Great photos Matt! I'm so impressed with how much you covered in the time and in that heat! I laughed when I read about your brain shutting down, I felt exactly that way the first time I visited too. Having been to Angkor in both the hot June low season and the cooler Jan high season - they both have their pros and cons...it's a choice between death by heat or death by tourist hordes :)
Temple magic! As usual, great photos and an incisive cultural, philosophical perspective, especially regarding the poverty and begging, sale of endangered animal parts and the transience of the graffiti compared to the enduring temples. I, too, choose the discomforts of weather over the tourists of high season, but my weather has been of the frigid sort--yours sounded scarier. Congrats on exploring so much in those treacherous conditions!
Thanks Tara! Maybe not as treacherous as the Navimag Ferry, but the heat did reach the "scary" level on a couple of afternoons. After a few of these experiences it's easy to adapt to the local lifestyle of getting out the door at 5AM and then hiding in a hammock by lunchtime.
Thanks Andrea. It really is a place to experience. Despite the crowds at Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom (still must-sees!) there are so many temples and historic sites that it's easy to lose the crowds and find some quiet places that will stay with you a long time.
Those caves... Being led through those caves was quite a shock! Of all the places we visited in Vietnam, we'd be more than ok with not going back to Halong Bay - I think once is enough. You've got some great photos :)
Ha Long Bay Yes, I agree - once is enough. It was an odd trip, I expected to love Ha Long Bay and feel kind of ambivalent toward Ha Noi, and it was the other way around. Thanks for the comment!
What a mixed bag! I, too, have always wanted to visit those karst formations, but yikes, that photo of the many boats (even in low season) at Sung Sot Bay is pretty formidable! However, good to hear that you could get away a bit on the grotty water in your kayaks and enjoyed the views. If I make it there, I'll just take the cheapest boat since they all take the same route--thanks for the heads up!
Ha Long Bay Yes, it is overdeveloped but still worth a trip. I think if I were to do it again I would go on a cheaper boat that may offer a bit more of an authentic experience. This company was trying very hard to be cruise-y and it just wasn't our bag. Hopefully I wasn't too negative in our review : ) Is the new camera working out?
Thanks! Thank you for the wonderful butt pic. I was in Winter Park this last weekend and got a very nice moose butt pic. Why do the animals always turn their backsides to me. Hmmmm!
Love all of the elephant pics. What a great experience! Except for those spider/ scorpion things.
Kitty and Toes A very cute kitty and I love the colors. I also think I recognize those cute (and somewhat short) toes with beautiful red polish. I'm pretty sure those aren't Matt's long monkey toes.
Nice blend What a great blend of the old--narrow alleys and water puppets, and the new--a Spanish restaurant and the internet. With all the changes, how lucky that you've gotten to see the city before there are lots of high-rises. Scary about China's aggressiveness and the Vietnamese taking it out on their Chinese residents. So amazing all the little aggressions all over the world that we're not even aware of, and glad you didn't get caught in it.
Thanks Tara Yes, it's kind of surreal receiving an email from the Consulate and reading the news here but also very eye-opening. The more we talk with people about it, the more we learn about the history between these two countries and the personal opinions of the people that live here. It was another lesson that my personal perspectives are so skewed and narrow for the most part.
Eles! What an amazing elephant encounter! I'm so jealous. It can be so hard to research elephant camps in Asia, so thanks for the tip on Adore Animals. And I know exactly what you mean about that feeling of happiness you get when you are near an elephant :)
Thanks for the comment guys! We just got back from Siem Reap and even though we didn't get to try the fried tarantulas you wrote about we also absolutely love the food. Your posts and photos about Cambodia inspired us to at least make a quick trip to Siem Reap before we leave Vietnam and we're glad we did! We'd love to go back and visit for a much longer time.
So Jealous! Looks like you guys are having so much fun! So jealous! As you guys are enjoying the warm waters where you are, I am back into the fresh waters of my training grounds (Whyte Cliff) for the Bay! Its been a long road of physio this year, but i'm ex-tactic to be back out there! Looking forward to seeing more posts! :)
-Jen :)
Happy Training! Hi Jen,
I'm glad to hear you're back in the water and training for the Bay. We haven't done any swimming at all! Days at the beach usually involve getting wet and then rushing back to the umbrella to get away from the sun! But we're having a blast and yes, the good weather is amazing! Good luck with training and take care of your shoulder!
Love your sensitivity and preparation I love your respect for the culture and traditions and preparations in participating in the food offering. I'm in South America, where indigenous people generally dislike being photographed unless they're in a public procession, but where I see tourists photographing them anyway. It's great the way you enjoyed and respected the culture. I also loved your story of the man tenderly washing his dog. Great photos and blog--thanks.
Matt and I met while we were both traveling in Puerto Rico in 1998. He worked on a research site in El Yunque Rainforest on the main island and I worked as a divemaster on Vieques.
After 10 years living a settled existence in Vancouver, Canada, we felt a real need to get back to traveling. So we sold our house, put our stuff in storage and set off in search of great places to freedive and new adventures.
Right now plans are to explore SE Asia until we feel the call to move on...... full info
D MJ Binkley
Dave and Merry Jo Binkley
Siem Reap
It is an amazing place and you've captured a great photo. Enjoying your trip.