Jen & Dan Summer Tour 2008

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Still Trekking

Sorry for the delay in posting and to those of you who have reached out to wonder if we are still around. We are clicking along on our Asia adventure, making our way though Vietnam, Cambodia and into Thailand.

From Hanoi we took an overnight train down the coast of Vietnam to Hue, just a few miles south of the old DMZ. We thought that would be a lovely way to see the Vietnamese countryside. What we didn’t count on was getting a first hand experience in the finest luxury a communist country had to offer. From the moment we got to our “deluxe” sleeper we knew we would be in for a treat. We first noticed was that the A/C we upgraded for consisted of an oscillating fan stuck to the ceiling and sounding like it had last been greased when people were using whale oil. We then proceeded to kill all the cockroaches in the berth before greeting our new sleeper mates from Singapore. The beds were arranged in a bunk style, with Jen taking the top bunk and me on the bottom. It was very cozy as I could (if I would have wanted) reach out across the small isle to tuck in the other person sleeping on the bottom bunk. About the time the train was to start from the station we heard a rumor that there might not be a meal car, so I ran of the train to by overpriced Oreo’s and beer from an opportunistic vendor. I guess the market economy is starting to take hold after all.

The train was off and after a couple of beers and a few card games we were ready to settle in for the night. I got to sleep around midnight, about the time we made a stop at a station. I awoke around four to find the train also at a stop, learning later that it was the same one. Thus began our 24 hour experience on what Jen lovingly calls the “prison train.” There were bars on the windows, we couldn’t get off whenever the train did start moving and came to stops, and though there was a kitchen it had a menu with one item on it for each meal – usually something meant to represent meat.





Here is a picture of a not-so-happy Jen in captivity.











Those travails aside we made it to Hue to find a lovely little beach side town, though we didn’t get to stay there long. We decided that we were done with the Vietnam trains, so we opted for a bus to our next destination. The bus was large, greyhound style, new looking, full of other western travelers, but, of course the A/C consisted of a few gerbils blowing at us from behind a vent screen. Luckily this trip was only three hours and most of our other trip mates had showered fairly recently. We arrived in Hoi An, which to date has been our favorite part of Asia. It is a quaint place, and we were able to fill up our suitcase with souvenirs and I found a tailor that found it very easy to get money out of my pocket for hand made items. There was one incident that occurred after we had two bottles of wine (supporting Chile this time), though I won’t go into details I think I might be getting a few more shirts in the mail when I get home…we’ll see.

After a few days supporting the Hoi An economy we took a flight to Saigon (we learned our lesson). We only had one night in Saigon, but we managed to make the most of it. After finding dinner we were wandering around in search of a Karaoke club as after almost three weeks in Asia Jen had not had her singing debut. Our search seemed to be in vain, until we noticed just underneath our hotel a sign advertising Karaoke, Slots and a Bar. Eureka! We went up stairs, told them we were looking for Karaoke and were quickly whisked down to the main lounge. I thought it was very strange at first that all the guys and girls in the bar upstairs were seated in opposite groups, but I figured it was a cultural thing. It looked like mainly business travelers (again 99% men) in the bar, which made sense considering we were downstairs from a Marriott. Before long we were a few beers in and Jen was singing a Neil Diamond (Sweet Caroline of course) duet with a businessman from Malaysia. Suddenly there was a group of attractive women surrounding a table across the bar from us. I’m thinking, “way to go guys, the ratio could use some help in here.” Several of the girls go sit with some of the guys, then the girls move on to the next group. An elderly woman walks to each guy, says a few words, points at a girl or two, then either points at another girl or moves on to the next gentlemen as the first girl goes and sits on his lap. Here is about how the conversation went between Jen and I:

Dan (tugging on Jen’s shirt tail): Jen, I think we’re in a brothel!

Jen: Sweet Carol….What?

Dan (slightly louder): I think we are in a brothel.

Jen: Good times never felt so…A what?

Dan (At the top of his lungs and out of tune): WE ARE IN A BROTHEL. LET’S GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE WE GET PROPOSITIONED!

Jen: I’ve been inclined…(dead silence)…really?

Dan: Do you think the 60 year old dude over there got those two girls to sit on his lap on charm alone?

Jen: Oh.

With that we paid our tab and left, laughing all the way at what idiot tourists we must have like to everyone else in the club. Our Asian experience is getting more and more full!



Here is the scene of the almost crime.














The next morning we were ready to put Vietnam behind us and head to Cambodia. We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare, only to find that the airline we booked several months before no longer flew out of Saigon. Needless to say, a slight panic ensued. The only number we had for the airline was in Thailand, but there was no place at the airport to buy an international phone card (Communist, remember). Luckily the guy who ran the mail counter was more than happy to let us use his phone to make an international call, for a fee of about $1 per minute, paid in cash of course (another example of the power of free markets!). Do you know how frustrating it is to listen to hold music in a foreign language when you are paying $1 per minute? After some exasperating phone conversations and a cab ride back to the downtown of Saigon we were on a flight several hours later, and finally landed in Siem Reap, home of Angkor Wat.

Our time in Cambodia was fantastic, though mild compared to Vietnam. We spent two days visiting the ruins of the ancient temples (from the 12th and 13th Century) and were able to take some amazing photos. We also were able to go to a local orphanage and play with the children for a few hours each day. On the first day we were there we played some games of duck-duck-goose and laughed with the kids, touched at how bright and smiling their faces were. We were so moved that the next day we went back, this time with paper, pencils, packets, fruit and other things we picked up at the market. The woman who ran place showed us the “feast” of curry and meat that the kids were having for lunch thanks to the small donation we made the day before. It was very heart wrenching. Thanks to Angelina Jolie Cambodia has very strict laws about foreigners adopting children because I don’t think I would have had the heart to tell Jen that she couldn’t bring one home.





Here we are outside of Ankor Wat a little after sunrise.












These trees are fighting with the rocks for space.






There were 44 children at the orphanage.



Maybe it would have been Jen that would have had to tell me, "No"






We left Cambodia and flew through Bangkok on our way to Krabi Island. After being in Vietnam and Cambodia the size of Bangkok was a little shocking to us. Krabi has been a blur of fun and sun, though we did manage to take a speed boat around some of the Phi Phi Islands. There are tons of people here, and though the water is beautiful it seems very dirty. It has been my turn to fight a stomach sickness, so that doesn’t help. Tomorrow we head back to Bangkok for a few days before going for a week’s stay in the supposed paradise of Bali. After all this traveling, we really need a vacation.











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