Temples of Angkor, Cambodia and Ko Chang, Thailand

We're a bit behind because internet access was harder to come by and more expensive in Thailand than expected. Currently in Bangkok with plans up in the air due to the situation in Egypt. We're both disappointed not to be able to go, but glad not to be stranded at the airport in Cairo. Would love recommendations if anyone out there has been to Jordan recently. We may find ourselves with more time there than planned.

In any case, I wanted to share some photos and stories from our time in Cambodia and Ko Chang, Thailand. We traveled by bus from HCMC to Siem Reap by bus. Along the way, the scenery--green heavily vegetated countryside, stilt houses, babies in hammocks--was beautiful and peaceful. Kind of a strange contrast to the recent political history of Cambodia that I was reading as we passed by. Siem Reap is the base of tourism for the temples of Angkor, ruins of enormous religious monuments of the ancient Khmer Empire. Some people also call it, "the place where Tomb Raider is set." As an archaeologist, you'd think I'd know or attempt to learn something substantial about the ruins, but there's so much to understand about how the civilization worked, how it changed over time, how non-Cambodian scientists' interpretations of the ruins affect the way they are presented to the public, the interesection of current Cambodian culture and representations of their past, you get the picture. So I turned off that part of my brain and thought of it as art, and really cool.







Angkor Wat was huge, well re-constructed, and had amazingly detailed bas-relief murals along the temple walls.



Monkeys versus warriors.


We liked Ta Prohm because the jungle was growing in and around the stone.





Some of the smaller pyramid temples were fun to climb up. The jungle vegetation is so thick that it is difficult to see even the nearest temple from the tops of the pyramids.


Although we had many, many offers from drivers and guides to tour us around, we rented bikes to get between our hotel and the temples. Good to be independent, and I've missed biking. For me, the most difficult aspect of this place was that people make their living through tourist services, it is a tough way of live, so they work hard to close the deal. For us, that meant constant bugging by people who want to drive us around, have us stay in their hotel, eat their food, check out the shop. It was interesting to talk to the kids who were trying to sell us trinkets ("You buy! You buy! Three for a dollar. You buy!). We purchased lunch from a woman who had an adorable toddler with snot pouring down her face, and for the past week, I've been in similar condition.


The Khmer food in Siem Reap was pretty amazing, especially loved the clay-pot stewed fish called "Amok."


From Siem Reap, we headed to Ko Chang, an island off the southern coast of Thailand. Kind of a vacations from our journey. The water was warm, clear, and blue and we went on a snorkeling trip. Something I've always wanted to do.



Lonely Beach, Ko Chang


After a few days of beach time, we took a minibus to Bangkok, and here we are. There are massive shopping malls, night markets, street markets, park markets, morning markets, BTS (metro system) markets, and weekend markets. I'm not sure how there are enough people in this city to support all the shopping opportunities.

Saigon

When Amanda and I were sailing in Halong Bay with our fellow Seattlites, we asked them what they thought of Ho Chi Minh City versus Hanoi. "Way crazier. The heat makes them go nuts." Considering our challenging introduction to Vietnam via Hanoi, this had us a bit worried.

Ho Chi Minh City aka HCMC aka Saigon definitely is crazy, a real mashup of western and Vietnamese culture cooked up at a minimum 30 deg C. After a couple of weeks in Vietnam, however, it made a lot more sense to us and we found it to be much more enjoyable than Hanoi. It is easier to nagivate, and the heavier traffic moves a little slower thus making street crossings more reasonable. On top of that, the streets novelly often keep their names consistent for more than one block. Between the heat, motor traffic, street vendors on wide sidewalks, cafes, etc, Saigon feels much more like a living, breathing city-organism compared to the more cold, challenging and occasionally off-putting feel of Hanoi.

The city is overflowing with life, and with just one full day to explore, we barely scratched the surface. First, the lowlights - I found the War Remnants Museum, recommended as a must-visit, to be an overly propagandish waste of time and spirit (NB - Amanda thought the narrative presented by the museum was a fascinating and invaluable experience). Atrocities were very clearly committed by both sides, and this museum is dedicated to only one of them. Between the heat, the museum, and seeing a woman on a motorbike get hit by a taxi (she was just scratched up), I was a little beaten down by HCMC. Fortunately, our experience in the coming evening would turn out to be the highlight of our time in Vietnam.

When we arrived in HCMC, we got in touch with our friend from Dalat, Khanh. Unsure if she would be available to meet up with us, we were happy to find out that she wanted to get together for dinner. Better yet, she and her boyfriend Lam wanted to take us around on their motorbikes, show us the city, and get some delicious Saigon cuisine.

Throughout Vietnam, we wished that we knew enough of the language to communicate more easily with people. With Khanh and Lam's genuine hospitality and good grasp of English, this was the first time we were able to understand what it would be like to live here. It was also nice to just be out with friends.

They took us over to a place that is popular for making a savory pancake called banh xeo. Eaten by hand rolled up inside of a lettuce leaf, it made for a fun and delicious dinner.

Khahn and Lam with some delicious banh xeo and fresh rolls

I've never ridden around on the back of a motorbike, and to do so in a place like Saigon was quite a trip.

From HCMC

After our tour, we went to a popular ice cream shop for a giant fondue sampler of ice cream. We needed all four of us to finish it, though I suspect Amanda would have been able to polish it off on her own if left to her own devices. Eating challenge completed, Khanh and Lam took us back to our hotel where we said goodbye. Thanks for a truly wonderful evening!

In Dalat, we made the decision that we wanted to visit a beach in Thailand, so our double date with Khanh and Lam ended up being our last night in Vietnam. It was a great way to wrap up our visit to the country and made us a little sad to leave so soon. Next up, the Temples of Angkor.

Dalat

Amanda here. Often as we've traveled through Vietnam, I find myself searching for a western comparison to explain what I'm seeing to someone back home, or to myself. "Dalat, it's kind of like Aspen...Like Aspen loses skiing and meets rural Georgia...one hundred years ago...red dirt, small family farms." In other words, it doesn't work, Dalat is Dalat. Perched up in the central highlands, it is green and smells good, big pine trees, flowers everywhere. It is a refuge and popular vacation spot for residents of HCMC.

The name of this flower means "Plumes from the Sun" (Or possibly sky or heaven).

We arrived on Sunday. On the recommendation of a couple from HCMC who we met in Hanoi, we decided to stay at a quiet spot on the edge of town. Madame Nguyen runs the place and speaks beautiful French. I last regularly spoke French in 1998, and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my high school French teacher (M. TenEyck was a legend, she threw tennis balls) for giving me enough to communicate "The police need our passports?", "Where can we rent a moterbike?" and "Yes, we like strawberry jam." The hotel had never hosted Americans before and I hope we represented our people well, but I'm sure it was one faux-pas after another. Madame Nguyen was kind, elegant, and polite. I'm not even all that well-mannered by American standards (Matt interjects "You're polite for a New Yorker.") We were happy to get to know some of the other guests at the hotel, a group of women who work together at a PR firm at HCMC. They shared their bbq and tea with us and helped explain some of the mysteries of Vietnam.

We rented a motorbike and headed out to see the sights on Monday. There are several waterfalls you can hike to--some with other attractions built in to enhance the natural beauty, mini-golf course style. I'm not sure what was going on with this horse at Cam Ly falls, but he was a sad camper. There is also a good big mountain to hike up--Lang Bian. The view from halfway up the mountain showed the amazing terracing on the steep slopes, narrow fields of cabbages and strawberries. Cows, chickens, and wild horses have free reign.

Matt did a great job navigating on the motorbike. I was basically useless, but held on and tried to look for road signs. We left the next morning by bus--the ride down from the mountains was beautiful and comfortable. At every stop, the temperature rose and Matt and I wondered what to expect of HCMC. We guessed it would be overwhelming and challenging, and as usual, our imagination of a place failed to capture it at all.

Matt looking tough on the red and orange bike, helmet not quite right for a huge American noggin.

Hoi An, AKA Vietnamland

After feeling as though we were chewed up and spit out by Hanoi, Amanda and I hit the overnight train from Hanoi to Danang (a story for another time). From Danang, we went straight to Hoi An for an authentic old Vietnam experience.

Hoi An is an old town in the middle of the country, a preserved slice of older times as certified by UNESCO in 1999. This beautiful town on the Thu Bon River has been a harbor town since about the 1st century. Food is abundant, delicious, and very inexpensive. The beach is about 5 kilometers away. The old tailoring industry remains strong and has a central place in the current economy of the town. It feels like there are more artisans practicing their arts than homes where people live. In the old town, there are no cars, only pedestrians, bikes, and the occasional motorbike.

Pristinely preserved town that is affordable, full of good food, not choked by traffic, near the beach, where do I sign up, right? Well me and just about every English-speaking person within a 6 hour radius. The stunning beauty of Hoi An is almost as stunningly counterbalanced by how many Australian, European, and American tourists are here. So much so that it practically feels like we are at the hypothetical Vietnam section of Epcot Center. Is this place even real?

When we decided to travel to Vietnam, we definitely had a bit of a romanticized notion of our experience. Here in Hoi An, our expectations have been skewed a bit. We've certainly enjoyed the food, sights, sounds, and have done our part in contributing to the local economy. While we may be half a world away from home, here in Hoi An it doesn't seem like we are much farther out than a Vietnamese version of Leavenworth, WA.

With that said, we've still had what we consider a modern-day authentic Hoi An experience, and we've liked it.

One of the common Hoi An activities is taking a cooking class. Here, Amanda shows off the fresh roll she made with fresh, handmade rice paper. It was as delicious as it looks.

About 30 km outside of Hoi An lies My Son, the ruins of monumental architecture from the Champa people. It was built from the 4th to 13th centuries. The brick structures are exceptionally well made and those studying the ruins have yet to figure out exactly how it was all done without mortar.

The old part of town has some preserved old buildings, ranging from homes to gathering halls to workshops to temples. Here Amanda looks at the gate of one of the temples. At one of old homes we visited, they gave us the hard sell on the family's hand embroidered tablecloths, napkins, silk paintings, and other more common touristy schlock.

I couldn't help myself so I purchased a custom-made jacket. Here I am trying it on with the woman who helped me out, surreptitiously named 'Natasha'.

About 4 or 5 km from Hoi An (the maps couldn't reach a consensus on that one) is the Cua Dai Beach. On the one sunny day, we biked over there and hung out for half a day. It wasn't the most amazing beach but it was nice to be warm for the first time in Vietnam.

Next we're off to Dalat, a mountain town in the south-central highlands.

Gulf of Tonkin, Halong Bay

Matt and I took an overnight trip to Halong Bay on a guided tour. I've never been on a tour bus or a mini-cruise, and that in itself was an anthropological experience. We splurged on the trip and ended up with mostly middle-aged folks from all over the world on a fancy pants tourist boat. Of course, one person from Seattle. From Ballard. Who recognized Matt from the farmer's market. A part-time Shaw Islander. Seriously, you can't get away from these people.

The boats are beautiful junks, made of a reddish wood, maybe cherry? The water has carved into the limestone and made many of the rocks look like animals, people, figures, and has carved out caves. It was formed with a dragon who lived into the mountains gouged into the earth on his way to the ocean, along with some geological processes no one seemed to care much about. We went kayaking in the evening on the calm bay, very much reminded me of the San Juans except for the monkeys.

Highlight of the trip for me was our visit to a floating fishing village this morning. Families live in floating houses and fish and sell to the tourists who come for the day. Dogs and cats and kids running around the docks, a solar panel for electricity, fish swimming around in nets that are attached to the docks.

Back to Hanoi now, I will miss this city. It's beautiful at night with lights all over for the New Year. Time to head to the overnight train to get to Hoi An.

Hanoi

Back when Amanda and I were planning the trip in September, we looked at a map and drew a vague line from Seattle via LA to Vietnam and figured Hanoi would be as good a place as any to start our trip. Now that we've spent 4 days here to digest everything, I'm not sure I'd say the same thing.

Hanoi is a bit of a challenging city whose charms are perhaps not the most accessible. Tasks as simple as walking down the street become a test of wills between driver, motocyclist, bicyclist, pedestrian, and those who are just hanging out on the sidewalk. Add to that being jetlagged after a trip halfway around the world, searching for food where every storefront on a given block is only selling buttons and zippers, a labyrinthine collection of streets whose names change at every intersection and you start to get the picture.

I determined what kind of clothes I would need on the trip by looking at a map and noting where Vietnam is relative to Seattle. Seeing that it is much farther south, I figured we'd be in for great weather all around. A quick check of the weather a couple of weeks before confirmed my hopes that it would be comfortable and sunny in Hanoi with highs in the lower 70s and mostly sunny skies. Flying in from Taipei, we saw that we were flying into a giant bowl of cloud, and that cloud has not lifted since we've been here. Temps have consistently hovered around the mid 50s at best; it feels pretty damn cold here.

Amanda at the Ngoc Son Temple in the middle of Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi

After two days of wandering the cold gray city, dodging car after bike after moto after moto, we were ready to get out. The nearby Perfume Pagoda provided a welcome escape from the overwhelming bustle of the capitol. The complex features a variety of temples and pagodas, with a large cave at the top of a mile and a half walk or gondola ride. While it was still chilly there, at least we didn't have to spend the day dodging traffic.

Our last day in Hanoi, we visited some other sites within the city.

Tomb of Ho Chi Minh

Amanda with the stone tablets listing Doctorates awarded at the Temple of Literature

Next up, touring Halong Bay.

Pacific East

January 4, 2011, LAX Airport, evening. We’ve just made it through security and are waiting for our flight in a strangely empty part of the terminal where everything is a shade of gray. Matt wanted to watch the planes take off, he had hoped to see an A380 (= new big airplane). These past few days since we’ve left Seattle have been full of travel and schlepping, so we’re already getting used to the lifestyle. We safely returned the boxes of artifacts to the lab at CSULA and I was happy to see all my archaeology friends there who are plugging away at analyzing shells, bird bones, drek, fish, and rocks. We stayed in West Hollywood with my friend Brooke. Her dog Charlie made us feel right at home. Charlie thinks it would be a good idea if people would lie down as much as possible so he can curl up next to them. Had a chance to see a few of Matt’s friends who live in the area and revisit his brief attempt to be a southern Californian. The sun came out today and the air was clear from all the rain—snowy mountains, Catalina Island, and a deep blue ocean. Bye Pacific, see you on the other side.