Running and Hopping in Asia

Latest Update and New Zealand Link

2007-02-14T01:42:00.000-08:00

I'm going to leave this page as a record of our travels and hope to add into a few of the gaps for my own records (I'll note these in case anyone wants to check out the new stuff). Our new adventures in New Zealand will be available at www.timtracynz.blogspot.com.

All pictures now posted!

I have now posted all the pictures from Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand at http://www.timcooke.com/Asia. There are an increasing number from New Zealand at http://www.timcooke.com/NZ/index.htm.

The End

2006-12-16T11:51:00.000-08:00

That's this blog about complete, but there should be lots of pictures available soon on my website. I'll put the link in when I get them posted. Expect a new blog about our next adventure in New Zealand!

Tuesday December 5th

2006-12-06T18:39:00.000-08:00

At long last our trip comes to it's final day, and a long day it will be: we leave Thailand at 6pm and arrive in LA... at 6pm with about 15 hours gained by reversing over the International Date Line. Tim is up early for some shopping while Tracy sleeps on and finds the crowds already gathering on Soi Sukumvit for the day's festivities. Over the last couple of days the area has sprouted makeshift stages and even more market stalls than usual.

The trusty 139 bus makes the journey into Patunam market simple and Tim grabs a selection of items for the forthcoming winter trips to warmer climes: mostly shorts and sunglasses. He also can't resist some cheap Thai silk boxers and a Scotland rugby shirt (the seller must see rugby shirts as a big seller as she has a ton for all the major countries) to show the New Zealanders his allegiance. It'll be dull to head back to places where the goods are expensive and there is no good natured bargaining.

We rendezvous back at the hotel and finish packing... now we are up to 5 bags from the two we arrived with. We also don our yellow shirts (a majority of the locals are wearing them to honor the king and we wouldn't want to look out of place), then we head over to meet up with Mike who has the day off for the holiday. He takes us out to see a popular local attraction, a massive three headed elephant with pleasant gardens around, which will hopefully bring us luck for our travels. With the new Bangkok ring road being built next to it rather more tourists are likely to be taken aback by it's appearance apparently peering over the edge of the highway.

The rest of our time before cabbing to the airport is taken up with chat and a last few Chang beers, while we have time at the airport to fit in one last Thai meal. Then it's hours on China Airlines, another visit to Taipei's airport and finally onto LA where we check into the hotel and walk around to get our Hi-tech and cold weather possessions back from Tracy's brother Trent.

Monday December 4th

2006-12-06T18:32:00.000-08:00

With this being the last full day of the trip we opted for one of the major tourist magnets in the city, the Royal Palace. We reach it by Skytrain and ferry to enjoy the river journey again as it's close to one of the jettys.

The palace is a large complex of practical and ceremonial buildings much of which is open to the public. Build over the last 225 years there is a lot to see from the "Emerald Budda" to the different styles of royal architecture.

The amount of decoration is impressive and they now have an interesting exhibit about maintenance over the years with some of the old carvings and ornaments that were replaced.

We were supposed to meet Mike but were delayed by the slowness of transportation in the city and missed him. So we took a walk to find a place to eat and ended up at a recommended vegetarian restaurant with meat and fish options and enjoyed a quiet evening.

Sunday December 3rd

2006-12-06T18:31:00.001-08:00

Another day another hash run, and this time we could both attend. Tracy had a lazy day first though while Tim took off into the heart of town to check out another market and the department stores. Luckily Mike and Som had mentioned that the 139 bus ran directly there on the highway and the journey proved to be quick, easy and cheap.

With Mike setting the run we got a ride from a friend of Som's. Our venue this time was an orchard close the obligatory Temple (the proximity of which would prove useful later) and our trail spent most of the time meandering on wooded trails. On the whole the way was well marked with small piles of shredded paper, but eventually Tim and several others running at the front met Tracy and the walkers coming the opposite way on what we both claimed was THE trail. Further searching revealed a marked path neither group had followed... which led right back to a road Tim had already run down!

With the daylight rapidly fading 6 of the group decided to take the road, staying on track by asking for the Temple. Two others "knew" a shortcut through the orchard, and by the time it got fully dark the 6 had made it back to the rendezvous, with no sign of the 2. They finally appeared some time later, on the road having abandoned the short cut.

This time we finished the evening with most of the hashers at a good little local restaurant nearby. The food, beer and wine kept coming and we kept singing!

Saturday December 2nd

2006-12-06T18:31:00.000-08:00

First up today was more shopping, this time at the massive Chatuchak Market where weekends see a mass of sellers and buyers converge on an enormous area in the north of the city. It's a magnet for locals and tourists alike. Conveniently the Skytrain takes you right there and more importantly gets you away again with your purchases. We were able to complete the Xmas shopping duties and have a look at the range of goods on sale (pretty much anything you'd want) but we probably saw only about 20% of the place.

In the afternoon Tim took off for the Hash Run with Mike (it's a men only run on a Saturday, and old men at that!). We started down by a canal and the run took a great route around the canal system and through narrow residential streets. One done we stopped back to pick up Tracy and went to find Som before heading to a local restaurant for a Thai barbeque.

This consisted of a small dome shaped burner with a gutter around for broth and charcoals below for heat. You cook your seafood or meat on the burner and add greens to the broth for DIY soup... $2.50 for all you can eat and excellent. Beer came in a meter/yard high tower with space for ice in the center and a tap at the bottom. Sadly I did not have a camera to capture this great invention.

Friday December 1st

2006-12-06T18:28:00.000-08:00

We have few priorities today so enjoy a leisurely breakfast before we investigate how best to get into town. The hotel is on a major street (Soi Udumsuk) leading to Sukumvit, one of the major arteries into the city. The newish Skytrain elevated railway runs along Sukumvit and terminates about 2 miles/ 3 km from our place so we walk there, checking out the extensive retail, food stall and market opportunities en route. Plus the dreaded McDonalds, a Boots (UK pharmacy chain), Tops market (US supermarket) and finally a huge Tescos (UK supermarket and the UK's biggest retailer). Truly the city is on the cusp of the Asia we have seen in smaller cities and a city back home.

We take the Skytrain as close as possible to the tourist sights (not very close, it more effectively links the main hotels and shops) and walk our way through some rather boring streets. Finally we come across a couple of the many canals here in the “Venice of the East” and soon are among some very impressive Wats. We then meander down to the Royal Palace and finally to the heart of the city, the River. At the jetty where we pick up the Ferry that plies north and south through the city there is a fine selection of food stalls so we invest in some excellent cheap eats before embarking south where we'll rejoin the Skytrain. The river journey is worth doing in itself with some great views of the city.

When we get back to the hotel (grabbing a local bus from the station to Udumsuk) we gethold of Mike and agree to meet him and his “significant other” Som. They soon arrive in a cab and we head down to Patpong (the party area of town I visited briefly with Don and John many weeks ago) and Noriega's, a bar owned by a hashing friend of theirs. It proves a good choice for a Friday with a singer/ guitarist warming us up with a good choice of music to my mind (including acoustic New Order and the Cure) before the main act, Bangkok's top Celtic Fusion band (who played for us at Chiang Mai). Picture an authentically Irish looking singer (who may have been American) leading a group of locals including a great electric fiddle player in Irish and rock tunes!?! I particularly enjoyed their rendition of Irish tunes (especially the “Fields of Athenry” of course) while Tracy did more dancing than was good for her ankle. Getting a cab in Patpong late at night is a challenge so we were lucky to have Som with us to do the talking and guide the driver back to the Niran.

Thursday November 30th

2006-12-06T18:27:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Morag!

And Happy St Andrews Day to all.

Time to see if all the stories about the overland trip to Bangkok are true! We have booked a bus ticket all the way but reports suggest that this will not be the plain sailing implied by what the sellers tell us. We're picked up by taxi a little later than the 7am claimed start and dropped on the edge of town with a big crowd... at least there is safety in numbers. And there we wait... and wait, while the apparent organizer talks animatedly on his cell phone. Finally a bus arrives, but it's mostly full and only takes a few of those who have booked to the border (one way to do the journey is to make your own way by tuk-tuk from the border to the Thai bus station and on that way).

Then another bus arrives... again for most of the rest of the border travelers. Finally an old 18 seater rolls up for us... no A/C, hard seats... and two girls who came to Siem Reap aboard the same jalopy inform us that it broke down twice en route! Can anyone say “memories of Malawi”: this is more what we were used to living there in the early 90's when we were younger and tougher.

Initially the road is OK, then it becomes pot-holed pavement/ tarmac and finally dusty dirt. However for all the bumps and dust it is the dry season and it has been graded (flattened out and fixed) somewhat since the stories we heard from October when vehicles were towed across washed out areas... It's really the dust that provides the hardest to put up with for 6 hours and by the time we get to Poipet it fills every wrinkle and pore. Here we board a nice bus... but only for the mile to the border post where we check out of Cambodia and walk over into Thailand. This involves crossing the road too, Thailand drives on the left (Cambodia on the right in theory) and we have to walk in on the left. Is this the only land border outside Africa where the road priority changes? I can't think of any other places where countries driving on the left are not islands. New Guinea maybe?

Once over the border we have another long wait but at least there's ATM machines to fill up with Baht, a cafe and a store to buy snacks (which the Thai's do rather well). Then our bus arrives and lo and behold, a nice double decker like we had at the Interhash with lots of space for the bags. We grab space down in the VIP section (that's what they call the lower floor) and what proves to be the really easy part of the journey commences. There is not much to see along this road in Eastern Thailand but it's a fine highway and we're in Bangkok in less than 3½ hours!

While we are supposed to be dropped downtown in the Backpacker area the bus terminates at a travel agent shop I know not where. We grab the bags and one of the employees hails us a taxi (of which Bangkok has no shortage), explaining that they could not get all the way due to preparations for the King's birthday holiday on Tuesday (he's been on the throne 60 years so it's a big deal). We don't care as we've booked a place out of the center recommended by our friend Mike Burgess (who introduced us to the local Peace Corps group in Albany just before he moved out here) and the cab finally finds our hotel despite a few communication difficulties.

The Niran Grand is a big place if slightly run down, but meets our needs well. First up there is lots of hot water at high enough pressure to hose off the dust layers, then the restaurant is open late and we are able to get some food before a well earned rest. In Malawi we would have thought the journey acceptable if not easy... these days we'll avaoid repeating it for a while!

Wednesday 29th November

2006-12-06T18:21:00.001-08:00

With only the one day to visit Angkor again (this time with camera) we are up early for breakfast at our favorite restaurant before we secure a couple of old one speed “sit up and beg” bikes (and a lot of water!). The whole area is completely flat and the bikes prove to be fine for travel.

Tracy's ankle feels good as we ride the few miles/ kms to the complex, unfortunately missing the ticket booth en route. Luckily we can get day passes near Angkor Wat and we are soon in Angkor Thom to revisit Bayon, then wander more slowly around the Terraces and some of the lesser known parts in the east of the old royal palace area. The well know parts are much busier than last time but mainly with organized groups who rush around a prescribed set of the buildings (memo to readers: if you ever come here SET YOUR OWN SCHEDULE!!!!). Just off the beaten track we see maybe one or two other people in half an hour!

Bayon

From here we get onto the “Grand Tour”, the route that takes you past many of the quieter but no less amazing palaces to the east and north. Using the bikes is hot work but going at our own pace is a delight. Tracy takes a break for a coconut and shopping (more silk outfits!) as Tim revisits Ta Prohm for pictures, then we continue to places we did not see or even pass in our previous visits (I'll have some more details when I work out the order we visited them!).

We only have a brief time for Angkor Wat (I'll be stealing the pictures Don, John and Cindy took last time around!) and Tracy again relaxes while Tim races in and up to the top for the obligatory sunset shot. Then we have to speed back to beat the fast failing light, arriving in town in the dark (luckily it's fairly well lit, the traffic moves slow and we know where we are going. After a couple of beers and snack food (gotta get some Pakora where it's available!)Tracy opts for a massage to recuperate from the day's activities while Tim internets, then we regroup for a very late meal on hopping “bar street”, oh so innovatively named as it's the main site for night life here.

Tuesday 28th November

2006-12-06T18:21:00.000-08:00

Here soon...

Sunday 26th November

2006-12-06T18:18:00.001-08:00

Here soon...

Monday 27th November

2006-12-06T18:18:00.000-08:00

Here soon...

Saturday 25th November

2006-12-06T18:17:00.000-08:00

Here soon...

Friday 24th November

2006-12-06T18:14:00.000-08:00

After getting up for a beautiful sunrise (see the post right after Nov 21st for picture) we began the day by revisiting Cambodia's dark past at the Killing Fields of Cheung Ek. This was where the prisoners in S-21 (see October 22nd) were brought to be killed and buried in mass graves. Many of the graves were excavated after the Vietnamese liberation in 1979, others remain undisturbed.

A tower (stupsa) has been built containing many skulls and other exhumed remains while the field behind was the site of the graves. Some of the pits lie open while in other areas remnants of cloth and bone poke up through the soil. There are still a few pieces of headstone to remind you that this was once a Chinese graveyard while several of the trees were put to use for beating infants against or held loudspeakers playing music to drown out the screams. It all serves to remind you of the magnitude of the crimes perpetrated here, and the relatively recent time it took place.

More soon...

Hiatus

2006-12-06T18:10:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the gap in posting, it was a busy end to the trip. We are home now and I'll soon fill in the gaps. Then there will be all the pictures to post!

Thursday November 23rd

2006-11-25T05:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to our US readers!

With this being our second visit to the city we had a limited schedule of things to do, headed by a visit to the spectacular Royal Palace. Tracy also had to pay a visit to the US embassy... all the visas we've been collecting have filled her passport and she can't leave the country without adding pages. Of course Thanksgiving meant the office was closed.

Royal Palace in Phnom Penh

We were joined at the palace by Ana, a Spanish girl we'd met because she was the only other person doing our exact itinerary out of Vietnam (also she was sick at the time an Dr Tracy was able to help out). It is certainly a spectacular complex of buildings that you can visit, including a very french one gifted by Napoleon III in the early days of the complex. There is also a pagoda on the grounds, the Silver Pagoda, where the king has dealing with monks. No monks live here but it was the home for the long lived King Sihanouk (whose ability to stick around whatever befalls his country is legendary) when he spent a year in the monkhood (a rite of passage for many Cambodian young men). The pagoda has beautiful decorations and a solid silver floor but photographs are forbidden.

From here we found lunch before Ana and Tracy went off to check out the Russian Market (home to craft and silk sellers aimed at tourists plus plenty of fake designer labels) while Tim caught up with the ever present need to get on the internet (how did we live without it?). Later we made the most of our beautiful river front room (we splurged a whole $30 a night for the best room) with a few sundowners on the balcony before a good meal at a well recommended local restaurant with Ana.

Wednesday 22nd November

2006-11-25T05:07:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Stan and Dorothy!

Tim got up at dawn (easily done when the traffic is already noisy at that time) and went down to the very scenic riverfront for pictures. Then we grabbed a swift breakfast before our tour group of 15 or so walked back to the river to pick up our boats for a trip around a floating village and Cham village.

Chau Doc riverfront at dawn

This time we avoided the constant background noise of two stroke engine and were rowed by locals in small boats (two to a boat). The floating village is very substantial with houseboats mingling with larger structures on pontoons, including stores and gas/ petrol stations. People also tend small gardens of pot plants and bushes on their porches which makes for some attractive "streets" where clear water allows boats to pass.

Fish drying in the floating village

One of the main industries here is (cat) fish farming and while it's also seen on a more commercial scale, many people have large pens below and beside their homes where the fish are fed a meal made of waste rice and scraps.

From here we paddled on to a village populated by the Cham people who were dominant in this part of the world before the rise of the Angkor civilization, and who then got squeezed by other peoples into marginal communities in Vietnam and Cambodia. Cham in this area are Muslim.

Cham mosque

Travelling rice factory, it appeared to do all stages of the process

After the relaxing interlude those of us heading out to Cambodia had to get aboard our larger boat for the 3 hour ride to the border, and luckily it turned out to be a roomy, airy craft with plenty of shade. The ride was beautiful with great views of the local fishing and farming on either bank.

Border formalities took about an hour and we were able to spend every last Vietnamese Dong on food at a little restaurant before crossing over. Unfortunately our Cambodian boat, while faster, was not as pleasant. A metal structure, it go hot and had limited ventilation and views. There was some space to stand outside however and we took turns basting in the sun and standing in the limited airy shaded front section as we cruised up the Mekong.

We then transfered to a bus when the river hit a main road and we were in Phnom Penh as scheduled just after dark (6pm). With limited time to find anything we checked into a basic room in a local guest house (for $5) and had a good meal of local food there.

Sights around Phnom Penh

2006-11-24T19:18:00.000-08:00

A few pictures from around town:

Royal Palace

Independence Monument

Cambodian pool table manufacture
(we've seen a lot of pool played both here and especially Vietnam)

Mobile gas/ petrol station (they are everywhere in the city)

I Wonder What the Poor People are Doing Tonight?

2006-11-24T18:53:00.000-08:00

This quote (which is attributed variously to Fats Waller in a radio broadcast in the 50's, Kurt Vonnegut quoting a soldier sheltering in a bunker as Dresden is destroyed above them in 1945 and in the film Local Hero) has long been used by us as a toast for those "it doesn't get much better than this" moments. Our current hotel room in Phnom Penh is a good place for these kind of thoughts.

Sunrise over the confluence of Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers, from our balcony

This trip has had many of those moments as on the whole we've lived well for little money and found beautiful and friendly places to spend time. We'd recommend this tour to anyone, though of course with many other people finding the same it'll be increasingly popular.

Tuesday November 21st

2006-11-24T18:39:00.000-08:00

Today is the start of our journey home geographically from the furthest south we've been, and anybody looking at a map can see it's quite a straight road (Can Tho, Phnom Penh, Siem Riep, Bangkok). Today we stay in the delta with a four hour boat trip in a smaller craft around the rivers surrounding Can Tho.

Todays boat is an open one seating about 12, with one of the typical outboard motors with a long drive shaft between engine and propeller giving maximum manoeverability. We begin by passing a floating market where wholesalers in big boats trade with retailers and customers in smaller craft. Typically the big boats specialize in a few types of fruit, veggies or fish so the customers travel from one to another. The scene is completed by passing boats selling breakfast and drinks.

From here we took the roads less travelled (other than tourist boats one suspects) down small canals for a pleasant ride, disturbed only by the sputtering of the two-stroke engine powering us. We took a break at a fruit growing farm to sample the local bananas, pinapple and longans (a lychee like fruit very popular in these parts) and as Tim wandered around looking at the trees our guide Tuc called him over to try the local hooch: rice wine (rather a misnomer for this firewater) with longans added to mellow the flavor. We then spent a pleasant half hour with the farmer, the boat driver (not drinking I hasten to add) and a Korean guy on our tour finishing the bottle.

Back on the boat we moved back out to a larger river and took in the next visit of our tour, to a rice factory. Here a machine husks, polishes and sorts the rice amid huge piles of full sacks and in an atmosphere of dust and noise that would swiftly draw the attention of the health and safety authorities back home. Nothing goes to waste in the process, husks are burned, the dust from polishing the brown rice goes in pig feed, small broken pieces are eaten by chickens and bigger pieces boiled down for rice paper and wine. Tuc is clearly a man who likes a drink and the owner is soon passing out his home made rice wine... the unmellowed fire water proving more difficult to drink than that made with longans.

From here we headed back to Can Tho, with three hours to look around before our bus arrives to take us one to Chau Doc. We spend the time wandering the streets and trying out the street food, while Tracy takes a break for a while reading under a tree at the river side. The ride to Chau Doc is largely uneventful though we get some good views of flooded fields and extensive canal systems. By the time we arrive in what appears to be a compact and pleasant town we are ready for food and bed so we find a nearby "fake meat"vegetarian restaurant for our last full Vietnamese meal.

Monday November 20th

2006-11-24T17:24:00.000-08:00

Our day begins early by grabbing food at a street stall and meeting up at the tour agent's office. Our bus is both newish and uncrowded for a change so our ride down into the Mekong delta is comfortable. At Vinh Long we board a tour boat (which is full) for a ride around the extensive network of rivers and canals that make up the Mekong delta.

It makes a fascinating change from what we are used to - and the rest of the country - to see a place where the water is the means of transport, source of food, place of business and heart of industry. The large rivers sport large boats, dredging and factories, smaller ones are lined by homes and businesses and small canals link everything and provide water to irrigate crops.

We make a couple of stops to see some typical tourist displays: how to make rice paper... how to make coconut candy... how to make puffed rice cakes. Contrived settings but fascinating all the same and the samples are tasty! After a couple of hours boating we get back on the bus and drive down to Can Tho where an extremely busy ferry service (six boats moving constantly) brings us and the bus over a wide stretch of River to the city where we'll spend the night.

We have some time to look at the town as we wander in search of food at dusk and very prosperous it looks with plenty of fashion, mobile phone and motorbike stores. This is the heart of agricultural production and Vietnam has been very successful in upping it's rice production to become a big exporter in the last few years (the long term effects of the intensive farming methodologies are yet to be seen...). The riverfront is lively with two favorite pursuits: taking the kids to the park for the slightly older set and cruising on your motorbike for the teens/ twentysomethings. We pick a restaurant in an old french building with a good view from the balcony and enjoy some of the local fish dishes.

Sidewalks/ Pavements

2006-11-24T03:21:00.000-08:00

One thing you realize in Vietnam and Cambodia is that the one thing you do not do on sidewalks/ pavements is walk. For that you take a chance with the traffic on the street. Things you do use it for (and anyone with other observations is welcome to add):

1. Moto parking
2. Moto or bicycle repair
3. Gas station (fixed or mobile pump)
4. Restaurant/ breakfast bar
5. Store or shop
6. Bed
7. Child care center
8. Building materials store
9. Barber's shop
10. Office with typewriter or computer
11. Tailor's shop
12. Shower

I'm sure there are many I've forgotten. It is amazing that in ostensibly socialist Vietnam private enterprise and small business is a way of life! To avoid political controversy I will not contrast this with certain places where the small businesses are supressed by the mighty oppressor Wa***rt and no-one seems to care.

Sunday November 19th

2006-11-24T02:52:00.000-08:00

We rolled into HCM as the sun rose having "enjoyed" a few hours sleep on the bus. Luckily our hotel said the room would be ready at 8am so we found breakfast and were soon relaxing. Tim spent some of the morning looking at tour options on our way out of Vietnam and doing internet duty, Tracy slept.

At lunchtime we wandered down towards the old center of town for the local Hash Run, booking a 3 day tour of the Mekong River Delta (finishing with a boat back to Cambodia) and taking in some sights en route. The hash run a bus from the center which proved an excellent way to get a crowd of maybe 35 runners to a spot out of the city, and sheltered us from a sudden downpour.

The run was HOT and took us around an old flooded quarry (always a good hash site the world over), through villages and over some scrub. They lay shredded paper for the trail and sometimes economized by leaving us without marks for a while. However the hare was up at the front of the pack and sometimes seemed to forget that he was supposed to get us to follow trail and not lead. However he did have to lead when we took a deliberate loop so we didn't start running in circles... the excuse was that there was only one bridge over a stinking sewer of a stream and I for one was glad not to be wading at any point!

The run to the water break was long (we were warned) and near the end an attack of bees made things interesting (sometimes it is good to be a quick runner as those behind got nailed more) but overall the run was fun. And we liked the water/ beer check so much we decided not to do the very short last leg (leaving us with a nicer spot to circle near a lake but a long walk to the bus after) and settled down to kebabs and beer. Tracy walked the whole short trail and though sore her leg held up well.

Once night fell we retired to the bus where Tracy and I led some singing and fun was had by all. The night ended with an on after at a pleasant bar in the city, a very good day. In a bout of "small world syndrome" Tim met a hasher who had lived in his home town for 12 years and we'd also like to thank her for lending us money for the taxi home and pointing us the right direction.

Saturday November 18th

2006-11-20T05:07:00.000-08:00

Today promised to be a long day: we were to be picked up at 7am for a long bus ride to Mu Nie on the SE coast, then spend the afternoon and evening there before taking a night bus back to Saigon. Good thing our ladies could do a good breakfast early.

The ride down the hill began in thick cloud and rain (Scottish scenery) but as we dropped we had fine views of the arid coastal plain. As we zig-zagged down we crossed under some enormous pipes several times: the main hydro-electric project in the country. Once on the flat it was hot and dry, and the scrub and cacti put us in mind of California. The first bus took us to the coast where we had a brief view of the Cham towers: a collection of four towers built by Hindus in the 13th century, and therefore not disimilar in style to Angkor.

Then we piled aboard a minibus to Mu Nie, passing through more arid scenery, with the main local product seeming to be grapes. The road into Mu Nie passes the famous sand dunes, a collection of large dunes in both golden and red sand that lie close to the beach. Mu Nie itself is a fishing village which you pass through before coming to a road paralleling the sea which is just filled with hotels, resorts, bars and restaurants.

We were dropped in the middle of town and left our bags in the travel office before heading onto the beach. A lively place it is, strong onshore breezes make it ideal for wind surfing and kite surfing and many (mostly expert) people were doing one or other. We took the easier approach of sitting in a restaurant watching with the odd sojourn into the warm surf!

After sunset (and with a long evening ahead before the 1 am bus) we found a bar with pool table and settled down to fill some hours trying to get back into practice. After the first bar started to fill with much younger people than us we moved on and found another where Tim read a book about survivors of the Khmer Rouge attrocities in Cambodia and Tracy befriended two backpackers on the pool table, an American from Mississippi and a Frenchman. We ended up spending the rest of the evening here before making our way to a hopping spot opposite the travel office for some late food and a last beer.

At 1am the travel office was dark but two of the employees were around... but sleeping under mosquio nets in the open restaurant area. They got up when the northbound bus passed through then went back to sleep, leaving us to wait for out transport. The first two buses that passed were those of the two other companies running these trips, and ours didn't get there till about 2.20. At least it was a comfortable journey from then on!

Friday November 17th

2006-11-20T04:50:00.000-08:00

Tim was up early to capture some morning pictures before we enjoyed a great breakfast from the friendly ladies who run the guest house. This featured a large number of strawberries, a local product, and good strawberry jam along with the usual fruit, strong coffee and french bread.

We elected just to walk around town for the day rather than to explore the hills and waterfalls further afield, and Tracy had a good workout for her improving leg. Our route took us down to the lake and around the far end from the town to a big flower garden. Though it is not quite the season (the rains are just ending here and we suspect they gear up for the busier travel months in Dec and Jan) and many of the beds were not at their best there were lots of beautiful bushes and flowers with a particularly impressive collection of orchids.

From here we climbed the other side of the lake to the University (it is a big university town as the students could concentrate in the cool conditions) then down through some older back streets and into the center. A snack at a floating restaurant sustained us and we headed to the market where all manner of fruits, veggies and other produce are on sail. We invested in some snack food (dried sweet potato, candied sweet potato, dried persimon) then ate at one of the stalls in the "food court" - a crowded collection of food places on the balcony ringing the market. Our choice was a vegetarian stall, which means the usual selection of foods made into a noodle soup, but with everything faked from tofu. Some of the fakes were outstanding... others tasted like old rubber!

Again we wandered to the narrow lane in the center of town with all manner of street food available, stopping to let Tracy enjoy the products of a little on the street restaurant specializing in clams, snails and other shelled items. Tracy picked snails and tiny clams cooked in spices out of the large selection and they were tasty if a little gritty. Once again we stopped at the shrimp pancake stall before splurging the $1 on a taxi up the hill.

Thursday November 16th

2006-11-18T18:47:00.000-08:00

Today we head into the mountains of the south Central Highlands to Dalat, where the French colonials used to retire in the hot months to their villas. For the Public Healthers in the audience the site for the city was suggested by Alexandre Yersin, a protege of Pasteur who spent many years researching communicable disease in Vietnam and is best known for discovering the causative organism of Bubonic plague (named Yersinia Pestis in his honor). Actually a Japanese beat him to it by a few weeks but we westerners gave him the credit.

The place is a big tourist destination for Vietnamese and other asians and has a reputation for being tacky (think low rent Disney or a very poor man's Vegas without the gambling) but actually we thought it was nicely developed around a lake and the attractive villas from the early 20th century.

The bus journey there was really long, first it took a while to get out of HCM, then the highway is not exactly high speed and finally the bus had to climb from sea level to 5000 ft (1500m) with some real steep ups. The speed limits in Vietnam are pretty strict and enforced, but the drivers of buses and trucks appear to have a set of hand signals warning those coming in the opposite direction to look out for the cops.

Mountain scenery

The road winds for a long way at about 3000ft (910m) passing very many coffee bushes in both smallholdings and plantations (and very many coffee beans drying out in the sun). There was also some tea plantations too, rice in flat areas and many other crops that grow well in the cooler conditions. The final climb to Dalat is eve steeper and takes the road through cool pine forests.

We decided to stay in a guest house in one of the old colonial villas on the ridge overlooking the city, so Tracy was left with the bags in the bar of the fanciest hotel in time while Tim walked over to get booked in. Then we wandered the center of town in search of food (settling on shrimp pancakes from a street stall to start, then a nice family restaurant) before jumping in a taxi for the ride up the hill.

This being the home of Vietnamese wine we had invested in a bottle of their "Export" which we'd not yet tried. We enjoyed a very drinkable glass on our little porch before heading for bed.

Wednesday November 15th

2006-11-18T18:39:00.000-08:00

Another travel day with a noon flight so the breakfast is relaxed. No real problems en route and this time we find the local bus for a journey into town costing 12c/7p each. As bargains go this is one of our favorites: up there with fresh donuts in HCM for 7c/ 4p, shrimp pancakes in Dalat (see later) for 12c/7p and internet ranging from 7c-14c (4p-8p) an hour (which explains why I keep writing so much... the picture capabilities are not so good hence a lack of pictures right now).

We have already booked a hotel (where we left most of our baggage) and get a nice room quickly. Then we have time to check out the amenities of "Backpacker Hell" , book coach tickets for the next few legs of our journey and get food before the usual early night. It's not really hell here, actually there is a concentration of the stuff travellers need with many less hassles than we'd been led to believe. Not sure we need the proliferation of Italian restaurants but many are run by Italians and there must be a demand.

Tuesday November 14th

2006-11-18T18:24:00.000-08:00

No set plans for the day so we got up in a leisurely way (easily done in such a relaxing place!) and rented a scooter to get around. Tim first had to do a couple of test runs as he'd last ridden a motorbike in 1993 but was soon confident of manoevering Tracy over the bumpy dirt roads.

We decided not to cake ourselves in red dust with a trek into the interior, instead we headed for Long Beach where we relaxed and Tracy found a couple of ladies to give a massage and pedicure (for about $4.50). Tim took off for a look around town/ internet/ shopping and we rendezvoused for lunch before Tracy got a look at the town from the back of the bike. Tim will not be signing up for renting a bike in HCM: Duong Dong's market street was quite an adventure enough in dodging the crowds.

For a break in the usual routine we headed north from Mango Bay for dinner at Bo Resort (as suggested by the Brits we dove with and subsequently hung out with as they were in the adjoining room with shared deck). Tracy got a ride on the back of a motorbike for the 1.5 km/ 1 mile journey while Tim walked around the rocky and sandy shore (a challenge in the dark but a pleasant trip.

The food was good there and at the end of the night we spent a while talking to Regis, the Frenchman who co-owns it with his Vietnamese wife. He filled us in on development plans (apparently the number of Chinese going abroad is set to jump from 20 million/year to 100 million and Vietnam wants part of the action... with Phu Quoc occupying the place of the Balearics in Europe - warm, accessible - the island may suffer the same fate). These include a big golf resort in the north around his land. It is certain this island will be changing soon, already there are 3-4 times as many flights as a couple of years ago.

Regis got a couple of his staff to drop us back at Mango Bay on the ubiquitous bikes, and we would thoroughly recommend his resort to anyone. Interestingly the terrain just north of mango Bay was much different with Bo built on a steep slope while Mango Bay has a lot of grassy flat land.

Monday November 13th

2006-11-16T22:05:00.000-08:00

Today's dive sites are to the south of the island so we were picked up early with 4 others (two Belgians, two french speaking Brits) also staying at the resort. The ride down to the islands off the southern tip of Phu Quoc takes over two hours and though again it was hazy the views of Long Beach and the southern port of An Thoi were good. Long Beach is undergoing a lot of development near Duong Dong and this place seems set to grow and grow as a tourist destination.

Today's dive sites were off small islands in the An Thoi group and again both dives were shallow and long with good coral but limited visibility. It was actually the first trip of the season for Rainbow Divers to the south as the weather only moderates around mid-November.

Again the food was good and plentiful on the way home but by the time we got back to Mango Bay it was getting dark. Once again we stayed at the resort restaurant and relaxed over a late dinner (late for here: 8pm!) before sitting out to watch the clear skies for a few Leonid meteors.

Sunday November 12th

2006-11-16T21:45:00.000-08:00

We made a leisurely start to the day as the dive boat was picking us up at 9.15am. They arrived near on time and we were soon relaxing aboard for a 1 hour cruise up to the north of the island. The boat was modelled on the local fishing boats and more substantial than typical dive craft with plenty of space for both gear stowage and people to spread out in the shade or sun. We had longer than usual to relax and watch the shore go by (though it was quite hazy today) as we were dropping a couple of divers in for a deep dive first before we took in some more shallow reef. Up at this site our GPS revealed we were all of 35km (22 miles) from Kampot (see Oct 21st) and not much further than Sihanoukville; you have to carry a passport in case the Vietnamese army (who have a base at the north of the island, which Cambodia has claimed in the past) stop the boat.

Our two dives were pleasant but not spectacular, but the water is a great temperature for staying down a long time. The fish are small here and the coral is not dramatic, but it is very much undamaged and healthy. The dive sites are also shallow so the scene is bright despite the limited visibility (it's early in the dive season here so visibility rapidly improves). Highlight was seeing a several foot long bamboo shark (harmless) in a cave, luckily a guy we dove with had a flashlight/ torch to pick it out.

After our two dives they fed us an excellent meal of local specialties and we were well relaxed by the time we were dropped off again at Mango Bay, in time to do very little for the rest of the day!

We are being followed

2006-11-15T03:01:00.000-08:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061115/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush

Who gave that numpty a visa? I think we'll manage to avoid him though.

And lets hope he doesn't reprise his father's trick in this part of the world of puking on the hosts.

Saturday November 11th

2006-11-15T02:43:00.000-08:00

We had a leisurely start to the day... Difficult not to with such a beautiful tropical island! Then Tim headed into town, about a 3.5 mile (6km) walking all the way down the beach. For a while it was very quiet, then there was lots of garbage and finally I was in a bustling fishing village. The whole of life was going on on the beach: shipbuilding, repairing boats and dinghies, cleaning fish and squid, drying squid, mending nets, people hanging out, kids playing, cooking etc etc. In an interesting first I was even photographed by one of the locals with his mobile phone.

The town was bustling with a busy Saturday market right by the quay, very convenient for getting the fish and imported items (most veggies and goods are brought over from the mainland). The whole town smells vaguely (and sometimes strongly) of Nuoc Mam, the locally produced fermented fish sauce made out of little fish (usipa for those who know Malawi). The sauce looks like soy sauce and tastes like a fishy version thereof... not bad in small doses but a bit of an acquired taste.

Just out of town on the south side are all the hotels, lined up down Long Beach. Down this way I found the dive shop to book up for two days, then headed out to a beach bar for some refreshment. Suitably fortified I did some more shopping and internet before hailing a xe om (motorbike "taxi") for a bouncy and dusty 6km (4 mile) journey back to the hotel (the beach is more direct than the road. The red dirt roads on the island are very reminiscent of Africa, and so is the dust coverage after a journey.

Tracy had enjoyed a day on the beach and the evening continued the reaxed theme: a bottle of local wine at sundown and good food in the beachside restaurant.

Friday November 10th

2006-11-15T02:22:00.000-08:00

Time to fly out to Phu Quoc Island so once again fortified by the breakfast (if anything the dumplings were better) Tim went off to a cheaper hotel ($20 for a very nice, recently renovated big room) recommended to us by fellow travelers to leave most of our baggage.

Then we went off to find the airport bus on the next street but some confusion was evident as to whether it picked people up en route so we flagged a taxi (costing $3.50 as opposed to 25c for both of us on the bus). Phu Quoc is a short flight over the Mekong delta and flying at 10,000 ft (3000m) we had a fine view of a mass of flooded paddy fields intersected by many roads. This area is the "rice basket of the nation" and bore a striking resemblance at this time of year to our views of Cambodia.

Phu Quoc is a forested island, maybe 15 miles (25km) long and quite narrow. Much of the west coast is one long beach (called with great thought "Long Beach") with a town in the center (Duong Dong), site of the airport. Most of the resorts are south of the biggest (Saigon - Phu Quoc, on map). We stayed at a more secluded place near Ong Lang beach, this place is nearly deserted as there are only 3 resorts up this way and all are small. Not that Long Beach is exactly crowded.

The Mango Bay resort where we based ourselves prides itself on eco-friendliness and low impact tourism, but also manages to have fine food and a beautiful bar. The room was a little on the basic side (cold and cold running water, needed a coat of paint) but large and with a beautiful big porch for watching the sunsets. The rooms and bungalows are spread out among trees and though all are close to the beach you never felt it was anything but very low density.

The coast here is a mix of beautiful yellow sand beaches and black volcanic rock making a nice contrast. We were relatively close to the fishing fleet based north of Duong Dong and always saw the brightly painted boats out. At night the horizon was filled with bright lights as the fishermen attracted squid.

The rest of the day was spent relaxing, enjoying the sunset and trying some of the restaurant's good food. Plus drinking the bottle of "Superior" local Dalat wine ($3.50) procured in HCM airport. And it was better than the original stuff we'd sampled before.

Thursday 9th November

2006-11-15T02:10:00.000-08:00

Prime task for today was to get Tracy an x-ray so that she could get back on her feet. First we were fortified by an excellent breakfast buffet at the hotel, with prawn dumplings that were outstanding (I know, not everyone's idea of breakfast!). We wandered slowly into the heart of the city where two clinics catering to foreigners are located and found the first lacking the equipment. However the 2nd one did have facilities and Tracy opted to get the local orthopedist called for an opinion. Tim went off to do a little sightseeing while Tracy waited and returned to hear the good news, Tracy could get back on her foot!

To celebrate we took a walk, Tracy quickly discovering that crutching with weight on the damaged appendage was far preferable to keeping all the weight off. This allowed us to take in a few sights (the old post office, town hall, main market) and locate the major area frequented by tourists where internet and travel information could be procured. It was close by so after a return to the hotel Tim went out to scout for food and do internet duty.

HCM is a larger, busier city than Hanoi with less charm. The old colonial buildings have been nicely kept up but much of what we saw is a bustling middle city. The place also has a reputation for crime and hassle but we never encounted any problems or negative vibes. It's also a lot hotter than up north.

In the evening we braved a local restaurant where they did procure a sort of English menu but we were on our own with interpreting it. However we enjoyed good food with our guesswork. We did avoid the item labelled "Mud Fish (served Gobby)"! Fried dough at a stall across the road completed our culinary adventures.

Wednesday 8th November

2006-11-13T22:22:00.000-08:00

At last time to leave Hue, and not a moment too soon. After seeing no rain for weeks (though there had been some overnight here) we saw enough of it all morning to turn the road outside the hotel into a river knee deep in places. Though our area was worse off than most, down a nearby street the water was lapping up people's thighs. The buildings were mostly safe from the flooding though the water lapped their top steps but getting around involved hopping from porch to porch where possible or getting wet from the flood and stair-rods of rain.

Tracy took the sensible approach of going off on a cyclo for a massage, well surrounded by a cover and tarp. Tim had to do the wading to finalize some travel arrangements, and of course to get a picture!

Tim with Cyclo right outside our hotel

We didn't really get much else accomplished in the day other than watching the rain and getting in another curry. Our taxi to the airport made it through the ebbing flood in the afternoon and we had an eventless flight to Ho Chi Minh City (HCM) where a quick cab ride brought us to the very pleasant Empress Hotel. These days the airport is pretty quiet, though there is a big new terminal going up so they must be looking for expansion. However in 1968 it was the third busiest airport in the world... for obvious reasons. There are still concrete buildings and old planes that date from those days off to the sides of the runways.

Tuesday 7th November

2006-11-13T21:55:00.000-08:00

We decided to take the standard tour of the old "Demilitarzed Zone" (DMZ) today both to get a flavor of the terrain some of the American War was fought over and to see a bit of the moutainous country on the way to Laos.

The tour is a long one with a bus pickup at 7am, there are considerable distances to cover. First you stop at "The Rockpile", a steep sided rocky hill used by the US as an observation point on the road from the Laos border to the coast. Next stop is the old Ho Chi Minh trail where supplies were brought through the mountains to the Viet Cong in the south. Not much to see now as a new bridge and road have been built where there were once forest trails and river crossings.

First real interest is the old marine base at Khe Sanh, sight of fierce fighting in 1968. Not a lot to see other than some old equipment, rebuilt bunkers and a little museum (the US destroyed everything when they left to avoid leaving trophies for the victors) but facinating to see the terrain that the fighting took place in and the importance of high ground and forest cover.

Back down to the Coastal Road and we crossed the Ben Hai River, once the border, with an old bridge to see and a new monument going up on the South side. Then we headed north and out to the coast for the highlight of the trip: the Vin Moc Tunnels. These were built to protect the population of local villages from aerial and naval bombing in the late 60's and proved to be very successful. A little cramped for Tim but easily enough negotiated by Tracy on crutches the tunnels had entrances on the side of the hill facing the sea and above, close to the fields. People could work normally (well, as normally as you can in a war zone) and shelter at more dangerous times. There was space for families to live, a meeting area, latrines and a maternity hospital cut into the sides of the walls. The soil was suitable enough and the building done well enough that the tunnels have only had to be minimally modified, not recreated for modern tourists and successfully sheltered the people till the end of bombardments. Only one boring bomb (designed to penetrate such earthworks) ever hit and it did not explode: affording a useful new air passage!

The land above shows what still looks like craters (agricultural land was cleared of ordinance and flattened out years ago but not the marginal scrub areas). Other tunnels in the area were not as fortunate, one that was not as well built collapsed in bombing killing the whole village.

All in all the tour was worth it and gave us a little more insight into the reality of the war zone. Once home we found a restaurant close by (good food, crazy owner lady and friendly cat) and finished the night there.

Monday November 6th

2006-11-10T23:43:00.000-08:00

We got up early to see Cindy and John on their way and enjoyed a lazy day otherwise. It did give us the chance to get laundry done and buy tickets for the next weeks travel, including flights to Ho Chi Minh City and on to Phu Quoc island.

As a change from the usual diet of Vietnamese food we tried out the local Indian restaurant and mighty fine it was. The owner appeared to be at least part Indian but whoever does the cooking has the knack!

Other that that there is little to report. Hue is a very easy place to spend time in being small, friendly but touristed enough to have English as a workable language to get around.

Sunday November 5th

2006-11-10T23:19:00.000-08:00

John and Cindy's last day with us before departing to Ho Chi Minh City and on to Japan for a few days. We decided to take the widely advertized boat tour today on the "Perfume River", it takes in several historic sights and gives you a good view of local life on the river. While there is some fishing the main local activity seems to be dredging for sand or gravel from the river floor. This is done by dropping a big scoop which is guided by one man while others haul it back on board with a manual winch mechanism. Loaded boats appear to have about 3 inches (7cm) clearance above the water but luckily the river flows lazily and nothing much makes a wake.

First stop is Thien Mu Pagoda, whose tower is said to symbolize Vietnam. It lies on the river bank and is built with 7 concentric levels. It was a center of anti-government agitation at one time but monks seem to inhabit it peacefully now and a lot of renovation is going on behind the tower.

Next up we cruised down to the tomb of Tu Doc. He was the longest lived of the Nguyen emporers and lived in the height of luxury, although he gradually lost power to the French during his reign. He also built the fanciest tomb and did so while he was alive so he could enjoy his creation. There are pictures here.

After lunch on board the boat we headed south for a while to two other tombs, those of Khai Dinh and Minh Mang. We chose just to go to the latter to enjoy some more time... the former while impressive dates from the 1920's an has a mix of oriental and western elements. Minh Mang was more significant in history for the way he consolidated the power of the dynasty after his father (Gia Long) had won the country in war. His tomb is a very traditional arrangement of buildings and water.

After our dose of history we cruised in relaxed fashion back down the river. Then for a complete contrast we visited the market which even late in the day was still bustling and had plenty of people willing to sell us whatever we might (or looked like we might!) be interested in. Then we enjoyed another relaxing evening spending very little on good food.

Saturday November 4th

2006-11-10T23:13:00.000-08:00

We split the group today with Tracy joining John and Cindy on a day trip to Hoi An, a historic town down the coast. Tim was tired of vehicular travel and elected to spend time walking around some of the historic sites nearer to town. I'll get Tracy to add something about Hoi An later.

In the evening we once again found ourselves one of the local restaurants to dine at. Eating your fill in Vietnam will not set you back too much cash, our usual bill for a big meal with a couple of beers or smoothies came to less than $5 (maybe 2 pounds 50).

Friday November 3rd

2006-11-10T23:01:00.000-08:00

We awoke as we crossed the Ben Hai River, which once divided north from south and were soon in Hue (not before we were served Vietnamese Pot Noodle/ Ramen Noodle for breakfast). This city was the old imperial capital from 1802 when the Nguyens took control of the whole country (not a bad idea moving to the center in a country with two traditional seats of power at either end) until the last emporer abdicated in favor of Ho Chi Minh in 1945. There are still a lot of historic buildings in the vicinity, though the place took a pounding from bombs and fighting within the city.

After getting off the train we were dropped by taxi at a convenient hotel (Binh Minh) and it was pleasant enough to warrant staying. Our first act was to head down to the river to get a snack and suss out the lie of the land, then we found a cyclo tour for Tracy while we walked a short distance to the citadel. The old city has a fairly complete city wall (I dont know how much was rebuilt) with a moat, once inside you can pass through the old citadel gates to the emperors abode. Once again the place began with an appropriate arrangement of gates, ponds and bridges, with buildings to commemorate ancestors and mandarins. Once the whole central section was the "Forbidden Purple City" where the emperor kept wives and concubines, but that was pretty much destroyed with a few ruined buildings and a lot of wide open space. The citadel walls are complete and the gates are still beautiful, and a number of the compounds within that housed family members are complete and nicely renovated so it was well worth a few hours wandering the extensive grounds.

Tourism complete for the day we retired to a good local restaurant to sample some of the local delights. With the imperial legacy (some were fussy eaters) there is a history of novel cuisine in the city and we were not disappointed. Much less Chinese influence here, and subtle flavors.

Thursday November 2nd

2006-11-10T22:58:00.000-08:00

Next morning the weather was clearer and Tracy got up for sunrise... unfortunately a big lump of limestone was in the way and she had to make do with some nicely lit photos. Once underway we cruised a different route in, stopping for a walk through an enormous cave with impressive stalagtites and stalagmites. This cave was used as a hospital in the war: at one time local fishermen would live in the caves as even a Typhoon would not cause much swell deep in the Bay. Now the caves are protected for the tourists (it is a world heritage site) and the fishermen make do with floating villages among the islands.

Sadly we only had 24 hours on the boat and were soon back aboard the bus, arriving with time in Hanoi to grab food and head to the station. Our cabin turned out to be better than anticipated... not so hard and with enough space to sleep comfortably enough. Exactly the same as the trains in Zimbabwe and South Africa for anyone who's been there. We were not booked together but soon swapped with a Dutch couple and the four of us shared with Hung, a local guy on his first train trip (he travels for business but usually by car) who spoke good English. After teaching him "Pass the Pigs" and seeing him win the first game we were joined by another local woman getting on at an intervening station and pretty much all hit the sack.

Even tropical islands have internet now

2006-11-10T22:45:00.000-08:00

No break in service as there is plenty of internet here now (and being a weekend it's noisy with local kids playing online games: at 25c and hour a lot of people can afford it). We are in a deliberately low tech resort (think hammocks and waving palms rather than TV's and nightclubs) but the beer is cold and the food is tasty. And town is close by.

We have signed up to dive tomorrow and Monday which will take us north and south on Phu Quoc, a hilly, forested tropical island where modern life and tourism is not exactly overwhelming the traditional pursuits of fishing for squid and fish. The night sea view is a myriad of little lights as each boat tries to attract a host of squid which are then cleaned and dried on the shore.

Possible Interlude

2006-11-09T18:06:00.000-08:00

Today we head off to Phu Quoc, Vietnam's biggest island in the SW off Cambodia. It is still relatively undeveloped so we are not sure of internet access (our 2 year old tour book says it's very sparse but change is happening rapidly here). If you don't get an update till the 15th Nov it's not because we have disappeared!

"American War"

2006-11-09T03:07:00.000-08:00

With us now in the center of the country and near the old north-south border I thought I'd mention how the way the war seems always to be refered to as the "American War". Without going into the history (Wikipedia can do that for you) the conflict simmered from 1945 to 1975 with involvement of the North, South and France. While the US involvement propped up the Southern regime for many years after they orchestrated the overthrow of the increasingly unpopular anti-communist strongman Ngo Dinh Diem in 1963, the major casualties were Northern and Southern soldiers with vast numbers of Northern and many southern civilians. Maybe it's just easier to reunify if "civil war" is not mentioned or maybe there was a deliberate policy to Americanize the conflict after the North won?

Wednesday November 1st

2006-11-09T02:49:00.000-08:00

We had booked a luxury trip to Halong Bay so we were picked up early morning by a classy air conditioned van for the 3.5 hour ride east. This is one of nature's more impressive creations... 3000 limestone islands just off the east coast in the Bay of Tonkin (see here for pictures and details and good old Wikipedia for the quick version.

We boarded a nice boat (16 rooms so not crowded) and cruised out for about 7 miles passing countless of the islands and being well fed en route. There was time for sunbathing on the top deck before we docked at one island for sunset. Those who chose had the chance to climb to the island's peak for a different perspective while Tracy made use of the bathlike water temperatures (the whole limestone system is not deep).

Back on board the good food continued and once again the top deck was great, this time for viewing the stars (though there was a near full moon to contend with). Our overnight harbor was full of boats although there was hardly crowding in the extensive waters. I can only imaging what the place will look like if Vietnam continues to become a popular tourist venue as this is it's prime natural site.

Frogger

2006-11-09T02:12:00.000-08:00

Thought I would take a moment to describe how to cross the road in these parts. In Hanoi, and to a lesser degree in Ho Chi Minh, there are actually some proper crossings with green men for pedestrians to go. On the whole the traffic stops so these make life easy (actually the police have a reputation for being strict here so people tend to obey the traffic laws). However anywhere else it's a different story, whether there is a crossing marked on the road or not. Here you have to compete for the road with countless motorbikes, cyclists, cyclos, people pushing carts and a few cars, buses and trucks. You soon learn that the way to cross a seemingly endless stream of traffic is to pick a time when the road is marginally less packed and set off. Walk at a slow even pace and the motorbikes will get around you. First time you try it it fries the nerves but after a while you resign yourself to your fate and just cross.

Of course with crutches you have no choice but to move slowly. I wish I had a video of one crossing Tracy made ahead of me... it appeared that she just disappeared in a solid mass of moving traffic without she or the traffic missing a beat. Maybe it is the Buddhist influence but after a while just relaxing and going with the flow seems to be the best policy.

Tuesday 31st October

2006-11-09T00:26:00.000-08:00

We got up pretty early as our hotel was hardly an oasis of calm with a lot of noise up the open central stair from the reception area where the guys working there seemed to hang with their friends from early morning to late evening. We had quickly learned that the best policy was to get out as soon as possible before they tried to sell you tours so we walked towards the old city and found a coffee shop en route. The French influence means an interesting breakfast fusion of strong coffee and french bread with rice porridge and noodle soup.

Hanoi old city is a warren of streets with one type of shop clustered together (a legacy of the days where one guild would control one street). So you'll pass a street of shoe stores, one of chinese medicine, another or motorbike parts. Instead of a trip to Home Depot/ B and Q (I hope you are impressed that this site is bilingual in US and UK English) you can go down to a long street with every conceivable DIY need. A good way to run things I guess, lots of competition. I suspect that the mobile phone street may not be as traditional and would not have once had a guild (though the Terry Pratchett readers among you might disagree, imagining a guild with small boxes containing messenger pigeons or similar).

The fact that Vietnam is a communist country and Hanoi the capital of the most strongly communist part should not make anybody think that it is not a bastion of free enterprise. Commerce is everything here and most people have something to sell. Many stores, especially in tourist areas will be restaurant/ grocery/ bar/ travel agent; whatever sells. However the Vietnamese say that the Chinese are even more business orientated - traditionally the Chinese here were business people and Chinese goods flood over into the north of the country. Makes you feel right at home really when everthing you see is made in China!

First off we did a little tourism past the government buildings and the army museum (lots of old US weaponry they captured or northern armaments that helped win key battles. Then we changed tack and went to The Temple of Literature which has been a seat of learning for mandarins for over 1000 years and is now laid out in a typical pattern of gates, ponds, bridges and buildings. They have stellae (memorial stones) carved with the accomplishments of students going back centuries... beats a piece of paper with some Latin on it.

Then John and Cindy took off to buy a trip to Halong Bay while we looked unsuccessfully for a place to get Tracy an x-ray. Tracy now took a cyclo ride and saw some of the city while Tim walked through the most beautiful (and most touristed) part of town around Hoan Kiem Lake and through a market on a winding narrow street. We caught up with John and Cindy and set off for the Railway station for tickets out of town, again sending Tracy ahead by moto to stake out the station bar. $22 each bought us "hard sleeper" tickets as the "soft sleepers" were all booked and we had fun imagining what we had let ourselves in for.

Next we regrouped at a nearby bar, then John and Tim scouted for food while the girls hung out at expat haunt the "Relax Bar". We found few good options but they got an invite to the party being held for those on the Vietnam equivalent of the Hash House Harriers trip we took in Cambodia (trips were arranged in neighboring countries both before and after the Chiang Mai event). $15 each bought us a buffet, free beer and a decent party band so a good night was had by all.

Monday 30th October

2006-11-09T00:16:00.000-08:00

Another travel day. Another lazy morning though hanging out with our crowd of 6 for the last time. With Willy heading to China and Don going home (sucks to be you Don) the rest of us said our goodbyes and hit a taxi (here the main transport are either tuk-tuks - not like Cambdia, these have more of a three wheeled chariot setup pulled by the front half of the ubiquitous scooter and only fit 2 in comfort - or taxis - small trucks fitted with a cover and bench seating) for the airport.

The journey was long (with no direct Chiang Mai to Hanoi flight we had a big detour through Bangkok) and with a delay we were nervous about our connection (you book each leg individually on Air Asia). However the Bangkok-Hanoi leg was also delayed and we made it without a hitch.

Our hotel in Hanoi booked last minute for a late night arrival was not the best but at least we got a room one floor up for Tracy (no elevator/ lift here). We were able to wander up to the city's West Lake where Tracy, Cindy and John ate the local soup of meat, veg, noodles and broth sitting on the side of the road on tiny plastic chairs. The non meat eater declined to investigate the street food but we all enjoyed a local bar nearby with a view of the lake till closing time.

Sunday 29th October

2006-11-09T00:02:00.000-08:00

More of the same really. A lazy morning followed by a trip to the stadium to pick up a bus, this time for a longer journey to a farming area. The numbers were much reduced today, clearly our early night was not copied by many of the participants!

This run was faster (with only 100 if that we soon spread out) and much hotter but gave us some good views of a pagoda, farming and local life. We were shadowed by an ambulance which stayed on a road we cris-crossed... apparently there may be snakes.

Tracy took the option B today, stay at home for a good massage and lazy day. Meanwhile Tim was trying to stay cool and run. The water check half way was not a minute too soon. This time we did not have a long run in to the final venue, we turned a corner and there was the oasis of food drink and buses right ahead. A large number of local children had gathered to watch what these strange people were doing and Tim and Don entertained them with an impromtu juggling act (always a winner in malawi with the kids and it works here too).

Without Tracy we decided to again have an early night, but we did have the added attraction of an impressive night market that had sprung up on the streets right around where we were staying. It's a pity we had eaten and had no need for crafts (more to carry!) as it was impressive.

Ho Chi Minh City/ Saigon

2006-11-08T23:54:00.000-08:00

We avoided the floods and arrived here safe and sound. The main news is that Tracy is back on her feet having got an x-ray and Orthopedic consultation here. The city is bigger and crazier than Hanoi and the weather is HOT. Not surprising as we're near sea level, well inland and well south.

Latest News

2006-11-07T22:06:00.000-08:00

Once more an update interlude. We are leaving Hue in the middle of the country and not a minute too soon. It's been great but the rain has come down for over 12 hours and the water is now knee deep on the road outside our hotel. The rest of the city is better but it's sill crazy. We are assured our plane will leave though.

We're going to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) tonight and hope to get Tracy back on 2 feet with the requisite x-ray. Then it's off to the beach on an island in the very SW of the country. More updates depending on email access.

Saturday 28th October

2006-11-06T04:50:00.000-08:00

With our adventurous (well for us in the last few years anyway) tourism suspended for a few days some of you might like to wait till I get on to Tuesday 31st and we resume normal tourist activities. The next few days we run, party and rest in approximately that order. If you'd like to know about the historic city of Chiang Mai check here. Interestingly the rise of this northern power contributed to the decline of the Angkor empire.

Time for some real running at last after a number of days (at least for me). There was a choice of about 20 different running options (from short and sweet to long and hilly) set up by different hash groups, and all has a longer and shorter options. All our crowd picked to do a run set by the Bangkok hash as we know one of their number who lives out east of us when he's in the US. You could not sign up beforehand so we all arrived early at the stadium and staked places on the right bus, even though we had quite a wait and only a short ride to a lakeside park.

The run took us through a lot of scrub and jungle but the shade was a merciful relief from the beating sun. Lots of climbing too. For a while the 200 plus people kept running to a minimum as we were on narrow trails but eventually the crowd thinned out and we could run/ walk/ jog as we liked. Nice views of the lake from a ridge we ascended but the final 2 mile (3km) on the lake shore road to the area where they'd set up the beer and food was very tough and hot. The beer, water and food was plentiful though and the setting on the lakeshore beautiful so we forgave the organizers.

After dark we tried out a local custom setting loose a paper "balloon" with a burner attached below (basically a tiny hot air ballon). It disappeared high in the sky and did go out before starting to fall... so hopefully we did not add to the local smog and deforestation.

The evening was better organized with less wait for food, though the wine line was long. We didn't party too hard though (must be old age) and soon hit the bus home.

Friday 27th October

2006-11-06T04:16:00.000-08:00

We had entertained some idea of tourism today as the festivities were not to begin until the evening, but it seemed easier to relax in the morning before heading over to the main hotel to register our stragglers and meet up with other friends flying in from assorted points in the US. Here we discovered that one of the venues bidding for the next World Interhash was putting on a beer and snacks event in the afternoon right at the hotel so Tim went back to pick up Tracy (taking the relaxing to the max after all the crutching).

We all enjoyed the party hosted by Malaysia. It is big business having 6000 people heading your way and a lot of money is put into winning, but this group (sponsored by a big resort) really pulled out the stops. In the end the next event will be in Perth Australia, however, so we'll likely make it en route from New Zealand.

Once the snacks and beer were winding down Tracy and I boarded a bus for the stadium hosting the first night proper, where they had space for a huge swathe of beer carts, food stands and tables and chairs. Things stayed fairly well organized once you got past the food queues nearer the entrance and we finally spent the eveing chatting with a selection of New Zealanders, Auusies and Canadians.

Thursday 26th October

2006-11-04T02:57:00.000-08:00

Another taxi ride... another flight, this time to Chiang Mai our base for 4 days of the World Interhash. Bankok Airways certainly try to please and they were very good with Tracy whisking her and us around quickly. Tim even managed to find time to buy a camera in the airport.

Our time was short when we arrived so we checked into our (highly recommended!) guest house (the Minicost), changed into red dresses and headed out to the center of old town for that hash ritual, the charity "Red Dress Run".

This consisted of somewhat more than 2000 people running around the city in Red Dresses, winding through the streets of the narrow old city for several miles and ending at a big park for a party. Tracy did a pretty good job keeping up with the crowd (there may have been running at the front but there was only walking (or jumping on the local transportation for those tired of walking!) where we were. Judging by the amusement the spectacle provided for the staff of our guest house as the "run" passed their door the whole city must think the foreigners are nuts.

The party in the park was fun with plenty of beer and lots of good local snack food if you could put up with the queue (at least until supply caught up with demand right before things began to run out). As with our entire stay the evenings proved to be balmy and entirely bug free. Once the party was done soon after nightfall we headed home to change, shower and unpack before finding a good local restaurant nearby.

Wednesday 25th October

2006-11-04T02:34:00.000-08:00

We were not flying to Bangkok till late so after some internet time Don, Cindy, John and I boarded a tuk-tuk again leaving Tracy to the attentions of the hotel spa on her aches and pains from the previous day's exertions.

This time we had a set plan to fill some of the gaps in what we'd seen yesterday, but with a swift downpour we started with lunch while Cindy purchased some clothes to make up a "Red Dress" outfit (see Thursday). Don and I split off from John and Cindy and we began with Bayon as Don has missed it and I wanted to see some more. Then we basically walked north through Angkor Thom passing by the massive rebuilding of Baphuon which was built on sand and had largely collapsed by this century. Much of the stone was removed and cataloged but records were lost during the Khmer Rouge takeover and only one standing wall gives clues for putting together the "world's biggest jigsaw puzzle".

Next we walked over to Phimeanakas which is almost Inca in appearance and dates from the 10th century. Climbing this gave a good view and there are some fine structures on top where we had peace and quiet for a while (other than Angkor Wat the complex was quiet the whole day). Then we descended and continued across the Royal Palace grounds to the Elephant Terrace where we met up with the rest of the group. It was getting late so we headed back, detouring for a better look at the amzingly well preserved and high quality bas reliefs at Angkor Wat.

If anyone wants to follow more about the Angkor complex try reading The Angkor Guide.

We regretfully said goodbye to our beautiful hotel and headed for the airport, a flight to Bangkok and a high speed late night taxi to a downtown hotel. Tim, Don and John had enough energy to go looking for nightlife which was going strong at midnight with a large street market, raucus bars and lots of touts happy to tell us about their "clubs". Finally spotting a peaceful street we settled down for a beer, only noticing later that the waiters around were all male, young and effeminate. Poptop would have loved it!

Tuesday 24th October

2006-11-03T22:28:00.000-08:00

We were up early for a splendid buffet breakfast before we found a tuk-tuk to take us the 7 miles to Angkor Wat. The Angkor complex is spread over a wide area and was built over 400-500 years. Some of the temples are in their natural overgrown state, others are being renovated, rebuilt or cataloged and Angkor Wat itself was never really allowed to fall into disrepair and has been well restored. For more details about the complex click here.

We spent several hours in the morning checking out the extensive formations and Tracy manfully hopped up and down steps and over stones. The temple was not really laid out in a crutch friendly manner! There are impressive statues, fantastic wall carvings and fascinating structures to check out with fine views from the topmost parts. It is busy but not overrun and one day they may limit what you can climb on but for now you can try your luck on any staircase no matter how steep or worn. There are also a couple of stairs with "real" concrete steps and a hand rail installed but these are still steep. I'd recommend anyone to visit.

Our crew at Angkor Wat

From here we went into one of the slightly newer parts of the complex Ankor Thom. This was built over a long period and while less cohesive than Ankor Wat contains some even more impressive individual structures. Today we just looked around Bayon, the central state temple which while outwardly described (correctly) as looking like a pile of rocks is a fascinating place inside. More wall carvings, enormous faces looking down at you from all directions and a warren of rooms and open areas. The quality of stone appears lower than that of Angkor Wat and there is still much restoration to be done in some areas but it's quite a place.

Bayon

Next for the day was a trip to Ta Prohm, a temple which was left for many years in the state it the jungle had left it in. Large amounts of stabilization have been carried out to stop it all falling on the tourists and some restoration is going on now but it stll has some of the feel of a place you've just stumbled out of the jungle and discovered. By the way it is a sign of the times when the guides are quicker to tell you the areas that were used to film "Tomb Raider" than point out the glories of their forebears! Tracy still managed to make her way through this challenge but was intent on heading home as we got the tuk-tuk to drop us at the long run starting point.

Ta Prohm

Unfortunately the plans had changed twice since we'd left in the morning and we were in the wrong place but finally word got through to us and we jumped on the back of motos to rush back to the east of Angkor Wat and trail. The run took us through the bush around Angkor Wat (a fair long way) and over to the south gate of Angkor Thom for a beer/ water break. Then we climbed up Phnom Bakheng, a temple on an artificial hill for a view before descending back to the paddies and drains for some sqelching through the mud and water.

I had managed to get well ahead of the pack by now and was running alone when the trail started to get more difficult to follow. Soon some "short runners" (who had taken a shorter route since the stop) came up behind and with a few pairs of eyes (plus a helpful local boy with eagle eyes) we continued to spot flour dots till we came upon a check near the main gate of Angkor Wat. This means we have to look for trail continuing in any direction and look we did as the pack of runners swelled. A series of flour marks led to nothing and finally a car sent by the trail layers appeared to tell us we were well out of the way and a long way from the end. A few lucky ones grabbed a ride, others of us were fit enough to run several miles as the light failed and made it back in good time. However people were still coming in for some long time. A bit of a screw up but a nice run otherwise.

The organizers soon redeemed themselves once we'd showered and boarded buses for a final party. A big restaurant accomodated us with ease and the food and drink just kept on coming with a great selection of local dishes. Tracy wowed the locals with her one legged crutch waving dancing and a fun time was had by all.

Comments

2006-11-03T16:38:00.000-08:00

I think I have now set up the comments so you do not have to log in. I hope that makes it simpler.

Monday 23rd October

2006-11-02T19:21:00.000-08:00

Today we get back on the bus cavalcade heading north to an old temple complex pre-dating the Angkor empire, then west to Siem Riep home of Angkor Wat one of the man made marvels of the world.

The plan was to have two options enroute, either to climb the 809 steps to a temple complex or to continue to an intervening town with time for lunch. Unsurprisingly Tim took the stair climbing option while Tracy went with lunch. The complex proved to be very impressive with a rocky outcrop affording extensive views over the flat fields for miles around. Even more impressive were the large carved reclining Buddhas carved in the sides of the outcrop, each with its own shrine. Lunch was a little less organized as the town was not well able to cope with the crowd. With time moving on many of the less adventurous in the group wanted to just head to Siem Riep (Tracy and Willy took this option) while two bus loads elected to continue along a bumpy dirt road for a trail.

Tracy enjoys a tasty local snack (teryaki spider)

It rapidly became aparent that the road was worse than when scouted a few weeks before and the buses made very slow progress. Finally after a few miles one driver got too close to the edge to miss a pot hole and (as Tim looked down out the window thinking "that looks marshy") dropped a wheel off the road. He compounded it by revving for a while before we decided to evacuate the bus... to find that the outward opening door was blocked by the mud. We all hopped out the emergency exit with more or less ease and found ourselves on an isolated stretch of road between rice paddies next wo five local wood houses built out on stilts - those people certainly got a show - and with a bus that was clearly sunk down to the chassis.

Things looked up a little when the beer truck for after the run appeared so it was with water and beer supplies that we tackled the job of getting unstuck. First a passing truck was enlisted but that just broke our tow rope and his chain. Then the other bus appeared and we hooked it up with the guys pushing (more for show than effect) and that failed. By this time some of the party had resigned themselves to a long night but to our great luck a big army truck appeared carrying an enormous earth moving machine. They hooked up a serious town rope and the truck made light work of hauling our bus out to great cheers.

A failed attempt at towing

At this point the bus needed to turn so we could abot the journey north and it was clear to all but the bus driver that this could be done at a driveway 50 yards ahead. He elected to do a K/3 point turn right there and... dropped another wheel off the road. Once again he then revved and dug deeper as a bus load screamed at him to stop, but luckily not so deep that the other bus could not do the hauling out honors this time. And we were finally on our way back towards Siem Riep after a short in distance but afternoon consuming short cut.

Willy and Tracy had got us all booked in to the very impressive luxury hotel in the town (our orgnizers must be able to cut a sweet deal) by the time we arrived so we soon headed into town for food before some continued partying while we got some sleep in before a busy day ahead.

Why Cambodia?

2006-11-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

Now revealed, the real reason I have always wanted to travel in Cambodia. One of the great punk/ new wave songs: "Holiday in Cambodia" by the Dead Kennedy's dating from when the country was bottom of the list of the world's tourist destinations.

So you been to school
For a year or two
And you know you've seen it all
In daddy's car
Thinkin' you'll go far
Back east your type dont crawl

Play ethnicky jazz
To parade your snazz
On your five grand stereo
Braggin' that you know
How the niggers feel cold
And the slums got so much soul

Its time to taste what you most fear
Rightguard will not help you here
Brace yourself, my dear

Its a holiday in Cambodia
Its tough, kid, but its life
Its a holiday in Cambodia
Dont forget to pack a wife

Youre a star-belly sneech
You suck like a leach
You want everyone to act like you
Kiss ass while you bitch
So you can get rich
But your boss gets richer off you

Well you'll work harder
With a gun in your back
For a bowl of rice a day
Slave for soldiers
Till you starve
Then your head is skewered on a stake

Now you can go where people are one
Now you can go where they get things done
What you need, my son.

Is a holiday in Cambodia
Where people dress in black
A holiday in Cambodia
Where youll kiss ass or crack

Pol Pot, Pol Pot, Pol Pot, Pol Pot, etc.

And its a holiday in Cambodia
Where you'll do what you're told
A holiday in Cambodia
Where the slums got so much soul......
Pol Pot!

Latest News

2006-10-30T22:34:00.000-08:00

I'll keep doing detailed posts with pictures but I thought you'd like to know we've survived the partying in Chiang Mai, Thailand and made it to Hanoi in Vietnam with our friends John and Cindy. It's a bustling city but not at all touristy. This can make getting food without meat a challenge (the other 3 had sidewalk food last night with meat and noodles perched on tiny plastic chairs) but we'll be heading for the more foreiger friendly places tonight. The plan is to tour Halong Bay (spectacular seaside scenery) in the next couple of days... but a typhoon might make for a change.

By the way if you have time leave me a comment, so I know someone is reading these posts!

Sunday 22nd October

2006-10-29T19:42:00.000-08:00

Today we had free time in Phnom Penh to do a bit of tourism and all decided to become more familiar with the dark side of recent Cambodian history. Don and Willy travelled out to the "Killing Fields" to the mass grave sites of many of those killed in the city while John, Cindy, Tracy and I stayed in the city and went to the genocide museum. This is housed in S-21, a school converted to a prison where many of the more significant prisoners were interogated and tortured before the one way trip to the Killing Fields.

The museum is very well done with much of it left as it would have looked in 1979. The Khmer Rouge documented the people they rounded up in picture and by written confession (one assumes to prove their single minded diligence and loyalty in rooting out spies and other anti-revolutionary elements to the higher ups: many of those who had positions in the Khmer Rouge were later imprisoned and killed) so many pictures are displayed to show the enormity of the crimes. I personally found it more moving than Auswitz, probably because it happened within my memory.

From here we took in one of the positive features of Cambodia by visiting one of the main Pagodas, Wat Phnom. Here people make offerings to Buddha and there was a lively trade in incense, sticks of flowers and lotus blossom outside to leave as offerings. You could also buy a bird (or several) to carry your prayers up to heaven.

Offerings in the Pagoda

From here we returned to the hotel to board a bus once more for a short journey to our run site out in the rice fields. Rice fields right now (early season) are a panorama of paddies filled with short bright green plants broken up by palm trees and open areas with cattle grazing. The fields are deep in water so the running trail is a zig-zag of dry and squelchy trail between them.

The run was very enjoyable and the pack were led back and forth so we all kept together. Unfortunately towards the end I ended up on the wrong side of a paddy and followed two others down a field divide under a food of water. I saw where they slipped and went carefully there but all of a sudden I slipped and went up to my neck in water, camera too. Pleasantly cooling but that was the end of that machine.

After the run and a few beers we all headed home for a much needed shower and then took off for an organized event at a local bar. It was a mellow affair but I had the chance to talk with a couple of New Zealanders and find our more about Wanganui where we'll be working next year.

Saturday 21st October

2006-10-29T19:07:00.000-08:00

A lazier morning this time with a few hours on the beach before a long journey back to Phnom Penh via Kampot. The beach was very pleasant although the vendors are pretty persistent. Tracy availed herself of a massage and we were all relaxed by the time we hit the road.

While most of southern Cambodia is very flat the coastal area is hilly and as our bus convoy headed down the last steep hill near disaster struck. One bus ahead of us hit the brakes and the next swerved into traffic to avoid it, hitting a truck coming the opposite way. The bus skidded into the ditch one way, the truck the other but luckily all other vehicles missed the crash and noone around was hit. Tracy hobbled over to help the locals on the truck (everyone in the bus was OK other than the driver who hurt his foot - subsequently we learned he was OK too) but two nurses in our group who could move faster already had the situation in hand. Other than acertaining that there was nothing much to be done other than keep them still and shaded and call an ambulance (we were close to Sihanoukville which has facilities and in theory basic health care is free) there was nothing critical to do.

Leaving people from the bus company there we got our extra bus load aboard other buses (though they soon sent a replacement) and rolled off again in soberer mood. Kampot is a ways around the coast on a good dirt road and we made reasonably good time. However when we arrived at the town there was a problem... the bridge is weak and it was not certain we'd be allowed to pass (previously our organizers has seen this as a potential hitch but had assurances that buses could pass with the passengers walking).

The buses finally cross

We hung around and injected large amounts of cash into the local economy in cold drinks and street food before doing a short trail around the town to take a look at it's faded French architecture. The place reminded me of Nsanje in Malawi as a port town that had seen much better days. While we relaxed one of the Cambodian organizers used his persuasion skills (or the color of his money) to work with the mayor's office and open the bridge. A really long journey back had shortened somewhat but we were still not "home" till 11pm.

A basic rum cocktail!

Friday 20th October

2006-10-28T21:11:00.000-07:00

Up early for a trip to Sihanoukville on the coast. Our party of 250 piled aboard 6 buses and we got a good view of rural Cambodia as we headed South west for about 260km (160miles).

The journey was not without some hairy overtaking moments and featured a tire change but the traffic moved well enough and we were booked into our very pleasant hotel and sheltering from the rain at the hotel swimming pool by 1pm. The downpour was torrential for a while but the skies cleared before we had to head out from the hotel and that's really the last rain we've seen.

The run here featured a trail along the beach with good views and a couple of turns through a fishing village who'd likely not seen anything like this before. Some of the running was on sand but a few sections involved rock hopping which wasn't to everyone's taste. We then swam and enjoyed the sunset with beer before returning to the town and enjoying a very fine meal at a little restaurant a few meters away from the hotel gate.

Thursday 19th October

2006-10-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

Once again there was overnight rain, but less torrential and like yesterday the day dawned steamy with low visibility. By mid morning however it was brigtening and our friends had safely arrived so we headed out to the "Russian Market", a dense mix of ordinary market stalls (vegetables, meat, live fish, moped parts, books, clothes, bags) and tourist traps (wood, silver and bonework predominated).

A few purchases later we went back to prepare for the "cyclo-hash". Hashing is normally a running activity where a "hare" lays a trail with flour or chalk markings and other "hounds" follow shortly after to follow the trail which leads to beer at the end. Usually this is done by running/ walking. A cyclo is an old fashioned bike conveyance with a driver pedalling a passenger seat. Put the two together and you have 200 foreigners being chauffeured around through traffic with much amusement and chaos.

Once the "run" was finished we headed out on a sunset cruise on the Mekong with dinner at a huge venue on the edge of town.

Wednesday 18th October

2006-10-27T20:42:00.000-07:00

Our first experience of Phnom Penh was wet after heavy overnight roads flooded some roads. The atmosphere was hot and steamy as we looked out on the confluence of the Mekong and Tonle Sap Rivers from our hotel the Star Royal. First job was to get Vietnam visas so Tim walked about 2 miles through town to the embassy taking in the sights (and smells - reminded me of Africa). After doing the paperwork he was hailed by two Australians on the same Ankhor Trail trip who were passing in a tuk-tuk (trailer with 4 seats towed by a moped) and headed with them to a bar near the hotel. Tracy joined us and we wiled away the afternoon with beer, food and watching the world go by the waterfront.

The traffic in the city is pretty crazy to the uninitiated with a plethora of mopeds and tuk-tuks mingling with the cyclists, cars and trucks. However speeds are low and everyone seems to miss one another and get around tourists crossing the road. Seeing a road junction where noone stops is impressive. They just seem to weave around one another.

The Flight

2006-10-27T20:31:00.000-07:00

In an effort to give a bit more detail I'll fill in each of our days one by one. First off was an indeterminate amount of time in the air and airports en route from LAX to Taiwan, Bangkok and finally Phnom Penh. This took us about 48 hours as we left Monday morning (16th) and were in Cambodia for Wednesday morning. Notable memories include:

1. China Airlines is pretty good with excellent entertainment consoles at each seat. But only if you are 5 foot 4 and smaller plus do not have a broken leg.

2. Taiwan airport staff could not have been more helpful with getting Tracy around.

3. Airline food has not improved any.

4. Cambodia is a very wet place. As we flew in all you can see is water. I guess this is the end of the rainy season and the water backs up the Mekong River and floods. As the floods recede (they have started already) rice is planted in the paddies. This makes the county really green and lush right now.

5. We met our friends in Bangkok at 1am, saving us from 5 hours of airport hell and replacing that with a shower and 3am beers (hey, it was 4pm or so back home!).

Pictures

2006-10-24T21:29:00.000-07:00

A pic of the main temple I grabbed off the web. Dunking my camera in a rice paddy means I am depending on friends for pictures till I buy another in Bangkok. We might stop back later in the trip at Angkor though.

Finally...an update

2006-10-24T21:07:00.000-07:00

So far the trip has been so busy that I haven't been online but here goes:

The flight was as OK as 19 hours could be, not much leg room on the section to Taiwan but we were efficiently whisked around airports with Tracy in a wheelchair. Struck lucky in Bangkok, we were going to sit in the airport for 5 hours but met our friends who had a room at the very nice airport hotel and had a shower and a 3am beer instead (our bodies said it was the middle of the day) with the 14 or so hour time difference.

Cambodia looked like one big flood as we flew over as the rains are finishing late this year, but after rainy nights in Phnom Penh it's been very warm and sunny. The capital is a pleasant place and we relaxed on the first day before our friends caught up with us and we did the sights. We also spent a day at the seaside then headed to Angkor Wat. It's as great as everyone makes out but needs a lot of walking so Tracy has not been able to fully enjoy. She did crutch several miles yesterday and saw a lot. Then she retreated to the spa. I'm heading back right now for another day.

I will fill in more details in the next couple of days, we fly to Bangkok tonight.

Tim and Tracy

2006-10-15T16:51:00.000-07:00

Ready to Go

2006-10-15T16:41:00.000-07:00

The house is packed and we are ready to go. Tracy and I fly from Los Angeles to Bangkok and on to Phnom Pehn, Cambodia tomorrow. Neither military coups (Thailand), broken legs (Tracy, right ankle) or disorganization (getting the house ready to sell) could stop us.

We will try to add pictures and comentary from our travels as we go!