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Published: November 9th 2007
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That was actually a name of a bar... Siem Reap was a very touristy town! There will be more of a write up to follow - it may be harder with the girls to hang out with 😊 😊
hello everybody! Looks like we are set to have a quiet day here in Hue. Apparently, the news of the exact amount of rain/flooding was poorly passed on to the hotel we were staying at in Hanoi, and they booked us a room at their sister hotel in Hue, even though, upon arrival, it was obvious that the entire city is under water and we will not be able to stay here and keep ourselves busy. We had a 6:00am flight from Hanoi this morning and we have been able to get another flight to Saigon tonight at 8:00pm. We are hoping to find spa with massages to kill the afternoon, but the only one the hotel told us about has been flooded… shoot.
So, to start from the beginning, I met Lana in Phnom Penh on November 4th. We had a pretty quiet afternoon in the city doing a walking tour and eating some fantastic curry. The next morning
we met our personal driver, Sam, who took us out to see the Killing Fields and the S1 Museum on the Khmer Rouge - bit of a depressing morning 😞
We also checked out the Royal Palace and hit up an art store for some shopping before starting our journey to Siem Reap. It was a 5 hour drive, but I was glad we were doing it with a private driver in a Mercedes rather than on the bus or boat… this was probably the first indication I had that my trip was about to get more high end than I've been used to with the addition of my Calgary friends. Our hotel in Siem Reap was one of the nicest I’ve stayed in during the trip as well. There was even a pool to relax by after our first day of hitting Angkor. We decided to go to Angkor Wat for sunrise and the 4:45 wake up with definitely worth it - the sunrise gave the temple a very mystical feel. After a nap we headed back out for about 3 hours of temple gazing - that’s about the time it takes for everything to start looking
the same! It was fun though - great to share the day with Lana… and Sam, who was always waiting for us and keen to take us everywhere - we had a hard time getting him to leave us at a restaurant so that we could walk home.
Having a car was handy in avoiding the constant chants offering us other transport - mostly tuk tuks and motorbikes, but it drew attention whenever we arrived in a new parking lot - we were surrounded by people (small kids) selling books and souvenirs. I did end up with a few purchases - more out of guilt than because they were nice. I did pick up 10 postcards for $1, but I think I was burnt out of postcard sending in Thailand, so maybe they will be Christmas cards when I get home!
Our second day was quite similar to the first - temples and eating! The Khmer food is very similar to Thai, just not quite so flavorful. The last day in Cambodia we took a small boat to check out the floating village outside of Siem Reap. It was a nice ride - a fun way to spend
our last hour with Sam. Its crazy to see the conditions people have to leave in Cambodia (or in Hue during a Monsoon - yikes!) and it was nice to be able to chat with Sam about his family’s life - he lost his two older brothers to the Khmer Rouge genocide. Very sad - and sad little villages in the country side as well... I'm constantly reminded of how lucky I am!
Speaking of lucky, the next day (depending on your time zone), two very exciting things happened. First, I’m a new Auntie to Miss Ava Rose Van Es. It was surprising how easy it was to keep up with the events at home. I was able to talk to mom and Jenn and didn’t feel like I miss out And I’ve heard from Stu that she’s a real cutie - so I’m pretty pumped to meet her! Also, Shelly made her arrival to Hanoi, Vietnam, just in time to celebrate her birthday with $2 noodles and 50 cent beer - Lana and I splurged and took her out to dinner!
After one night in Hanoi and a day of maneuvering through the hectic motorbike filled
streets (apparently 50 people die a day in accidents - it was a number given by a tour guide, but it sounds quite high), we took in a two day trip to Ha Long Bay with a night on the water. It was beautiful out there but a bit fogged in, so I’m not sure if we got the full affect of the islands. I feel like the karsts I saw in China look more like what I was expecting from Vietnam. It was a fun day with a gorgeous sunset and wine compliments of Shelly’s trip through duty free - very nice break from the beer! We returned to Hanoi for a night of fine French cuisine at the Green Tangerine… this is was I’m talking about - I definitely haven’t enjoyed tuna tartar on the trip before this point! It was delicious - as was the chocolate mousse!
That brings me to today again - have I mentioned its pouring out? So hopefully the museum will keep us busy for a bit and then we may take in a shadow puppet show… that’s right a puppet show - but its inside and dry! Unfortunately it also looks
like we may have to give up our trip to Hoi An as the weather will be the same there. I may stay in Vietnam for an additional week after the girls go home though, so I may find my way back up here!
Wish us good luck finding a beach with sun!
love Stephanie
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