I took a three week trip through Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia recently, returning the first week in January, 2008. I loved the trip and was fascinated by the different cultures. On one hand the "lost in time" feeling of Laos and Cambodia was contrasted against the "we can't move fast enough" pace of Vietnam. These countries are only miles from one another, but centuries apart in attitude and drive. I used my new Nikon SLR and was thrilled with the results of this terrific camera.
Luang Prabang Laos is a UNESCO World Heritage site of gilded temples and French colonial architecture. Each day at sunrise, a procession of more than 100 monks and novices passes through the town on their alms rounds. These rounds offer locals and visitors the opportunity to "make merit" by donating food to the monks and receiving their blessing. Luang Prabang is also known for its outstanding weaving--just gorgeous. I bought two shawls that are masterpieces. They take two months to make and they sell for less than $100. A one hour foot massage costs $3. I got lots of foot massages. .
Please take a minute and enjoy my photographs of this fabulous place. Be assured, you will enjoy them. You simply can't take a bad photo in Luang Prabang. I also have a fun short video of the early morning "making merit" custom of providing food to the monks.
After we checked into our hotel, we went out for a walk around the town. We wandered down to the river and had a beer and spring rolls looking down at all the children swimming in the river. It was a gorgeous day, as were most of our days during the three weeks. After our stop for lunch, we wandered around the hills, getting lost and talking with people in the back streets and allyways. We have a delightful, unexpected treat when we walked into a temple area and saw local people decorating the temple with leaves and flowers. All of a sudden we heard horns and music and five or six trucks pull up loaded with 60 or so people—very young to very old. They were ladened with flowers, banana leaves, grasses. They all joined in to decorate the temple in celebration of something—couldn’t figure out what, but they loved having us there and were incredibly friendly. They all piled back on the trucks and drove away. We kept walking around for a couple more hours. That is what is great in LP, just walking around.
The next day was Sunday and we went into the mountains to visit the hill tribes. The day had been changes as the Hmong tribe was having a celebration and was in full regalia and our guide didn’t want us to miss it. I’m SO glad we went when we did. The first thing that happened is that our bus got stuck on a dirt approach to a bridge. It was really muddy. So I (Vermonter that I am) said, “we need to get off the bus). We got off the bus and the bus driver attempted to get up this small incline and over the tiny wooden bridge. Of course, I’m there thinking “let ME drive the bus”. I am standing with one other trip member named Gunnar. Gunnar is from Sweden. I say to him, “There are two Laos and a Brit down there trying to get that bus up a hill in mud. You are from Sweden, I am from Vermont…let’s get this over with.” So, Gunnar and I grab huge clumps of hay/grass/whatever, and create a path for the bus through the thick mud and to the bridge. We are now on our way after some graciously high fives. Along the way we stopped at a pineapple farm and ate freshly picked pineapples. I don’t think I can eat a Whole Foods pineapple again. I’ve been spoiled. We then moved on the Hmong village. The Hmong girls were dressed in gorgeous, elaborate costumes (see fantastic pictures in my album link below) and everyone was having so much fun. Our local guide had brought tons of little individually wrapped tea cookies for all the children which they seemed to love. He gave them to me to hand out, so I became the favorite visitor and was able to take wonderful pictures. There is a pride among the Hmong that is palpable. I am always impressed by how much children are loved in these villages. We then visited a Khmu village. Again, those cookies were a huge hit and therefore I was a great hit. The Khmu seem quite different from the Hmong even just walking around. The Hmong seems more industrious. However, what do I know—I’m just a woman with cookies dropping by for a few minutes and taking pictures.[Show More]
0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Posted by Patricia Pomerleau on Tuesday, January 08, 2008
Hanoi is a charming city with a turbulent history. It is graced by many parks and lakes and the Old quarter still features magnificent French colonial architecture. Those of you who remember the war will love my Hanoi photographs.
On the day we arrived, it was the 35th anniversary of the "Dien Bien Phu of the air", which is what they call the "Nixon" December bombing of Hanoi in 1972. John McCain talks about this bombing that he witnessed from his cell in the "Hanoi Hilton." Speaking of which, on the left you will see the door to the "Maison Centrale", more famously known as the "Hanoi Hilton". It is the prison where American pilots were held and less than a mile away from the lake where a badly injured McCain landed after ejecting from his airplane. It was built by the French to hold Vietnamese prisoners and then taken over by the North Vietnamese to hold Americans. A few blocks away are luxury stores and super luxury hotels. Gucci, Burberry, Hyatt Regency, you name it. The city is bursting with energy and commerce. The art scene is astonishing. I bought a painting :-) from one of the top artists in Vietnam. Art is still (relatively) reasonably priced there and there are wonderful buys is you are interested in collecting artwork.
Ho Chi Minh is revered in most of Vietnam and I made the visit to "Uncle Ho's" mausoleum and modest stilt home(he refused to live in the palace and was never married--I'm sure a "Mrs Ho" would have had different ideas :) The military takes his remains very seriously. Although he had asked to be cremated, the government overruled his request after his death.
I also visited the Vietnamese Army Museum of the "French" and "American" wars where there is a "scultpture" of a downed B52 and other plane parts.
The French architecture of Hanoi is lovely. Many of the restaurants are in old French mansions. Very little of Hanoi was destroyed during the Vietnam (AKA “American”) War. American bombing for the most part was strategic—roads and bridge, so the wonderful French buildings are intact. The next day we went to Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum. The government takes this museum very seriously. Metal detectors, no back packs, no phones or cameras. I always find museums of dead people weird. Uncle Ho’s mausoleum is weird, but an interesting cultural experience. His very modest stilt home is preserved and sits directly across from the presidential palace. He never married. I’m sure a “Mrs. Ho” would have had a very different opinion of where they were going to live. I have one of the typical tourist pictures of me holding baskets of fruit on my shoulder. You have to admire these entrepreneurs who come along and hoist the shoulder pole upon you and put a conical hat on your head. What you experience is how astonishingly heavy these things are. I am twice the size of these teeny, tiny women and the pole was killing me. I put my hand on the Vietnamese woman’s shoulder to see if she had some sort of shoulder padding, but no, just bone. I simply do not know how they do it. No wonder they are so skinny.
After the Hanoi Hilton, we took a cyclo ride through the old quarter. The streets in the old quarter are named after trades “Silversmith street”, “Coffins Street”, Fish Street, Incense Street, “Flower Street” etc. A wonderful ride. I had my Ipod and blasted Vietnam war era music while I was riding around the city. I wanted to experience the parallel universe that existed when I was in school listening to this music while at the exact same time 35 years ago, bombs were dropping and American pilots were in the Hanoi Hilton less than a mile away. It was a sureal, great experience. 60% of the population of Vietnam is under 25 years old. You get no sense that the "American War" even interests them. They are too busy scooting around on their Honda motorbikes and building businesses. Vietnam is bursting with commerce. It is an booming, vibrant place.[Show More]
0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Posted by Patricia Pomerleau on Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Halong Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is astonishing in its beauty. It is one of the natural marvels of Vietnam and the world. Covering an area of 1500 square kilometers, Halong Bay contains 2000 tiny islands. This bay was featured in the movie Indochine. We were there on an overcast day which created an eerie, mystical quality to the islands. This place is so gorgeous, you just keep exclaiming "look, isn't that beautiful?" every time you move around an island and see even more wonderful views. We spent the day on a private Junk and just relaxed. It was so nice. Along the way, we climbed to the top of one of the islands and visited some amazing and massive caves.
Hue was Vietnam's political capital from 1802 to 1945 and it was the site of some of the bloodiest battles of the 1968 Tet Offensive. The picture to the left is in the Citadel which formally housed the Royal Palace, including the "Forbidden Purple City," whose courtyard you see here.
Much of the Citadel was damaged during the Tet Offensive and many scars still remain. However, it is under major renovation and is a lovely place to visit, even including the bullet holes and bomb craters.
We stayed in a terrific hotel while in Hue, the Hotel Saigon Morin, an elegant 19th century French hotel that was recently restored. There were three beds in our room which made it great for spreading out our stuff. We joked that the room was for the Mandarins who had more than one wife. We were there on Dec 24th, and they celebrated Christmas in a big way. We found this true throughout mostly Buddhist Vietnam. Christmas decorations and Santas everywhere. As they say, "Madison Avenue has a long arm."
I have created two albums of Hue. One of the amazing, romantic city and one of the huge and frenetic Da Bong Market, that survived both the French and American wars.
2 Comments - Read Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Posted by Patricia Pomerleau on Thursday, January 10, 2008
We said goodbye to lovely Hue and drove the magnificent coastal route from Hue to Danang. Our route took us over the Hai Van (“Sea Cloud”) pass where you get absolutely spectacular views. The day could not have been more perfect. Sunny, breezy and not a cloud in the sky. You need to make sure you are on a vehicle with great brakes as the hairpin turnson the drive are numerous and really “hairpin.”
Da Nang was the place of the first landing of a US Marine division in 1965. In Da Nang was the infamous "China Beach" where soldiers, sailors and marines went for R&R. It is a gorgous beach and the scenic ride from Hue to Da Nang must be one of the most spectacular anywhere. When we got to the top of the famous famous "Hai Van" Pass we got out and saw all the bunkers--left over from the Americans, the French before them and the Chinese before them. You can see forever from the top of this pass--critical for defense as Da Nang was fairly close to the 17th parallel (DMZ).
I think you will throughly enjoy my China Beach pictures. Make sure you have your sound on. You'll smile.
2 Comments - Read Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Posted by Patricia Pomerleau on Monday, January 14, 2008
Hoi an is acharming and picturesque riverside townlocated south of Danang. It is one of Vietnam’s most enchanting places with a real sense of history on its streets. It was a major international port many centuries ago and has wonderful architecture and homes that were built by wealthy merchants. Now a UNESCO World Heritage site, it is now being carefully restored. The residents are rightfully proud of being a UNESCO site. The best thing to do in Hoi An is just walk around. There are no beggars (there are very few throughout Vietnam) and no touts. Just the month before there had been one of the worst floods of the last 25 years, yet you would not know anything had happened except for the water marks at 10 feet on the walls of buildings. The people of Hoi An are used to floods and just pack up and move to higher ground. When the water recedes, they set up shop again.
The town has more tailors than you can shake a stick at. I had three intricate linen shirts made in less than 24 hours. louise had a gorgeous silk cocktail skirt and jacket.
Hoi an is delightful. The weather could not have been more perfect when we were there. I would higly recommend visiting this wonderful place. Please enjoy my photographs of this beautiful place.
We were in Hoi An for Christmas Eve. We had dinner at a wonderful French/Vietnamese restaurant that is a joint venture between a French fellow and a Vietnamese. The name of the restaurant is “Tam Tam” There was a prix fix French dinner and it was beyond divine. Five courses: First: Mackerel and Foie Gras, Second: Duck breast salad, Third: Beef Bourguignon with native vegetables, Fourth: Goat cheese on toast points, Fifth: “Assorted Christmas cakes” You really need to try this restaurant when you are in Hoi An. We had lots of great wine and a simply superb evening. It was nice not to have rice and spring rolls for one night :-). It is on Nguyen Thai Hoc near the Japanese bridge.
Before you have dinner at Tam Tam, stop at a bar on the same side of the street a block towards Le Loi called “the lounge” It has big sofas in the front windows. You will see a sign that says “Happy Hour 4PM-12PM, 2 for 1 drinks.” Well now, that is my idea of a happy “hour”. They had the best Mojitos I have had since Havana and two drinks cost $3.00. Oh, yes, when the drinks came, they were packed to the top with ice. I eyed the ice and the waitress immediately said “we make the ice with bottled water, the town demands it” So, we decided to believe her and we were just fine. So, we ate lots of salads in Vietnam and had ice in our drinks and we were fine. I think that in places so dependent on tourists that they really try hard in Vietnam to keep visitors safe. Of course, we could have just been lucky. The waitress in the bar asked if we were from England or Australia. I told her we were from the US and she said she had an uncle in Washington DC. Everyone in Vietnam has a relative in the US. She had dropped out of high school, but spoke excellent English as do so many Vietnamese. Another young woman in the shop where I got the linen shirts said she was studying “American Culture” It was with trepidation that I asked her what exactly the course consisted of. I was relieved to find out that it was about government, states, and rivers. I had a terrible moment of thinking it would be about Paris Hilton and Brittney Spears.
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0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Posted by Patricia Pomerleau on Monday, February 25, 2008
We landed in steamy heat in the bustling city of Saigon, and checked into the storied Caravelle Hotel which is a gorgeous hotel and was the headquarters of the NYTimes, WSJ, CBS and NBC during the Vietnam War. The rooms were very well appointed, great internet access in the rooms, huge, nice baths and comfortable mattresses and soft pillows. We had a great view looking over the Opera House and the famous Rex Hotel. Can't ask for much more. As many designer shops as there were in Hanoi, it pales in comparison to Saigon--at least in the neighborhood that the Caravelle and Hyatt are in. I walked into a mall that catered to locals and checked out the prices. Yep, $300 St. Laurent sunglasses and $500 Manolo Blanik pumps. Wow.
That night we went up to have a drink at the hotel's "Saigon Saigon" bar that was made so famous by the reporters who were headquarted there during the war.At the end of the war they joked they could report from their bar stools. Notre Dame cathedral that was built by the Frence as well as the famous post office. The post officewas designed by Eiffel of Eiffel tower fame and is gorgeous. We also walked to the "War Remnants" museum which chronicles the war from the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese perspective. It used to be called the "War Crimes" museum, but they changed the name when diplomatic relations were restored with the US. The warnings on this museum had been so dire, I thought it would be far more difficult to experience than it was. There is an excellent exhibit of the war correspondents on both sides that was very well done and fascinating.
T We then visited the Unification Palace (formerly known as Independence Palace). The gates of this palace are famous in the iconic picture of the North Vietnamese breaching the gatesof the palace on April 30 1975 just after the evacuation from the rooftop of the American Embassy less than a mile away. This palace was designed by Ngô Viết Thụ, the best known architect of him time in Vietnam. It is a brilliant building. You don’t think so at first site, but it absolutely brilliant modern architecture. If you like architecture, make sure you visit this building. I loved this building as you will see from my pictures of Saigon.
0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Posted by Patricia Pomerleau on Monday, February 25, 2008
We also visited Cu Chi and the tunnels. The Cu Chi tunnel system (pronounced "Kootshee") was built by the Viet Cong. It stretched 250 km from the Cambodian border to Saigon.
It is worth going to see this amazing network of tunnels and hear the story of the Viet Cong and how they lived and fought during the war. You can also shoot an AK-47 or an M-16 if you so desire. Bullets are $1 with a minimum order of 5 bullets. The whole thing is a bit weird. It is like Disney and Fellini decided to build a theme park. It is a bizarre place, but I am glad I went. Warning: You have to sit through a fairly gruesome anti-American propaganda film, but every country has propaganda; it is what it is.
After visiting Cu Chi and seeing what our American soldiers had to cope with, it is amazing to me that anyone came back without serious emotional issues. Look at my Cu Chi picturesand see for yourself how awful dealing with the Viet Cong and this tunnel system was like.
0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Posted by Patricia Pomerleau on Monday, February 25, 2008
Now in Siem Reap, we get up before dawn and head out to the jewel of the Angkor Temples, Angkor Wat. This magnificent temple is generally recognized as the highest achievement of Khmer temple architecture and is the largest religious building in the world.
The dawn is beautiful and misty as you can see by the picture to the left. Many wonderful photos were taken as you will see if you look at my albums. There were not too many people in the early morning so it was really mystical and enjoyable.
Tragically during the Khmer Rouge regime, all of the Cambodians who were working on the restoration of the Angkor temples were murdered as they were considered guilty of being intellectuals. There are even bullet holes in the walls of Angkor Wat as the temples were used as hiding places and storage facilities. There were land mines everywhere and still are throughout Cambodia.
We had a great guide who walked us through the galleries and up to all the many levels--what a spectacular building--amazing. Only one person has provided a first-hand account of the civilization of Angkor, the Chinese envoy, Zhou Daguan, who visited Angkor in 1296-97 and wrote A Record of Cambodia: The Land and Its People. For those of you going to Angkor Temples, buy this book and read it on the plane. We spent an hour or so at the temple in the early hours of the morning and then returned for two hours at sunset. The photo opportunities at both end of the day are simply wonderful.
We stayed at the Sofitel Royal Angkor.The grounds are gorgeous, the rooms luxurious, the food spectacular and the staff warm and efficient.There is nothing not to like. There are countless luxury hotels in Siem Reap.
After lunch we went go to the ticket station to have our pictures taken for our three day pass (dear God, they need to get better cameras, the photos are hideous!) and head out to Angkor Thom to see the Bayon Temple. This temple is spectacular. Hundreds of huge carved faces with subtle, mysterious smiles. When you walk up to the temple from the gate, the towers look a bit like a big jumble. As you get closer, the faces emerge and it is magical. I love photography and I was in heaven at Bayon. As we left Bayon is was near sunset and there were so many buses in the parking lot our bus couldn't get out for quite a while. Seems that there is a hill where some guide book says has a great view of Angkor Wat at sunset. I don't know if that is true or not as I would never go to any hill where there were 400 people.
The Elephant Terrace and the Royal Palace Enclosure of the huge city of Angkor Thom are quite wonderful. The elephant carvings are spectacular and whimsical. It is getting very warm. It is around 11 AM and the temperature must be near 95 degrees and humid. Toasty. However, the skies are perfectly clear and it is a perfect day for taking photographs. Most go back to their hotel pool for the mid day, so if you can stand oppressive heat, mid day is a great time to have the temples to yourself.
0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Posted by Patricia Pomerleau on Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Ta Prohm is the one temple that has been left essentially as it was "rediscoved" at the end of the 19th century by the French. Huge fig, banyan, and kapok trees have grown thoughout the temple monuments, their roots often splitting open sculptures and walls to surreal effect.
This temple is where movies such as "Tomb Raider" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark" were filmed. You just keep walking through and saying "amazing" and "can you believe this?"
This photo album may be my favorite. It is made up of photos throughout the trip that show the spirit of the people of Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia. I have also included some funny photos that didn't work anywhere else.
I have pictures of girlfriends, moms, children and some particularly poignant and amusing moments.
Here is an example of a video that you can embed. This is a fun video I took in Luang Prabang, Laos of the monks accepting food from tourists and locals at 6 AM every morning. For more information on how to embed a video, check the FAQ's in the top of the blog above (in "admin" view)
0 Comments | Add Comment | Permalink | Posted by Patricia Pomerleau on Tuesday, February 26, 2008
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