US Dollar: National Currency of Cambodia

As Jeremy talked about in an earlier post, friends of ours had said how awful Cambodia was in terms of poverty. From their descriptions, we anticipated something close to what we experienced in India. Having arrived in Phnom Penh this morning, we have been pleasantly surprised (if you can call it that). While the country surely is poor, and poverty can easily be seen, it is not on the same scale as in India.

We walked around a bit today - went to see the Royal Palace, Silver Pagoda, National Museum - and were aggressively approached by children, some begging for money and others selling items such as books or water. As a rule, we have not given to anyone begging in any of the countries we have gone to. While the begging can sometimes be hard to handle, we believe that money given to children doesn't always stay with the children and by giving money, foreigners help to keep children on the street because that is how they learn to make a living. It has also been clear to us that some amount of begging is dramatized (women pretending to breast feed babies when we come closer). While the government is unable to currently provide social service support, NGOs exist to help out (even in terms of restaurants that employ street children).

Compared to India, Cambodia on the outside appears to be in a better state - trash is not laying everywhere, people are not urinating wherever they please, emaciated people do not seem to be as common of a sight. Given the sheer number of people in India, the current economy does not seem to be able to support the number of people trying to eeck out a living.

The other interesting thing is that the most expensive parts of our travels will actually be in the poorest countries. Whether it is because of increased competition in richer countries or because the lack of a local middle class in India/Cambodia wanting similar goods as foreigners, we are charged higher prices for things like drinks, hotels, and even souvenirs than in countries like Thailand and Vietnam. In Cambodia, the US dollar functions pretty much as the main currency (with the Cambodian Riel provided as change for small amounts); it is very difficult to determine the value of items you are buying. It sort of makes it hard to swallow paying US prices for things with US dollars, but not receiving US quality in return.

Living Within Our Tax Bracket

Travelling for 7 weeks has made us keep a close eye on how much we spend for things. In general we have stayed at moderately priced hotels, and have eaten meals that generally top out at $5 for the two of us. Even though we eat cheaply, we don't skimp on the taste. We eat at recommended restaurants, but for the price we are not getting things like ambience or air conditioning.

Early on, we made a point to try to have one nice meal in each country we have been in. But while we were splurging in Ko Samui, we thought it would be appropriate to have a couple nice meals (both in taste and ambience), especially since many nice meals are closer to $10-$15/person in Thailand compared to $30-$50/person in the States.

Our first nice meal was at the Italian restaurant at the hotel. While we didn't go all out (only had one course and didn't order wine), we had a lovely meal (with the chef taking our order). Unfortunately our second meal didn't treat us as well. Supposedly the best restaurant on the island, Betelnut was a fusion of Asian and Western food. The chef/owner came out to answer any questions we had (there were only three tables occupied - about 1/4 full). I orderd deep friend soft shell crabs - didn't quite realize that I was supposed to eat the entire thing (shell/claws/eyes and all - no thanks). I did eat most of it, but it just tasted deep fried - no real flavor. Jeremy ordered beef, and was underwhelmed by the tastes and quality of the cut. However, we both did enjoy our appetizers (chicken wontons and prawn spring roll), and a nice glass of wine. While we are happy we did a fancy night out, we didn't feel that the meal was worth quite what we paid.

Despite the one bad experience, we are still going to try having nicer meals interspersed with our cheap ones. Spending a fair amount of effort choosing inexpensive places, we have sometimes forgotten the income bracket we actually exist in. In the remaining days of our trip, we're going to try to remember that it is worth paying extra (while not sacrificing things like taste), especially since the little extra here goes a very long way.

Much Needed Break

On the morning of the 24th we left the great north for the islands in the south. We headed to Koh Samui, one of the islands on the eastern side of Thailand in the Gulf of Siam. We have been looking forward to this part of the vacation since we left for India on the 15th of May.

To insure we really enjoyed this part of the trip, we decided to splurge on our hotel. We are staying at the Amari Palm Reef, second highest rated (by Trip Advisor) hotel on the island (although we didn't know that when we reserved the hotel). The Amari has some nice touches that we have not seen in awhile: multiple towels, large bars of soaps, quiet & working a/c, really nice breakfast spread, and very attentive hotel staff (there are even two men stationed at the street at all times to help you cross to the other side).

After arriving at our hotel we headed straight to the beach. The beach itself is quite nice - fine white sand that is soft under the feet. The water is also amazing - the clearest body of water either Jeremy or I have seen. And the water is easy to walk in - a good temperature, quite shallow for a long distance, and no waves/currents to worry about. While we like the beach, it has its moments of grossness - where the water hits the beach it can feel very muddy underneath your feet since the sand is so fine; this is particularly unpleasant during low tide. The beach also caters to an older crowd so it can be very quiet at times making it very peaceful. The hotel also has two pool areas which are nice, but we were spoiled by JW Marriott in Mumbai, India which was an infinity pool with built-in chairs/loungers inside the pool.

For dinner, we ate at a small place on the beach where we were literally two feet away from the water. Today we spent more time in the water, where small colorful fish swam all around us. Tomorrow we are going snorkling to a nearby island, Ko Tao, which has world reknowned snorkling and diving.

This morning, both of us woke up and decided that we were officially tired of Thai food (yes, Jeremy even admitted to being tired of Phad Thai). So we had nachos for lunch and are headed to a nearby Italian restaurant for some gourmet pizza. Yum.

Unfortunately the time here already seems to be flying by. We both wish we had additional time to do more (like go to the Marine Park, where the movie The Beach takes place) in addition to relaxing on the beach.

Elephant Camps

Our second day in Chiang Mai we went to see some elephants - our main purpose for coming to the city. We decided to arrange a private car to take us, as it was made economic sense and also cut things out that we didn't need to do on a tour (snake farm or orchid farm). The big decision was which camp.

I had originally wanted to go to the Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang, but in speaking with several travel offices, it seemed more difficult and expensive to do. Instead, the one that every office had tours to is called Maesa Elephant Camp. My concern was that the Maesa camp was geared only towards tourists and didn't care as much for the elephants - something I didn't want my money supporting. Lampang is the national conservation center and is the main hospital for all elephants to go to. But the ease of getting to Maesa (20km vs 70 km) couldn't be ignored.

Jeremy indulged me, and we stopped into an internet cafe to do some impromptu research on the Maesa camp. From a few different websites I was satisfied that the camp treated the animals well and that they were concerned with their welfare.

So, back to the story at hand.

Our driver took us to the elephant camp, where we arrived before many of the tour groups. Since the first "show" started at 9:40am, and it was 9am, we decided to go for a 30 minute elephant ride. There is a two-seater bench strapped to the top of the elephant. At first I was a little hesitant as we got going - the ride takes you through the surrounding jungle, so the path is very muddy, making the ride rocky. But I quickly became used to it. Our elephant, a 33 year old female named Mae Khammee, was rather graceful. Our mahout hopped off at one point to snap some pictures of us - they turned out great which made me really happy. We also went into the stream for her to take a drink (and tried to avoid the really large spiders hanging from the trees).

After our delightful ride, we went to see the elephants bathing in the water. Following this, we went to go see the "show" the camp puts on. All in all it was quite ridiculous. They have the elephants do things like play the harmonica, dance, play soccer, and paint pictures. We did not feel comfortable sitting there and watching these performances. When you go to a circus or zoo you know what you're getting and you expect some form of show. Here, I was expecting to be educated on the elephants and how they have been used in terms of making work easier (at the end of the "show" they did do a logging part, showing how the elephants are used as part of work - we found this very interesting, although most of the audience seemed to have preferred the harmonica playing). A part of me wishs we had gone to Lampang where their "show" doesn't consist of these silly tricks.

After the "show," we went to the nursery where I got up close and personal with some of the baby elephants (one wrapped its trunk around me). I also purchased a couple items made of elephant dung. Nothing says "I love you mom" like elephant poop.

The camp also brags about their entry into the Guinness Book of World Records where they have the world's most expensive painting done by a group of 8 elephants. The painting sold for US$39,000 and can be seen at the camp. Other paintings are sold there, but as expected, they are grossly overpriced.

While I wasn't thoroughly pleased with the elephant camp, I also understand the reality that not as many options currently exist. The Maesa camp does care for its elephants, even though they are expected to perform degrading tricks. The tourist portion of the camp ends mid-afternoon to allow the elephants time to freely wander through the surrounding jungle. The camp is also a good source of funding for the care of elephants (apart from medical attention, they require a lot of food every day) - without quality camps, elephants may continue to dwindle in number.

While I'd prefer a camp that catered less to tourists and more to the elephants, I also realize that alternatives don't always exist, at least for now.

Danielle's Shopping List Continues to Expand

After an early morning flight out of Sukhothai, we headed to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. Happy to leave Sukhothai, we arrived in Chiang Mai expecting to have someone from the hotel pick us up at the airport. After waiting for about 20 minutes, we phoned the hotel, only to have them say they were not aware of our reservation. We had booked the hotel through a website called Sawadee.com. After going back and forth, the hotel sent a car to pick us up. While they said they had not received the reservation, they went ahead with checking us in and offered their apologies (best customer service we've had in a long time). The hotel is a pretty good value and is in a great location - right between the Old City (complete with actual city walls) and the Night Market.

Surprisingly, Chiang Mai is Thailand's second largest city. But compared to Bangkok it is much smaller. We really like it so far. It is definitely a city (there are 4 Starbucks and a Subway & McDonald's chain), but is not as overwhelming as a big city can be. The weather is also much better - mid-80's.

Despite an early morning flight, we decided not to nap and instead headed out to eat and see some of the city. We saw some of the more famous temples in Chiang Mai: Wat Chedi Luang, Wat Pra Singh, and Wat Prasat. For dinner, we took our cues (once again) from the LP and went to a restaurant that served northern Thailand dishes. We tried the khao sawy (egg noodles with chicken in a curried broth) which was really quite yummy. As we were wrapping up dinner, I looked across the street (it was an open air restaurant, as most are) and saw four guys waiting to cross the street. I realized they were our classmates who we had previously seen in Bangkok - small world.

After dinner, Jeremy and I headed to the Night Market to check out what sorts of goodies we could stuff into our already bulging bags (mine might be bulging a littler more than his). The actual market (there are many stalls lined up on the sidewalks that are not technically part of the market) is a three level building that is actually on the upscale side compared to the other markets we've been to in Bangkok or Vietnam. The rows were pretty big to walk through and the stall owners were not nearly as pushy. When we can, we try looking one night and buying the next - it helps with knowing what price things sell for (and I'm not very good with spot decision making). Unfortunately Jeremy has given up his quest for white sunglasses and upgrading from a less ghetto wallet (he had purchased a very cheap wallet in Vietnam because he had been carrying his money loose before). But I think he'll keep looking.

Long Live the King

To pick up where Jeremy left off...

Day 3
To add to Jeremy's post, we also did a foot massage. Among other things, Thailand is the land of massages, so we had to get one done. Unfortunately, I'm hesitant about letting just anyone touch my back, as it can be an easy thing to mess up if pressed in the wrong way or spot. So we stuck to feet. There is actually a massage school at Wat Pho, so we both did a 45 minute reflexology massage, which was very nice. The rest of our bodies felt neglected.

Day 4
Because we got a late start to the third day, we were unable to see everything from a sightseeing perspective. We started our day heading across the river to Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn). It's amazing to us how large the Wat complexes are and how beautiful all the constructions are - even the smaller Thai Wats so far are much more impressive than the major Temples we've seen in other Southeast Asian countries.

Unfortunately the Mass Rapid Transit system in Bangkok (maybe another complaint of ours) doesn't extend to the west part of the city, where all of the major sites are (Palace, etc), so we tried taking the ferry system they have, but again, we could not decipher where the express boat stops because signs are not at all clear (even the ones that were in English didn't make sense), so we were left to taking a cab or tuk-tuk places.

We headed to the Jim Thompson House. Thompson was an American who had been an architect and part of the CIA during his lifetime. Falling in love with Thailand, Thompson made a home there and introduced the fashion industry (ie Vogue) to the use of silks from Thailand. He disappeared mysteriously in 1967. His house is now a museum, showing off works of Thai and Asian art he collected during his lifetime. It was a nice change from all of the Wats we had been seeing, and we're both big fans of seeing artwork in its "natural" surroundings like a house instead of a sterile museum. However, I wonder how well preserved some of the artwork is, as many/most of the rooms are not climate controlled.

Then it was to lunch, where I restrained myself from getting McDonald's (craving a little bit of western food - had pizza instead) and Jeremy battled with the pad thai (he ordered it, but it came with seafood even though he specifically asked for no seafood - had to send it back twice, and there was much confusion on the food court's side, but everything worked out, except he ended up getting pasta, which was sad).

We then braved the rain (we have been very very lucky with weather, so a day or two of rain is no big deal), and headed to the massive weekend market via the MRT system. Unfortunately, we could not find a map of the market (there are over 3,000 stalls), but amazingly enough we made our way around without too much of a problem - even though there was odd placement of stalls, such as pets next to souvenirs. We were also amazed that both of us did not get more frustrated with the aimless wandering as we tried looking for stuff. Both of us had our shopping lists, but I did much better than Jeremy. With a lot of handmade and original clothing/accessories/etc, I bought a couple purses (for the first 4 months of dating Jeremy, he noted I always used the same purse - not sure where the current purse purchasing has come from - he thinks it combines by desire for practicality and buying local goods), a shirt and skirt, and a couple souvenir-y items. If we lived in Bangkok we would probably do most of ou shopping at the market instead of at malls, simply for the unique items you can obtain. The bargaining has also become more enjoyable for us, since it's easy to deal with than in India.

Once the market closed up around 6pm, we took a taxi back to the Banglamphoo area to do some more shopping, where Jeremy picked up a couple t-shirts, but no luck with his other shopping list items (he really wanted a pair of white plastic sunglasses, but the only ones available were cheap-looking knock-offs). We then had a very satisfying dinner before heading back to our hotel.

Day 5
Unfortunately we didn't quite realize how early our flight out of Bangkok was - had to wake up at 4am. Ouch.

Also of note, it has been the King's 60th anniversary of accession to the throne, so there are numerous shrines around town (sometimes in the most odd places) that have a large picture of the King (still wearing 1970's glasses) and flowers surrounding it. People are also decked out in bright yellow polo shirts with the imperial emblem on the front And finally, my favorite, people are wearing Lance Armstrong-like yellow wrist bands that say "Long Live the King."

While Bangkok is definitely a big city, it is surprisingly laid back. People walk at a slower pace than in New York, and you're not as bothered by things like tuk-tuks as in Vietnam. Not to mention, you can actually walk on the sidewalks which is nice. With just 5 days in Bangkok, we can easily understand why people love Thailand.

Now we're sitting in an internet cafe in Sukhothai, the first capital of Thailand, where we'll spend the next couple nights. Unfortunately it's absolutely pouring outside....

Good-Bye Viet Nam

Our tour of Vietnam ended with a stop in Hanoi in the north. Not quite as large as HCMC, it was nice to have most everything within walking distance of our hotel. We stayed at the Camellia hotel, of which there are about 4 . We ended up having a roommate - a friendly and speedy little gecko, that lived with us for the three nights we were there (unfortunately his tail was cut off a little because we called someone up to the room to get it out, which he failed at, but in the process took off some of the gecko's tail.)

Staying in the Old City, we were able to walk around the various streets, each specializing in their own goods. You would easily know if you were on the shoe, clothes, sporting goods, and wallet streets, as whatever the good, there would be tens of shops selling the exact same thing. We were told by more than one person that Hanoi is a great place to shop - and it definitely is. So I made my shopping list, and was able to check everything off.

When we arrived in Hanoi, we met a friend and colleague of Jeremy's parents, Lou, for lunch. He works at the Embassy in Vietnam, and was gracious enough to speak to us about his take on Vietnam and specifically what sites we shouldn't miss. It was a lovely lunch, with a lot of great information shared.

Putting our game plan together, we decided to concentrate on booking our day trip to Halong Bay and window shop.

The following day we went to the Temple of Literature, Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum (outside only), One Pillar Pagoda (not too exciting), and saw a Water Puppet show at the Municipal Theater (a Vietnamese art; nowadays aimed at tourists, but still entertaining). We then started our shopping.

I think one highlight of Hanoi was the shopping (as silly as it sounds) because it allowed us to just wander the streets and take in the culture and country. There is also a lot of really great artwork in Hanoi, many lacquer paintings which we perused. With three big shopping bags hanging from us, we grabbed dinner and headed to bed.

We had the following day to head to Halong Bay, a beautiful body of water with clusters of limestone rock formations. The legend goes that the mother dragon lived in these waters and made the various rock formations with her tail. Taken around on a dragon boat, we had lunch in the bay, and then were taken into a couple caves inside the formations discovered over the past 11 years. Similar to the Carlsbad Caves in the US, there were exquisite stalactites and stalagmites within the caves. I actually think the Carlsbad Caves are better because you're able to see so much more of the caves than the ones we were taken to.

While we enjoy the day trips as it allows us to stay in one hotel a few nights (base location) while still seeing a lot, we often get frustrated with the tour companies. Your time is not of high value - you're kept waiting - waiting to be picked up (once told 7:45am, didn't get pick up until about 8:35am), waiting to get the tour part started, waiting to return(two people on two different tours have missed flights). Sometimes it would be nice to do all of this on our own, but after all the frustration passes, we're always happy we went.

This morning we left Vietnam for Thailand and are in Bangkok for the next five nights. It's hard to believe our trip is a little more than half over - although both of us were ready for a change in location. I'm a little tired of dodging motorbikes on the sidewalks and streets (not that Thailand will be better). And unfortunately, I am beginning to master the box-out (we've found that when you're standing in a line, you need to be really really close to the person in front of you, otherwise someone will just walk right in front of you as if you don't exist).

Jeremy has had his first Pad Thai in Thailand, and he will be using all of his restraint not to have the dish every single day - maybe just every other day. I'm most looking forward to riding an elephant, resting on the beach, and snorkeling.

United States - Never Heard of It

Our bus from Hoi An to Hue was a nice large bus with good air conditioning, and not too crowded. We made a stop at the Marble Mountain in the Hoi An area and another random stop because we were ahead of schedule (there's no sense in actually getting somewhere early).

Although we coincidentally timed our visit to Hue during their big Hue Festival, we did not partake in any of the festival events (it wasn't clear to us what events were actually happening). Known for its conical hats, I had wanted to buy one - the conical hat is still in every day use for locals. We headed to one of the local markets via cyclos (a driver on a bike with a seat in front)- it's a maze of sellers of all sorts of stuff, from produce to general merchandise to souvenirs. An English speaking woman approached us and asked us what we were looking for - as we didn't have the patience to wander aimlessly, we expressed our need and she led us to a cousin's store. Engaging in conversation she complimented me - saying I have a "very nice shape," which Jeremy found amusing. I purchased two conical shadow hats - they show every day shadow images on the inside of the hat when held to the light.

Taking it easy for the remainder of the day, we signed up for a city tour for the following day. We saw:

• Citadel - seat of the former imperial government
• Tu Duc Tomb
• Minh Mang Tomb - overrated - very similar to Tu Duc, but Lonely Planet said it was the most magnificent
• Khai Dinh Tomb - really magnificent, but unfortunately no pictures are allowed inside
• Thien Mu Pagoda - supposed to be beautiful, but it is undergoing construction, and from the looks of it, it's more rebuilding instead of renovation which is unfortunate
• Tu Hieu Pagoda - very beautiful and serene. When we visited, the monks were praying.
• Conical hat and incense making stalls

We also had lunch at a Pagoda. While set up for tourists, Jeremy and I really enjoyed the lunch. It was probably the first really tasty meal we've had in Vietnam. They also had the squatting toilets with water used to manually flush - we've taken to carrying around our own roll of TP. We also had a dragon boat ride on the Perfume River - not worthwhile, especially since we were ready to crash and just wanted to get back to the hotel to rest.

Apart from us, there was one other American (rare, as we run into more Europeans than anyone else), two Chinese, and three Vietnamese. One of the Vietnamese women asked Jeremy where we were from. Saying U.S., the woman stared back at him with a blank look. Trying different words, like United States or America, the woman still did not seem to register the country. Jeremy even tried explaining Canada (which she seemed to understand) and that our country was below Canada - but nothing. We found this amusing, especially since the US$ is a secondary currency here, oh, and a little war that we were involved in a few decades back.

That night we headed to Little Italy, an Italian restaurant recommended by the LP. It used to be just down our street, but had moved because a hotel is being built there. I found this entertaining, but there is a sign saying Little Italy has temporarily moved, and they have a guy sitting out there, ready to show you where the new location is - I absolutely loved this. He sits out there every night, just waiting for people to walk by. So he took us to the new location, which was only one block away. We had pizza - while not the best, I was in heaven simply because it wasn't a noodle or rice dish.

Hue was not quite as touristy as Hoi An, and we seemed to better understand why it is a World Heritage Site. We left Hue this morning, and are now in Ha Noi, our last stop on our Vietnam travels.

Hello! What's your name? Where you from? You buy something.

Departing Ho Chi Minh City with Pacific Airlines, we arrived at a smaller and quieter airport in DaNang, in central Vietnam. (As a side note, I am fascinated by the different behaviors of people in airports and airplanes. In India, people form lines before being asked to. There was a lot of pushing and shoving, even if there was no where to go. Row numbers aren't called, so it's a free-for-all. And on the planes, when we land, as soon as the plane stops, people jump out of their seats and start shoving again. Singapore there some chaos, but not as much, as people were relatively more patient. In Vietnam, however, the same phenomenon occurs. Fascinating. I digress.)

We had someone from our hotel, Thien Thanh, pick us up at the airport. We drove to a city just south of DaNang called Hoi An, where the "Old City" is deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We were heartily welcomed at the hotel. For a whopping $18/night, we have two double beds (one for our backpacks which have exploded on the bed, and the other for us) and breakfast is included, and all the basic amenities - so much nicer than our hotel in Goa!

We followed the Lonely Planet's walking tour in the afternoon. For one ticket, you get to see about 5 sites or so. We chose mainly based on what we read in the LP for each of the sites. It's interesting - the LP talks about how Hoi An is a little more conservative than other parts of Vietnam, so dress accordingly. So I wore my longer skirt and my shawl around my shoulders, and Jeremy wore his long pants. However, we saw so many Westerners wearing tank tops and shorts. The local people definitely dress more conservatively than the locals in HCMC. I think it's unfortunate when people don't take the time to learn about where they are and what's culturally appropriate and what's not. Even the sites we entered in Hoi An ask you to wear "proper attire."

On our way back to the hotel I saw a manicure/pedicure place - I couldn't resist :) I had a french manicure done - all for $4 - and the quality was on par if not better than what I've had on the States - this may become a regular treat for me on this trip as I rarely will splurge for it back home. We crashed early under our mosquito netting (not necessary, but figured it couldn't hurt), and headed to My Son (pronounced Me Son), another UNESCO World Heritage Site (wonder how strict the criteria is?).

My Son has Hindu temples built by the Champa Kingdom between the 4th and 13th centuries, that were discovered in the jungle. Unfortunately, some of the larger sandstone temples were destroyed during the Vietnam war, but the brick ones have remained more intact. While incredibly hot to walk around (I'm dripping with sweat just sitting here typing), it was a great way to spend 1/2 the day.

We then headed back into the Old City and did a little shopping (correction - I did some shopping). I bought a couple flip flops and a couple silk lanterns - a specialty in this area (the laterns, not the flip flops). Actually, there are SO many tailors, it's ridiculous. I actually wish I had researched any outfits I wanted handmade, as I could get a summer dress for about $8 hand done. The annoying thing, though, is that someone will come up to you and try to start a conversation and then try to get you into their shop - Hello, where you from? instead of just jumping into the sales pitch. This happens every time we pass a tailor's shop, and there are multiple tailor shops on each block.

We're now using the free internet facilities in our hotel before heading to dinner. Ironically, we had Indian food for dinner last night - we actually had a meat dish though, which we stayed clear of in India. We've also been drinking a lot of pop (soda for all you east coasters). When we want a change from water, we don't have too many options - pop or beer, and many times we're not ready to be filled by the beer.

Tomorrow we hop on a bus for a 3 hour trip to Hue - you guessed it - housing another UNESCO site.

Pictures

Unfortunately we were not able to upload all of our pictures, because each one is about 2mb, resulting in slow upload time. We were able to upload a little over 30 pictures, if you're interested in viewing them. Please follow this link. If that doesn't work, you should be able to search for our pics on Kodak Gallery and it's under the email address jeremy_danielle_travel@yahoo.com . Enjoy!