khmer Rouge in 1976 and turned into a prison, detention center and torture cell. The building is creepy; the exterior is covered in barbed wire and the interior is still outfitted with old prison beds, cells and chains. There are moving photo exhibits of the faces of thousands of Cambodians who were held and massacred during the genocide that took place been 1975 and 1978. In just 4-years, almost 3 million Cambodians were imprisoned, horrendously tortured and eventually murdered at the killing fields across town. A genocide by the truest account. My tour guide was 14-years old when he witnessed his uncle, mother and father murdered by the regime. Almost every single family in Cambodia today has suffered the loss at least one family member during the massacre.

After my visit with the haunting museum, I journeyed to the other side of the city to see the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek, which consists of 129 mass graves (40 of which have never been disinterred). There is a large memorial amid the grave sites that is 17-stories high and holds over 17,000 skulls of men, women and children who were executed there after being detained at S-21. Most of the skulls have fracture wounds that were made by hammers, bats, hoes and rocks; some where split in half by axes. Walking along the paths, you can still see human bones and clothing rising out of the dirt. As of today, over 19,000 mass graves have been found in 350 areas in 170 different provinces of Cambodia. They are still excavating and experts expect that number to rise in their search.

After my heartbreaking and completely upsetting morning, I took my angry and confused self to the Royal Palace where I wandered the huge gardens and visited some of the 25 pagodas and temples, including the Silver Pagoda where the floor is made of 5,000 tiles of silver weighing in at an impressive five tons. The Silver Pagoda also houses a solid gold Buddha adorned with over 2,000 diamonds.

Although my afternoon was easier to stomach than my morning, my mind has not been able to shake the faces of the people in the black-and-white photos at S-21. The entire time I was in the museum, I kept thinking about Darfur and wondering how a world full of intelligent and capable people can continue to allow such shameful history to repeat itself. I had these same feelings in Vietnam too – seeing the hurt and leftover atrocities of war and knowing, full well, that Iraq is currently living the same horrors. It breaks my heart to think of all the countries I have traveled through that have experienced unnecessary and dark heartaches and it makes me angry to see what an unfair and unequal world we live in.

Nha Trang

I was really sad to leave Nha Trang.  I had such an incredible time there.
Nha Trang is a growing beach town on the South China Sea.  It’s full of great bars and restaurants, white beaches and lots of hotels and shops. 
My time there was very laid back.  The San Francisco boys and I spent two days laying on the beach (actually drinking beers at the local brewery that happened to back up to the beach and have a swimming pool and a pool table available for our use) and one day on a booze cruise.  We took a boat out to four of the different islands near Nha Trang.  The scenery was beautiful – lush green mountains, blue water and beautiful beaches.  At the third island, the boat docked for a few hours and we were able to hangout on the sand.  The boys rented jet-skis and I went parasailing.  It was really wonderful.

This morning I arrived in Saigon.  It’s nice but I’m having a hard time adjusting the pace of a big city after spending the past week and half in small, quiet towns.  After finding a hotel this morning, I hired a motorbike (and driver) and took a tour of the city.  I visited The War Museum, which was really intense and awful and chilling.  From there I stopped by the local Chinese Markets (crazy) and a few Pagodas.  Now I’m back in my neighborhood for some lunch before heading off the the History Museum and then dinner with New York Brian (a guy I met in Nha Trang). 

My travel time is coming to an end quicker than I would like.  I only have 18-days left and I feel like there is still so much to see.  This afternoon I need to decide whether to head north to Mui Ne and sled down the sand dunes or bust over to Cambodia tomorrow morning and try to meet up with some friends from Laos. 

Decisions, decisions …

Hue and Hoi An

Initially I was going to stop in Hue for a night or two and explore the temples along the river.  But, when I arrived and saw that the weather was still overcast, I decided to skip the overnight stay and catch a bus to Hoi An in the afternoon.  I didn’t let myself miss out on Hue entirely though.  I managed to store my bag at a local hotel and take a self guided walking tour of the city.  I found myself exploring the old Imperial City – built in 1802 and full of ruins and old buildings, some of which were destroyed in the war.  Along the way, I met a nice Canadian fellow who had ridden his bicycle down from South Korea.  We hit it off right away and he rode me around the city on the back of his peddle bike, showing me the market and taking me out for some authentic pho soup.  Mmmm.   After we said our goodbyes, I hopped on a bus for the 4-hour ride to Hoi An.

I was so pleased when I arrived in Hoi An.  It was such a wonderful change from the craziness of Hanoi.  A small town, located along the Thu Bon River, Hoi An is full of charming shops, custom tailors, cooking schools, antique bridges and lively bars and restaurants. 
Luckily for me, I was able to share my time there with four San Francisco guys that I met on the bus on the way over – Eddy, Johnny, Cameron and Matt.  What a good bunch of craziness.  The first night we spent together, we sat around the dinner table talking about San Francisco, Berkeley, Trader Joes and Stinson Beach.  It was so nice to be reminded of home; to talk to people who could visualize my town and understand where I come from.
My second day in town, I ran into Doujse and Anna Maria, the Dutch girls I met in Laos.  We took a cooking class together the following day that included a guided market tour, a riverboat ride, cooking lessons, a recipe book and a delicious meal afterward.  It was great.  I also had two cotton dresses (red and brown) and one red, wool peacoat made, all costing me a total $60.  You can’t beat that!
This morning I split from the boys and made my way to Nha Trang.  The sun is out, the beach is white and my hotel is nice.  I plan to spend the next few days lounging on the beach, exploring the nearby islands, drinking pina coladas and snorkeling.  Vietnam has been overcast for all of my visit so I’m very excited to have a few days of sunshine.

SaPa

Audrey and I split up the evening we returned from Halong Bay.  She took a flight down to the beaches in the south and I took a night train up to the mountains in the north.  Although alone, my time in SaPa was great; it was definitely a highlight of my trip so far. 
SaPa is a small town in northern Vietnam – just 38k from the border with China.  It’s nestled in the high Hoang Lien Son Mountains where fog, mist and cold air are common, even during the hot season.  The town is famous for it’s tribal communities and it’s beautiful countryside of terraced rice fields.
I arrived very early yesterday morning and scored a huge room with a gigantic bed and a big shower (it’s the little things), as well as a balcony with panoramic views of the valley below.  My first day was spent relishing in my new found independence – I went for a morning run, wandered the streets, heckled with some locals, drank multiple cups of coffee in different cafes around town, had dinner with two nice Irish brothers and ended the evening sprawled out on my big bed, finishing my book.  (I’m telling you, it was perfection!)
This morning I woke up early and met Bee (my tour guide) in the lobby of my hotel for an unforgettable 5-hour walking trek through the mountains and villages outside of town.  Bee, a Hmong herself, grew up in a nearby village.  She spoke good English and was full of information about the customs and traditions of the tribes. 
I didn’t find out until afterward but the trek I took was very different from the typical tourist journey.  Bee took us through parts of the country that haven’t been visited by many westerners.  Because of this, many of the local children reacted strangely towards us.  They were very excited to see us but also very leery of our presence.  We often got waves from little hands sticking out from behind hiding places. 
The traditional tribal customs are still very present in SaPa and the tribes themselves aren’t as geared towards tourism as those we experienced in Thailand.  All of the women in town wear hemp outfits and many have baskets or children strapped to their backs.  They grow rice and vegetables for family consumption and indigo flowers for fabric dye.  Many of the cloths they make are hand dyed (the women have different color finger tips – some blue, some green) and hand stitched.  Some tribes require women to shave their foreheads and eyebrows, others to wear velvet shin wraps and large hoop earrings.  Many of them speak Vietnamese but in different accents.  (Bee told us it was much like American English versus British English.)   And some of the tribes have been settled in these mountains for thousands of years.
The day was fascinating.  I left wanting more.  I’m so glad I exposed myself to this little bit of life that I would have otherwise known nothing of.  This world continues to amaze me.

Tonight I’m taking a night train back to Hanoi.  I’ll arrive on Thanksgiving morning.  It will be the first time I will spend a holiday alone … a strange feeling.  I plan to feast on noodles and spend the afternoon shopping and visiting museums. 

Until next time …