day ?: leaving Hanoi and arriving at Siem Reap

We had another great breakfast and went downstairs to check out. We saw Nhung, the receptionist who has been so helpful, and arranged a ride to the airport for later in the day. We learned that her name means ‘velvet.’ We stopped to visit the St. Joseph’s Cathedral, which just let out their services, and took some pictures of the beautiful stained glass. We then headed out across the historical city center area to the Hoa Lo prison, where American airmen (most famous of which was John McCain) were kept during the Vietnam War. It was really interesting though a bit eerie when we learned it was used for decades, built by the French Colonialists to house, torture and kill ‘rebels.’ There was a women’s area and a men’s area, and people were shackled by the feet. Death was by gunshot or guillotine.

The perspective on the Vietnam War (their civil war) was quite interesting, and my friend commented that no matter the feelings about the Americans, the Vietnamese surely didn’t hate them as much as the French colonialists! There were pictures on the wall showing different historical scenes, many of which showing the reasonableness of the care of the American soldiers. There was also a wall of Vietnamese prisoners who became political leaders after the French were no longer in power.

We then went to a tour of a beautiful old home in the historic district, and visited the Ca luang community house which was described as a Vietnamese version of Alice in Wonderland. It was quite trippy and interesting, and an old woman was sitting there watching tv in her living room when we visited. We stopped in a couple of shrines and temples, all of which were beautifully and ornately decorated. We did some shopping for gifts, going to the textile place we enjoyed for a third time! The sweet girl in there suggested a very local Vietnamese place for lunch, and the only thing they served was a dish called bun cha. It was noodles, a sweet and sour tasting stock, a plate of basil and greens (which we couldn’t eat), some fried ground beef, grilled pork, a bowl of some kind of root vegetable cut up, and a plate of fried fish spring rolls. It was quite tasty for the most part and at $7 total it was quite a deal. It was entirely Vietnamese and we sat on the plastic stools that cover the sidewalks—at least, where there’s no mopeds!

We decided to head to the airport early and the ride didn’t disappoint. We saw a man walking a cow on the side of the highway, several mopeds in the far right driving opposite traffic, and a bus crossed from the far right lane, across three lanes of traffic to take a left. Now that was impressive!!

We went through the quickest check-in and security check known to mankind and had lots of time to spare, so we walked around the airport a bit when we discovered a foot massage place. We decided to get foot and shoulder massages, and were glad we did! It was really wonderful though I’m quite ticklish, but it still was great!

The flight to Cambodia was only around an hour and a half, but it felt like forever for my poor friend who had to sit next to a man with an incredibly strong… aroma. Man, the guy just stunk! We made it off the plane, gasping for air and grateful to be off the flight. There aren’t jetways here so we walked down the stairs, which was interesting as they were covered.
Our bags came quickly and we went through immigration and customs. I had put one of my bags down for a few minutes, and when I went to grab it I jumped as I noticed a huge grasshopper-like bug that was at least 5 or 6 inches long!!! Yikes. If that’s any indication..

We had a ride arranged with the hotel, which turned out to be a tuk tuk, a motorized scooter towing a cart. It was hilarious! We rode maybe 15 minutes to the hotel past some of the largest hotels I’ve seen. We were amazed by how built up this is and how touristed it is. We crossed the river through a quaint little area which we assumed is the town, and the place we’re at, Mysteres d’Angkor, is just a few streets away but definitely off the beaten path. I can’t wait to see it during the day as it seems just perfect! The lobby of sorts is totally open, and is comprised of a few rooms including an office with a computer and a sitting /recreation room with a pool table. We went to our rooms which are all through a very jungle-like area with lots of plans, and walked across some wooden plans to get there. The rooms are adorable and have lots of character: terra cotta floors, a four post bed complete with mosquito netting (we now understand why!), Wood shutters on the windows, a large wood chest, and the bathroom is a walk in shower and an adorable sink with a metal bowl and a little spout that pours into it. Lots of fun!
We unpacked and went to the restaurant, which is also adorable. The only down side is that it’s totally open so not air conditioned, and it’s very humid here. We got ‘snacks’ which were large plates of fried rice and noodles. Service was very slow, but the food was good and hit the spot.

We arranged for a tuk tuk for the day and a guide to go to Angkor Wat tomorrow. Both cost us $45. We were told to go for sunrise, so will be picked up at 5 am. It’ll come way too early but will be well worth it! I’m quite excited. Speaking of which… good night!
S