Carrie and I at the Citadel in Hue

During the bus ride to Hue we met Amelia, a fellow American, who we spent much of the next few days with. We arrived in town early, but most of the afternoon was spent trying to book our open ticket out to Hanoi the next day. Everywhere we went we were told that the bus was full and we had to wait another day, but amazingly after telling one woman that we had a flight out of Hanoi and could not wait, three seats opened up.

Bus tickets in hand, the three of us next wandered over to The Citadel: an ancient city behind walls in various stages of repair. A tuk tuk driver tried to convince us that it was already closed and we should book his services for a day tour the next day, but surprise surprise, we had no problem getting in. The place itself was beautiful and massive and due to the late hour we pretty much had the whole place to ourselves to wander and take it all in.

The Dakrong Bridge that seperates North and South Vietnam

While we would rather have spent the next day exploring more, we felt it was our duty as Americans to do at least one thing related to the Vietnam War: a tour of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). For ten hours we drove around in a minibus, along with lots of other Allied tourists, going to various sites of importance from the war. However, it is much like going to a Civil War battlefield in the USA: not much to see other than a few memorials and an overgrown plot of grass. In fact, we didn’t even stop at half of the sights on the tour; the van just slowed down for long enough to snap a photo and hope it came out.

To namedrop, the tour visited The Rockpile (just a mountain that used to have a base and heliport atop it), the Dakrong Briidge that seperates the North from the South, the Khe Sanh combat base that held one of the bloodiest and most pointless battles of the war and McNamaras Wall. We also crossed the 17th Parallel (the dividing line between North and South Vietnam) many times and drove on the Hop Chi Min trail. However, the highlight was the Vinh Moc tunnels used by the North Vietnamese people to hide from bombings. The tunnels seemed to go on forever, and certain areas had mannequins in them displaying what it would have looked like for Vietnamese to live there.

Me, Carrie and Amelia in the Vihn Moc Tunnels in Vietnam

We had a guide for the Vinh Moc tunnels, but leave it to a group of four Americans and a Dutch guy to ditch the tour and wander alone. For nearly 20 minutes we followed the path of a dark tunnel with only one headlamp and a wind up flashlight to lead the way.

We could see that the walls used to hold lights, but the wiring was all torn out making the whole experience all the more eerie. More than a few times the tunnels got so narrow that we were basically crab walking to not hit our heads and even saw a few places that we would have had to wiggle our way through to pass. We avoided those routes.

I figured that the site would not have any paths for tourists to take that did not lead to an exit, but with more than 30 kilometers of tunnels to get lost in I still got a bit worried. In the end we found an exit and did not have to turn around, but we did miss the rest of the tour. Now, nearly two weeks later, I still have Vinh Moc tunnel dirt on my backpack.

Boats in an inlet to the South China Sea in Na Trang

We came to Nah Trang just for one last dip in the ocean in scuba gear but wound up staying three days relaxing and motorbiking around. The diving itself was pretty nice, though lots of the underwater area was sandy and our dives were cut short both times. By far the highlight was the octopus we watched change colors and try to hide under a rock when we came close.

Nah Trang itself sprawls out into the distance past the beach area that is filled with tourists, overpriced restaurants and hotels. One day we walked around and checked out a wonderful exhibit of black and white photos of Vietnam at the Long Thanh Gallary before searching out the Long Son Pagoda. We avoided some scam artists at the bottom of the Pagoda before hiking up a hill to take in a massive sleeping Buddha statue halfway up and an even more massive sitting Buddha statue atop.

Praying in the East Tower of the Po Nagar Cham Towers in Nah Trang

The next day we rented a motorcycle and headed out of the city to visit the Po Nagar Cham Towers. Located on a hilltop overlooking the South China Sea and the entire town, the Towers are beautiful, red bricked and only semi-ruined. Inside each one is a shrine with some of the thickest incense smoke ever and a non-stop line of people coming in to pray. Our drive later continued along the coastline, stopping at the Hon Chong Promontory to view the ocean and the shrines on islands out in the middle of it.

Finally, our motorcycle day took us to the Thap Ba Hot Spring Center, which was completely unlike anything I have ever seen. The standard 100 dong ($5.50) entry fee covered a mud bath in a tub shared with numerous Vietnamese people, a mineral bath (also in a shared area), a walk through a hot mineral water alley that shoots thin streams of water, a sit under a waterfall and a swim in a pool filled with 50 of your closest friends.

There was no privacy: even for the people who spent 400 dong for a private mud and mineral bath tub. All the extra money buys is a tub free of other people in an area with at least 25 other tubs in a line next to yours. It was a completely strange experience from start to finish.

Check out the Thap Ba Hot Spring Center site for more info

Alter inside the Tran Family Chapel in Hoi An - the boxes hold the ashes of generations of family members

After a grueling overnight bus ride on the Open Ticket, we arrived at Hoi An at the crack of dawn in front of a three star hotel. A brief hotel search revealed that we weren’t going to get anything cheaper without walking a lot, so we decided to treat ourselves to a $12 room that had AC, a TV, two huge beds, free wifi and Internet, a fridge, balcony and use of the giant pool. The only catch was it was only open for one night, so after a nap we spent four hours wandering the city searching out something better.

I can’t even count how many hotel owners looked us up and down before deciding that they were full or before quoting a price that was far more than the one printed on their wall. Racism at its finest. When we finally got back, having spent half the day searching and settling for a crappy room down the street, the receptionist informed us that another room had opened up for the same price. I guess the rooms usually start at $25, but because the view is of either someone’s backyard or a brick wall, they keep what they deem to be the sub par rooms available for renting out to backpackers at a huge discount. Anyway, we took it gladly and enjoyed three nights in the lap of luxury. Gotta treat yourself sometimes while traveling :)

Inside this structure is a celebration by students to commemorate the fact that they are about to go on a school trip

Hoi An is most famous for its tailor shops th at can replicate any piece of clothing (designer or not) and fit it to your body for dirt cheap prices. So, our second day in town started by spending three hours looking through thick catalogs of all sorts of clothes before settling on a three piece suit and shirt for me and a dress for Carrie that would be ready later that day. At the first fitting, however, the clothes were so tight and wrongly tailored that Carrie could not get her dress down all the way and my suit pants looked like I was wearing spandex.

Without taking any measurements, the woman ensured us that she has been a tailor for 30 years and knew how to fix the clothes. Shocker, it took two more visits and another whole day to actually get it to where we could say, “ok, close enough.” Meanwhile, we had another tailor making us winter jackets. Mine came out perfectly, but Carrie had a bit more trouble; she eventually had to ride on the back of a moto to meet the tailor for a personal fitting to ensure no more alterations were needed.

A the My Son ruins outside Hoi An

While not looking for hotels or trying on clothes, we spent hours bike riding the streets and visiting a series of beautiful old houses, temples, pagodas and bridges as well as taking in a brief performance of local dance and music. Another day we boarded a tour bus for a day trip to the My Son ruins. Though they paled in comparison to Angkor, they were still pretty well conserved…especially considering the US Army bombed the area heavily during the Vietnam War.

The tour also included a boat ride back that offered the chance to see dozens of local fishermen at work, ferries shuttling people around and the small circle boats that Vietnam is famous for. And, of course, no tour would be complete without 30 minutes to walk around a carpentry village to buy some handicrafts. It’s like, can’t I just have the tour without that stop?

Hoi An Traditional dance with an actor in makeup and fake beard at the Heritage Center

Fan dance at the Heritage Center in Hoi An

Carrie and I at Angkor Wat

I have been fascinated by the Angkor temples since they were used as a backdrop for the Mortal Kombat movie as well as for Angela Jolie’s Tomb Raider. When I found out that the temples were in Cambodia while researching this trip, they quickly became my most anticipated part of the entire eight months…and they did not disappoint!

Angkor Wat was the first stop on our whirlwind three day tour of the Angkor complex that consists of dozens of temple ruins scattered over more than two square miles. While it was smaller than I imagined (as I feel most famous monuments are), the place was absolutely amazing. Filled with intricate carvings and stone wall reliefs telling stories, it was the five central towers that really make the site special. We must have spent three hours wandering the Angkor Wat grounds, though my access to the very top of the center tower was denied when I refused to bribe the guard $10 to let us up.

Ta Prohm doorway - this was one of the filming locations of Tomb Raider (taken by Carrie)

After visiting Angkor Wat, we spent the rest of the day in our hired tuk tuk driving around visiting as many temples as possible before watching the sunset, along with hundreds of other people, from atop the one hilltop temple in Angkor. The next day we rented bicycles and spent nearly 12 hours biking 15+ miles through sunny and shaded paths in Angkor Thom and beyond. By far the highlight of the day was Bayon, a temple complex that has more than 200 carved stone faces.

Finally, on our third day we once again hired a tuk tuk to take us to a Banteay Srei, which is nearly 30 kilometers from the rest of the Angkor complex but, for some reason, a part of it. Though we stopped at a few other temples and the Landmine Mueseum on the way out there, Banteay Srei was well worth the effort. Featuring some of the most beautiful stone carvings I have ever seen, the detail was beyond belief and no photo I took could ever do it justice.

One of the funniest parts of a day at the Angkor complex is the frequency at which visitors are approached to buy things from local vendors. Whether walking, biking or in the back of a tuk tuk, the most frequent words heard are, “you want cold water? Pineapple? Book on Angkor? You want food? I give you very good price! Angkor tee shirt? You stop at my shop? Buy my flute? You want postcard…ten for a dollar? Ten for 75 cents? You buy now?” It’s amazing how many little stalls are set up in between all these ancient ruins and, sooner or later, we always gave in. Hey, a guy has to eat, drink and buy souvenirs right?!

Bike riding through the gates of Angkor Thom


Water, tee shirt and instrument sellers outside of Ta Phrom in Angkor

Monks chanting at the Bayon in Angkor just before sunset

And here are the highlights of all of the Angkor temples. To see them all, click on the first one and then use the on-screen navigation to go through them all. Or just click here to see them on flickr.

Men waiting for a ferry on a dock in Champasak, Laos

I love ruins, buildings and architecture, so when our book said that Wat Phou had the most beautiful Khmer ruins in Laos that were evocative of Angkor, I couldn’t say no! Located in the town of Champasak, our journey took nearly 20 hours from Vang Vieng including an overnight sleeper bus and a giant ferry across the Mekong River.

The town itself is built around a long and sleepy local street. There are a few guesthouses and local restaurants, but it is by far one of the least touristic place we’ve been on this trip. I felt completely at home at our guest house and loved relaxing on the large communal balcony restaurant that overlooked the Mekong.

Wat Phou with the town of Champasak in the distance

Along with a German couple we met on the boat over, we hired a tuk tuk to take us up the road to Wat Phou. This offered us a great glimpse at local life as we passed through rice fields and villages watching scores of Lao people at work and play. The ruins themselves were, as advertised, beautiful. Sandwiched between two lakes and a mountain range, they were pretty well restored. Unfortunately, we could only walk next to them and not through them, due to continuing work being done.

By far the highlight was climbing up the steep stairs behind the ruins into the mountains. In addition to the spectacular views of Wat Phou and the surrounding town and countryside there was another temple with a beautiful Buddha statue, rock sculptures, other buildings and a boulder that dripped Buddhist holy water into a basin. We must have spent at least an hour up there just taking it all in.

The boy in front was the one who was using my camera at the Groupe Scolaire de Champassak

The final story from our time in Chapansak came later in the evening when Carrie and I went for a walk to see the sunset and found an abandoned school with a bunch of kids playing in the field out front. The classrooms still had some desks and writing on the chalk board and we went nuts taking photos of the rooms and the sunset behind the mountains behind them.

Halfway through our exploration of the school, one of the boys from the field came over and wanted to play with my DSLR camera. Though I kept one hand on the strap the whole time, I let him go nuts and he had a blast taking photos of all his friends. He literally just stood there, held the shutter button down and took at least 300 photos.

Supervising the kids playing with my camera

Most of the photos were blurry messes but it didn’t matter to him. The best part was when his friends came over to see what he was doing and try to play he acted like it was his camera, allowing them to touch it for a second or two but then taking it back to continue using it himself.

His familiarity with how to hold and use the camera leads me to believe I was not the first person he had this experience with. But for me it was unforgettable.