Picture dilemma

Hey everyone

Just a really quick note to let you know I am in Thailand right now. I have been really behind on my blogs and I apologize. There has been a little tragedy in my blogger plans. Most of my pictures from the last 3 weeks were deleted from my memory card on my camera...bummer....making my blog ideas vanish! I need a couple days to re-work things and new stories will soon be at your viewing pleasure.

Cambodia and Laos were amazing! I can't believe where I have been already, and what the great waters in Thailand will bring!

Hope everyone is doing well. Thinking of you.

Angkor Wow!

Alright I know I am a million years behind on this blog, but better late than never!

Welcome to Cambodia!! A new country, new people, new smells, new exciting sights. From what I had read, and from what people had told me about Cambodia, I was bracing myself for something completely different than what I experienced. Cambodians have a different personality than the Vietnamese. Their eyes sparkle, and they have smiles from ear to ear. This is not something I would have expected from a country who's recent history is nothing to smile about. And yet somehow they are able to look forward, and wish you 'good luck' instead of good-bye. It leaves you with a warm feeling inside and how can you not smile.

Angkor Wat is something I have trouble explaining to people. To me it might be one of the most spectacular sights I will ever see in my life. The temples date back to the Khmer empire and are an absolute eyesore. A group of us explored the temples for 2 days, catching a sunrise and sunset at the famous Angkor Wat, and another sunset at another temple. I went a little picture crazy, but the pictures don't really do much justice. The town of Siem Riep was also a really interesting town with lots of character and a fun street, "Bar St." for evening gatherings.

Here are a few pictures of the amazing temples, and us girls with our driver Fee....oh Feeee.
Some places were very overcrowded with tourist, while others were quiet and allowed for more enjoyment. I spent over 2 hours in one temple exploring all the detail carved in the stones and trying to imagine how they looked before they began eroding. Many groups had tour guides and sometimes it would have been interesting to know why so many temples we created in such an area. Looking out into the vast area from on top of the temples only left me to ponder how many more temples might be out there from the days of Angkor rule and not be discovered yet.

Back in Phnom Penh, we visited the Killing Fields, as well as the S21 Genocide Museum. It was a very hard day for me to take in. The recent Cambodian history only really dates back to 1998, and to imagine where these people have come from and how hard they have had to work to regain where they were, and to move forward at the same time is a huge feat. S-21 Genocide Museum was an old Prison during the day of the Khmer Rouge, where people were sentenced to death for looking the wrong way. The Killing fields were a mass grave sight where the Khmer Rouge would place the bodies, well that is a very huge generalization. Here the skulls and clothing recovered from the mass burials were on display. A hard sight to see, and to think what went on here in the late 1970's. I would highly recommend everyone to look into a little of Cambodia's history. It is very fascinating to know how one man and his power can change the face of its people and country.

The kids here are something else. Sure it is very sad to see them working at a young age but like I said earlier they have these smiles that really tear at your heart strings. If you take the time to talk to them, hear what they have to say, ask them questions, and play with them, you really just want to take them home with you. At least I did. But I have enough students back home to call my own.

Cambodia was really great. If I could do it again, I would and I would stay longer and explore more places off the beaten track. I am so glad I came to discover what this country has to offer before tourism changes into something else.

Bye-bye Viet-CRAZY-nam

After all the 'fun' in Hoi An it was time to head to the beach. Nha Trang for a day, well enough said, off to Mui Ne for some real relaxation time. I found a nice little bungalow right off the ocean to call home for the next couple of days. Mui Ne is a 11km stretch of beach, and the people here are more relaxed then anywhere else I have travelled so far in Vietnam. I decided to take in the usual tourist sites of the Red Sand Dunes, where I tried the sand-sledding and managed to get sand in every oarface (sp?) of my body! When you arrive you get attacked by little kids asking your name and wanting to sell you a ride on their crazy carpet because it is the best one, and for a fee of course. For the day my name was sugar and I lived on banana island and the kids couldn't get enough of me...they laughed and laughed and so did I really. I also walked walked up the Fairy Stream which was relaxing and fun before taking the last bus trip for me in Vietnam.

In Mui Ne I also decided to put an end to my life of no lobster. I met Toby from Australia and to my surprise we shared our first lobster dinner together, and really I would love to know why I held out for so long cause I was in HEAVEN!!! I also had to treat myself because I was missing Baba's perogies on Christmas Eve, and I had to try something new even though I know nothing can beat your perogies Baba!!!

If it wasn't for my lovely french girl, I could have stayed in Mui Ne for at least a week. The people and the scenery are at a much better pace then the rest of Vietnam. But alas, Ho Chi Min City/Saigon awaits my arrival. And what a city it is!!! The traffic here is nuts. I saw 3 accidents just coming into the city...eeeeee. Hanoi and HCMC are similar and dissimilar in their own ways. It is too bad it is at the end of Vietnam, because at this point I am a little tired of the way of life here and am ready for new faces and places.

In sticking with traditional Caroline and Jen tradition, a bottle of wine and a lot of laughs were shared before parting ways in Vietnam. Jusqu'à ce que nous rencontrons encore mon ami! But just when you say good bye to someone you meet someone else, or my Pinza family again. We spent our last day visiting the War Remnants Museum (which demonstrated the aftermath of the war on the Vietnamese people), eating at local restaurant (where I made the mistake of ordering squid and was given the whole squid on a pan to cook in front of us!), and just walking around the city before taking in a 2 day tour of the Mekong River and entering Cambodia. Here we saw the amazing river side of both countries and it was a perfect ending to Vietnam. We visited local markets where they made rice paper, popcorn type desserts, maybe ate the best coconut candy ever, and took an amazing paddle boat ride before having to cross the border to Cambodia....what a different experience. We literally checked out of Vietnam into no-man's land and then walked maybe 20m into Cambodia.

More interesting was viewing the difference in the river banks in each country. Vietnam had much more development compared to the desolate banks of Cambodia. Vietnam was a huge history lesson for me and real life changing place. I met amazing people and experienced so many wonderful things. I am so excited to see what Cambodia has in store for me!

(Vietnam) (Cambodia)

History Lesson

A packed bus from Hanoi to Hue was something to be desired! There was something under every seat, people sitting on top of luggage, and even people sleeping in the isles. Thank goodness for my window seat. Hue was a nice little city along a river. Here I decided to take a cyclo and have the driver take me around to explore the Citadel as well as a 21m high Pagoda. Let me tell you, I sure felt like some kind of princess being driven around the city. There is more history to Vietnam then I ever imagined. I feel almost a little ashamed coming here and not really knowing what Vietnamese people have been through, but I guess i am learning.

The next day was a tour to the demineralized zone (DMZ). The DMZ consists of an area 5km on either side of the Ben Hai River which severed as the demarcation line between South and North Vietnam during the Vietnam War...oh wait they call it the American War. It is also one of the most militarized zones in the world! We walked through the Vin Moc Tunnels where people seeked shelter during the war. I am still amazed at how they lived in a stretch of 2.8 km underground. The rest of the day was spent exploring other various sights around the area before heading back to the pouring rain in Hue.



Next was off to Hoi An a.k.a Tailor Town. I met a fantastic girl, Caroline, from Montreal and we instantly hit it off. It was New Years Eve and the hotel we stayed at had a party for all its' guests. It was really something else. The Pinza family which I met in Halong Bay also joined in the evenings crazy festivities of dancing, trivia games, caroling, and the ol' count down. What a hilarious night. The Vietnamese never cease to surprise me.

Between fittings for cloths and shoes (which was not the most pleasant experience) Caroline and I managed to rent some bikes and visit a near by beach, drink some wine, and laugh till the sun came up. I might have gone a little crazy with a pair of boots,a suit, 2 pairs of pants, 3 skirts, 2 dresses, 2 shirts, and 3 jackets! Heck you only live once, and really what other time are you going to get clothes made fitting your body exactly. The lady where I got my suit and numerous other items was soo sweet and maybe half the size of me. She made us feel really great about being in Hoi An.



Already my time in Vietnam is coming to an end and there are so many places left to experience. The hard part is going to be deciding what to see and what to leave behind.

Northern Vietnam

Since the earthquake in Taiwan severed a huge Internet cable it has been frustrating to use the Internet. But alas, a fast connection, and an update!

With only half a day of exploring Hanoi, I was coaxed into going and hiking in Sapa. I had originally decided against it, but it wasn't like I really had plans!

After the train ride, it was time to go exploring. First on the agenda: find warm socks, mittens (I am wearing them in the picture), and a winter coat! Just kidding it wasn't that cold, but at night it was close to 5 degrees. We ended up hiring a guide to take us to these waterfalls and to Tram Tom Pass. It was awesome exploring the picturesque country side on the back of a moto and later seeing the sunset at an elevation of 1900m. Needless to say once the sun set it was long cold ride back into town on the moto. The next day we hiked through a few villages with a guide from one of the villages. She was this little girl who took us down, then straight back up, back down again, before having to climb back up the rice fields. It was amazing to see how each village lives, and how they use everything from the land. It makes you really appreciate what you have.


Back in Hanoi for Christmas Eve...what a gong show. I have never seen streets as mad as these ones. The pictures tell all! Our hotel had a really nice party for all of its' guests. There was rice wine we had to drink out of a jug, and lots of fun food too. Next a guy I met from Kenya/NYC, Matt, and I headed out to a local bar to meet up with some other travellers we had met during the day. What a way to spend Christmas Eve. Have you ever seen a moto parade of Santa's before??


Christmas Day, on a boat...sound good to me. Halong Bay was a gorgeous way to spend the next 3 days. We explored limestone caves, hiked, stayed at a little island, and visited another island or so. I was fortunate to be on a boat with great people. I also met a family from Seattle travelling the world for a year. They were magnificent! The 2 little boys kinda reminded me of Jer, and Jon, so we had lots of fun together, and it brought me a little closer to home over Christmas. We played cards, Frisbee, and shared lots of laughs too.

Back to Hanoi for a day or so before
heading south. Oh better spell check so I don't get email's informing me of my horrid grammar...thanks k-dawg!