Swinging on a Rubber Band (The Gibbons Experience)

If someone had asked me at the beginning of my trip, what I was most excited for, I would have probably said "the gibbons experience". Now at the end of my trip, if people ask me what was the most challenging part of my trip, I'd probably say "the gibbons experience". The first day was amazing and exactly what I was excited about, but the second and third... Yeesh with a capital Y. 

The Gibbons Experience is a tree-top zip lining, mountainous jungle trekking eco adventure in Northern Laos in the Bokeo Nature Reserve. The name is rather misleading as it is incredibly rare to actually see gibbons or really much wildlife at all. However, the name could lend itself to the fact that you swing around on ziplines and sleep in treehouses, high off the jungle floor. We had picked the "waterfall" 2 night option where in addition to the classic treehouse/ziplines, you visit a small waterfall too. 

We started our adventure by piling into the back of a truck tuk-tuk and taking a windy two hour ride to get to the base camp (a small hillside village). We were then split into groups and joining Simon, Karen and I, were a friendly American couple: Rachel and Nick. The five of us met our guides and started the waterfall trek. We hiked about two - three hours when we reached the waterfall and maaaannn, after a month of eating rice and sitting on buses, that trek kicked my butt! A lot of uphill climbs and steep declines to get there. Quads of steel by the end of these three days!

It was at this point when I took out my camera to snap some pics, when I realized that although it was a good idea to charge my batteries the night before, it was not such a smart move to leave it in the charger in my big backpack. As such, I only managed a precious few pictures on my iPod. Doh!

Trekking in the jungle

The waterfall wasn't super impressive and ridiculously cold. Yet it was a welcome relief for our muddy, wet and hot feet. Nick was the first to jump in, while Rachel got her own free fish pedicure as the fish nibbled on her feet. After a bit, our guides came back with harnesses and we suited up for another hike to the ziplines. 

The ziplines were awesome. I love, love, love zip lining and so far have had the privilege of going about three times already in my life (England, Costa Rica, and Whistler). This time however, it was much more freelance. After we got to our treehouse (which we had to zip in and out of), we had free reign to zip around as much as we wanted to. We learned how to suit up, strap on and slow down pretty quickly. Helmets? Nah. Stuck a little far from the end? Pull yourself (or have Simon save you at one point!). It was awesome. The longest zip we went on was 500m over the forest canopy. Pretty damn awesome.

Zipping out of the Treehouse

The treehouse we stayed in was basic but functional. We slept on gym crash-mats, under what basically looked like a childhood blanket fort. The bathroom was a squatter toilet with a sink and a cold shower. There was drinking the water and meals were zipped in from kitchens nearby.

Our Second Treehouse

The first night after we ate dinner (vegetable mixes and rice), the five of us played a long game of "Bugger Your Neighbour" (my classic family cottage card game) before tucking in early. It was so loud trying to sleep with all the tree crickets! The morning came way too soon and we started the next days trek to another treehouse. 

After lunch and a mini-siesta, we went zipping on our own. It was a lot of fun,  until I started to feel really hot and gross. Thinking it was a bit of heat exhaustion, I ducked out a bit early and went back to the treehouse. Then, the disaster started. *Warning: TMI Susan is about to tell you probably more than you wanted to know* 

Non-stop vomiting from about 6pm to 1:30 am with the "exploding double ender" (throwback to first year uni and Giles/505 Bates for that phrase!). It was quite possibly the worst diarrhea I've ever had. Like a faucet. I didn't know that was even possible (how did I have anything left in me?!). Throwing up, gave way to dry heaves, gave way to flecks of blood. So imagine how awful that feels. Now put yourself on a squatter toilet, 100 m above ground. I definitely can take away some balancing/multi-tasking skills from this experience.

All that though, was not as tough as the hike back. There were no evac procedures, so I had to slowly make my way through the jungle back to the village. Thank you so much to everyone for being so patient with me and waiting while I was sick or had to poop in the jungle (I guess that's off the bucket list too?). I felt so bad for being such a drag on everyone. Even though they were an insanely challenging three hours, I made it and gratefully climbed onto the truck.

We decided the small village of Huay Xai was probably not the best place to seek medical attention, so after our bus to Thailand, we checked into a hospital in Chiang Rai. The Overbrook Hospital was clean and they spoke fairly good English. They gave me a crap ton of medicines as well as an IV shot of anti-nausea and anti-cramping meds. I felt so much better. I unfortunately saw nothing really of Chiang Rai except the hospital and my hotel room. 

Drugs, Drugs, Drugs....

The next day, I was feeling a bit better and began the trek to Hong Kong. We said goodbye to Rachel and Nick and took flights from Chiang Rai -- Bangkok -- Hong Kong. I spent the night at James' place before arriving at the airport this afternoon.

It was sad to say goodbye to Simon and Karen as they continue on to their trip to China. Despite the crappy end, I had an amazing trip. I saw ancient wonders, tried new foods, hung out with elephants, bartered at markets, rode crazy buses, relaxed on boats and made a million memories. Thanks Asia, it's been a blast.

Lovin' Laos!

So far, Laos has been my favourite country. Yeah, it may be a bit more expensive and it may be totally influenced by my elephant experience, but I'm loving the mellow, friendly vibes here. I didn't take many pictures as I was pretty pictured out after the elephants, so hopefully my words do it justice....

Luang Prabang is the second biggest city here and it feels more similar to Hoi An than Hanoi. Infrastructure isn't great and it's more like a cottage town than a city. Our hostel had amazing showers and good breakfasts so it made up for my prison like, bare bones dorm room.

We visited the night market more times than Simon wanted but I loved all the handicrafts available. I shouldn't have bought things anywhere else but here! No one harassed you or made you feel bad for saying no. There wasn't as much bartering as in Cambodia, but sometimes they'd go down a bit. I bought cute new slippers to wear back home in freezing Canada amongst a few other souvenirs. 

The food was a refreshing change from everywhere else. They have a strong French influence leftover from the colonial days, so baguettes and croissants were popular. I think I had about four baguettes there in my time ?one with tofu, so good!) Perfect amount as now I'm ready to go back to rice and noodle dishes.

The bar scene was pretty European/tourist influenced but I enjoyed them. We went to one called Icon Klub, which could easily pass for a bohemian styled bar on queen west. I splurged and got an expensive but amazing mojito. They also had the BEST WASHROOM in all of SE Asia. After squatters and no toilet paper, it was pretty epic.

The next night, we went to the famed Utopia, a backpacker oasis.  We ordered dinner, split some Beerlaos and enjoyed people watching. There are cushions and low seated tables with candlelight scattered everywhere under a big straw coned roof. There are Palm trees and lush gardens surrounding outdoor tables. There was some big long tables for rowdy patrons and a volleyball court and foosball table. It's up there on my all time favourite bars list.

Simon lounging in "Utopia"

On our way home, we stumbled upon some local guys playing what we thought was house-league volleyball. But after a second glance, it was something totally different. There were three guys on each side of the net and they would kick (like yoga gymnastics high kicks) a ball back and forth only using their heads or feet. We were fascinated for about 20 minutes. I later found out this sport is called sepak takraw and it's very popular in SE Asia (thanks Wikipedia!). We then kept walking in this area and there was a mini carnival and for 2,000 kip we played the "throw the darts at the balloon" game. Simon was able to get three in a row and won a Pepsi. There were monk milling around, Kids playing and adults lounging with Beerlao and BBQ. Pretty cool local Saturday night.

After our time in Luang Prabang, we packed up early and boarded the slowboat to take us to Huay Xai where we will join the Gibbons Experience for three days. The slowboat takes two days with a night stopover in the one-street town of Pak Beng. It's more advisable to do this than the bus (12 hrs) or fast boat (6 hrs but people have died on it).

It's called a Slowboat for a reason....

We did not prepare well on our first day. Opting to wear shorts and no socks, the cold Laos morning was brutal. Luckily, Karen had extra socks at least! We made a new friend, Claudia from Germany, and sat with her. It was nice because now her and I could share a room and cut down our costs as dorms were not an option in Pak Beng. 

Inside our Boat on Day 2

Cards (rummy and crazy 8s), boat bought noodles, reading, and naps took up the 8 and a half hours to Pak Beng. Our accommodations were decent and dinner at an Indian restaurant was delicious. The next morning we boarded for another 10 hours, albeit a bit more prepared with hoodies and sandwiches. We spent the night in Huay Xai, packing and eating. Next stop, our three day trek into the Namkam national park to do the Gibbons Experience where we trek for 2-3 hrs a day, Zipline in the canopy, sleep in treehouses, and hopefully spot some monkeys.

I've been done seen about everything when I see a Elephant (...fly)

I had already accomplished one goal of my time in SE Asia (visiting the Chu Chi Tunnels) and during my time in Luang Prabang, I was able to accomplish the other: riding and interacting with elephants. Elephants are a big part of the tourism in Laos, and we researched enough beforehand to pick a reputable travel company to use. We booked a day trip that included a trek through a village, a waterfall visit and a kayak trek in addition to an optional (obviously not even close to optional in my mind) elephant ride. 

She Ain`t No Dumbo!

The trek through the village was not too informative but interesting to observe the different tribes and how they built their houses differently depending on what they were. There was one child who was wailing when we got there but stopped quickly when he saw us. Our guide laughed and said it was because they told him "you better stop crying or the foreigners will take you away!". Boogeyman Howse. ;)

The waterfall portion was nice too. There are two major tourist waterfalls near Luang Prabang and we went to Tad Sae. They were many small waterfalls flowing over little limestone rocks. Gorgeous but a little cold for my liking. Simon and Karen had no problem, with Simon even jumping off a rope swing.

Tad Sae Waterfalls

The 3 hour kayaking adventure down the Nam Khan was exhausting but a great way to spend the afternoon. As the odd one out, I was paired with the guide which had its pros/cons. Pros: able to take more breaks as he was a strong paddler and he was able to navigate around the small rapids with ease. Cons: language barriers (he asked me "do you like whisky?" And I heard "do you like to ski?" Resulting in a vastly different conversation) and his not-so subtle efforts to pick me up ("I'm not married either, maybe we go to Utopia tonight and have whisky?"). All in all though, I liked the kayak and it felt great to do something active again.

An afternoon on the river

Karen and I opted for the elephant ride. We sat on a Howdah (chair on the elephants back) and a mahout led us on a short trek through a worn trail in a forest. It was really fun but I wanted a more hands on experience. So going on the advice of "you might only be here once, make it count", I booked a solo trip to an elephant farm the following day.

I was told my pickup time was at 8:30, so I grumbled out of bed nice and early to wait. Then half an hour went by. I talked to my hostel staff and they called the company for me resulting in "wait more". Another hour went by and at this point, I'm super annoyed. If it was cancelled, that sucks but at least I wouldn't waste my morning. I just wanted some clarification and was continually being told just to "wait more". This was beyond "Laos time" by this time. Eventually a truck came and without really know where or what I was headed into, I jumped in and took a ride.

45 minutes later, I arrived at Nam Ou Elephant Camp and a frazzled ex-pat greeted me. There was a mixup and the tour company picked up the wrong person from my hostel. She felt so bad that she said I was going to get my own private tour. I had already brightened up upon seeing the farm (no cages, open space, 12 elephants plus a baby returning from the previous groups walk) and these words were icing on the cake. Good things totally come to those who wait.

Pauline, the British ex-pat, explained that she had been working here for 10 months because of her tor guiding experience and her love of elephants. It is a relatively new farm and so far they have rescued (through buying the elephants) from logging work camps where they are being forced to work long, tough days. They are often mistreated through aggressive handling (leaving cuts and scars over their bodies from the  bullhook). It is supposed to be used for the pressure points on an elephants head to get them to turn. Often in the work camps, they are hit so hard that it breaks the skin to make them go faster. She even showed me one elephant who was walking weird. Wen they got the vet to look at her, they found that her old owners had used the bullhook inside her. Pauline was emotional explaining this to me and I even got a bit teary hearing it.

This baby elephant was nicknamed ``Killer Baby`` because she was totally wild and wouldn't be trained until she was three years old.

Even though it's better to not even have them work at all, there are no protected national parks for the elephants. Nam Ou lets them roam free in the jungle behind the village when they're "off shift" (they give rides to tourists in the morning). I really liked the vibes of this place.

I was shown my personal elephant for the day, a female named Kham Seng. I fed her banana trunks which were amazing to watch her eat. Their teeth are far back so they kind of gum them backwards until they give them a big crunch and water squirts out. She was a bit greedy and afraid I'd give some to the other elephants so sometimes she'd grab like three stocks at a time. 

Just some gals gabbin' over lunch

After feeding her, I climbed on a Howdah and walked her through the village. The mahout rode in front of me and Pauline walked alongside, telling me all about living there in the small village and being the only white person who just speaks a bit of Lao. 

After the ride, I was able to take her for a bath. Her howdah was removed and we walked down to the riverbed where I sat on her neck and we waded into the water. She pause to drink a bit before heading in where she had a sit and I helped splash/pour some water over her. I loved it. It was challenging to stay on without falling so I understand the use howdahs for tourists now. Bareback though, was pretty awesome. I loved being connected to her and they said she enjoys being in the water (not sure if they were just saying that but I'll take it).

Splish Splash, we were taking a bath!

I was so lucky to have this opportunity to visit a farm where they genuinely care for these animals. A lot of tourist sites overwork them and I'm glad I supported this one. I'm even more interested in elephants now and so happy I was able to check something off my bucket list. I am one lucky gal.

Halong Bay: One of the Natural Wonders of the World

Our one day and one night in Hanoi was not very eventful. Other than the campy but enjoyable water puppets show and wandering through the mass rush hour, motorbike confusion trying find a currency exchange, it wasn't too much fun. It's very busy and people aren't as open to tourists as other places we've been. Also, I failed horribly at food in Hanoi. I tried to get steamed rice wraps with vegetables and pointed to them and said "no meat?", they nodded and ended up bringing Simon and I steamed rice wraps with nothing inside (which is, I guess, what I asked for). Then at a street vendor, I assumed that I pointed at spring rolls and when I said "no meat?" They nodded. It was a deep fried pork stick. Ah well.... The hustle, bustle and tiresome city life of Hanoi gave easy way to one of the prettiest locations on our trip, Halong Bay.

Halong Bay consists of thousands of limestone rocks and mini-islands jutting around the Vietnamese coastline. It is definitely worthy of its placement in the seven natural wonders of the world. It's gorgeous.

A View of Halong Bay

We took a two day, one night cruise to explore the Bay. Our company, the Majestic has some flaws (on-board activities lacking direction, expensive drinks at $2/beer when we're used to 0.75) but it was pretty good otherwise.

The Majestic was... mostly majestic.

Our rooms and meals were amazing. We anchored in the bay at nighttime so it wasn't wavy at all. We had a triple and I'm pretty sure it was the nicest place we stayed all trip. The meals were gigantic portions and they really accommodated my vegetarianism more than anywhere else on this trip. I had just as many dishes as everyone else. Almost too many!

.....What a tourist.

We cruised to Sung Sot cave to explore the caverns there. I actually really like caves (fav episode of Planet Earth) so I revelled in it. It was the biggest one I've ever been in (not that I've been really in many caves in my lifetime) and although it was touristy (lights, well worn paths and ropes keeping you off the rocks), it was still impressive. Unfortunately, the pictures I took didn't do it justice because they can't show the depth of it.

Where's Alfred?

After the cave, our boat took us to a beach to go swimming. It's winter here so the locals think it's freezing but after the initial cold, the ocean was beautiful. It was like July cottage lake temperature. We swam for a bit before relaxing on the beach. It wasn't too sunny but after the mad heat in the south, it was a nice, breezy 24 degrees. 

By the sea, by the sea, by the marvellous sea!

There were these hilarious monkeys on the beach too and after being warned not to get too close, we enjoyed their antics from afar. One lady (a Darwin Award Applicant for sure) tried to climb a rock for a photo op and a monkey grabbed at her, she then tried again and it attempted to bite her! It was pretty funny (I am a horrible person).

I don't do it nearly enough at my cottage and never think to do it, but stargazing is one of my favourite activities. On our boat, I took some time to sit on the sun deck and watch the stars. Listening to music on my iPod in the background and getting lost up there. Unfortunately, I only got about 10 mins of good viewing before it clouded over. But there's something about sitting on a boat, slight breeze, listening to the national and looking up at the stars. I got a bit emotional. I know, I know... cut out the cheese, suze, yeesh! ;)

In the morning, we kayaked around a small fishing village (in the rain at points) and then cruised back. We didn't head back to Hanoi and instead switched off the bus to another car and went to the airport to catch our flight to Laos. Vietnam has been an interesting country to visit, with its mix of metropolitan and chilled out areas. I am looking forward to exploring some of Laos but I will miss my Vietnamese coffee in the morning!

Goodnight, Vietnam!

Chill out in Hoi An

In short, Hoi An is the exact opposite of Ho Chi Minh City and its a welcome relaxing breath. It's a small town, centred on the the tailor / custom clothes industry it's famous for. It's located near a beach, has a bunch of heritage sites and everyone seems more relaxed. Perhaps it's because I spent the afternoon on a leisurely bike ride pace. :)

A ride along the river to Old Town

The first stop we made was to the tailors to order some clothing. Simon ordered a full suit, Karen got some dresses, slacks, and a jumper while I ordered a winter coat (dark green peacoat) and a dress to wear to upcoming weddings (perhaps even to Simon and Karen's in February!). I spent $70 on the coat and $50 on the dress. Not bad for custom fit. We returned for re-sizing the following day and they turned out really well. Simon loves his suit, Karen had some great outfits (her jumpsuit is my fav) and I was super pleased with my coat. It's a bit more unique than your average peacoat (the flare out bottom and forest green colour). I wasn't as pleased with my dress, not because it didn't look good or fit well (it did), but more so I don't think it was worth $50. Ah well, you live you learn (thanks, Alanis Morisette).

Susan-sized clothing

We also rode around our bikes in the market area where I picked up some Christmas gifts for people back home and bought myself a "North Face" gortex raincoat for $30. Knock-off, Schmock-off... I needed a new raincoat.

We biked over to the nearby beach at sunset. But didn't stay long because it was getting dark. One of the girls who worked at our hostel, Lyna, took us out for the evening. Our hostel only had 12 beds and 10 of us went out. We went to a food stand near the night market and I tried a vegetarian cau lau (noodle dish). It was great and we washed it down with some Larue and Tiger beers. We decided to forgo the dancey clubby backpacker trail and headed to a karaoke room for the night! 

New friends bonding over beer!

I have never been to a karaoke room before and it was a lot of fun. The best part of the evening however, was biking home from the karaoke bar at 1am along the deserted streets of Hoi An. We looked like a little biker gang, monopolizing the road. There was a slight breeze in our hair but not enough to feel cold. We ran over rain puddles and past the closed shops. It was peaceful. Until... I had a moment where I probably laughed the longest and hardest on my trip. My new hostelmate Philip, unintentionally and unknowingly, ran over a rat on his bike. To be fair though, I saw the rat dart out basically straight into his front wheel. It then ricocheted to the back wheel, spin around, and fly out the side. I screamed and so did the two other girls with me. Philip didn't stop until about 15 seconds later when he jumped off his bike (in a delayed response to our shouts) thinking there was a snake on him or something. We could not stop laughing and I don't even know if this is even close to conveying how funny it was.

The next day was a hungover lazy day of naps and nursing a rumbly tummy. The evening we hit up an all-you-can-eat / make-your-own spring roll joint. Delicious and veggie friendly :). We biked to the night market and wandered through the stalls looking at brightly lit lanterns and cheap souveniers.

Lanterns in Hoi An's Night Market

We bought paper lanterns to let loose along the river. You make a wish and let your lantern float away. I obviously can't tell you my wish or it won't come true. :) A beautiful ending to our time in Hoi An.

A cruise along the Mekong Delta

Mekong Delta is a huge river that runs throughout Vietnam. Out of HCMC, there are loads of tours there and we settled on a 2 day, 1 night trip. 

The first day we took a fishing boat down a river, saw a place that made coconut candy and whisky, saw the Vietnamese way of harvesting honey, and listened to a traditional musical performance.The fishing boat or row boat we took was relaxing and calm. They gave us all rice hats to wear and we quietly rowed down the river.

On the hunt

The coconut candy was delicious (I'm bringing some home!) and the whisky was strong. Karen and I even tried the snake wine (rice wine distilled in a bottle with a dead snake in it) despite warnings that it was not for ladies because it made you too strong (well we HAD to do it then). It wasn't as strong or gross as I was expecting.

Bit of a Bite

The honeybees and traditional singing were alright but nothing to really be blown away by. We did learn a bit of a Vietnam anthem and we're all singing "Vietnam... Ho Chi Minh..." Over and over again. We may have been brainwashed.

I'm not a very big fan of organized bus tours so when we  separated into a smaller group with the other people who were staying at a home stay with us, it was great. We took a terrifying van ride outside the city to our homestay during a thunderstorm (this is how horror films start!). But once we got there and settled in, we enjoyed a nice dinner together. Actually nice is too simple of a word for this delicious highlight of my Mekong trip. We were taught how to make spring rolls with a spider-webby kind of rice paper and then deep fried them to crunchy deliciousness. Then we had fresh spring rolls, as well as a tofu/bean/rice dish and fish to add if you preferred. 

The coolest part was when they served us some rice wine. They served it in a plastic bag and opened it by poking a chop stick into the bag through two sides. You then pulled out the chopstick to pour out the wine and used it as a stopper when you were done! Ingenious!

Rice Wine, Vietnamese Stylz

The homestay itself was pretty sweet, even if I didn't get much sleep. It was more like individual cottages with a bathroom, two beds and mosquito nets. Simple but effective. Luckily we didn't have the same experience of the French couple who had a giant spider in their room! I kept waking up because of noises and worrying we'd sleep in and miss the connection with the rest of the group. Nevertheless, it was a cool experience and I really liked those mosquito nets. I felt fancy and a little hardcore at the same time. ;)

Our Homestay

Day two was a little more laid back. It started off with a small motorboat ride from our homestay to join a bigger boat with the rest of our group.  We visited the floating market where you bought produce from boats in the middle of the river. At the mast of the boat, they would tie the fruit/vegetables around it indicating what they were selling. We obviously didn't really buy anything, but small boats zipped up beside us and tried to sell us pineapples and coffee. 

The Floating Market

We then saw a noodle factory but I got distracted by cute puppies so I didn't really pay attention to the demonstrations. They didn't have enough bikes for everyone to join the bike tour portion so we just played with puppies and cards in the shade. Amy and Karen tried bbq-ed rat while the veggies of the trip, Simon and I, declined. 

The four hour bus ride back to HCMC was fairly uneventful, but dinner and drinks with our new friends Cheryl and Magnus was nice. On our last day in HCMC, we visited the Reunification Palace, the head of the south Vietnamese government during the war. We did a quick walking tour, admired and mocked it's 1960s design, and after visiting the market, said goodbye to Amy. She's heading back to Japan and its now just the three of us venturing on. Next stop, Hoi An!

Good Mooooorrrning, Vietnam!

This was my kind of day, the modern history nerd in me was incredibly happy. I once took a university course based just the Vietnam War, so it was pretty interesting to visit the War Remnants Museum and the Chu Chi Tunnels today. :)

The War Remnants Museum houses a whole whack of American bombers, helicopters, flame throwers, and tanks on the outside. I went a little photo happy. But when you go inside, you're hit with hundreds of pictures of the atrocities committed by US troops during the war. Made me feel a little gross that I took so many picture of the artillery outside.

American tanks leftover from the Vietnam War

One of the most interesting galleries was the one showcasing photos of victims of Agent Orange. Agent Orange was a chemical dropped on the Vietnamese by the Americans during the Vietnam War. It contains dioxin and causes many deformities and developmental problems to those directly and even indirectly through second generation exposure (passed on through the parents initial exposure, working in contaminated agriculture, etc). 4.8 million Vietnamese were exposed and I even saw a picture of a girl born with no arms/legs (just stumps) in 2008! While the museum didn't really capture my interest for too long, it was really interesting to see the war from solely at Vietnamese point-of-view. This was even more apparent at the Củ Chi Tunnels.

A tour to the Củ Chi tunnels was next on our Vietnam War History itinerary . The tunnels (which are in the Củ Chi area) are an example of and homage to the elaborate tunnel system and guerrilla warfare tactics that the Viet Cong used during the war. At the beginning of the tour, you were shown a very dated, propaganda film about Củ Chi and glorifying killing the "American Devils". Quite different than what would be in an American textbook, I bet.

A volunteer demonstrates how they popped in and out of the tunnels

They demonstrated how they popped out of the holes and camouflaged them. They showed us ways that the Viet Cog survived living underground to avoid detection (such as using termite mounds to disguise air holes and then using dead GI clothing and soap to throw off the scent of dogs trying  to sniff out the air holes). They even showed us the different types of booby traps they used and how they made them.

I couldn't believe how ingenuous they were. They only had AK-47s to combat against machine guns and tanks. So they had to use guerrilla tactics and booby traps to defeat their enemy. They sharpened metal taken off the enemy into sticks which they would then line the bottom of traps with. If they didn't have metal, they'd use sharpened bamboo. They'd take unexplored bombs, cut them open, take the bomb powder and make their own delayed mines to take down tanks. Even though they were slaughtered 10 Viet Cong to 1 GI, the fact that they even killed any seemed a great feat to me.

Bamboo spiked booby traps

I find it incredibly lucky that I am visiting a country and locations that I studied in university. It's amazing to physically be somewhere that you've read about. Facts keep flying into my head throughout the trip and as soon as I read something I go, oh yeah! I remember that! Once a (history) nerd, always a nerd it seems. :)

Ho Ho Ho Chi Minh, Ho Chi Minh is gonna win!

Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam! The formerly named city of Saigon, was a welcome relief after the kind of drudging, on-the-rise but still a bit dodgy, Phnom Penh. We had learned our lesson about taking cheap buses (the bus ride from Siem Reap to PP was in a word, Brutal) so our more expensive $14 ride was much nicer. We met some new travel friends along the way (hi Cheryl and Magnus!) and hung out with them later that evening at a fun bar up on the top floor of a hotel. It had a great view of the skyline and pretty cheap beer! Darts, Jenga and picking our own playlist were highlights.

Drinks with a view!

Our hotel is gorgeous compared to the last one. At $25 a night, it's a bit pricier than most but worth it. A/c, clean washrooms, super friendly staff and breakfast included. HCMC is a bustling town, with thousands of motorbikes racing around in a more organized fashion than in Cambodia. You have to be super careful about bag and camera snatching too, so more often than not, I left my camera back in the hotel and had my money/iPod in my bra.

Food wise, everyone seems super happy. I really liked the sandwiches (I had an amazing egg version) and the spring rolls. The buns they use here are incredible. Sometimes I just order a jam and baguette for breakfast.  I tried Banh Mi, a famous Vietnamese sandwich. Unfortunately for me, everytime I see pate, I think of cat food. If I got my mind around that, it was pretty good! I also tried Pho for the first time and while I'm not a big soup eater and didn't eat the pork part, it wasn't half bad! Unfortunately, the rest of the day I didn't feel great but that may have been a combo of hangover/sun/meat soup. Still haven't thrown up yet though! I think that's a record. My family always says "it's not a trip til Susan pukes". Ha.

Trying Pho for the first time!

Not many people seem to really enjoy HCMC because it's SO busy and a lot of the touristy type activities require you to leave the city on a bus tour. However, i like exporting cities and we have only been scammed once but at least he did it with a smile (we were overcharged at least 115% for coconut waters which we didn't even want). Also, we've found some cool public parks around the city with people playing badminton and greenery everywhere.

Eat your heart out, Edward Scissorhands

We visited some Vietnam War sites, as well as a Mekong River mini-trip, but I'll post more detailed ones about that later. I've reached the halfway point of my trip and cannot believe the reports of snow back home. I won't lie, I'm pretty pumped to be in a tank top and shorts right now.

Cambodian Adventures

Despite my last post, not everything in Cambodia was depressing. Nor was it only temples. We did a few other activities in our time in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. 

Cooking Class

We went to a lunch cooking class at a restaurant called "Le Tigre de Papier".  Before donning our attractive red hats and aprons, we went on a market tour where they showed us what the ingredients looked like in the market. Then we chopped veggies, smushed ingredients with a mortar and pestle, simmered and cooked and presented our food. We cut and folded bamboo leaves into bowls and designs (not my strong suit) and carved little birds and flowers out of carrots (also, not my strong suit). 

Rolling Spring Rolls

We each got to pick an individual appetizer and entree as well as a group dessert to make. I chose veggie fresh spring-rolls (simpler to make than I thought!) and Fish Amok (a delicious Cambodian non-spicy curry style dish made with coconut milk, Palm sugar, garlic, tamarind and a few other things I can't remember). For dessert we made Mango Sticky Rice (so so so so good).The meal turned out to be the best meal we are and we made it ourselves (sort of).

I made these!

Pub Street

There is an area near the night market in Siem Reap called Pub Street. Teaming with tourists and tuk tuks, it is a drunken loud mess of a neighbourhood. We didn't go too crazy but enjoyed some of the 50 cent happy hour beers (apparently happy hour ran from 4-11pm - ha! Should be a happy evening!). 

50 cent beers!

Phare Show

One evening we went to the Phare Show. It was an acrobatic, theatrical performance with a social message put on by a theatre school that teaches to disadvantaged street youth. It provides them with training so that they can earn a living as an artist. The show was called Sokha and it was about a young girls experience living through the Khmer Rouge era and learning to live again afterwards. It was based on one of the founders of the school's life. It was really really good. Not only could you understand the plot without needing words (they used an interesting plot device with an artist doing live painting to indicate time changes) but the acrobatics were amazing too! A must see with a worthy cause if you visit Siem Reap. 

Seeing Hands Massage

I have never had a massage before. So why not have my first one be a socially responsible one? This organization trains people with vision impairments in massage and at $5/hr, Simon, Karen and I went for it. It was a modest room but we could do three people at once. It was pretty good! I have nothin to compare it to but I felt great afterwards!

...and it WAS very good!

Pool Time!

One evening in Phnom Penh, we were feeling particularly grimy and hot. A fancy hotel at the end of our street had a rooftop pool and a deal that if you paid $4, you could go swimming and get a free beer! So we jumped on in (literally). It was relaxing and nice. Great way to unwind at the end of a long day. :)

Next stop, Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam!