lanegra

It's hard to believe that you are in the same city that was taken over by Pol Pot and his army, the Khmer Rouge, only 34 years ago (17/4/1975)... and for four years turned his country into a land similar to the one described in George Orwell's 1984. He sent everyone from the capital to work in the fields, elimating money, class, education, libraries, religion, traveling, communication, and many other aspects of then everyday life. It's hard to not ask yourself how could someone live through such atrocities and how did people come to follow and allow a man to take over an entire country and kill his own people, friends, and likely family. Well this is what occured until January 7, 1979. The genocide is estimated to have elimated between 1-3 million of the Cambodian ... read more

The Governor-General of Indochina, in te late 19th Century, ordered a hill station be founded in DaLat. The town is at an elevation of about 1500m, which leaves it a bit cooler than the areas I have traveled throughout Vietnam so far. Nonetheless it is an amazing area with many natural beauties to be explored. During the war there was no bombing on this town so everything retained its pre-war structure. I stayed in the Peace Hotel and was confused when I did not have a fan or anything in my room. The receptionist told me I didn't need one. I didn't understand at the time, but found out in the evening. It was definitely cold, about 10c at night. The majority of the locals are wearing winter coats and lots of knitted items are sold ... read more

So when we finally get to the border I go to get my entry stamp for 'Nam and it takes the guy 15 minutes of looking at my passport to finally give me the stamp that they gave about 35 other people, I am guessing I was supposed to give him money at that point, which I did not... nonetheless I am in! Yay. When we arrived in Hue, it didn't feel like a place I wanted to spend a couple days so I stayed on, paid a few more kip and made my way to Da Nang. From there I took the local bus (read city bus) to Hoi An which is about an hour away. The first hotel I went to, I took. It was the one I read from my guidebook. My room ... read more

Vang Viang is definitely a natural paradise. Yes, of course there are the people that spend a month tubing the Nam Song and watching Friends and Family Guy everyday, but there is much more to see around. The four of us dique 'VIP'Mini bus to Vang Viang and were there by early evening. May Lyn Guesthouse, which is running by an Irish character is just across a suspension bridge. We found out upon arrival to the bridge that there was a 4000 kip fee per person to cross. Jan was tired and we had come this far, so we paid and wandered until we stumbled upon our wonderful abode. We all went to sleep not sure what the place really looked like and the next morning we were truly amazed at the view that we discovered ... read more

Nong Khai is a great little town along the Mekong River. It was voted 7th best city to live (or retire in) in the World. The main attraction is the Mekong River, which was where I stayed along. At Mut Mee Guesthouse. A lovely place where I met 3 Germans who I traveled with for a bit after leaving. I arrived really early in morning via my overnight (party looking) bus from Bangkok and wondered into the quiet town. Other than the river there is a Buddha Park which consists of statues created by a guy who says he fell down a hole where he met a hermit who taught him a number of things. The statues in the park are a mixture of secular, Buddhist, and Hindu pieces. This is his second park, the first ... read more