Camnam / Vietnodia 3 week adventure

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Well we're nearly at the end of a fantastic, busy and varied 3 weeks in Cambodia and Vietnam, and have been far too busy to stop and write blog entries! However, I thought up some blog entry titles, so here they are to give you an idea of what we've been up to, you will have to use your imagination... For more details, see a listed itinerary at the end (probably only of interest to immediate family!).

1. From Borei's rock 'n' roll tuk tuk to the Mekong Express Limousine bus (Siem Reap, Cambodia)
2. I'd like to get you on a slow boat to Chau Doc...and then a nightmare minibus to Saigon (Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Saigon, Vietnam)
3. Saigon - the Paris of the Orient
4. Who can remember what the Jade Emporer Pagoda was like when it was preceeded by the cyclo payment debacle? (Saigon, Vietnam)
5. Dalat - the Vietnamese answer to the Alps (Dalat, Vietman)
6. Meandering through the Mekong - a 2 day whistle stop tour of the Mekong Delta (My Tho, possibly Ben Tre and Can Tho)
7. Phu Quoc Island - a tropical paradise, if you don't mind frequent menu confusion, massage wars and extreme sunburn patches

I was hoping to tell the story more fully through photos, but am having issues with my memory card, will see what I can do... We're back in Saigon for one more night before heading home, splashing out on our hotel; it's $25 per night, but we're pretty happy with what we're getting for our money :-)

So that just leaves me to say thank you readers for your support, e-mails, messages and comments, I hope what has come across is the fantastic experience I've had.

See you in the UK!

p.s if anyone is interested in supporting the new street kids centre, called the Safe House Centre, please let me know.

Notes: listed itinerary - we've been busy!

Siem Reap, Cambodia (3.5 days): Apsara dancing, full day at Temples, Cambodian BBQ, silk farm, visit to street kids centre, Phnom Kulen (national park and waterfall).

Bus (6 hours) to

Phnom Penh, Cambodia (2.5 days): walking tour, riverside restaurant, S-21, killing fields, cocktails, Wat Phnom (inc. elephant ride), Royal Palace (inc. Silver Pagoda).

Bus + boat + smaller boat + minibus (15 hours) to

Saigon / Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (3 days): walking tour including Reunification Palace Ben Tanh market, Notre Dam cathedral and the Rex hotel bar, Cu Chi tunnels, War Remnants museum.

Bus (7 hours) to

Dalat, Vietnam (2 days): flower farms, rice wine production and mushroom farm, coffee and tea plantations, silk farm, elephant falls, Pagoda with giant Buddha, crazy house, roller coaster waterfall, meditation Pagoda (possibly my favourite Pagoda of them all) and paradise lake, trek up mountain, jacuzzi.

Bus + overnight in Saigon + flight to

Phu Quoc Island, Vietnam (4 days): relax!

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Photos

Siem Reap
Sunrise at the Temples

Siem Reap II
Pete at Angkor Wat

Siem Reap III
Cambodian BBQ - making you work for your food

Siem Reap IV
Phnom Kulen - the view from the truck on the way down.

Phnom Penh
Cocktail night!

Phnom Penh II
Ella and I on an elephant, going round a roundabout

From Phnom Penh to Chau Doc
The nice and relaxing part of the journey

Saigon
We met up with Dave who lead us on a walking tour of Saigon - this was one of my favourite days

Saigon II
Ella and Pete inside the reunification palace - they'd been talking about this carpet a lot, and seemed very happy to see it for real!

Saigon III
Dave and Sami on a moto, with Notre Dam in the background. Saigon was full of motos, it was really fun (and ever so slightly scary!) getting a moto around this buzzing city.

Saigon IV
A drink at the Rex hotel roof bar

Cu Chi
Cu Chi Tunnels half day trip. We did get to go in the tunnels, which were very narrow and low; the only photo I got was of Sarah's backside, which I don't think she'd appreciate going on the blog!

Saigon V
Blissful ignorance - this is us very happy in our cyclos, before we had a long and awkward arguement when they tried to very badly rip us off! Dave and Sami sorted it, well done boys!

Dalat
Dalat was built up by the French when they were colonising, because the climate here in the highlands is much cooler than in the South. It definitely had a European feel to it - there is even a mast that looks like the Eiffel tower!

Dalat II
We weren't prepared for the downturn in temperature on our stroll around town. We all enjoyed Dalat for the break from the heat on the rest of the trip! At times it was pleasantly chilly!

Dalat III
We splashed out on our accomodation in Dalat, paying $10 a night. This got us a really nice room, great shower, large and varied breakfast and access to a jacuzzi and sauna, which we made the most of.

Dalat IV
We did a packed one day tour in Dalat, starting with a flower farm. This was another excellent day.

Phu Quoc
Getting a pedicure on the beach

Phu Quoc II
The beach - nice

Phu Quoc III
Dinner at Winestore!

Phu Quoc IV
Our bungalows - they were in a lush setting, also with lots of chickens wandering round and sitting in a tree outside our bungalow.

The End
My sentiments exactly. It's been an incredible time, but I'm looking forward to seeing friends and family again.