26th May - Last day on tour

OK, we're in Bangkok, it is hot and sticky and we have a morning free ....... so leisure time in order. In the afternoon we have a city tour !!!!! Well it is a tour of another 3 temples. Not so much a city tour as a Bangkok temple tour!

The first is the Golden Buddha, a 5.5 tonne 18-caret gold Buddha looking very regal. The second is the reclining Buddha at Wat Pho. He is 46 metres long and is covered in gold leaf. The third is the Marble Buddha and he is not made of marble but the complex is various Italian marbles. He is another gold leaf marvel. In between we visit the Buddha museum, housing 394 Buddhas rescued from various temples around Thailand due to decay or decline or just downright neglect. Not quite what we expected and the tour guide left a lot to be desired, but we did see some very nice Buddhas.

We were extravagant for dinner as we ordered wine, not beer and ate in a 1 Michelin star dish restaurant. OK, it is the last night night and it was Thai food.

Had a great time and ate some really nice Asian food in a variety of locations, be it street market, local restaurant or some hidden gems. Recommend the experience to everyone.

Hope you enjoyed the blog, and the journey. I did. Going home early tomorrow morning, so farewell what was once called Indochina. Enjoyed your food, your sights and your hospitality. Until we meet again!!

Golden Buddha

Golden Buddha temple

Golden Buddha guardian

Reclining Buddha

Reclining Buddha

Reclining Buddha temple

Buddha museum

Marble Buddha

Marble Buddha temple (marble floor)

25th May - Moving again - Cambodia to Thailand

A relatively short flight from Siem Reap to Bangkok today. Needed to be up early to get to the airport, but just meant we had to wait ... and wait.

The process of going through passport control at Bangkok is slow. Long queues. Plenty of officers, but finger prints and photos do take time. Didn't have to wait for luggage. It was out long before we ever got there. Then the 31 gathered for the last time as we went through customs. Not everybody are going on the tour tomorrow (being optional) and the ones at the up graded hotel we won't even bump into. Pity they didn't organise a farewell dinner.

It took over an hour and a half to get through passport / customs / and get on the bus  plus almost an hour to drive from the airport to the hotel. It took less than an hour to fly!!!

No photos.

24th May - More temples and Monks at school

We've chosen the optional tour for today, so off early to see .......... yes more temples.

Our first stop is Preah Khan, another part of the Angkor Thom complex from the 12th century. Extensive renovations have occurred but it is a large complex with many rooms, towers and open areas to conserve. The carving is delicate and intricate.

Next we are off to Neak Pean or the Snake Temple. Not sure why the snakes, but the temple was an early form of a hospital as it was based on the ancient Hindu belief of balance with four connected pools representing Water, Earth, Fire and Wind. Unfortunately it hasn't rained enough yet so the pools are empty, but the design was there.

The next stop is Banteay Srei, constructed in the 10th century and loosely translated to be the Citadel of the Women. It again has many intricate carvings.

We stop to see Palm Sugar being made into a caramel type substance and then cooled to become sugar sweets. Actually yummy.

After lunch we visit a monastery and school and talk to some monks learning English. These guys have come from predominantly poor backgrounds to partake in the free education provided by the monastery. They are keen to try their English. They also learn Malay, Mandarin, and French, plus mathematics and sciences. It's hard work becoming a monk!!

Our evening activity is to take a Tuk Tuk to the main temple in Siem Reap, and be blessed by the monks for our happiness, prosperity and safety. I can understand the safety bit riding in a Tuk Tuk!!!! After the ceremony we are taken to the "killing fields" of Siem Reap memorial, a place dedicated to the lives taken by the Khmer Rouge during the late 1970s. The story boards tell of people taken and never seen again, plus the finding of mass graves. It is a place of solemnity at the horrors that must have occurred during the civil war.

Our dinner was our own choice and scrumptious.

Preah Khan

Preah Khan

Preah Khan

Preah Khan

Preah Khan

Neak Pean

Neak Pean

Banteay Srei

Banteay Srei

Banteay Srei

Banteay Srei

Palm Sugar 

Tuk Tuk ride

Siem Reap temple

Monument to those killed by the Khmer Rouge

Temple built at the "killing fields"

23rd May - Ancient Temples of Cambodia

What a day!!! These places are legendary and they lived up to the reputation

Our first stop is Angkor Thom, established in the late twelfth century and it was the last capital of the Khmer empire. We start at the South gate and make our way to the Bayon Temple in the middle of the complex and exit at the East gate.

We visit Ta Prohm or as it is locally known the Tomb Raider temple, after the film of the same name. The trees have firmly established themselves here, with many of the roots now firmly part of the temple complex.

After lunch we visit the famous Angkor Wat. The structures are fantastic and to think they were constructed 1,000 years ago. The workmanship is painstakingly beautiful and many have stood the test of time, weather and vandals amazingly well. It is a must see. Nothing is on one level and there are many stairs. How this place copes in high season is a mystery. The temple complex has had over 1,080,000 visitors up to today so it would be a bun fight to see the beauty in high season.

It was another hot day.

Angkor Thom - South gate

Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom

Angkor Thom

Ta Prohm

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat

22nd May - Farewell to Vietnam, we're off to Cambodia

A quiet morning, with a massage and a Banh My lunch.

Then off to the airport for our 90 odd minute flight to Siem Reap in Cambodia. We're late leaving but the flight is good and we even get a meal. Forms to fill out, 1 for a VISA, another for entry into Cambodia and the last is the customs declaration. Why oh why cannot these be given out on the plane????!!!!!

The process of applying for a VISA - hand the man the application and your passport, give him some money (US$30) then go to the other end of the room to collect. There is a whole row of people that pass the passports down and then the man at the end does a big show of stamping it. Last but not least your name is called to come and collect. The passport control process is passed (a smile might be nice) and the luggage collected. Customs, not sure they even stopped talking as they waved us through.

The ride to our hotel is relatively short. We have a ginger tea and a biscuit, then our keys are passed out. The rooms are nice and the beer cold. Tomorrow is the start of a new adventure!

Lunch

Street scene

At the airport

Airport

In the air

21st May - Ninh Binh

It is raining. Has been for most of the night apparently. So we make our way to the bus under umbrellas. There is definitely a change in temperature.

Our journey to Ninh Binh takes around 2 hours with a short stop at the roadside "supermarket" of all things made (??) in Vietnam. Such variety!!

Our first stop is Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of Vietnam. Here is where the first king set up court with his 300 wives. There are still many temples around the grounds.

The scenery is stunning as the limestone cliffs surround the area.

Lunch is at a local restaurant, serving the areas speciality, goat. Plus fried rice, chicken, beef stir fry and soup. You can't go hungry on this tour,

After lunch we are taken to the river to board small sampans / river boats, to be paddled along to visit Tarn Coc or the three caves. What a great part of the tour. You are paddled down the river (using their feet by the way) past great towering cliffs, rice paddies and fields. You pass through the three caves and emerge unscathed out the other side. There are a number of boats going up and down. How busy this place would be in high season is not a pleasant thought. It is a great part of the tour. We see some storks in a tree and a couple of goats high up on the cliffs. Great scenery though.

Our trip back to Hanoi takes a couple of hours. The temperature is pleasant this evening for our walk to tea. It is so much easier to walk around.

Ninh Binh scenery

Hoa Lu

Hoa Lu

Hoa Lu

Hoa Lu

Hoa Lu

Tam Coc cruise - rower

Tam Coc cruise - fellow travellers

Tam Coc cruise - cave

Tam Coc cruise - scenery

Tam Coc cruise - cave

19th / 20th May - Hanoi to Halong Bay and back

We leave at 8am for Halong Bay. Even this early there are lots of bikes. It is a 3 and a half hour drive with a stop along the way. The stop is at a large roadside shop that specialises in cotton / silk embroidery, plus room after room of every other type of craft available from scarves to marble fountains. A diverse range of items to satisfy any discerning shopper!!!!

We pass through villages and towns of various sizes, plus field after field of rice paddies, plus a few other crops.

When we arrive Halong Bay we are first taken to the Pearl Shop. We are given a talk on how they implant seeds to make the pearls and how they grade the pearls when developed. We are then led into the shop where pearls abound, made into pendants, necklaces, bracelets, hair pieces and rings. There are white, yellow and black pearls of various sizes set in silver, white gold and gold. It is hard to take it all in. Overall they are very reasonably priced and maybe a necklace may find it's way home.

After the pearls we make our way to where we pick up the boat. A tender arrives and we are transported to our "liner". There are so mannnnnnny boats, up to 80 we are told because it is low season but this can swell to 500 in high season. We alight our tender, have a welcome drink and then find our way to our cabins. Our boat has 12 cabins and we have 11 booked so we are the only group. The members of our group that took the upgraded accommodation option are not with us and we do not cross paths. Will be interested to hear about their adventure next time we meet.

Lunch is served as we leave the harbour and head towards our overnight spot. A lonesome spot it won't be. There are 40 or so other overnight boats also anchored in the vicinity. Most of the group try to go to have a look at a cave and then have a swim from the island. Alas there are a 100+ other people also doing the same thing. What would this place be like in high season????!!!! On their return there is some down time, then dinner and a few songs of Karaoke. Early night!

Next morning, early breakfast and then an option to walk to another cave. The description of the walk and 700 steps puts us off. People return and say that the actual walk and description are far apart! We then have an early lunch as we head into the harbour to meet our bus to take us back to Hanoi. We stop at a similar roadside stop just on the other side of the road. A good 2 days. Could have done with some more exploring but the boats are limited to set routes and what we did is all they are allowed to do.

Dinner was at a suggested restaurant which had one dish, a fish dish with noodles that you cook yourself at the table. Yummy food, but it is a warm night and it does eventually rain. We have arrived home in plenty of time!

On the road

On the road

Oysters ready to be seeded

Halong Bay

Halong Bay

Halong Bay

Our tender

Our boat

Some of the day tripper boats

Sunset in Halong Bay