Reflection
Ok before I bog you down with the boring temple/War stuff lets begin with the fun stuff. Ok so Nah Trang was great for the few days we were there, we spent the first in the market where you physically get dragged from stall to stall (scary!!!) and then headed to the beach. We went boogy boarding, great fun but the waves were so big it was near impossible to get started on them. I then headed off for a 16 hour sleep as the others, Shiv and the Donegal people we came down with, went out for the night. The next day was a lazy day which ended with us going to a mud spring/spa and that was fantastic, the swimming pool was 38 degrees mmmm nice
The next day we went to monkey island, which strangely enough contained many monkeys, we both got burned on the way over on the boat, sleeping BAD idea, but it was still great fun, We started off snorkeling around some coral on a deserted beach for a few minutes and has really wetted my appetite to learn to dive next week. We then went off to the monkey island itself. It started with a disturbing Bear show, and then went off to the main monkey section. I was thoroughly enjoying my 7up can when one of the monkeys decided he wanted it more and stole and proceeded to consume it, focker, We then feds them and so on for a while till we went off to see a monkey and then a dog show. Then off home. We went out a bar called crazy kims, Profits go to anti-pedophilia in the area and then to the Sailing Club just as a break dancing exhibition was starting, pretty entertaining.
We then headed to Saigon/Ho Chi Min City were we saw the Cu Chi Tunnels which were small tunnels constructed by the Viet Con's, against America, these are passage ways of 200 kms underground that had them illuding the Americans for 10 years as they lived down there, They are amazing constructions that go 3 floors deep and even have modern architects amazed with them. They had ways around all American styled attacks apart from bombing tho. We both got to fire an AK47 rifle there aswell strange experience.
Straight from there we went to the War remnants museum which goes to the polar opposite of the actual effects the war had on the face of Vietnam, literally, images are harrowing of victims of agent orange and babies still being born dis-figured today from it. We headed to the Market then and outside of it we got to witness first hand the effect on a man what agent orange leaves you looking like and it is disturbing. As for Saigon itself its like any other city but with many more pestering kids trying to sell you their wares, can get very irritating at times. We spent time in the local park talking to locals and playing Dam Wa,( I think, basically an oversized shuttle cock kicked around keeping it up) with the locals.
Then for the trip to Cambodia a 3 hour trip to the border (8 hour bus trips are nothing to us at this stage), which nearly ended with a crash with another bus so my first and last experiences in Vietnam were near crashes but after seeing the most mental driving in the world in Saigon nothing really worries now. And then approximately a 400 meter walk in 43degree heat, so hot and sweaty, and then after 2 1/2 hours getting visas and eating etc. Our tour guide announces that all the blokes have to get off the bus and give it a push startloads of fun. When we arrived in Phom Phen we decided to stay at the lake, we met 2 great people Marlene and Carrie who we spent most of our time with, $5 for a lake view room Which was Nice. Was a bit annoyed with the persistence of the local tuk tuk drivers and drug dealers, NO is a word that doesn't seem to be in their vocabulary.
We arrived in Seam Reap yesterday and spent today wandering the Temples of Angkor, we saw the worlds largest religious temple and then some. We climbed up Angkor Wat and on the way down Shivs fear of heights kicked in and a 10 minute walk down the steps, granted knee high steps and about as wide as your feet, was rewarded with a round of applause at the bottom by the locals and tourists. The whole incident seemed very amusing to a local monk who followed us down laughing heartily at the panic attack, poor shivers. So our plan was to leave here tomorrow but as its Cambodian New Year we appear to be either stranded or a $50 taxi ride away from Thailand where we are going to the south islands, don't worry the ones not in the Indian ocean. So I shall contact you from there hopefully
Happy New Year
G+S
The next day we went to monkey island, which strangely enough contained many monkeys, we both got burned on the way over on the boat, sleeping BAD idea, but it was still great fun, We started off snorkeling around some coral on a deserted beach for a few minutes and has really wetted my appetite to learn to dive next week. We then went off to the monkey island itself. It started with a disturbing Bear show, and then went off to the main monkey section. I was thoroughly enjoying my 7up can when one of the monkeys decided he wanted it more and stole and proceeded to consume it, focker, We then feds them and so on for a while till we went off to see a monkey and then a dog show. Then off home. We went out a bar called crazy kims, Profits go to anti-pedophilia in the area and then to the Sailing Club just as a break dancing exhibition was starting, pretty entertaining.
We then headed to Saigon/Ho Chi Min City were we saw the Cu Chi Tunnels which were small tunnels constructed by the Viet Con's, against America, these are passage ways of 200 kms underground that had them illuding the Americans for 10 years as they lived down there, They are amazing constructions that go 3 floors deep and even have modern architects amazed with them. They had ways around all American styled attacks apart from bombing tho. We both got to fire an AK47 rifle there aswell strange experience.
Straight from there we went to the War remnants museum which goes to the polar opposite of the actual effects the war had on the face of Vietnam, literally, images are harrowing of victims of agent orange and babies still being born dis-figured today from it. We headed to the Market then and outside of it we got to witness first hand the effect on a man what agent orange leaves you looking like and it is disturbing. As for Saigon itself its like any other city but with many more pestering kids trying to sell you their wares, can get very irritating at times. We spent time in the local park talking to locals and playing Dam Wa,( I think, basically an oversized shuttle cock kicked around keeping it up) with the locals.
Then for the trip to Cambodia a 3 hour trip to the border (8 hour bus trips are nothing to us at this stage), which nearly ended with a crash with another bus so my first and last experiences in Vietnam were near crashes but after seeing the most mental driving in the world in Saigon nothing really worries now. And then approximately a 400 meter walk in 43degree heat, so hot and sweaty, and then after 2 1/2 hours getting visas and eating etc. Our tour guide announces that all the blokes have to get off the bus and give it a push startloads of fun. When we arrived in Phom Phen we decided to stay at the lake, we met 2 great people Marlene and Carrie who we spent most of our time with, $5 for a lake view room Which was Nice. Was a bit annoyed with the persistence of the local tuk tuk drivers and drug dealers, NO is a word that doesn't seem to be in their vocabulary.
We arrived in Seam Reap yesterday and spent today wandering the Temples of Angkor, we saw the worlds largest religious temple and then some. We climbed up Angkor Wat and on the way down Shivs fear of heights kicked in and a 10 minute walk down the steps, granted knee high steps and about as wide as your feet, was rewarded with a round of applause at the bottom by the locals and tourists. The whole incident seemed very amusing to a local monk who followed us down laughing heartily at the panic attack, poor shivers. So our plan was to leave here tomorrow but as its Cambodian New Year we appear to be either stranded or a $50 taxi ride away from Thailand where we are going to the south islands, don't worry the ones not in the Indian ocean. So I shall contact you from there hopefully
Happy New Year
G+S
posted by gerire @ 12:23 PM
2 Comments:
At 2:16 PM,
Anonymous said…
Hi you two! Finally managed to get access so have decided to make some use of it. Hope ye are having a great time - so far it all sounds brilliant though I am sorry to hear that Ger's one square meal of the past month or so (a can of 7-Up) was lost to a monkey. I have a feeling that you will come back weighing about 7 stones or else a confirmed carnivore!
We tried phoning you yesterday (when everyone was over in our house for your Mams birthday) on the number you gave your brother. The instructions you gave him proved too difficult. Just get the area code you said ... he said that you told him you were in Hong Kong (!) and he couldnt get you using the area code for HK. Nobody was quite sure where you were so we tried a few different area codes covering most of Asia!! Alas, no luck.
Deinitely give scuba diving a go. Off Thailand there is diving near two mountains / islands called The Pitones - Grand Pitone and Petite Petone (spelling is wrong but it is pronounced "Pee Taw" and sounds french). It is absolutely worth doing. It was a couple of hours by boat from Koh Samui as far as I can remember.
Have fun & talk soon - we are all missing you both.
At 9:03 AM,
gerire said…
Ah ha. We are boht now certified divers, what ever that means. But unfortunately we are leaving tomorrow and cant dive here any more, suppose we'll have do make do with the barrier reef so.
Good to hear from you, sorry that number didn't work we shall have mobiles within the week in Oz and will be in touch then
Ger
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