TEMPLES AND TUK TUKS
A short tour of Cambodia and Viet Nam
The Last of Cambodia - Viet Nam to Home
Thursday 25th July, 2024
Friday 26th July, 2024
Saturday 27th July, 2024
Sunday 28th July, 2024
Monday 29th July, 2024
Thursday 25th July, 2024
Golden Entrance to Oudon Monastery
here was no WIFI available yesterday and also today. We have been Vibering consistently with Geoff so I hope he is not worried about not hearing from us. Nothing we can do, of course, but it was better up country than here in the Capital.
Statue of the Earth Mother and Crocodile
e headed out at 0830 to Oudon, once a capital of Cambodia but now chiefly known as a major Buddhist complex. It was quite spectacular and very big. The main building, reached by a long staircase with gilded snakes on the railings was literally tiled with gold . There were gold statues and a lake containing a gilded statue of the earth mother, standing on a large crocodile.
Oudon Monastery Hall
e toiled up the steps to an amazing hall, very high ceilings and walls painted all over with Buddhist scenes. It was quite incredible, thinking of the ladders it would have necessitated. We removed our hats and shoes and stood, or knelt or sat on the floor for a blessing from a monk whose chant reverberated through the wonderful acoustics of the hall, and we were sprinkled with jasmine blossoms. Rather nice.
Preparing for the Buddhist Blessing
here are literally hundreds of monks, nuns, novices and priests living here in the complex. Many are actually aged people without family to care for them. They live here in retirement and are fed by the temple. A kind of retirement village. Outside we saw how the monks prepare to go out to collect the alms donations and how and what they ate. There were also a number of cats, as there have been everywhere we have been in Cambodia.
Silversmith
hen we left we headed for a visit to a silversmithing village, one of only two left from the ravages of the Khmer Rouge whose ideals seemed to be reducing the entire population of Cambodia to a hand to mouth land based lifestyle. Any learning or culture was banned. Shocking! One of our guides told us that his grandfather was killed because he wore glasses! Dangerously intellectual!
Working in Silver
nyway the workers here showed us how they beat and engraved the various artefacts of all sizes from vases and pots down to boxes and jewellery. We bought me a pretty heart shaped filigree silver box for my collection.
Mac relaxed on the Sun Deck
hen back to the ship for lunch and a free afternoon. Still no WIFI. During the afternoon, however, Mac figured out how to get the WIFI up so we made contact once again with Geoff. That is a relief.
The weather so far has been much better than we had anticipated for rainy season. In Siem Reap it rained one afternoon while we were at the Tomb Raider Temple and we got quite wet. Since then there has been the odd sprinkle and a short shower on the way home today. May it continue!
Tonight at dinner there was some kind of flood which spilled water from the ceiling onto a table near us, causing quite a kerfuffle as they were moved to another table.
Friday 26th July, 2024
Leaving Phnom Penh
oday we left Cambodia for Viet Nam. Leaving our mooring in Phnom Penh it was about 100klms cruising to the border, where the formalities are supposed to take hours. We took ourselves up to the sundeck for a couple of hours and it was really pleasant, a cool breeze making it very acceptable.
At 1100 we had a presentation from our cruise director, Dy, on the history of Viet Nam, much of it very unpleasant. You could certainly understand why so many of the South Vietnamese were so desperate to take crappy boats to Australia. The north won the war and the Southerners paid in blood.
Lunch was good; I had salad, chicken stirfry and ice cream, very nice.
Crowded Mekong Delta
e docked at the border at about 1513 and settled in for the duration. There will be a demo on making Vietnamese spring rolls later. The river is very full of craft of all sizes waiting for clearance, mostly large cargo barges and dredgers with large cranes. We went to the cooking demo and learned how to make Vietnamese pho bo or beef noodle soup and rice paper rolls which did not seem too difficult. We got the recipes for Geoff.
Carving a Watermelon
hen the chef finished with fruit carving which was fine with tomato and onion but when it came to watermelon, I think life is too short!
Tonight is our special dinner in the Indochine Restaurant with Bevan and Robyn to celebrate our anniversary. More later. There is also a trivia quiz, which I think we have been roped into with another couple. See what eventuates.
Later:
Happy Anniversary
e had a great night! Dinner in the really pretty Indochine Restaurant was great. Five courses in a tasting menu, all small but delicious. The company, Robyn and Bevan, was great and the staff very attentive (as they always are) and beautifully dressed in Viet National dress. As we were just about to have dessert the staff, including the chef, playing guitar and tambourines, erupted out of the kitchen and sang and danced their way to our table with a Happy Anniversary cake with a candle! I had forgotten that I had told the girl who took the booking that it was for our anniversary but they must have stored up the info. They announced it and our 56 years to all and sundry and insisted on a kiss, which they all applauded. A memorable occasion and a lovely meal.
Robyn and Bevan
hen we joined Raymond and Lynda in the lounge for the trivia quiz, which was great fun. Some easy questions (for us) and some harder (dates and geography) but in the final count our team came in equal first! We won APT branded water bottles as a prize. The others took the booze. We left as the increasingly raucous Karaoke was starting. A good night.
Saturday 27th July 2024
All Ashore
oday, after breakfast, we were given life jackets and assisted into small tenders for our shore excursion. I was very relieved to be given hands and shoulders to lean on by our stalwart boatmen when it came to stepping in and out of the boat. So far they have been really good, considering the worrying I was doing previously.
Rickshaw Convoy
nyway we disembarked on the shore and were ushered to the fleet of bicycle rickshaws which were our transport. I must have looked apprehensive because our leader chose me to go first. "Hold on to the side at the back, one foot on the step, sit down immediately, then worry about getting the other leg in." Luckily I was able to straighten my bad knee and we were off into the traffic. I held on for grim death but it was really not too bad. Getting off was trickier but the guys all help so much.
At the Silk Factory
e visited a silk weaving factory, much different from the cottage industry style in Cambodia. Large automatic (if rattly and reminiscent of Heath Robinson) looms using jacquard cards to produce the various designs. It was quite a large operation. We finally found a gift for Geoff there, a lovely shirt in 100% pure silk. I tried one on one of the other tour members who is a big man and it fitted him, XXXL.
Rattan Weaving
hen back on the rickshaw for a longer ride to a rattan weaving establishment which wove bed mats, floor and table mats and all sorts of useful things but I think we might be pushing it a bit with Border Control already with our woven palm leaf boxes etc, so did not buy anything.
On Evergreen Island
e then walked about 400m to the boat and headed for Evergreen Island, a farming community , where we visited a couple of family houses and really saw how quite well-off Vietnamese live. Everything is relative, I suppose but the bathroom arrangements were quite primitive.
I hate to think how the really poor live! The kids looked quite cheerful and not too deprived!
Local kids
Wealthy Farm
e saw their fields and crops and fishing boats which do not look at all seaworthy and it was quite interesting but hot and sticky. Today I really felt the wet season humidity, previously it was more bearable.
Boats and Fields
River Scene
t was half an hour in the boat back to the ship and we had just got on board when the heavens opened. We were very lucky.
Lunch and a free afternoon. I think I have decided to opt out of tomorrow's excursion, and pack.
Sunday 28th July, 2024
A Catholic Church for Contrast
e did opt out of the morning cruise and I am glad we did, given the description of the wet markets some of the others told us. But we did decide to go on the afternoon one. We packed most of the stuff this morning, just left an outfit for tonight and tomorrow. Bags out at 0615 tomorrow.
Seeing Stars in the Catholic Church
e decided to go on the afternoon excursion which took us first to the French Catholic Church, which seems to have quite a congregation. Viet Nam has several Catholic dioceses and four cardinals. The church seemed fairly minimalist compared with some of the temples we have visited, but it was pleasant, cool, with stained glass and decorated with stars.
At the Rice Wine Shop
Cobra Flavoured Spirit
Mac's Python
hen we went off to visit a cottage industry which made "sticky rice wine". Since it was distilled it was more like gin than wine, strong but not unpleasant. Then they showed us the snakes and scorpions they put in it for the flavour!!! There was a cobra, thankfully dead and in a jar of spirits and a large live python (a pet rather than an ingredient!) which Mac wore around his neck for a photo.
Making Popped Rice
hen on to a place which made rice paper which they use to wrap spring rolls etc, and all sorts of other rice products, like popped rice, caramel rice (guaranteed to remove your fillings) and all made on very primitive equipment but it seemed to work.
Stilt Houses Viet Waterfront
hen our tender returned us to the ship via the waterfront. The shore was lined, very closely, with stilt legged housing and warehouses, all looking quite precarious.
Water Hyacinth
he broad, brown river was full of large rafts of water hyacinth. a local weed which is impossible to eradicate, especially since some of the poorer classes use it to weave into baskets etc. We were also told that during the war, some of the Viet Cong used to hide under it to infiltrate the enemy shipping.
Local Musicians
hen we got back to the ship there was a folklore music concert from around the delta, quite interesting but some of the instruments are very caterwauly.
Introducing the Crew
hen there was the Captain's cocktail farewell when all the crew and staff were produced and introduced and applauded. We had a glass of bubbly and one canape!
Then it was our last supper! We were with Robyn and Bevan who have shared many meal times with us and it was a nice meal for the farewell. Chicken skewer, barramundi, tarte tatin, all delicious.
Tomorrow we head for home and the icy blasts. All over now!
POSTSCRIPT
Monday 29th July, 2024
Saigon Park Hyatt Hotel
e were bussed into Ho Chi Minh City, which most people still seem to call Saigon, and dropped at the lovely Park Hyatt hotel to await our transfer to the airport. We arrived about 1100 and our plane did not leave until 2045 so we had most of the day to kick our heels in the hotel.
Downtown Saigon
e did go for a walk around the block, a very classy area with big hotels and high end shops like Dior, nothing like the area around the Ibis Airport Hotel which was our first experience of the city. But it was hot and sticky so we soon returned to the airconditioning in the Park Hyatt. It is a lovely hotel, opulently decorated and we enjoyed wandering around.
Opera Restaurant Kitchen
any of the other groups had activities booked, like a shopping excursion, a motorbike expedition and similar but we just hung out. We had lunch in the Opera Restaurant, attached to the hotel. It was quite interesting with an open kitchen where we could see all the preparation going on. Shared a pizza, orange juice and coffee and it cost over a million dong! Not too bad though, and we needed to get rid of some of it anyway.
here was only one other couple still there with us when our shuttle arrived and we got to the screaming schemozzle which is Ho Chi Minh City International Airport. Despite zipping through check into Business Class, getting through security was a nightmare, huge crowds and long queues. And then, when we had got through we killed some time in the Business Class lounge but then had difficulty finding the gate! I think they are rebuilding the terminal or something and the signs did not make sense. Then we had to go through yet another hand luggage check on the way.
Finally got into our BC seats, I was so tired I did not want to think about meals and the stewardess said I was asleep before the supper arrived. Unfortunately, however, across the aisle from me a large man was lying on his back and snoring like a train. Really loudly. Once I woke up I found it very difficult to go back to sleep despite headphones. Exhausted.
rriving finally in Sydney we killed time getting luggage and getting through Border Control, we declared our palm leaf boxes and were waved through. Although we had scrubbed our shoes and wiped them with antibacterial wipes they did not even ask about them. Since our shuttle was not arranged until 1030 we killed more time having coffee and then got a phone call from the shuttle driver saying he was at Rydges, half an hour early. So we hustled across and found him and were whisked home, Geoff was home and all was well. Now it is all over - bar the photos, journal, and website.
