So after two weeks of recouping from the trip, and then two weeks without internet access, here is the post for our recent trip to Vietnam, Cambodia, and an extended layover in South Korea.
Overall the trip was absolutely amazing! I plan on eventually typing up my entire travel journal from the trip, but in the meantime, I wanted to post our favorite highlights.
Hanoi, Vietnam
- Waking up every day in the Old Quarter. It’s definitely better to stay there than to simply visit it (and I can’t say enough good things about the Rising Dragon Hotel).
- Taking a bicycled petty cab ride across town through insane traffic that literally has no stop lights, stop signs, or any kind of traffic regulations. (Jaime’s favorite!)
- Having our guide tell us to wait for the green crosswalk light, which had absolutely zero effect on the speed and amount of traffic.
- Eating lunch on an old (looking) Chinese fishing boat in the middle of Halong Bay.
Siem Reap, Cambodia
- Following our airport driver to the motorbike parking lot (in a panic) and then being transported in a tiny carriage, called a tuk tuk, with all of our luggage on our laps.
- Finding the oasis for foreigners known as Pub Street lined with bars and restaurants.
- Getting a “fish massage” in one of the night markets (where fish eat the dead skin off your feet!).
- Watching the sun rise over Angkor Wat.
- Stumbling upon Ta Prohm and seeing the ruins as the discoverers did.
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Using the famous Rex Hotel as our home-away-from-home.
- Reading the propaganda at the War Remnants Museum.
- Rowing down the Mekong Delta on my birthday (and finding a good pizza place for dinner)!
- Finding that somehow the electrical wiring was even worse than Hanoi.
- Jaime getting a custom suit made at a tailors from scratch for $70!
Here are a few tips that would be helpful for any future travelers to Vietnam or Cambodia.
- To cross the streets in Vietnam, you have to walk with a sense of purpose. If you stop or hesitate at all, you’ll throw off the drivers who have perfected avoiding pedestrians. Just try to ignore the bikes and cars swerving around you without slowing down. It’s definitely an experience!
- When applying for your VISA in the Siem Reap airport (and probably other ports of entry), you’re told that you need to bring/have an extra passport photo. If you don’t have one, don’t worry, they just charge you an extra $2 fee.
- We also read that you’re supposed to bring another extra passport photo for your Angkor badge (which you have to show at the entrance to each ruin). They actually have webcams set up at each ticket line and take your picture right there and then you wait two minutes for them to print your badge, which makes a great souvenir!