Farewell Cambodia.....'Good Morning Vietnam'!

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Greetings to All from the vibrant city of Hanoi in Northern Vietnam!

Since my last blog we've had a fantastic few days in Siem Reap and both of us agree that it has been by far our favourite place for many reasons. The people have been the friendliest I've met.
They are so welcoming and pleasant and the level of service they provided in restaurants, cafes etc. was brilliant. Also Siem Reap itself is a lovely city. It is very developed and you can tell that a lot of time, money and effort has been put into the infrastructure over the last number of years.

Our short trip to Cambodia, started off from leaving Pakse in Laos with an hour long flight to Siem Reap. We touched down early that morning at about half 8. It was then only a 20 minute tuk tuk ride to our lovely hotel located in the centre of Siem Reap which was the New Angkorland Hotel. The first day we just took it handy by the pool and got our 'bearings'. All the main attractions were located in a very short radius which was great.

Day 2 we decided to firstly take a trip to the War Museum. This is one of the most memorable experiences for me for many reasons but in particular it was quite horrific.

We were taken on a private tour by a man who was actually a mine victim. While walking around rusting tanks, heavy artillery weapons etc. he told us his story and the horrifying history of his country.

He told us he had lost his entire family, parents and two younger sisters from a mine that his Father had brought home, trying to salvage the TNT and scrap metal from it. Unfortunately, while he was trying to diffuse the mine it exploded killing everyone except our guide. He had to undergo many surgeries to have his left arm amputated.

He also explained how Cambodia is still coming to terms from the traumatic events of the Vietnam War and the Khmer Rouge-‘ Pol Pot’ regime. Pol Pot actually stood for ‘Political Potential’ which I didn't know.

While walking through the grounds of the museum he explained that the site used to be a minefield and that there were many human remains found. As a result there are several mass graves there. While we were examining the rusting tanks and trucks. He showed us a truck used in the Cambodian civil war. He told us that the army used to lock the soldiers into their vehicles as the vehicles were worth far too much than to fall into enemy hands. As he told us this he pointed to bullet holes that were in the side of the door which had killed the driver of the vehicle. He also showed us human remains that had been found in an amphibious vehicle whose occupants had died in a mine explosion.

It was hard to get to grips with all this information and the fact that it all occurred within the last 60 years.

After the War Museum we went to the National Museum. This was a very impressive display. It had several different galleries that took us through the history, religious aspects and heritage of the Khmer people. The history is very complex and their religion is equally so with influences mainly from Buddhism and Hinduism.

Day 3 was another fantastic experience but for very different reasons. That morning we got up at 4:30 am and journeyed to the famous Angkor Wat temple which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List as it is the largest religious structure in the world. We gathered in front of Angkor Wat with 100s of other enthusiasts watching the sunrise over the temple.
I have to say it was an amazing experience and definitely worth the early start! For the next couple of hours we walked around Angkor Wat and it's surroundings looking at the ancient statutes and carvings that date back to the 10th / 11th Century AD. We also visited other surrounding temples the most memorable are- Bayon which had a very unique feature called the elephant terrace (stone carvings of elephant heads). Another temple Ta Prohm had enormous trees and roots, that over 100s of years, had become a part of the ruins of the temple. It was very impressive looking.

Aside from the museums and temples we also explored the night markets and little boutiques that offered a range of clothing, all for very cheap!

I really enjoyed my time in Cambodia and it is a pity that we didn't have longer here.

Anyway roll on Vietnam! We arrived in Hanoi this evening at about 7pm and checked into yet another lovely hotel located in the old quarter of Hanoi. The place seems to buzzing and there are of course motorbikes, bicycles and tuk tuks everywhere! I am really looking forward to exploring this city as it is steeped in history!
We intend to visit Hao Lo Prison Museum where the US POWs where held during the war. For all you history heads, the POWS gave it the nickname of 'Hanoi Hilton'. Also located about 150km from Hanoi is Halong Bay which is something I am dying to see!

We are spending four nights in Hanoi so far but there seems to be so much to see that the visit might be extended!

Anyway I hope everyone is keeping well.

Take care and I will blog again soon.

Jennifer.X

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