Vietnam and into Cambodia!

Vietnam was a country on the top of our list, and we've just finished an amazing month in the country. We started in the north, landing in Hanoi. There are some sights to see there, but mostly it's all about the food (the number one attraction is probably seeing Ho Chi Minh himself, preserved at the mausoleum-- sadly, he was in Russia at the time we were there). Mostly we spent our days wondering around the streets and eating from as many restaurants recommended by lonely planet as possible. The food was good, there's a lot more diversity -- but in general the stuff they offer at home is just as good. After about a week or so of hanging out in Hanoi and enjoying the Old Quarter, we headed south to the town if Ninh Binh. One thing we didn't realize before we arrived was how huge the country was. Originally we had planned to go into Northern Vietnam as it looks incredibly beautiful, but found out it would involve at least 6 hours on a bus and a lot more time than we had anticipated to really explore and do it justice. Thus, we decided to just head south to Ninh Binh (skipping even famed Halong Bay). In the end Ninh Binh was a beautiful alternative, think Halong Bay on a river instead of the ocean. We took a 2 hour boat ride through the canyons there, surrounded by green limestone karats, and weaving in and our of numerous caves. You really had to be aware of your surroundings, or else your head would have been pegged by one of the many stalactites. It was really beautiful and one of the most special experiences of the trip. From Ninh Binh we hesitantly jumped on our first overnight bus down to the town of Hue. We'd heard lots of horror stories about these buses - crazy, drugged drivers crashing, luggage stolen, being packed in like sardines, being dropped off in the middle of nowhere, etc. Our ride was surprisingly nice! Much better than any Greyhound, that's for sure. You have your own little seat/capsule that leans back and lots of leg room to sleep. With the aircon and wifi, it makes for a comfy ride. We arrived in Hue about 12 hours later, were happy to find our bags, and went on our way. The town of Hue didn't really have too much to offer. The big draw is the Citadel, which houses a lot of the old buildings from the ancient ruling class. Up until recently it was pretty neglected, not taken care of, until they realized they could fix it up and tourists would pay to enter. We did a lot of just ranting bicycles there and exploring. Our guesthouse, Hue Boutique Hotel, was amazing though and the ladies really went out of their way, especially considering our $7/night room. From there we headed to Hoi An, many peoples favorite area if Vietnam. The town has an old feel, similar to Hanoi's Old Quarter. This is the picturesque town you often see, complete with old streets filled with red lanterns. We had a mission there, as Paul was intent on gettibg a custom suit made. The whole process was quite interesting, you pick out your fabric, your lining, buttons -- everything! It really is crazy to see how quickly they can put together the shell of your suit, sane day in some cases. After a bad start -- a tailor who didn't really listen nor seem to really understand a modern slim fit -- he ended up ditching the first suit and getting a refund. Each fitting seemed like such a fight to try and get them to understand what he wanted. He'd done a lot of research into tailors and reviews before arriving, but once he had already started the process we were walking by a shop whose samples really impressed up --- long story short the first suit was a bust, but he ended up with two amazing suits from the tailor we just happened to pass by, Oche. Each fitting went so smoothly, and they were so critical of their own work-- but stopping until it was perfect. If anyone wants a custom suit, I'd highly recommend them as you can send in your measurements and work with them online. We spent a total if 6 days in Hoi An, dealing with the suits, enjoying the town and eating lots of banh mi. The first day we went to a spot that we loved, and later found our it was the same banh mi place Anthony Boursin visited -- so refreshing to see a place touched by that show that is still doing quality food without inflating their prices! I've never been so close to thinking I've found the best of something I the world as I was with that banh mi -- we ate there everyday (sometimes multiple times) and never got sick of it! Close to Hoi An we visited the Marble Mountains. Very cool place -- I was drawn to it as lonely planet described one cave there which descends down into the earth, complete with creepy lighting and decor -- reminiscent of a Hieronymous Bosch painting - his depiction of hell in 'The Garden if Earthly Delights' had always fascinated me. I couldn't resist stepping into it in real life-- it was absurd and creepy and awesome. The Marble Mountains offer lots of spots and caves to explore -- one being a hold place, you descend down a flight of stairs down into the cave, and find yourself in a huge open space, being guarded by a huge stone Buddha at one end. To me, it was an amazing spot, with a very special feel. I wasn't expecting it and it made me realize how funny it is that some places are so hyped for whatever reason -- and then there's places like this which don't really seem to be talked about at all, but can easily be just as amazing. 6 days and 2 suits later, we left Hoi An and headed to Nha Trang, a beach/party town seemingly overrun by Russians. Apparently it's a vacation spot for them. It ended up that we would be here for my birthday, and we ended up hitting up the hot springs to celebrate. I've always wanted to try a mud bath and it was awesome. Luckily, being low season we had a little mud pool by ourselves to soak in. From there we moved on to an aromatherapy mineral bath, nice and relaxing to wash off all the renaming mud that we had let harden on us. We spent the whole day relaxing there, enjoying the mineral pool (it was at the mist perfect warm temperature to relax you, but not get you too hot) and enjoying drinks and snacks poolside -- sometimes the luxury you can get away with in Asia for such a little cost in insane! We had plans for dinner, but that spot ended up being closed -- instead we found a small Armenian cafe with lots on interesting little dishes to try, tapas style. I'm general, Vietnam feels very European lots of the time, which really makes it a special place and sets it apart from other countries in SE Asia. From there we headed to Dalat, Paul was looking forward to it the whole trip -- as it's a mountain town, in a totally different climate known for its cold temperatures. Indeed, we arrived early in the morning and it was cold and raining. We settled into one of the first pho places we passed on the way to our guesthouse and enjoyed a delicious, steaming bowl. After that we sat and had some coffee enjoying the cold weather and the rain coming down. Dalat has an awesome night market to explore, and just a nice feel in general. Very European once again. It was a nice place just to pass time. We ended up doing one hike to the highest peak there, Langbiang mountain. It is crazy as it starts off hiking through a nice pine forest, crisp atmosphere, just like at home --- then in transitions quickly into jungle and rainforest, with vines and mud and rain coming down on you. Really two different hikes -- you kind of have the nice, relaxing hike through the pine forest, and then move into more extreme, mud covered hiking. Both are fun, but I kind of miss my pine and redwood forests! Our next stop was Mui Ne, another beach town known for it's surfing and sand dunes. Unfortunately it wasn't quite surf season, so we embraced the sans dunes -- I got to sled down them which is something I've always wanted to do. Playing in the sAnd, running up and down the hills, and being totally encrusted really makes you feel like a little kid. Not to mention the dunes are incredibly beautiful, just another amazing landscape the country has to offer. Our last stop in Vietnam was Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon. Once again, one of our main focuses was food, Hcmc being known as one of the great eating cities of the world. The other highlight there was visiting the War Remnants Museum and seeing the devastating effects of the Vietnam (what they call the American) War. There is not much to say other than feeling frustrated and disappointed by your own government. The whole month I felt some guilt as an American in Vietnam -- many times we would tell people we were from Canada. War has many sides, people always make mistakes --- but the fact that this war went on so long, 17 yrs., seems really unacceptable. Many parts of the museum displayed the many American weapons utilized, and yet the Vietnamese were still able to be victorious, thanks to their ingenious underground tunnels and fighting techniques. It wax a nice end to our time in the country to really understand what had gone on there. From HCMC we headed to Cambodia by bus. The land crossing was stressful as it was our first one and we didn't know what to expect. Pretty much it included a lot of trusting your non English speaking/semi sketchy bus driver, giving him your passport and a lit of money for your visa and hoping everything went how it needed to go with no explanation from him as to what was going on. It was a lot of waiting in rooms, hoping you'd see your passport/bus again. I was stressed out, Paul's take was that everyone else had done the same thing so potentially we could revolt. All in all it went smoothly, we may have been overcharged $5, but I can live with that! Now we are in Phnom Penh. Cambodia is another country, similar to Indonesia, that I have no expectations of - I just don't know what to expect. I'm still confused by the food, it seems to be a mix if everything so far --- but the people are incredibly friendly and nice. It is amazing, especially once you factor the horrendous events of their not too distant past in. Today we visited the Killing Fields, and learned more about the Khmer Rouge genocide and everything that took place under Pol Pot. Walking around there, you still see bone fragments and clothing shreds on the ground, the depressions from the mass graves are still very present. It is heartbreaking, and really feels unbelievable that this all happened not too long ago. Yesterday, we met a friendly local, Song Hai, and ended up spending the day with him and his friend, a fellow Californian, Aron. At one point Song Hai (a former monk turned tuk-tuk driver) started telling us about some of the hardships in his family, all with a smile and laugh. Aron quickly added -- the thing about Cambodians us they will all always laugh and smile at you, but most if them have a really sad story. He also reminded us of the fact that 50% of the population is under 25, thanks to the Khmer Rouge. It really is quite amazing to see how the people have chosen to move on from such a dark past. They ate incredibly friendly, which can be seen in the amazing day we spent with Song Hai -- this was our second day in the country and we've never been welcomed in by the locals so fast. We took the tuk-tuk out to catch some Cambodian boxing, followed by beers and food with our new friends. I still have no idea what our time in Cambodia will bring, but after these three days I'm looking forward to it!