Captain Felice is a great addition - good sense of humor and a lot of fun. The pasta lunch was scheduled from noon to 2 - I went at 1:30 and figured the "celebrity" chefs would be long gone. Captain Felice was still cooking the pasta (yes, spicy and garlicky), singing, and chatting with everyone.

Dena

We have a thunderstorm brewing outside our window. I'm so tired that I could have fallen asleep at the dinner table. We enjoyed our day in Saigon although the traffic turned a 5 hour excursion into 6+ hours. We arrived back at the ship around 3 p.m., hot and hungry. Mariner kept La Veranda open for us so luckily we didn't starve .

The "pedicab" ride (or whatever the correct terminology is) was the highlight of my day. When we turned into oncoming traffic, I though I'd come to the end of my days. I know it's touristy but it sure was fun. What a wild ride. Tomorrow, we visit the Mekong Delta, another long excursion.

Spent absolutely fascinating day in Mekong Delta. This was the best excursion Doug and I have ever taken. We went with Arlene and Gil and Richard Swan. Had a great day.

Just posted pics...

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=785455&id=1295365946

Everyone else is posting such great information, I haven't had much to add. We're enjoying the ship as usual and learning much about Vietnam. It's interesting that the southern part of the country seems to be much more advanced than the north. Hanoi was really third world--Saigon and Danang are only second world if there is such a thing. We thoroughly enjoyed our day in Danang especially our time at the beautiful China Beach. Saigon was great also--especially the hair raising pedi-cab ride. We knew what to expect because we had taken a pedi-cab in Danang when we were there. We decided to take a day off and stay on the ship today. I'm glad we didn't go on our planned Mekong Delta trip because it's raining outside. Sea day tomorrow and then we make our first stop in Thailand at Ko Sumai. I'm excited -- I finally get to ride on an elephant there.

Forgot to add that we had dinner with Captain Felice a couple nights ago. He has a great personality and we spent most of the night laughing. The Chef came by our table to discuss the pasta lunch the next day and to inform the Captain he had dropped of his uniform for the cooking session in his cabin. The Captain said "Great, but it better not make me look stupid!". You saw Ken's picture of him cooking--I think he looked great as a pasta chef.

PHOTOS FROM SAIGON:


Water Puppet Show.


The Puppeteers Take a Bow.


Polly, George, & Ngaire on a Pedi-Cab in Saigon.


Our Drivers Had No Problem Going Against The Traffic to Make a Left Hand Turn.


A Photo Shoot Beside Notre Dame Catholic Church.


Shopping For Shoes in The Market.


An Electrician Has Job Security in Vietnam.

We just returned from our Mekong Delta tour. What a great time. And our strategy of asking for the last bus really worked - only 8 of us and a guide. Luckily, the rain waited for the return ride to the port. Listening to thunder as we canoed through the jungle canals only added to the atmosphere. We saw very few rice paddies on the way. The road was lined with shop after shop, coffee shops and cafes. I keep wondering, "who buys all this stuff?"

We're sailing down the Saigon River. Time for my glass of wine on the balcony. Next up. Thailand.

great reporting everyone!

Ken, your pictures brought back such fun memories...we too went to the water puppet show and rode the pedicabs, scary with all that traffic....and the shopping we did in Vietnam! Oh my.

Thanks for all the great seamail.

All the beautiful photos and detailed reports brought back many memories of our Radisson cruise of Vietnam in March of 1997 on the Song of Flower. Andi, it doesn't seem as if there is any progress at all since 1997! Maybe more motor scooters, but looking at my photos from that time, it doesn't appear much different including the same tours we took on the Mekong, etc.It truly seems like a backward country. Didn't anybody do the Cu Chi Tunnels? Can't spell it right but anyway, Clyde climbed through them to see the underground hospitals and kitchens the Vietnamese soldiers used during the war. Eerie. I was too chicken to go down into them!

I went to the Cu Chi tunnels yesterday, near Saigon. This is a former Viet Cong military base which consisted of a series of underground tunnels and facilities used during the war. Visitors have the opportunity to test fire various firearms, so I tried shooting an AK-47. Here is a video of me with my "instructor."

Grant shoots an AK-47

Rambo Lives!!!

Mekong Delta in Depth

We had two days in the Saigon (Ho Chi Min City). The first day offered tours to the Mekong Delta or Saigon and the second day offered tours to the Mekong Delta or the Cu Chi Tunnels. There were two tours to the Mekong Delta. One was a big bus tour with 35-40 folks, which was our free excursion. The other was Mekong Delta in depth at a cost of $50 per person. This tour was limited to vans of 6 people. Doug and I knew we would be sick of the big bus tours at this point and had pre-selected the in depth tour. However, this precluded being able to see Saigon as a tour. I had heard that it was a fairly interesting city, with a rich history, that also offered wonderful shopping at good prices. Day 2 didn’t offer any Saigon tours. It only offered the politically charged Cu Chi Tunnel tour, the big bus Mekong Delta tour and a vegetable and fruit garnishing course. We decided to see if the tour desk could pre-arrange a private Saigon tour for us for Saturday for a half day. We were sailing at 4, with an all aboard at 3:30. Arlene and Gil, our friends, also were interested and the tour desk came through. The two days were set. It was expensive...$650 for the van, but we went for it.

On Friday morning, Gil, Arlene and Richard from our little tour group and another woman formed the 6-some for the in-depth tour into the Mekong Delta. Where Ha Noi is north, Da Nang is central, Saigon is at the southern portion of Viet Nam. The ride to our Mekong River cruise in the Delta took about two hours from Saigon. The most renowned places in the Mekong Delta are My Tho and Cai Be, where we headed.

While we may recognize the name Mekong Delta as being famous during the Vietnam war as the region which saw fighting between the Viet Cong guerrillas and units of the US Navy, the region is also known for the many miles of waterways criss-crossing the land making this area both fertile and unique.VietNam is the second largest exporter of rice globally after Thailand, exporting Jasmine and white rice, and this region is famous as a large rice growing area, producing about half of the total of Vietnam's rice output. The region also grows bananas, pineapples, coconuts, grapefruit, and has a large export fishing trade.

The people of this area are comprised of Khmer, Vietnamese, Chinese and Cham and Cambodian nationalities. The income levels are extremely low, especially since the US withdrawal in 1975. Nevertheless, as opposed to Ha Noi and Da Nang, we could quickly see that this area was much more prosperous than the north and central plains areas. There were many more cars evident on the roads and modern low and high rise buildings dotted the horizon. In certain neighborhoods, we could see Lexuses and Mercedes. We were to learn more about Saigon and its history on Saturday, but we immediately caught glimpses of the differences between the regions as we passed through them on Friday.

We comfortably sat back and enjoyed the comforts of our Mercedes 10 seater van and asked our guide various demographic questions. About 45 minutes into the trip, I asked our guide what town or city we were in and he said, Saigon. It is a huge, spread out city that seems to go on forever. As we drove down to the river, locals had set out there wares by the side of the road. The guide explained that while the produce and products sold were suspect, these roadside stands serviced three types of buyers: the person, often a wife, who was juggling working, buying and making dinner for the family, and/or the person who needed to save some dollars, as the costs were cheaper than the products in the store or the traveler. These enterprising roadside merchants staked out a spot along the road and waited for a buyer.

Along the route, these consisted mainly of produce and washing products. Another frequent type of establishment was the sleeping cafe. If you purchased a coffee, you could also take a snooze. We passed sleeping cafe after sleeping cafe. I didn’t notice many folks in them during the day. Considering the number of cafes and the number of mopeds, I assume that these roadside cafes are rest stops where bicyclists and moped riders take time away from the road. Set back from the highway, they were often no more than palm thatched shelters kitted out with some plastic chairs and tables and low-slung hammocks.

In the center of the highway, there were lovely, long lily ponds dotted with pink flowers that ran down the length of the divider, making an unusual and pretty site for the western eyes. It was a interesting and voyeuristic journey, as we took in the foreign signs and different style of living.

We arrived first at the restaurant and were served a wonderful meal of in a lush river setting. It consisted of shrimp spring rolls, shrimp, an elephant ear fish which was wrapped in little rice paper sandwiches with cucumber for us, and a hot pot soup which contained meat balls, squid, shrimp and vegetables. Dessert was a banana which was unlike anything I have tasted, with a bit of a salty flavor.

After lunch, we went down to a canopy boat that seated about 8 -10 folks and the 6 of us plus our guide entered the boat to begin our journey into the life of the people of the Delta. The people living in the Mekong Delta make their living as farmers and fishermen. Often, they live right on the edge of the rivers or canals on various structures built from whatever materials found. Consequently, the architecture along the delta varies from place to place. Some were tin shanties, others were made of wood, others were house boats, others were cement structures. Often, many homes appeared to have fisheries right under them. We noticed that life in the delta seems tightly woven with the river as daily activities and businesses are conducted on its banks. Markets, stores, ship yards, repair shops were facing the river. We passed floating market boats, filled with produce. The river water was a source of water for traveling, bathing and a cleaning source. Sadly, we saw individuals throwing trash and refuse into the river. It is NOT a clean or pretty river. Brown and acrid, it is anything but inviting. We could only imagine what creatures, snakes and alligators alike lurked in those jungle waters. We looked into the houses and watched folks at work, play and daily life. Some acknowledge us and some just went on with life. We stopped in the middle of the river to be served some fresh coconut milk in the coconuts and then continued on to our first stop, where we visited a home and watched a demonstration of rice paper (for spring rolls or cookies) being made. We were taken through a demonstration of how rice is puffed, how coconut milk is made, how local candy and cookies are made and were offered to try their local products and sample some tea. We also looked at some of the regional products such as the cobra products and then headed on our way down the river.

Something we did not thankfully visit, but is a unique industry in this region is the snake industry. Cobras are often soaked along with herbs in large flasks of whisky which can be bought. This potent drink reportedly will increase your libido as well as cure all sorts of illnesses. There were other cobra products for curing skin rashes as well.

Our next stop was a rather fine river home, now a B&B, where they gave us a tour, and we were treated to more tea and some local fruit before making our final leg of the river trip.

It was then back in the van for a repeat of the two hour trip back to the ship. However, the environment was rich with activity and there was much to see out the windows to keep us entertained. It was a varied day filled with lots to see and experience, ever so different to anything in our frame of reference. We all struggled a bit to breath. The road and air is heavy with road dust and debris and many of us suffer from allergies as a result. The air is thick and heavy. Our driver never buys produce from markets as it most assurably would be covered with dirt. We couldn’t imagine being a soldier back in the 60’s fighting in this hot, humid, dirty jungle fighting snakes, scorpions and guerrilla soldiers who understood the land so much better.

Ho Chi Min City AKA Saigon
We adopted Pat from our MeKong tour to be our fifth tour passenger in our Saigon City and shopping tour today. We started out visited the Chinese market, which was the market which both the poor frequent as well as distributors who buy and sell in country towns and other cities. Our driver advised us not to buy but to look and take pictures. What is interesting was prominently displayed in Chinatown was KFC as a key restaurant! One also takes ones' life into ones' hands when you cross a street in Saigon. There are no crosswalks or at least none that any car, moped or bike obeys. They will run you over, so you just have to look carefully and walk very fast in between the speeding cars. Our guide showed us how and guided us.

We next visited the Post Office and Cathedral. These are two key institutions as they are two of the last vestiges of French Baroque architecture left in this once “Pearl of the Orient.” While churches are often sightseeing stops, this church was closed to viewing. There were about 4 or 5 brides scattered around the church with photographers who had elaborate camera setups using the church facade as a backdrop for wedding photos. What was more unusual were the additional brides using a post office for their wedding photos. While an impressive building, it wasn’t all that lovely and I certainly wasn’t able to capture any remarkable shots of this building that were so glamorous, other than the door or interior that I would want to keep for posterity. However, these brides and grooms were posed lovingly in massive traffic, amidst motorcycles and trucks against the post office facade for whatever reason. It dates back to around the French occupation in 1880 and help the auspicious title of once being the headquarters for the Saigon Government during the “American War”. In 1964 it was the scene of a coup which took over the post office and the scene of some bombings.

The Opera House and Continental Hotel are still rather lovely and the center square in front of the Rex Hotel is still rather grand looking. I closed my eyes and try to imagine its large boulevards lined with French villas. There are now 7 5 star hotels in Saigon and 6 4 star hotels. However, it is anything but a luxurious looking city. While there is building going on, most of the architecture is a throwback to the the American occupation, with some 80’s buildings shooting up here and there. The entire city needs a good coat of fresh paint and some sprucing up. The sidewalks are being repaired, though, but the overhead wiring system looks like a Rube Goldberg setup...with a jumble of hundreds of wires rigged together.

Our guide, Dung, shared some differences with China that I found interesting. We noted that China and Hong Kong started late. 10 am was the norm for businesses to open. Here, most folks arrive for work at 9 am. In China, most eat breakfast at home. In VietNam, as in the US, it is eating on the run, grabbing a coffee at a shop that opens about 6:30am and bringing it into the office. The Chinese don't do that. The Chinese are a tea drinking culture with many tea rooms. The VietNamese are a coffee drinking culture. The culture is much more akin the the US in some ways to the Chinese culture, which looks so American.

We noted chairs and tables dotted along the roads in small towns. This is where workers take a beer on their way home (at a cheaper price) than at a bar.Coffee is 15 cents a cup, a beer, 50 cents, a pack of cigarettes, $1. A middle class family doesn't shop at the same type of stores or markets as the lower class, who frequent these open markets.

Our guide told us that pre-1975, much of the French architecture still stood and was well preserved. However, since the US left, the new government, had no desire to maintain any ties to the past and let much of the beautiful old buildings fall to ruin. Only the Continental hotel, the French Embassy, the Opera House, the Church and the Post Office still stand in their former glory. Saigon is home to a number of 4 and 5 star hotels and the modern buildings we saw is home to multinational expats and high level government officials. These homes go for $1 million for a 900 sq. foot apartment. About 70 percent of VietNamese are doing more poorly today than they were in 1975, so few will ever be able to enjoy these high level comforts. The only way to get ahead is with a college eduction and the key is to work for a foreign, not a VietNamese company, as there is too much corruption within Vietnam to get ahead.

Most salaries are comprised of base plus bonus, with bonus making up much more than the salary for the enterprising and bright Vietnamese. The bonus is also a way of avoiding paying for taxes. He told us that corruption is the way of life and the downfall of VietNam. He claims most of the money falls into a few privileged hands and the majority never see a dime. The exit of democracy has been VietNam’s demise. He made an interesting observation and I quote him, noting that it is a personal one. He claimed that the Chinese have moved ahead because they are noted as being focused on business. The VietNamese focus is on education and they are not noted for their astute business sense. For the VietNamese, who have succeeded, they have pursued education and left VietNam and joined foreign nationals. We all have Chinese friends and know that they value education, as well. Perhaps, though, if I tie his comment into what I have seen, the Chinese link education to an astute business sense and have been able to return the income back to their own economy, whereas the VietNamese take their money elsewhere. China has thus flourished as as a country, with certain individuals becoming extremely wealthy, while VietNam individuals may have benefited, but have not reinvested the money back into the country to benefit the country. It seems to be mostly foreign money that I have seen in VietNam.

Sadly, if the corruption problem isn’t resolved, VietNam may never rebound. In fact, Vietnam, the second fastest growing economy in Asia after China, is considered one of the world’s most corrupt countries. Last year, the corruption perceptions index ranked Vietnam 123rd out of 179 nations. Property, construction and government contracts are reportedly riddled with bribery. Aid agencies, which have pledged $4.4 billion to Vietnam for 2008, often complain about money disappearing. In one scam, in April 2006, transport ministry officials handling World Bank projects were caught betting millions of dollars from project funds on European football matches. Since taking office in 2006, communist prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung has vowed to root out corruption, making it his top priority for 2008. In December last year he ordered all ministries and government agencies to step up an anti-graft drive.

Nevertheless, this didn’t dampen the kindness and spirited nature of the Vietnamese we met in Saigon. It wasn’t all history. We left time for shopping, of course. We visited a recommended lacquerware factory. The bus tours usually have only 15-20 minutes there, but we had been advised that an hour was truly needed to carefully shop. These pieces are all created by hand, either with mother of pearl inlays, broken eggshells or painted motifs or a combination. Items ranged from full furniture to coasters and chopsticks. It takes approximately three months to complete a finished lacquerware item. The store also has some nice jewelry items in jade and pearls as well. After dropping a bit too much money, we all left with several bags full of items. We all felt somewhat vindicated with our purchases, having negotiated another 25% down from the asking price and telling ourselves that these items would be so much more at home.

Our final stop was the main shopping street. Our tour was to complete at noon and we were to be dropped off at the shuttle stop in front of the Rex hotel. However, our guide kindly offered to stay with us until 1:30 and then take us back to the ship. This gave us another 90 minutes to shop. Believe me, it wasn’t near enough time. I wanted to see silk. He took us to what he said was the finest silk store in the city. Doug had to pull me out kicking and screaming. I could have cleaned out our bank account in that store. It was called Khai Silk on Dong Street. Containing not only items made of the most beautiful silks I have ever seen, the styles for both men and women were stunning and artfully presented. The workmanship was like I have never seen. And the prices? While not bargain basement, they were reasonable for the quality. You would pay $55 for a silk tie, $150 for a woman’s jacket, $25-60 for a scarf to pashmina. I could have spent all day in the one store and spent most of the designated 90 minutes there.

I did stop in one store on the way back to the van and purchased one bolt of gorgeous silk for $8 a meter. While in the store, it started to rain cats and dogs. The salesgirl went in the back and got me a poncho and then went out and tried to buy Doug and our friend, Pat, ponchos as well. The warmth and service levels were terrific everywhere we went in Saigon.

By the time we got back to the van, the rain had stopped. Pat was having a sugar low and asked if we could stop for a quick bite before returning to the ship. Our guide recommended Pho 2000, the noodle shop famous for hosting Bill Clinton. After devouring some wonderful spring rolls, we hopped on a bus delighted with our day in Saigon.

What made the day so very special was our tour guide, Dung. A veteran tour guide with 21 years in the profession, he was a bit younger than we and had an excellent command of the English language. He explained that the older VietNamese speak English better than the younger ones, due to the exposure that they had to the vast number of Americans during their formative years. (This was is direct opposition to what we witnessed in China, where the younger people have a much better command of the English language). Being so highly experienced, in 2000, he was called into special duty of guiding Chelsea Clinton. He was given carefully designed, politically correct itineraries. He described this with pride and we could see why he was selected. He loved his country but did not gloss over its issues. His concern was that we got the most understanding and experiencing of VietNam and Saigon that we could. I think we all wished we had more time to spend with him in the Mekong Delta area and understand what had become of a country for which our friends and countrymen had fought so hard.

How to move furniture when you don't own a truck


Making sugar cane juice at streetside stand


Friendly face


Saigon Post Office


Saigon City Hall


Cu Chi tunnels - demonstrating entrance to secret tunnel


Grant firing an AK-47


Before our cyclo ride

Pho - noodle soup


Grilled banana cake


Buddhist temple in My Tho (Mekong Delta)


Rice paddy

Lynn and I would appreciate it if someone of you on board would pass on our greetings and best wishes to Dieter and Ilse Gerlach, the dance instructors. Thanks in advance.

Fantastic pictures and reporting!!!!!! Thanks so much - I loved Saigon, too!~!!!

Fabulous reporting and wonderful pictures. They bring back fond memories of our two trips on the Voyager to that region, and now I want to return there. Thanks.....

Fabulous reporting and pictures! Thanks for taking us along with you.

Yum! That Pho looks delicious!

Great photos and reports, keep 'em coming!!

The Ladies in Traditional Dress:


A Friend, Meredith, & Susan.

Mekong Delta, Vietnam

Doug

All photo's enjoyable :app: Ken's picture of the ladies in traditional dress was beautiful! More people pix!

Love the reports and pictures! Thanks for posting!!

Dinner Tonight:



Olivia, Peggy, Ngaire, & Sandra.

Dinner in the Compass Rose last night had a special dessert menu selection that Franck (FB
Manager) put on the menu after we had dinner with him earlier in the trip. Here is a picture of the super special German Chocolate cake. It was really nice of Franck and pastry chef Kevin Lee to bake up the cake for the dinner last night....

Ko Samui, Thailand




Water buffalo


Ingredients for cooking demonstration


Thai cooking demonstration


Gibbon


Elephant playing harmonica


Drying latex sheets


Koh Samui coastline

We are back from 3 great days in Bangkok. Here are pictures from the first day when we visited the Grand Palace, took a longtail boat ride, and saw the Reclining Buddha at Wat Po.


Grand Palace


Grand Palace


Grand Palace


Grand Palace


Jerry, Olivia, Peggy, Richard, Andi, Doug on the Long Tail Boat Ride


Mail delivery by boat


Reclining Buddha - 151 feet long, 16 feet high


Pepsi delivery

Amazing photos. Thanks, Grant. Can't wait for a Bangkok commentary from one of the DRAGONeers.

SIEM REAP – for Angkor Wat.

Access to Siem Reap Cambodia is very easy from either Singapore or Bangkok. We chose to visit Ankor Wat for just one night while the Mariner was in Bangkok. The flight took just 40 minutes. Detailed information is available on many websites and in many books on the history of the temples so I am not going to address this here. These notes are just a quick and logistical overview of a fast visit to this area from a cruise ship. This is really too rushed but we managed to visit the four main attractions in one full day. We were VERY tired and hot but glad we came rather than putting it off for a different trip when we had more time. We even had time to do the hot air balloon but there was a little too much breeze when we tried to take the flight.

Leaving from Bangkok
A cruise ship normally spends two nights in Bangkok. If you have been to Bangkok before and not to Angkor Wat then this is an alternative way to utilize your time. You can depart from the pier directly to the airport by taxi. This takes about one hour. The pier taxis way over charge at $85 for the transfer but it is much easier of course and you could get an earlier flight to Siem Reap this way to give you more time and visit one of the temples that afternoon. Alternatively, you can take the free cruise shuttle to Bangkok, you pass the airport on the way and this takes an additional 30 - 45 minutes to get to Bangkok. After arrival in Bangkok you can take a taxi to the airport for a rate of about $10.00.

Cambodian Visa and Currency Issue
You can purchase your visa ($20) on arrival at the new Siem Reap airport. Lots of paperwork to fill out that you get prior to or on boarding so you can have this all filled out, this is normal easy information, nothing unusual. The information you read says you must have a spare passport picture. They do require one for the visa BUT if you do not have one when we went they charged you a couple of dollars more and allow you the visa anyway. Probably best to have one with you as regulations are constantly changing. The entire process was efficient and fast and only took about 10 minutes. The Cambodians have their own currency but the favored currency is the US dollar. Accepted everywhere.

Passes for the Temples
A one day pass is $20 and three pass is $40. You also need a picture on your pass but they take these pictures right on the spot – it is very efficient and you get your pass very quickly.

The guides and getting around
There are 1200 guides in the Siem Reap area. We used a guide named Kim San who was the guide selected to give the clue to the Amazing Race contestants. I understand he is also recommended in the Lonely Planet book. He is a University graduate and an independent registered guide not working for a large company, although he is used a great deal by the hotels to be the guide for their guests. He and his younger brother are both guides. He did a very good job. Very clean cut man with good English and he gave enough but not too much information. I was not in “guide overload”. He would answer any questions you may have, about current life in Cambodia and about the situation during the wars. I liked the fact he kept moving most of the time when he talked rather than take you to one spot and then talk constantly. Standing still can make people more tired. He is very flexible and will go at your pace. I do suggest you tell him exactly what you want for example either a local lunch or western style. He is very accommodating and answers emails very quickly. He has a fairly new small Honda Sports Utility Vehicle that was comfortable and has good air conditioning.

Kim San
Email: sourtkimsan@yahoo.com
Website: www.angkor-guides.com
(855) 12 44 84 56

Angkor Wat – Built 1112 to 1152
Leaving the airport on the way to town you get the first glimpse of Angkor Wat at the end of the road. It is a very impressive sight with the huge “moat” in front of the temple. They call this the ocean as it is very wide, more like a lake than a moat. This is a huge complex but it is fairly easy to visit. The walking is mostly flat with just a few steps between the areas and only about three areas of multiple steeper stairs, so very manageable for most visitors other than those who really have difficulty with lots of walking or stairs. This was a temple and was never a city. The monks are around and have an orphanage on the temple grounds. This is a combination of Hindu and Buddhism, a fascinating place that will not disappoint.

Angkor Thom – Built 1181 - 1219
Within a 10 minute drive you reach Angkor Thom. This is a totally different place and built many years after Angkor Wat. This was a whole town and housed one million people. All that is left now is the main temple called Bayon and the royal palace compound, fronted by the terrace of elephants that overlooks parade grounds.
Bayon Temple
This is the temple that has 216 enormous faces built into the towers. These faces look very like the King who built Angkor Thom. Really amazing to see and photographic opportunities are everywhere. I have visited many temples in my time but this particular temple with these incredible faces at every turn make it really unique. For the majority of people this temple is definitely doable with only a few areas of steep steps required. However, getting there is not easy for those with walking or climbing difficulties. The main area you have to climb to get to the towers with the faces there are about 20 steps, these are metal man made steps but they are very steep and there is no hand rail. Others areas are actually climbing from rock to rock, some are steep and sometimes narrow steps. If you can make it you will be rewarded with some amazing sights but need to be aware that this is the most difficult temple to visit in the Siem Reap area.
The Carvings
On the lower level of Banyon Temple is a remarkable carving wall that is incredibly well preserved. This features 11,000 figures showing everyday life in Angkor Thom Here you will see scenes of battles with soldiers of different races (easily discernable), elephants, animals and celebrations of everyday people. If you cannot make it all the way to the top I do suggest you at least visit this lower area of the temple the carvings are quite remarkable.
The Royal Compound and Parade Grounds
After visiting the Bayon temple you have a short drive to the Royal Compound. The parade grounds are a large open grassy area that was used for the arrival of the armies after battle, training grounds for the troops and various ceremonial occasions. There are three main towers on the grounds that served as temporary prisons. The terrace of elephants is a terrace that was used by the Royal family and citizens to watch the events taking place on the grounds below. Of course the terrace has elephant carvings and is 1000+ feet long. After viewing the area from the terrace you go down the other side into the royal enclosure. This is a vast area but there is little left now as most of the buildings were made of wood. This is a flat area so it is easy walking but there is not as much to view here in comparison to the other sites.

Ta Prohm, the Jungle Temple – Built 1186.
This was probably my favorite site that I visited. This was a Buddhist temple dedicated to the King’s mother and built to house her ashes on her death. The area that originally housed the King’s mother’s ashes had holes in the walls that once held precious gems. The huge trees and tree roots wrapped around the temple buildings are a fascinating sight. As we walked through the area there was one amazing photo opportunity after another. We found this to be really spectacular and unique experience and loved our visit here. At this time they are in the process of reconstructing the temple areas and it is remarkable to see a pile of rubble and next to it the recreation of that rubble into the temple. This was an easy visit as far as visiting ancient sites goes, with very few steep areas.

Tonle Sap Lake - Chong Kneas –The Floating Village
This is another rather unique Cambodian experience about 20 minutes from Siem Reap. These are not floating markets as you see in many other areas of the world but actual villages complete with churches, schools and medical clinics. The cost is $15 per person for an hour to an hour and half. You are placed in your own private boat and driven to the floating village. Your boat driver is not a guide and probably speaks very little English, but the guides normally go with you on the boat. This is a sight for the eyes, not much commentary is needed. A hive of activity is what awaits you as the fishermen and clearing their nets of the tiny fish, the waterways have vendors selling fresh fruit and goods to the residents, children are actively moving around in small boats and in some cases floating in buckets. A few unpleasant smells are also present but not too bad. Photographers will find this hour filled with great opportunities. It is hard to comprehend living this way but all the residents seem to be very happy and wave.

Overview of Siem Reap and Cambodia
World class accommodations are available. We stayed at the Le Meridien a fantastic hotel but there are many high quality five star hotels. Rooms were wonderful. You cannot drink the tap water but bottled water was everywhere.

I felt very safe in this country even walking around the downtown streets at night. The TUK TUKS (motor cycle with a little hooded carriage in tow that can hold two to four people), are everywhere and an easy way to get around. Prices are very cheap for a short trip $1 per person and I understand $15 to $20 for all day use.

The downtown market area is dusty streets, full of tuk tuk’s and many stores selling the normal tourist wares and a few nicer stores. Lots of restaurants and bars both traditional and western food. I understand the streets will be paved in a few months as soon as they finish their new drainage system and this will make a huge difference.

The country has only been at peace for about ten years so it is in a rebuilding stage now. The average person is still struggling and the homes are tiny and yet there is an air of hope and enthusiasm. The people appear to be very happy, they are at peace, education and medical care is now available to everyone. Not sure of the standard of these services but it is much more than they have had for many years. They LOVE having their pictures taken, they do not ask or expect payment for a photograph. Only time we paid for a photo was for a group of teenagers dressed in the traditional costumes that posed, obviously for tourists they did not ask for money but we paid them and they had big smiles. This is quite refreshing, this area is not too spoilt by tourism yet but this is the growing industry that will help the country prosper. There are numerous children constantly trying to sell you something of course and I probably bought more stuff here than I had no interest in than anywhere else I have been. I left with a good feeling about this place and the people. If I came back I would bring things for the kids. I gave two boys an apple each and they were so excited that a westerner gave them something the smiles and laughs could not have been bigger.

Thanks for the overview Ngaire. Your commentary brings back such wonderful memories. Camboodia is such a speccial place. Cannot wait to see Ken's pictures.

Bangkok day trip - we visited a floating market, the bridge on the river Kwai, and the Tiger Temple


Floating market


Cooked meals for sale


Fruit seller


Bridge on the River Kwai


Bridge on the River Kwai

Tiger Temple - this is a monastery where the monks care for and rehabilitate wild animals. They have raised tigers (which are native to this part of Thailand and nearby Myanmar/Burma) from cubs, often when the mother is killed by poachers. They have trained the tigers (and feed them well) so that visitors can view and pet the tigers. The tigers are well-fed and it is very hot there, so they were sleepy when we visited in the afternoon. We were able to interact with juveniles and with adult tigers - we saw about 5 juvenile tigers and about 20 adults.




Doug and Andi with juvenile tiger


Grant and Dena


Monk with tiger


Dena with two adult tigers

Oh Wow!! I flipped when I saw the tiger pix. Amazing, blow those up to poster size! Bravo :app:

We went to the Tiger Temple last year and the animals were magnificent. The babies were priceless, one grabbed at the ankle of one of our friends just like any kitty but it scared the heck out of her! But I still feel somewhat ambivalent about this place and wonder if the cats are sedated. There are dozens of big cats and at least the day we were there, few even lifted their head. What did you think?
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Helen

Amazing tiger pictures. I also can't wait to see Ken's Angkor Wat pictures as I took hundreds when we were there after PANDA.

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Eugene

Yeah!! Terrific seeing you all having a splendid time - Love the tigers. :app:

Ngaire, I loved your Angkor Wat commentary. It is definitely someplace I want to visit.

I suspect the tigers are just sleepy as it is pretty hot there. Aren't they mostly nocturnal in the wild?

Grant- Love the pics of all of you with the tiger. I know what a really unique experience that is. :woh: When we were in Africa (before we met up with the LCT gang) Marc and I had our picture taken with a Cheetah.. what an experience! (we had to sign our lives away to do it though) Also when Marc and I did China last year (without LCT unfortunately) I got to hold a Red Panda... an experience that is up there at the top of my wow list. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face for hours!