Greener, Newer, Simpler Pastures

My next trip will be to Peru and Bolivia, which includes a four day hike and camping along the Inca Trail through the Andes to Machu Picchu, and a homestay with a family near Lake Titicaca. But I won't be talking about any of that here. Reset your link to thebeatenpath.tumblr.com. It's a little simpler to use, and maybe I won't lose half my posts in draft form because Blogger freaks out on me. Also, it should be easier to update on the road.

Video Mashup!

You'll have to forgive the awkward soundtrack and other hallmarks of a novice user of iMovie... but this compiles all of the video I took in Central America, plus a few choice photos. It's seven (and a half) minutes of heaven - enjoy!

Photos

I've added some photos to my previous entries... I'll also be posting some videos in the next few days, so don't forget to come back and scroll through the Central America posts to see them.

Volcan Pacaya

Yesterday afternoon only Hannah, Ebony, Mark, Brandi, and I made it out for the volcano hike (and I only just barely made it...). Apparently after that long, crazy night, a lot of people weren´t in bed until 8AM, including Ben. He sent us off with a guide with almost no command of English. We drove about an hour and a half to a volcano that you actually can´t see from Antigua. After a very long, steep hike up what feels like a normal mountain, we came out on a cliff overlooking a field of dried lava, with the peak of the volcano rising beyond it. We were totally awestruck, and the guide was giddy that we were so amazed by it. Then, just when we thought it couldn´t get any better, he lead us out onto the lava. We climbed over sharp, steep rocks for at least the length of a football field. We felt intense heat coming out of the ground and at one point the guide threw some brush on a particularly hot area and it just burst into flame. He walked us all the way out to where two or three streams of lava were flowing (very, very slowly). We could walk in between them, and I thought my sneakers were going to melt... the heat coming out of the ground scorched my ankles and made my eyes tear. We got to see some dramatic lava movement, though, where a few large pieces fell over. It was definitely a huge highlight of the trip and well worth braving a hangover and four-hour´s sleep for. Who needs sleep anyway? I´ll sleep on the plane.



We spent so much time in the lava field that we literally ran back down the mountain... also, Brandi really had to use the bathroom and was not keen on 'el bano natural.' We had big plans for dinner... but then we all started dropping like flies. In the end, Katherine, Katie, Andrew, Mel, and Belinda all ordered pizza in Katherine and Katie´s room (again, the line was split between the 'oldies' and the 'newies'), Hannah and Ebony went to an Italian place, Nadia and Scott went to a Japanese place, and Mark, Brandi and I wimped out and veged in my room with more pizza and movies. At least this morning my room smelled like pizza instead of vodka and cigarettes.

I woke up a little early this morning to get some last-minute shopping and atmosphere in. I figured I really shouldn´t leave Guatemala without a little jade... so I bought a bunch. I have to head back to one of the shops again now to pick up a ring they are sizing for me.

The van picks me up at 11AM to take me back into Guatemala City and to the airport. None of us have high expectations for this airport... I just want my flight to be on time. I´m trying not to think about having to go back to work later this week, but this trip really relaxed me and re-energized me... for the next one!

Malaria Magnet

I have nine - arms, feet, legs, hands, count them - NINE mosquito and other assorted flying/biting insect bites. Today is Malaria Pill Day (and, coincidentally, Memorial Day), and I´m almost excited to swallow that big, pink, acne-inducing pill.

The overnight bus to Guatemala City was uber-sketchy. While it was comfortable and air-conditioned, the driver kept stopping at these random checkpoints and then either leaving the bus idling as he had a cigarette, or honking the horn and having these random guys run out of the bushes and put mysterious sacks in the bottom of the bus. Boys and girls, this is how we smuggle illegal substances through Guatemala.

We got into Guatemala City around 6AM and this crazy van driver drove our group the 45 minutes to Antigua ('It´s necessary for him to take every turn that way,' Mark quipped as the van´s brakes squealed around yet another hairpin turn). We all passed out for another few hours, and then I met up with Hannah and Ebony for lunch and shopping.... I´ve purchased all of Antigua. At one point I made Brandi run with me back to the hotel so neither one of us would be sucked into buying yet another pair of earrings or beaded purse.


Antigua is a great little city. The streets are all cobblestone, the buildings are low and colorful, and beyond everything looms the three surrounding volcanoes, swallowed in mist and clouds. It´s so much cooler here - such a relief from Tikal the other day. There are markets everywhere, and also, tourists. Mark, Brandi and I are a little embarrassed by a lot of the American tourists - no matter the age, old and young alike, they are loud, obnoxious, refuse to try to speak any Spanish and get annoyed when shopkeepers don´t understand English... not all of them, but quite a few. Personally, I love that I´m understanding so much Spanish and am able to conduct transactions in Spanish. I feel like I get better and faster service... and Americans are always complaining about people coming to the U.S. who don´t understand English, so I´d rather not be a hypocrite.


Anyway, we had a crazy night last night. Despite the fact that it's 'winter' in this area, the bars are still pretty full. We had a nice dinner last night as a group, then most of us went out to a salsa bar called La Sala ('the living room'). Belinda made a few American friends - Joe and J.D., two medical students from Nebraska - so when the bar closed at 1AM, those three, me, Mel, Andrew, Katherine, Nadia, and Scott all went to the 'after hours' bar - literally, a barred window that looks out onto the street from which beer is sold. The streets were quiet, except for us and a surprising number of policemen. Our group walked back to the hotel together, Katherine and Mel went to bed, and we all hung out in my room until 3:30AM (when I got too tired and kicked them all out!). The hotel staff kept shushing us....


So Murphy´s Law - I couldn´t sleep this morning, so I went to this store where you can make international calls and tried to change my flight so I could stay another day, since almost everyone else is. That was way too expensive to do, though, so now I´m in a cute little cafe typing this and thinking about sitting in the park for a few minutes... or taking a nap. We are hiking up the volcano this afternoon... and then I´m not sure what´s on tap for our last night. I´m not sure we can handle another like the last one!

Everyone´s really awesome, despite all of the hassles of this trip. I kind of wish I could take them all back to New York with me... but my aparment´s too small. A few of them have plans to be in New York in the next year (Hannah, Nadia, Scott, Mark, Brandi), so hopefully we will get to meet up again! I really should do a tour of Australia, now that I know so many people there.

Oh, almost forgot, those funny Ozzies and their slang: I overheard Andrew telling someone, 'oy, Jaime, she´s cool as,' and all I could think was, cool as what? 'Cool as.' Fill in the blank.

Belize to Guatemala: $30 to Leave, $10 to Get In

Sooo... not sure where I left off.

Our last night in Caye Caulker, a few of us went out to a bar on the end of the island owned by some American guy. Everyone went home around 10PM except me, Andrew, and Mel. We walked back into the main area and ran into three Americans - Caitlin, Scott, and Jay - and we all went to this little bar where they were doing karaoke. Andrew did a highly amusing ¨hard rock¨rendition of Michael Jackson´s ¨Beat It¨(video to come, oh yes), and then the American group convinced us to go to this other bar all the way down on the other end of the island (a 15-minute walk). It looked like a dark house from the outside, but upstairs was a bar with black lights and benches and swings all hanging from the ceiling. Up another flight was a great outdoor space.


We got kicked out of that bar at midnight (we weren´t naughty, it was just closing), said goodnight to the American group and ended up back at the karaoke bar, which was now a ¨dance party.¨ It wasn´t much of a party though - three or four overweight girls were dancing and the rest of us just watched and commented. We went home around 1:30AM, talked for a bit, and headed to bed.

While it was a great night, it turned out to be the wrong day for a hangover. After a very touch-and-go boat ride back to the mainland, we boarded the bus to Guatemala. Oh wait, did I say bus? I meant van. VAN WITH NO AIR CONDITIONING. We were stuffed into this thing with maybe five others who weren´t with our tour... it was the most miserable, uncomfortable, claustrophobic FIVE-HOUR journey of my life. It didn´t help that I didn´t have much breakfast and couldn´t really breathe through my stuffed nose and congested lungs. We were so shot from that journey that we all went back to the hotel around 10PM and collapsed. It really sucked... I wouldn´t mind Geckos adding another 25 bucks to the cost of the trip to find us or charter us a real bus with real, working A/C. I never thought I´d say this, but it seems like even Cambodia has quite the leg up on this place.


This morning we drove in a semi-air-conditioned van to the Mayan ruins at Tikal. Our local guide lead us through the jungle (yes, literally) to the sites. Every time I saw a sign that read, ¨Danger: Crocodiles¨or ¨No Pasar¨he was like, ¨Let´s go that way!¨ At one point we heard howler monkeys in the jungle and he wanted to show them to us. We walked through the jungle where there was not even the beginnings of a path... and two people walked out with bleeding feet from leaf-cutter ant bites.


The ruins were great though... I can´t even tell you how high I climbed and how scary it was at times. We saw a lot more monkeys, and a toucan as well. After about four hours, we were shot from all the heat, the climbing, the trekking, etc., and now we´re back in Flores... I´m hoping for a shower before we head onto the overnight bus to Antigua tonight because I am covered in dirt and dust from this morning. I don´t want to know what I smell like.

Roommate Roulette

The last time I went on a trip like this, I wrote a lot about my roommate Carmen. You haven´t been hearing much about a roommate this trip because I don´t have one - usually. I was the last ¨single¨girl (i.e. not traveling with someone) to sign onto the tour, so in Cancun I got my own room. But remember that my name wasn´t originally on that list - Ben´s boss had to get the room for me. Well, when we went to Chetumal, it turns out that there wasn´t a room for me - or at least, not for me alone. Andrew is also traveling by himself, and there weren´t enough rooms available at the hotel, so we ended up in a room together (in hindsight, Ben should have shared a room with Andrew, but it was late and none of us were thinking of that at the time). The other girls on the trip all seem to adore and worship Andrew, so I figured he was a good and trustworthy guy, and that there were certainly worse roommate situations to be in (e.g. Shoshanna from Cambodia).

So we room together and it´s not a big deal because he was sick as a dog and was asleep 99% of the time I was in the room with him. We were leaving Chetumal for Belize early that morning anyway.

In Caye Caulker, we stayed in a small hotel with a view of the water. Due to some weird misunderstanding, Melanie, Belinda, Katie, and Katherine had to share one suite, I got my own room, and Andrew had to share with Ben. The problem was, the suite only had three beds - for four people. So I moved in with Mel in a room with one double and one single bed so that the remaining girls in the suite could have their own room.

We´ve been in Flores for a night, and both Andrew and I (and Ben, for that matter), got our own rooms. We´ll see what happens in Antigua.

Also, I totally got sick from that one night sharing the room with Andrew. Terrible cough, stuffy nose, sneezing, achy, the works. I had to mime coughing and sneezing for the woman in the farmacia so she could get me some (awful-tasting) medicine.

Belizean

A bit more about Belize...

-Definitely the best food thus far on the trip
-The lady who did my laundry hung it out in her backyard to dry, so now my clothes smell like the sea and salt
-The medical clinic that they brought Brandi to after she fell ill the other day was literally a shack on stilts
-We woke up each morning to the sound of a parrot whistling at the ladies as they walked to the water
-There are little ants in the hotel rooms. Always. Everywhere. Every city, every country. I´ll be surprised when I don´t see them
-The Belize men love me (¨Hey shortyyyyyyyyy!¨)

Sharks, Rays, and Barracudas - Oh My!

This morning we went on the most awesome snorkel trip to the reefs around Caye Caulker. After fitting us for equipment, we took a motorboat about ten minutes out and swam with nurse sharks, stingrays, etc. The Ozzies were freaking out about the rays, since all they could think about was how Steve Irwin died from being stung by a stingray, and those things were everywhere. Then we stopped at two other sites where we had free time to swim around the reefs on our own. I saw so many fish... at one point I was following a school of purple ones as they tried to get away from me - hehe. The corals were really beautiful and the fish were very cool - I couldn't believe how big some of them were. The whole experience kind of felt like flying over and eavesdropping in on little cities in the ocean. Brandi and Mark had an underwater camera, and I'm a little jealous that they got to take pictures of everything we saw.


On a side note, Brandi had to go to the hospital today because it looks like she got sunsick... she was very pale and lethargic after lunch today, and Ben had to run off and find a doctor for her. Thank god it's a small island!

Tomorrow we leave for Flores and Tikal in Guatemala. Today is our last beach day, which is probably a good thing. Even though I wore a t-shirt during the snorkeling, I still managed to burn the back of my legs and the lower part of my back. Five hours on the bus from Belize City to Flores tomorrow is not going to be much fun if I can't sit down!

More Belize Please

I haven't been able to get to a computer in a few days... but quite a lot has happened.


After an uneventful last night in Cancun, we boarded a three-hour bus to Tulum. There we saw the Mayan ruins and went to one of the loveliest beaches where we all just stood around in the water and got to know each other. Up until that moment in the water, I still really didn't feel a part of the group. The group is somewhat split up between the "oldies" (who have been on the tour together for twelve days) and the "newies," who joined the tour in Cancun. Katie and Katherine are part of the oldies, along with Andrew, Belinda, and Melanie. Sisters Hannah and Ebony (the only white girl on the planet with that name), and couples Nadia & Scott and Brandi & Mark round out the group. Our tour leader is Benjamin (Ben). Everyone is really great and really cool, even if the groups do split up sometimes along the oldie/newie line. The group is all Australian except for me, Mark, and Brandi (they're from Ohio), and Katherine, who's from England. And now that I think of it, technically Nadia is from New Zealand. Anyhoo.



So after the beach in Tulum, we boarded a bus to Chetumal, a city on Mexico's border with Belize. We had a late dinner, went to bed, then left this morning for Belize. Twelve of us shoved both our bags and ourselves into a small van that we drove across the border and into Belize City in. In Belize City we caught the water taxi to Caye Caulker - a bumpy 45-minute ride to a tiny and beautiful island out in the Caribbean. Our hotel is right across from the beach, though putting on the air conditioning adds another $30 U.S. to the bill... so we're praying for a cool night. We had a delicious lunch at Happy Lobster, then spent a good hour walking the island from end to end looking for a "good beach." The island doesn't have any sandy beaches, just a reinforced wall right before the water. The water is warm and beautiful though... naturally I'm already a bit burned and spent some serious pesos on aloe vera gel before we left Mexico.


I think the group is heading out tonight to experience the nightlife here... there are a lot of American and Australian tourists on the island, so that should be fun. I just dropped some laundry off with a woman down the road, and my fingers are crossed that I'm actually going to get it all back - a lot of the shops, restaurants, and stores appear to be run out of people's front yards. Also, it's not as cheap here as it was in Mexico.


Tomorrow morning we are going on a three-hour guided snorkeling trip to three different locations around the island. I think the afternoon is free - we may go back in the water or rent bikes or something. I have to look at my itinerary to see what's coming next - I've hardly bothered to look. I'm just really enjoying it out here and trying to relax after so many stressful weeks at work.

Disaster! Averted.

I often spend the last few weeks before a big trip like this imagining what the experience will be like - how cool my group will be, how awesome all the stuff I´m going to see will be, etc. There are a few things that don´t factor into these reveries: namely, disaster.

Oh come on, by now you know how much I love hyperbole. But a lot of what has happened in the last 24 hours was definitely not in the plan. My flight was fine, for the most part. We were delayed in Philadelphia for 40 minutes while the pilot went to look for the ¨necessary paperwork¨ in order to get the plane into Mexico, but other than that, things were running smoothly. I even made it to the gym Saturday morning for my long run! So I felt like a champ.

I finally get to Hotel Maria del Lourdes at 11:30PM and settle in for a long night of trying to ignore the incredibly loud air conditioner. I eventually put in some ear plugs and then slept through my alarm. I did make it onto the bus to Chichen Itza on time... barely. I made friends with the three guys from El Paso, Texas who were sitting next to me on the trip - Sergio, Guillermo, and Mario. The four of us hung out during most of the tour, and on the way home, they gave me their hotel name and room number in case I missed my tour group and was left alone for the night - since the group meeting was scheduled for 6:30 and I was definitely not back at the hotel until 8PM.

Well, thank God they did.

When I got to the hotel, they told me I had no reservation for that night. They did not have my name down on the list for the group. They barely spoke English. They didn´t understand the words ¨tour¨or ¨group.¨ It was eight o`clock, I was tired from a long day in the very hot sun, I hadn´t eaten since noon, I had to go to the bathroom... basically, all the makings of a totally ridiculous girly meltdown.

I almost forgot to mention Chichen Itza - really spectacular and amazing to see. You´re no longer allowed to climb up the main building (a woman fell and died not too long ago, and then they decided there was too much wear and tear from people going up there). There´s a lot of cool math and geometry built into the whole site, most of which centers around the number seven. Go look it up.




Anyway - back to me, in tears, at the front desk, being told I had to wait for the tour guide to get back from wherever he was because they weren´t going to give me a room.

So after losing it and yelling at the guy behind the desk (¨I have a f**king reservation!¨), I grabbed my things and sat in the hot lobby, searching for a Geckos emergency number. After trying to call them in Australia (and by the way, I´m very lucky that my phone has service down here, even if it is roaming), but finally realizing there was definitely a number missing, I found an after-hours number for someone in Mexico. I called, someone answered in English, and I immediately started crying. I couldn´t help it. I was just done. It felt like the worst night ever. He immediately assured me that there had been a paperwork mix-up, that he would call the hotel, and that everything would be sorted out in the morning. He called, the guy behind the desk came over all apologetic (and I was too, and now we´re best buds), and I got my room. Whew.

But now, I was all fired up. I called the guys at their hotel and we met up at a taco place. They treated me to dinner, ordering in Spanish for me (and real tacos are so much better than what Old El Paso sells), and then we went out to all of the ridiculous bars in Cancun. I didn´t get the incredibly-short-denim-miniskirt memo, thank God, though every other girl did. I saw so much underwear! Really, it should be illegal to drink and wear skirts that short at the same time. We bounced around to some of the more touristy places (painfully loud music, forced shots, confetti, ole!), and then I left them around 2:30AM and took a taxi back to my hotel. The last I saw them, Guillermo was trying to coax some girls into dancing with him on the stage, Mario was all cool and collected, and Sergio was giving me sad puppy eyes for leaving. BTW, that whole hipster/cool glasses/trucker hat thing that everyone in Brooklyn is trying so hard to do? Guillermo had the look down pat, and it was kind of refreshing not to see someone trying so hard to be cool.



Anyway, I´d left a note for the tour guide at the front desk of the hotel, but they told me that he still hadn´t returned by the time I got home. This morning, I got dressed for the beach. This is Cancun, for heaven´s sake. When I came downstairs, I started asking the girl at the front about my tour, but she didn´t know any English. It turns out my tour guide, Benjamin, was sitting at the internet terminal. I can´t tell you the waves of relief that I felt. I like traveling alone to these places, but I don´t like being alone while I´m here. There´s not much point in experiencing a new country if there´s no one to share it with. He and I had breakfast together at the hotel and we actually ran into two girls on the tour - Katie and Katherine - who are also interested in going to the beach today.

And that´s my incredibly long and detailed first day and a half in Cancun.

UPDATE: Never made it to the beach, but I got plenty of sun from walking around downtown Cancun today. My task for the evening is to convince people to go out... it is SO BORING in my room!

Una Semana

I've been a little remiss about writing about my trip preparations this time around... though they didn't involve much more than remembering to pack more tops than I did for Vietnam and Cambodia and to have my doctor write me another prescription for some preventative malaria pills (Side effect = acne. Joy.)

Per the usual I'll try to post as often as I can, but I don't know that I'll have the kind of constant internet access I had in Asia. I have a feeling they're a bit more tech-savvy vs. Central America. Anyway, here's where I'm going and what I'm doing:

Day 1: Chichen Itza

I paid for a day trip to Chichen Itza, some famous Mayan ruins on the Yucatan Peninsula. I return around the same time my tour group will be having its initial meeting, so I've yet to figure out how to convince them to wait for me to shower before they run off to do things. Perhaps one whiff of my sweaty, sunburned body will be enough.

[Note, the rest of this itinerary was taken right off the website.]

Day 2: Cancun

Cancun, situated on the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula - is renowned for its nearby beautiful Caribbean beaches and stunning Mayan Ruins, not to mention some of the finest diving and snorkeling sites in the world. Our Cancun hotel is located about 40 minutes away from the oasis beach of Playa del Carmen.

Day 3: Tulum - Chetumal

We have an early start this morning, taking the bus to Tulum. Here we visit the spectacular Mayan ruins. Perched on a cliff top, their setting is stunning. We explore these superb ruins with the help of a local guide, and then continue on to Chetumal where we spend the night.

Days 4 - 5: Caye Caulker

Today we arrive in Belize City, and then board a speedboat to the palm-fringed island of Caye Caulker. Situated only 33 kilometres north of Belize City, the island is just seven kilometres from north to south and home to the world's second largest barrier reef. Coconut palms will provide us with shade, while mangroves cover much of the shore. Our time is our own here to relax and enjoy all that this lovely sand-island has to offer. Some of the most exciting diving and snorkeling in the world is at your fingertips, as well there is the opportunity for discovering some amazing underwater caves. There is an abundance of superb tropical fish and coral reefs just waiting to be explored, or you may want to simply relax on a deck chair on the beach.

Days 6 - 7: Flores - Tikal Ruins

This morning we return to Belize City by speedboat and continue south to Guatemala and the small picturesque town of Flores, our gateway to the ancient city of Tikal – the deserted Mayan ruins in the heart of the Guatemalan jungle. Arriving at Flores, we enter one of the most scenic towns in the Peten, the island in the middle of Lake Peten Itza, with its cobble-stoned streets and brightly coloured houses. From here we embark upon our trek to the largest excavated Mayan Ruin site in the Americas. We penetrate the jungle of El Peten to visit the temples of the monumental ceremonial centre located in the midst of the immense Tikal National Park. As we approach, the lofty pyramids can be seen climbing high above the jungle’s leafy canopy. Passing beneath the rich rainforest and dense jungle vegetation, we are immersed in some spectacular jungle sounds: riotous parrots, toucans, macaws, tree frogs and howler monkeys offer a cacophonous backdrop to our trek to the ruins. Settled around 700BC by the Maya, the surviving temples of the resplendent and powerful city are rich examples of the Late Classic period. We pass through the sacred causeways to the main plaza and the central area with its five main temples, the scale of some climbing to over 50 metres. Beyond this, we have the option of wondering endlessly through the labyrinth of smaller uncovered structures and outlying complexes nestled within the dense jungle growth. If you have energy to spare, you can climb to the peak of Temple IV and take in the spectacular views. Or simply rest at the main plaza and marvel at the Mayan engineering of one of the most impressive archaeological religious sites yet discovered. On our final evening we board the overnight bus bound for Antigua.

Days 8 - 9: Antigua

Antigua is a small town that has a history plagued not with violence, but natural disaster. Antigua was established as the country's capital around 1541. After a great earthquake destroyed the city in 1773, the capital was transferred to present-day Guatemala City. The town slowly re-populated while maintaining its traditional character, architecture and cobblestone streets. In 1799 the city was re-named La Antigua Guatemala and in 1979 it was declared a world-heritage site. Much of Antigua’s architecture was constructed during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. No expense was spared, and much of the magnificent architecture from this period remains today.

The setting of Antigua Guatemala is stunning. Amongst the oldest and most beautiful town in the Americas, it lays nestled in a valley dwarfed by three magnificent volcanoes. Volcano Fuego lights up the night sky with a red glow that can be seen from afar. We enjoy a walking tour of the city with our leader, and climb one of the nearby volcanoes.

Day 10: Antigua

Tour ends. I land at LaGuardia around midnight.

The Next Adventure

So it's settled: I'm leaving for Cancun on May 19 or 20, depending on if I decide to go a day early and take a day-trip to the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza. Then it's off to Tulum and Chetunal in Mexico, Belize City and Caye Caulker in Belize, and Flores, Tikal, and Antigua in Guatemala. It's a trip that packs Mayan ruins, jungles, volcano hikes, rainforests, and beaches into ten days. It's going to be awesome.

And I don't have to worry about extra costs like visas or immunizations, which is a nice plus. All I have to do is pack. And... find a cheap flight.

Pictures: More Temples at Angkor Park

This is it... no more pictures of the trip after this.

Spean Thma.... or what's left of it

Ta Keo

Detail of Preah Khan, a very long, expansive temple

Linga at Preah Khan

Another silkwood tree growing over Preah Khan

Pictures: Angkor Wat Part 2

Another view from inside the walls... you can see just how long that causeway is

A family of monkeys came out of the surrounding jungle and were fed by some of the tourists and shopkeepers (stalls lined the outside of all of the temples - you couldn't get away from it)

Inside detail of Angkor Wat... and no, there aren't any railings to prevent you from falling

One of four walls filled with bas-reliefs - supposedly the most extensive and most beautiful in all of Angkor Park

Detail of Angkor Wat

Pictures: Angkor Wat Part 1

If you don't know what Angkor Wat is, I did some work and looked up some history for you:

Regarded as the supreme masterpiece of Khmer architecture, [Angkor Wat] is a huge pyramid temple built by Suryavarman II between 1113 and 1150. It is surrounded by a moat 570 feet wide and about four miles long. The mass of bas-relief carving is of the highest quality and the most beautifully executed in Angkor. It is also the largest religious monument in the world.

You can also check out Wikipedia's Angkor Wat entry.

View of the main temple as we walked down the long entraceway over the moat

While most of the windows had columns blocking them, we found one that didn't and took pictures from high up on Angkor Wat of the surrounding walls and temples in the complex. I know it looks hazy and damp, but it was actually at least 90 degrees out and probably 90% humidity. Since it was monsoon season, we saw very little blue sky in Cambodia (usually just in the mornings).

The stairway leading to the "beehive" towers. It was so steep that we had to climb it like a ladder.

This is me after we climbed that staircase - once I caught my breath - at the top of Angkor Wat

View of the temple from inside the walls. That isn't the moat in front, but rather a huge puddle - the result of the monsoon rains.

Pictures: Ta Prohm in Angkor Park

I know you're already templed out, but this place really was the highlight of the whole trip. This is Ta Prohm. If you saw the movie "Tomb Raider," it may look familiar to you: this is where they filmed some of the temple scenes with Angelina Jolie.

Detail of Ta Prohm

Giant silkwood tree growing over the ruins of Ta Prohm. There was a line to get your picture taken next to/in the tree. That line was comprised entirely of Japanese tourists. Note, I just took a picture of one of the tourists rather than wait.

Another silkwood tree growing out from the ruins.

This was one of the most awesome things I've ever seen... it doesn't even look real

Another favorite picture of a tree growing over the ruins

Pictures: More Angkor Park Temples

Royal Palace in Angkor Park

Detail from Terrace of the Elephants

Terrace of the Elephants

I have no idea what temple this is, but it was pretty cool

Pictures: Bayon and South Gate in Angkor Park

Bayon

Detail of Bayon... what is amazing about this picture is that there are no tourists in it!

Detail of the South Gate

South Gate... almost every single person in this picture was in my tour group.

Detail of Bayon

Pictures: Pre Rup in Angkor Park

Pre Rup - those stairs are steep.

Me at the top of Pre Rup

View of Angkor Wat from the top of Pre Rup

Pre Rup

Pictures: Royal Palace and National Museum in Phnom Penh

Royal Palace in Phnom Penh

Ramayana scene at the Royal Palace

Me at the Royal Palace

Cambodian National Museum

Pictures: Tuol Sleng Prison and Choeung Ek (The Killing Fields)

Graves at Cheoung Ek (The Killing Fields)

Skulls recovered from the graves in the Killing Fields

Tuol Sleng Prison - formerly a local high school. 200,000 people were imprisoned and either died here or were taken to the Killing Fields to be slaughtered.

A prison cell at Tuol Sleng for a "more important" prisoner. A picture of the dead body the Vietnamese soldiers found in this room is hanging on the wall.

Memorial at the Killing Fields. It houses the skulls and clothing of the recovered bodies of the dead.

Pictures: Phnom Penh, Cambodia

I love my pictures from Cambodia so much that I will probably post them a bit differently than I did the ones from Vietnam. These are pictures of areas in Phnom Penh.

Tonle Sap River

Street in Phnom Penh, not too far from my hotel

Street in Phnom Penh

Riverside... this area had more tourists than anywhere else in Phnom Penh

Central Market in Phnom Penh. Huge; you are looking at less than a quarter of it

Pictures: Saigon

If you've been waiting for more pictures, blame Blogger. I've been trying to upload these for weeks, but for some reason, I can't upload anything from my home computer anymore.

Street in Saigon

The Opera House and a fountain in Saigon

Shops/homes in Saigon - outside my hotel window

Traffic in Saigon - much scarier than Hanoi!

Uncle Ho in front of Saigon's Town Hall

Pictures: Nha Trang

My whole group in the hot mineral mud baths in Nha Trang. Vietnamese of all ages take regular soaks for the skin benefits.

Taken from our boat on the beautiful South China Sea

South China Sea

Street in Nha Trang. It was mostly a quiet beach town, but there's a lot of pickpocketing, especially after dark.

Boats in the Nha Trang port

Pictures: Hoi An

Shops in Hoi An

Street in Hoi An

Street in Hoi An

Thu Bon River

Lunch

Video Clips From Vietnam & Cambodia

I'm having some trouble uploading photos, so here's some video clips in the meantime:

Hanging out on the train to Nha Trang

More hanging out on the train to Nha Trang

Street Corner in Saigon

Street Corner in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

View from the Foreign Correspondents Club in Phnom Penh - and just being silly

Terrace of the Elephants in Angkor Park

Tuk-Tuk Ride in Siem Reap, Cambodia

Inside Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Pictures: Hue

Perfume River in Hue

Thien Mu Pagoda

Perfume River in Hue

The Citadel/Purple Forbidden City

Tu Duc Tomb in Hue

Pictures: Hanoi

Street in Hanoi

Me on the street

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Street corner in Hanoi

One Pillar Pagoda

Angkor Wat and What

I haven't written in the past few days because I've been too busy crawling up, down, and around ruins and temples, showering, passing out, showering again, eating, drinking, passing out, and then starting all over again.

The day before yesterday was our first full day at Angkor Park. I don't have the guide book handy to give you all the details, but Angkor is a complex made up of 200 temples built about 5,000 years ago. It was lost to civilization and reclaimed by the jungle until some Frenchman, trying to catch butterflies (gay, gay, gay!) stumbled upon it. I'd tell you what year, but I left the guide book in my room. The most famous temple is Angkor Wat. It's enormous and surrounded by a moat. Every surface in the temple is carved and decorated. When you climb the temples, it's at your own risk, and there were more than a few that we climbed, not knowing how we were going to make it down.

Yesterday, Trent and I went back to take more pictures of Angkor Wat, since by that time the day before my batteries were dying in my camera. Then we saw a few others - one gorgeous one seemed to go on for a mile and was beautifully falling apart with moss and trees growing out of it. I think I have over 150 pictures of the temples at Angkor... and we only saw maybe 10 of the 200 total.

Saying goodbye last night and this morning suuuuuuucked. I really can't express just how much I do not want to get on this flight tonight, but rather hire a boat and follow my friends up the river to Battambang and Bangkok. If I thought I could still get paid every two weeks, I probably wouldn't be back for six months. I know it's only been a few weeks, but it's incredible how quickly you assimilate to the culture and the pace here. I've got to get out of the habit of taking my shoes off before I enter stores, of walking in the street, of jaywalking between oncoming motorbikes and tuk-tuks, of saying "no thank you" the minute a stranger walks up to me because I know they want to sell me something, of $4 dinner entrees, of flip flops and no makeup, of leisurely afternoon showers before a long night out, of good company with people who quickly form a second family. There is nothing so stimulating and personally rewarding as traveling. This part of the world has caught my soul, and I will definitely be back next year, hopefully for longer.

I've got a few hours before my transfer picks me up to take me to the airport. They are going to be the longest ever.

Phnom Penh to Siem Reap

I'm sorry I haven't been able to post the last few days, but the internet in Cambodia is slooooow and I'm currently using a keyboard that only registers 1 in every 3 keys I hit.

The first night with the new tour group was great. About eight new people joined the other group from Vietnam - the ones whose names I know are Sarah, Martin, David, Heidi, Grant, Shoshanna. Our tour leader is P.K. Actually, his name isn't P.K., but it is completely unpronouncable in English, so we call him P.K. We had dinner together at a local place the first night and a bunch of us went out for drinks together after.

The next day started out incredibly depressing: we visited Tuol Sleng prison, the converted high school where the Khmer Rouge imprisoned and tortured the 200,000 men, women, children, and babies they considered to be "enemies of the state." Then we saw the Killing Fields, where those who didn't die in Tuol Sleng were killed by a blow to the head via bamboo stick or axe, since the Khmer Rouge didn't want to waste the bullets. Oddly, the field is a very beautiful, peaceful, and quiet place.

In the afternoon we went to the Royal Palace, and then Trent and I had dinner at the Foreign Correspondent's Club along the river: $30 for a bottle of wine and two entrees. Fabulous.

Today we hopped on the bus to Siem Reap. Cambodia differs from Vietnam in that it is so poor and there are many people so obviously in want. Everywhere we go are people with missing limbs and other beggars. But Siem Reap is a very beautiful and quiet place compared to Phnom Penh. Less traffic and less noise, even though there are quite a few tourists.

Today we had our very first view of Angkor. It's stunning in its scale. We climbed up the steepest stairs only to wonder how on earth we were going to make it down without slipping. Tomorrow we have a very extensive tour of Angkor Park, and then on Sunday we have a full free day.

A few things to add to my advice and observations of SE Asia:

-Everything you order will come with sliced tomato and cucumber
-They're not big on napkins. Hopefully you will get a box of Kleenex in the middle of the table
-They make no effort to bring everyone's food out at the same time in a restaurant. If you want to wait for everyone to be served before eating, your food will be very cold

I'm in denial that this trip will be over soon. A few friends are encouraging me to play hookey from work and come with them to Bangkok. If only! Thailand will happen next year, probably along with Laos.

First Day in Phnom Penh

Today I did a little exploring around Phnom Penh. Honestly, I didn't wander that far. First I went to the Central Market, which is only a few blocks from the hotel. This market has everything you could ever think of for sale: fruit, meat, cow brains (I saw 'em), perfume, toiletries, scarves, fabric, clothes, jewelry, watches, sunglasses, souvenirs, cooking implements, etc. There were tons of Cambodians there and very few foreigners. I did meet a doctor from Jordan: Dr. Baset Sadiq, who is a lecturer for Advisor of Youth for Peace, an organization in Cambodia. He talked to me a bit about the area and showed me the way to the riverfront, where I had lunch and saw the outside of the Palace and the National Museum. I think we have the opportunity to go inside them tomorrow after we see the killing fields and something else. Clouds have been gathering all afternoon, and by the time I got home, it was pouring rain. Mud and puddles are everywhere on the streets, as is tons of garbage. Unlike the Vietnamese, the Cambodians don't seem to have this organized.

My roommate had arrived while I was out. Her name is Shoshanna, and she's from New Zealand. This is her first of four tours, and she'll be travelling until December. She's nice, if a little peppy and know-it-all. Basically, I miss Carmen.

Advice and Observations, Now That I Am 10 Days into It

I'm in Cambodia, after the shortest recorded flight ever, and my initial impressions are that the place is a bit more run-down than Vietnam. Right now there are very dark storm clouds over Phnom Penh. I haven't ventured from the hotel since it tends to get dark by 6PM, but I think I will walk around a little tomorrow before the rest of my group makes it here. I'm not positive what time they are coming in, but it should be before 6PM.

I had the chattiest cab driver ever. He practiced his heavily accented English on me and gave me his card so that the next time I come to Cambodia he can give me a tour instead. Yeah, right. As we were driving, one thing I noticed was no Western tourists. Maybe we were in the wrong area of the city, but it looks like Phnom Penh is pretty untouched.

To recap the past few days:
We went to the hot springs/mud bath in Nha Trang, which was wonderful and refreshing. First you shower in "cooled" hot mineral spring water. Then they fill a huge vat with warm, watery, green mineral mud. You get ladles to just pour the stuff all over you. After 15 minutes, you sit on warm rocks and bake in the sun. Then, another shower. Finally, a dip in the hot mineral springs. It was so relaxing. We got a picture of the whole group in the mud, and mom, I'm bring some mud home for you.

That night after dinner, Shaye, Biddy, and I went to this beach party back at The Sailing Club. We were much more aware after our experiences the previous night, especially since Biddy's wallet had been stolen (she got it back because all the thiever know each other and all she had to do was ask someone). A few people from the other tour group showed up - Tim, Jordan, Susan, and Trent - and we had a great time dancing on the beach. We all walked home later and I pointed out the same group of transvestites, just waiting for someone stupid and drunk enough to trick. No one bothered us on the three-block walk back to the hotel.

The next day we went on a snorkeling trip in the South China Sea. We took a boat out to a few nice areas and swam in the warm water and got massages and manicures on the boat. The crew fed us a great seafood lunch, too. Then we went back to our day rooms at the hotel, because we had one more overnight train - this time to Saigon. We cleaned up, got on the train, and I passed out until we arrived in Saigon - at 4AM!

We transferred to the hotel and everybody passed out again. Some people took a 1.5 hour bus ride to the ChiChi tunnels, but I decided to explore the city, since the last time I did a tour, I felt there wasn't enough time in the last city. I saw the palace, Notre Dame cathedral, the opera house, the post office, the shops on Le Loi, and then Carmen and I proceeded to spend what felt like sickening amounts of dong in the marketplace, but which ended up only being about $50. One of my favorite purchases is a black Vietnamese dress.

We went out for a while last night, but Lauraigne, Karen, and Leah stayed in so I never got to say goodbye. They're staying in Saigon for a few more days (along with Biddy and Shaye), so they're all heading to the Mekong Delta tomorrow morning. Carmen and I said goodbye this morning, and it was weird - we're so used to hanging out together. My flight was uneventful and Mittapheap Hotel is nice and has HBO - so I'll be set until everyone else arrives.

So I've been trying to keep a list of observations/advice for travelling in Southeast Asia. Since I'm obviously not the world's most experienced traveller (having been in SE Asia for only 10 days), this might be a little incomplete, but it does mirror my experiences so far:

-Carry toilet paper, tissues, and antibacterial wipes everywhere
-Bring your own headache meds and first aid - there is nothing available
-Accept and embrace the squat toilet
-Be prepared for stomach upset. It may take a few days to kick in, but it will happen
-Only drink bottled water. No ice, no iced tea, no cold drinks made with water. Try to brush your teeth with bottled water, too
-Don't bother wearing any nice or expensive clothes or jewelry. The clothes will just get stained and the jewelry will make you a target for thieves
-You may be tempted to wear sneakers, but flip flops and slides are the shoes of choice, and they keep your feet cooler
-Long shorts and short-sleeve tops are best. Singlets are okay for going to nightclubs or in big, cosmopolitan cities, but seem disrespectful almost everywhere else
-Standing in one place for too long will attract sellers, motorbike drivers, and cyclos
-People offering motorbike and cyclo rides are not necessarily licensed or authorized by anyone. This means that they may not know where they are going. In some places, this means that they may drive you somewhere unfamiliar and rob you (e.g. Nha Trang). Know the area before you agree to a ride
-Avoid large, rowdy crowds
-Have a buddy with you who's watching out for you
-There are no seat belts in the back seats of cars and taxis. There are no helmets on the motorbikes. You just have to accept it
-Thieves are only interested in tricking you out of your money, not in threatening or hurting you. If you know the scams, you are too difficult a target for them to bother with and they will move on. The scams include trying to hug you (and taking your wallet), distracting you (and taking your wallet), or asking to take a picture with your camera (and taking your camera). As long as you're not paying attention to your valuables, you are a target
-Beware of anyone who approaches you. They either want to sell you something or steal from you
-When you tell someone you don't want to buy something, beware the "why?" question - it's just a ruse to draw you into further conversation and make you feel guilty about not buying
-Bring some American coins (not dollar bills) with you for the street kids - it helps to get them to stop bugging you to buy yet another package of postcards
-Try all the local beer. Tiger Beer, Huda Beer in Hue, 333, and San Miguel in Nha Trang all go down easy
-Be wary of your property on sleeper trains. Even if the door to your cabin locks, put your bags as far from the door as possible and keep it locked. Most robberies are crimes of opportunity
-Use your sleep sheet on the train. They don't wash the sheets. I know this for sure, I watched the guy fold up my dirty sheet for the next person
-Public nose-picking, spitting, and pushing past anyone in your way without saying excuse me are all acceptable forms of behavior
-All of the vendors love the newest paper money. They will always give you crappy bills as change and then try to refuse them as payment
-The Vietnamese love me. They love that I am a short Westerner. They love to comment on and touch my hair. They love to brush their fingers over my eyelashes. On the way to Nha Trang, we stopped at the Marble Mountain and the shopgirls tried to trade shoes and earrings with me (I said no because the earrings were some of my favorites), and kept telling me I was beautiful

In Flux

Sorry I haven't posted in a few days... it's a result of no time and trouble with the internet connections here.

Anyway, I will write more tonight or tomorrow, but basically, the last few days have been great. I am leaving in about a half hour for the airport for my flight to Cambodia, and then I will meet up with my new group there tomorrow night.

Amish - yes, I got the memory card from the old camera.

So the next time I write, I will tell you about the mud bath, the boat trip on the South China Sea, the beach party at the Sailing Club, how much the Vietnamese love me, traveling to Saigon, my day in Saigon, and my first impressions of Cambodia. Really, I wrote that list just for myself.

Did You Know That Your Forearms Can Sweat?

Because I didn't. Until today.

We are in Nha Trang, where it must be in the 90's with 80% humidity. We came in yesterday on the train, where our group played a rousing few games of Kings and other drinking games, and generally harassed all of the other passengers (which was pretty much just the other tour group shadowing us). Tu took us out to a nightclub on the beach called the Sailing Club, where we ate a late dinner and danced until about 2AM. About 1/3 of the club was tourists, 1/3 were Vietnamese, and 1/3 were Vietnamese prostitutes flirting with the tourists. On the way home, Carmen, Vanessa, and I were accosted by some transvestite pickpockets on motorbikes. Vanessa scared them off - she's pretty tough - and it was more funny than threatening, but still, Nha Trang is much more gritty than Hue or Hoi An.

Today we are going for mud baths and a dip in the hot springs. If I don't die of heatstroke in the process, we'll probably be heading out to the Sailing Club again tonight. Tomorrow we are going for a boat ride to the islands, snorkeling, and seafood. Yum, can't wait.

Lessons From 'Nam

Lesson One: Don't bother getting custom shoes made unless they are very simple (i.e. boots: a bad idea). Either they won't look anything like what you thought they would, or they are poorly made because the shoemakers insist they can create something for you and everybody else in less than 24 hours. The glue was still wet on the boots I received.

Lesson Two: Don't take a motorbike anywhere unless you are able to give the location in Vietnamese. This morning Carmen and I tried to take motorbikes to the post office to mail our boots and clothes back home (because we are wimps who can't carry anything). We showed them where to go on the map, they nodded like they knew, and we negotiated 15,000 dong. Well... first they stopped at the tailor. We're like, "no, the post office." Carmen showed them the map again, and we got on our way. Next, they stopped at a restaurant. "No," we said, "the POST OFFICE." The third time, they stopped in the middle of a quiet street. Carmen got out her phrase book, found the Vietnamese word for "post," and we thought we were good. But no, this time we were dropped off at a street corner. So we paid them and started walking. One of the drivers followed us a block or so later and said he would take us the rest of the way for another 5,000 dong. These people have no shame.

Lesson Three: Be prepared to wait. Whether it's your check at the restaurant or the people at the post office, everything moves slower here. Getting things mailed at the post office took an hour. And we didn't even have anyone in front of us.

Lesson Four: Dirt is your friend. So is sweat. So is the oil from the food that inevitably finds its way over every single pair of pants you brought with you into the country. Embrace them, love them, because they are not going away.


I know it sounds like complaining, but Carmen and I have had a rough couple of days. It just seems like everything has gone wrong, from our crappy boots, to me losing a toenail on the uneven sidewalk, to Carmen stubbing her toe on the bathroom floor, to Carmen hating her pants from the tailor, to having to wait 45 minutes to an hour for our boots... etc. I really do love it in Hoi An, it's very beautiful, but everyone who lives here knows that the tourists come to spend money, and they are forever hassling you to buy, buy, buy.

The one awesome thing about yesterday was the motorbike ride Tu organized for us. About eight of us got on motorbikes (with drivers) who took us all over Hoi An - through the back streets where the people actually live, along the river, through woods, to the beach (China Beach), and back. We spent around 2-2.5 hours doing that, and it's probably my favorite memory from this town.

We're taking a day train this afternoon to Nha Trang. One of the other tour groups is supposed to be in our carriage, so I think we're going to have a pretty rowdy time.

Thanks to everyone who's been writing comments in. All blogs are blocked from the Vietnamese internet, so I can't see this blog or post replies to the comments. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I am receiving them and I love hearing from everyone.

What Day is it?

The internet here won't let me view my own blog, so I hope everything is showing up okay.

Yesterday we left Hue in the morning and rode a bus to Hoi An, a beautiful and very old little town about five miles from the coast. It's so quaint that there are actually rules forbidding anything new from being built in the "old town" area. It's also filled with Westerners, since this is the town where you can get clothes and shoes made to order. Did I get suckered in? Oh yes I did.

Our guide Tu took us to the shop where he had his wedding suit made. Each of us was assigned one pretty Vietnamese girl who flattered and cajoled until we spent way more money than initially intended. I was just going to have a dress or something easy made. I ended up with a suit (with both pants and a skirt to match) in a grey wool/silk blend, and a wrap dress in deep purple jersey fabric - all custom-made to fit me for less than $200. They have books and magazines filled with pictures, and anything you point to, they can make. You can also just draw what you want on a piece of paper and talk through it with them. I have to go back for two fittings today. Then Carmen and I got suckered into one of the shoe shops where we're both having boots made. We're picking those up this afternoon.

Yesterday afternoon Tu took us to one of the local places for lunch, so we got to experience the whole authentic sit-on-a-plastic-chair-at-a-plastic-table-and-make-a-mess type of meal. The owner kept showing us how to make the wraps and spring rolls and practically force-fed us pork satay. It was great, and Carmen and I spent the rest of the afternoon walking it off. Last night we had a "pool party" at the hotel with the other tour group, which Tu thinks I will join when I get to Cambodia. We'll see.

Today we are off on some motorbikes to the beach for a few hours, and then Carmen and I are running errands - picking up clothes, boots, mailing stuff home - because none of this stuff will fit in our bags. Tonight I think we are having a cooking class with a local chef and learning to make spring rolls and the like, which should be fun.

Never Pay For Anything in Vietnam With a Credit Card

Because at first, the shop owner will look at you with confusion. Then, realization. They will beckon you onto the back of their motorbike while your companion guards your merchandise at the store. You will be whisked off into the nutty Hue traffic, holding onto your strange new Vietnamese friend with all your might, whispering prayers to God, the Virgin, baby Jesus and grown-up Jesus as your driver zooms to the nearest bank. There, you hand your credit card over to the people behind the counter, listen to the shop owner argue with them, then tell you you're beautiful and pronounce your name "Zzhaaameeee." Once you sign over your money and the bankers hand the shop owner stacks of VND, he is enormously happy and shakes your hand and gives you a big smile before once again scaring the living shit out of you on that damn motorbike.

That sums up what happened between 5:30 and 5:50 today.

The reason for the purchase was that we took a boat ride (on a boat marked "Tourist" in case it wasn't obvious enough) and my camera fell into the Perfume River. I was able to retrieve it before it sank, but it wouldn't respond, the lens wouldn't open, and the viewfinder was clouded with river sludge. So I have no pictures of all of the temples, palaces, and mausoleums we saw this afternoon. What I do have, now, is a new camera.

Last Day in Hanoi

So I have yet to get run over by a motorcycle, but it is a little unnerving when they drive right up into the stores. Yeah.

Our tour guide's name is Tu. That's pronounced "Dtoooooooo?" like you're asking a question. If you don't inflect correctly, his name literally means "fuck" in Vietnamese.

There are only eleven people on my tour. I'm the only American. There are two New Zealanders: Colin and Naomi (I might be wrong about her name). Everyone else is Australian: my roommate Carmen (26), John (50's?), Shaye and Biddy (20's), and four 40-ish women, though I only have two of their names: Lorraine and Leah.

Last night after meeting each other and going to dinner, I got talked into going to this weird puppet show with Shaye, Biddy, John, and Carmen. It would have been fine if the theater wasn't so dark - I was constantly falling asleep. I really would have rather had a beer with everyone and met some of the other Westerners we saw hanging out on our way to the theater, but unfortunately this is a communist country and I guess I have to do it for my comrades.

Today we did some tourist sight-seeing: the Temple of Literature, the Hanoi Hilton (P.S. John McCain was hot when he was in the army), and the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum. Then Carmen and I ran around Hanoi buying gifts and souvenirs. I love this area - it's crazy, noisy, but so full of life. Everyone lives very much outside here, so it's always lively.

Tonight we are taking the overnight train to Hue. We'll get there at about 7:30 in the morning. Accomodations on board are "basic," and Tu advised that we bring both our own food and our own toilet paper with us.

Anyway, I should run... sorry for the lack of pictures, but there's just no time to figure it out here.

Hope everyone is having a safe Sept 11.

Hi Mom, I Made it Here Okay

It wasn't until my roommate Carmen and I started walking around the tiny streets near our hotel that I really started to feel like I'm in a foreign place. Hanoi is unbelievable. The sidewalks are so crowded with merchandise and motorcycles for rent that half the time you have to walk in the street. The streets are full of two and three people piled helmetless on motorcycles, honking their horns to let you know they are coming through. Cars and buses are rare. The honking, ringing of bells, shouting, hawking, etc. never ends. Women in traditional garb carrying baskets of fruit over their shoulder are endearing until they extort you for money just for taking a picture. People are everywhere. When you want to cross the street, you just walk and let the motorcycles go around you. Vehicular-related injury is imminent. I'm happy I made it this long.

It's also not as hot as I would expect. It's pretty humid today, but I don't think it's hotter than 75 right now.

Getting here was taxing. I feel like I was born and lived a lifetime in my airplane seat. Still, Singapore Airlines was great - everyone is exceedingly polite, the food is actually good (and copious), they have tons of on-demand movies and music, etc. That helped make up for the 22+ hours I spent in the air. On the car ride from the airport, we saw a man on a motorcycle with a cage of pigs strapped to the back. Now I know what a pig frightened for his life looks like.

We're meeting with our group tonight at 7PM in the hotel. The hotel is okay - but there's no real shower. It's just a spout on the wall next to the toilet and sink, so basically, you just make a mess. We're supposed to all go out to dinner after we meet, but I'm starving already...

The Next Time I Post, it Will Be From 'Nam

Check back next week for any updates!

Packing

I was trying to get some serious packing done tonight, but somebody decided that the inside of my luggage was the most comfortable spot in the apartment.




Right now she's passed out on top of my itinerary. I know everybody hates cats, but they're freaking adorable.

One Week to Go

I'm starting to get really excited now. When I first booked the trip, I read everything I could get my hands on about Vietnam and Cambodia, but the excitement dropped off a few months ago and now I have to go back and re-read it all again. I'm completely prepared with everything I need (at the moment, it's all in a big pile in my closet), plus I have a "shopping list" for when I have my layover in Singapore so I can purchase all of my dangerous gel hair products and toxic, deadly liquid moisturizers before I get to Hanoi and make the mad dash from the airport to the hotel in time for a shower before our first tour meeting.

Anyway, I'm setting aside time this weekend to re-familiarize myself with my itinerary. And also, to see my family before I go. Ernesto spoiled our plans for a nice weekend in Maryland, so I'll just have to make do with some light reading material, my parent's comfy couch, the dog sleeping next to me, and some Chips Ahoy! cookies (side note: for people who claim they are trying to lose weight, my parents keep a surprising amount of junk food - cookies, ice cream, etc. - in the house).

A List of Things I Am Not Happy About

According to the Transportation Security Administration, I can no longer carry-on the following items. See how many things on this list match the packing list I posted in June. Recall that my plan was to use only one carry-on bag to avoid losing my luggage before my trip even began.

Aerosal spray bottles and cans
All creams and lotions including Neosporin or
first-aid creams and ointments, topical or rash creams and ointments, suntan lotions, moisturizers, etc.
Bug and mosquito sprays and repellents
Eye drops
Gel deodorants
Hair styling gels
Hair sprays of all kinds including aerosol
Hair straightener or detangler
Lip gels and balms
Lip glosses or liquids for lips
Liquid bubble bath including gel or liquid filled bubble bath balls or bath oils or moisturizers
Liquid foundations
Liquid, gel or spray perfumes or colognes
Liquid sanitizers
Liquid soaps
Make up removers or facial cleansers
Mascara
Non-prescription liquid or gel medicines like cough syrup and gel cap type pills
Mouthwash
Nail polish and removers
Saline solution
Shampoos and conditioners
Toothpaste
All beverages
Camelbaks and similar backpacks and water bottles
Cheese in pressurized containers
Duty free alcohol and other items
Gel based sports supplements
Jellos
Pudding
Whipped cream
Yogurt or gel like food substances
Baby teethers with gel or liquid inside
Children’s toys with gel inside
Gel candles
Gel shoe insert
Lighters

Exceptions
Eye drops - You are allowed to carry up to 4 oz., of eye drops with you.
Gel Shoe Inserts - Gel shoe inserts are not permitted, but shoes constructed with gel heels are allowed and must be removed and screened.
Prescription and non-prescription medications and other medical needs
Saline solution - You are allowed to carry up to 4 oz., of eye drops with you
Baby formula and food, breast milk and other baby items

Basically, I can't bring any of the toiletries I purchased and collected over the last few months, with the thought that they would make my trip that much more pleasant.

At this point I am seriously considering checking a small bag of toiletries, even though I know the chances of it making it to Hanoi before my tour group leaves for the next city are slim to none.

The terrorists have won this round.

Less Than 1 Month to Go

I've got both my visas, my passport, my Malarone (anti-malarial), and an oral Typhoid vaccine that I will start taking next week (and which has some unpleasant gastrointestinal side effects. I'm going to be a joy to be around). I have my plane tickets, my itinerary, and the addresses of some of the places I'll be staying.

I have a brand new pink backpack-ish bag (10% of the cost of the pink bag went to the Susan G. Komen Foundation - how could I choose another color?), and I spend way too much time in drugstores deciding between the Pepto-Bismol panacea or the Immodium/Rolaids/Phazyme solution (I'm expecting the food to result in some gastrointestinal side effects as well).

It's safe to say I'm a little anxious, both about the long flight(s) and the trip itself. Donations of Xanax would be appreciated. I think my mom might need some, too.

The Vietnamese Embassy Needs to Get Call Waiting

My Cambodian visa arrived safe and sound on Saturday, nestled inside my only slightly abused passport. So today I've been trying to get everything together for my Vietnamese visa application. The one missing item: the application fee. Why? Because it isn't listed anywhere on their website.

I googled "Vietnamese visa application fee" and came up with a bunch of visa services that for at least $100 can get you a visa in a week. Um, no thanks. So then I went back to the website and tried calling both of the numbers listed there. For your information, they are (202)861-2293 and (202)861-0694. Try them. Busy, busy, busy. And while I think that most embassies are generally busy places, I can't believe there is only one single line per phone number, and that neither number can direct you to voicemail where you can leave a message or to an automated system that answers simple questions.

What kills me is how precise the web site is about the visa application process; but it leaves out the most important step: money.

So I sent an email to consular@vietnamembassy.us. We'll see if I hear back anytime soon. In the meantime, if you know the visa fee, feel free to share that information.

My Visa Application Sends Its Love

So after getting yelled at by the guy taking my picture for my visa applications ("Sit still! Stop blinking! Look up! Don't move! Stop! NO BLINKING!"), I finally got everything together for my first application.

Checklist
-->Application - check
-->Itinerary - check
-->Photo - yep
-->Passport - scarier photo than this one
-->Express Mail SASE - check

$39.00 later, ($20 visa application fee, plus $19 to mail everything Priority and have it sent back via Express Mail), the package is in the mail to the Cambodian Embassy in DC. I hope. I did put it in the mailbox at work, so there's an 95% chance it's on it's way.

Fingers crossed that my passport gets back to me in one piece, since I'll have to repeat the process for the Vietnamese visa.

If I Tell My Mom I'm Going to Ride This Train, She Will Lock Me in a Tower Until I'm 40

In case you missed this on my other blog... my boss told me the other day about a "Bamboo Train" in Cambodia. For some reason this mode of transportation was being discussed on NPR, and she found it so fascinating that she sent me this link. She also wanted to warn me, lest I think that a ride on the Bamboo Train is a good idea: "Sometimes, people die."

The Bamboo Train, for those of you too lazy to follow the link, is about 200 miles of track that was laid down before the time of the Khmer Rouge, while France was still in charge. Although at one point the train "cars" were dismantled, some enterprising Cambodians used old axles from military vehicles, cut and sized them to fit the tracks, layered a wood and bamboo platform over the axles, and attached a portable, one-horsepower gasoline engine, linking it to the axles by a rubber strip.

Tell me this thing doesn't sound like death on wheels. And it is: according to the article,

Nothing is actually attached to anything else, like with a nut or bolt, but simply piled onto the tracks like an erector set.... the entire thing is held together by balance and gravity. This allows for easy assembly and break down. Yet it also leads to the occasional fatality when the entire thing falls apart going 30 miles an hour... in the middle of the jungle.

And why do these "trains" need to be easily broken down and reassembled?

Since so many of these trains share the same track, when they meet, the one with the smallest load must yield to the larger one. This is done by everyone simply getting off the train, lifting it off the tracks until the larger one passes, then setting it back onto the tracks and proceeding on one’s merry way.

While the Bamboo Train will carry passengers from place to place, it also carries livestock, fowl, and in some cases, motorbikes.

A ride to your death will cost about $2 US, or a chicken. Apparently, according to the article, a pig could get you unlimited rides for a month. I suppose that's the Cambodian version of an unlimited Metrocard.

The most thrilling post ever

So... I was discussing my blog with some friends, and they suggested that since it was a travel blog, and might be used as a resource, that I should include a list of what I am bringing with me.

Like I said, thrilling.

I'm taking Singapore Airlines, and they restrict you to one carry-on weighing 15 pounds or less (which sounds like a lot to everyone except me). Since I will be on more than one plane, I'm not checking any luggage. Changing planes + overseas travel = lost luggage.

Clothes - 3 tank tops, 5 t-shirts, 3 pairs of capris/bermudas, 1 pair long pants, 1 long skirt, 1 gauzy long sleeve shirt, bathing suit, PJs, underwear, etc.

Shoes - flip flops, Teva sandals

Toiletries - too embarassingly extensive to list individually, but... moisturizer, toothbrush/paste, contact lens stuff, nail care, hair care, skin care, razor/shave gel, Blistex, minimal makeup

Accessories: camera, extra memory cards, iPod, umbrella, money belt (I'm a dork! But I'm a smart dork), flashlight, bug spray, sunblock, towel, sunglasses, hand sanitizer, small roll of toilet paper, sleep sheet, daypack, journal/pen, book, earplugs, eyemask, lock, sewing kit, ziplock bags (so handy), and, of course, my passport, visas, insurance, ID, and copies of all of those things

First Aid: bandages, moleskin, hydrocortizone cream, Calamine lotion, Neosporin, Sudafed, Advil, Immodium AD, Pepto Bismol, Abreva (medicine's great miracle), my BCP, and my Epi-Pen. I also have prescriptions for an antibiotic, Diflucan, and Malarone (anti-malarial).

Before I even started packing, I checked with my doctor and the CDC Travel site (link is on the left) to see what vaccinations were necessary before I left. For these areas, Hepatitis A, Malaria, Dengue Fever, and Typhoid are issues. The only way you can protect yourself against Dengue Fever is by repelling mosquitos. There is a vaccine for Typhoid, but it is only considered 75% effective. It's all about the DEET.

Where in the world am I?

When I tell people that I am going to Vietnam and Cambodia, right after they wonder why in the world I want to go there, they ask me where these two countries actually are. And to be honest, before I was going on this trip, I probably couldn't pick them out for you from the general lump of the Asian continent. So I've attached some helpful maps.

The first is a map of the world, showing where I live now (NY, NY), and where Southeast Asia is (see the two very obvious red arrows for guidance).

Now let's zoom in on Southeast Asia:

Finally, here are the tour routes that I will be taking through each country.

There. We all feel a little smarter now.

I'm not going to Cambodia because of any weird obsession with Angelina Jolie and/or her son

For the record.

Truth is, a number of my friends are going or have gone to Thailand recently, and while I would like to explore the whole Southeast Asia region, I don't want to just blindly follow in their footsteps.

Besides, our stories will be much more interesting for each another to listen to if we haven't all experienced the same things. So Thailand can wait.

I'm not leaving for three months, but I've already got a blog

I leave for Vietnam and Cambodia on September 8. I'll be in Vietnam for about two weeks, traveling down the coastline from Hanoi to Saigon, and then I'll be in Cambodia for a little less than a week, from Phnom Penh to Angkor Wat/Siem Reap.

In preparation for what I think will be an epic journey (or about as epic as 18 days can get), I'm going to try to keep this blog so everyone can stay informed as to where I am and what I'm doing. Also, this means I don't have to write a lot of emails. When practical, I'll include some pictures. But expect a Kodak Gallery of several hundred photos on my return anyway.

So this post and probably the next few will be the of the dull, preparatory ilk. For example: I just bought travel insurance, which provides for $100M should I have to be Medevac-ed out of Southeast Asia. On July 1 I am going to start the miserable visa application process. Oohh, I almost gave you chills, didn't I?