Same, Same...But Different - Hanoi, Vietnam

The title above is in reference to a saying that's found on T-shirts all over South East Asia. I'm not really sure what it means or why it is so popular, but the locals tend to use it a whole lot. It's appropriate to mention it given the particulars of this city.

While I won't go so far as to say that things are more hectic here than in HCMC, I'll definitely admit that it's in the same ballpark. I'm staying in the old quarter which is only enhancing my perspective on things. For one thing, there are no signal lights. Well, there actually are signal lights, they just don't work. The streets are very narrow and there is a constant parade of all manner of people getting around in all manner of ways. The traffic signals would only congest everything, so they just don't function. So in some ways, crossing the street here is even more hair-raising than in HCMC. The old quarter itself is rough around the edges, to say the least. I can certainly see why people think this area is charming and all, I had just hoped it would've been a little more placid.

The ride to the hotel took almost as long as the flight from Hue. Traffic moved about as fast as a funeral procession. I've seen a few things since I arrived yesterday morning, but really, my plan is just to walk around a lot and take in the city. I'm not a museum person all in all. There is the Ho Chi Minh tomb where you can actually see the guy's body. But really, that just doesn't do a darned thing for me so I think I'll skip that. Last night after eating a great bowl of noodles in a fish, crab and pork broth for just over $1, I walked down to the corner on the same street as the hotel and sat on a tiny little stool and enjoyed the 3,000-dong bia hoi...the fresh beer, which is even cheaper than in Hoi An. It's a lot of fun just to hang out down there with locals and foreigners, literally on a street corner and enjoying the evening.

It's very humid at the moment, though not so hot. I'm going to hang here at the hotel ($22/nite) and relax a bit before I venture out for more scenery. By the way, I am in the country illegaly as of 12:01 this morning. I've tlked to a bunch of people about my expired visa and they all say the same thing: Don't worry. You'll be fine. No problem. Etc... I guess in two days I'll find out for sure. Oh yeahh...

Yesterday I searched for an internet cafe that had Skype and a camera so that I could chat (and see) my family in Italy. Found a place and was told by the youngish guy running the place that it would cost 5,000 dong per hour, about .30. Great. When I returned a while later, the guy was gone and an older guy was there instead. He said the rate was 15,000 dong/hour. Under a dollar, but 3 times what I had been told earlier. I somehow managed to communicate to him that I was told something far less and he went along with it, albeit none too thrilled about it. When the time came to pay, the little monitor on the screen said 2,000 dong. He demanded 3,000. The difference is a pittance, but it is symbolic of the all-too-frequent gouging of the foreinger that goes on here. I encountered it (unbeknownst to me at the time) from the moment I stepped foot in this country and am still being victimized by it. Perhaps 'victim' is too strong a word, but this isn't about money. It's the principle of the thing. In Hoi An when I rented a bike for example, I was told 15,000 dong even though the woman before me had been told 10,000. When I pointed this out, the renter gave me the 10,000 price. Yet the next day when I went back to the same woman, she again tried to get 15,000 out of me. I guess this is the price (literally) of being a foreigner here. It is a shame because I'm obviously not wired to think that this is a fair practice, whatever justification the folks here may have for doing business this way. Hate to round out my two weeks here this way, but hopefully as I've blogged, I've pointed out the good, the bad and in this case, the ugly. It's the kind of thing that people tend to think about when they decide to return.

'Hue' to Go Idiot - Hue, Vietnam

It's pretty amazing in that my desire to be witty in my last post, I closed with that mention of the word 'guey' in Spanish. In case you don't know, that word can mean many things. Mostly it's used between good friends as a way to say a little spicier version of 'dude'. But it's also used as a minor insult when someone has done something stupid. For example, booking a hotel room for only one night when it should've been two. So my little play on words turned out ot be somewhat prophetic as I spent the first moments of my arrival here searching for another hotel because the one where I spent last night is full tonight. Done, and with a pool, no less. By the way, the first one ($35- yikes!) was easily the best one yet. A huge king-size bed and for the first time on this trip, I actually slept the entire night without being awakened by a rooster, a moped horn or any number of the other possibilities. Nice place...each room has a DVD player and downstairs there's an impressive library of pirated DVD's to use for free. Oh and on the map they hand out, there is a little section entitled Tips for Travelers that has a a hilarious list of suggestions for crossing the road. The best part is where it tells you not to panic if you should get stuck and above all, do not go back! Ironically, crossing the street in Hue is child's play compared to HCMC! Seriously...or maybe it's like with the chopsticks, you just get used to it.

So the train yesterday was thankfully my last in this country. It was less than three hours, but a pretty miserable experience despite passing by some incredible scenery along the coast. Sadly, this particular train should've been the best one of all. The first 20 minutes we just sat in the train waiting to get going and without A/C. Remember the scene in Schindler's List where the poor souls are on the train and Schindler pitties them by hosing down the train with water? Granted, not remotely the same thing, but that's the first thing that came to mind. And even after we got going and the A/C came on, it wasn't anywhere near as meat-locker like as the buses tend to be here. At some point I noticed that there were a set of bare feet inches from the back of my head. Lovely. I had to try to explain to the woman that really, lovely though you may think your feet to be, they really shouldn't be propped up anywhere near that close to a stranger's head. Didn't do a whole lot of good. I was thrilled to walk out of the station and on to yet another dude's motorbike for a 20,000 dong ride to the hotel.

The food continues to be very good, however. Ate a French restaurant last night and had roast duck and a Hue specialty. Can't remember the name, but they were almost like little tamales: gelatinous rice with bits of shrimp steamed in banana leaves and dipped in fish sauce. Yum! Had a mango tart for dessert. And wached it all down with a Huda beer- a local beer. I don't just try the local food! I also partake of the potent potables.

This morning I headed across the Perfume River to the citadel and the forbidden city within it. Very impressive stuff. Not as big as the one in Beijing, but nicer in many ways. Saw some very elegant old buildings and relics and tried to keep cool. It is repugnantly hot and humid, which is why I am in here only sweating a little as compared to buckets were I to be outdoors instead. I'm going to head out to some dude's tomb in a little bit and catch the susnset there. The ladies I ate with last night insisted that I must go there as it's quite the photogenic place. We'll see.

Tomorrow I will complete the Vietnamese travel trifecta by flying to Hanoi (buses and trains were the other two). I'll be there for three nights (yes, I double checked the reservation confirmation, by the way) before (expired visa willing) I'll head over to China.

Guacamole in Vietnam - Hoi An, Vietnam

It's hard to say how exactly I found myself making guacamole last night, but sure enough, not only did it go down, but it was one of those great things that can happen when one travels. It all started two nights ago...
I ate dinner at a place called Mango Mango. The chef is a guy from California and it's one of those fusion places that would be uber-trendy in West L.A. It did not disappoint. I had a great bowl of bun, Vietnamese vermicelli with all kinds of greens, herbs and pork of course. Along with a funky eggplant and pumpkin tempura thing and a couple of beers, it came in under $10. What I ate would easily have pulled down $35 back home. I wandered around a bit afterward and as is often the case with 'pretty' food, found myself a little peckish a bit later.

I headed back to the open eating/drinking area where I ate the night before. Had an incredible beef fried wonton thing that was nothing like any wonton I've ever known. Got to talking to the woman who served it to me. Somehow got on the subject of my profession and the next thing you know, she's showing me a notebook where someone had written out a few phrases in Spanish to use with the tourists. I made sure all the accents were where they were supposed to be and then started talking about , surprise, surprise...food. Somehow got on the topic of avocadoes which are plentiful here and used quite a bit in the cuisine, much to my surprise. One of the most popular ways to use it is in a shake, apparently. It's blended with ice, milk and sugar and is supposed to be delicious. I made a face when she explained. I told her that in my experience, avocadoes are used in savory recipes, not sweet ones, as in guacamole. Then she made a face. Whoah. I told her that if she had not liked guacamole, it was only because whoever made it for her could not have done it right. This went back and forth for a little bit and in the end I told her that I would make it for her the next day.

So yesterday morning I headed to the central market and rounded up all the ingredients. I was very worried about the chilis because the ones I would normally use were nowhere to be found. I picked a couple of green ones that most resembled a serrano and hoped for the best. Tonight I returned to the scene of the crime and when she and her husband (the owner) saw me approaching with a couple of bags in my hand, I think they were pleasantly surprised, to say the least. First I had to eat, however. I had another bowl of the cau loa noodles and ordered a special eggplant dish that took forever to prepare, but was worth it. It was tangy, smoky, sweet, sour all at once. Amazing. Then, in a scene that no self-respecting health department would approve of, I was given a knife, a bowl and a cutting board. And where I finished my meal a few minutes earlier, I started to put it together.

She took notes while hubby used my video camera to capture the scene. Everyone seated around us obviously took notice and within a few minutes, everyone was watching the spectacle. Good stuff. When it was finally done, I tasted it and was pleasantly surprised (and more than a little relieved) that it was actually pretty good! The whole staff approached to try it. Some really liked it. Others made the face I make when confronted by squash. But then a bunch of other customers also dove in. People from Australia, Belgium and the best was a guy from Chile who happened to be a chef and gave me a big thumbs up and said it was damned good. Not sure how any other event on this trip will top how much fun all of that was.

Other than the above, yesterday was a nice day off. Folks here at the hotel had remarked how nice the beach nearby was. Yeahh, yeahh, yeahh. People tend to exaggerate their beaches, but I decided that yesterday I would just do nothing, in essence. I had not had a day like that since the trip began. So I rented a bike (.75) and pedallaed the 5 km. to the sand. Wow. I was pleasantly surprised! The beach really was very nice! Super-soft sand, clean, warm water, no waves...just very relaxing. Chilled under a palapa thing on a lounger at an eatery and just took it easy. Oh and ate a plate of spring rolls and grilled shrimp that were very, very good. It goes without saying that it was very, very cheap, no?

Today I'm back on the train for only three hours and I head north for Hue. I think I will like it if for no other reason than Hue, almost, almost sounds like one of my favorite Spanish words: guey (with the umlat over the u) which is kind of like way in English. I realize that this is as moronic a thing as I could admit to, but there it is.

Back to Normal - Hoi An, Vietnam

The one day in Quy Ngon gave me a repreive from 'folks that look (even slightly) like me' which was nice in that I got a sense of the real Vietnam. It was also nice because I didn't get attacked by touts every few seconds trying to sell me everything I could possibly need or not. Hoi An could not be any more different than the place I left yesterday. Before that, another transportation anecdote, however.

I took a taxi from my hotel to the train station yesterday. It started out OK with my driver driving in the style most favored by the Vietnamese, namely as a homicidal maniac. About a third of the way there, I think he realized that if he maintained the pace, he wouldn't be able to charge me what all his buddies are nailing all the tourists for, so he slowed down to an embarassingly slow pace. For my benefit, he (ironically) buckled up so I would think that he was slowing down because cops were looming or something. Old ladies on mopeds were whizzing by us. I tried my best to indicate that I didn't appreciate his tactic, but to no avail. The ride ended up costing 140,000 dong or not-quite $9. Seriously, it was one of the more expensive things I've bought here. The hotel room was only $15, for goodness sake! I scoured my guidebook frantically trying to figure out how to say something along the lines of you disgraceful son of a flea-ridden dog, but strangely, it was nowhere to be found.

Although the train left at a little after 9:00 am, the only 'seat' was a soft-sleeper bed in a sleeping compartment. Normally, you only get a sleeping compartment bed for a train that departs in the evening and runs all night. That was all there was so I had to take it. I shared the compartment with three Vietnamese men right around my age, more or less. I chilled out on my bottom bunk bed listening to my iPod and reading. At some point I dozed off and was awakened by one of the dudes who had sat next to me the way one would sit on the bed of say, a sick kid or something. I mean his butt was right up against my waist. He and his buddies were about to eat lunch and the little table that sticks out of the side of the compartment was (inconveniently for me) right next to where I lay. I tried to make it clear that I was having some space-issues. Rather than sit on his friend's bed, he only moved closer. Great. Again, my guidebook didn't have the phrase sorry, but I'd really rather you not get chicken parts all over my sheet please. I finally made him understand that he needed to sit somewhere else, but then I relented, good guy that I am. I moved my sheet out of his way and allowed him to sit there, but I got out of his way and sat upright for a while as they ate lunch. To their credit, they offered me some chicken and rice, but I declined. By the way, this train was only marginally better than the hard-sleeper and certainly only a little cleaner. The bathroom was also an improvement in that there appeared to be soap and a few squares of tissue on a roll.

Upon arrival in Danang, I hopped on the back of a motorcycle and some guy at the station brought me to Hoi An. On the way here passed by China Beach and the ruins of the U.S. Military base. The beach is quite nice and is slowly being developed in a Cancun-like manner, so not so sure if that's a good thing. So, finally Hoi An. The old part of the city is a Unesco World Heritage site, so it's very picturesque and crawling with tourists and touts. This is a great place to shop for any number of things. There are over 500 tailors in town! They can make a suit in a day for next to nothing, apparently. I walked all over town this morning taking pictures and ignoring the cries of "Hello!", "Hey you!" and "Motorbike!" by getting lost in my iPod. It kind of stinks to have to go that route, but I have to keep my sanity. I'd rather not hear them than have to say NO every nine seconds. I remind me of some of those iPod kids that walk around school between classes in their own little worlds. The difference is that no one is hounding them and it's 9 minutes between classes, not three hours of tout inundation. So, my strategy may be ugly, but I've got to keep my head above water.

My hotel ($25/nite) is kind of a splurge for me. It has a very refreshing pool (!), free internet access (that's why this is so long) and breakfast included. By the way, the meal pictured was part of my lunch. Pictured is something called white rose, which is like a wonton thing that was delicious and a fresh beer. There is a kind of beer here that is like cidra in Spain, I suppose. It's meant to be consumed within a few days of being brewed and is very low in alcohol so you can have lots and lots of it. It costs 4,000 dong/glass which is like (I am not kidding) 23 cents or so. Two glasses of that, the white rose thing plus a bowl of amazing noodles made only in this town and served with pork slices, pork cracklings, basil, mint and a tangy sauce came to 43,000 dong: about $2.50. Money isn't everything, but seriously, as a traveler, it is an important consideration and I have to say that it certainly makes having decided to come here appear to be a good move.

Time for a nap before heading out again. Oh yeahh, haven't whined about the weather lately. It is bloody hot. It's approaching Kyoto-hot, which is why I am indoors wating out the worst part of the day before I head out again in search of more good eats and fresh bia!

Hard Sleeper - Quy Nhon, Vietnam

Managing to sleep in the sleeping compartment of a train basically comes down to who you have to share it with. My first choice for the trip here had been a soft sleeper, but it was sold out. The soft sleeper has four people in the compartment and an actual cushion of some kind. The only option was the hard sleeper. It has six people in the compartment and pretty much a sheet over a hard bench. Not much choice so I paid my $26 and left HCMC last night at 7:00. I spent my last day walking around a lot and dodging mopeds basically. Actually, I also went to the War Remembrance Musuem which displays in harrowing detail, all the horrible things my country did to this country during the war. Though it may be obviously biased (though it would be impossible to present a museum of this type in either country and not have it be biased one way or the other) it once again highlights the lunacy of war, period. The most chilling thing is seeing what politicians and the great thinkers of the day (usually not the same people, by the way) had to say about America's role. It's chilling because many of the sentiments expressed over 40 years ago are eerily similar to what's being said now. We just don't get it.

So back to my train. The conditions reminded me of my first couchette experience in 1992 from Berlin to Prague. This was only three years after the wall came down and the train was an old Russian job with burlap for sheets. I kid you nyet. But back to last night...I was fortunate in that the inhabitants of my compartment weren't a bunch of drunk backpacking teens, loud families or (as in one trip in France) a particularly amorous couple. That was awkward. They were pretty quiet folks who let me get some sleep. All seven of them. There was a baby. A first for me. Cute kid and all, though not so much when he awakened with a blood-curdling cry to indicate hunger, I suppose. Oh and there was an eighth guest who made himself at home on my bench and over my arm and over my pillow, but I don't count cockroaches as official passengers. Also a first, but fitting, given the condition of the train. On the off chance that you just finished eating, I won't go into the aesthetic wonder that was the bathroom. Let's just say that after my first visit there, I willed my insides to wait until arrival before having to go again.

This is my third trip to Asia and something happened today that has never happened. I swear, I spent the entire day here and saw less than a dozen western-looking faces. I don't have a problem with it, but it was odd. I mean, I didn't just finger the index section of my travel guide and pick a place. Granted, it is known for not being so well-known, but I wasn't expecting this. So, the unusual physical attributes that I bring to the town have granted me celebrity status almost. Mostly, it's the little kids that trip all over each other saying "Hello", "Where you from?" and "What's your name?" At one point today, I was spotted by a mom who was walking with her two young boys. The kids hadn't seen me so she said something to them along the lines of, "Hey...a white guy!" and they instantly greeted me very enthusiastically. On the way home from dinner a little bit ago, I was surrounded by a bunch of little kids saying hello and wanting to shake hands and all. It was hilarious and I am very cool about playing along. I wish some of the grown ups wouldn't stare quite so much, but it'll soon be over.

Tomorrow I get back on the train for about 5 hours and head to Hoi An where I will be for three nights. It's supposed to be a very laid back town that somehow managed to avoid being obliterated during the war, so I look forward to that. Also, Bourdain says the food in the market is amazing. So that's a plus. By the way, my hotel here is $15/nite and is huge. It has A/C, cable TV, a balcony, a fridge and is immaculate. The people there speak next t0 no English, but couldn't be nicer. And the no English has been par for the course here. Breakfast was an adventure. I picked what looked like the nicest place in town and got a menu. Luckily I recognized 'Pho', so I picked one of the Pho options and hoped for the best. It was very good and with my coffee (a sweet, super strong Cuban-like variety) I was out the door for under $3. Well, I am surrounded by kids playing video games and it's getting loud, so I'm out of here. By the way, I had to go back and edit this because the space bar basically doesn' t work. But as I sit here and watch kids treat the keyboard like a pinata as they play their very violent, bloody games, it's no wonder.

Plan to wake up very early for some pictures of the fishermen doing their thing in the bay.

Z

Apologies - Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

I take back everything I ever said or thought. Heck, it was less than a week ago that I pronounced the traffic scene in Phnom Penh to be the worst I'd ever seen. So I offer apologies to that city as well as Mexico City, Beijing, Rome and even Cairo- never been, but I've heard stories. For mine eyes have seen things the past 24 hours that defy belief. I had heard that it had to be seen to be believed and lo and behold, it is true. Were it only the major intersections, it would be one thing. But it's everywhere. On every street corner and seemingly at all hours of the day and night. The thing that put HCMC way over all the other cities is the unfathomable number of mopeds on the street. The roundabouts are clearly the most entertaining spectacle. To be in a taxi and watch as the almost ballet-like dance that takes place between all the different vehicles and pedestrians is just a whole lot of fun. It takes a little nerve to cross the street here for the uninitated, but I found that it's best to be cautiously aggressive. In other words, you can't appear to be timid or you'll get creamed. The traffic is like a dog- it smells fear, so best to take it on respectfully and emerge unscathed. Another disturbing thing here is the random nature of adherence to traffic laws, assuming there are some. Yes, there are traffic signals and all, but just cause the little guy is flashing walk on the sign means next to nothing. I think prisoners in Guantanamo have more rights than pedestrians here. And if you think the sidewalk is safe, think again. All the mopeds have to park there and more than a few drivers go ahead and drive on the sidewalks as well. But what really shocks the uninitiated is the number of toddlers and little kids that either ride in front of mom or dad, or standing between the seat and the handle bars. Yes, most are wearing helmets and many have the mask over their nose and mouth. As if the real threat here to life and limb is what you are inhalling. And despite all of the above, I've only seen a couple of near-misses. Somehow, this all works.

Despite the chaos that characterizes the street, I have to admit that I like it here much more than I thought I would. Were it not for the (not-quite-as-obnoxious-as-in-Phnom Penh) touts that hassle the poor tourist, it would be perfect. It has the energy of NYC or Mexico City, for example. The area where I am staying is very lively with many, many foreigners. There are great places to eat, get coffee, relax and take in the neverending parade on the street. My hotel room ($20/nite) is unique in several ways: it's on the fifth floor (and there is no lift) and the bathroom actually has a partition for the shower. Up to now, every bathroom in every hotel I've stayed in has not. So when using the shower, you have to get all the crap you don't want to get wet out of the bathroom. A huge pain and not being used to it, I'd tend to forget to remove the toilet paper. Not pleased about that. The decor is something out of I'm not sure what. Woke up this morning, looked out my window and noticed a guy walk on to his balcony, walk over to the rail and relieve himself on the roof next door. He obviously didn't see me. It's not like I wanted to see that, but I guess our timing couldn't have been worse. Along those lines, in both countries, men tend to do their business pretty much anywhere. Driving a while and need to pee? No problem. Pull over, stand next to the car, turn your back (a little modesty, I guess) and go. The little kids, on the other hand, have no such inclinations, modesty-wise. You see them just about everywhere doing their business. Mom or dad standing right there too. Different...to say the least.

Yesterday's adventure in obtaining the various things I needed for the rest of the Vietnam leg of the trip did not exactly go swimmingly. I did get my plane ticket and my train tickets though I had to stay an extra night here because tonight's train out of here was sold out. And I had two different travel agents tell me not to worry about my expired visa situation. I was told to slip the equivalent of about $10 in my passport where the visa is and that it would be OK. I'm a little uneasy about this, since I am one of the most anal-retentive people I know when it comes to stuff like this. The problem is that in order to extend the visa, the agency would need to have my passport for at least 4 days and that's no good, since I won't be anywhere the rest of my time here for more than three. So I'm a little nervous about it, but have been assured that it's OK since apparently 5 is the magic number of days that will get one tossed into the slammer. We'll see...

Just had lunch with the Lunch Lady! On Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations program awhile back, he visited this woman who sets up her street stalls everyday and sells the best bowls of soup in town. This isn't the first time I have followed up a Bourdain hotspot and it has to be noted, the man isn't kidding. The soup really was incredibly delicious. To be honest, not completely sure what was in it, but I'm pretty sure it was a pork broth. It also had a shrimp, a quail's egg, noodles, all kinds of sauces, sprouts, cilantro, basil, other herbs I couldn't identify and a slice of some kind of liver. I tried the liver slice because I really wanted to like it, but me and liver just don't get along. Never have and I suspect, never will. Oh yeahh, the huge bowl of soup and two spring rolls came to 19,000 dong...or about $1.05 or so. Insane.

The rain is letting up so I'm out of here. Tomorrow night I am in a sleeping compartment of a train headed for Quy Nhon. Hopefully, the 11 hours I spend in there will be nice and boring.

Z

Life on the Mekong - Can Tho, Vietnam

I think it was a bit ambitious and a little crazy to book a 6-hour boat ride at 6:00 this morning through the waterways of the Mekong River. The ride was fine, but I hadn't really counted on sitting there without doing much in the way of movement. There was really nowhere to move. The boat was a little thing made for 3, maybe 4 people tops. By about half way through, my butt cheeks were crying out for mercy. However...such scenery!

The Mekong River Delta is a massive area that is criss-crossed by a riot of canals, streams and tributaries of the mighty Mekong. People have been living right on the water for millenia and in some ways, I could see that many things hadn't changed in a long time. First however, the main attractions which were a couple of floating markets. Again, this is a practically ancient tradition that has vendors of produce, baked goods, meat and so forth selling their wares on the river out of boats. It's very colorful. My favorite part was the way they display what the particular boat sells. A sample of whatever is for sale is run up a pole at the end of the boat. So, if you are looking for cabbage, just look for a head of the stuff hanging off a pole about 15 feet in the air.
After visiting the markets, the woman navigating it (it seems that all the boats are piloted by women) took the very scenic route back to the port. This is where I got to see how people really live. It was fascinating. Sadly, the river was unbelievably polluted, but that didn't stop people from washing clothes and dishes in it, cleaning fish in it and even bathing in it. My boat came to a halt about a dozen times because the propeller thing kept getting stuck on all kinds of trash that it would entangle, mostly it was plastic bags that folks just chuck off their porches into the water. The woman would whip out a knife, hack it off and keep going. I'm sure I heard her curse a few times, but hard to know for sure.

After I had some lunch and ran into a family from R. S. Margarita. The woman is a flight attendant for A.A. and it turns out that she knew the mother of a couple of brothers (also a flight attendant) that I taught back in the dark ages. Amazing. Anyway, they clued me into the bus that I had to take to Ho Chi Minh City tomorrow. So, I dutifully went to arrange it and upon doing so, became painfully aware that in addition to yesterday's misery of getting here, based on what I paid today and what I paid yesterday, I got ripped off big time too. Oh well...

After lunch I came upon a great market by accident. I spent a couple of hours in there taking in all the sights and did something I almost never do which was approach people about taking their picture. Almost all were very welcoming. They loved seeing their images on the display screen of the camera- another reason to go digital, Kevin. And if they had little kids, even better, because they were even more willing to be photographed. Only one woman wanted something in return. At first she wanted my watch (!) and then my hat and finally showed me a wadded up dong note. I offered to delete the photo, but in the end, she and all her buddies and I laughed about it. I don't pay folks for their picture. It was a lot of fun all in all. Got some great images and gave lots of little kids a chance to practice their 'hello' a whole lot. Honestly, I'm a little surprised at the lack of English-speaking here. I'm not complaining, but I am surprised because in Cambodia, it was much more prevelant.

So tomorrow, another 4 hour bus adventure, though this is the good orange bus, according to my RSM pals. We'll see. I sure hope so. With any luck, this will be my last bus ride until China. It's trains and planes the rest of the way in this country. Oh yeahh... a slight problem with my visa here. It turns out that the visa I bought in Cambodia was for 15 days and not 30 days. It expires three days before I'm supposed to leave, so I'll be digging into that mess upon arrival in HCMC tomorrow. Oh and I'm not posting pics lately because the internet cafe scene in this town is pretty meager and they don't have the hardware to make it happen. Hopefully in HCMC, I'll be able to post some images.

Until then...

The Oddysey - Can Tho, Vietnam

Yes, more whining is surely to follow so get ready...It involves a tuk-tuk, 2 motos, 2 buses and a taxi.

Left my hotel in Kampot this morning at 8:30 and arrived at the new one in Can Tho, Vietnam at 5:00 pm. The hotel is only $15/night, but for once, I'm getting what I paid for. What a dump. Were it not already paid for and the fact that no one there seems to know any English other than 'passport', I'd try to get my money back and go elsewhere. Oh well, live and learn.

The tuk-tuk took basically about 2 hours to get to Vietnam. Took the same road to Kep initially and then veered off on yet another red dirt road which wasn't in all that bad a shape at first given the rains the past couple of days. Again, mile after mile of amazing scenery...folks planting rice, that sort of thing. The road was basically OK except for the last kilometer. It's as if the Cambodian government figured, whoever is on this road is leaving anyway...why bother to do anything to maintain it even a little. I truly regret that I did not film that stretch.

At the border the tuk-tuk guy inofrmed me that the town where the bus is caught wasnot walking distance. Indeed, it was like 10km away. Lucky for me, his buddy would take me on his moto for $5. "But what about my heavy suitcase?" I wondered. No problem. Sure enough, the driver positioned it bewteen his legs and with me on the back, off we went. The first thing I noticed upon crossing the border was the asphalt. As in, the fact that it existed. Good start.

Arrive at the bus station (really, it was a small section of a small parking lot) and rode right up to this guy's buddy. Wow! Such luck! He tells me that the bus for Can Tho left for the day, but for $5, he can take me to the next town (20 km. away) to catch another bus. Hmm. What choice do I have? There is no signage anywhere as to indicate a schedule. There is nothing in English anywhere either. So be it. Off we go...

At about 11:45, we stop at an ATM so I can get some dong. OK, feel free to make all the sophomoric jokes you want at this point. But $1 buys 17,000 dong! Crazy. I only got $100 worth or so for the moment. We leave the main road and go on this very bumpy dirt and stone road into a residential zone, though not at all pleasant. So now I am thinking that I am about to be robbed. Really. We pull up in front of this house where about 6 men are hanging out shooting the bull. I have picked out the smallest one thinking that if need be, he can be the one I thump. I swear, this is going through my mind. The moto driver speaks next to no English. I tell him that this is NOT a bus station. He tells me to sit. Like hell. He says in 15 minutes a big bus will appear. I can't imagine a Greyhound thing rumbling down this little country road, basically. But sure enough, here comes a bus. Big? Hardly, but it IS a bus. I am told it will take 5 hours. Lovely. I pick a seat in the back. There is next to no one aboard. I start out on yet another bumpy 2-lane 'highway' andtake in all the new scenery.

Three hours later, we pull over and I am told I need to board a different bus. OK. I get on this much bigger bus and I am stared at as if I had just arrived from the surface of the moon. No one speaks English though this drunk guy smoking cigarettes tries to talk to me in very shaky English. He smelled like Milwaukee and I wasn't up for it. I made the mistake of sitting in a seat of a woman who apparently worked on the bus. She made it clear that I was not to sit there and gave me a shove as I was moving. Were it not for the fact that I had been in the country for three hours, I think I drop her right there. Two hours later after listening to the driver go no more than 42 seconds without laying on the LOUD horn, we arrived.

I hopped into a taxi and located my dive of a hotel. Too early to say, but Vietnam appears every bit as hectic as Kampot was placid. Things are cheap, however. More on that later. Off to sleep for a very early wake up tomorrow to check out some picturesque floating gardens.

Z

The Real Deal - Kampot, Cambodia

It may sound absurd to say, but it wasn't until yesterday that I finally got a genuine sense of this country. I know it's been over a week, but Siem Reap could've been just about any town near a world-class archeological site such as Angkor. And I've already said enough about Phnom Penh. So the other day after writing my entry, I set out for that day trip I mentioned earlier.

The first stop was Kep. I really only wanted to go there to eat. The crabs are kept in pens tied to ropes that are hauled in when an order is placed. The tasty arachnids are whacked right there and prepared. Upon arrival, I wandered over to a boat tied up and looking very picturesque. After taking my photos, I walked by a small group of five locals enjoying a feast of crab, shrimp and squid. I asked them where they had bought the seafood and before you know it, I had a plate in front of me and they would not let me go until I had sampled everything, including a beer. It turns out that they had made the trek down from PP just to eat the food. They were planning to return that evening. That's 8 hours of hellish road just to eat. That effort is so impressive, that words fail me. Communication was at times a bit of a struggle, but what we lacked in eloquence, we more than made up for in good vibes. I can't believe how generous and welcoming they were to me, a perfect stranger. After that, I ended up going to one of the restaurants but I had squid...the crab was tasty, but they are tiny and require a lot of effort for very little pay off.

It's funny because even on the way out to Kep, I had been thinking that I really hadn't said enough in these posts about the amazing warmth of the people here. It's as if those folks happened along as a reminder to say some good things amidst all the horrors that have dominated my rants. It only got better on the way to the cave. The driver turned off the main road and onto a red dirt road chock-full of puddles and every road hazard imaginable. It took 30 minutes or so to get to the cave, but what a ride.

I had commented earlier about the view as I rode all over the country on those buses. But to sit in a tuk-tuk and ride with the wind in my face, at ground level and able to hear the dozens and dozens of folks call out 'hello' as I went by, was simply wonderful. You could expect little kids to be so warm, but I was floored by people my age and older being equally kind. And the smiles! Honestly, that ride to and from the cave was the best thing on this trip so far.

In fact, I was so inspired that today I rented a moto ($5) and went back on that same road so I could go at my pace and get some pictures. Unortunately, it rained today like I had almost never seen in my life. On the way back to Kampot, I got soaked like no other time- no exaggeration. Ended up getting some hot soup at the hotel (yes, it was actually a little cool) , drying off and chilling out. Kinda bummed that my remaining hours of daylight here were spent this way, but I didn't want to put my cameras in jeopardy any more than they already were.

So tomorrow, I leave Cambodia and head off to Vietnam. I know where I need to get (Can Tho) and I know how to get to the border from here, but I have no idea exactly how to get there once I cross the border. O have my visa and hopefully, I won't be required to grease any slimy officials just to step foot on their soil. It ought to be an adventure, to put it mildly.

Z

Rain...lots of rain. - Kampot, Cambodia

A few drops fell as the bus approached this town. And pretty much from the moment I arrived not quite 24 hours ago, it has rained and rained. It's funny how just a couple of days ago I was cursing myself for loading up my suitcase with silly things like my waterproof shell and the baseball warm-up thing I wore on the plane so as not to be too cold. Not that it's cold, per se, but there is a 25 - 30 degree difference between here and when I started in Siem Reap a week ago and getting soaked when it's barely in the 70's isn't all that pleasant.

But back to that bus. I've been on a million buses all over the world, but I have to say that the first 2 hours and last 30 minutes of the 4 1/2 ride yesterday was the worst bus ride experience ever. Were it only for the ride itslef, it would be one thing, but factor in the meat locker-like temperature and the television playing karaoke in Khmer very loudly and you get a better idea. Yet again, the iPod and bulky noise-cancelling headphones saved the day. The ride the other day was paradise compared to yesterday. The bus was not the same caliber as the first one so everytime we ran over a cigarette butt, we felt it inside. Yes, I'm exaggerating, but not by much. I am so thankful that I opted not to have breakfast before boarding because it would've been messy. My road experiences in Cambodia are almost done, thankfully.

Kampot is nothing like Phnom Penh. I am so relieved. This is a funky place that time more or less forgot, it seems. There are dozens of examples of old colonial French houses that are in various states of neglect. It kind of reminds me of the malecon in Havana. So there is a certain charm amidst all the squalor. There is still way too much trash all over the damned place, but that's the only resemblance to PP. The town is experiencing something of a revival and in ten years, who knows? But seriously, the people here need take care of their beautiful country a bit more. The other day in PP, I was walking around minding my own business when suddenly three feet in front of me, a plastic bag with food scraps went wizzing by me and into the street. The woman who had tossed it didn't see me coming, but that's hardly the point. I don't care about political correctness- being a slob is being a slob in any country and in any language.

So back to the rain. Ironically, in the moments since I started writing, it seems to have basically stopped. I had intended to visit a couple of attractions nearby riding on the back of a moto with some guy who offered to take me around today, but the rain kind of scared me off. I don't care about me getting wet, but I do care about the camera and all. I think I'll proceed, but in a tuk-tuk instead as they offer some shelter. I'm going to Kep, a small town nearby where the seafood is supposed to be amazing and then off to a cave to see some spectacular scenery. More to report later, weather permitting. And I don't say this lightly. About four days ago, the town flooded. Hoping to stay relatively dry...

Oh yeahh...Larium update: Thrilled to report that after one bizarre dream which involved me petting a dog or cat only to discover that its claws were made of sharp blades, I slept the rest of the night totally weird-dream-free! And in all fairness, that particular episode may or may not have been anti-malarial drug inspired. Who knows? It might have been the spicy Indian food I ate for dinner served by a Welsh dude and washed down with a Laotian beer (trying to mix things up a bit.)

Hopeful... - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

It's been well over a day and despite walking all over the city, seeing some of the major attractions and trying like crazy to find a silver lining, sorry to say that this place did next to nothing for me. The saving grace has been the weather, which for the second day in-a-row, was overcast and at times, very bearable. I'll focus on that silver...

The killing field museum was not the emotional wallop I was expecting, though not to be confused with anything remotely entertaining. I think (and hope that in the future) that it is developed more to make it more visitor-friendly. The first thing that greets you is the tall tower (pictured) that houses thousands of skulls that were unearthed on the property. Behind it are dozens of mass graves that have been emptied, but are still open pits. The thing that is truly grizzly are the many, many bones protruding from the ground along with articles of clothing. The museum has purposely chosen not to hide these things for good reason: It's hard not to be moved when the evidence is literally underneath your shoes.

The hotel where I am staying is a very friendly place run by young Cambodians. They were really helpful. I told them I needed a bus ticket and a Vietnamese visa and presto! The thought of locating the Vietnamese consulate in this city was not something I was looking forward to. My room does not have A/C, nor hot water! Despite that, I slept pretty well in my mosquito net-draped bed and the cold shower felt absolutely perfect...seriously. They also have a cafe on the premises and the food has been very good there. It's $12/night...clearly the highlight of PP without a doubt.

So I am hopeful that Kampot will be nice. I suspect it will be. It's a laidback place near the coast. I will spend my last three Cambodian nights there before heading to Vietnam. So I am hoping that it's a winner because I want to leave this country with a good taste in my mouth. Speaking of things in my mouth, tomorrow I have to take my third anti-malaria pill...my fingers are crossed that some of the things I've witnessed the past couple of days in the museums I've visited don't work themselves into my dreams.

And I forgot to mention the dead skin-eating fish in Siem Reap. Yes, it was true and wacky all at once. Dangled my feet in a shallow pool and within seconds, hundreds of these weird fish about 2 - 3 inches long were nibbling on my dogs. It didn't hurt at all. It mostly tickled and felt very, very strange. The reactions of some of the other folks who took the plunge were the highlight. One woman from the U.K. could not keep from getting absolutely hysterical. She was great. So after about fifteen minutes, it was done. To be honest, my feet didn't really feel any different, nor look any different, but I can claim to have done something that I doubt many of you can...or would want to.

Tuk-Tuk Sir? - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

I had hoped not to whine about the overly aggressive nature of pretty much anyone with something to sell, but I can't help myself. In Siem Reap, it was bad enough. You literally couldn't go more than a minute without being accosted by a tuk-tuk or moto driver looking for a fare. The first couple of days I smiled and said, "no, thank you." By about the third day, it became pretty unbearable. Were it just the drivers, it might not be so bad, but it's also the restaurant people, the massage people, the souvenir shop people and on and on. I know, I know...I get it. I really do feel bad that these people are simply trying to make a living and doing what it takes to make it happen. But at the same time, it is depressing having to say 'no' every 13 seconds. Why the rant? Because since I arrived here, it's gotten worse. Much worse. I think I may just say yes to the next one that attacks me so that I don't have to deal with any others. Whew...I feel a little better now.

The ride on the bus ended up being about 5 1/2 hours. The highway, and I use the term very generously, was a 2-lane job all the way from S.R. to here. For most of the stretch, there wasn't even a line painted on the pavement dividing it. I sat right behind the driver and I have drawn two conclusions. First, sitting in that seat was one of the most entertaining things I've done in a while, far better than any video game could ever be because of the second conclusion: Driving is considered a blood sport here. This guy was quite good dodging all manner of other drivers, bicyclists, pedestrians, other buses, trucks, stray dogs, cattle, water buffalo and the occasional little kid. It was impressive. The scenery on the way was a true ying-yang experience. At times, there were miles and miles of picture-postcard perfect scenes of folks working the rice paddies...green as far as the eye could see...absolutely breathtaking. And then we'd go past a little village where the abject poverty that is evident just rips your heart out. A sobering way to spend a day.

The good news about PP is that at least all day today it was overcast and refreshingly cooler. By that I mean it was only in the low 80's, I'm guessing. It even rained a decent amount today, so I have not perspired buckets like normal. The bad news is that this city is not very pleasant at all. It was quite fortuitous that I only booked two nights here. It's dirty, it's crowded and the traffic here is riotous. Crossing the street is a challenge that is quite literally a death-defying experience. Nothing compares to this. Not Rome. Not Mexico City. Not Beijing. Supposedly, Ho Chi Minh City is worse. We'll see...

After checking in at my hotel ($12/nite), I dodged about 4 drivers that basically camp out in at the front door and walked across the street to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. This place was an elementary school back in the day, but during the Khmer Rouge regime, it was turned into a place where people were detained, tortured and murdered. To walk through hallways and peer into former classrooms that had been turned into cells where all kinds of atrocities were committed, was one of the more disturbing things I've seen. In several of the classrooms there are hundreds and hundreds of photographs of people that met their demise in this place. The pictures are simple mug shots in black and white. A sea of expressionless faces, mostly men, but also plenty of women and even kids. It was gut-wrenching. There was an exhibit about a Swedish guy that was one of the first foreigners to visit Cambodia during the seige. At the time, he was a believer in the aims of the Khmer Rouge movement, thus the invitation. His photographs are posted along with a poignant letter he wrote decades later in which he admits that he was very mistaken to support the movement and a humbling apology for anything he may have done to further the agenda. That was tough to take. I'm glad I went, however. I wish everyone could see for example, the actual hardware used in the waterboarding technique, especially those that think that America should be engaging in that kind of thing. Off the soapbox now...tomorrow it should only get worse as I am going to a museum that is on the grounds of one of the killing fields. By the way, if you are unfamiliar with what went on in this country in the 70's, do yourself a favor and check out The Killing Fields on DVD. It will blow you away.

I'll try not to be so morose when I post tomorrow, but no guarantees. Until then...

Z

Wat's Up? - Siem Reap, Cambodia

I find myself once again in the middle of the afternoon seeking asylum somewhere indoors. The internet places here don't have A/C, but at least the fan is going and it's something of a reprieve from the elements. Even sitting in the shade doing nothing is reason enough to work up a lather, let alone actually walking. And of course, climbing all over temple ruins is a different thing all together. So yeahh, I'm complaining again about the heat. Sue me.

I ended up revising the plan I had established a few days ago wherein I was going to visit the temples in the morning and the afternoon. I still did the morning visits. I woke up at 5:15 each time and at times, I had entire temples to myself. There's a method to the temple viewing madness that involves trying to see certain ones at different times of the day so as to enjoy them more. This is an important thing for the pictures, of course. The first day I went back in the afternoon ater visiting in the morning (see last entry). I returned to find the place swarming with people. Think Disneyland in summer. That one morning spoiled me. I decided to cut out the afternoon visits and extend the morning ones. This morning was the last one. And I saved the best temple for last. Unfortunately, the gloomy haze gods weren't aware of my plans and I didn't get the pictures I wanted. The temple itself, Angkor Wat, is world-reknown for a reason. Wow. And really, the entire complex is just an amzing thing to see. I wish I were more learned on the subject so as to appreciate the different styles, eras, symbolism and the like. I haven't a clue. I just know what I think looks cool and that's good enough for me. I doubt I'll see anything like this the rest of the trip or for that matter, too many other places in the world.

So I've been doing other things in the afternoon such as getting a $2 haircut. I know what you are thinking: I got charged by the follicle. It was nothing like that. I'll remember that experience because while I was in the nicely air-conditioned shop, another customer's cell phone went off. His ringtone? A Michael Jackson tune. I started to laugh and then quickly did that thing where you pretend to cough to mask a potential international incident.

Last night, the streets were jumping with folks. It was quite a spectacle. Little street stalls sprung up all over the place and I did something I rarely, rarely do when travelling. I ate at one of these places. I tend to stick to established restaurants especially in places like this where the standards of hygiene are a little different than what I am used to. I can't say it any more diplomatically than that. Anyway, the stirfried noodles and veggies were $1. The beer was $1. It was piping hot, tasty and not a problem at all. In fact, later I went back for some rice. Ah, the carbs, the carbs...

Today I spent about 3 hours and $10 in a Khmer cooking class. There were seven of us in the group, a couple of gals from Japan and some folks from France. The class was a whole lot of fun and we each made more food than we could eat. We were allowed to choose our three dishes. I chose a mango salad for a starter, a curry dish for the main and a banana dessert. Everything was incredible. I had never had the mango salad, but me and mangoes...don't get me started. The thing is that the only mangoes I've seen here are hard and green- nothing like the soft orange ones I'm used to. I'll spare all the details of all the food except for the mango salad because I intend to eat this in the futre- a lot. Shredded green mango, shredded carrot, sliced onion, basil, chopped peanuts, fish sauce, chili and pieces of chicken. It all gets mixed and served room temp, though cold would be amazing, I think. We all had a great time, shared stories of our travels and compared war-wounds. Oh and we got a t-shirt too. All for $10. The Japanese girls said that Vietnam is cheaper than Cambodia. Not sure how this can be, but I can't wait to see for myself.

I've avoided buying anything, but I think tonight I may have to break down and drop a few bucks here and there. I'll compensate in my suitcase by ditching a pair of old tennis shoes I brought. Honestly, I can't see where I would need to wear them and given the heat, why I would. Tomorrow I am hopping on a bus for Phnom Penh. The ride should take at least 5 hours. As far as I am concerned, the trip begins in earnest tomorrow since it's a big city (relatively speaking) and I won't be spending any more than three nights in any one place from this point forward. So, a lot of moving around is coming up after having stayed pretty much in one place since I got here.

Tonight I plan to eat some Indian food for dinner and then go to the night market where for $3, you put your feet in a shallow pool and for fifteen minutes, dozens of a particularly disturbing breed of fish nibble all the dead skin off your feet. I am not making this up, I swear. I plan to video the experience and torture many of you with the footage at some point in the future. You've been warned.

Cheers.

Another World Pt. II - Siem Reap, Cambodia

Back to the Guatemalan reference...I thought of it because like Guatemala, this place is beautiful with very warm people and a prevelance of poverty that boggles the mind. Also, the two countries have had a very turbulent past, although all the problems of Central America can't compare with the Pol Pot years here, to be sure. Another thing is amidst all the very humble and meager living conditions is this town of Siem Reap. The town exists for one reason and one reason only: The Temples of Angkor Wat. Surprisingly, despite everything, the downtown area is teeming with smart hotels, great little restaurants, hip bars and coffee shops, etc. It's like an oasis...again, like the cty of Colonia in Guatemala. The prices in this area are still Cambodia-cheap, however! Last night I had a 6-spring roll appetizer, a Khmer curry dish with chicken and 2 Angkor draft beers for $6. The food thus far has been pretty good. It's kind of like Thai food, though not as spicy. For lunch earlier in the day, I went veggie: spring rolls and tofu in a lemongrass-based sauce over rice. Breakfast is included in my $28 for my hotel room. They bring it to your room where you can have it outside on the patio.

It's been not quite two days and I'm getting the feel here. This morning, I hopped on a bike at 5:15 am and pedalled about 9km. to begin to take in the temples. The advantage is that it's cooler and there are only a fraction of the hordes that appear within a few hours. My plan is to spend most of the next three days seeing as much as I can. I plan to go for a few hours in the mornings very early and late in the afternoons. I'll spend the middle of the day taking it easy waxing philosophic in internet cafes and trying to keep cool. But back to those temples...in a word: stunning. I literally was able to watch how as the sun rose, different aspects of the ruins were revealed, little by little. The fact that there was next to no one there made it all the better, especially for the photos. I explored some more and by the time I left three hours later, seemingly all of Siem Reap had shown up. The place was crawling with people, tuk-tuks, mopeds, tour buses and elephants too.

Glad to say that there is not a McD's nor a Starbucks in sight, though I did see a KFC yesterday. Ironically, moments earlier the driver and I were talking about the economy here and how foreign countries are beginning to invest and all. I cautioned him that though this had the potential to be good for the locals, the trade off was corporate America messing with the purity of Khmer culture. You know, my usual anti-imperialistic rant and two seconds later: the Coronel's mug on a huge red sign. Sigh...

Normally I dont'buy souvenirs until the end of a trip so I don't have to carry them with me for weeks and weeks. However, 3 t-shirts for $5 may be tough to pass up. So if I hand you something from Cambodia, understand that the value in it was the many miles it travelled with me, not the riels I spent on it. The riels are going for 4,200 to the $1. The U.S. dollar is the currency that is used for everything pretty much. You get riels in change, almost like the way we get coins when we purchase something. Well, it's hot and there's a 2,400 riel beer out there awaiting my parched self.

Cheers.

Another World - Siem Reap, Cambodia

I've been to Guatemala. I always thought of it as the poorest country I'd ever visited. And despite that, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit there. Last night as the plane I had spent five hours on approached for landing, I couldn't get over the lack of signs of civilization. It really felt like we were about to land in the middle of a field. There were hardly any lights to be seen and no cars or roads were visible. The irony of course, is that the flight departed from a metropolis that couldn't be more different.It turns out that the flight path had as much to do with it as anything, though the Siem Reap area will never be confused with even any of the airports I've experienced in Mexico. After buying my visa on the spot for $20, getting my suitcase, clearing customs and yet again, passing the swine flu test, I found myself on a tuk-tuk being whisked into the city. A tuk-tuk is the South East Asian equivalent of a chariot. Instead of a horse pulling the cart, it's basically a moped. The driver told me that the hotel which I has reserved in advance (and paid for) had recently closed. I had done some research and knew that one scam that goes on in this part of the world is that the competition for a particular hotel sends representatives to airports, bus and train stations to do precisely this. The driver will then guide the unsuspecting toursit to a different hotel, owned by his buddy. I couldn't believe that right away, I was having to deal with something like this. After the day of travel I had had, I was in no mood, to say the least. I insisted that he take me anyway. The place was a dump. It turns out that he had misunderstood me. I said Angkor Tanh Hotel. He thought I'd said Angkor Town Hotel. International incident averted.After almost 17 hours of flying and a 13-hour layover, I was finally able to put my head on a pillow. One problem: Yesterday I took my second Larium pill. Larium is an anti-malarial pill which illustrates precisely how bad malaria must be. I say this because the list of side-effects is just about the worst things anyone would choose to endure. My favorite is suicidal thoughts. I'm not making this up. I took the first one last week and felt nothing. I took my second one yesterday and when I went to try to sleep...whoah. The most well-known side effect is vivid dreams. Well, they were interesting, more than vivid. But they kept hitting me just as I was dozing off. I don't even remember what they were about, but they'd snap me out of any state of sleep, just as soon as I got close. And it was freaky how unnerving this sensation is. Sounds pretty weenie, but until you've been through it, you'll have to take my word for it! This went on for about 2:30 hours. At some point, I finally managed to sleep. Though I'm sure the medication had something to do with it, I'm hoping the lack of sleep prior, the hours spent traveling and the stress involved contributed as well. I hope so, because I have to take another one next Wednesday.Had a busy first day. Hired me a driver and went out to Baeng Melea, which are the ruins of a temple. I swear, this could've been a set on Raiders of the Lost Ark- the first one, not that stupid last one. Just picture trees overtaking a temple in the jungle, roots swallowing up everything in sight...that kind of thing. Very cool. On the way back, stopped off at a road-side stand where a bunch of women were selling these Khmer snacks. Basically it was sticky rice and a few black beans cooked in a section of bamboo pole. The thing is sealed and thrown on some coals and it cooks. Didn't taste like a whole lot, but it wasn't bad.Also went to one of the temples at the Angkor Wat complex to await the sunset with about 2,000 of my closest friends. The sunset was nice and combined with brief downpour which produced a double rainbow, a very picturesque way to wrap up a good first day.

I'll provide more details about the countryside and the eats tomorrow. Suddenly, I'm feeling pretty tired, so I'm gonna crash early so I can hit the temples tomorrow bright and early.

Z

P.S. Yes, it's hot. Not Kyoto-hot, but plenty sweaty nonetheless. I always must whine about the weather, in case you didn't know.

Layover Heaven - Seoul, Korea

Thanks to the makers of Lunesta, the 11 hours and 50 minute flight from LAX went pretty quick. Last year, I swear it was the longest flight of my life. I don't know why I didn't think to ask my doctor to hook me up with a little sleeping help sooner. Duh.

The airport here in Seoul (Incheon) is nothing like any airport back home. And I mean in that in the bast way possible. I'm sitting at a bank of internet computers doing this for free, for example. Right next door there is a place to shower, a place for a massage plus enough restaurants and duty free to keep one busy for hours. This is a good thing, as my layover here is for another 12 hours and change.

First incident of weirdness to report: Rather than an immigration or customs form to complete, I was given a Swine Flu form...sorry, dont' recall the P.C. name for it at the moment. I had to provide all kinds of personal health information and also my seat number on my flight. I guess the health officials must work with the airline crews so if a flight attendant sees you hacking the whole time, you're thrown into quarantine upon arrival. Something like that? So I hand my form to a guy wearing a mask who looks about 19-years-old (way too young to really know what's up, in my opinion) and he sticks this thing below my ear. He pushes a button and whatever vibe I must have been giving off must have been the right one, because he let me pass.

I'm feeling good thanks to actually sleeping on my flight. It's 2:30 pm back home and 6:30 am the next day here. I plan to feast on something exotic as soon as I am done here. There's a bowl of noodles out there with my name on it. I get into Siem Reap, Cambodia late tonight so I'll write my first impressions at some point tomorrow. Thanks for reading!

Z