Angkor Wat

Posted on August 9, 2014 by David Cross

Getting into Cambodia is not that difficult and the country is very “flexible” when it comes to paperwork and getting tourists into the country to support the economy. No complaints here…I must admit the people of Cambodia are very friendly. They are wonderful hosts and guides. Don’t worry about currency exchange, almost everyone uses US dollars…even the ATMs spit out $$$.

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This morning we went to Angkor Wat to watch the sunrise. We were not alone… Tourists and all the vendors will swarm you.  But the view was amazing even though we did not get to see the sun rise over the top…too many clouds today

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We did get to hang out with famous Japanese celebrities at the opening…it was a little crazy, I will leave it at that.

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But it was an amazing archeological site with tons of history, stories and religion.

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It was like visiting Egypt and India all in the same day. Carvings, pictures, scripture…

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For some reason, no matter how hard to try, you just cannot take enough pictures to fully reflect the magical feeling you get when visiting Angkor Wat.

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Definitely worth coming half way around the world to just visit this one spot.
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Halong Bay

Posted on August 8, 2014 by David Cross

Today, we took a bus out to Halong Bay. It is only about ~170 kilometers away, but because of the limited infrastructure and traffic, it was a 4 hour journey. Interesting tidbit: the minimum wage in Vietnam is $150 a month and if you make >= $500 a month, you have to start paying taxes (even the economic philosophy is still a Communist point of view). Vehicles have a very high tax and if you buy and import a foreign vehicle, it is as much as a 300% tax!

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I guess that is why the Mercedes AMG is not the classic 6.3 L engine models…

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The road and infrastructure are limited, so you have to be patient for going long distances in Vietnam. The opportunity to cruise around the Halong Bay is definitely worth it.  Supposedly, there are > 1,969 independent islands in the bay and it is one of the natural wonders of the world.

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Just like in Hanoi, there are many small businesses. Most families around the country have a small business in just 10 square meters space and then their homes are above their stores. In Hanoi, the real estate prices are $50,000 per square meter.

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I don’t think this fisherman pays that much for his shop here in Halong Bay.

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Unfortunately, for some reason, the government makes every boat (known as a “junk”) to be painted white to make them look like cruise ships.

It was definitely a delight to spend 2 days and 1 night aboard one of these junks and explore the bay. It was unfortunately pouring though when we arrived at the pier.

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We visited one of the islands and hiked up to the observation post which was a great workout.

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And we also visited the famous “surprise” caves which were some amazing limestone caverns that existed on one of the islands.

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I would have to say that this is one of the most popular destinations that we have seen in Vietnam so far. If you visit, it is definitely a “must see”.

 

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Famous Sites in Hanoi (Part II)

Posted on August 6, 2014 by David Cross

The past 2 days, we have been fortunate to have stayed in the famous Sofitel Metropole Hotel here in Hanoi. It has an enormous history over the past ~110 years and it is the choice of many guests…from Presidents from many countries to people like Brad Pitt and Mark Zuckerberg. Excellent atmosphere, décor, restaurants, shopping and service.

You can even be tempted to check out your favorite watch store or try on a rare Panerai model. http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-1555-sofitel-legend-metropole-hanoi/index.shtml

IMG_4536 Yesterday afternoon, we checked out the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

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It almost felt like visiting Red Square in Moscow.

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It was cool that we got to see a changing of the guard.  But we did not go inside or visit the Ho Chi Minh museum. I am not sure if they would let us in without a current Communist party membership card. There is elections in Vietnam, but there is only one political party in Vietnam and that has not changed in 40 years.

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We then checked out the famous Temple of Literature.

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This is basically a nice garden area and shrine pretty much dedicated to Confucius thinking and teaching.

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It was a location that for many many years was the place where men from all ages could be tested and then join the school to become doctors (of philosophy).

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Not a bad place to visit if you are looking for a little more of the local history here in Hanoi.

Now, something a little different…lets head underground…

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At the end of the day and before dinner, we checked out the bomb shelter that was beneath our hotel (the Sofitel Metropole Legend Hotel). http://m.travel.cnn.com/explorations/life/metropole-hanoi-war-bunker-tour-410140.

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The shelter was only uncovered 3 years ago.

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It is quite famous as during the war it was used by the various German, Australian, Austrian and other embassies located in the hotel during the war. Jane Fonda was also here during one raid/bombing during her stay in the war.

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A definite must see if you stay at the hotel. It is only available to hotel guests.

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Exploring some of the famous sites of Hanoi

Posted on August 6, 2014 by David Cross

Wine is not easy to find in Hanoi…but we were lucky to find a French bistro and specialty shop around the corner where we were able to find a nice Bordeaux for an after dinner drink and a Croque Monsieur for lunch the next day!

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We then walked out of the elevator and saw Brendan Murphy from MSR Cambridge checking into the same hotel. What a coincidence to see a colleague in the same location half way around the world…an unplanned coincidence. What a chance meeting 🙂

We walked near the lake again and observed all the emerging artists in Vietnam.  Pretty amazing work at such a young age.  It was interesting to see how some added turtles to their scenes…

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This morning we went and saw the traditional water puppet show. I must admit it was well done and the 30 minute show was a treat and a way to start the day.

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We then took a rickshaw to visit the Hilton Hanoi prison (museum).

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Nice rickshaws here in Hanoi!

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Actually, we took a 30 minute rickshaw ride around the city for a few dollars…great way to get a feel of the small economy and the small business model in this city.

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We then went into the Hanoi Hilton prison.

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This is where Senator John McCain and many others were held and tortured in prison after they were shot down.

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That was John McCain’s flight gear above.

They had a number of exhibits and stories to share. Interestingly, our guide’s grandfather was held here in prison by the French in the 1950s.

More to come in the next post…

 

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Joining the Hanoi Running Club

Posted on August 5, 2014 by David Cross

In case you missed my day one posting, it is here.

Since it was day two, we had to get back into our favorite fitness routine: running! We decided to run around the nearby Ho Hoan Kiem lake which has a nice boardwalk 1 mile in circumstance to run around. Perfect for an early morning 5K or 10K! We decided to start at 6:30 since the sunrise is at 5:30 and it gets warm very quick.

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Well…at 6:30 in the morning, there must have been 10,000 people already exercising, dancing, weight lifting, Zoomba, running…you name it…crowded around the lake. It was like running in a huge half marathon where you have to dodge people every few steps because it is so crowded. In the end, it was fun and scorching hot…after a 10K in this heat, you feel and look like you just swam in the lake!

It is amazing how fast the city cools down after a short rain…but then the heat jumps up 20 degrees in just an hour after the rain stops.

We survived since we both had some large Gatorades that we somehow managed to find in a local store. Very low cost bottles of water are readily available here in Vietnam…you learn quick that when the locals will never drink tap water, that means that you even try brushing your teeth with sink water, you will be done with your day!

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After breakfast, we took a taxi to go check out the Vietnam Military Museum which is near the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum which is where we are going tomorrow.

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It was a very interesting view of the three major conflicts in Vietnam over the past 75 years. When they fought with Japan in WWII, the French in the 50s and then the US in the 60s and early 70s.

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They had a lot of artifacts from captured weapons and SAM missiles like the one that shot down the Malaysian flight over the Ukraine.

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To downed planes and bombers that were shot down over Hanoi.

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In some ways it was hard to see some of the exhibits, but it was a different point of view that was interesting to see and understand.

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We found a great huge statue of Lenin in the nearby park before we headed back to our hotel. Unfortunately, we don’t any of these in the USA so I decided to get a pic with my buddy.

Running around the world is always fun.  Some of my other favorite spots:

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Exploring Hanoi

Posted on August 4, 2014 by David Cross

We checked into our great hotel last night (the Hilton Hanoi Opera) which had excellent front desk service at night and a wonderful breakfast buffet this morning. Yes, it is right next door to the Opera.

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We tried something a little different for our first day: We booked a day with the Hanoi Kids Club. http://hanoikids.org/. This is a volunteer organization with university students practicing their English. It is a very hard organization to join, and all you have to do is pay their expenses, treat them to lunch, etc. It was an amazing way to get immerse in local culture and explore Hanoi with some locals.

We spent a good portion of the morning going around the big lake. Many locals liked to display their pet turtles and get others to buy them…

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We explored a few of the local (famous) temples and pagodas.

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Not crowded and very friendly staff.

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Great atmosphere, very different than the Buddhist temples you would see in Japan.

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Also, it was hot. Unbelievably humid. You need to drink a lot of water here to survive.

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Unfortunately, on Monday’s most museums are closed. But there is one open and it is the history of the women in Vietnam…The Vietnamese Women’s Museum. It is composed of many different ethnicity and culture throughout the country. Lots of stories and artifacts. Did you know there is >54 different ethnicity and dialects in Vietnam? A definite out of the way low cost museum that you get to learn a lot about the people.

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The top floor was composed of all the famous women in Vietnam from the war…some very interesting stories and exhibits.

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We had a great local lunch and enjoy one of the popular “pancakes” that you roll up in lettuce leaves and herbs that smell like fish. Very tasty! Full lunch…4 people…$15. No complaints here!

We then ended the afternoon hanging out with all the locals in this converted garage where everyone gets ice cream. It was yummy…it tasting like a vanilla crème brulee. 4 cones…$2. Low cost tourism! 🙂

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Now, here are some of the additional days and posts from the North and Hanoi

If interested, check out some of the sites and cities in the south:

 

 

 

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Headed West to Southeast Asia

Posted on August 2, 2014 by David Cross

A new adventure has begun…with a delayed flight in Seattle. Hopefully the high altitude winds will speed up this high speed fighter and we will make our connection.

Right now we are enjoying the nice service on Asiana Airlines.

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Reflecting on History (Hiroshima)

Posted on May 11, 2014 by David Cross

Today we started out with a nice 10K run down to the bay 🙂

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and then took the electric street cars to head over to the atomic museum and ground zero in Hiroshima. It was another day of gorgeous weather.

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The Hiroshima peace park and museum is a must see.

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The city view after the bomb was dropped.

The museum is one of the best I have ever been to…and I am only limiting my photos out of respect of what happened here 70 years ago.

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One gem was the National Peace Memorial Hall for the victims that is not visited by many, but when you go down and stand in the middle, you truly FEEL like you are standing in the middle of the devastation.

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Very emotional…

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This was the still standing “dome” after the blast which was only 150 meters away from the actual calculated ground zero.

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So much to see here…it is all hard to believe what occurred.

For the afternoon, I then headed south with Brian (Australian friend) to a city called Kure to explore a little more military history. Kure is one of the active Japanese naval self-defense bases.  The standard choices in the Kure train station are…a little “edgier” than the larger cities…

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The nice attraction is two museums right next to the submarine base.

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One museum provides a current view of their minesweeper mission and also a tour of a recently retired submarine.

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Completely free admission.

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The other museum is the Yamamoto museum which is more of a Japanese WWII naval history focused on the battleships.

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Detailed history on the ships, weaponry and role of aviation on the battleship.

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Excellent museum and self-paced audio guide for only 500 yen.

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It was a great historic visit.  How many people can say that ran in Hiroshima?

Running around the world is always fun.  Some of my other favorite spots:

 

 

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Escaping to the Islands

Posted on May 10, 2014 by David Cross

We received the alert that the Asimo robots were on the loose and the authorities needed help in locating and capturing them. http://topekasnews.com/asimo-robot-kills-two-scientists-japan-escapes-laboratory/.

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The rumor was they were headed to the islands, so we hopped on a train through the mountains to see if we might be able to thwart their escape. We first stopped at the Mihara Station where they were having an octopus festival, but no luck.

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We then headed towards the Tadanoumi Port.

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From there, we boarded a boat for Omihima Island. We were afraid that they might have hijacked the liquid natural gas (LNG) boat to create a huge explosion, but our fears were mitigated.

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We then went to the Shinto temple area to check out the 2,000 and 3,000 year old camphor trees that were still living.

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We were concerned they may try to hide in one of them and attack some tourists.

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From there we were able to get a nice view of the Tatara bridge. I only wish we had some more time to go running along that bridge. We will hopefully get a nice run in Hiroshima tomorrow morning.

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OK – dead end on this island. We crossed the bridge and went over to Ikuchi-shima island. We had a nice traditional Japanese lunch and then took a side trip to visit the nearby Ikuo Hirayama Museum of Art in Setoda.

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Ikuo’s art was an interesting story as he was a survivor of the blast in Hiroshima when he was very young and in junior high school.  He then travelled the world and the silk road to experience the sites and Buddhist heritage from around the world.  It was amazing that even travelled to Afghanistan to visit the giant Buddha in Afghanistan before it was destroyed by the Taliban a few years later.

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We then took a hike up the Kojo-ji temple which is a three tier pagoda to see if the robots might be paying homage at that national shrine which has a fantastic view of the Inland Sea area.

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Unfortunately, when we looked out amongst the islands, we saw they were ahead of us and we needed to return to the mainland for any hope catching them.

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We grabbed a ferry back to the mainland and the locals wished us well to get the rogue robots when we left.

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We were so tempted to get the fried octopus for a snack on the train back to Hiroshima.

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Only $10 (US).  What a deal!  Stay tuned for the next chapter…

The one thing we learned today is that pagodas in Japan are the same as Stupas in India and Nepal. The purpose is the same, but the culture and style are different in every country. Learn something new every day!

 

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Surveying Hiroshima

Posted on May 9, 2014 by David Cross

We took the bullet train west to Hiroshima and checked into our hotel. We then headed a little bit south around the bay.

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We had lunch in the industrial modern city to see what might be different. There are some seafood specialties here in Hiroshima.  The Australians lost the bet and they were the first ones to cave in and grab some local McDonalds were lunch.  The Raman noodles with oysters and eels was quite good. We tried the local beer with lunch ourselves:

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It was almost like a Red Hook beer from Seattle.  Yummy!
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We then took the ferry over to Miyakima Island to check out the famous Itsukushima Shrone for the Torii Gate in the sea.
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Also a surprise on the island were the tame deer.  They just hung out and took naps under the trees with no concerns at all.
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Unfortunately, high tide was not until 7:00 PM so we were not able to experience the shrine floating on the water, but it was a nice spot to visit and take in the intent of the temple. Very popular island only a half  hour away from the center of Hiroshima by train.

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After visiting the shrine, we took a nice nature hike around the village to visit the pagodas and Zen streams.

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We took it easy since it was pretty hot and sunny…but the cool trails were a nice way to relax.

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Coming back to the ferry port, we walked back along the shore and barely made it back before being trapped by the ocean coming in.

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The cool thing is we got to observe all the miniature crabs and millions of tiny nautilus that were still alive. Always an adventure!

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One thing I must admit has been nice in the hotels in Japan is the fresh slippers and kimonos to wear in the room every day. A different culture and tradition, but I must admit, you get used to it really quick!

 

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