There isn't a train connecting Phnom Penh with Siem Reap so we were doomed to another long, hot and stinky bus ride. It was dark and raining when we arrived at the bus station and the ground was covered with mud. Tuk Tuk drivers fought with each other for our attention, some going as far as offering a free ride, hoping for a chance to be our driver for our entire stay. We decided to ride with a sweet little guy named Maury, who offered us a ride to the hotel for one dollar US. Cambodia does have it's own currency- [View Full Entry]

---

---

Crossing the Cambodian border was one of the strangest experiences of my life. The two hour bus ride from Saigon was normal enough- despite being very hungover, we were both in a great mood. The TV at the front of the bus was playing horrible music videos from the 80's and the bus was shaking like the tires were going to fall off. For some reason it all seemed so funny- we couldn't stop laughing. About ten minutes from the border, we hit a line-up and a few people got off the bus to smoke. Outside the window, there were women [View Full Entry]

---

---

We noticed t-shirts with the words "same same" at almost every store when we first arrived in Hanoi. The longer you stay in Vietnam, the more this phrase rings true. While parts of the country are incredibly beautiful- there really isn't a lot of diversity from one city to the next. Every restaurant has the same menu, every store has the same things for sale, and the street vendors and taxi drivers lurking around every corner all have the same sales pitch. After three days of relaxing on the beach in Nha Trang, we took the overnight train to Saigon (otherwise [View Full Entry]

---

---

After experiencing both the "hard sleeper" and a standing overnight train in China, I was really looking forward to our overnight "soft sleeper" ride to Huế (pronounced "way") from Hanoi. I wasn't disappointed. With only four soft beds to a compartment, we had an incredibly peaceful night. Our bunkmates were a couple of French guys who could speak English well enough for us to have some decent conversations. (We tried to speak some French but it was kind of pitiful). We slept through the night and arrived at Huế at around 8 o'clock in the morning. At the train station, we [View Full Entry]

---

---

After the craziness of Taiwan and China, I was really looking forward to a bit of quiet relaxation in Vietnam. This was definitely not in the cards for us in Hanoi. Hanoi is one of the most densely populated cities I've ever seen. Not only does everyone in Hanoi drive a scooter- they also use their scooters to transport everything from live pigs to giant talking scales. On our second day, Ryan was hit by a live fish that flew off the back of someone's scooter. The fifteen pound fish came out of nowhere and after smacking Ryan in the leg, [View Full Entry]

---

---

Yesterday I left my hotel at six in the morning to head to the Great Wall of China. There's a part of the wall that's relatively close to Beijing called Badaling but I heard that it's the mother of all tourist sites- packed with people, and it was also fixed somewhat recently so it wouldn't feel like a genuine experience. I decided to take a bus to Jinshanling- which is about a three hour bus ride from Beijing- and hike between there and Simatai. It's about a four hour hike between the two points. The wall was first built between the [View Full Entry]

---

---

Beijing is incredible. I wish I had more time to spend here. There are buildings and temples that are hundreds of years old mixed in with newer buildings- everything has so much character. It’s very clean- and unlike Shanghai, people don’t walk around the street in their pajamas. People are very friendly here - maybe even a bit too friendly. I had my photo taken at least ten times today- with groups of people, couples, singles; everyone wanted a shot with me. I even caught people sneaking photos of me on the subway and in restaurants. I’m showered with compliments every [View Full Entry]

---

---

Shanghai has got to be one of the most challenging places I’ve ever been to since no one speaks English. It wouldn’t be a problem if I weren’t a complete moron when it comes to speaking Chinese. I can’t even say “Tsing Tao” beer or the Chinese word for “thank you” properly. Pretty much every word I try to say in Chinese is greeted with a confused stare. My first experience with the language barrier came when I booked a day tour to Zhouzhang. It’s about an hour’s drive from Shanghai and was touted to be the “Venice of Chin [View Full Entry]

---

---

When I bought my train ticket from Hong Kong to Shanghai, I was told that the only available type left was the "hard sleeper". The ticket cost about $65 Canadian, which seemed like a pretty good deal compared to the cost of a flight (about $200). The train would leave at 3pm and arrive at 11am the following day. The waiting room in the train station was so crammed with people, I had to sit on the floor. I mentally prepared myself for the worst- sleeping on a wooden slab with no pillow or blanket, in a room with 30 other [View Full Entry]

---

---

I love Hong Kong! I've been hanging out with my friend Kit here, who I met on flickr- she's a fantastic photographer. Yesterday I spent the day on Lantau island- I rode a cable car up to the Big Buddha, which is about 34 meters high. It takes about half an hour to get there by cable car and then you walk up stairs for 15 minutes to get to the top. I also caught a bus out to the old fishing village of Tai O. It's amazing that something like this exists such a short distance away from Hong Kong [View Full Entry]

---

---