Cambodia II – Day 7

Work officially ended by 9:00am, so then it was off for a day of fun at the temples.  Todd & I went out with our guide, Nary, to Bantey Srei, an older temple farther out from town.  It’s kind of a precursor to Angkor Wat, built 200 years earlier.  Flooding was evident on the grounds and as we toured more rain fell.  We had to seek shelter in a hut the guards use for cooking.  One of the building at this temple had to be completely reconstructed after the french dismantled it and tried to move it to France. 

Next we drove closer into town to see some restoration projects Nary and his team have been working on.  Once again a big downpour appeared and we sought shelter under a tarp with a giant lion statue.

We took the scenic road back to the hotel and bid farewell to Nary.  Once packed, we met Bill & Steve for happy hour on our way to the airport.  The waters had started to recede in town but the roads were a mess in the wake of the storm – potholes and crumbled roads everywhere. Sadly Angkor What? was still cleaning up from the floods and closed, so we had to go across the street for our 50 cent beers.  Our waitress was fascinated by Bill’s size, questioning him about his height and weight.  Once he told her (2 metres, 128 kilos) she was in disbelief and wrote it down to share with her friends later.  As we got up to leave, she exclaimed “wow!”

Our flight back to Saigon was uneventful, despite the lighting storms I could see flashing around us at times.  Our last evening was spent doing a little more shopping and hitting up the Temple Club at dinner time for Hue style spring rolls and more.  In addition, Arnaud had told us the place next to it (Fanny) served the best ice-cream in Vietnam, so down the stairs we went for dessert.

Afters 4 hours of sleep and a 3:30am wake-up call, we began our long journey home.  The flight to Tokyo had to swing south to avoid typhoon Parma – I was expecting the worst but it was a pretty smooth flight.  Tokyo-Seattle however was bumpy at times.  Landed home safe & sound Monday morning.

Movies watched on the way home:  Land of the Lost (thumbs down), My Sister’s Keeper (Thumbs Up)

Estimated spring rolls eaten during the week:  33

Cambodia II – Day 6

We left early for our morning at the Angkor hospital for Children, and the scene throughout Siem Reap was drastically different from my visit last month.  The previously half empty river had breached to flood the streets.  Our SUVs waded through the water easily, while motorbikes, bicycles, and walkers trudged through the floods.  Some storefronts were sandbagged, others tried in vain to sweep the water away.  Amazing.  I wasn’t sure what the flood waters would mean for our planned home visits in the country side but we were still on.

 

Driving through the countryside you could see flooded rice fields and houses in many spots.  As we arrived at the house we were to visit, I wasn’t sure we would make it all teh way.  we had to lay down boards at times and traipse through teh bushes to get around teh mud.  Later in teh afternoon as we toured the temples, we had to buy flip-flops and wade through the water to get to Ta Prohm.  The water seemed clear and clean, let’s hope that proves true!

As we toured the temples this time we had a great guide, Nary, who works as a stone conservator at Angkor Wat.  He was able to point out lots of details we would have ordinarily missed and he could take us to restricted areas.  So, we got to go up to the third level of Angkor Wat which is no longer open to the general public!  There were cools views form above – and a strong stench form all the bat droppings.  Nary also pointed out teh large stone that fell from one of teh towers about a year ago, which is why this level is now closed.  Its is such an amazing place to walk around, much like Machu Piccu.  How did they build this?

Restaurants were still closed today, so we sadly just had a nother dinner in the hotel and called it a night.

Side note:  The Angkor Hospital for Children is a remarkable program.  I encourage you to check out their website ( http://angkorhospital.org/default.php ) and if you feel inclined, make a donation to their US fundraising arm “Friends Without a Border.”  I can verify first hand the quality of care provided and importance of the medical training they provide throughout Cambodia.  Many thanks to all my co-workers who donated coloring books & crayons for this trip – they arrived safely and are ready to be distributed!

Vietnam & Cambodia II – Day 5

Another big day of site visits kept us busy.  But first, Doug and I ran around the corner to a little bakery we had spotted the night before to grab breakfast treats – we got a bag full of delicious stuff for $4 that we munched in the van on our way to the TB & Lung Hospital.  This campus also houses the building you would get sent to if you arrived at Saigon airport and they suspected you of having H1N1.  As Todd said, “If you weren’t sick before, you would be soon…”

From there we spent time at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, meeting with many of their students who had set up poster presentations and then a grand feast for lunch.  I felt bad because they were all so eager to present and I could only understand about half of their work, if that since it was all science-y.  It was fun to chat with them though.

In the afternoon we flew to Siem Reap, Cambodia and thankfuly our flight this time was much less dramatic than last month.  Last month we flew through heavy rain and got put into a holding pattern, unable to land due to winds.  We were pretty sure we were going to be diverted back to Vienam or down to Phnom Penh when all of sudden we started descending.  Landing actually went fine, but upon arrival we learned that the plane before us had landed on the wrong vector, immediately took off again when realizing that, and almost took out the air traffic control tower.  So, the nice easy flight this trip was very welcome.  Flying in though, we began to see the remnants of Typhoon Ketsana, which soaked northern Cambodia and left behind big flooding.

For our first night, this flooding impacted us mightily as we learned that Madame Butterfly, our favorite restaurant from the last trip, was closed, as were many others.  We were forced to eat in the hotel, very sad.

Vietnam II – Day 4

Big day of site visits, all of which went well – at the fish sauce factory we got to wear hairnets along with our jackets and fresh shoes this time   I love the bottling and labeling area because it reminds me of Sesame Street showing how things are made:

Once work was done, I went down the street to pick up my finished Ao Dai – I really like the green silk for the top.  Across the street from there, Doug and Todd each bought paintings from a cool contemporary Vietnamese Art Gallery that had really neat pieces.  Dinner was around the corner at XU, which is pretty swank and pricey for Saigon.  I also remembered the menu having more Vietnamese food than what we saw tonight.  It was still good, but service was slow so it wasn’t the best spot we could have chosen sadly.  After dinner, we checked out the rooftop bar at the Caravelle hotel.  It is only the 9th floor, so you feel like you are sitting in teh city which is great.  We all ordered teh Saigon Special, which was like an orange cosmo.  Back at the hotel I dressed to go to the gym and then realized it closed in 15 minutes – where’s 24 Hour Fitness when you need it?

Observation of the Day:  I now have a “fortification skirt.”  During lunch I realized that the skirt I was wearing today to the fish sauce factory is the same skirt I wore to the flour mill in Ghana.

Vietnam II – Day 3

First thing we left to scout out the two hospitals we would be visiting over the next couple days.  Pediatric children’s Hospital #1 is unbelievable – they see 6,000 kids A DAY! There were people everywhere, but it was all very controlled and organized for the most part.  Families line the halls waiting on bamboo mats for hours:

After our hospital visits, we scooted back over to the backpacker area so Todd could buy a bag, but we stopped at Sozo bakery once again as well – they even recognized us from the day before (though it’s not hard when you’re two gringos pulling up in a giant van.)  Next we went to a grocery store to buy snacks and do market research on our fish sauce visit.  there are more than 40 varieties of fish sauce but we easily spotted our fortified version.  Sadly it was 1) on the top shelf so harder to reach and 2) the bottles were kinda dusty which means it’s not selling very fast. 

Next we picked up Doug and went in search of Banh Banh “>Xeoaka sizzling crepes.  The best ones according to Lonely Planet were at Banh Xeo 46A which was an outdoor stand with tables – very exciting to be eating street food!  and a little worrisome ( but it turned out ok).  The crepes were good though the shrimp still had their shells on them which made it slightly annoying to eat.

The afternoon was a mix of meetings and shopping.  I checked in on my AoDai outfit – the pants were too big (which never happens!) so I will have to go back tomorrow after they pull them in a bit.  In the evening we walked down the street to Lemongrass where we had a feast for just $60 for 4 people.  awesome.  Another meeting after dinner, drinks on the roof, and we called it a day.

Observation of the Day:  How do cab drivers in developing countries survive?  We took a cab to a meeting that was only $2 each way for a substantial ride.  I remember the same thing in Peru.  How do they make any money?

Vietnam II – Day 2

 With no actual meetings today, Todd and I decided to serve the greater good by eating and shopping at places that make a difference in Saigon.  First stop was the Sozo bakery, suggested by Shelby C.  It was located over the backpacker area of town, serving up mainly western style baked goods but they key is that they are a hospitality training program for local youth (like Farestart).  I had a chocolate chip muffin and bought som M&M cookies for later.  Todd had lemon zest pound cake that looked pretty good.  You can read more about the program here:  http://sozocentre.com/

Next stop was a shop down the street called Blue Dragon that works with local artisans around Vietnam to make crafts using recycled goods – they had lots of cool bags.  I settled on a small purse made form Tiger Beer cans to add to my unexpectedly growing crazy purse collection from around the world.  http://www.gobluedragon.com/

And our last good deed stop of the day was the Sesame restaurant, also a hospitality training program (http://sesameschool.wordpress.com/2009/02/16/introduction-to-the-blog/).  Sesame is a little farther out form the main part of town, housed in an old school.  we felt slightly guilty as we drove up in our big van as there were only the two of us – I think they expected a big group.  Lunch was delicious though – we only had two choices of three course meals:  Western or Asian.  We each got Asian which started with shrimp & lotus salad, then strifried shrimp with rice and veggies, followed by golden watermelon for dessert.  It was windy as we sat outside, and I started to worry about Doug flying in from Hong Kong over the typhoon.

After lunch we toured the Reunification Palace, which is a cool building.  Built in the 1960’s it has a retro feel too it – in the basement are all the war rooms, and on the top floor are all the party rooms, decked out Austin Powers style.

we did a little more shopping near the hotel which was fun.  I went to one of the nearby tailors to get an outfit made, so we’ll see how it turns out!  Then I headed to airport to pick-up Doug.  Luckily all went well with his flight.  For dinner we went to Hoi An, which is the sister restaurant to Mandarine, where we ate the night before.  They are very similar and both very good.  Presentations were once again amazing and their signature spring rolls very good.

Observation of the day:  I have yet to wear my sunglasses.

Vietnam II – Day 1

Back in Saigon, we spent the morning doing work stuff, but in the afternoon had  a little free time so we visited the War Remnants Museum.  This is not a cheery place to go – very much like visiting one of the concentration camp sites where the brutality of war hits you full force.  It is especially interesting though to see this war from the perspective of the Vietnamese after being raised with the American view your whole life.  The exhibits are mainly photographic, but everything is very up-to-date where pertinent, such as resolutions on the US responsibility to Agent Orange victims which just came down about 4 months ago.

Later that evening, we met for happy hour at the rooftop lounge then dinner at Mandarin.  Mandarin was down a small alley that seemed a little sketchy until all of a sudden it opened up into a small enclave of several restaurants and clubs – very random.  The food was delicious and the presentations unbelievable.  Checkout teh carved flowers with our spring roll:

I also had crab & corn soup and grilled fish with passion fruit sauce.

Observation of the day:  The Sheraton leaves me two free bottles of Aquafina in the bathroom each day.  Out by the TV though, you also have the option to drink Evian, but that costs you $5 USD per bottle.  How crazy is that?  I may be biased b/c I hate Evian, but who would pay that when you have free water 10 feet away?

SEA-NRT-SGN II – Day 1

Three weeks later I embark on a deja vu trip back to Saigon and Siem Reap.  We actually have a whole week on the ground this time though!  I was taking the same Northwest route again, leaving at 2:00pm.  From the lounge at S8 I watched BK’s plane from Delhi/Frankfurt pull up to gate S11.  Sadly he couldn’t clear customs in time before I had to board my plane to Tokyo.

Some how I ended up on the window which I hate on long flights b/c I feel trapped, so I only got up once the whole trip when the aisle guy got up.  The flight to Tokyo didn’t seem as long this time which was nice, and we saw Mount McKinley as we flew over Alaska.

In Tokyo the once again moved our departure time up 30 minutes.  Combined with the fact that there were only about 25 people on the flight, this resulted in me & Todd’s names being called out on the PA system to get to the boarding gate immediately which was kind of crazy.  After rushing over to the gate though, they then pulled me aside for security screening as Todd and everyone on the bus watched.  The lady was going really slow (which I suppose is a good thing), including wanding my feet.  But before she could go through my backpack, the gate agent said something to her that I can only assume was “The bus full of people is waiting, let the girl go.”  I was released to the bus.

Todd and I were the only people in business class, so the attendants were very attentive.  Upon boarding we were warned about bumps along the way due to a Typhoon in the Philippines.  Great!  The flight actually wasn’t too bad, but it will be interesting to see how the week’s weather plays out, as Typhoon Ketsana is now headed towards the central coast of Vietnam.  We landed about an hour late, so went straight to bed once we arrived at the Sheraton.

Movies watched = 3 (Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, The Proposal, Adventureland)

Discographies listened to = 3 (Colbie Caillat, Sugarland, Erin McCarley)

Cambodia – Day 4

Ok, it’s three weeks later I never got a Cambodia post up.  And now I leave for my return trip today!  eek!  So, here’s a quick photo essay instead, and I promise to actually write about Cambodia when I’m there again in a few days

Vietnam & Cambodia – Day 3

We spent all day on site visits which was fun, especially just driving around the city.  We noticed big pop-up bakery stands getting setting up for National Day, and another crazy site all over the city are the power lines.  Massive amounts of lines go from pole to pole, and at one point we saw workers on rickety bamboo ladders trying to bundle some of them up a bit.  I feel especially bad for folks whose apartment decks open up right where the wires hang – they totally lose their view.

 

In the evening we flew to Siem Reap, Cambodia which was quite a flight.  It’s only 45 minutes, so I wasn’t sure what kind of plane we would be on – luckily it was big, especially because it was raining pretty hard.  as we boarded it was funny to see that while the plane was only about a 1/3 full, they had seated everyone together in the middle section.  we just grabbed seats up front at that point.  Because of the rain, the ride was a bit bumpy, and as we neared Siem Reap we got put into a holding pattern because of winds.  We thought we might get sent back to Vietnam or diverted to Phnom Penh, but all of sudden we started to descend and it was actually totally smooth.  As we met our driver though, we learned that the plane before landed on the wrong vector so touched down, then took back off immediately, almost knocking out the air traffic control tower.  CRAZY!

We had a great dinner out at Madame Butterfly’s, set in a big two-story open air house.   I wasn’t sure what Khmer food was, but I had Caramel Pork with pineapple and onions that was delicious.  Then it was just back to the hotel for emails and sleep because we had an early morning the next day.