Christmas/New Year - Vietnam (part 2)

So we originally had 2 full days in Ho Chi Minh city, formerly known as Saigon.  However early on I got notification that our flight got moved from a 7PM flight up to 1PM so that pretty much cut our trip short.  Time to re-think our plans.  For sure we wanted to see the Cu Chi Tunnels, the War Remnants Museum and if time the Reunification Palace...

So let's hit the tunnels first.  I'd never been but heard they are cool and amazing that people lived and fought from them.  Well they were right!  This was unbelievable to say the least.  The tunnels were super small and word is they were opened up about 20cm's just to be used for foreign tourists.  The start of the tour starts out pretty "Anti-American' to be kind, so we joked that we were Canadian!

Our guide showing us one of the incredibly small tunnels that is hidden under the natural growth and leaves...

Disappearing one step at a time..but notice he is pretty small in stature.

Magic, disappearing act!!!!

TP and I were the only ones in our group to give it a try.  I didn't think I had a chance to even get my hips through let alone my upper body but the key was to bring your shoulders in tight as you went down, plus moving your legs forward into the hidden space.  So mission accomplished...sort of!  As soon as I had the lid down I got instantly freaked out and wanted out of there!  Well that means I opened my shoulders back up which made it increasingly difficult to get out.

A few wicked examples of hidden traps that wouldn't necessarily kill but would severely injure and trap Americans.

This one was weighted and when you fell in those spears on the side came out and went right into the midsection.  Ouch!

A revolving torture piece!

Literally all this fighting going on in the jungle.  It's a wonder that the US felt we had a chance to win this war on their turf!

The bandana/scarfs on the fighters symbolized where they were from, so even if they weren't in fatigues they would be recognized as to which side they were on.

This captured US tank shows more than it's fair share of bullet holes.

TP with our guide showing just a slight difference in size.  Can you imagine me next to that guy?

They even had a shooting range to fire a variety of guns used in the war including the AK-47

 Additionally there was a 100meter tunnel we could go through.  These tunnels were incredibly complex and well thought out.  However they were so small, dank and humid that taking photos in them was all but impossible.  The guide advised that there were exits every 20 meters but we could go 100m if we wanted.  Well all I got through was 20m before I had to get outta there!

On to the War Remnants Museum.  This museum had all sorts of planes, tanks, bombs, etc that were recovered, along with 4 floors of photos telling the story of the war.  It was very anti-American and nearly made me sick to my stomach.  Many of the photos were actually donated by American's so it wasn't all anti-American.  However when you got to the photos of what happened to villages afflicted with Agent Orange it was all I could do to stay and keep reading.

Personally I think the only way to do this visit is to take 2-3 days but cover it 1/2 day at a time.  It's too overwhelming otherwise and emotionally draining.  You simply can't make it through...

 

One of the fighter planes left behind.  It's amazing how small and cramped these planes are.  Especially if you compare to commercial flights on large planes like 777, 747, A340, etc.

They also had all sorts of examples of the torture chambers and prisons.  What was done to those captured is truly sickening.

The reunification Palace was used as a governmental headquarters and home for some time...

 

Those red circles on the roof top helicopter landing pad indicate where bombs actually landed destroying large parts of the interior.

A view from the other side of the Palace looking into what is currently downtown Ho Chi Minh.

Currently Ho Chi Minh is a bustling city of about 9 million people up from a max of 2million before/during the war.  If you ever thought you had seen scooters before, let me tell you, you haven't!  No photo can capture the amount of silent scooters weaving in and out of traffic EVERYWHERE!  Crossing the street is an adventure to say the least.  It's like a game of Frogger.  Best suggestion is to follow along on the side of a local as they navigate the steady stream of scooters.

A mom and her daughter, cool as can be with the sunglasses on!

Fresh flowers anyone?  She just peacefully and without concern walks the streets selling away.

One of the local restaurants cooking away.

Nothing better than cold beers and peanuts on a street corner watching the traffic.  We literally were there for close to two hours just people and scooter watching!

From our same view with the Tiger beer.

The tallest building in HCMC with an observation deck on the left.  Unfortunately because of the flight change we never made it there.

The Christmas tree at the Sheraton.  A bit nicer than the no bed sheet hostel that we were booked at...

Getting ready for New Year!  The celebration was bound to be huge in HCMC as we saw some of the preparations while there.  Alas this wasn't going to be our place for new years.

Santa has obviously had enough of traveling and passing out gifts this Christmas season.  He decided to drink heavily and pass out in Ho Chi Minh City!  A job well done St Nick!

 Enough with HCMC, now it's off to Nha Trang...

Christmas/New Year 2012 - Vietnam (part1)

Now on to Vietnam...first Ho Chi Minh and then Nah Trang for the beach, sun and relaxation at the end of the trip.

Might as well fly the national airline right?

Well TP decided that for our couple of nights in Ho Chi Minh city he wanted to try and stay in a backpackers hotel.  Well to say the least this is a bit out of character but he was up for it and found what he thought was the perfect place.  Great reviews on TripAdvisor, not to mention dirt cheap.  Approximately $25 a night for a two bed, air conditioned room with our own bathroom.  So why not?

Well this kind of gives a clue of why not?  It was in a very small, hidden alleyway.  The hotel is about 1/2 down on the right side.  In fairness the neighborhood looked cool, lots of local dining options and lots of travelers around.  Heck there were 3-4 hostels in this alley.

Upon getting to the hotel they require you to take off your shoes at the entrance.  I tried asking that at first, seemed to get an answer that is was ok to keep them on...until I did walk in with my shoes on and was quickly scolded!

Next challenge was they couldn't find our booking.  It took 15-20 minutes of searching to find it.  Then we find they don't have more rooms.  They probably only have 8 rooms so it doesn't surprise me.  They have us wait about another 15 minutes to "find" a room, which I take to mean it was where employees stay and they needed to clean up.

When we get to the room we initially are impressed.  It's on the 4th floor, seems clean, has the promised bathroom and the two beds.  Upon further review we find that there are no sheets on the bed.  There is just a mattress pad and that is it.  So we ask for sheets and find out "we don't have more."  The English understanding was poor to say the least so we got someone to come to the room and check it out.  He finally found some sort of sheet and blanket to put on TP's bed, but when I asked for the same on my bed he again said they didn't have more.  We kept pushing...

Finally he came back with what I thought was a blanket, but in reality it was another mattress pad.  Furthermore it had a big stain on it!  When I showed it to the guy he did what he thought was practical and "turned the blanket over."  See all fixed? :) 

Well after further conversations we realized this wasn't going to get better.  Thankfully the hostel had wi-fi, so we got out our iPads, found a Sheraton, used points and decided to check out!  Slight concern was that the hostel would be upset, normally not a concern, even if we lost the $25 but in this case they had our passports!  So be nice and let's get out of this mess.  All worked just fine in fact.  Later the hotel sent an email to TP apologizing for the mix up and hoping we wouldn't hold it against them in future travel.  All in all I'd say a decent job by the hotel all things considered.

So on to the Sheraton we go!

Christmas/New Years 2012 - Cambodia

So this Christmas I didn't return to the states.  Rather an college friend of mine, TP, came over from Houston, meeting me in Hong Kong and from there we went to Cambodia and Vietnam.  Both of which I've seen before but he hadn't and we hit some new places for me.

Since both places are full of excitement I will split this into a couple of posts, starting with Cambodia...

Gotta try the local beer right?

The main reason to visit Cambodia is to see the temples, known as Wats of in and around Siem Reap.  Collectively they are known as Angkor Wat, but there is really one wat that is specifically Angkor Wat.  Generally you rent a tuk tuk driver and go on one of two loops, the short or the long and it's going to take between 1-3 days to see all depending on how much you want to see.

Here is the actual Angkor Wat at sunrise, around 5:15AM when tons of visitors come to see this magnificent temple.

I told you there are LOTS of people up before the crack of dawn!

More of the Wats, all have different properties and are very unique.

One cool thing in Angkor Wat is you can still walk on, around, in and anywhere you can get.  My guess is that with tourism booming, sometime in the coming years that will no longer be allowed, either for safety or preservation sake.

A bit after sunrise when the crowds have dispersed on their ways to see other parts inside the temple.

Cool entry way, these statues are on both sides of the road welcoming you over the river into the temple area.

My buddy, TP, enjoying some fresh mango on a stick out of a bag that morning while we look for our tuk tuk driver.

On the river heading to see an amazing floating village.  Everything here takes places on the river.  It's a bit of a tourist trap but well worth the visit.

One of the "shops" on the floating village.  All the locals buy their goods from one of the many shops like these.

There is even an orphanage on the river.  You are "encouraged" to bring food and candies to help support the kids.  We purchased some noodles from a practicality standpoint and then also some lollipops.  The kids were very appreciative and well behaved, each saying "thank you" before taking one piece of candy.  In fact I never saw them eat it, but rather laid it out in an organized fashion as this young did. 

Saying a prayer before eating their ramen noodles.  The noodles were actually cooked by one of the older kids who resides there. 

On our way back from the orphanage we stopped our tuk tuk driver to look at this.  This is actually a local's home who farms right there.  Amazing to see how little they can live with AND they are an amazingly happy country!  We could learn a lot from people who have much less than we do. 

Nightlife in Siem Reap is pretty impressive.  There are a few square blocks of markets, bars, restaurants, etc.  The crowd is heavily influenced by everything from backpackers on the dirt cheap up to rizty first class places. 

This is the place that "started it all."  A bar called "Angkor What?"  Cool blacklights inside made for some cool photography!

What better way to build a Christmas Tree than to make it out of Tiger beer cans?

Street vendors cooking up all sorts of goodies....

I think her eye is looking right at me!

Cleaning those chickens and selling as fast as possible...

"The Wrestler".  Some sort of really, really cheap alcohol that one of the bartenders showed us.  Nah, I'll pass and stick to beer or pretty much anything else.

Bottom line is Cambodia is a wonderful place to visit.  Great people, good food, and amazing sights.  If you get a chance get there in the coming years as it is sure to evolve and change to a more touristy and not as exciting place. 

My neighborhood

So I received a request to learn a bit more about my neighborhood.  Darn good idea I thought, so thank you Chip!

The actual neighborhood I live in is referred to generally speaking as the French Concession.  Now to get technical on it there was a humorous story earlier this year.  A restaurant opened up a new location and took out advertising in the paper to announce.  In it they called the location the French Concession.  The official term is the "Former French Concession."  The locals were furious and the restaurant was fined about 50,000rmb (roughly $8,000usd).  In fact the locals don't even want it referred to as the Former French Concession as some feel it is offensive to China's past.

Reality is that all the foreigners call it this.  The neighborhood itself has plenty of history.  What drew me to it was the real neighborhood feel, the old trees and the character.  It's one of the most popular areas to live for the foreigners at least within the city.  Interestingly there are not many large compounds in the area.  Rather it's known for homes, individual apartment building, small businesses, etc. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shanghai_French_Concession

 This is my apartment building.  It's not a large "compound" but rather a single building.  The first 9 floors are commercial units and then 10-23 are residential.  I'm on the 10th floor which makes it nice.  I can make plenty of noise and the neighbors downstairs aren't usually around!

 That is my building in the distance with a theatre/park in the front.

 This is actually a hotel right next door to my place.  Very local hotel, meaning I doubt any foreigners would intentionally stay here.  However I have traveled a lot and have never seen a hotel so narrow!

 Nothing like hanging the laundry out to dry on a nice clear day!  This can be seen all over China as most people don't have washing machines.

 The French Concession is loaded with cool architecture and old relics like this cool stained glass window.

 But the neighborhood also has plenty of "local" attractions, like butcher shops curing their meat outside basically on the street. 

Or people transporting large big screen TV's on bicycles!

Switched babies...whoops!

Check out this article that happened a few days back at the Shanghai Pudong Airport.  Apparently two families switched babies...conveniently continuing the stereotype that all Asians look alike...:) 

Click on the link for the full story

Babies Switched at the airport

http://en-maktoob.news.yahoo.com/careless-chinese-parents-got-wrong-baby-basket-080926071.html

Symbolic of my job...

I'd say this cartoon reflects pretty accurately my job at times.  Just throw more on the plate until you finally throw your hands in the air!

Traffic light insanity!

I read this online the other day and cracked up.  Chongqing is the largest city in China (and one you have probably never heard of in fact) with estimated numbers over 30 million people.  Well for the past year or so they have had tremendous traffic jams at this four way intersection.  Any idea why?  There are literally 14 traffic lights!!!!

 

According to the article over 10,000 tourists were stuck on this day.  The best China part was last May the local traffic official advised drivers that "They are just for decoration because the junction looked bare.  They look very pretty at night but drivers should just ignore them."

Yikes!!!!

Beijing pollution

Well folks the weather in Bejing has turned downright awful. I was there last week and it was some of the worst conditions ever.  It's often bad in winter as more coal is used for heating, more cars are on the roads, etc.  But these past few weeks both Beijing and Shanghai have been downright awful!

Take a look at this article...

http://news.yahoo.com/air-pollution-beijing-goes-off-index-053809937.html#