Angkor Wat, Cambodia – March 11, 2000 I crawled onto the minibus in the dark. We left promptly at 5:30am to see the sun rise over Angkor Wat. Again, the sun was not up for cooperating. Angkor Wat became slowly less gray in the hazy morning, disappointing the hundred or so tourists that waited with [...]
Hanoi, Vietnam – February 27, 2000 I slept in and enjoyed my last few hours of a single room. Wendy’s trip was over and today we got a new group and a new leader and I was to switch rooms and share with Lochie for the next ten nights. Our new leader was as of [...]
February 25, 2000 Blaring propaganda woke me up at 6am. That’s the downside of sleeping near a border post. I wandered down to the shared bathroom in my t-shirt and shorts, hoping to avoid the family. Shorts are offensive to Laotians – they just don’t wear them. The night watchman lifted his head up and [...]
Homeward Bound – March 13, 2000 I said goodbye to my pal Lochie and flew to Bangkok. I was on a frequent flyer ticket and hadn’t gotten quite the itinerary I’d wanted and so I signed up to fly standby on the next flight to Hong Kong. If I missed this flight, I’d certainly be [...]
Banteay Srei, Cambodia – March 12, 2000 Our morning excursion to the “best temple” took us to Banteay Srei, the pink temple. I didn’t agree with Mr. Omnoth – I preferred the jungle temple – but the intricate sandstone reliefs of the pink temple were very detailed and masterfully carved. Apparently, Banteay Srei was built [...]
Siem Reap, Cambodia – March 10, 2000 We had a 6:30am start to the “fast boat” to Siem Reap. “If we’re lucky,” said Stuart, “it will take four hours. If we’re not, it could be six.” We weren’t lucky. The boat itself was a 50-seat speedboat with plenty of space on the roof for sun-worshipping [...]
The Killing Fields, Cambodia – March 9, 2000 **Warning: Killing Fields in this installment, don’t read if you are sensitive** A van showed up to drive us to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek, 15 kilometers southwest of Phnom Penh. There wasn’t enough space for everyone, so Stuart, Julia, Lochie and I went on the [...]
Saigon, Vietnam to Phnom Penh, Cambodia – March 8, 2000 A minivan took us from Saigon to the Cambodian border. Stuart, our current leader, had warned us that Vietnamese customs might be bored and in the mood to confiscate. Basically, pirate CD’s and videos are a popular purchase in Vietnam and they ARE illegal, even [...]
Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon, Vietnam – March 7, 2000 Lochie went to the dentist while I got dong out of the ANZ bank’s ATM. A hotel (shh!) changed it for me with no problems and I wandered around pickpocket-happy Saigon with an ill-advised wad of dollars in my bag. Ultimately, I went to the Pham [...]
Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon, Vietnam – March 6, 2000 “Do you like Lobo?” asked my taxi driver, as he took me from the airport into Ho Chi Minh City. “Um, I’m not sure,” I responded. I knew that Lobo was a country singer or band or something and they were on the taxi radio. In [...]
