Phnom Penh, Cambodia

August 18 thru 21 Bus from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, 6 hours. This wasn’t so much a tourist bus as just a straight up commuter bus, a mix of 80% locals 20% backpacking foreigners. Since Siem Reap attracts more wealthy tourists and the state of the roads is abysmal, most fly out of the [...]

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Siem Reap, Cambodia pt. 1

August 15 thru 18 Cambodia from the second we crossed the border was a very, very different country from that of Vietnam. There were few elements of modernity here. No booming construction, no cars even, and very few paved roads. People lived as they have for hundreds of years in bamboo stilt houses. They have [...]

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My Tho, Vietnam

To the east and south of Saigon is the Mekong Delta. Miles and miles of rich rivers and canals. I took a short tour there with some people from Singapore, France, Ireland, and Malaysia…I got to use all three languages I know in one afternoon, switching, depending on the person. We arrived in My Tho [...]

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Cu Chi

We took some day trips to areas near Saigon. The first to the Cu Chi tunnels. These were the tunnels built all over the Saigon area that allowed the Vietnamese to travel and move supplies without the US soldiers knowing during the war. In fact American soldiers had one of their bases right on top [...]

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Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

August 10 thru 15 Ho Chi Minh is Vietnam’s other large city. Drastically different from Hanoi, you can definitely see the touch of America on this city. Bright lights, store chains, commercialism. While I feel that most French and European tourists start in Hanoi and head down…the Americans start in Saigon and head up. There [...]

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Hoi An, Vietnam

August 7 thru 10 Hoi An, we trek and trek in the dark looking for a cheap hotel. This town is a bit more stylish, picturesque and hence…more expensive. Finally we find one and relax and take one of the multiple daily showers I need, due to constantly being a sweaty mess. Hoi An was [...]

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Hue, Vietnam

August 6 and 7 We took an overnight sleeper bus to Hue. Man, we should definitely travel like this in America. Every person gets their own little seat that allows their legs to be straight forward and for the back to lay completely down like a bed, two levels of these 3 rows with ladders [...]

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Halong Bay

August 3 and 4 We decided to take a tour package to Halong Bay. 60$ got us two days and one night aboard a wooden junk. Cruising around all the towering rocks and islands was really lovely and beautiful. Late afternoon after some lackluster and crowded caves we just rode and rode, past floating villages, [...]

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Hanoi, Vietnam

August 3 and 6 We arrive in Hanoi at the airport bright and early in the morning. We somehow make our way on to a public bus heading into the city, the only westerners since all others had opted for taxis. We begin our drive through the countryside. I can’t believe it, its like something [...]

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Wandering even further

Since I am now on vacation technically…I am leaving on Monday to go to Vietnam and Cambodia for 19 days. I am traveling with my friend Axel, and we’re doing Vietnam top to bottom, then hopefully we’ll take a boat over to Cambodia and check out the sights there. Why Vietnam? Its a bit off [...]

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