Sights, Sounds and Smells of Vietnam

















Having had 3 weeks in Vietnam we have been thoroughly impressed by the variety this diverse country has to offer. Vietnam is an explosion to the senses from start to finish. With 84 million people this long country (1700km!) can be both hectic and idyllic at once.With beauty at every corner it is easy to see why Vietnam is one of the most photographed countries in the world. From the school girls riding bicycles in long flowing white Vietnamese dress, to the vibrant green of the rice fields, to the flower sellers in conical hats, to the incence makers rolling cinamon and sandlewood; the country vibrates in every possible way.












We have travelled south to north. Taking a slow boat down the Mekong from Cambodia and visiting our friends in Ho Chi Minh we then embarked on a three day motorcycle journey enabled us to explore the cottage industries of the central highlands. A 2 day experience with the tailor shops in Hoi An left us well dressed if not with a hole in the pocket! We joined the circus merry-go-round that is Halong Bay and trekked up to Sapa walking the hills with the local tribes people. We enjoyed fine dining in Hanoi with thanks to the French Colonial influence. All in all Vietnam has been a highlight in culture, cuisine and country.

Our Man in Saigon

Having sailed down the Mekong from Cambodia into Vietnam we have just spent 4 days in Saigon (Ho Chi Min City) visiting a friend from University days; Neil Fitzgerald.

Besides ensuring that we didn't get ripped off by the locals (which happens all the time!) we also got the 5* treatment featuring a full-english breakfast, top Thai meals prepared by Pui (Neil's beautiful girlfriend), as well as a few insightful tours and first class local eating!



Neil has been in Vietnam for two years teaching English as well as writing for local magazines and pursuing his own literary projects. He can still speak Nottingham-English but is more at home in Vietnamese these days (!) Many of the locals regularly comment on how well he speaks Vietnamese. A language notoriously difficult to learn. To our ears however, it sounds like bad dubbing on a kung-fu movie! Sorry mate.









We met many of Neils' friends and also came to see how easy it is to feel right at home in this city. One of his friends, Crispen, even cooked us a full roast dinner!!






We also had the opportunity to visit the college where Neil teaches and meet one of his classes. The class were very welcoming and practised conversational english by asking many questions of us and our travels. So to Mr Neils class that we met...(continue to) give your teacher hell!



A big thanks Neil, to you and Pui for taking time out to ensure that we had an excellent time. Keep well both of you and keep enjoying all that Siagon has to offer.

Triumph and Tragedy in Cambodia

Just finishing up in Cambodia and I think it's fair to say that we've seen both the best and the worst of Cambodia's history.

First up was a 4 day stay in Siem Reap to see the magnificent temples of Angkor including the mighty Angkor Wat, the world's largest religous building. Built over an area the size of Manhattan there are many, many temples built mainly between the 9th and 12th century AD. Some have been consumed by the jungle that surrounds them and roots from giant trees have strangled the stonework and run amok across doorways giving certain ruins a Tolkien feel to them.

Angkor Wat itself is an obvious wonder. Surrounded by a huge moat crossed by stone walkway and then by a number of huge outer walls it retains a sense of order. The main building is massive but without an overwhelming feeling because the changes in level are subtle and gradual and it is only when you climb the ridiculously steep steps to the main towers that you realise just how high up you have come. Other enormous temples litter the site, intricate stonework a feature of them all.

We were lucky to see Angkor Wat for the first time at sunrise and on another day hired push bikes to explore the sites further.

Phnom Penn has provided a stark contrast to this and it is hear that we have been finding out more about Cambodia's dark past - the ghastly influence of the Khmer Rouge. Following civil war the Communist Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot took control of the country from 1975 - 1979 when Vietnam invaded. It is estimated that 1.7 million people died as a result of the Khmer Rouge. They tried to recreate Cambodia's glorious past by relying on a peasant economy and working the rice fields which they interpreted as having been the cornerstone for the mighty Angkor empire centuries earlier.
Thus, the cities were emptied and everyone in them marched into the country to commence working the land. Professors, teachers, diplomats, foreigners and many more were arrested as posing a threat to the regime. They were often tortured and mock-confessions forced out of them before being executed. We visited S-21, a former school turned prison where inmates were tortured and the Killing Fields where the prisioners were taken for execution, usually from bludgeoning to save bullets.

So in an effort to take the counrty back to Year 0 the Khmer Rouge succeeded in destroying much of the heritage and ancient culture of this once hugely powerful and prosperous land. What you see now is a land in recovery. Forty percent of the population are under the age of 15. The people cling to the heritage they have left, that makes them proud. Angkor is everywhere, on the flag, in shops, postcards. The people are friendly and resilient and smiling but there is an underlying hurt from what has gone before.

We had to put this last one in or you wouldn't believe us but they really do seel deep fried spiders to eat!