February 13th - Day 65

Goodbye Vietnam...Hello Cambodia!

 

For the last 2 days in HCMC we moved to the Rex Hotel so that we would be closer to the bus operators that take you to Cambodia.  This old 5 star hotel was used by reporters during the Vietnam War and a lot of the stories they wrote were written here.  And, it has great rooftop views of District 1’s boulevards filled with the Tet illuminations.  It was my birthday, and the hotel presented me with a bunch of flowers and a lovely birthday cake with my name on it.  It was a really nice surprise.  We dined on the rooftop of the Rex as a double celebration, not only was it my birthday but it was our last night in Vietnam too (60 very memorable and enjoyable days).  They had a Vietnamese band on who played Latin music, strangely enough, while we sipped cocktails and ate some delicious steaks cooked to perfection. 

The next morning I had my last proper pho for breakfast (a noodle soup I think is delicious) and got a taxi to the bus station.  The bus took 6 hours to get to Phnom Penh crossing the border through 2 checkpoints, one Vietnamese and one Cambodian.  As soon as we entered Cambodia, we could tell we were in another country.  The buildings were adorned with fancy roofs and unfamiliar Khmer script.  The roads were dustier and potholed.  The bus came to the occasional abrupt halt to allow passing cattle to stroll across the roads.  The land looked flatter and more baron with children and cattle (but not together!) bathing in muddy watering holes along the way.  The bus stopped at a small town to cross a river just before we reached Phnom Penh.  The bus was quickly surrounded by street hawkers offering deep fried critters as snacks in baskets balanced on their heads.  Apparently during Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge Regime in the seventies, whilst the people were starving to death they were forced through hunger to eat such things as tarantulas and acquired a liking for them so they still eat them to this day but we were not that hungry funnily enough! 

As we drove through the huge capital (home to 2 million people) the roads widened and we saw some amazing ornate buildings between shops, restaurants and businesses.  The roads are all numbered so it makes it easy to navigate around as well which is a blessing as the Khmer language is difficult to decipher.  We were dropped off at the bus depot and we haggled for a tuk-tuk to take us to the hotel on street 128 which was just outside the main tourist area but easily within walking distance to most sites. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If we thought it was hot in HCMC, we were mistaken...it is about 37’c here and the sun is baking hot.  We walked towards the quay and found a restaurant that looked inviting.  We had beer at $0.75 (even though the currency is Riel most places deal in US Dollars) and I had chicken amok (spicy chicken coconut curry served in a banana leaf) and Waffle had pork loc lac (pork in a pepper sauce using peppers from Kampot in Cambodia which is famous for it’s peppercorns worldwide).  The food was plentiful, full of flavour and quite spicy. Although, the street food looks less inviting, more like salmonella on a plate with meat and seafood just sitting there in the heat of the sun...no thanks!

As the population is 90% Buddhist it was no surprise to see monks donned in orange robes with orange umbrellas.  They were holding pots waiting outside our hotel for offerings of food from the staff as we ate our breakfast.  When they received food, they chanted some blessing to the staff and moved on.  What we didn’t expect to see were monks smoking cigarettes or sitting pillion on motorbikes!  We thought they couldn’t smoke as they should really indulge in things, they are not even supposed to enjoy eating food.  We got a tuk-tuk to the Royal Palace only to find that it was closed until 2 pm...so we wandered along until then taking in the sites.  One place we wandered into was Wat Onalom.  This was one of the oldest temples in the city and had several buildings, one was the sleeping quarters of the Dalai.  All the buildings were extremely ornate and very beautiful.  A monk showed us around and explained about where the gongs and furniture came from as well as what goes on in each building, he even let us strike the gongs and play on the drums!  He seemed very pleased to show us around the temple and when I took a photo of him he even straightened up his robes and posed for me!

 After visiting the Wat we walked through a side street full of big green rubbish bins where homeless families lived.  The children were rummaging through the bins and were playing in the street, some of them unclothed.  This was the poverty here we had heard about and was very sad to see what little they had.  The children come up to you begging for money and follow you along the road tugging at your clothes.  They are also notorious pick-pockets too so you have to be on your guard! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We came across the National Museum where they were practicing an Apsara dance show for the evening.  Being cheapskates, we watched the show for free instead of paying $18 each later.  The girls danced first and it looked like the dance told a story of harvesting rice in paddy fields and bringing it to the men who joined in on the dancing and the storyline continued.  The men then started to dance using monkey actions in the routine which was funny to see a dance involving scratching their asses!  It was good fun, a little girl about 3 years old who was watching them tried to copy the dance.

At 2pm we walked back to the Royal Palace.  A young friendly boy who spoke to us earlier remembered us and convinced us to buy some water from him instead of paying more inside, we agreed after negotiating a good price (we would rather give him the money anyway).  The Palace was a lot bigger than we expected.  It was full of well maintained gardens surrounding gold and white buildings, stupas and walkways adorned with murals.  We also walked through a few water sprinklers meant for the grass and plants - just to cool us down in the searing heat.  Within the walls of the Palace grounds was the Silver Pagoda which had a silver tiled floor and more Buddha statues than you could imagine...all sizes and positions from lying down, sitting, standing, gold, silver, jade, diamond encrusted etc. etc.  I actually heard Waffle say wow a few times at the Palace (which is something as he isn’t impressed easily).

 

 

 

 

 

 

After walking around for hours and getting a little sunburnt we went for something to eat.  We sat down at a table close to a big fan and perused the menu.  The menu was a bit strange with stuff like cows tongue with red ants and various cooking methods for intestines but we found some soups to be a more to our taste...It was supposed to be a light afternoon snack but it turned out to be a feast...the soups came in huge bowls and had rice to accompany them, peanuts and fresh pineapple to end.  We were stuffed so we skipped tea that day.

The next day we walked to the Independence Monument set on a large roundabout by all the main embassies. Then we walked to the other side of the city to Wat Phnom to which the city takes its name.  Grandma Penh founded the Wat in 1373 on the only hill in the city after finding 4 Buddha statues along the Mekong River. Phnom means ‘hill’ hence the name Phnom Penh.  Just outside the Wat Waffle found a friend...an elephant named Sumbo.  He bought some bananas and after feeding him he gave him a bit of a hug around his trunk...the highlight to his day (Waffles that is, not Sumbos!).  Next we went to one of the shopping malls and at the top floor we watched some young Cambodians rollerblading in a cage doing loads of stunts like somersaults and backward flips.  It was getting late so we found a restaurant for some beer and nosh.  The owner, who was very giggly said that if we could manage 3 jugs of beer she would give us some bbq food for free but we only managed 2!  Every time we took a sip of beer they came and topped our glasses up – very attentive I must say...We ordered some food and after we ate what we ordered and some of the peanuts they kept giving us they brought us free desserts, green noodles in coconut milk (they were really nice).  They really want to make you feel welcome and well fed here.  When we got back to our hotel the extremely happy tuk-tuk driver who parks outside our hotel (never seems to stop smiling) offered to take us to the Killing Fields the next day so we arranged that for 10 am, just after breakfast.

At breakfast the tuk-tuk driver waved and smiled at us through the window and when we stepped outside he seemed overjoyed to take us out for the day for $14.  He took us to Toul Sleng Museum first.  This used to be a school before Pol Pot took control, who turned it into a torture prison called S-21.  A horrific site of electrified beds, small cells and various methods of torture given to people who were educated, skilled, infirm (including people who wore glasses), ‘traitors’ of the Khmer Rouge Regime, foreigners, religious people and just about anyone really.  Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge carried out a program that included isolating the country from foreign influence, closing schools, hospitals and factories, abolishing banking, finance and currency, outlawing all religions, confiscating all private property and relocating people from urban areas to collective farms where forced labour was widespread. These actions resulted in massive deaths through executions, work exhaustion, illness, and starvation. At S-21 14,000 prisoners were held here before being sent to the Killing Fields to be slaughtered within a day of arrival...That was next on our itinerary.

The Killing Fields, or Choeung Ek is 15km south of the city so we were taken along dirt roads passing small hamlets and stilt homes along waterways.  At the Killing Fields, a memorial stands 17 tiers high of bones from some of the mass graves excavated in the area.  As we walked through the grounds passing the ditches we could see clothing still half buried and we even saw a guy pulling up some bone fragments and laying them by a tree which was used to smash babies up against to kill them, now a small shrine in their memory.  They estimate that about 20,000 are buried here in shallow graves and when it rains more bones and clothes are exposed!  We watched a film there that showed more horrifying images that occurred during the 1970s.  The 4 top officials are still yet to be tried for these war crimes, only one accepts and apologises for his actions.  Pol Pot died of a suspected heart attack in 1998 under house arrest aged 73 so justice has not been done as yet for the killing, starving and torture of 1 in 5 Cambodians, an estimated 2 million people.

We had a rest back at the hotel and went out for our final night in Phnom Penh.  We went to a restaurant on the quay which was a bit more expensive than some of them and when it came to the bill, Waffle realised he hadn’t brought enough money with him...he had no choice but to dash back to the hotel and get some more cash, he ran all the way.  He was asked if he wanted a tuk-tuk and a free woman!  He declined and continued to run on...when he came back to the restaurant he looked shattered as he had run about 2 miles and all for being a dollar short! 

This morning we got our tuk-tuk friend to take us to the bus terminal for our onward journey to the beach resort of Sihanoukville.  We pre-booked a hotel close to the beach with a big swimming pool too.  We are going to spend a few days topping our tans up.  The bus ride was very comfortable, 4 hours along a newly laid tarmac road.  They had a TV and put on Ice Age 2 and Resident Evil to watch.  After a bit of a rest (it’s surprising how tired sitting on a bus makes you) we are going to go out and explore the town.

February 5th 2010 – Day 57

Tets the way...I like it...aha...aha...

Danang airport is quite small and although it was leading up to Tet it wasn’t as busy as we had feared.  The flight was really good we even upgraded to seats with bigger legroom for £1 each so Waffle could stretch out.  We felt the heat hit us as we got off the plane at Ho Chi Minh City Airport.  It was about 7pm and it was 27’c...as we got a taxi to our hotel based in the backpackers area in District 1 we realised just how big Ho Chi Minh City actually is (population of about 6 million).  It was formally named Saigon which it is still referred to in places although we have heard it is best to call it HCMC so as not to offend anyone.  It seemed to take ages to get to our hotel and the streets were just as manic as in Hanoi except the roads were much wider and was definitely more built up.  When we arrived the hotel seemed to think we were already staying there and kept asking what our room number was.  It took quite a bit of explaining that we hadn’t even checked in yet!  We were on the 5^th floor in a basic hotel down a small side street filled with restaurants and bars, still got the street hawkers except they just sell some different wares such as dried squid snacks. 



'Coca Suki Restaurant' - well, it amused us anyway!



We freshened up and headed out into another chaotic city.  Even though the roads are big some scooters use the paths to avoid the stationary traffic on the roads so you have to have eyes everywhere when you are walking around. We ate at a restaurant in our street with a menu more extensive than we were used to, including Malaysian, Western and Thai meals spanning about 30 pages.  I went for a beef rendang (slow cooked beef in coconut curry) and Waffle had a roast pork noodle dish which came in a large bowl for just over £1.  As we sat outside eating our nosh we were accosted by loads of street hawkers selling books, bangles, sunglasses, rolex watches etc etc.  We also found there are more disabled people begging on the streets too.  We saw one young guy with no arms smoking holding the cigarette between  his toes...he then fetched some tickets and money out of his pocket and began to count what he had...it was amazing to watch how someone can adapt to their situation.  There is no sign of a curfew (in Hanoi there is a 10pm curfew where all but a couple of bars close up for the night) some night clubs and bars stay open 24 hours a day with the enticing happy hours...we saw a number of Vietnamese prostitutes sitting on scooters waiting for clients and one was suspiciously like a guy in drag so we may have entered ladyboy territory.

The next day we went to the War Remnants Museum which was previously named the War Crimes Museum but was changed so as not to offend the Americans.  Taking a look at the displays and photos inside, it is definitely a war crimes museum in my opinion...it focused on describing how the toxic chemicals released by the Americans have caused birth defects and severe injuries for civilians in Vietnam.  There is a room full of images of extreme deformities such as various conjoined twins, huge bulbous heads, and multi-limbed babies. Formaldehyde filled jars containing deformed foetuses lined one wall. 



Wire cages which held 5 or 6 prisoners at a time



Photos of various torture methods carried out by the US, Chinese and French and awful amputations was also really emotional to see.  Nail pulling, teeth smashing, water torture and barbed wire cages to name a few...horrific.   In the Western world we don’t really see the extent of damage inflicted by war and this museum really puts it in a clear and moving perspective.  There is even an admission from US Senator Kerry of his involvement as a marine in slaying a whole village incuding women and children. 

One of the other significant building in HCMC is the Reunification Palace.  It is an eerie place to visit as behind the very bland exterior lies a snapshot of 30^th April 1975.  This was the place famously known for the Southern Vietnamese waited cross legged on the floor inside as the Northern Vietnamese stormed it with tanks marking the end of the War.   The rooms inside have not changed since that date and if you go into the basement areas you can see the bunkers with desks still with the typewriters on them.

Our next stop was Ben Thanh Market.  We decided to get some t-shirts and a pair of flip-flops for me (as mine are ready to fall apart).  It appears that my feet at size 5 ½ UK are hideously large in Asian standards and I struggled to find shoes that fit me, even the stall vendors found it amusing. And, Waffle’s quest to find a couple of t-shirts was a bit of a struggle too!  On our way back from the market we passed Notre-Dame Cathedral,  not the same design as the one in Paris but was built using red tiles shipped in from France in the late 19^th century and stood out as a typical Western cathedral.

Parked up on the roadside we saw a ‘Che Gevara’ slogan Vespa which looked really cool.  It had army camouflage, netting and small twigs across it like a jungle style army helmet.  Waffle is so keen to own a bike when we return to the UK he is now choosing the make and colour he wants! 

There are not many sights in the city, the biggest disappointment for us was a pagoda that was highlighted as a site to go to.  It took us quite a while to find the Jade Emperor Pagoda as the roads didn’t seem to match our map and when we did find it, it was small and not very impressive at all.  You could buy turtles at the entrance to be released into an overpopulated pond in front of the pagoda which was a bit pointless as they were scooped out of the same pond in the first place!  But that was probably the highlight to this pagoda to be honest.  We found that when we walked to the Chinese District, Cholon, there was a much better pagoda to visit which is not rated so highly – filled with intricate carvings and masses of incense burning away.  There were a lot of people praying for good fortunes in the forthcoming new year.  

With just a couple of days left before tet, the shops were preparing for the festivities as well and in Cholon we saw a few of the shops were filled with Chinese dragon costumes as well as the mandatory red and yellow lanterns and charms that are everywhere in Vietnam.  Outside one of these shops we watched our first dragon dance.  As the drummers beat a rhythm and the performers swirled the dragon the traffic came to a stop and watched. 

In the more upmarket part of the city there are large impressive colonial buildings and 5 star hotels.  These streets are lit up with huge lighting displays this time of year and sponsored spring/tet displays leading up to the big day.  In downtown, one park is filled and I mean filled with masses of flowers and bonsai trees.  Every night we passed the park leading up to Tet trucks continually unloaded more and more flowers!

In one week our meals at night were ranging from Asian, Mexican, Italian, Lebonese (including a go on apple flavoured shisha pipes in an authentic middle-eastern style chill-out room) and a 500g ‘The Big Cheese’ beefburger (that’s about 17 ozs  with 4 cheese slices, 6 slices of bacon and all the trimmings on a bap the size of your head - Waffle was determined to eat every morsel, and did but wasn’t hungry again until 24 hours later!) – by the way, only Waffle dared this monster, I had a normal size burger.

On the 31^st we changed hotels to a 5 star one on the other side of the city closer to the Chinese Quarter.  We decided to treat ourselves for the new year and it lived up to expectations and more...We upgraded on arrival to the corner junior executive suite on the 22^nd floor which has a large completely private balcony with views of most of the city (Waffle has been parading naked on it so it is a good job it’s not overlooked), living room, dressing room and separate bedroom.  We also get free laundry service, a huge buffet breakfast, afternoon snacks such as scallops on parsley risotto, pate on brioche, cheese board and small cakes, oh and all the drinks you want from 5-7pm so we are making full use of that!  There is also a swimming pool, sauna, gym and stream rooms so we can really live it up for a few days but I hope it ain't spoilt us too much.

On Tet New Years Eve we ate at the’ Top of the Town’ on the 25^th floor of our hotel which overlooks the city and then just before midnight we returned to our room so that we could watch the shows from our balcony.  Dead on 12 o’clock the fireworks started across the city.  We had the best views...We watched the two main displays for about 20 minutes of continuous streams of fireworks.  There were so many that the intense smoke from them started to obscure the display but it was still wonderful.  Every morning, the noise of drums echo around the streets below and we have seen more dragon dances in the streets as the days go by.

We have really enjoyed HCMC, probably because of the posh hotel room more than for the city although it is a great city in itself - International foods, all night entertainment, illuminated boulevards and festive atmosphere makes up for the lack of tourist sites. 

Next stop Cambodia...so in a couple of days we will be making our way out of Vietnam (our home for the last 2 months) to Phnom Penh in Cambodia hopefully seeing part of the Mekong River on the way. 

New country, new culture, new ventures...Waffle is already getting sentimental about good ole’ Nam, we are gonna miss ya, Vietnam!

(click here for more Saigon pictures)