I'm in Saigon (Vietnam), also known as Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC). It's almost the peak of monsoon season in Southern Vietnam and it's almost always cloudy and rains heavily occasionally. The rain reminds me of my monsoon trekking days and how much I really miss that.
I more or less just walked around the city today taking in all the sights. Motorcycle traffic is everywhere - just like in Pune. I was very surprised to see that the city is quite clean, modern and Westernized.
I visited the War Remanants Museum and learned about American atrocities on the Vietnamese during the Vietnam war. Americans started the war for "national security" reasons. America has always lived by the gun and one day it will die by it too - just like the saying goes.
Anyone who crosses the border between Cambodia and Vietnam will undoubtedly notice the contrast between the economic development of the two countries. Now that I'm in HCMC and look back at my Phnom Penh experience, it feels like I was in some African nation!
Anyhow, I really miss Cambodia. The charm, the temples, the country - the people. Cambodians are some of the nicest people I've ever met. Vietnamese are also very nice people.
So far in my trip, I've only had positive experiences with people. Many people have stopped by and asked where I'm from; some have asked my age; and some just look at me and smile. Interestingly, no one here thinks I "look young" for 26. In Southeast Asia, everyone looks young for their age (when compared to Western standards).
Tomorrow is my first arranged "tour". I'll be spending a day in the Mekong river delta, checking out the floating river markets and other such sights. An organized tour is the easiest, fastest and cheapest way to get there. I really don't have the luxury of time to figure out how to get there on my own. I'm also going to Hanoi tomorrow night on the "Reunification Express". It'll be a 30-hours journey!
So far, I've travelled everywhere independently. Interestingly, it's not necessarily the cheaper option in Cambodia and Vietnam. Many tour companies charge less than what I paid to do it independently. I guess economies of scale are at work there. They provide an A/C bus which has many foreigners in it. I paid more to do it independently, but I experienced the "real" thing, and mind you, I did it in style! ;)
Cambodia Forever
I'm in Siem Reap now. I've been temple tripping for a few days now. Angkor Wat and Bayon are pretty cool. I also saw the temple where Tomb Raider was filmed.
My favourite "Angkor" site was Kbal Spean, also known as "the river of thousand lingas". It is quite far from town (50KM) but well worth it. I went there on a bike (with driver) and trekked/climbed alone for 1.5KM (from parking lot) through thick forest. Since it is far from town and it's not peak season, almost nobody was there, so it was a bit scary as I have read about incidence of looting.
I ran into a couple of Swiss backpackers once I reached the river, so I had some company on the way back. They were on a four month vacation to Southeast Asia. The river itself is very cool with many carvings of Vishnu and Shivlingas. There's also a nice waterfall. I really enjoyed the site.
I'm going back to Phnom Penh tomorrow morning and then to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) on June 1st.
So far I love Cambodia. The people are very friendly and helpful. Everyone smiles. Cambodian girls come to me and tell me I'm handsome and that they like my smile! I think I should move here... hehehe
My favourite "Angkor" site was Kbal Spean, also known as "the river of thousand lingas". It is quite far from town (50KM) but well worth it. I went there on a bike (with driver) and trekked/climbed alone for 1.5KM (from parking lot) through thick forest. Since it is far from town and it's not peak season, almost nobody was there, so it was a bit scary as I have read about incidence of looting.
I ran into a couple of Swiss backpackers once I reached the river, so I had some company on the way back. They were on a four month vacation to Southeast Asia. The river itself is very cool with many carvings of Vishnu and Shivlingas. There's also a nice waterfall. I really enjoyed the site.
I'm going back to Phnom Penh tomorrow morning and then to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) on June 1st.
So far I love Cambodia. The people are very friendly and helpful. Everyone smiles. Cambodian girls come to me and tell me I'm handsome and that they like my smile! I think I should move here... hehehe
Kitni Haseen Hai Yeh Duniya!
Cambodia is a beautiful country with beautiful people. There is poverty everywhere and that is obvious as soon as one gets out of the airport. On the other hand, the city of Phnom Penh is booming and that has created a huge disparity between the rich and poor. I have seen more Lexus SUV's in Phnom Penh in one day than anywhere else.
I get stared at everywhere I go in Cambodia. They look at me and smile, and I smile back. I think Cambodian girls are very beautiful. I'm somewhat of a novelty for Cambodians - brown people are a rarity in this part of the world. It is also safe to just walk around - people are always smiling and are friendly.
It is very hot and humid here so tuk-tuk's (rickshaw) are a great way to get around. I hired a tut-tuk to take me all around Phnom Penh today. The tuk-tuk driver was the same guy who had dropped me off to my hostel from the airport. He was good so I got his phone number and called him this morning (Monday) to take me around.
There are lots of tuk-tuk guys near my hostel, but most are sleazeballs. Some have asked me if I wanted drugs; others have asked me if I wanted "bum-bum" (prostitutes); but the worst was a guy who offered "very small" Vietnamese girls. Man, who the hell do these guys think I am?! It is sad, but true, that many foreigners come here to sexually exploit children. There are also a lot of "massage parlours" in Phnom Penh. As tempting as it is to get an one hour massage for only US$1.25, most parlours are really "fronts" for brothels. Even from the outside one can clearly see women lying on the bed in suggestive poses.
My tuk-tuk driver was the only one who hadn't made any "offers" so to speak. He was a young guy, recently married and with a 2-month old son.
I went to a lot of places today. The Royal Palace was very nice. I also went to the Killings Fields where the Khmer Rouge buried (some alive) many Cambodians in the 1970s. Mass graves were found at that site. S21 was another place that I visited where thousands of Cambodians were imprisoned and murdered. One should not come to Cambodia and miss seeing these places.
Later I went to a shooting range where one can shoot anything from a revolver to an AK47. I think even rocket launchers and grenades were on the "menu" (literally!). There were some Chinese tourists there sitting on a table - one guy was smoking; another was taking semi-automatic hand guns, machine guns and a revolver out of a black bag; another guy loaded all of those weapons and put those on the table. Those guys looked like the Chinese mafia and it was a bit scary to be around there with the way they were staring at me. One guy then proceeded to shoot an AK47 - it is extremely loud! I decided not to shoot any weapon - it's just not my thing :) I could have shot 30 rounds (1 magazine) of an AK47 for US$40; or 1 magazine of a Rutger gun for US$12.
I'm just hanging around Phnom Penh tomorrow (Tuesday) and then heading to Seam Reap on Wednesday.
What else? Travelling alone is interesting. Write to me!
I get stared at everywhere I go in Cambodia. They look at me and smile, and I smile back. I think Cambodian girls are very beautiful. I'm somewhat of a novelty for Cambodians - brown people are a rarity in this part of the world. It is also safe to just walk around - people are always smiling and are friendly.
It is very hot and humid here so tuk-tuk's (rickshaw) are a great way to get around. I hired a tut-tuk to take me all around Phnom Penh today. The tuk-tuk driver was the same guy who had dropped me off to my hostel from the airport. He was good so I got his phone number and called him this morning (Monday) to take me around.
There are lots of tuk-tuk guys near my hostel, but most are sleazeballs. Some have asked me if I wanted drugs; others have asked me if I wanted "bum-bum" (prostitutes); but the worst was a guy who offered "very small" Vietnamese girls. Man, who the hell do these guys think I am?! It is sad, but true, that many foreigners come here to sexually exploit children. There are also a lot of "massage parlours" in Phnom Penh. As tempting as it is to get an one hour massage for only US$1.25, most parlours are really "fronts" for brothels. Even from the outside one can clearly see women lying on the bed in suggestive poses.
My tuk-tuk driver was the only one who hadn't made any "offers" so to speak. He was a young guy, recently married and with a 2-month old son.
I went to a lot of places today. The Royal Palace was very nice. I also went to the Killings Fields where the Khmer Rouge buried (some alive) many Cambodians in the 1970s. Mass graves were found at that site. S21 was another place that I visited where thousands of Cambodians were imprisoned and murdered. One should not come to Cambodia and miss seeing these places.
Later I went to a shooting range where one can shoot anything from a revolver to an AK47. I think even rocket launchers and grenades were on the "menu" (literally!). There were some Chinese tourists there sitting on a table - one guy was smoking; another was taking semi-automatic hand guns, machine guns and a revolver out of a black bag; another guy loaded all of those weapons and put those on the table. Those guys looked like the Chinese mafia and it was a bit scary to be around there with the way they were staring at me. One guy then proceeded to shoot an AK47 - it is extremely loud! I decided not to shoot any weapon - it's just not my thing :) I could have shot 30 rounds (1 magazine) of an AK47 for US$40; or 1 magazine of a Rutger gun for US$12.
I'm just hanging around Phnom Penh tomorrow (Tuesday) and then heading to Seam Reap on Wednesday.
What else? Travelling alone is interesting. Write to me!
Nobody Does It Better...
... than Cathay Pacific! I must say I was impressed by their service - even to cattle-class passengers like me. My flight from Toronto to Hong Kong was about 30 minutes late. When I got out from the plane at HK airport, there was a Cathay representative holding a sign with my name on it. She put some kind of sticker on me and rushed me through security and what not because I was late for my plane to Phnom Penh. She was running as if it was she who was going to miss the plane. As it turned out, my flight was delayed by 15 minutes so it was all good in the end.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)