The Girl Travels

A log of my recent adventures in Vietnam, Cambodia, Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

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

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home