Vietnam & Cambodia
Posted by Kirsty on September 1st 2007
Written on the 2007 London to Sydney expedition
Our last expedition diary entry had us travelling independent of the truck in Hue where there were more motor scooters than people (or so it seemed). Hue is an enchanting town with many temples, palaces and pagodas – all encompassed in the dominating Citadel on the banks of the Perfume River. A boat ride to view the various temples and pagodas on the river banks at sunset was a highlight and a nice way to cool down after a day of walking around the Citadel City.
Our next stop was Hoi An and days at the beach, scuba diving around Cham Island, eating scrumptious Vietnamese food and having clothes tailor made was the order of the day. Day trips included visits to Khe Sanh and other important sights in the Vietnam War and to the archaeological ruins of My Son.
An overnight bus took us to Nha Trang, Vietnam’s premier beach resort town. We stayed in a guest house just a stone’s throw from the white sands and turquoise waters of the main beach. We were so excited to be at the beach we celebrated with sun downer drinks on the rooftop balcony of our guest house with 180 degree views of the ocean. Superb! We kept ourselves busy here with a day boat trip out to the surrounding islands which involved swimming, snorkelling, yummy lunch and a floating bar (need I say more); sailing; scuba diving; parasailing; bathing in therapeutic mud baths; sampling real beer (dark ales) at a beachfront micro brewery; or simply relaxing on the beach on a sun bed with thatched umbrella with cocktail in hand. Ahh, this is the life!
All aboard the train, we snaked our way along the South Vietnam coast (with some magnificent views) and arrived in the thriving metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon). Our first day was spent contemplating the Vietnam War with visits to the War Remnants Museum and to the nearby Cu Chi Tunnels where the resourceful Viet Cong guerrillas lived and fought in a complex maze of underground tunnels. It was then onto the Mekong Delta to see the floating markets. With the improved infrastructure (roads and bridges) in the Delta in recent times the floating markets are no longer a major part of life for many with most markets now situated on land. Nevertheless, it was great to get up close and personal to the Delta and its people (wearing the traditional conical hats) by cruising the many waterways by boat.
People who chose to travel through Vietnam on their own (independent of Kirsty’s travelling EOE band) also had a fantastic time. Same same, but different! Highlights were experiencing the mayhem of the capital, Hanoi and exploring Halong Bay on traditional ‘junks’ in the north; and relaxing on the relatively isolated island of Phu Quoc in the south.
Everyone met Steve and the truck at the Cambodian border and proceeded to the capital, Phnom Penh. It is amazing to see how much of Cambodia is underwater – a natural growing ground for rice.
Phnom Penh was a sobering experience – visiting Tuol Sleng Museum, sight of the Security Prison 21 or S-21 (prison in the Civil War 1975 – 1979 under Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge Regime where many Cambodians were detained and tortured); and the associated mass graves at the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek. It has been estimated by experts that upwards of 2 million people were systematically exterminated under this regime which aimed to radically transform Cambodia into a Communist society (a Maoist agrarian cooperative, more specifically).
We are now in Siem Reap – the sight of the Temples of Angkor. The temples were built between the 9th and 14th centuries by the Kings of the Khmer Empire which extended from Vietnam in the east and south, to Yunnan (China) in the north, and Bay Bengal in the west. The kings built these temples in reverence to their gods (namely Vishnu from the Hindu religion and later, Buddhism). The size of the area that Angkor temples cover is awesome with new temples being discovered in heavily forested areas all the time. The magnificence of the crown jewel – Angkor Wat is breathtaking and has to be seen to be believed. The Bayon is also a very impressive temple within the walls of the fortified city of Angkor Thom. The third temple that cannot be missed is the Ta Prohm, a temple that has been left to the ravages of the jungle. There are trees growing on it with their buttress roots encompassing the walls of the temple (of Tomb Raiders fame) – eerie and magical at the same time. For many, the Angkor temple region has been a trip highlight. It certainly has the WOW factor!
Next, we cross into Thailand to the bright lights of Bangkok and all that it has to offer…
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