Hoi An

We took an overnight train from Saigon to a town called Da Nang in order to connect to our next stopping point - Hoi An. It is located about a 40 minute drive south of Da Nang along the ocean coast. The drive there and back was actually quite scenic.

In Hoi An there are a handful of historic cultural sites in and around the old town area. There is also a nice beach nearby, but perhaps the most notable of all the characteristics of this town were all of the tailor shops. There were tons of them. So as to not miss out on such an important local tradition, we had a custom suit all done up for Jesse - Vietnam style.

Beach scene:


Rooftop view:


The Japanese Covered Bridge:


Street corner:


Boats:


The shore:


A tiger statue in the river:


By the river at night:


Cao Lau and White Rose, two local specialties:

Saigon

After S.R. we took a 10-hour bus ride to Saigon, in southern Vietnam. The city is huge and bustling with people at all times of the day and night. It had the craziest street crossings with cars, trucks, scooters and people everywhere. Each crossing was an adventure!

In Saigon, we visited the Reunification Palace, which was South Vietnam's Presidential Palace. It had been pretty much left untouched since the war ended, so it was interesting to see it just how it was during that time period. We also went to see the nearby Notre Dame Cathedral.

Night time in Saigon is really interesting. Instead of quieting down, it seems that everyone in the whole city gets out of their homes and heads for the local parks to exercise, sit and chat, eat, play games and just hang out. Hacky sack (with a weighted feathered contraption) seemed to be the game of choice for a lot of people. All in all, we would describe this city as a very lively place, both day and night.

Reunification Palace:


View from Reunification Palace:


The rooms are preserved with the original designs from the 1970s:




Some sort of machinery from the basement bunker of the palace:


Courtyard area just outside the palace:


Notre Dame Cathedral:




Street scene:


Scooters everywhere:

Angkor

Angkor is just a 20 minute tuk-tuk ride from where were staying in Siem Reap. We set out to explore Angkor Wat and the other notable temples in the Angkor Archaeological Park. Built between the 9th and the 15th centuries, the park covers more than 400 square kilometers and contains the remains of many temples, including the most famous, Angkor Wat. The sights were amazing - it's hard to imagine how such huge and elaborate buildings were constructed in the middle of a jungle so long ago.

Angkor Wat:




One of the inner towers:


A bride posing for wedding pictures at the temple:




Bayon Temple:


Tuk-Tuk transportation around the temple sites:

Siem Reap

In Siem Reap, we visited a local workshop, where artisans are trained in traditional Cambodian handicrafts like wood and stone carving and silk painting. From there, we were also able to tour a real silk worm farm to see how the silk is made, from start to finish. Now that I know how much work goes into producing a single silk scarf, I can really appreciate its value!

Although the trip to Cambodia was worth it just to see Angkor Wat, we ended up really enjoying the town of Siem Reap as well. The town is relatively small and easy to navigate. It was also very affordable - our hotel room was $16/night and our meals generally cost about $2/person. Cambodian food turned out to be perhaps my favorite in Southeast Asia.

Silkworms eating. You could actually hear a faint munching/crunching sound as they ate:


Silkworm cocoons:


Fine silk threads. You can see the 100+ spools and threads:


Weaving:

Kuala Lumpur

Next, we had a 12-hour bus ride from Phuket south through Thailand. The bus made a couple of stops in quaint farming towns for snacks and meals. Mostly it was just simple on-the-go food for travelers, but it was tasty & cheap. Also, it was interesting to see the gradual change from Buddhist communities to Islam as we approached and entered Malaysia. After a night stopover in Penang, we headed out for another 6 hours on a bus to Kuala Lumpur.

We had read online that, apart from a couple of notable landmarks, there aren't a whole lot of must-see attractions in KL. Instead, the real enjoyment of the city comes from wandering the streets, observing the people and eating your way through the different neighborhoods (for cheap). So that's exactly what we did! One day, we managed to get completely lost and we wandered the streets for quite awhile before finally finding our way back to our hostel.

The Petronas Twin Towers:


Neighborhood scene with KL Tower in the background:


Conveyor belt sushi restaurant. You just pick up what you want as it goes by. Fun!


Evening street food:


I thought this restaurant only existed in Seinfeld!

Phuket

Next, we took a short flight south to Thailand's largest island, Phuket. You may have heard of it as one of the resort destinations that was devastated by the tsunami in 2004, but now it's back to being a beautiful island paradise. Most of our time there was very relaxed, but we did experience one of the more interesting things so far on our trip while in Phuket.

Our visit in Thailand happened to coincide with the 3 day Thai New Year's celebration, called Songkran. Traditionally, Songkran is a time for the Thai people to visit relatives, pay respect to elders and...engage in a giant country-wide water fight! We had heard about this celebration a few days before it started, but we didn't really grasp the extent of it until we left our hotel on our first day in Phuket to find somewhere to eat lunch. Within 5 minutes of leaving the safety of our hotel, we were completely and utterly soaked from head to toe with our regular day clothes on. The streets were already lined with people, all armed with water guns, buckets and hoses. Some were even using ice chilled water. We had no weapons ourselves, but that didn't exempt us from the fight. After a brief retreat to the hotel to change into swimsuits and tank tops, we headed out again knowing what to expect. We had a great time, as it turned out to be just one big party! Someone even gave us some free water guns so that we could retaliate. I wish we had some pictures of the whole event, but all that water would have been camera suicide. Needless to say, it was the wackiest New Year's celebration we've ever experienced!

Patong Beach:

Bangkok

In Bangkok, we experienced market shopping (day and night markets), Thai street food, Tuk-Tuks (scooter-rickshaw-taxi vehicles), Red Shirt protesters wanting democracy, The Grand Palace, Wat Pho, and a 1st rate movie theatre, among other things.

Even though there were protest demonstrations going on close to where we were staying, we never felt unsafe or threatened. It always seemed reasonably safe to observe the daytime gatherings of red shirt people from a distance, so we did. Even after reports of 20 people being killed in protests one night, the streets were back to normal with crowds of pedestrians the very next day.

Suan Lum Night Bazaar:


DIY grill restaurant:


Delicious doughnuts shaped like sushi:


Side view of the Grand Palace with lawn:


Statues:


Wat Phra Kaew - temple containing The Emerald Buddha:


The Emerald Buddha:


A chilled coconut:


View from the water taxi on the way to the Grand Palace:


Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha):




Wat Pho mini:


Gong!


Red shirts protesting for democracy:


Bangkok Dangerous?