If you're traveling to Southeast Asia, Angkor Wat is a must do. Depending on which direction you go, it's roughly 300 miles from Bangkok in the west or Ho Chi Minh in the east. You'll be rewarded with a completely different world, and the Khmer people are some of the most gentle and beautiful I've met.
Come get lost with me on my two day adventure through the temples of Angkor Wat.
It was around in December, right before Christmas when I got a message from my cousin Chad that him and his wife Ivy wanted to meet me somewhere in the world. After a few back-n-forth messages we decided that we'd meet in Vietnam. A few more messages with Ivy and we carved out a travel itinerary that started in the northern capital of Hanoi and ended in the southern city of Ho Chi Minh. The two cities were over a thousand miles away and we had 15 days to do it. It was an aggressive timeline for any time of year, but Chad and Ivy's arrival date coincide with Tet, which made our schedule all the more challenging. Here's a 15 day account of our whirlwind tour of Vietnam.
My cousin Chad and his wife Ivy. This picture was actually taken at the end of our trip, but it's a great intro photo.
After a 20+ hour flight from Chicago and completely deleting a day of their life from the time change, they arrived just in time for the Tet celebration.
After a little recon, we sniffed out a western style hotel that was playing Super Bowl 50. At 7:30 in the morning we were in Hanoi, Vietnam enjoying eggs benedict, bloody Marys, and watching Payton Manning's last game.
Hanoi barber.
Hot pot, cheap plastic seats, Bia Sigon, and good company. Ahhh... Vietnam.
HLB selfie.
Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO world heritage site. With its limestone towers shooting up out of the South China sea, you can see why.
There maybe more Cafés in Hanoi than in Paris. The coffee in Vietnam is some of my favorite. It's slightly sweet and chocolatey. You can get it many different ways, but usually iced, either black (cà phê phin) or with sweetened condensed milk (Cà phê sữa da).
Quick fact: Vietnam is the worlds second leading exporter of coffee.
Bia Hoi. It's fresh, it's local, and probably the cheapest beer in the world. I think one 12oz glass cost around 13,00 dong (60 cents USD).
Just another day in Hanoi. Everyone in Vietnam seems to be an entrepreneur.
Pictured above is of the Citadel. It's surrounded by a moat and this giant brick wall. It was the imperial city of the Nguyen Dynasty where emperors use to rule the region. It use to be the capital city of Vietnam until they moved it to Hanoi in 1945.
Tu Duc Tomb. It was constructed in 1864-1867 and served as the second imperial city. It's such a peaceful place where you can't help but to reflect on the past.
Hué is known for having some of the best food in Vietnam. No, this is not pho, it's bun rieu (noodles with tomato broth and crab).
Hué street food. Meat on a stick anyone?
Hué was one of the major battle grounds of the Tet Offensive. It was a series of surprise attacks launched by the North Vietnamese with the cloak of the Tet holiday. Pictured above is small portion of a ceiling mural from a bar in Hué..
Being in Vietnam a week before and on the day of Tet was a unique experience. The energy level of the country is hard to explain. However, after the actual day of celebration everything shuts down and everyone travels home to visit their families. I would not recommend planing a trip to Vietnam after the day of Tet. Trains will be packed and stores will be shut down for up to a week after the holiday.
The beach! Nah Trang is know for it's beaches and cheap diving. We dedicated a full day here.
Po Nagar hindu temple.
Nah Trang, also known as little Russia. 90% of the tourist, and bartenders, here seem to be Russian. Pictured above is Chad's Russian doppelganger.
Nah Trang charcoal salesman.
Small fishing neighborhood within Nah Trang.
Our little motorcycle gang. We took a full day and toured the coast of Mūi Né. If you live in Vietnam, or are traveling there, riding a motorbike is a must. There's a population of 90 million and 37 million registered motorbikes.
Sorry for the sound quality in the video. The wind was brutal on the dunes. I'm still picking granules of sand out of my cameras.
Poz-Gambill Motorcycle Club.
Small fishermen boats, South China Sea.
Tourists trying to get the perfect "jumping" shot with the sunset.
Chad and Ivy taking in the views.
Chad and I at the War Remnants Museum. It's one of the most difficult museums to walk through. It's hard to image that the Vietnam war happened in a country we are now enjoying to travel through.
The largest post office I've ever been to.
The Lunch Lady. Another Bourdain recommendation in the north of Ho Chi Minh.
Ivy getting her tourist pic on.
Hotel Majestic. An old French colonial style hotel on the Sigon River.
A parting shot. You guys made a huge effort to join me! Thanks for the company in Vietnam.
February 8th, 2016 was the start of the Chinese new year. It's based on Chinese astrology and each year represents an animal sign and one of the five elements: Metal, Water, Wood, Fire, or Earth.
2016 is the year of the Fire Monkey. It's a big deal. Most of Asia celebrates the Chinese new year in some form or another. Vietnam calls their new year Tết, but they follow the same principles. Tết is short for Tết Nguyên Đán, which stands for "Feast of the First Morning of the First Day". I was lucky enough to experience the build up and celebration of their most important holiday. To me it felt like one part Christmas, one part New Year's Eve, and one part spring cleaning, all wrapped into one.
I knew about the Vietnam war, everyone has, but I really had no idea of the scale of the war and what that meant for the surrounding countries. There were a bunch of proxy wars happening all along the region, to "fight against the spread of communism". While in Laos I realized that the Vietnam war had no boundaries.
I visited Phonsavan and the Plain of Jars. The cultural significance of the jars didn't get lost on me, but what really sunk in was the second half of the tour. Among hundreds of other sites in Laos, this area is well known for being heavily bombed by the US between 1964-1973. This was part of the Vietnam war I knew nothing about. It was known as the Secret war.
The Plain of Jars. Thousands of stone jars used for prehistoric burials dated from 500 BC.
Stone jar with lid.
Mine Advisory Group (MAG). This marker lets you know the boundaries that have been cleared and are now bomb free in the area.
Bomb crater from a US mission in 1969.
Local entrepreneurs make key chains and spoons from bomb scrap metal found in the area.
Bomb shelter used by locals in the Xiangkhouang province from 1964-1973.
Inside the bomb shelter.
In Vientiane (the Laos capital) I heard about this museum called COPE that displayed bombs from the Vietnam war, so I was curious. COPE stands for the Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise. At the time I had no idea what an impact the museum would have on me.
For me the Vietnam war was terrible, yes of course, but it was generations ago, in a small country far away I knew next to nothing about. The COPE museum was a powerful realization of the horror of war. The tons of bombs we dropped were real. The destruction we caused was real. The people we killed had names. People actually lost their arms, legs, and other body parts, sadly, they still are. The blunt force of our tactics was on full display and it was hard for me to keep watching.
A Laos chid's drawing of their village during the secret bombing missions.
Mural made from cluster bombs. These terrible bombs are still exploding today. More than 270 million cluster munitions (or ‘bombies’, as they are known locally) were used; up to 80 million failed to detonate, remaining live and in the ground after the end of the war.
Here's a trailer for the documentary that plays on a loop at the COPE museum. It's an eye opening video that shares stories of the past destruction caused and current state of a bomb's life cycle.
Bomb Harvest Facts (pulled from maginternational.org):
• There were more than 580,000 bombing missions on Laos from 1964 to 1973 during the Vietnam War.
• That's equivalent to one bombing mission every eight minutes, 24 hours a day, for nine years.
• Over two million tons of ordnance was dropped on the country, with up to 30 per cent failing to explode as designed.
• Approximately 25 per cent of the country's villages are contaminated with unexploded ordnance (UXO).
• All 17 provinces suffer from UXO contamination.
• More than 50,000 people were killed or injured as a result of UXO accidents from 1964 to 2008.
• From the end of the war in 1974 to 2008, more than 20,000 people were killed or injured as a result of UXO accidents.
• There have been approximately 300 new casualties annually over the last decade.
• Over the last decade 40 per cent of total casualties were children.
This is just a small snippet of my trip on the mighty Mekong river but hopefully it gives you some idea of my ride from Chiang Rai, Thailand to Luang Prabang, Laos. It's a two day, one night trip (you sleep in one of the local towns at the half way point - accommodation are separate from boat). This was a perfect way to see the Mekong and it's communities while still keeping me on my North to South course in Laos.
After the boat trip I gained a new perspective for how important the river is to not only Laos, but all of Asia, spanning from Tibet to the far south of Vietnam.
I highly recommend this voyage to anyone traveling from Chiang Mai, Pai, or Chiang Rai to Laos (the three jump off points in Thailand). It's cheap, an adventurous means of transportation, and you're guaranteed to make a few new travel comrades.
Mekong River Fast Facts:
-Mekong translates to "Mother Water"
-11th longest river in the world
-Economic fishery value of $3.9-7 billion
-Over 30 Hydropowder plants in four different countries.
-Home to the Giant Mekong Catfish. One part real, one part urban legend. This endangered fish can reach up to 8 ft in length and weigh 700 lbs.
Early morning Alms giving ceremony. Typically the locals will give gifts to the Buddhist monks, but children also line the streets in hopes that the monks will give sweets to them. This was a powerful scene and one that I'll never forget. Just remember, if your a tourist, be sure to obey the local customs.
Kouangxi Water Fall, Luang Prabang, Laos. One of the most magical places I've been.
Our little place in Vang Vieng, Laos.
Party! Vang Vieng tubing.
Vang Vieng, Laos - View point.
Munks at the Mekong. Vientiane, Laos.
After being in Bangkok for so long it was time for me to go exploring and see more of Thailand than just its capital.
Side note: Bangkok is the most traveled to city in the world.
BUT, the country has so much to offer, from the beaches in the south, to the mountains in the north. You can spend months... years here, and some do. My goal was to see a little bit of everything without growing roots and staying in one place for too long like I did in Bangkok.
Here's a picture tour of my time in Khao Sok, Koh Samui, and Chiang Mai.
Khao Sok (the far southwest), Koh Samui and Ko Pha Ngan (southeast - Gulf of Thailand), Chiang Mai (far north).
Cheow Lan Lake, just outside of Khao Sok national park. Its a man made lake with giant limestone pillars that rise above the water line. For some reason I took very little pictures on this trip and the few that I have don't do it justice.
We stayed on the lake in little floating houses. You can see them in the far right of the picture. The water was so clear and clean. After a long day of caving and hiking it was nice to take a dip.
My next door neighbor at Jungle Huts Resort in Khao Sok. I took this picture from 25 feet away and used all of my 30x zoom.
Aboard the traditional Thai long tail boat. This is how everyone gets around the lake since there are no roads.
Welcome to Koh Samui Island.
Big Buddha Temple (Wat Phra Yai). Shout out to Tracey for being my travel buddy while touring the island. She may be the goofiest most fun person I ever met.
The terquious waters of Koh Samui.
Ko Pha Ngan Christmas day full moon party. Haaawwwwool!
This picture isn't anything artistically special, but to me it represents the most difficult bike ride of my life. It's significant because I road from Lisbon to Berlin and this is the one that I struggled with the most. I went from my guest house, in the heart of the city center, to Wat Phratht Doi Suthep. It's a 30km ride almost straight up. It took me 3 hrs to climb the "mountain" with a 45 minute decent. The climb had me almost in tears, but the decent was exhilarating. Can't wait to get back in cycling shape.
Chiang Mai is a digital nomad hub. I know many people that call this place home, if only for part of the year. It's dirt cheap (check out the sign above, that comes out to about $1,000 PER YEAR for an apartment). You can be entrepreneurial and not worry about your living expenses.
Chiang Mai is said to have the best food in Thailand, although every region would argue, I would not. This is the famous Cowboy Lady. She serves up some great street food. Thanks Mr. Bourdain for the recommendation.
For years I heard of legendary adventures about people traveling through Southeast Asia, specifically Thailand. Island hopping, epic full moon parties, outlaws living off the grid and I needed to know how to navigate it all. Even though I'd been traveling for a while, when I first arrived in Thailand I felt like I was new to the "backpacking" scene. I found myself asking other travelers, what's Thailand all about? Trying to get some tips on how to navigate the region like a pro, and here and there I managed to collect a few secrets. I remember asking the same question to a guy I ran into at my hostel, thinking this guy would know. He was probably in his early 40's, but looked 50. Skin leathery from the sun, bleached hair - that kinda resembled dreadlocks, inked up with dated tattoos, and always, always looking for a cigarette. You could just tell that the guy had been through it. He looked like a vet traveler so I asked him, do you have any tips? What do I need to know? I was surprised by his answer. He said, "mate," "you missed it." "10 years ago Thailand use to be great." "Everything was a quarter of the price it is now, and there were no tourists, just a small cool backpacker scene." I thought, shit, I just arrived. Did I miss it? In fairness, I probably caught him at a bad time. After 15 years of traveling through the region, he just sold his bar in Koh Rong, Cambodia and was headed home. He said he needed some normalcy.
I had some of the best times in Thailand, but after he said, "you missed it," I can't help but wonder what it was like 10 years ago and I ask myself, what's next? Where's the next backpacker scene? Vietnam? Cambodia? Philippines? Papua New Guinea?