Cruising through Halong Bay

Three hours on bus from Hanoi to docking point, where a large group of twenty loaded onto the overnight ship. During the day we worked ourselves sore while kayaking through dramatic limestone islands. At night, the atmosphere turned into more of a booze cruise than anticipated. I was by far the oldest on the boat, with the exception of captain and crew. Fun times though.
My kayak partner happened to be a professional rower in England- lucky me!
These pictures don't even come close to showing the absolute beauty of these wondrous formations. Nor do they capture the peace and tranquility I felt while paddling though the cliffs.

Hanoi - capital of Vietnam

The picture below is of me standing in front of the old cathedral. Looks more like Europe eh? The rest of the city was a reminder that I was actually in Vietnam - jam packed with people, shops and of course noisy motorbikes . Numerous street side cafes, with small plastic picnic chairs and tables line the sidewalks. On adjacent streets in the Old Quarter, many high end boutiques and French-fusion restaurants.
Maybe the best experience in Hanoi was jogging in the rain around Hoam Kiem Lake, location of the red Huc bridge. Also, the Backpacker's Hostel. Great place for meeting other travelers- mainly Aussies, Brits and Canadians during happy hour on roof-top deck.
Hanoi is famous for water puppetry. 1,000 year old art form, a unique and slightly bizarre cultural experience. Paired with traditional Vietnamese music, live musicians, green water and puppets of all sorts - buffaloes, swans, dragons...
Hand painted drums used in water puppet performance.

Long journey to lovely Hoi An, Vietnam

After spending four nights in Saigon, I was more than ready to move on from the hustle and bustle. So, Jesse and I hoped a bus to Mui Ne, a quiet little fishing village on the China Sea. This was a perfect place to rest for a couple days and watch kite-boarders fly across the waves, before getting on the next bus heading north.

Mui Ne Sunset.
Once in Nha Trang, I knew immediately that I wouldn't stay long. Sleeping there for only one night, I booked an overnight sleeper train to Hoi An. Not so bad, just that my bunk-mates decided to chow down on a stinky durian in the cramped space! This trip took about 10 hours to Tam Ky, then another 45 mins. to Hoi An by moto taxi. This stretch of scenery was absolutely breathtaking. Halfway into the ride, rain began pouring down against the back-drop of flourescent green rice-paddy fields, truly magical.

Yesterday morning I checked into my hotel room - only $10/night, outrageously cheap for all that's included in the price: swimming pool, tv, queen bed, large bathtub, balcony, free internet, clean, tasteful interior etc. etc. Hoi An is a cultural heritage site, unaffected by American bombs, truly picturesque. Think I'll stay a few extra days!

Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)

Bien View district. Street lined with budget hotels (my room was on the right side on the 6th floor and of course no elevator), delicious cuisine, silk shops, noisy motorbikes, cheap beer....Hanging with my new friend Jesse, we met on the bus from Phnom Penh to Saigon, who is also from San Fran. On this evening, we discovered a live Philipino cover band - best live music I've heard during my whole trip so far!! Everyone in the venue was dancing and singing along to Pearl Jam, Beatles and Dire Straits covers. Street-side food venders.

Visit to the Chu-Chi tunnels. Site where Viet Cong hid in intricate pathways underground, while fighting against American soldiers during Vietnam War. Walking through the tunnel was quite a claustrophobic experience. This is one of their teeny tiny hiding places. That's me inside!

Artists in Saigon, creating replicas of famous paintings - impressive. Yes that's Obama on the right, he's a big deal in SE Asia:)

Phnom Penh's dark past

There's so much to say about Cambodia as a whole.... My experience differing drastically between one town to the next. For the most part, I found the Cambodian people to be friendly, kind and especially beautiful. Their exoticism spans widely through music, food, art, language etc. Unfortunately they are still very much haunted by recent history.

I've just begun reading a book called, "Off the rails in Phnom Penh: Into the dark heart of guns, girls and ganja." This is an excerpt that I found very fitting of my experience, "There is an overwhelming rawness that confronts the visitor: the trash on the streets, the little children running around naked (and begging), the dust, the unpaved roads, and the shacks. And amongst all of this one regularly chances upon a beautiful wat [or a private mansion] rising up into the sky. While stunning in its own right, the sight is even more amazing in the middle of all the shit that surrounds it."

I'm shocked that nothing in my school was taught about the massive genocide which took place only 30 years ago. The number of lives taken by Pol Pots regime, during Khmer Rough rule is believed to be a higher number than all those killed during the holocaust. Pol Pot and his men killed around two million intellectuals and artists; doctors, lawyers, engineers etc. As a result, many Cambodians are are still afraid of education.

Rice paddies just outside the city on the way to the Killing FieldsThousands of sculls on display, excavated from the grounds along with bones, teeth and clothing of the victims.Quite eerie walking through these corridors, knowing they were once high school classrooms, turned into S-21 prison cells and torture chambers.Ghostly photograph of an S-21 prisoner, from the viewing rooms of the old school - sparing you the graphic, disturbing images that were also on display. Small children taking an afternoon snooze, right in the middle of a central market.The stunning National Museum in the city center, near Royal Palace.

Temple complex at Angkor Wat

...and sights around Siem Riep:

Welcome to Cambodia

I've been traveling in the country for almost a week now and already had an infestation of ants in my backpack, burned a quarter size wound into my calf (from the hot muffler of a motorbike) and was hustled by immigration (so called "police") at Don Kralor international border between Laos and Cambodia. Surprisingly I'm in high spirits. These are minor inconveniences in the grand scheme of things - I feel blessed to be in SE Asia, having the opportunity to travel to such exotic locations.
Story of mishap at the border, confrontation with corruption... On my way with some friends I met in Don Dhet. Heading from Si Phon Don to Ban Lung in Northern Cambodia, a town recommended as a mellow beginning to slowly ease into all that is Cambodia. When we arrived at the border, there were several stations set up for paying Laos exit tax, Cambodia entrance fee and a building for filling-out visa applications. My first impression was that the officers appeared helpful and friendly, just going about their bureaucratic duties. I was last in line when it came my turn to pay $21 for a sticker. I set the money down, while also offering an officer my Laos phone card (which I could no longer use). He graciously accepted with a spanning grin and a nod. At the same time, the other man slid my money under the table, stashing it in his box of cash. A western man came over to vouch for me, explaining what he'd seen, but the men insisted I hadn't paid yet. To make matters worse, that was the last of my cash with no ATMs within miles of the boundary crossing. Fortunately enough, a sweet man gifted me with $21 and went on his way. I had no way of paying him back because he was heading to another town than me, but I truly believe this good deed will cyclically return to him through positive karma.
Today is the date I was originally scheduled to fly home, BKK -> SFO. Now I've extended my flight for, at the very least, another month. Couldn't be happier to be in Kompong Cham - quaint, mellow city, staying in a comfortable guest house overlooking the Mekong. Tomorrow will be heading to Siem Riep - to see Angkor Wat!