On To Vietnam

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After leaving the beaches of Thailand, we breezed rather quickly through Cambodia. Siem Reap was wonderful- the temples of Angkor were as incredible as we had heard. We'll post some pictures when we get back to the states. After Siem Reap we headed to Phnom Penh, the capitol of Cambodia, where we only stayed for a couple of days before taking a bus to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).

Vietnam was just amazing- the prices of everything are less than Thailand (which is already inexpensive), and it's not nearly as frequented by tourists, though this is steadily changing. There is much less English spoken and written, and the pace of life in the cities, particularly Saigon and Hanoi, almost makes Bangkok feel quaint. There are literally no traffic laws- millions of scooters fill the streets, and they all just go, ignoring traffic lights or any sense of general order. If there's any space, a scooter fills it. There was no way we were getting on a scooter in either of these cities.

After southern Thailand, where the food was mostly watered-down, tourist-centered thai food, and Cambodia, where the food was for the most part disappointing, we were excited to delve into Vietnamese cuisine. And it certainly didn't disappoint in the slightest. Not surprisingly, for a country with such a massive coastline, fresh seafood is the name of the game. In Saigon, upon arrival, we were delighted to find fresh crab available all over, as street food. You could sit down with a couple of crabs and drink several Bia Hoi (fresh beer- basically locally brewed and on draught) for barely a couple bucks. We also quickly found a dish we had been looking for- Vermicelli with grilled pork and spring rolls, served with bean sprouts, fresh herbs and a dressing of fish sauce, water, sugar, and a bit of hot peppers. Really wonderful- the flavors in Vietnam are not nearly as spicy as in Thailand, but more delicate. No curries, but lots of interesting salads. And of course with the French influence there were plenty of delicious baguettes (though sourdough still rules!).

From Saigon we made our way down through the Mekong Delta, spending a couple of nights in small towns, on the way to Phu Quoc Island, off the south-west coast, due south of Cambodia. This island was AMAZING- kind of the way you might imagine the islands of Thailand were twenty years ago. Very little tourist infrastructure with beautiful unspoiled white sand beaches. No loud bars, no four-star resorts- truly an island paradise. We rented a beautiful little bungalow on the western shore right on the beach, where we watched the sun set into the Gulf of Thailand every night. We would then shower and head out to dinner in bare feet, walking down the beach to one of the quiet little restaurants that dot the 30km long stretch of sand. The island only has a few roads, and we explored them all by scooter over the 5 or six days we were there. The diving didn't compare to Thailand, but overall the experience trumped the beaches of Thailand.

From there we headed to Nha Trang, a beach heading north from Saigon, for some luxury with mom and dad. More to come (promise!).

A & C

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