Jeffrey Donenfeld

Tag: Southeast Asia Travels 2013

Traveling Through Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and Japan, Summer 2013
After spending three months living and working in Antarctica with the United States Antarctic Program, I was dropped off in Christchurch in February, 2013, and spent the next three and a half months traveling up through Australia and New Zealand, around Southeast Asia, and finally up to Japan. It was an incredible opportunity, the trip of a lifetime, and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.

View Larger Map

All of my blog posts about Traveling Through Australia, New Zealand, SE Asia, and Japan, including most photos can be found at:

https://JeffreyDonenfeld.com/blog/tag/southeast-asia-travels-2013/

Related Media:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9526703468/in/set-72157635096803689

During my travels, I travelled technically alone – I wasn’t specifically traveling from the beginning with any other person. However, throughout my journey, I was rarely actually alone. I ended up meeting lots of fellow adventurers and locals in all of the countries I visited.

My very general route of travel was:
- New Zealand – Christchurch, Queenstown, Mt. Cook
- Australia – Sydney, Brisbane, Sydney
- Indonesia – Bali, Lombok, Komodo, Flores, Java, Jakarta
- Singapore
- Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur
- Thailand – Ko Lanta, Tonsai, Railay, Ko Pi Pi, Phuket, Bangkok, Kanchanaburi
- Myanmar (Burma) – Yangon, Laisho, Hsipaw, Mandalay, Bagan, Yangon
- Thailand – Chiang Mai
- Laos – Luang Prabang
- Vietnam – Hanoi, Halong Bay, Danang, Hue, Hoi An, Saigon
- Cambodia – Phnom Penh, Siem Reap
- Thailand – Bangkok
- Japan – Tokyo, Yokohama, Kyoto, Tokyo
Below I’ve written a few summaries on various topics from my travels, as well as linked to all major media items, and articles written about my time in each country.

Adventure Gear

After I was dropped off in Christchurch, I had about 50lbs of gear with me, spread out over three bags – my Black Diamond Quantum 55L backpack, my Deuter 30L backpack, and my Patagonia Black Hole 90L duffle. This was mostly gear for the climate in Antarctica, and a bunch of personal comfort stuff like books, magazines, hoodies, slippers, etc that made life at the south pole much more comfortable. Obviously it was way too much to travel with on my own – and luckily, it was easy to sent home. For 10 days after I arrived back in Christchurch, I was given access to the APO Post Office. The APO is a military post office, and provides users with postage rates similar to what you’d find domestically. So I packed up everything except for a few items, and sent it all home in a giant box – all for about $45.

I packed all of my travel gear in one single GoLite Jam 50L backpack. I had my father send me the backpack for pickup in Christchurch, and it was great. The Jam 50 is an ultralight, minimalist backpack, with just the right amount of space and features to make adventure traveling with it a pleasure. Once packed up, all of my gear weighed about 11kg, and included capability for me to go camping, swimming, hiking, and clubbing in cities. Everything fit in my GoLite backpack. When I needed a daypack, I simply emptied out the GoLite, cinched a few straps, and it was quickly the size of a daypack – very convenient.

Here’s a list off the top of my head of my travel gear:
- GoLite Jam 50 Backpack
- OR Running Cap
- Smartwool thin wool skull cap
- RayBan New Wayfarer sunglasses
- Patagonia wool/poly blend tshirt Blue
- GoLite Wool tshirt Red
- Arc’Teryx Black Polo Shirt
- Oliver Spencer X Monocle blue buttondown shirt
- J.Crew grey skinny tie
- Patagonia R1 Flash pullover black
- Arc’Teryx thin poofy jacket maroon
- Patagona Alpine shell black
- OR Convertable glove liners/thin shells black
- AG Protege jeans black
- Prana Stretch Zion pants grey
- prAna Men’s Linear Shorts“>Prana Linear swim trunks black
- Smartwool PHD socks low grey X2
- Smartwool urban hiker socks calf black
- Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra 2 GTX shoes black
- Timberland Wodehouse Oxford shoes black
- Sanuk flippy floppies
- Patagonia silkweight boxer briefs X4
- Macbook Air 13
- Apple in ear headphones
- Camera Gear – discussed below
- Sea to Summit Micro MC2 Sleeping Bag
- OR Stuffsacks X3
- Thermarest Neo Air Regular Sleeping Pad
- SOL Emergency Bivy
- Esbit Titanium Fuel Tablet Stove
- Fuel Tablets
- Suunto Core Black/Black watch
- Apple iPhone 5 North America, Unlocked w/ Lifeproof case
- Toiletries
- Various other electronics and personal gear
- Sea to Summit 10L drybag
- Sea to Summit 1L drybag
- I’m sure there’s more I’m forgetting, such as my Passport.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/8518128602/in/set-72157632887274746

Photography

Photography was a BIG part of my trip, and one of my main hobbies while I’m traveling, or really doing anything. Since I was traveling alone and as light as possible, I had to strike a balance between high quality, versatility, shooting comfort, and weight. In the end, I decided to ditch my (somewhat broken) Canon 5dMk2 SLR, and instead went with just two small cameras – my Sony RX100 compact, and my Apple iPhone 5. Traveling with the Sony RX100 turned out to be great. I had loved shooting with that camera at the south pole, and shooting with it while traveling was just as good. It’s very small – I can fit it in the pockets of my jeans. Yet, it still has full manual control of all camera functions, and just barely enough hand controls on the body to make it relatively easy to handle while shooting. Additionally, the other extremely important factor for me while shooting was the responsiveness – and the RX100 is great with that – controls feel snappy and responsive, and the feel of pushing the shutter button is tight. Not quite as instant and seamless as the controls on my SLR, but pretty darn close. When I’m shooting with my SLR, I know it well enough and it’s responsive enough that I can easily stop paying attention to using the camera, and devote full attention to shooting photos. With the Sony RX100, I’d say I can get about 75% of the way to fully forgetting about the camera. Not perfect, but pretty darn good for a compact.

The RX100 takes great quality pictures, and I loved shooting on it. I shot mostly with it on Manual mode, taking RAW files. Occasionally i would have moments of laziness and shoot in Aperture priority or Program mode, but for the most part it was manual. Also, I assigned one of the settings memories to a low quality reference image mode – shooting JPG at a small picture size, full automatic, with a locked in high ISO of 3200. I used this mode for quickly shooting reference images, only for my use – pictures of descriptive signs, menus, receipts, business cards, maps, and other things I wanted to be able to refer back to while editing, but didn’t want to burn too much memory card space on. I didn’t delete any photos.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9352420275/in/set-72157634771354706

Being able to pocket the camera, and take it anywhere with me made for a very versatile setup. I could move around easier, and didn’t have to feel like I was sheparding it around, like I do sometimes with my SLR. Also, when I was shooting, it was much less obtrusive and obvious than a larger camera. People took less notice, and I could fit it into tighter spaces.

There were a few downsides to shooting on a high end compact. First of all, although the camera has good manual hand controls, it’s still not at the level of control of an SLR. Changing some settings just takes longer when you have to go find it in a menu. The buttons are responsive, but not instant like on my 5Dmk2. Button response makes a BIG BIG BIG difference when shooting in the field. Also, the fixed zoom lens on the RX100 is nice and bright wide open, but slows down when zooming. The zoom on the camera is fast, but it’s an electronic control. Having a consistently fast zoom lens with manual zoom controls like my Canon EF 24-70 f/2.8L is a distinct luxury. One final distinction with the smaller size is the smaller mass and moment of the entire camera. The RX100 is small and lightweight, and therefore it’s easy to move around and shake. Shakes are not what you want when taking photos – and because the RX100 is so light, there’s very little “buffer” to any hand shakes. It’s also physically small, so what little mass it does have is concentrated in a smaller space. In comparison, the 5dMk2, with the 24-70 lens is HEAVY, and with the long lens and overall larger dimensions, that weight is distributed over a larger area. That means that is naturally is more difficult to shake, so small hand shakes get somewhat buffered out. This may seem like a small detail, but it becomes hugely important when trying to handhold longer exposures, and trying to shoot with as low of an ISO as possible.

I traveled with my Apple Macbook Air 13″, and used Adobe Lightroom to organize and edit photos. Although I loaded all of my photos onto my Macbook, I also kept backup copies on the memory cards I was using – I didn’t erase any memory cards, and instead bought more memory when I needed to. This was a bit more expensive, but allowed me to keep two copies of my photos – one on my laptop and one on a small memory card, and still keep on shooting. When I traveled, I usually left my laptop back where I was staying, and carried my memory cards with me – SD Cards are relatively small and portable, and a few of the cards I used were MicroSD w/ an adapter, which is even easier to carry taped to a card in your wallet.

See my full set of photos from Asia on my Flickr Stream.

Adventure Travel Planning

Planning my various adventures and expeditions is usual something I’m very meticulous and calculating about. The trips I do are often times complicated and dangerous, requiring a high degree of advanced planning and consideration to make them work. However, for this trip, I did very little advanced planning. I got my job in Antarctica a mere 5 days departing, and then chose not to take the time while at the south pole to plan out my travels. By the time I arrived back in Christchurch, New Zealand, I had my next week of mountaineering with friends from the ice planned out, but that’s about it.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9425891656/

The rest of my travels were done in the moment, based on what I was feeling at the time – and it was the absolute best thing to do. Since I was traveling alone, I had the freedom to meet anybody I wanted, and instantly modify my route when I felt like it. This opened me up to lots of fun possibilities, and great spur of the moment adventures.

I slept in lots of different places during my travels, and mainly kept to the budget end of things. In Bali, I was fortunate to be able to stay at my friend Jessica’s house for a while. I slept on a few boat, and lots of hostels, hotels, and guesthouses. At the beginning of my travels, I was usually making accommodation reservations a few nights in advance – however, as I traveled more, I transitioned to making bookings on the night of. I found that most hostels weren’t completely booked, and since I had a single lightweight bag, it was easy enough for me to walk around to find a cool place. This also allowed me to check out the “scene” of a place before I stayed there.

Since I was traveling alone, staying in hostels and hotels with active social scenes was a great thing for me. Places like Julie Guesthouse in Chiang Mai, Thailand have nice common areas with food and wifi, where fellow travelers meet up to talk about places to go and things to see. I’d meet lots of cool people this way – both groups, and other single travelers. Meeting people while traveling is easy, and I was very rarely doing anything alone.

Staying Connected

While traveling, it was essential to stay connected – both to other people I was traveling with, contacts I would be meeting up with, as well as my friends and family back home. I also updated this blog frequently while traveling, so I needed some sort of connection.

I carried two communications devices with me – my Apple iPhone5, and my Apple Macbook Pro 13″. Both were great.

My iPhone came from AT&T in the USA, however when I was in Sydney I found an online service that unlocked it for me – no need to jailbreak or anything, and I got my phone completely unlocked. So, with an unlocked GSM phone, I could easily buy SIM cards in most of the countries I went to, and stay connected on the local cell network. In Thailand especially, staying in touch was easy – I bought a SIM card for about $2, and then paid about $15 for unlimited 3G data access for 30 days. Since I mostly used data, and not text or voice, this was perfect.

On my phone, I relied on a number of apps to stay connected.
- Apple’s built in Mail app – For email, obviously
- LINE messaging – Keeping in touch with people mostly in Japan, Thailand, Vietnam via text, pics, voice messages.
- WhatsApp messaging – Keeping in touch with people mostly in USA, Canada, Indonesia, Australia.
- Foursquare – Checking out locations popular with other travelers and busy at the moment.
- Facebook – Keeping in touch with other friends, and friending new people met while traveling.
- Tripadvisor – Checking out mass market reviews of potential travel spots, and looking at the location guides for top attractions.
- CityMaps2Go – Super great app for offline maps – I downloaded maps I needed when I had a connection, and could then refer back to them when I was offline.
- BIG Text – Simple – displays text you type in big letters on your screen. Good for spelling out stuff for people, presenting confirmation numbers, etc.
My Macbook Air was a great resource – It’s very thin, lightweight, and strong – perfect for jamming in my backpack. And it’s also fast enough to use Adobe Lightroom with, and for web surfing and messaging. Although naturally I’d prefer a 15″ retina display for photos, the 13″ standard res display was adequate for traveling. After owning this computer for about 3 years, and traveling the world with it, it’s still in great shape.

I never ever felt the need for a tablet, and frankly feel like it’s completely unnecessary. I have my macbook with a full keyboard for typing out messages and doing photo editing and everything else you use a computer for. And then I have my iPhone for mobile computing and messaging. Movies can be watched on either. I really don’t see where I would need a tablet – it’s too underpowered and doesn’t have a full keyboard, so I can’t use it for the more intense messaging and blog posting, and it’s larger than a phone, so I can’t pocket it and have it everywhere. My Macbook Air is so smal that there’s no reason not to have it, given how much it can do.

Wifi was abundant almost everywhere, and in places with no Wifi, I could easily tether my macbook to my phone, and use my unlimited cellular data connection. Easy.

Blog posts from my recent travels, by country:

New Zealand
Australia
- Riding Waves At The Quicksilver Pro Gold Coast Surfing Championship
- Exploring Sydney, Australia
Indonesia
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/8632343616/in/set-72157633193228903

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/8630147439/in/set-72157633194891616
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/8617444495/in/set-72157633158073851

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/8617274872/in/set-72157633154879965

Singapore
- Welcome To The Shopping Future: Singapore
- Arrival at Singapore’s Changi International Airport
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/8670367839/in/set-72157633298136149

Malaysia
- One Day in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Thailand
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/8919297862/in/set-72157633868016524
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/8788373483/in/set-72157633591638139
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/8778858254/in/set-72157633589699628

Myanmar (Burma)
Laos
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9412961022/in/set-72157634882904822

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9398001992/in/set-72157634848259459

Vietnam
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9455835564/in/set-72157634959634787

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9453403163/in/set-72157634959634757

Cambodia
Japan
2013-07-06
Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto, Japan – the final stop on my journey through Asia, and certainly a beautiful one. I had just spent 5 days in Tokyo with friends, and although I really really really loved Tokyo, I wanted to experience riding on the bullet train, and wanted to see the Japanese cultural capital of Kyoto.

Although Kyoto was very very beautiful, I only spent one day there – When I arrived, I realized that I really wanted more time in Tokyo, and would rather return to Kyoto when i could spend a lot more time, more than I had left in my trip. However, my one single day in Kyoto was beautiful – I got up early in the morning, took a bus to the north side of town, and then spent the rest of the day walking back to K’s House Hostel, where I was staying.

View Larger Map

To get from Tokyo to Kyoto, I took the Shinkansen bullet train – it was fast, and expensive! My dinner that night was a boxed dinner from a local vendor – nice and neat.

Temples, everywhere. All beautiful.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9524483081/in/set-72157635097383901
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9524480061/in/set-72157635097383901
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9524481461/in/set-72157635097383901

As serenely beautiful as Kyoto was, there was also a huge amount of tourists on some of the main streets. Notably, there’s a huge business of selling boxed pastries and food items, pre-packaged to give as gifts. Also notably, it was at the end of the day on my day in Kyoto that my Sony RX100 camera died on me. I’m glad it hung in there until almost the end!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9524485793/in/set-72157635097383901

After a day in Kyoto, I briefly returned to Tokyo, and then got on my flight to head back to the USA.

2013-06-27
Roadtripping from Tokyo to Yokohama

My friend Taeko was nice enough to come meet me in Tokyo, and after spending a few days there, her and I met up with another friend and the three of us set off by car down to Yokohama.

More vending machines for ordering at fast food joints!

Chinatown in Yokohama

My favourite drink!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9527257278/in/set-72157635097383903

Our hotel by the beach..

2013-06-26
Pre-Dawn at the Tsujiki Fish Market, Tokyo

A quintissential activity for any traveler visiting Tokyo for the first time is a pre-dawn visit to the tuna auction at the Tsujiki Fish Market – and I did just that.

About 4 in the morning, trucks full of flash frozen tuna start arriving and offloading the fish into the auction house. Small forklifts zip around everywhere, and the area is full of activity from every angle.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9527240302/in/set-72157635097383911

The group of 40 tourists who were allowed in every day wear green vests. We were then escorted from the main office building to the tuna auction floor. On the auctionhouse floor, tuna buyers walk around with small hooks and flashlights, peeling back a pre-cut piece of tuna flesh and inspecting the quality of the meat. This happens for about 20 minutes, and then the auctioning begins. It’s all very hectic and fast, and seems to accomplish its purpose. Before long, we were being ushered out again.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9527241924/in/set-72157635097383911
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9527243440/in/set-72157635097383911

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9527247408/in/set-72157635097383911

After the tuna auction, I met a few other travelers, and the four of us sat down at one of the Sushi Bars inside the fish market. It was obviously the freshest sushi I’ve ever had.

Surrounding the fish market are all sorts of accessory dealers, including lots of custom knife shops.

2013-06-25
Tokyo, Japan

Japan, at long last. It was the #1 country on my to-do list for many years, and I was glad to finally make it there. Although Japan is obviously not part of the traditional Southeast Asia travelers route, I was able to get a 10 day stopover there as part of my USAP return ticket, and so it didn’t cost me anything to spend some time there. I also had a number of friends in Japan, so it was good opportunity to reconnect! My time was limited, but I tried to make the most of it.

View Larger Map

Tokyo is a massive city, and space is at an incredible premium. My first few days in Tokyo, I stayed at the Khaosan Capsule Hostel, which was great! A comfy common area, super cool staff, and cozy pods for everybody to sleep in. Although my pod was small, it was very clean and nice, and I loved staying there. That’s actually the vibe I got from Japan in general – everything is small, precisely engineered, clean, and nice. What a great combination.

One of the first stops I made was Akihabara, which is filled with electronics, video games, manga, and maid cafes. Certainly an interesting mix. I loved that each neighborhood in Tokyo had a unique flavor to it. Retail shops in Akihabara are filled to the max with whatever they’re selling. Ads are everywhere, and inventory is stacked as high as possible. In the electronics store Yodobashi, i spent hours playing with every single piece of camera gear imaginable. Paradise!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9524435955/in/set-72157635097383925
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9524435955/in/set-72157635097383925

I was fortunate to meet up with two friends in Tokyo – Toshi and Taeko. It was great reconnecting with them, and exploring the city with two super cool Japanese people! We had a great time.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9524442289/in/set-72157635097383917
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9524443797/in/set-72157635097383917
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9527226892/in/set-72157635097383917

Making Takoyaki!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9527233860/in/set-72157635097383917

Vending machines are everywhere, and sell anything you could ever want. This vending machine worked off one giant TV-sized touchscreen, and sold about 100 products.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9527238088/in/set-72157635097383917

There are entire arcades willed with photobooths, which make all sorts of photos for people. Huge packs of girls show up together with full makeup on, and spend entire evenings takings glamour shots.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9527235346/in/set-72157635097383917

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9524450307/in/set-72157635097383917

Shibuya Crossing – very busy indeed!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9527271800/in/set-72157635097383897

Checking out an expat bar with friends.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9527272094/in/set-72157635097383897
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9524487617/in/set-72157635097383897

Lunch counters in Japan are very very efficient. You order and pay from a vending machine, and then give your ticket to a cook who makes the food for you. No sitting, only standing for rapid turnover!

Japanese apartments are cozy and very nice. Perfect for hanging out with friends.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9524489771/in/set-72157635097383897

2013-06-24
Back in Bangkok

After Cambodia, my next stop was Japan, but to get there, I had to make a brief trek back to Bangkok to catch my flight north.

Round 2 in Bangkok was a lot of fun. I met up with some friends I had met previously in my travels, saw a movie or two, and relaxed. I also unfortunately got quite sick, and spent a good amount of the time in bed.

After 3 days in Bangkok, I caught my flight to Japan, the final country in my trip.

2013-06-22
Exploring Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Angkor Wat, Cambodia – finally my opportunity to visit the world’s largest religious monument – and I was completely tired out and bored with visiting religious monuments. Initially the whole situation was a bit depressing – but it turned out better than I could have expected, and I had an incredible time exploring this epically large complex.

Angkor Wat was a place I definitely wanted to visit – however, I was burnt out on visiting monuments, and learning about random bits of history. I did, however, want to have a day of shooting photos there. So instead of hiring a tour guide, I paired up with local photojournalist George Nickels. George and I met up in Siem Reap early in the morning, and took a TukTuk over to the site in time to watch the sunrise. George had been to Angkor Wat countless times, and knew a few great places to take photos. I especially appreciated exploring the area with another fellow photographer – we both understood the time eachother needed to climb around and set up shots, and had incredibly productive conversation about photography while walking between sites. During my day shooting with George, I was using both my Sony RX100 and a borrowed Canon 60D. Unfortunately, the photos I took on the Canon were lost in transit, but I did recover a few shot on the RX100.

View Larger Map

From Wikipedia:

Angkor Wat (Khmer: ?????????) is a Hindu, then subsequently Buddhist temple complex and the largest religious monument in the world. The temple was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century in Yasodharapura (Khmer: ?????????, present-day Angkor), the capital of the Khmer Empire, as his state temple and eventual mausoleum. Breaking from the Shaivism tradition of previous kings, Angkor Wat was instead dedicated to Vishnu. As the best-preserved temple at the site, it is the only one to have remained a significant religious centre since its foundation – first Hindu, then Buddhist. The temple is at the top of the high classical style of Khmer architecture. It has become a symbol of Cambodia,[1] appearing on its national flag, and it is the country’s prime attraction for visitors.

Angkor Wat combines two basic plans of Khmer temple architecture: the temple mountain and the later galleried temple, based on early Dravidian Architecture, with key features such as the Jagati. It is designed to represent Mount Meru, home of the devas in Hindu mythology: within a moat and an outer wall 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) long are three rectangular galleries, each raised above the next. At the centre of the temple stands a quincunx of towers. Unlike most Angkorian temples, Angkor Wat is oriented to the west; scholars are divided as to the significance of this. The temple is admired for the grandeur and harmony of the architecture, its extensive bas-reliefs, and for the numerous devatas adorning its walls.

The modern name, Angkor Wat, means “Temple City” or “City of Temples” in Khmer; Angkor, meaning “city” or “capital city”, is a vernacular form of the word nokor (???), which comes from the Sanskrit word nagara (???).[2] Wat is the Khmer word for “temple grounds”, derived from the Pali word “vatta” (????).[3] Prior to this time the temple was known as Preah Pisnulok (Vara Vishnuloka in Sanskrit), after the posthumous title of its founder.[4]

Entering the site early in the morning

There were lots of tourists, but they were mostly tame so early in the morning.

Jockying for position for the

And my version of the pic.

Cruising into the rest of the monument with our TukTuk Driver.

Preserved carvings, surrounded by dense jungle.

Out of the many many temples in the area, most of them are open for exploration. There

George and I talked with a few of the monks and nuns in various temples, and collected a few good luck bracelets.

Brief periods of rain led to beautiful interiors, and colorfully wet exteriors.

Finally, our exit from the area, passing bikers, hikers, taxis, and tuk tuks.

And an afternoon spot of tea at a mens teahouse.

2013-06-18
First Things First in Siem Reap: Circus and Swimming

Two days in Phnom Penh, and then it was off to Siem Reap. Although my main activity in Siem Reap was to be exploring Angkor Wat, I did take time for a few other things.

First, a good friend of mine invited me over to the luxurious La Residence d’Angkor hotel. The hotel sits in the middle of town, and features a beautiful lobby, pool, and guest rooms. I had an amazingly relaxing afternoon there sitting by the pool.

That evening, after a haircut, I went over with a friend to the Siem Reap Circus, which was exotically fun.

2013-06-17
Entering Cambodia via Phnom Penh

Vietnam was great, and I really wish I could have spent much more time there. It’s certainly a country worth returning to. However, I was on a somewhat tight schedule, and still wanted to see Cambodia. I took a bus across from Saigon to Phnom Penh, and checked into the Mad Monkey Hostel in the middle of downtown.

First, and continuing impressions of Phnom Penh were good. The city is arranged on a neat grid, and while walking around, seemed significantly more cosmopolitan than I had expected. There’s a certain energy in the air, feeling like things are changing and improving everywhere. Lots of building projects are taking place, and people seem generally happy.

I only had two days in Phnom Penh, and made the most of my time.

On the evening I arrived, I took a walk across town to the Royal Palace – which was beautiful. On my way out, I noticed a few event tents being setup across the way, and went to investigate. It turned out that the Phnom Penh International Half Marathon was being run the very next morning, and I was just in time to register. I registered for the full distance, and immediately made my way back to the hostel to sleep.

Next morning, I woke up and ran the half marathon, which was great. Running a race through a new town was a great way to get to see everything, and I ended up doing fairly well.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9474248832/in/set-72157635001513140

Later that day, I took a brief trip out to the gun range, visited the Killing Fields and S21, and then had a dinner at a rooftop restaurant. Phnom Penh was great, and the next morning I departed for Siem Reap.

More on S21 from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuol_Sleng_Genocide_Museum”>Wikipedia:

The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (Khmer: ???????????????????????????????????????????) is a museum in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. The site is a former high school which was used as the notorious Security Prison 21 (S-21) by the Khmer Rouge regime from its rise to power in 1975 to its fall in 1979. Tuol Sleng (Khmer [tu?l slae?]) means “Hill of the Poisonous Trees” or “Strychnine Hill”. Tuol Sleng was only one of at least 150 execution centers in the country,[1] and as many as 20,000 prisoners there were killed.

2013-06-14
Saigon, Vietnam

And my final stop in Vietnam was a quick two days in Saigon. I was feeling under a bit of a time crunch, but still wanted to at least get a brief view of Saigon. I flew from Hoi An to Saigon. Walking around the city was fantastic, and it certainly has a distinct character.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9455739446/in/set-72157634959634793

2013-06-13
The Cu Chi Tunnels

What trip to Vietnam would be complete without a trip to visit the famous Cu Chi Tunnels? From Wikipedia:

The tunnels of C? Chi are an immense network of connecting underground tunnels located in the C? Chi district of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam, and are part of a much larger network of tunnels that underlie much of the country. The C? Chi tunnels were the location of several military campaigns during the Vietnam War, and were the Viet Cong’s base of operations for the T?t Offensive in 1968.
The tunnels were used by Viet Cong soldiers as hiding spots during combat, as well as serving as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous North Vietnamese fighters. The tunnel systems were of great importance to the Viet Cong in their resistance to American forces, and helped achieve ultimate military success.

I went with a few friends, and took the standard tour. Luckily, I brought my headlamp – always comes in handy.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9455764504/in/set-72157634959634791

2013-06-13
Exploring Hoi An, Vietnam

Finally, I was in the famed city of Hoi An, Vietnam. I had heard of the town from a number of friends, and was excited to be there. Staying at the Sunflower Hotel was great, and gave me a great location to explore. Sunflower’s pool is fantastic!

At night, there are beautiful lanterns placed everywhere, illuminating the town in a soft, colorful light. The lanterns were certainly one of the highlights of Hoi An, and were sold everywhere. Sadly I didn’t buy any for myself – I’m saving that for next time.

Kids also sold a variety of smaller candle lanterns, which could be floated down the river. Beautiful.

On my second day there, my good friend Tran came to visit, and we explored Hoi An’s very crowded beach at sunset. Everybody bunches up on the beach near where vendors are selling food and drink, and it’s a lively party for everyone.

Hoi An has a bunch of very good quality tailoring shops, and I had two shirts made for me for $10/each. A great deal, for great quality shirts.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9455891556/in/set-72157634959634787

2013-06-12
Biking from Hue to Hoi An, Vietnam

Next stop after Hue was our final destination of Hoi An, Vietnam. For this last leg, we rented motor scooters, and took to the open road.

Fueling up in the morning before departing town.

Out on the road, the views were beautiful.

For lunch, we stopped at the Langco Bay Banyan Tree Resort – a strangely desolated place which apparently fills up in seconds when package tourists arrive, and then empties completely when they depart. They did have a nice pool, though.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9455964448/in/set-72157634959634783

Continuing on, we ascended up Hai Van Pass, before descending down the mountains towards Danang, and eventually Hoi An.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9455978970/in/set-72157634959634783

Arriving at the Sunflower Hotel, finally in Hoi An.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9455950430/in/set-72157634959634783

2013-06-10
Planting Rice

Hue, Vietnam is surrounded by rice paddies – and after literally months of seeing rice everywhere in SE Asia, I felt like I needed to know more. Through a few connections, I got connected with a woman who worked her rice paddies in a nearby village. I got driven out to her house, and then offered my services in planting rice in her field. We walked a short way out to the field, and planted rice for an hour or two. The work of planting rice was incredibly back breaking, and I now have a newfound respect for the people who work these fields.

2013-06-09
The Hue Imperial City

Next stop in Hue was the Hue Imperial Palace. From UNESCO:

Established as the capital of unified Viet Nam in 1802, Hué was not only the political but also the cultural and religious centre under the Nguyen dynasty until 1945. The Perfume River winds its way through the Capital City, the Imperial City, the Forbidden Purple City and the Inner City, giving this unique feudal capital a setting of great natural beauty.

Arriving at the entrance gate, the giant Vietnamese flag flying is a powerful symbol.

Inside the walls, corridors are elaborately decorated.

Naturally, I felt at home in the Imperial City, and decided to try on a few of my new clothes.

Outside the gates, this chicken stood guard over a busy intersection.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9456178084/in/set-72157634959634769

2013-06-09
A Beach Bar in Hue, Vietnam

Hue was beautiful, in part because of the prime relaxation opportunities available – including this nice beach bar on an unnamed, pristine beach just outside of Hue, Vietnam.

To get there, we drove out to a spit of land, and then hiked through a shady bamboo tunnel.

The bar also has a few little cabanas to hang out in. Nobody really hangs out on the open sand – it’s so hot, feet get burnt in a matter of moments. But in the shade, drinks are served, and the cool breeze blows.

Smoothies and fresh caught clams. Yes please.

Down the beach a ways, there are a few fishermen, who sit in the shade under their beached boats during the hot midday sun and repair fishing nets.

2013-06-09
Arrival in Hue, Vietnam

A few days on the road, and finally we were in our first larger town, Hue, Vietnam. We stayed at a local hostel, and upon checking into our dorm rooms, immediately grabbed a few bikes and set off to watch the sunset, again, over the farmland. Hue is a beautiful town, and it took just moments on bikes to ride from the center of town to pristine rice paddies.

View Larger Map

Cruising on out of town on our hip bikes. Biking in Vietnam is instantly great.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9453403287/in/set-72157634959634757

On the outskirts of town, we got to see all sorts of neat propaganda billboards.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9456186980/in/set-72157634959634757

Soon, rice paddies are everywhere, with sun glinting off the water between perfectly even rows.

And of course, what good is a sunset bikeride without a perfect dinner at the end? Some local flavors at one of the best restaurants of the trip.

2013-06-08
Sunset at the Phong Nha Farmstay

After a day of exploring Paradise Cafe, we rolled on over to the beautiful Phong Nha Farmstay for an evening swim, drink, and sunset.

The farmstay is a beautiful hostel located right on the edge of a huge section of farmland. The various buildings that make up the farmstay are clean and nice. Out back, there’s an idilic pool with waterfall, and the rooftop bar even has a tiny tram system for drinks to be ferried up to the roof from the poolside bar. I had a great time there having a drink or two with manager Ben, and viewing the beautiful sunset. Definitely stay there on your next trip!

View Larger Map

2013-06-07
Inside Dong Hoi’s Paradise Cave

Driving southward in Vietnam, one of the distinct highlights of the natural landscape is the world-class cave formations. Although our time traveling through the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park was limited, the essential stop at Paradise Cave was incredible.

View Larger Map

This gigantic cave was only discovered in 2005, and tourists have only been allowed to enter since 2010. So, it’s not a particularly old attraction, but in the years that it’s been open to tourism, supporting infrastructure has been build up to an extreme. From Wikipedia:

Thiên ???ng Cave (Paradise Cave) is a cave in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, UNESCO’s World Heritage Site, 60 km northwest of ??ng H?i city. Thiên ???ng Cave is located on an elevation of 200 meters above the sea level, near the west branch of Ho Chi Minh Highway, in Son Trach Commune, Bo Trach District, Quang Binh Province, Vietnam. The cave was discovered by a local man in 2005 and 5 first km of this cave was explored by explorers from British Cave Research Association in 2005, the whole 31 km was explored and publicly announced by the British cave explorers. This cave is 31 km long, longer than Phong Nha Cave which had been considered the longest cave in this national park. The height can reach to 100 m and 150 wide. The limestone formation is also more spectacular than that of Phong Nha Cave. The British cave explorers was impressed by the beautiful and spectacular stalactites and stalagmites inside this cave and they named it Thiên ???ng Cave (Paradise Cave).[1][2] In 2012, a new scorpion species Vietbocap thienduongensis was found here.

On our way to Paradise Cave, we stopped at a very very tasty local restaurant – particularly, the banana flower salad was amazing.

Driving into Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park was beautiful, with limestone cliffs jutting out of the jungle everywhere.

Our drive south into the national park, we drove along the long, winding concrete road that runs the length of the park. For the most part, the road is well maintained, and very windy – lots of sharp turns, and ups and downs through the mountains. However, at one point near the end of our drive, we hit a strange section. As we were winding around the last corner, all of a sudden, the road took a turn, and suddenly we were on an extremely flat, straight, wide, and smooth portion of road. It looked strangely like a runway, including an a few unmarked roads leading off the straight section into another patch of concrete next to a few buildings next to it – much like an apron. Strange. Later, I learned that what we were driving on was in fact a north vietnamese secret runway, used during the war. It’s now been turned into part of the main road, but it’s obviously still in a condition that would allow it to be used again with a bit of rehab. Suspicious.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9445620851/in/set-72157634951144212

The Paradise Cave entrance area is way overbuilt, and heavily touristed. After driving hours into the jungle, we had all expected to be exploring a dark, peaceful, empty cave. But what we found was the exact opposite – hoards of tour bus package tourists had descended on the site, and were eating crappy icecream bars as golf carts drove them to the stairs leading to the entrance to the cafe.

Inside the cave, it was very built for tourism – a grand staircase led down to a perfect wooden walkway, allowing almost everybody to have a great stroll through the cave. Although overdone, the walkway and LED lighting everywhere gave everybody an excellent experience in the cave – as far as overdone tourist traps go, this was actually a fairly well executed one.

The inside of the cave is truly enormous – and it’s not just a bare rock cave. Stalactites drive from every bit of the cieling, and strange formations crop up everywhere. Everything is illuminated by well placed LED lights, and it’s a truly spectacular sight.

After the cave, we drove down the road a bit for a refreshing swim in the river, and then a tasty, fresh cooked lunch in a bamboo cabana next to the water. A great day!

2013-06-07
Going Inside the Vinh Moc Tunnels, Vietnam

On our way down to Hue, we made one brief, but solid stop at the Vinh Moc Tunnels. From Wikipedia:

Vinh Moc (V?nh M?c) is a tunnel complex in Quang Tri, Vietnam. During the Vietnam War it was strategically located on the border of North Vietnam and South Vietnam. The tunnels were built to shelter people from the intense bombing of Son Trung and Son Ha communes in Vinh Linh county of Quang Tri Province in the Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone. The American forces believed the villagers of Vinh Moc were supplying food and armaments to the North Vietnamese garrison on the island of Con Co which was in turn hindering the American bombers on their way to bomb Hanoi. The idea was to force the villagers of Vinh Moc to leave the area but as is typical in Vietnam there was nowhere else to go. The villagers initially dug the tunnels to move their village 10 metres underground but the American forces designed bombs that burrowed down 10 metres. Eventually against these odds, the villagers moved the village to a depth of 30 metres. It was constructed in several stages beginning in 1966 and used until early 1972. The complex grew to include wells, kitchens, rooms for each family and spaces for healthcare. Around 60 families lived in the tunnels; as many as 17 children were born inside the tunnels.

Since the area above the tunnels was continuously pummeled by bombs during the war, bomb craters are everywhere – and huge.

Concrete ditches run everywhere, allowing the people living in the tunnels to sneak around on the surface, and fight against enemies on the land.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9456183528/in/set-72157634959634759

The tunnels sit on a hillside looking over the South China Sea. It’s a beautiful view.

Inside, the tunnels are very very small and cramped – it’s amazing that anybody was able to live in there for as long as they did.

2013-06-06
Biking to the Cave of Prehistoric Man

After departing the beautifully abandoned Cuc Phuong National Park Resort and stopping to see a few monkeys and turtles, we hopped on bikes to complete the next leg of the journey through Cuc Phuong National Park.

View Larger Map

There’s a reasonably well maintained concrete road that winds its way through the park – perfect for leisurely biking.

Our main stop during our day of biking was at the Na Mo Cave of Prehistoric Man. From Wikitravel:

The Cave of Prehistoric man is the site of the one of the earliest discoveries of human habitation in Vietnam. Excavated in 1966, the cave revealed human graves, stone axes, pointed bone spears, oyster shell knives, and tools for grinding dating back 7,500 years ago.

Exploring the cave was interesting – it wasn’t particularly difficult to access the entrance – but when we arrived, it was realized that nobody had brought a flashlight or headlamp except for me. I was lucky to have my headlamp with me, but everybody else used the flashes on their smartphones as flashlights – lame, but it worked. In traveling alone through asia, I got to meet all sorts of people – including ones who go caving without a proper light! It was all in good fun, though.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jamfan2/9448100044/in/set-72157634944112311

2013-06-06
Monkeys and Turtles at the Cuc Phuong Preservation Center

The next day of our journey southward, we woke up early in the middle of Cuc Phuong National Park, and headed over to the Wildlife Preservation Center. Monkeys and Turtles were the main attractions. However, we also saw a few interesting insects, as well as a spectacular view from the top of the park rangers tower.

2013-06-06
Exploring the Abandoned Ruins of the Cuc Phuong National Park Resort

Deep inside north Vietnam’s Cuc Phuong National Park lies an abandoned resort. From the looks of it, its been lying dormant for a number of years, with the jungle slowly eating away at the once sprawling structures. There’s a conference center, now inhabited by butterflies. There’s an olympic size swimming pool, now turned into a turtle pond.

View Larger Map

After spending a few days in Hanoi, and a weird two days in Halong Bay, I joined up with a group of friends, and the 7 of us, plus our van driver, headed down the coast towards Hoi An. Our first stop on our long drive down the coast was the Cuc Phuong National Park – a beautiful park which has within it mysterious limestone caves, animal preserves, and beautiful hiking trails. After a full day of exploring the park, we finally rolled into a once-abandoned building within the resort complex. The building, although it was officially abandoned, had been taken over by a family or two, who ran it as a sort of makeshift guesthouse. Sparse accommodations, with patchy electricity, but livable nonetheless.

During our single night at the “resort”, we took a night hike through the rain to check out a bunch of insects, had a few beers back at the house, and got a good night’s sleep in the jungle.

2013-06-05
Halong Bay, The (Annoyingly) Boozy Way

Halong Bay lies just north of Hanoi, and is one of the absolute must-see excursions for anyone visiting Hanoi. And for good reason – the bay, with it’s towering stone karsts jutting out of the water as far as the eye can see is stunningly beautiful. Marine life abounds, fisherman ply the waters, birds take to the air, and the serene rocks emerging from the water welcome every evening’s golden sunset.

View Larger Map

Since I was staying at Hanoi Backpackers Hostel in Hanoi, I made the fateful decision of joining them on their “Castaways” Halong Bay Tour. I thought it was going to be like any normal boat tour – get on the boat, relax with a drink, have the knowledgeable local tour guide explain to you about your surroundings as you serenely navigate the waters.

Instead, what I got was vastly different. Since Halong Backpackers is oriented towards the young 20’s drinking crowd, this was not a tour – it was a full on booze cruise. I should have known, but I didn’t.

For the booze cruize oriented portions of the trip – it was aussie tour guides encouraging everybody to drink heavily, while wearing colorful sombreros and yelling wildly. I participated for all of one single beer, and spent the rest of the time enjoying the view and taking photos.

Halong Bay is indeed extremely beautiful, and seeing the fisherman bring in their nets at sunset was a relaxing and wonderful experience. I loved the natural beauty of Halong Bay, including kayaking through dramatic caves – but next time, I won’t accidentally join the booze cruise.

2013-06-03