Luang Prabang

Luang Prabang is a small town in northern Laos that reminds us of nothing so much as Taos, New Mexico. It is a bit of a hippie/backpacker place e with 43 Buddhist temples and 1000s of monks. Each AM the monks walk the streets begging for food and the tourist ritual is to buy food to give to them. We did that this morning.  There is a fun cafe culture here too with lots of great crafts. Katy bought a new dress and we died some silk shopping too. Besides a boat trip on the Mekong the other highlights were some great food and a dance concert by the Laotian national ballet.

From here it is back to Hanoi tonight and then homeward bound. A great trip -- totally different from our others,

Siem Reap

Here we are in Siem Reap, home of Angkor Wat, and other temples.  I imagine Camboida is a lot like Vietnam was 10 or 15 years ago.  Still just coming out of its slumber.  One of the drivers of change is going to be tourism at Angkor and the other temples.

Today we went biking in the heat (95+) while everyone back home was watching the Super Bowl.  We saw two temples, Te Phom (the famous tree root temple from Laura Craft tomb raider).  They have a great debate going on whether or not they should kill the trees -- they make great photos, but they are very bad in the long  run for the temple).  I personally like the nature v. man theme and would keep the photos in place

We had a great lunch, on a Khmer dish called Amok (kind of a curry dish but drier with more meat and veggies and less rice).  And the Angkor beer is really quite fine.

The other temple we saw was Banyon, named after the Banyan tree under which the Buddha taught.  The entire complex was build by the Khmer king Jamarayam (I know I'm not spelling that right) to commemerate his conversion of the entire country from Hinduism to Buddhism -- hence the name.

Overall, another great day!

Phu Quoc

Phi Quoc is a great beach vacation. But it doesn't feel like Vietnam. The resort is cut off from the island and filled with Europeans. We are actually the only Americans here. But it seems like we've already left the country. After so many great days seeing some of the back roads of Vietnam this is actually a bit of a let down. The resort could be in the Caribbean for all the difference. Its a nice rest of course but a bit disappointing in some ways. 

The photo is more like what we are used to seeing. Typical rice paddy by the side of the road.

Life in Vietnam

So we spent the last 3 days biking around Vietnam and we really got a taste of life here. Often we were the only non-vietnamese around for miles. The folks were friendly and entrepreneurial in nature but also very proud of what they have accomplished. Scooters are everywhere and so is pollution. Speech so free it seems but nobody criticized the government. They seem acutely aware of rising Chinese influence and anxious for some western protection. All in all a study in contrasts.

Today we went to a floating market where dozens of boats hawk their wares by sticking a sample on a bamboo pole. The boatmen live on the water in ways we no linger do in the US. The market sells its food alive. A bit weird to our eyes but the Vietnamese like to see their food killed before their eyes.

Late in the day we transfered to Phu Quoc for some much needed R&R. After 3 days of biking we deserve it. Here's our beach.

Biking in Mekong delta

Through the miracle of technology we are in the middle of the Mekong delta but still have wifi access.  We spent the say biking on small paths filled with scooters and children rushing out to say hello to us. It was almost surreal  at one point a 300 pound pig went by in tow to a motor scooter. It was also amazingly hot and now very buggy with mosquitoes.  The neatest part was the frequent ferry rides across the tributaries. You get a really sense of a detla to visit,

Now we are in a local home to stay the night.  Huge meal just done. Soon to bed. The photo is of the family heirloom mother of pearl cabinet.

Hoi An is magic

We spent the last three days in the wonderful town of Hoi An. It is the food capital of Vietnam. We took a cooking class and has several great meals. Last night we both had Cha Can -- a grilled fish and noodle concoction that was out of this world. And since we learned how to make mango and cabbage salad all our friends will get a taste.

Hoi An is also the clothing capital of the country. Paul got a new tailor made sport coat. Katy got a blazer and a local outfit called the ao doi in which she looks stunning. It is Almost embarrassing how cheaply we got them and how quickly.

Sadly you won't see any pictures of the dress.  Paul dropped the camera and broke it!  We hope to get a new one in Ho Chi Min city later today. Oh ... Almost forgot. We also got a Ho Chi Min refrigerator magnet!,

Traffic in Hanoi is wild