Phnom Penh is a city with a lot going on right now. Construction cranes dot the skyline, especially along the very nice waterfront area. The city, with a population of over 1.5 million people is growing both out and up. Phnom Penh was founded in the 14th century. The site for the city was selected because of its desirable location at the confluence of the Mekong and Tonle Sap Rivers. The parts of the city that we have seen have been exceptionally clean with numerous tree lined parks.
Yesterday we headed out around 8:00 am in the morning, just as the work week was starting for many people. We quickly discovered that although calm, orderly and with far less horn blowing than in the cities of Vietnam, a few more traffic lights would be helpful.
We stopped first at the Monument of King Norodom Sihanouk, who was beloved by many Cambodians who considered him the "Father King". He passed away in 2012 and his son now serves as King. His son is 67 so I assume he still has some good years remaining. However, he never married so there is no one in line to replace him. At the appropriate time there will be an election, not by the general population but by the parliament, which is referred to as the National Assembly of Cambodia.
The Independence Monument
Since we were in the area of the Royal Palace we made that our next stop. It was quite an impressive collection of buildings including the Kings residence. The flag was up in front, meaning he was home. Our local guide for the day was very good but I guess he's not well connected and we were unable to drop in for tea and a quick chat.
Inside the Royal Palace Complex
A Buddha Tree and a Buddha Statue (kind of a 2 for 1 picture)
The National Museum
My long lost twin!
After these interesting stops the day took on a different far more serious tone. In 1975 as the Vietnam war was ending a ruthless regime was emerging in Cambodia. This regime, know as Khmer Rouge was led by a communist revolutionary named Pol Pot. Within three days of seizing power all services such as schools, hospitals, banks and businesses were closed. Families were run out of the city and ordered to work in the fields of small villages throughout the county. Arrests, interrogations, torture and executions became a daily ritual. We visited the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. Before the takeover by the Khmer Rouge it was a high school. The campus had four main buildings. Classrooms occupied at least two of the three story buildings. I'm certain that just by looking at the structure it was a modern school providing an outstanding education to many young people. Unfortunately it was transformed into a notorious prison where many were tortured into making false confessions before being executed.
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum
We then went to the Choeung Ek Killing Fields. As the name implies this is were over 17,000 men, women and children were brutally executed. There are 126 mass graves in the area. 86 of these graves have been excavated. The largest contained 450 bodies. The excavations have been discontinued because identification of the remains is almost impossible so the government has decided to let the others buried there "rest in peace".
It was difficult to see and hear the stories. Our tour guide shared with us that his grandfather had been taken one night and never seen again. As difficult as it was, I think it was important to help gain an understanding of the country and it's history. It is hard to believe that this occurred relatively recently. Cambodia is to be commended for it's recovery efforts. Not only was the infrastructure of the city destroyed but many of those executed were doctors, lawyers, business and government leaders. It has been a total rebuilding effort. If you come to Phnom Penh I highly recommend you visit these two sites.
After resting for a bit at our hotel (DoubleLeaf Boutique) we enjoyed lunch at a local restaurant called Eleven One Kitchen. We had a new dish that had been recommend called Siem Reap Sour Soup with Beef. It was excellent and for only $5 very filling.
Speaking of $5, after lunch we stopped for a one hour foot massage for the same price as a bowl of soup. My hair was getting a little long (insert laughter here) so I popped in the local barbershop where a young man maticiously trimmed every hair remaining on my head for three bucks!
This morning we finished up our time in Phnom Penh by taking a tuk-tuk down to the waterfront for a nice walk. It's packing time and later today we're off to Siem Reap and hopefully some more soup!
Currently there are 58,318 names inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC.
Each name represents a young man or woman who died in Southeast Asia either during the war or of injuries received while serving. In addition there are countless others who continue to suffer physically and emotionally. Unfortunately the treatment that many of them received when they returned home was far from a hero's welcome. Time doesn't heal all wounds but thankfully it has healed some of them. I am eternally grateful to all who have served in our military.
The total number of casualties of the war vary widely. Generally it is estimated that around 2 million people lost their lives, half of which were civilians. It would not be appropriate to forget these lives as well.
Being in Vietnam for close to three weeks gave me plenty of time for reflection on that difficult period. I didn't come to Vietnam as any kind of expert on the war. I left Vietnam with more questions than answers and quite honestly, they're questions that probably have no answers.
The phrase "war is hell" has been traced back to General Sherman and the Civil War. Truer words may have never been spoken!
You can just call me "Party" from now on! Our driver and his sign at the Phnom Penh dock
This morning we said goodbye to Vietnam! It was an amazing and fast 20 days. Obviously we only covered a tiny bit of what there is to see and do, but we did cover a lot of territory. From Sapa in the far north to the Mekong Delta in the south. It was very diverse, but one thing was consistent. Everywhere we went we met incredibly friendly and welcoming people who were excited to share their history and culture.
We kicked off our last full day very early...……..5:30 early! We met our local guide at the reception of the hotel lobby. He smiled and said, "Hello I'm Phat (fat)"! Had it not been so early I would have come back with a quick "no you're not", but it's hard to have a quick and witty response at that time of the morning. Phat quickly ushered us to a waiting boat for a 20-30 minute ride up the river to a local floating market (Phong Dien Floating Market). As I had mentioned previously, things start early in Vietnam. The river was already full of boats transporting construction material, food and people up, down and across.
We reached the market shortly after 6:00 AM and it was already in full swing. We were told this particular market was a "small, local market". When we arrived there were around 15-20 boats anchored at a bend in the river. Other boats would come along side and make purchases of fruits, vegetables and meats for the day's meals. Like the land markets we had visited previously, this one operates everyday although the location changes based on tides and the flow of the river. We bought some really nice "lady finger" bananas, banana chips and mango. The total cost was around $1.30 US or $30,000 Vietnamese Dong.
After leaving the small market we headed for a second and larger market (Cal Rang Floating Market). Instead of taking the most direct route along the main river we were treated to a more scenic route through smaller canals. As we got close to the larger market it was clear that it was significantly larger than the first market we visited. There were larger boats loaded with pineapples, pumpkins, cabbage and more. Some of the boats were so full that it looked like with just a couple of more pineapples, pumpkins or cabbage the boats would turn to submarines. Our first stop at this market was for breakfast. We pulled up to a small boat, tied up and enjoyed a bowl of Pho (a tasty rice noodle soup) and Vietnamese Coffee. A makeshift table was set up for our bowls. Every time a large boat would pass Phat would yell "hold your bowls"! After breakfast we cruised through the market for a while before getting off our small boat and on to a larger boat selling pineapples. The pineapples they were selling were smaller, sweeter and expertly carved about 30 seconds before hitting our mouths.
Cal Rang Floating Market. The sellers would raise a sample of what they were selling on the poles
Cal Rang Floating Market
Fresh cut pineapple is sure to put a smile on your face
After the markets we reconnected with our guide and driver who had been with us since our arrival in Ho Chi Minh City. We stopped briefly at the local land market for a quick walk through. It was the usual assortment of food items with the exception of one booth in the meat section that had a nice bowl of freshly cleaned rats. We didn't try any but I'm sure it tastes like chicken!
Fish and a hearty bowl of freshly cleaned rats for sell at the market
We were delivered to our hotel in Chau Doc (about a four hour drive) On the way we stopped for lunch at a place that was a combination crocodile farm & restaurant (you can't make this stuff up). It was better to have lunch than to be lunch. Oh by the way, we did have some nice grilled crocodile as part of the meal...……..tastes like chicken.
Part of the welcoming committee at the Crocodile Farm/Restaurant
Grilled Crocodile Strips
This morning we had breakfast on the hotel balcony. The hotel was on Sam Mountain overlooking the rice fields surrounding Chau Doc. It was a fitting end to an amazing 20 days in Vietnam!
From the hotel balcony in Chau Doc
There are several ways to get from Chau Doc to Phnom Penh, Cambodia. It would be a short flight but we chose the more scenic route which was by "fast boat". The boat was fast but the journey along the river took around 7:00 hours total. Part of that time was spent at the border. First exiting Vietnam and then entering Cambodia. There were no issues for us. I didn't have to drop my pants for a strip search like I did crossing back from Jordan to Israel a few months ago (check out the May 8, 2018 blog for details). However, one nice elderly lady from the UK was denied admittance into Cambodia because her passport was going to be expiring in less than six months (this is a common requirement in many countries). She and her traveling companion were going to have to make their way back to Saigon and cut their trip short. Check for passport requirements and make sure your passport is in good condition with plenty of empty pages!
In spite of the length of the boat ride it was very enjoyable. Thanks to Tonkin Travel making all the arrangements we really hadn't read too much about Phnom Penh in advance. It has a very nice waterfront with numerous markets, Buddhist Temples, the Presidential Palace and parks. We're looking forward to exploring it over the next couple of days!
Waiting at the border. At least I got to keep my pants up this time!
One of dozens of Buddhist Wats along the route
Cambodia's version of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge
Our "fast boat" from Chau Doc to Phnom Penh
New Construction going on along the waterfront of Phnom Penh
We got an early start this morning, leaving Ho Chi Minh City at 7:30. Our destination was further south into the Mekong Delta. The Mekong Delta is described as a vast maze of rivers, swamps and islands. Vast is somewhat of an understatement, it covers close to 16,000 square miles. By comparison, the Florida Everglades is around 750 square miles. It's where the Mekong River discharges into the South China Sea. Before reaching the sea the river, which starts in Tibet (China), passes through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and of course Vietnam. Our guide (Tan) told us the Vietnamese refer to the Mekong River as the nine headed dragon. The reason, once the river gets into the delta region it branches into nine tributary rivers, giving the appearance of a nine headed dragon.
On our way down we visited a unique temple. It was the place of worship for a local religion call Cao Dai. It's a hybrid mix of Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and Catholicism. It was a nice temple but to me that's a whole lot to keep straight.
Cao Dai Temple
Inside the Cao Dai Temple. Tan shared with us that there are a large number of Vietnamese living in Austin and that there is a Cao Dai Temple there. He got a kick out of Austin's motto "Keep Austin Weird"
We also enjoyed visiting a local market where they produced some unique foods and a very unique wine. The foods included coconut candy, which was so good we bought a little. There was also a popped rice treat that was made similar to the way kettle corn is made in the US,with the exception that river sand (and a very small amount of oil) was used to heat the rice. Once the rice had popped the sand was sifted out. A little caramel mixture was then added and they were cut into squares similar to rice crispy treats, although not as gooey or quite as tasty.
We were shown how rice was used to make a rice wine. We had a little bit of a taste and it was quite strong and not something I was interested in purchasing. Some of the locals take it a step further and add a little cobra to their wine. Yep. that's right, cobra. I guess the critters are plentiful in this area (thank God w haven't seen a live one) so they catch, kill and gut one or more of them. They are then put into a big container with the wine for consumption. I had to pass on trying that one.
Making coconut candy
Used for making Rice Wine
Our guide Tan, offering up a little Cobra Flavored Rice Wine
No thanks!
We took a short ferry ride over to one of the thousands of islands in the Mekong Delta where we enjoyed a bike ride through the local village, a gondola ride through the canals and a tasty lunch that included a nice presentation of a whole fried fish. It was a good lunch and cobra was nowhere on the menu...…….at least I don't think it was!
Crossing the Mekong River on the ferry
Fisherman pulling in their nets on the river
We weren't sure what kind of fish it was but it was good and he seemed to have a smile on his face
Rubber trees on the way to the Cu Chi District and Tunnels
It was only a little over an hour flight from Hoi An (the airport is actually in Da Nang) to Saigon, however it seems a world away. Hoi An's population is around 125,000. The city of Saigon's population is right at 8.5 million people (about the same as New York). If you include the metropolitan area that number swells to over 12 million, which is around thirteen percent of the countries total population. This makes it the largest city in Vietnam and the largest city that I know of that has two names.
Is the city name Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City...……..I guess it depends on who you ask. The conclusion of the Vietnam war was on April 30, 1975. On July 2, 1976 the ruling government (the Communist Party of Vietnam) changed the official name of the city from Saigon to Ho Chi Minh City in honor of the countries former leader who had passed away in September, 1969. Signage on buildings, billboards and cars would sometimes refer to the city as Ho Chi Minh City but almost equally it would be referred to as Saigon. It seems as if either name will do.
Our hotel is directly across the street from Ben Thanh market which is a huge outdoor market. There are stalls selling everything from shoes, clothes, silk products, food, toys and so much more. We walked around the downtown for a while but didn't venture into the market. We found the section of town we're in a nice mix of old and new buildings, numerous parks and a very nice pedestrian mall that runs several blocks from city hall to the Saigon River.
Once we came back to the room we had a huge surprise outside our window. The Ben Thanh market transformed right before our eyes. The stalls that were open during the day were closing. On the street portable tents, lights and more stuff to buy was set up for the night market. It was amazing to see it set up and running in about fifteen minutes. We're not sure how late it is open but we could hear activity well into the night.
The night market from our hotel room. All the tents, lights and goods being sold were set up in about 10-15 minutes
This morning we met our local guide and driver. Our guides name is Tan. He grew up in a small fishing village in central Vietnam. He moved here to attend one of the local universities. After graduation he worked a couple of years in the hotel business before becoming a tour guide in 2009.
He is super easy to understand and very informative. Our driver is named Kong. His English is somewhat limited but he is very friendly as well. He also has to have nerves of steel and incredible patience to drive in this traffic, especially with all the motor scooters (Tan told us there are over 45 million registered throughout the country). The 30 second video below was taken as the traffic signal turned from red to green. This is just a typical intersection.
It's not unusual to see a motor scooter with this much and sometimes more
I didn't have the camera ready but I actually saw one with a small refrigerator on the back
The green jacket and helmet indicate they are drivers for a company called Grab. It is actually owned by Uber and works the same way, only on scooters instead of cars
There was a section of town with 5-6 blocks of nothing but scooter parts. There were probably enough parts there to make a couple of million more scooters.
Our first stop was about two hours from our hotel in the Cu Chi district of the city. This was a very emotional experience for both of us as we visited the Cu Chi Tunnels. These tunnels which are over 100 miles in length connected seven rural villages. Construction of the tunnels started well before the US involvement in the war. As the war progressed the Viet Cong fighters, many of whom were from the rural areas of South Vietnam expanded the tunnels in both length and complexity. They were highly effective as both defense and attack points against our ground troops. Watching a film that was produced as a propaganda film, seeing bomb craters, unexploded bombs, shrapnel and the remains of an army tank were very moving in many ways as we reflected on that very difficult time.
It wasn't easy, but it was definitely something that I am glad we had to opportunity to see. Do we understand better what went on, yes. Does it make any more sense, not necessarily. We took a few pictures but out of respect I'm not going to post them on this blog. If you are interested in learning more you may find additional information on line or at the website link below.
We made our way back to the city center for a few additional stops. These included a visit to the Thien Hau Temple in the "Chinatown" area. A visit to the Independence Palace which was the home of the President of South Vietnam. A look at some of the French influenced architecture at the Notre Dame Cathedral and the Old Post Office (which is still being used today). These buildings were not only built in the French style but all the materials used in their construction were imported from France.
Thien Hau Temple-Built in 1776, just as the US was becoming a country
Inside the Thien Hau Temple
The Post Office
Notre Dame Cathedral
Book sellers pedestrian street
The Opera House
It was a long and incredibly interesting day. We topped it off with a huge meal at a restaurant just down the street from the hotel called the Barbeque Garden. The meat and vegetables were plentiful and they were served raw for us to cook at our table. As we made our way back to the hotel the night market was opening. We were slightly tempted to cross the street but a warm shower and air conditioning were waiting upstairs in the hotel.
