Go Take A Hike...With Us in Sapa!

I'm not ashamed to admit that I had to get some (okay...A LOT of) hands-on assistance from a 12-year old (who probably weighed 70 lbs. soaking wet) and a lady in plastic sandals with a baby strapped to her back, in order to prevent myself from sliding down the cliff during our muddy and slippery trek through the rice terraces of Sapa and the Lao Chai and Ta Van Hmong villages.  Welcome to "real trekking" in Sapa, Vietnam.

Fog dissipating, revealing the beautiful rice terraces and river valley below. We were about to start trekking down into the valley.

It's pure dumb luck that on the second day, the sun came out and the fog decided to dissipate.  Especially since we talked to several people who were leaving without having had a single fog-free day in Sapa.  We took full advantage by going on a day hike. 

We woke up to this promising view on our second day in Sapa!  Beautiful blue skies above the cloud line. 

There's many trekking options.  A few popular ones take hikers and cyclists to Heaven's Gate or Ham Rong Mountain, or the real adventurous may attempt to climb the summit of Fansipan.  On a clear day, we hear the view from atop the mountains and the highest mountain pass (Heaven's Gate) is well...heavenly, but we wouldn't have been able to see much of the valley.  We decided on a guided hike that took us below the cloud lines into the villages instead of going higher.  

Sapa: A Mountain Town Covered in Thick Fog

In front of Tien Sa waterfall
near Cat Cat Village.

We finally made it into the northwestern mountains of Vietnam near the China border to an area called Sapa, famous for the patterned rice terraces carved out of the side of the mountains.  Once you've seen the view, it's easily recognizable as belonging to Sapa.  

As if the rice terrace landscape wasn't good enough, they are surrounded by sheer granite walls rising from crystal clear river canyons, bamboo forests soaring into the heavens, peppered with villages of Hmong tribes dressed in their colorful attire.  Sapa couldn't be more picture perfect.

Picture perfect, unless surrounded by dense fog with a visibility of about 20 feet...which was our Sapa experience on our first day here.

Here's what we should've been able to see in Sapa: 

Postcards of scenic Sapa area. 

Here's what we actually saw:

The fog gave the landscape a unique, mysterious shroud that was equally beautiful, but we wished we'd seen the dramatic views today.

The Vibrant Sunday Market at Bac Ha, Vietnam

Photo opportunity with a Hmong
woman and baby.  (Baby is trying
to pull Akiko's hair out.)

We've seen lots of markets throughout our sabbatical, but Bac Ha's Sunday Market has to be one of our favorites because it is an actual working market for the local Hmong hill tribes who bring their produce, goods, clothing, and livestock from their mountain villages and spend the day selling, buying, trading, eating, drinking, and socializing with one another.

The major draw for tourists who come in bus loads from Sapa is the vibrant and intricate traditional clothing that the Hmong women are seen wearing at the market that makes this experience seem like we've been transported back in time, except for the ubiquitous presence of motorbikes that bring us back to reality...  

Because we were staying in Bac Ha, we got to the market before too many tour buses started arriving.  It started as a misty, rainy day but that didn't stop business.  We felt a little like intruders, however it was definitely worth experiencing.

View the photos and feel yourself transported to a different time and place!

A DIY Itinerary from Hanoi to Bac Ha, Vietnam

A popular tourist destination is the Lao Cai Province in northwestern Vietnam near the border of China where people from all over flock to view the beautiful rice terraces of Sapa, climb to the summit of Fansipan, and trek to many of the Hmong hill tribe villages in the mountains.  

As with many scenic places, the tour groups have practically taken over Sapa in the past few years and everything we've read cautions travelers to brace for overcrowded trails with a constant stream of persistent villagers trying to sell you something.

Transportation is always a challenge when trying to get around in the mountains, so it's no surprise that the majority of visitors to this region join one of the hundreds of organized tour groups departing from Hanoi.   

After much research, we decided to stick to a do-it-yourself itinerary.  The cost wasn't all that different, but we didn't want to feel rushed and confined to a group itinerary. We definitely have plans to spend a couple of days in Sapa, but we also desired a more quiet mountain town to settle in so we ended up choosing Bac Ha. 

Why Bac Ha? 

• Fresh mountain air
• Very friendly locals
• Sunday market
• Hiking
• Not too many tourists stay overnight
• Easy transportation from Lao Cai train station

Hoi An, A Day at the Cooking School

Where best to take cooking classes than in the culinary capital of Vietnam?  There are lots of cooking schools here in Hoi An.  It seems almost every restaurant offers some kind of class for very cheap.  After perusing through a few offerings, we settled on the cooking class provided by a reputable restaurant in town called Dao Tien River with Chef de Cuisine, Viet. For $25/pp we got a tour through the Central Market to buy some ingredients, then a boat tour of Hoai River and watched the fishermen cast their nets and catch fish (!), then we returned to the restaurant to start cooking.

We had a full day.  You can see our blog entry on the market tour at the start of the day.  We didn't think we were lucky enough to have the chef to ourselves for 6 hours for $25/pp, but we also didn't expect 17 other French tourists who happened to be an hour late for the meeting time either!  Wandering through the market and delivering cooking instructions to 19 people is quite challenging.  As a former educator, I can relate, so we think Chef Viet did an amazing job of keeping us on track, especially since the menu was quite ambitious for a mixed crowd.

The entire upstairs of Dao Tien was set up as a cooking school with 19 stations.  2-3 people shared propane burners. We loved this cooking school because although it took a long time to get through the instructions of 4 dishes with such a large crowd, it was all hands-on.

Hoi An, Central Market and Foodie Finds

Cao lau (Hoi An noodles) street vendor is now open for business!  Of course, red plastic stools are a must for good street food. Everything she needs (including the stools) are carried in two baskets.

As far as we're concerned (and many will agree), Hoi An is the culinary capital of Vietnam.  4 centuries of trade with Japan, China, India, Netherlands, Portugal, etc. have resulted in taking the best culinary tips from these countries and incorporated into the best Vietnamese food we've had. Not to mention foods like Cao Lau that can only be made authentically in Hoi An using one of five well waters here.  Not to mention the BEST banh mi sandwich exists in Hoi An.  Never mind the other unique dishes specific to Hoi An and the greater Quang Nam Province, plus fresh seafood straight off the fishing boats in the South China Sea, that can keep us eating something different every day for the next year!

Here are lots of photos from the central market and a few of Hoi An's food specialties.

Day 200: Hoi An, Picturesque Port Town By The Sea

Hoi An could be one of the most picturesque places we've been to in a long time.  Being situated along the Hoai River that drains into the South China Sea, Hoi An was quite the bustling and cosmopolitan port trading town full of Japanese, Chinese, Dutch, Portuguese, and Indians who settled here for commerce.   The atmosphere quickly takes us back to those days with all the traditional architecture and quaint streets that could be a scene right out of a movie.  Ironically, the silting of the riverbed and the collapse of the Nguyen Rule in the 18th century that led to the demise of this port town is also the reason this place is so well-preserved because it was virtually ignored until it was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1999.  Since then, the stream of tourists haven't stopped and probably will continue to grow. 

Today, many of the original houses in Old Town have been turned into galleries, shops, restaurants, and bars for the tourists.   Yet, there's still a local feel (for now) as evidenced by the bustling central market and the traditional fishing that goes on in the Hoai River and ocean.  The night-scape of Old Town lit with lanterns reflecting off the surface of the river is unparalleled. 

Mekong Delta, The "Rice Bowl" of the World

The Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam is one of the world's richest agricultural regions, and according to our tour guide, just surpassed Thailand as the number one exporter of rice.  The climate, fertile soil, river waters, and centuries old cultivation techniques gives the Mekong a distinct advantage by being able to harvest rice 3 times a year.  Besides rice, there's a large commercial fishing industry and many tropical fruits grow in this fertile land.  Well, that sure sounded like a fifth grader encyclopedia report on the Mekong Delta (do they even do that in school anymore?  What's an encyclopedia? Ha, ha). 

Breakfast, pho ga, on our way to the
Mekong delta.

Our time in south Vietnam is short, but we didn't want to miss the opportunity to visit the delta, and especially the famous floating markets that grace many postcards from Vietnam.  However, the delta is a large area and is difficult to get around without a boat.  One can easily get lost amongst the rice fields, mangrove forests, stilt houses, floating houses, tributaries, and canals...never to be found again.  It reminds us somewhat of the Louisiana bayou.  To visit the Mekong properly, we should've probably devoted at least a week to explore the "bayou".  Unfortunately, we didn't have that kind of time so we did something very touristy.  After much deliberation, we joined an organized tour (*gasp*)!  We decided that it was the most efficient way to visit the delta. 

Cost in Cambodia: "Same Same, But Different" as Thailand

We know that everyone spends differently, and a budget can be extremely variable; however, after leaving an area, we want to provide some perspective on the cost associated with staying there for anyone interested in doing a similar trip.  Our budget of $150/day (we started with a lower target range of $100 but we are obviously nowhere close to that!) is for 2 people and does not include the $10,000 round-the-world flights (plus trip insurance) already paid for.  The budget also does not account for the bills we are continuing to pay at home.  The bulk of our budget allows for low-to-mid-range lodging in hostels, budget hotels, or guesthouses for a target of $60/double; meals/drinks; use of public transportation; and cost to do some sightseeing and/or activities.  At $150/day, we have found we are not depriving ourselves from any experiences; except that, as foodies, we aren't as liberal with our budget on finding the best and trendiest restaurants (which we haven't missed at all).  An article titled, "Set Your Daily Number" by the veteran travel bloggers from Married With Luggage confirms that a daily average is a simple strategy for setting and meeting a budget.  We've got in the habit of taking a few minutes to record our daily expenditure so we can make small adjustments along the way.

Bayon Temple at Angkor Thom
in background, Cambodia.

ONLY 10 DAYS IN CAMBODIA, BUT FELT LONGER
For some reason, we felt like we were in Cambodia for a lot longer than 10 days (in a good way).  Maybe because we did so much and enjoyed so much in such a short period of time, it felt like we were there forever.  Good news is, one could practically live in Cambodia "forever" without hurting your finances. 

Again, traveling like "royalty", we ended up having the same daily cost of $130/day ($1300 total) as we did in Thailand.  However, our cost distribution wasn't exactly the same as it was in Thailand.  Lodging was equivalent.  Sticking to street food was just as affordable, although we actually spent more on food in Cambodia to satisfy some of our non-asian food cravings.  Fortunately, beer was dirt cheap in Cambodia while it can be quite expensive in Thailand, so our bar cost was cut in half.  In Cambodia, we forked over a lot more money on admission fees to Angkor Wat, museums, and memorial sites - a cost that we barely had in Thailand.  Massage, laundry, and transportation were just as cheap as it was in Thailand.  So, all-in-all, "same, same, but different". 

Old Saigon Walking Tour

Monument of Ho Chi Minh
in front of the People's Committee
Building (City Hall).

Our starting point for our one-month trip through Vietnam is this bustling, sprawling metropolis in the southern part of Vietnam called Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC), formerly Saigon.  It's a big city divided into 19 urban districts with even more new developments underway.  We are staying in the historic district, also the backpacker district 1, where it is still known as Saigon. 

One of the best ways to get to know a city is to explore by foot.  We decided to follow the path of Lonely Planet Vietnam's self-guided Old Saigon walking tour that covers 4 kilometers and approximately 20 sites.  The book said it takes 3 hours, but it took us more like 5 hours for a couple of reasons.

Our Last Overland Border Crossing! Cambodia to Vietnam by Bus

Yesterday was our very final overland border crossing on our round-the-world trip!  We made it into Vietnam without any issue, visa or transporation-wise, thank goodness. 

The bus ride from Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam took approximately 7 hours.  The roads were much better than our unpaved road bus ride from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh.  We heeded the advice of many and chose Mekong Express Limousine bus company at $13/pp (really, $12/pp but our hotel got a $1/pp commission) instead of the cheaper $5/pp bus rides.  The bus was clean and basic.  They gave us a free snack, water, and wet wipe.  Our luggage was tagged for security.  We stopped once for a 25-minute lunch break, right before the border crossing.  Weirdly, their 3 company goals were posted in Japanese inside the bus: (1) Avoid accidents (2) Reduce idling (3) Excellent customer service.  Hmmm.

Cambodia, Exciting Times For This Frontier Country

At the Cambodia Stock Exchange (CSX)

We are proud holders of a Cambodian bank account and in process of getting an official Investor ID through the Cambodian Securities Exchange Commission to obtain a brokerage trading account to start trading stock in Cambodia!  

Hit the brakes!  What?!  Okay, back up for a second.  Allow us to explain...

This is an unusual write up for a travel blog in that we want to talk about the emerging Cambodian economy and stock market.  

Before you hit the snooze button, let us say that this is a very exciting time for Cambodia.  It's more civilized than the wild-wild East that it used to be about 10-15 years ago.  However, it is still a sleepy, raw, unrefined frontier country, starting to wake up to the 21st century. 

CSX, How to Open An Account to Trade on the Cambodian Stock Exchange

Are you interested in opening the necessary accounts in order to have one of the "front-row" seats to invest and watch the Cambodia Stock Exchange (CSX) take off?  Here's how we went through the process of being able to trade on the CSX.

A Real Horror Story in Cambodia, The Khmer Rouge

There are very few places on earth where evidence of genocide is so well-preserved as they are at the Choeung Ek Killing Fields and the Tuol Sleng S-21 Prison in Cambodia.  

The Killing Fields.  Buddhist prayer
bracelets left on bamboo fence
surrounding a women and children's
mass grave.  The Killing Tree in
the background.

This isn't some morbid fascination in visiting haunted places with tortured souls. In fact, we were hesitant about going at all because we didn't know if we could handle the information.  However, they have been preserved to reveal the horrific story of the Khmer Rouge past to the world with hopes of never repeating this dark history again.  

Prior to our arrival in Cambodia, we did a lot of reading on the Khmer Rouge and the genocide that killed approximately 2 million or 25% of the country's population from 1975 to 1979.  One of the most poignant books was the autobiography, Surviving the Killing Fields, by Dr. Haing S. Ngor.  As a first-time actor, he actually won an Oscar for best-supporting actor for his role as Dith Pran in the movie, The Killing Fields.  

Dr. Haing S. Ngor's
autobiography.

We encourage you to learn more about the crazed-paranoid leader, Pol Pot and his communist party who had a social engineering policy of exterminating any evidence of any culture, capitalism, and religion from the face of Cambodia in favor of a self-sufficient agrarian utopia.  He succeeded in extermination but failed miserably in any sort of utopia.  More like hell on earth is what they created. 

Anyone that was a reminder of the former society (intellectuals, professionals, teachers, merchants, ethnic minorities, monks, even those wearing glasses because that indicated they could read and therefore, educated, etc.) were killed.  Those suspected of spying for the CIA (they'd never even heard of the CIA, but that didn't matter) were tortured, forced to falsely confess names of friends and family who were "also CIA spies", and summarily executed.  The worst torture was reserved for Khmer Rouge's own rank and file suspected of treason.  Many also died from being worked to death in the rice fields, starvation, and disease.

A calculated, mass-murder of your own people is difficult to fathom.  Yet, thanks to Khmer Rouge's own meticulous record-keeping and the lack of time in getting rid of the evidence when the Vietnamese liberation army drove them out, we were able to witness the remnants of this horror.  

Phnom Penh, A City in Mourning with a Promising Future

This post covers not only King Sihanouk's passing, but also a variety of Phnom Penh, Cambodia experiences this week, including the Royal Palace, National Museum, river view, wats (temples), the food scene, brewery tour, etc.  The Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng S-21 Prison is a different posting.  

Mercurial.  That's how the foreign press described the personality of Cambodia's ex-King Sihanouk, when they reported his passing away on October 15th, 2 weeks shy of his 90th birthday.  His personality may have been volatile and unpredictable, but Cambodians don't refer to him as "The King-Father of Cambodia" for nothing.  He was very loved and admired.

Ex-King Norodom Sihanouk, lying in state at Royal Palace, Phnom Penh.

Gloria Angkor Hotel Earns Our Customer Service Award

We're giving up precious (not really) blog space to give some free advertising to our new favorite hotel, Gloria Angkor Hotel in Siem Reap, Cambodia!

Service excellence is difficult to describe, but you know it when you experience it.  What we do know is that service is an attitude and not about a series of activities to be performed.  It involves anticipating needs and exceeding expectations.

We've also observed that spending more money doesn't necessarily improve service quality.  Crappy service exists in high-end resorts.  Excellent service exists in budget accommodations.  

Temples at Angkor Archeological Park - Day 2 (Angkor Thom & Grand Circuit)

Part 2 of our 2 day itinerary at Angkor Archeological Park.  Read the introduction and tips from Day 1 here. 

Typically, a tour of the large Angkor Thom complex concludes the Small Circuit itinerary from Day 1.  However, it was already 2:30 pm and Angkor Thom would've taken another 3 to 4 hours to complete, so we decided to postpone Angkor Thom to Day 2.  Day 2 included Angkor Thom and the Grand Circuit. 

Temples at Angkor Archeological Park - Day 1 (Small Circuit)

Angkor and its temple ruins. 

Some say it is more impressive and mysterious than Machu Picchu in Peru.  Having had the privilege of visiting both,  Angkor is certainly more vast with Angkor Wat being the largest religious complex in the world.  It covers 400 square kilometers and was the center of the Khmer Empire for 600 years from 9th to 12th century while sustaining a population of over 100,000 Khmer inhabitants.  Both are mysterious and awe-inspiring.  Both, a testament to what was once advanced civilizations.  Khmers in Indochina. Incas in South America. 

Visiting Angkor Archeological Park has definitely been a must-do/must-see on our bucket list. For purposes of this blog, there's a lot of information on the internet and in books about the history, architecture, and explanation of the details of the temples.  Therefore, there really is no need to reiterate what's already out there.  For a brief overview, Angkor Archeological Park -WikiTravel site is quite explanatory. 

The recurring theme is that depending on which Khmer King built the temple, the temples were either dedicated to the Hindu deities of Shiva or Vishnu before the mid-12th century, while temples built by King Jayavarman VII - who converted to Buddhism - were dedicated to Buddha from mid-12th century on.  Although, we found carvings dedicated to both Hinduism and Buddhism in many of the temples as religious preferences waxed and waned amongst subsequent Kings after Jayavarman VII.

For anyone trying to organize how they should "tackle" the enormous park and dozens of temples, may we suggest an itinerary that doesn't leave you completely exhausted and immobilized after the first day?  

View of the Cambodian Countryside from a Bus

Lots of brahma cows in Cambodia

For our journey from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, we really wanted to take the speed boat all the way down the Tonle Sap River, but since we are still on the tail end of the rainy season, the water levels dictate whether or not these boats can operate or not.  They couldn't guarantee that we would be able to ride the boat if the river was too flooded so we opted for the bus.  

What would 'normally' take 2 hours via a paved 4-lane interstate took more than 7 hours driving down a partially paved, mostly dirt, National Highway pocked full of potholes and standing water.  The road is shared by a myriad of other cars, trucks, and buses while mopeds and bicycles weave in and out of traffic on either side.  

Part "paved", mostly dirt, National Highway 6!

Whatever our bus driver gets paid doesn't seem enough compensation for his efforts in trying not to kill anyone during this white-knuckled driving for 7 hours straight.  In fact, the Siem Reap to Phnom Pehn route is notorious for accidents where travel guides warn about the cheaper bus operators driving recklessly, causing many injuries to passengers.  

Cost - Thailand: Traveling in Comfort For Less Than $130/Day

We know that everyone spends differently, and a budget can be extremely variable; however, after leaving an area, we want to provide some perspective on the cost associated with staying there for anyone interested in doing a similar trip.  Our budget of $150/day (we started with a lower target range of $100 but we are obviously nowhere close to that!) is for 2 people and does not include the $10,000 round-the-world flights (plus trip insurance) already paid for.  The budget also does not account for the bills we are continuing to pay at home.  The bulk of our budget allows for low-to-mid-range lodging in hostels, budget hotels, or guesthouses for a target of $60/double; meals/drinks; use of public transportation; and cost to do some sightseeing and/or activities.  At $150/day, we have found we are not depriving ourselves from any experiences; except that, as foodies, we aren't as liberal with our budget on finding the best and trendiest restaurants (which we haven't missed at all).  An article titled, "Set Your Daily Number" by the veteran travel bloggers from Married With Luggage confirms that a daily average is a simple strategy for setting and meeting a budget.  We've got in the habit of taking a few minutes to record our daily expenditure so we can make small adjustments along the way.

ONE MONTH IN THAILAND

Man, oh man!  We have been traveling like royalty in Thailand with our $150/day budget.  Okay, royalty may be a far stretch, but a dollar definitely goes a long way in Thailand.  More so than South America.

Originally, we had hopes of keeping our cost to less than $100/day in Thailand, which is completely do-able.  However, electing to go with air-conditioning over a fan, first class cabins over second class, 3-star hotels over hostels, and signing up for day trips and activities have added to our cost.  What makes Thailand amazing for travelers is that despite all our upgrades, we are still way within our intended budget of $150/day.