SOUTHEAST ASIA TRIP

March 1 - 27, 2024

• Destinations: Singapore, North Vietnam, South Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand

Singapore (March 1 - 5)

• Travel: Flew business class on Singapore Airlines. Seats lay flat manually, food and bar options were basic.

• City Highlights:

• Known as the business and financial hub of Asia.

• Clean city with minimal smoking and extensive green spaces like the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome.

• Significant landmarks: Raffles Hotel, Marina Bay Sands.

• Cultural insights: English is the first language, no tipping culture, strict laws and surveillance, and high costs for owning a car.

• Activities:

• Visited Cloud Forest and Flower Dome.

• Enjoyed dinner at Tess.

• Explored Botanical Gardens and National Museum, learning about Singapore's WWII history.

• Visited Marina Bay Sands for rooftop views and drinks at Spago’s.

North Vietnam (March 5 - 10)

• Hanoi:

• Stayed at Intercontinental Hotel, noted for its smog due to burning season.

• Major attractions: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Temple of Literature, Museum of Ethnology, and Hanoi Hilton.

• Unique experiences: Watching a train pass through narrow streets, observing traffic without traffic lights, visiting John McCain's crash site, and experiencing local culture and reverence for ancestors.

• Sapa:

• Stayed at Silk Path Sapa Hotel.

• Engaged in local culture: Visited outdoor markets, hiked through rice fields, and interacted with Hmong locals.

• Noteworthy: Observed simple living conditions, traditional bride kidnapping practices, and the unique dynamics of rural Vietnamese life.

Halong Bay (March 10 - 11)

• Cruise: Special Orchid Trendy Cruise.

• Visited Cat Ba Island and its limestone caves.

• Enjoyed kayaking around the islands.

• Observed stunning but overcast scenery.

• Culinary note: Dinner on the cruise was disappointing.

South Vietnam (March 11 - 12)

• Hue:

• Stayed at Indochine Palace Hotel.

• Activities: Dragon boat ride on Perfume River, visited Heavenly Lady Pagoda, explored Imperial Citadel.

• Cultural notes: Observed incense burning tradition, visited historical sites reflecting the grandeur of Vietnamese dynasties.

General Observations

• Singapore: High living costs, strict laws, and a unique blend of modernity with tradition.

• Vietnam: A country with a rich history marked by resilience and cultural depth. Noted differences between North and South in terms of lifestyle and economic behavior. North Vietnamese tend to save more, while South Vietnamese are more spendthrift due to a more fertile and prosperous environment.

Key Takeaways

• Cultural Insights: Respect for ancestors, deep historical awareness, and a balance of tradition with modern life in all visited regions.

• Travel Tips: Embrace local transportation apps like Grab, explore local markets and interact with locals for an authentic experience, and visit historical sites to understand the region's past.

• Personal Highlights: The friendliness and warmth of the Vietnamese people, particularly towards Americans, and the fascinating local customs and traditions.
  

Danang

• Overview: Third largest city in Vietnam with around 1.5 million people.

• Key Sites: Dragon Bridge, China Beach (historical military R&R site).

Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)

• Guide: Louis, knowledgeable and anti-communist.

• Key Sites:

• Reunification Palace: Former presidential palace with a bunker, historical significance in the Vietnam War.

• War Remnants Museum: Extensive coverage of the war's history, impact, and significant events like the My Lai massacre.

• Scooter Tour: Explored the city's backstreets and local life, engaging with friendly locals and experiencing local cuisine.

• Local Bar: Visited Phong Tra Hat Voi Nhau, a unique bar with a great sound system and live band.

My Tho/Can Tho

• Activities:

• Mekong Delta Boat Tour: Short boat ride to tourist spots for coconut candy and traditional music; generally touristy.

• Can Tho: Notable for lighted bridges and a large Ho Chi Minh statue. Stayed at Victoria Can Tho Hotel with colonial charm.

• Floating Market: Morning visit to the market on the Mekong River, saw boats selling various goods.

Siem Reap, Cambodia

• Guide: Rity.

• Key Sites:

• Angkor Thom: Ta Prohm (famous for trees growing over ruins), Bayon Temple.

• Angkor Wat: Visited at sunrise, notable for its impressive exterior rather than interior.

• Tonle Sap Lake: Visited floating villages and learned about the local way of life.

Luang Prabang, Laos

• Guide: Sy, former monk.

• Key Sites:

• Kuang Si Falls: Beautiful aqua-green waterfalls, popular swimming spot.

• Royal Palace: Less opulent than expected.

• Pak Ou Caves: Filled with Buddha statues but considered not worth the trip.

• Alms Giving Ceremony: Participated in the daily ritual of giving food to monks.

Chiang Mai, Thailand

• Activities:

• Baan Chang Elephant Park: Highlight of the trip, spent a day learning about and interacting with elephants.

General Observations and Tips

• People: Generally friendly and welcoming, particularly in Vietnam and Cambodia.

• Traffic: Notable for the high number of scooters in Saigon, with surprisingly orderly traffic.

• Historical Insights: Learned alot about the Vietnam War, its impact, and the ongoing effects in the region.

• Cultural Practices: Participated in local traditions like the alms giving in Laos, and noted the differences in demeanor between Cambodian and Vietnamese people.

• Travel Tips:

• Siem Reap: Two days are sufficient, focusing on Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat.

• Luang Prabang: Key activities are the waterfall and the alms giving; the Pak Ou Caves can be skipped.

• Best Time to Visit: November is ideal, March is dry and brown, April is the hottest, and May to October is monsoon season.

Notable Experiences

• Food: Enjoyed local cuisine, including street food and dishes like green mango salad.

• Markets: Explored bustling markets in Vietnam and Laos, noting the cramped and aromatic conditions.

• Cultural Immersion: Engaged with local customs and traditions, providing a deeper understanding of the region's culture and lifestyle.

Details of Southeast Asia Trip

Singapore/North Vietnam/South Vietnam/Cambodia/Laos/Thailand

March 1st -27th 2024

Singapore

We flew business class on Singapore Airlines. Left at 10:30 pm got into Singapore at 8 am 2 days later. Business class was not as good as I was expecting. The seats lie flat, but you must stand up and do it manually. Also, the cubby for your feet is to one side so you must lay diagonally. The food was ok. Had salmon but it wasn’t a nice fillet, more pieces. They didn’t have a very extensive bar. Kind of basic. If you missed a meal they didn’t try to get it to you. The TV screen was a good size. I slept well (took an Ambien). Stayed wake till 1:30 am then slept for 6 hours, woke up ate something and slept again. Woke up with about 4 hrs still to go and stayed awake. Felt good when we landed and stayed up all day.

Note: the time change, take the current time and switch it am to pm or visa versa and subtract 4 hrs

Singapore Facts

·        City/State – Business and Financial hub of Asia

·        The island is only about 20 x 20 miles or about the size of Orange County

·        Hardly anyone smokes.

·        Eighty percent of the population lives in subsidized housing.

·        Fifty million tourists/yr – much of its medical tourism

·        They are fast walkers so stay to the left and they drive on the left.

·        1965 Gained independence from Britian.

·        1967 the president launched an initiative to be known as the garden city and hence you got the flower dome and cloud forest.

·        Need a certificate to buy a car. Cost about $100K

·        Twenty percent of land was reclaimed from water.

·        Seems like a late city. Coffee shops don’t open till between 8:30 – 10 am

·        Exceptionally clean – no litter

·        Raffles Hotel – If you want to splurge stay here. I haven’t seen a more immaculate hotel. Every inch was clean and perfect on the outside. $1,200 per night. Michael Jackson had his 35th  birthday there so that gives you an idea.

·        “Grab” is the Uber of SE Asia so get the app to use when you want to get around.

·        1st language is English, so everything is in English.

·        Average 84% humidity with the wettest month November and the driest February.

·        5-10% tipping for food but not expected. No tipping at airport or hotels (they add a surcharge)

·        1 SGD = .74 cents US

3/3/24 – Sunday

Went to the cloud forest and flower dome. Both were amazing and a must see. The cloud forest has a huge indoor waterfall. The flower dome has a beautiful dahlia exhibit. Also has amazing driftwood sculptures. All of this was impeccably maintained.

Had dinner at Tess which was next to our hotel Naumi. Excellent food and great cocktails. Tried a Guatemalan old fashion made with Pedro Ximenez sherry and Ron Zacapa 23 rum and chocolate biters – won the 2016 world class award in Sinagpore. I need to try and duplicate this – so good!

3/4/24 – Monday

Did the hop on /hop off bus today – did the red and yellow routes. The yellow route was much better.

Went to the botanical gardens which are the first and only tropical gardens on UNESCO world heritage list. They had an incredible orchid garden – worth the trip and the vegetation offers a cool refuge from the heat.

Then we went to the National Museum which had a great layout of the history of Singapore. I did not know Singapore was bombed the day after Pearl Habor and taken over by the Japanese with the British surrendering it in 1942. The country was placed in military occupation and population was made to learn Japanese – conditions were harsh until the Japanese surrendered it and it went back to a British colony until 1965.

Marina Bay Sands hotel/condos. Went to the top in the evening for spectacular views of the city. This is the iconic hotel that you see in pictures, with the boat on top of three pillars. From the top you see how many boats were in the waterway and it looked like Long Beach harbor during COVID 10x. It rained off and on, but people stayed in the roof top pool. When it started blowing sideways, they dropped the shades around the bar/restaurant. The restaurant was Spago’s (Wolfgang) and it had a very cool Tommy Bahama vibe to it with good electronic music in the background. The drinks were $29 per and with interesting concoctions. Also, the food in the bar was very good. So go up for drinks and bar snacks and go early as there was a line when we left. Also just go, don’t let them tell you, you can’t because you don’t have a reservation.

Conversation with our cab driver to the airport

He paid $250K Singapore dollars (SGD) for his car. He makes $60K and pays 20% for tax and health care but healthcare only covers 70% of costs so he must get an insurance policy for the rest. He lives in subsidized housing – he owns a four bd flat that costs $900K. The government encourages you to live within 3 km of your family and gives you incentives to do that. (they check your national ID card to verify).

The city is heavily monitored with cameras on street corners and if you commit a crime your identity will immediately be sent to immigration so you can’t leave the island. Punishment is harsh – get caught with 1 Kilo of coke? You are hung. 2 years in jail for shoplifting. They still cane criminals for various offenses.

Gas is very expensive, about $19 per gallon SGD or $14 US. So these poor people will drive to Malaysia which takes about 4-5 hrs. to get gas which is about $4 per SGD. Interesting to note that our cab ride was only $30 to the airport (about a 20 min drive)

Honestly, thinking about the math of living in Singapore – something doesn’t make sense. Not sure how they do it or what I’m missing.

3/5/2024 Tuesday

Flew to Hanoi on Vietnamese Airlines. About a 3 ½ hour flight. Our guide Thang picked us up and took us to the Intercontinental Hotel in Hanoi. We couldn’t believe how smoggy it was! Had a drink at the outside bar and couldn’t see the other side of west lake due to the smog/haze (and it’s not a very big lake). They said it was the burning season, so everything is smoggy. Grabbed a cab and went to this crazy buffet on a recommendation from a local we met. It was huge and we were the only gringos in the place. They had every kind of Asian food you could ever want. The name of the restaurant was SEN and definitely an experience you should have.

3/6/2023 Toured Hanoi

Started sightseeing Hanoi with a population of about eight million. Toured some major historic sites, including Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh House on Stilt, One Pillar Pagoda, Hoa Lo prison (Hanoi Hilton) and Temple of Literature or learning. The first stop was the Temple of learning. There were fish on the headers as you entered the temple of learning grounds and dragons as exited to symbolize you come in as a little fish and go out like dragon. The temple dated back to the 900-ad period. There were also these large flat stone scrolls with the name of the person each year who scored the highest on the tests, chiseled on it, going back to the beginning of the temple.

The Museum of ethnology was really interesting. It exhibited the fifty-four different ethnic groups of Vietnam and how showed how and where they each lived. You saw distinct color and patterns in the clothes of each ethnic group such that a typical Vietnamese person would be able to look at a fellow Vietnamese and know what ethnic group they belonged to. The Hmong were prominent- as their cloths were dark indigo color and the women had permanently stained hands - blue, from dying the cloths. They had a garden area which displayed the homes of each of the groups. They were quite different because they were based on local resources. For instance, one group had very tall roofs which signaled wealth but also made it easier to find a home in the dense jungle.

Then we watched the Train come through town and it barely goes between the buildings. A man comes ahead of the train and blows a whistle to get everyone off the tracks and the shortly after the train rumbles between the buildings just inches from you as you are standing there. This is a big tourist thing but something to experience. If you get there early and get a seat, order a Vietnamese egg coffee.

We then took a ½ bicycle/rickshaw ride around the old town. The traffic is nothing short of phenomenal how it works. There are no traffic lights or stop signs per say and there are mostly scooters (3/4), and everyone just goes. The trick is everyone moves constantly but at a slow speed, 25 mph, slowing only when absolutely necessary. But if you need to make a left turn and there is oncoming traffic you just go, people slow down for you, and it just works.

We rode around open markets, and it was surprising that there weren’t flies on the raw meat they had lying out.

Next, we went to a small memorial where John McCain had crashed his plane and parachuted and got hung up in a tree. This happened at West Lake, close to our hotel. Vietnam seemed to treat McCain with a certain amount of reverence. We then went to turtle lake temple. There are four symbols in Vietnam Dragon, Turtle (longevity) phoenix and unicorn.

Finally, we went to the Hanoi Hilton. Saw how the French treated the Vietnamese people so brutally. And at the same time showed how well the US pilots were treated. They got to celebrate Christmas, could write letters home etc. Our guide who was north Vietnamese explained that it was called the Hilton because they were treated so well, they were given beers and had a good time. We didn’t have the heart to explain sarcasm to him. The prisoners had one leg shackled to their beds despite the fact they were in a prison. This was the same for the Vietnamese when the French imprisoned them. The Vietnamese prisoners escaped through a sewer system, and they had the sewer pipe there to show you. The French had a guillotine in the prison and would post the heads to convince everyone not to try anything. There was a large display of how the American POWs were treated and it showed letters that were sent back home as well as pics of the prisoners decorating a tree for Christmas. It even had pics and quotes of the former POW’s captors meeting their prisoners after the war.

It was interesting that they called the war The “American War” or a civil war which makes total sense considering they also had a 100-year French war.

Finally, we went back to the hotel and got a foot massage at May spa next to the hotel.

3/7/2024 SAPA pronounced saPA

First, we went to Ho Chi Min mausoleum at the insistence of our guide. We stood in line with him for 1:45 min. The real story was not seeing Ho in a state of repose, the real story was what goes on around the viewing. Really interesting to see lines of people show up every day to pay their respects and wait in line for 2 hours. Groups of women would dress up the same and dress pretty formally. Kids: there were tons of kids that were probably on class field trips. There was a lot of pageantry around the entrance of the mausoleum and the guards were very strict about staying in line. I asked our guide if these were vaulted positions and he made it sound like they were lower positions in society to be a guard of the mausoleum. The kids were so friendly, all of them wanted to say hi to the Americans and high five them. They were all so well behaved. It was amazing that this happens every day!

As far as the tomb goes, it was quite simple and modest, just as Ho was. He was reclined in a tomb which had glass around the sides and lighting cast down on him. Other than that, the room was large and fairly dark with nothing else in there. You would just walk around the perimeter of the room, and you were done and out with the ever-present guards at each corner of the room.

We then went to see HO’s house on the grounds of the mausoleum they constructed for him in his later years. It was very simple and modest, which he wanted because it reminded him of when he lived in the mountains.

I saw a bunch of middle-aged women wearing long red dresses with a yellow star on their chest (flag of Vietnam). They were in a long row of about ten getting their picture taken so I jokingly walked over and stood in their line. What happened next was they saw me and instantly embraced me. They made me get in the middle of the pictures with them and were so happy and friendly. Then Bill, Cheryl, and Audrey saw what was going on and they got into the pictures as well. Again, we were impressed with how friendly and warm these people were to Americans.

Walking around the ground we saw a beautiful presidential place that was used for special occasions and dignitaries. We also saw the one pillar pagoda- pagodas have buddhas in them, while a temple is a place of worship to the gods. We went into this one pillar pagoda which had tons of offerings and I saw about fifteen people on the floor bringing out all this food and asked what’s going on and our guide said it was a funeral meal and sure enough there was a picture of the deceased on the altar.

I was astonished at how much this culture reveres their ancestors. They make pretty consequential offerings to the temple - mounds of fruit, flowers even bottles of Chivas regal (like fifty bottles) They also buy things to burn. So, they would buy fake money and replicas of iPhones etc. and burn them in a fire believing that whatever they burn will reach their ancestors in their afterlife and make them more comfortable. I find this culture extremely spiritual and committed to believing in life after death and hence their steadfastness in praying for their ancestors.

Although we were skeptical about seeing Ho’s tomb, we were glad we did, not for viewing the actual tomb but seeing what goes on around the tomb and how the culture is presented. Worth doing.

SAPA

Next, we drove to Sapa. It was a long 6-hour drive, but we got to see the countryside, which I said was in the middle of the burning season so there was a lots of smoke. They burn the fields to make char which is good for the next rice crop. We saw people working in the rice fields, mainly fertilizing, but this wasn’t the time to see the rice, so things were mostly brown. They plant in May and harvest around Sept. So, Sept/Oct is the time to go if want to see splendid color and rice fully grown. Also, if you want to see without FOG, the best time to go is in the summer. This place is notorious for fog.

So, we arrived at the Silk Path Sapa hotel and it’s beautiful. All the floors are marble and beautiful. It had an exquisite indoor pool. In the states a room in a hotel like this would go for $1K but here its about $90/night and that includes a huge breakfast spread which had a lot of Vietnamese (lots of Pho, noodles, and fruit) and American foods. The only downside to this place, which was odd when you think about it, was that they didn’t have a traditional bar.

That night we ate in town at Red Dzao which seemed pretty authentic since there were hardly any white people in there.

3/8/2024 Friday

We had breakfast and took a hike (about five miles) from the town of Sapa but first we did a tour of the outdoor market. This was one of the best outdoor markets we saw so worth a visit. Really interesting and yes, they eat dog. Also had live fish they would kill and descale on the spot. They had tons of greens, fruits, and medicinal herbs. Didn’t see a single fly on the raw meat and not sure why. They like chicken feet because we saw lots of it. You could identify the Hmong women because their hands were permanently stained blue.

As we hiked down the mountain we would stop in and see the locals in their homes, and they would let us see how they lived inside. It was astonishing how primitive they lived. Had a fire pit in the center of the house and no chimney so it was very smoky inside and the walls had soot on it. The women have 6-10 kids. They would be sitting by the fire with a baby in hand and making hemp twine to sell. The rooms in the shanty were separated by a sheet. They slept on wood cots with no mattress – just bamboo slats or hemp rope. They would store their wood in the rafters to keep it dry. They all had an altar to God (catholic) and a beautiful picture of a bride and groom in their wedding regalia, blown up to 4x6 ft on the wall (assuming their children). There were dogs but they all kind of looked the same – Akida breed. The floors of the home were dirt and in some cases without windows.

We got to the bottom of the mountain – the hike was all downhill and stopped in to have a beer in a homestay in Hoan Lien. The young girl, about twenty-five and her cousin owned it and were the sweetest people. There were about six kids running around the place and they weren’t her kids. She was single but said she just loved kids. In honor of international woman’s day, the kids made bunches of flowers and gave them to the girls. She and her cousin bought the place about 3 months ago she said. We couldn’t figure out how this young woman could be there, not married, and could afford to buy the place she had. The only thing we could figure out was she must have come from a rich family. Anyway, the Hmong women are famous for following you and trying to engage you until you buy something. They’ll ask, “where are you from?”

Next, we drove to the Silver waterfall over Heaven’s Gate (the highest point in the Hoang mountain range) Unfortunately it was completely fogged in so we couldn’t see anything. The waterfall was more of a slide than a big drop.

Observations: The dogs are all very mellow and keep to themselves. The kids are just outdoors playing and seem to all be having a good time and the adults seemed very calm and sedate.

3/9/2024 Sapa

We got picked up at 8:30 and drove to an area in the rice fields to do another 4-mile trek. Where we started the hike there were a lot of artichokes being grown. They also grow corn, but it was early in the season. The fog was better so you could see some of the mountain tops and rice terraces.

We stopped at a small museum in Sapa and read about bride kidnapping where the boy meets a girl, likes her, and asks her parents if it ok to take her. With their blessing he and some friends sneak in and take her to his parents’ house. Sometimes she’s not happy about it.

Next drove to the China border. You could see the high development on the China side. My bet is they did this to show off to the other side of the border. We went into a pagoda with people in there praying to mother gods of air, rivers, mountains, and forests. The sculptures on the pagoda were dragons blowing to make wind which was their way of praying for rain so they would have a good crop of rice. Drove back to our hotel in Hanoi – intercontinental for one more night.

I asked Thang for his observations of the different tourists he has had:

·        Australians: They just want to take pictures. Not really interested in learning about their culture.

·        Indians: Biggest drinkers and they are always late. Say eight and they show up at 10.

·        Brits: picky eaters but had questions

·        Americans: Nice, polite to the crew Ask questions about the war. Best tippers. Respectful.

Observations of North vs South:

The north has one rice crop per year while the south has 3, because of the longer growing season and more productive soil, and this is reflected in their attitude towards life. In the north if you make one hundred dong you save 70. In the south you make one hundred, you spend 120. They don’t care because they are more prosperous. They have the Mekong delta which is very fertile, and the weather is better in the south. In the south they travel and spend, while in the north they save for traumas like typhoons. Our guide (north) said after his mother died, they found gold bars in a box of cereal. The environment is also reflected in the food. Since the north is colder the food is spicier and fried while the south is sweeter. Also, with the delta there are more fish and veggies. They all seem to eat just about anything that moves but the south doesn’t eat dog.

If you want to be rich you need to have a good relationship with the government. The tax rate is 20% but kids are a tax credit ($400 pp). Lots of corruption in government so pay under the table and if you have a good relationship, you pay less. During COVID government said get vaccinated and everyone did – you had to. If you protest against the government, you go to prison.

3/10/2024 Sunday Halong Bay

Left the hotel about 8:30 and drove 2 hrs to Halong Bay. Took a water taxi to our boat which was the “Special orchid trendy” cruise line. Only had forty people on the boat. The rooms were great. Large and the bathroom had a large soaking tub next to the window. The weather was cloudy and cool. We immediately had lunch on board.

After lunch we took a boat ride to the Cat Ba island (means send women) and cave. This island was where they sent women during wars etc. 60K people live on the island. The cave is about a 30 min walk through it and interesting, all limestone. It was warm in the cave. During the war people would live in the cave. The cave/island has no hospital on the island. Interesting fact: there was a tree that the emperors would make chopsticks from because the wood would turn color if it came in contact with poison. Just wear sandals in the cave.

We all thought two, maybe 3 days in the bay would be better than 1 especially if you went in Oct. which is when it’s sunny but not too hot. We heard that you couldn’t sit on the top open deck in the summer because it was too hot.

Once we were back on the boat, we boated to where we would anchor for the night. Everyone did that so there were probably 50 boats, but it was quiet anyway. It’s a beautiful boat ride and the scenery changes around every turn. If the sun were out, it would be spectacular! Dinner was terrible. The food was dried-out and over cooked.

3/11/2024 Halong Bay to Hue

In the morning got up and kayaked for about an hour around one of the islands. The water wasn’t pristine (had some garbage floating in the water but it wasn’t too bad). Saw a jellyfish in the water.

Docked the boat and took a 4-hour drive back to Hanoi. Stopped at a pearl farm and saw how they make cultured pearls and how they rate the pearls just like diamonds. Saw goldish/yellow pearls which were beautiful. There were women taking crushed shells and inserting the “seed” into the gonads of the oyster to irritate and make a pearl.

Along the way back we also stopped on the side of the road and saw how they plant the rice. They take rice saplings and pull them out of a very tight cluster of saplings and group them into a bunch, clean the roots and bundle them. Then another person takes them to a bare rice field and plants them systematically, so they get good yields, planting equidistant from each other.

Got back to Hanoi and flew to Hue – about one ½ hour flight on Vietnam Airlines. Aud had to play doctor with someone who just projectile vomited onto a passenger and passed out. Our guide Mui (such a bad guide) picked us up and took us to the Indochine Palace hotel (5 star) in the middle of town. The gym sucked but everything else was very good, we got upgraded to a large suite. Bill ended up flooding their room because he let his shirt, that he was washing in the shower, clog the drain. They just cleaned it up, didn’t charge him anything for damages.

We went to dinner at Madame Thu 2. Cute restaurant (had a lot of charm) that served traditional food. I recommend this restaurant. After dinner we walked around the area and saw a lot of young people gathering outside to eat and drink at these little tables on the sidewalk with music blasting from somewhere.

3/12/2024 Toured Hue (pronounced Whey or We)

Took a dragon boat ride up the perfume river to the Heavenly lady pagoda built in 1602. The story goes that the king burned a coil of incense and started walking. When the incense burned out that is where he stopped and had a 7 (good luck number) story pagoda built. The incense burning and flowers along the river gave the river its name.

Next, we went to the Imperial Citadel built in 1802 and competed in 6 years. It was huge yet only about six hundred people lived there – 500 concubines (this king knew how to live), 125 children of the king and 20 soldiers to protect him. (they were highly intelligent and highly trained in martial arts). The King’s residence is yellow and that is the Kings color, and anyone caught wearing it would be killed. The ornateness of the mosaics on the residence was incredibly beautiful and intricate. A lot of the citadels were bombed during the war because they had machine guns mounted at the top of the citadel and would shoot down helicopters. So, they rebuilt it and made it look old. Finally, we toured, built during the second king’s reign in early 1800s and his son finished it after his death. This is a world heritage site. This is a huge garden, gorgeous, peaceful and worth the visit.

That night we walked around the citadel – a must do because the buildings are beautifully lit. It was interesting to see a lot of people -particularly young people - just sitting on the ground in groups and having a get together.  Hue is a must stop.

3/13/2024 Wednesday Drive Hue and Hoi An

The drive took about 5 hours including stops. Hoi An is a must stop and one of the highlights. Stopped at an oyster farm and watched them take oysters off tires they put in the water to attract them and grow on. Toured the Cham Museum which has a lot of Hindu sculptures of Visnu and Siva that were uncovered. The French stole many of them and have them in their museums.

Next, we toured marble mountain which was worth the trip. Many buddha and dragon sculptures. Even has a large buddha and reclining buddha behind it in a cave. During the Vietnam war they hid in these caves. There was a huge seven story temple to Buddha – 7 and 9 are good luck numbers.

Next, we had a late lunch at the vegetable village. They have beautiful vegetable gardens growing to sell at the market. All the crops looked so healthy.

Finally, before we got to the hotel, we stopped at BeBe in Hoi An which is a reputable tailor that makes your clothes in a day. I ordered a sport coat and Aud got a blouse and skirt ($175 and $195). Tip: go there knowing what you want and what fabric you like. The best thing is to bring them a picture of what you want. If you don’t know what you want, it gets overwhelming pretty fast so have a good idea before you get there.

Checked into the Allegro Hoi An hotel which was in the middle of town so you could walk to the river and shops. You definitely want to be within walking distance of the center of town. Went out walking around at 8 and went to the river front area. Sat on little stools at Chu AN and had Mai Tais, which were the best, and people watched. Lots of people and energy. This town is known for its lanterns, and they are all over the place and very colorful – makes for great pictures. You could take a boat/lantern ride and see the lanterns in the river at night – great pics. Across the bridge was music and bars with seating outside on the patios – great for people watching and listening to Vietnamese singing and playing American songs – some were actually rather good. You could pay a dollar, float a candle on the water, and say a prayer and of course Audrey had to do that.

3/14/2024 Hoi An

Met our guide at 9 am and had a short day. Today was about 86 degrees and 63% humidity. It felt warm but not stifling.  We drove to the pottery village and made some small pots on a wheel. Interestingly the wheel was spun by a girl who used her bare foot to spin the wheel while the potter made the pot. We got some clay animals based on our birth year, I was a monkey (smart) and Aud was a chicken (hard working). This was something you could skip, just do the tour of the old town.

Then we took a boat ride up the river back to the main part of town and did a walking tour of the old town. Very picturesque. Colonial styles with terra cotta tile roofs. Walked through the market – not as nice as the others we had seen – flies on the meat etc. Saw a traditional Japanese home that had been passed down from 9 generations and built in the 1600’s – used Ironwood so really strong house. Saw some temples and had lunch and were back at the hotel around 1:30.

This place is very cool – come for 3 days and take a day to go to Monkey Mountain and see the Hands bridge (Ba Na hills golden bridge). Consider a day trip to the Cat Ba National Park to see some wilderness and bird watching.

Misc Facts:

·        Hoi An used to be a major trading port but the river filled with silt

·        Hoi An = together + peaceful

·        Town known for making silk and lanterns.

·        Feb-May is the high season in Hoi AN due to the temp – too hot in summer and monsoon season is Oct – Jan

·        Rice harvest is May and September

·        All river boats have 2 eyes in the bow – Feng shui.

·        1954 – 1975 Civil war (American)

·        1856-1954 French War

·        1994 US lifted embargo

·        1999 UNESCO designation for Hoi An

·        North vs South – South has one buddha (influence from India) while North many buddha’s including female buddhas.

·        Temples are for worshipping ancestors and gods.

·        Five element beliefs water, metal, earth, wood and fire. These aren’t to be understood in the traditional sense of the word. for instance, fire represents transformation, energy and purification.

Danang

We drove through Danang, City of bridges (dragon bridge). 3d largest city with about 1.5 million people. Saw China beach which was a big military area and that was where the troops had R&R. Flew from Danang to Saigon.

Saigon

Louis was our guide, and he was young and surprisingly good. He definitely didn’t like the communists. Went sightseeing, first the presidential palace, now known as the reunification palace. It was bombed 1962 by South Vietnamese pilots in a coup attempt to oust Diem and rebuilt with a bunker that acted as a war room complete with battle maps, teletypes and radio communications so they could run the war from down there.  Initially built in late 1800s for the French governor. In 1975 a North Vietnamese tank crashed through the gates of the palace and symbolized an end to the war.

War Remnants Museum

Great museum covering the history of the war. Thay also had a big section that covered the photos of the war photojournalists. Had a good section on My Lai massacre and Calley. Also had a lot about napalm and the aftereffects of it as well as the effects of all the mines.

Eisenhower quote “If we lost Indochina we would lose tin, tungsten.” He postulated the Domino theory so the US started giving aid to the tune of $400 million.

US Troop numbers

·        1964, 23K

·        1967,485K

·        1969,550k

·        1970, 336K

·        1972, 24K

Truman took a hard line with USSR and communism in 1947, thinking of the domino theory. So, the US funded 80% of the French armament expenditure yet they lost. In 1955 Vietnam was divided into North and South.

That night we did a scooter tour of the city with “The ride of your life” vespaadventures.com. Very Fun way to see and feel the city. I was struck by how nice the people were on the scooters, they would make eye contact with you and smile or give you the peace sign. The scooters took us through the back streets and alleys so you could see a bit of the other side of the city. People were very laid back. We ate at a small local food stand where we sat at these little tables and little chairs. They made these big pancakes which you broke apart and rolled fresh greens around and ate. Our guide said she makes about $600/month, but the average income is about $275. Highest average in SE Asia is about $4.5K/month in Singapore while Cambodia and Laos are even less than Vietnam, but Thai is about $435/month.

Finally, we went to a really cool local bar “Phong Tra Hat Voi Nhau”. Try to go there. Almost like a cave with a great sound system and great band. It was close to our hotel, The Lotte. This hotel seemed to cater to Korean and Japanese businesspeople. Had a huge lobby and big breakfast buffet spread.

3/16/2024 Saturday My Tho/ Can Tho

We took a boat tour – My tho up the Mekong delta. This day was a waste. Took these small, long boats for a short boat ride and went to a touristy spot where they make coconut candy and chocolate. We watched/listened to traditional Vietnamese music and had some fruit. Very touristy. At lunch they made the large sticky rice ball at our table – that was very cool.

Drove 2 hrs to Can Tho and stayed at Victoria Can Tho hotel. They had a great pool and patio area. Rooms were Ok, a little small but the place had a real Colonial feel to it. Can Tho at night had these lighted bridges (lotus shaped). Also had a huge statue of HO Chi Min. The town was busy and vibrant considering there wasn’t much of a tourist draw or any attractions.

On the way to Can Tho we stopped at a shop that sold bamboo products. Learned about the qualities of bamboo sponges, towels, sheets - dries faster, better wicking and doesn’t take on odors.

Went to the lighthouse restaurant – got a nice steak for the first time. Also had a green mango salad which is just as good as green papaya salad.

3/17/2024 Sunday Floating market in Can Tho

We did the floating market on the Mekong just like they did in the Amazing Race. We had our own boat which took us to the market in the morning. We didn’t leave till about ten so most of the hustle bustle was over but we still got the idea. There were boats that you could get a coffee or beverage from. You could see what the boat had for sale by what was on their flagpole. All these boats were old and gross. Our guide said don’t eat or drink from the boats because they are not clean. For instance, we saw them washing stuff and rinsing in the river water. The river was polluted because the boat people would just let the toilet go into the river. The river was brown because of all the silt but it was exceptionally good for fertilizing the land. The boats we saw were selling pumpkins and pineapples. Looking at the shacks along the river told you this is still a 3d world country.

We stopped at 1 boat and made rice flour pancakes that would dry in the sun and then you put them through a cutter to long noodles- just like they did on the Amazing Race. It wasn’t that hard to make them, and we wondered why some contestants on Amazing Race had so much trouble.

Then we drove back to Ho Chi Min and toured another market. It was amazing how they packed so many items for sale into these little, tiny stalls. I couldn’t imagine sitting in there, all hot and crammed into the stall, all day long, and did I mention the smells?

This was our last day in Vietnam, here’s some thoughts/facts:

·        The people were very friendly and made eye contact and smiled. They seemed genuinely welcoming to Americans.

·        Saigon had 13 million people and 10 million scooters, and the road traffic seemed to function well without stop lights and stop signs

·        Drivers are very forgiving when you impede them. I think it has to do with the Buddhist philosophy.

·        When the French were in Saigon it was known for its hookers and cocaine.

·        Russia collapsed in 1991 so they stopped supporting the Vietnamese. That’s when the government woke up and was forced to start reforming to attract foreign investments.

·        The North thinks communism is great, the South doesn’t.

·        Still 60% of the population is rural with 40% living in cities.

·        Voice of America and BBC are the trusted sources of news.

·        Government turns off access to media around election time.

·        1979 Cambodia attacked the Southern border of Vietnam. Vietnam responded with a full-scale attack on Khmer which was Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge

Flew to Siem Reap – Cambodia via Vietnam Air (plane was full)

Rity picked us up and took us to our hotel FCC Angkor in the early evening. The hotel has a writer theme. The FCC stands for Foreign Correspondents Club. The hotel is open to the outdoors which is hot so the place to cool off is in your room. I would find a different hotel.

There was a HUGE river festival going on and this was the last the night, so we felt compelled to go out and walk around. There were tons of people outside and in one area they had an EDM concert going on and the area was packed. The people in Cambodia seemed more expressive and outwardly showing emotion, laughing, singing, dancing etc, as opposed to the Vietnamese which were staider. The Cambodians aren’t very attractive people compared to the Vietnamese, darker skin, rounder faces - more influence from India. The temperature was still very warm even at 11pm and still humid.

3/18/2024 Monday Angkor Thom

Rity picked us up at 8:30 and we went to the temples in Angkor Thom (this is a must see). Ta Prohm temple has some great trees growing out of the stone structures. Amazing how the roots take over the building. Interestingly, one of the stone etchings on the wall had a clear carving of a dinosaur. T Keo temple had some really really steep steps to climb up, but it was worth it for the views. This was a Hindu temple to Siva god. Baphuon temple again we could have climbed this one but by now we were fading because of the heat - felt like 105d with the humidity (96 d and 46% humidity). Note: you are only good for about 3-4 hours in this heat.

This was the 1st time we saw monkeys (spider) and a large family of them. Next, we went to Bayon temple. It was worth it to see all these temples. They were Hindu then Buddhist then Hindu temples. You saw a lot of Budda etchings that were removed when the Hindus took them over. Cheryl was sick this day and didn’t go out with us. By the end of the afternoon Audrey was getting sick too. So, Bill and I left the girls in the hotel and walked around, went to Harry’s bar and drank and talked with the bartender and her daughter. The daughter wanted to be a lawyer and I asked why, and she said “for the money” as she rubbed 2 fingers together. After that we got a massage.

3/19/2024 Monday Angkor Wat

Bill, Cheryl, and I got up at 5am and drove to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat. Honestly it was good, but I think I built it up too much. The air was hazy (again the burning season), so it didn’t make for great pictures. Many people got up to watch as well but looking back on it we didn’t need to get up that early. Sunrise was at 6:30, if we left at 5:30 we would have had plenty of time to be there to watch the sunrise.  I moved around to get pictures from different angles and I’m glad I did. Be sure to stand by the small lake/pond and get pictures of the temples reflecting on the lake water. After we spent about 45 min watching the sun come up and getting pics, we walked around the temple. It’s not very impressive inside, its really more the outside that impresses. Also, as you looked at the carvings on the walls you could see that they were worn away over time because they were made of limestone and didn’t hold up.

Angkor means city or capital and this place had about one million people living there around 1200.The temples took about 5 years and 6,000 elephants and 385,000 workers to build. The city encompasses 240 sq miles.

 Angkor Wat is a Hindu temple complex that took 37 years to build (1113-1150 AD) King Suryavarman II built it and has both Buddhist and Hindu elements of architecture and symbolism. The temple was dedicated to the god Vishnu (considered the protector and preserver of the universe). They estimate that 80% of Angkor has been discovered.

Came back to the hotel by 8:30am and had breakfast and rested. Honestly, we are all starting to get burnt out of all of this. We told our guide no shopping, crafts, or markets – we are done.

Misc Notes:

·        Their chief exports are cashews and peppers.

·        The electric outlets are standard US but you need a converter for a shaver or hairdryer.

·        In Cambodia everything is in dollars (US). And the tipping is 10-15%. Cell coverage in Vietnam and Cambodia was particularly good.

·        They are spending a considerable amount of time and money on mine removal, with the goal of being clear by 2025. They use giant pouched rats which detect mines by smell. They are trained to associate the smell with a reward. 

·        May – Oct is the monsoon season but it typically rains in the afternoon so you can see temples in the morning without the crowds.

·        November – best time to go.

·        April is the hottest month.

·        March is the dry season, so everything is brown.

·        Shiva – is known as both the creator and destroyer. In Hindu religion he is one of the three supreme gods along with Brahma (creator) and Vishnu (preserver). Shiva is associated with destruction and regeneration and is part of the cycle of creation and rebirth in the Hindu religion.

In the afternoon we went to a Buddhist monastery and a war relic museum that had all this artillery outside on the grounds. They would have a ½ blown up tanks sitting out there. The monastery was old but with new money they built a VERY lavish grounds complete with a cemetery and wall murals depicting the life of Buddha.

3/20/2024 Cambodia

Today was our last day in Cambodia. Took a drive to Tonle Sap Lake which was about ½ hr. out of town and did a boat tour. This is the largest lake in SE Asia and has a floating village that subsists on fishing. It converges with the Mekong and flows down to Phenom Pen. The water level was low due to the dry season (March-April). Monsoon season starts and the water level will rise 30 ft, enough that cruise boats can come in. Everything now is brown including the water but in Oct/Nov the water is clear enough that people swim in the water and vacation there.  In fact, they have a big water festival in Oct/Nov. 80,000 people live in the floating villages and another 5 million live around the lake in 5 provinces. The lake is only 15 ft deep in the middle. Every year the area floods in Sept/Oct and they must move the floating homes to a safe harbor in the flooded forest (move to a tributary). Cambodians live on fish; they eat it every day. Many of the inhabitants of these floating villages are Vietnamese who have fled communism. As I understand it, they are essentially “off the grid” in these floating villages so they don’t pay any taxes etc.

The boat people live in hammocks and squat on the floor most of the time. The lake has crocodiles, and they had a bunch of them penned up for the tourists to see. The lake seemed pretty clean from trash. I think the villagers’ collected bottles and cans so they could get paid for the recycling. In general, it seemed noticeably quiet. Since it is so wet here, they get three seasons of rice crops. They know their rice and the dry season rice isn’t as good as the wet season rice. Our guide said he could tell the difference between the rice, and I assume all Asians in that area can tell the difference.

Thoughts on how to see Siem Reap

You should fly into Siem Reap in the evening and spend 1 day touring Angkor Thom (temples with roots growing over them), and on day 2 get up at 5:30 and see the sunrise at Angkor Wat, come back to the hotel for breakfast and checkout. Then go to Tonle Sap Lake to tour the floating villages and head to the airport for an afternoon flight. There isn’t much else to do here, so 2 days max.

We flew from Siem Reap to Luang Prabang in the evening and checked into the Pullman Hotel. The hotel was beautiful and first class. The units were bungalow style with viewing decks to sit out on and view the beautiful surroundings and hotel grounds.

3/21/2024 Laos Luang Prabang (pronounced long-pra-bong)

Sy was our guide, and he was a monk for about 10 years because his family couldn’t afford to educate him because he was one of many siblings and his older brothers were got all the money for their education. He left the monastery because he wanted a college education. I asked about how the Buddhists could eat meat and said they have a work around:1) They couldn’t know anything about the killing, 2) The animal couldn’t be killed for them and 3) It had to be given to them. Basically, don’t ask, don’t tell.

To be a temple in Laos/Cambodia/Thailand you need five precepts 1) A praying room/main religious ceremony room ,2) Place to eat, 3) Monks quarters, 4) at least 1 stupa (dome shaped building), 5) Drum tower to call Alms and lunchtime. We visited a number of Temples and were VERY strict about taking pictures and removing shoes and hats.

Laos is a slower pace – joke is PDR stands for people don’t rush.

They eat a lot of sticky rice, and they take it from a basket and squeeze it tightly together and then dip it into a sauce with two fingers and use the thumb to grab a piece of meat. It’s impolite to let the rice drop onto the plate of food. A good brand of sticky rice is Khao Niew. SE Asians also eat a lot of snakes.

We took an hour drive to Kuang SI Falls which was very touristy but worth it. They were beautiful aqua green due to the surrounding limestone. You could swim in the water and people were doing it, but we decided not to. They have a bear sanctuary there, sun, and moon bears, and they had them in an enclosed area trying to rehab them back into the woods. While the falls were beautiful, they were very touristy including the usual the Chinese who were abrupt and loud.

Saw the Royal Palace which I wasn’t impressed by in terms of opulence. For instance, the cars were a piece of crap, yet they were on display. Lots of Colonial style buildings but the ornateness was painted gold on wood. The king and queen’s rooms were very austere. There was a big stature of the king, but he looked more like a military man than a king. The last king was in 1975.

3/22/2024 Luang Prabang

Got up at 5:30 and drove to the street near the monastery to give Alms to the monks. About 150 of them from thirteen monasteries come every morning. We gave them sticky rice and a candy bar. You were only allowed to buy government issued food to give them unless you were a local. Lots of people turn out to do this. You wear a sash, remove your shoes, sit on a tiny stool, and give a clump of rice to each monk as they pass in a processional. When their bucket is full, they would dump their contents into a larger basket placed on the sidewalk and keep going. Locals would also bring them food cooked meals after this ritual. Remember monks can only eat what’s give to them. The young monks (novices) had a cross sash over their left shoulder, but the older more esteemed monks had a rolled sash across their left shoulder. The monks didn’t talk although one said “good morning to me so I started saying it to the others, but no response.

Alms for the monks: This practice happens every day and the idea is that it creates a tighter link to the monks and the community. The idea is that the town provides the monks with physical needs so that they can concentrate on their spiritual side, with the idea that the monks provide the community with their spiritual needs. The practice of eating only what is offered to them is meant to cultivate humility, gratitude, and detachment from material possessions. In addition to only eating what is  offered, they do not store excess food or cook their own food.

After that was over, we walked to the open market which was like all the other typical outdoor markets we have seen – beautiful fresh veggies and meat/fish/chicken and many vendors just sitting on the ground selling their wares off the street.

After this we went back to the hotel and had breakfast and headed out for a 2-hour boat ride up the Mekong River to see a Buddhist cave. Along the way we stopped to see how they take mulberry bark and create paper with it. They also would decorate the paper with flowers and leaves when they were making the paper so when the paper dried you would have a nice floral design incorporated into the paper which was very tough and coursed with heavy creases in it.

We boarded a long boat (just us) and took a boat ride up the river to see the countryside. Very pretty mountains but not too green due to the time of the year (dry). Also, during this time of year it’s smoky season so there was a haze over us. Stopped to see a whiskey distiller – terrible taste (had snakes in the whiskey.

The Mekong runs from Tibet down to and through Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam, with most of it, 35% running through Laos.

Saw a few elephants begin ridden on the way up the river. Only about two hundred elephants are in the wild in Laos.

The Pak Ou Cave - It was believed that an ancient Buddha once lived in the cave. Subsequently locals would bring buddha statues there and currently there are about 4,000 buddhas in the cave. During the New Year locals pour water over the buddhas.

This was NOT worth the trip. The cave is a joke and is more of a cave-let. Don’t do this.

On the way back a very windy storm came through with thunder and lighting. It was a deluge for about 10 mins. So much so that the boat had to pull over to the bank and wait for the storm to pass since these boats don’t have much of a side height (maybe 6 inches above the water line) so if there are any waves it could capsize the boat. So Sy called for the car to pick us up and we got out and walked to the road and drove the rest of the way back. Once we got back into town we saw the damage to the town; trees blown over, branches broken off, downed power lines, roofs blown off. We were shocked at the damage, but Sy said this is typical for storms that start coming in during monsoon season, starting in April. Interestingly people weren’t worked up about all the damage, they just went about their business.

We concluded the day with a trip to the night market around 7:30 pm. It was packed with people – locals and tourists, selling food and merchandise. They had a food court that was very good, - pick your veggies and meat and they grill it up for you. People also had these large containers of beer with tap (Carlsberg beer) that they would put on their table and just drink.

So for Luang Prabang the only thing you need to see is the waterfall (Khouag Si Waterfall) and the Alms giving. Shorten the trip by a day and miss the cave or if you wanted to cut the trip, skip Laos, and do the Alms somewhere else.

3/23/2024 Luang Prabang to Chiang Mai

Had breakfast and headed to the airport. Luang to Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Took all day. Checked into Ratilanna Riverside Spa Resort. Beautiful hotel with very upscale grounds. It’s right on the river. Had dinner on the veranda overlooking the grounds and river while the fountain in the restaurant pumped out smoke on the water – a very cool vibe.

3/24/2024 Baan Chang Elephant Park

This was a highlight of the trip, spending a day with the elephants and learning about them. You arrive and change into a uniform, so you all look like “the crew” to the elephant. The first thing you do is feed the baby elephants sugar cane and bananas which they love. The preserve has thirty-three elephants, and they buy them and bring them to the preserve, paying around $25k per elephant from say, a farmer or family who doesn’t need or can’t take care of it anymore.

Elephants are considered holy in Thailand, so poaching isn’t a big deal. There are 7,0000 elephants in Thailand and 3,000 are wild and in national parks and the rest are domesticated. Elephants have been with the Thai people for thousands of years – working for them dragging wood they harvested from the forest.

The preserve began in 2004. Their elephants all are domesticated so they don’t live in a herd and don’t recognize a leader. In captivity they have “friends” and intermix. They each have a mahout which is a person who lives 24/7 with the elephant and takes care of them and protects them.

They eat about 600 lbs of food per day and poop about 50% of it. They sleep 4 hours a day and eat for 18 hours a day. They aren’t aggressive but they are protective. Since we are in the blue uniforms, we are perceived as “the nice people that come and give them sugar cane and bananas. Their trunk is their nose and hand. They have a keen sense of smell and can smell things 10K away, while their feet are sensitive to vibrations up to 4k away. Their biggest problem is constipation. Their teeth are used for grinding not chewing. It’s difficult to do any surgery on them because their skin can’t be sewn back up.

I asked about any stories about elephants doing extraordinary things and our guide told us about a mahout who went into town and was killed in a traffic accident and his elephant went into mourning and cried for a month and wouldn’t come out of his pen. The elephant knew from the vibration in his feet that the mahout had died, because the elephant never saw the mahout after he passed. They are afraid of small rodents and snakes and can smell them. One time a mahout was taking his elephant down to the river, which had a fish trap in it and the elephant turned around and ran back home. The mahout went to investigate and found a live python caught in the fish trap, so what did he do? Killed the snake and ate him for lunch. (these people eat anything that moves). Another story about a bull elephant that would walk out into the road everyday to stop a truck delivering sugar cane only to steal some sugar cane and then let the truck go by. (the elephant knew what time the truck came by every day)

Finally, we made up these big balls of food for them (about the size of a baseball). This food contains all their necessary vitamins which they don’t like and won’t eat so it must be masked around a glob of bananas. It then gets tossed into the elephant’s mouth so they can’t try to smell it with their trunks or else they won’t eat it. After that we got in the water and bathed the elephants. If an elephant pooped in the pond, the mahouts would quickly grab the ball and take it out of the water (gross but still worth the experience). We came back to the main house and took showers and headed back to our hotel.

That night we went to the Sunday market (as opposed to the night market) which was worth the trip even though we were “marketed out.” We ended the night going to North Gate Jazz Co-op. Very small venue but very cool vibe with really good music. Mostly younger people there. If you can, you should do this.

3/25/2024 Monday Chang Mi to Bangkok

This morning, we went to a mountain top temple called Doi Suthep which was beautiful and worth the trip. We parked and took a funitel up to the temple. There was a huge gold-plated stupa (Wat Phra Tat Doi Suthep) that had just been cleaned so it was magnificent. The temple was built in 1384 and it has great views of Chiang Mai but unfortunately it was smoky (due to the season) so visibility wasn’t good.

Interestingly there was a ceremony going on in the plaza of the temple which I thought looked like a wedding but in fact it was a blessing of the buddha’s (about 200) and strangely there were these 2 “guests of honor” sitting in what looked like a bride and groom chair but it turns out the woman was a famous actress and her assistant was sitting in the chair next to her. We also saw a monk blessing a group of about seventy-five people in a temple. These people are very spiritual, and I guess, religious in their own way.

We descended down a very long staircase which had dragon’s heads at the bottom, but the handrail so to speak was the tail of the dragon – very ornate.

We went down the mountain to a Wat Phat Lat which was a temple halfway down the mountain with lots of greenery and a waterfall which was mostly dry due to the season. Finally, we ended with a walk around the tunnel temples - called the U Mong temple, built in the 15th century, which is considered a forest temple. Many Buddha’s in the tunnels and alters but it was unclear why they built this into the ground.

In the afternoon flew to Bangkok – it was ungodly hot and humid. Went to the rooftop bar at our hotel which was outside, so you were pretty uncomfortable at 9 pm.

3/26/2024 Tuesday Bangkok

Our last day but worth it. Headed out early in the morning to avoid the heat as much as possible. We went to the Grand Palace grounds which were built around 1700’s and took about 4 years to build, the grounds are immaculate and house the king’s mansion, the family funeral home, the royal pantheon, and a huge Italian gold mosaic stupa. The Wat Phra kaeo houses the revered emerald buddha. They were extremely strict about no photos inside and hats off.

Next, we went to the reclining buddha – Wat Pho. The buddha is 150 ft long and built in the 17th century. It is meant to represent Buddha’s final hours before his entry into Nirvana. It also conveys a message of tranquility. It’s made of bricks/stucco and covered with gold paint while the bottom of these massive feet are made from inland mother of pearl.

After lunch we took a long boat ride down these canals, passing homes built on stilts. Most of them were really shacks but there were some nicer ones. We passed a HUGE gold seated 200 ft tall buddha, sitting in the middle of the city with all kinds of buildings around it.

Finally, we walked through a flower market, but the vendors were nasty -yelling at you for even smelling the flowers.

At the end of the night Bill and I went out to some local bars to hear some music.

3/27/2024 Bangkok to Seoul to Lax on Delta (Korean air) Flew business class and it was a nice setup with every seat having access to the aisle and a roomy lay flat seat.