Amalotus and the Tonle River

Due to the low water levels at this time of year we had a six hour bus trip through the countryside to the Tonle River where we boarded the Amalotus.  With our guide on board it was a fascinating lesson on the history and current state of Cambodia. We travelled through many villages and observed the way of life and living conditions.  The houses are built on stilts and many use car batteries to power their lights and TVs.  Seventy percent of the Cambodians have no sanitation system and many literally just go out behind their home.  Fin told us stories of when he was a boy and herding the cows he always had to walk ahead of them to watch out for the wires of the land mines.  We have seen many who have lost limbs to this terrible scenario.  Stopped at a fascinating market where they sold many varieties of fried bugs including crickets and tarantulas. Popular with the locals but we passed.

Boarding the ship at Prek K'Dam on the Tonle River we were immediately in the center of a very busy fishing culture. Seventy percent of the Cambodians protein and most of their calcium comes from fish as they eat he whole fish bones and all.  Milk is not available in Cambodia so this is an important part of their diet.

We boarded local boats in Kampong Chhnang to go view the floating village. Fascinating sigh thousands of people living right on the water in floating homes that they move as the water level changes.  Many of them had "fish farms" underneath their homes and they open a portion of the floor to harvest the fish. Floating markets and schools are included in this village and each home had their boats tied up alongside.  Stilted homes and businesses lined the shore.  Along the river bank you see many makeshift shelters belonging to migratory fishermen who move their whole family to where the fishing is good at any given time.  Though education in Cambodia is compulsory until ninth grade the dropout rate is over 20% by grade six and in the countryside many never do go to school as parents do not have the means to transport them.  Only thirty percent finish high school.  Though the people are very poor in our standards this country has only a 3% unemployment rate.

Market delicacies 

Local transportation

Floating village

The pho boat

Transient fishermen with their families

Fishing on the river

Family affair

Siem Reap

Our first stop in Cambodia is Siem Reap so we can explore the Angkor Archeaological Park.  Dating back to the 10th to 12th century.  We started our visit at Angkor Thom which literally means Great City. The 3km of 8  meter high walls are flanked by a moat and interspersed with five imposing gates which built so long ago have just enough space for a well driven tour bus to squeeze through.  We toured the ruins of the temple Bayon where 54 towers have giant stone car and d Buddha heads. Though the temple has suffered greatly through the centuries the Buddhas and other carvings were in amazingly good shape. Many worshipers come here to pray to Buddha.  Stopping to see the Terrace of Elephants which was used for royal celebrations we made our way to the Ta Prohm monastery.  Dating from 1186 it was both a monastery and a Buddhist university.  In he last centuries the jungle has taken a firm hold.  Archaeologists have made a deliberate decision to leave Ta Prohm as it was found by the Europeans in the 19th century.  With trees emerging out of temple buildings and thick roots covering ruined passageways the jungle has become part of the architecture and it is stunning to behold.  For movie goers this is where Tomb Raider was filmed.

Travelling some 20kms upstream we then went to Banteay Srei which was built in the 10th century.  It is distinguished from the other temples by its glorious pink colour from the sandstone it is constructed from.  The carvings on the entrances are beautifully detailed and many still in excellent shape.  This temple has only been available for visiting in the last few years as prior to that Khmer Rouge bandits were operating in the area and it was deemed unsafe.

Our final temple visit was to the iconic Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world.  Rising at 430am we were there to witness the sunrise.  Though the colors were not as spectacular as we are told they can be it was very special to watch this magnificent structure appearing from the darkness.  Built as a Hindu temple it was taken over by the Buddists after it was abandoned In the 15th century.  It is an immense structure four stories high and its walls are adorned with beautiful carvings depicting scenes from Hindu history.  Climbing the 70 degree stairs to the fourth floor we were rewarded with panoramic views of the whole complex.

A highlight of our time in Siem Reap was a visit to the orphanage which AMA helps sponsor.  Thirty two children live here as well as are schooled here with a lot of emphasis on art and English.  After an entertaining dance show the individual children took us on a tour of their home eager to practice some English skills.  The building was very sparse with an outside kitchen and classroom and only two bedrooms but the children were all clean, well nourished and very happy and polite. Leaving them some school supplies was the least we could do.

Our visit here was rounded out by a Cambodian dance show and a Tuk Tuk ride to the old town to do some exploring on our own.  Turned down the opportunity to purchase several Rolexes!

Bayon Temple

Banteay Srei

Ta Prohm

Cambodian Tuk Tuks AKA taxis 

Great kids

Angkor Wat at sunrise

Second floor of Angkor Wat

Top floor. What a view

Impossible to show the immense size

Beautiful carvings

Market in Siem Reap 

Buddha definitely does not have Spurling lips

Ha Long Bay

From Hanoi we travelled by bus to Ha Long Bay. We passed through several villages along the way with all heir wares displayed along the roadside. Passed many makeshift "shoe stores" with shoe displays neatly layer out on tarps spread on the ground. Saw several hair salons which were mirrors put up on the fence with a chair facing it.  There were acres and acres of rice paddies along the way which often had burial sites for the family members dotted through them.

Reaching Ha Long Bay we boarded a traditional junk with 20 of our fellow travellers.  The bay is a world UNESCO site and truly is beautiful with its rock formations creating meandering pathways with new views around each corner.  A highlight was a trip to shore to explore the Sung Sot Cave also known as the cave of surprises.  Known for its stalactites and stalagmites it was absolutely stunning.  Three separate caves joined by walk throughs each got bigger.  The largest one could have easily been a setting for Star Wars.

Our junk in Ha Long Bay

Beautiful rock formations

Local boat

His fishing boat and his home

Inside the cave

Stunning

Massive caves

Beautiful formations

Sunrise thriugh the smog

Hanoi

We arrived in Hanoi by air and landed at their beautiful new airport, open less than a month,with everything shiny and bright.  Our trip into the city started out on beautiful new highway with large farms on either side busy with workers in the fields.  Then we reached the city limits and what appeared to be total mayhem.  This city of six million people boasts 3.5 million scooters and they weave in and out of traffic with as many as four people on one small scooter. They are also used for transport and it often looks like the goods weigh more than the scooter itself.  Even saw women with make shift snuggles .  Scary.

The city itself is much more low rise with ramshackle buildings housing small businesses on the main floor with multiple families in the floors above.  The massive huddles of wires leading to the buildings would be a fire inspectors nightmare at home.

We visited the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum.  This is a very reverend place for the locals and the number of guards was incredible.  A visit to the Hanoi Hilton was very interesting.  Over here they call it the American War and there certainly is a fair bit of propaganda still preached.  The Temple of Literature is Vietnam's oldest university built in 1060 and used until the 1800's. The pagodas and Buddhist Temple were fascinating.  

After a delicious lunch of local delicacies we went on a rickshaw ride through the old quarter. It was an experience of a lifetime.  With scooters and cars whipping around us we were able to take in all the sights, sounds and smells of this bustling area of sensory overload.  The streets and sidewalks are crowded with locals visiting, sitting on the sidewalk eating dinner or playing games or selling their wares and food.  A walk through the massive market with aisles about two feet wide was unbelievable.   We finished off the evening with a water puppet show.  The puppeteers where unseen until they took their bow.  It is a dying art and the puppeteers come from a small village outside of Hanoi.

This city is such an assault on the senses that it is impossible to put into words. We feel very lucky to have gotten the chance to experience a small part of it.

Ho Chi Minh Masoleun 

Hanoi Hilton

Pagoda at the Temple of Literature

Starting an amazing ride

Hanoi Bakery

This market goes on and on

Normal hustle and bustle 

Street stalls literally in the middle of the street

This is a normal configuration of wires

Every block seemed to have a common theme. This was the prettiest block by far

Old Hong Kong

We started out our day with a ride on the historic Star Ferry which took us from Kowloon to Hong Kong Island. Short ride must a tourist must do and only cost 40 cents.  Exiting the ferry we immediately walked on to the brilliant walkway which is built a couple of stories above street level and includes the longest spanse of outdoor escalators in the world.  These take you over 800 meters with an elevation of 135 meters. They are one way with steps alongside for the trip back down.  We spent hours exploring the streets of the old city which now contain many art galleries and antique stores.  The small side streets are lined with hundreds of stalls selling everything from food to souvenirs and second hand goods.  The streets were packed with locals and tourists and the lively atmosphere was entertaining.  We enjoyed lunch in the popular SoHo area which is home to restaurants of every type imaginable.

Our day was made complete by a tasting menu at the 2 star Michelin restaurant Shang Palace which was our first experience in a luxury Cantonese restaurant. The food was beautifully presented and the flavours Devine. The Wagu beef was like nothing we have ever tasted.  We are sorry to leave Hong Kong but our next adventure awaits in Hanoi

Star Ferry

Escalator up and stairs down

Bamboo scaffolding everywhere

Not quite like our meat markets

Bustling markets

Our menu

Lobster and oatmeal. Unbelievable 

Wagu beef

Lantau Island

 What an incredible day!  Lantau Island is the third territory of Hong Kong and though it is twice as big as Hong Kong Island itself it is only home to 45,000 people.  It is now home to the airport as with the ever increasing amount of air traffic the old airport could not handle the volume.

We started the day by taking a ferry from the island of Hong Kong.  It is simply amazing to observe the massive high rises from the water while winding your way through the dozens of freighters that dot the harbour.  On the hilly island we started our tour at the beautiful beach at Cheung Sha with long stretches of golden sand.  The swimming area is protected by shark nets which though not visible does add some distraction.  We truly stepped back in time with a visit to the busy fishing village of Tai O.  All of the homes,which we would be more likely to refer to as shacks are built on bamboo stilts on the water.  Though ramshackle the residents were all cheerful and very well groomed.  The narrow streets are lined with locals selling mostly dried fish and their parts though there were some live tanks with every type of seafood from fish, oysters and crabs to octopus.  A boat tour through the village was topped off by a visit to the local temple.  Though small it was steeped in tradition and was built in 1699.

We continued on the the Po Lin Monastery which is the home to the worlds largest Buddha. Forged of bronze it sits majestically at the top of a hill and soars 79 feet up.  You can go inside the Buddha where thousands of burial niches sit with some beautiful artwork depicting the birth of the religion.  The monastery is a working one and was a real treat to experience the beauty of the temple and surrounding area after descending the 250 steps down from the Buddha.  After enjoying a delicious vegetarian lunch in the monastery.  We went on a thirty minute cable car ride from the 3000 foot peak down to the Tung Chung Station.  Views were stunning.

Eric and I went on a long walk in the late afternoon to explore some of the bustling streets of Kowloon. It was really interesting to be out with the locals and enjoy the streets as they lit up with approaching nightfall.  The mix of old and tired buildings right next to gleaming sky scrapers is quite the sight.

Beautiful beaches with ever present smog

Homes of the fishermen. Even some with sun decks.

Fascinating

Dried octopus anyone

A whole different life

Buddha sitting high on the mountain

Huge gold statutes and intricate ceiling of the temple

The architecture was stunning

Coming down from the mountain.

Out over the water.  Panoramic views.

The old and the new

Sunday at six pm. It never stops