8D7N SiemReap & PhnomPenh

Destination: 8D/7N Cambodia- 5N Siem Reap, 2N Phnom Penh

Date	Places of interest
Day 1	Siem Reap Check in Jasmine Lodge. Buy ticket to Angkor Wat (4.00pm) USD40-3 days, Phnom Bakeng – sunset. See around nearby famous Wat/temple Khmer Traditional Dance + Buffet Dinner USD12
Day 2	Grand circuit : Pre Rup, East Mebon, *Banteay Samre, Ta Som,  Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Baksei Chamkrong.  Enquire about bus ticket to PP.
Day 3	AM Angkor Wat, Phnom Bakeng, South  Gate of Angkor Thom (sunrise), Bayon, Terrace of the Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King, Phimeanakas, Baphuon, Preah Pithu, North & South Kleangs, Prasat Suor Prat, Preah Palilay. * Sunrise 5.40 am-bring torchlight. PM Rolous Group : Preah Ko, Bakong, Lo lei. Small Circuit : Srah Srang, Banteay Kdei, Prasat Kravan, Ta Prohm, Thommanon, Chau Say Tevoda, Spean Thma, Ta Keo.
Day 4	Beng Melea (Entr. USD5), Kbal Spean (Tol USD5 ), Banteay Srey, waterfall of Phnom Kulen, Koh Ker. On the way to *Banteay Samre, Sras Srang (sunset). Roadside stop: Palm sugar farm. (Further away- negotiate for fare)
Day 5	AM : Land mine museum (7.30-10.00)-FOC, IKTT: Institute of Khmer Traditional Textiles.FOC. War Museum USD3 PM Boat trip on Great Lake Tonle Sap Lake & floating village. ( Boat fare-USD10) Stone and Woodcarving School. Shopping. Buy bus ticket to PP – USD6
Day 6	SR to PP (6.30am-12.00pm by bus USD 6). Check in Capitol GH/Sunday GH. Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda  (USD 13,open everyday, 7.30-11am, 2-5pm.) National Museum of Khmer Arts (USD3, 8.00-5.00. open everyday.) , River front Park, Wat Phnom(USD1), Wat Ounalom *Palace & Pagoda dress formal
Day 7	Phnom Penh  AM: Oudong (1 hr by bus),om(USD2). Everyday (8.00-5.00pm)  & Cheung Ek (Killing field)( 8-11am, 2-5pm). PM: City orientation tour – Phnom Penh Municipality Hall, National Library, National Bank, Independence Monument.  Rent bicycle USD2/day near Capitol GH, Str. 111
Day 8	PP: AM: Old Market (Phsar Chas), Russian Market (Rent bicycle USD2/day).        PM: Depart for home
	Accommodation: SR- Jasmine Lodge (9USD-hot water, fan, breakfast for 2) PP – Capitol GH (8USD).
	Transport: PP bus for 25people – US55 f/d, US35 h/d. van US35f/d, US23 h/d. Tuk tuk : USD10-12 SR-PP Mekong Express bus US9 (4-5 hrs, free croissant & water) Mandara Express:  US6 ( toilet on board, snack) Public bus US7. Depart 7am rest 30min, arrive 1pm

Khmer Traditional dance

Apsara carving at Angkor Wat

Sunset at Phnom Bakeng

Cambodian kids

Banteay Srey

Bayon

Terrace of the elephant

Ta Prohm

Reflection of Angkor Wat in the pond

Life on Tonle Sap

Floating house on Tonle Sap lake

Floating school

Independence Monument, Phonm Penh

Royal Palace

Killing Fields

Toul Sleng Genocide Prison

Backpacking in Southern Vietnam (8/6-14/6/2010)-continuation

Day 3  - 1 day Mekong (Mytho - Ben Tre)
Breakfast in guesthouse; begin the tour to the watery world of the Mekong Delta, just a couple of hours by road from the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City's streets, Vietnam's largest rice bowl. On arrival in My Tho, we embark on a boat navigating around the intricate small canals in the delta region, which is a great way to observe the local lifestyle close-up and catch a view dotted by many islands. The exciting excursion will pass the lush green vegetation before arriving at the famous Unicorn Island. Here we have opportunities to stroll around an orchard, taste many seasonal fruits and enjoy wonderful traditional music.

Mytho-beside Mekong river

Tasting fruits on Unicorn Island

On a boat along Mekong near Unicorn Island

 From there, we continue on a motor boat trip to Ben Tre province to visit a handmade coconut candy workshop. Then transfer to a small motor boat and travelled along the lush, green canal and stop at a local restaurant for Vietnamese lunch and bicycle riding around the village.Its back to Ho Chi Minh City around 7.00pm.  

Day 4-6 (Dalat)
Day 4 

This morning we left Ho Chi Minh City and head for the hills, literally. The scenic 7-hour drive along Highway 20 (300km) to Da Lat was broken up by stops at some of the tea and coffee plantations. We arrived at Da Lat, sometimes known as the “City of Eternal Spring,” by late afternoon.

Dalat's temperatures hover between a cool 15 and 24 degrees Celsius.Checked into Villa Pink Hotel. Ate dinner at Vinh Loi, a Chinese restaurant.Very reasonable price.

Day 5

One of the highlights of Dalat are the guided motorbike tours into the surrounding picturesque hills and villages. First stop: cricket farm. Yes, the Vietnamese eat many things….really nothing goes to waste here…including crickets. And scorpians. We were offered a fried cricket to eat ourselves.  

Picturesque hills

Scorpion farms

Silk cocoon at silk farm

Silk weaving machine

After visiting the local market, we were back on the motorbikes to the silk farm. The production and weaving of silk goes back many generations in Vietnam and it’s cool to see the tradition from start to finish. 

Under the waterfall

 After a quick visit to a waterfall where we got quite wet, we visited a village and met a a family who are part of the ethnic hill tribes of the area. 

Ethnic hill tribes

We were back to Dalat town before sunset. We borrowed the motorbike and headed to The Crazy House, Dalat flower garden and Bao Dai summer palace.

The Crazy house

An eagle room inside the Crazy house

Dinner at the same restaurant.

Day 6

Boarded a bus and headed back to HCMC.  Reached HCMC in the afternoon. Mrs. Long welcomed us with a glass of iced lemon tea each. Really refreshing!!
 After resting, we went for a half day city tour around HCMC: the War Remnants Museum has a wealth of images from the wars, the most moving being a gallery entitled 'Requiem' which is dedicated to Vietnamese and foreign journalists and photographers who perished during the French and American conflicts, the Reunification Palace was the former residence of the President of South Vietnam until April 30, 1975 when the North Vietnamese tanks came crashing through the front gates, bringing the U.S.-Vietnam War to a dramatic end. Close to the palace some of the best examples of French colonial architecture are represented in the forms of Notre Dame Cathedral and the Central Post Office. We saw a statue of Uncle Ho in front of the City Hall

Central Post Office

Reunification Palace

War Remnants Museum

Notre Dame Cathedral

     Inside the Notre Dame Cathedral

Statue of Uncle Ho

Day 7
Morning- free and easy.  Walk around marketplace near Pham Ngu Lao area.  Bought Vietnamese coffee including the coffee strainer. Lacquerware are famous in Vietnam, not forgetting cashewnuts.

Coffee strainer

How the strainer is placed on the cup

Huge cashewnuts

Lacquerware factory

Depart for home at 16.10hrs. with sweet memories of Vietnam.

Backpacking in Southern Vietnam (8/6-14/6/2010)

Day 1
Arrived in Tan San Nhat airport at 3.45pm on 8/6/2010. Boarded a bus (No 152, ticket costs 5000vnd) at the entrance of the airport and showed the bus driver this: "Vui long cho toi suong tram De Than, doi Sinh cafe', cam on", which means 'I want to get off De Tham stop (opp Sinh cafe') thank you', so as to get to Long Guesthouse.

Mr., Mrs Long and their niece, Ngoc are fantastic, friendly and warm hosts.The room is very clean and cozy with aircon, attached bathroom and TV for a very cheap price (below USD 20 for 2 including breakfast). Mrs. Long recommended us local tours which are cheap and good. After checking in, we took a 10 min walk to Ben Thanh market and enjoyed a local meal of deep fried elephant ear fish, vegetable salad, fried rice and a can of beer all for only USD12 for 2 person just outside the market.

A stall outside Ben Thanh market

Deep fried Elephant ear fish

Ben Thanh market is the largest old-style market in the central district, with several hundred small stalls stuffed with goods on almost impassably narrow aisles. Due to its popularity with tourists, the market is now divided between tourist goods (jeans, T-shirts, smaller souvenirs in abundance) and regular items (fruit and vegetables, rice, kitchen wares, flowers, meat, fast food and local-style pickled fruits and candies). Most items are not price-marked, and vendors always quote a 50-100% higher price to tourists, so the fortitude to haggle will save you some money. 

Ben Thanh market

 Day 2

Cao Dai cathedral

Noon worship service

After a delicious breakfast in guesthouse, we started a fascinating day trip to Tay Ninh, the center of the Cao Dai religion, which has perhaps two million followers in Vietnam. Cao Dai is a 1920’s invention which took the best of Catholocism and Asia’s great religions. (The sect has bestowed sainthood on Victor Hugo and Winston Churchill, among others.) Visiting the ostentatious but breathtaking cathedral is the highlight of the trip to Tay Ninh. The noon worship service is open to visitors has been compared to a scene from Disney’s Fantasia.

After lunch, we continued our trip to Cu Chi, an incredible underground network constructed by Vietnamese fighters during the long struggle for independence. The tunnels contained hospitals, plus accommodation and schools, and were used as a military base for the Vietcong in the American war.  A section of the tunnels is open to visitors. If you are small enough, you can try to wiggle through some of the narrow passageways.

Narrow opening to underground tunnel

Weapon workshop in Cu Chi

 We arrived back in HCMC in the evening.  After dinner near Ben Thanh market, we walked around enjoying the night scenes in HCMC.

Night scene in HCMC

Thousands of motobikes in HCMC as the most common means of transport

Haphazard wiring

Day 3 - to be continued