Last days in Hanoi Vietnam

The weather reminds me of home. It is overcast and cool with rain at times and I must say after being in 95-98F weather in Cambodia a few days ago it feels pretty good.This is quite a city with the very old and the new modern city. I went to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and viewed the body of Ho. They take him to Russia every year and redo do him some how. I must say he looked really good.The locals I hear say he is on holiday when he is in Russia. They take your camera away and put it in a small bag and they keep it until you leave the complex so no photo's. You can use the camera at the house he lived in and the grounds.
The people here have been nice and the shoe shine guys I must say were getting to be a pest. Then they would see me every day and got tired of asking. I think they would shine your bare feet if you forgot your shoe's
On to the South of the country to Hue and new adventures.

Hanoi Vietnam

My last day in Hanoi is tomorrow and I will be off to the South of the country on Wednesday at 3AM to a town by the name of Hue. I hope to find warmer weather and maybe Sun. The forcast is for around 70F Yea!!
I felt an earth quake last Thursday after noon and I guess it was close to Loa and the center was in Myanmar some where.

The people here are very nice to me and I had heard from other travelers they thought the folks here were a bit cold (not the weather) but I have not found that at all. Only one cab ride did they get me on so that is not to bad. I am not sure how he got the meter to go so fast. Must have been hooked to the wheel some how.Still not bad. I paid like $7 for a pretty long ride but got out early and I told him he was to expensive.
Friend's in Hanoi at the bus stop(in the photo) in the pottery market just out of Hanoi. Most of them are teacher's here and there students are from the States and here for 1 year. We had lunch and coffee out there.This spot is very near the river. Ton's of pottery. Beautiful

Hanoi Vietnam

Hanoi with its old city and new modern city. The old city is where I am staying and yesterday went with friend's to a pottery village out of town a short ways on a local bus. The photo is of me in Ponsavan Loa. I told the fellow that was guiding I am sure we are going up the falls and sure enough that is what we did.
Back to Hanoi. Can you believe this is all on a bike. It is amazing what they put on bikes,moto's,and anything on wheels plus what they can carry around on a stick
Still cold and overcast here reminds me of home except no rain.

Fall's in Ponsavan Lao

Hanoi Vietnam

Arrived in Hanoi late and got a hotel on the internet that I thought was the one listed in my travel book and the address is about the same maybe a few #'s off but I thought they must have another door.Surprise!!! What they do here is take the name of a hotel that has a lot of business and copy the name and open up in a old building some where close and then you show up and you know the rest of the story. 
The hotel I thought I was going to also had changed its name maybe because there first name was coppied 
As it turned out I spent 2 nights there and was not as bad as I thought and the manager actually gave me my money back for one night I did not use. Which I hear is not very common to get a refund of any kind.
I'm liking it here and a bit cold reminds me of Oregon. About 60F and overcast and a little rain at times.
I am off to the water puppet show tonight. I have heard it is one of a kind.
People trying to sell me something on the street all the time. The side walks are all full so you have to walk only in the street and traffic is crazy but they have not hit me yet.
Cheers

Joel

Siem Reap Cambodia My Last Day

I have been in this city for 10 nights and still would like to stay longer. The folks here are the sweetest. They are very very poor and still have lots of problems with land mines in the field even near the city. You have to be careful where you walk if you are out in the country side.
My Tuk Tuk driver Mr Hong took me way out of town the other day to a fishing village and it took 1 1/2 hours to get there. They pay close to $5 a gallon for fuel and to give you an idea of how much it would cost to have a driver and sort of guide for the day. I paid him $20 and he was very happy to get a job and the price was one he choose. I did give him a tip for taking me there. 
The people there do not see many tourist and they build there homes around 25 feet off of the ground and most of the year go by boat only. They live on a canal of one of the largest lakes in the country.They seemed very glad to see me and I got to taste dried smoked fish. They dry it in the sun on racks and then smoke it under a tarp.
What a great country.
I leave tomorrow and off to Hanoi Vietnam. A city I hear they have over 2 million motor bikes. Should be exciting getting across the street.
Cheers 
Joel

Ride's in Cambodia

There are a number of ways to get around here if you are not brave enough to walk the streets.

The cyclo is pedicab or rickshaw type thing and you can get around in one for $1 or so Next comes the Tuk Tuk . A small trailer mounted to a motor cycle and some are like fifth wheels and others are fixed trailer. Then there is the moto. Which is a motorcycle that is for hire. You tell the operator where you want to go and a price and you are off. Taxi which I see little of around here. These are all motor driven and of course there is bike's and what ever they can put together that will roll. When walking across the street you never hardly stop and never run away from the traffic. Some how they gage how fast you are going at all times and just go around you. They also come from every direction. Side walks are not off limits and if they can cut a corner they will find a way. They have driving school's here which would be interesting to attend. Well I must go to dinner and cross the street to the place on the other side. YIKS

Siem Reap Cambodia

What an amazing place. Temples were built here 100's of years ago and the art work is every where. The area's are huge. Some running for blocks and built with moats around them as big as lakes. I have a 3 day pass and have now used one day. I started at 8:30AM and return at 7PM and just got to a small group of them. I cost $40 for a three day pass and they check you all the time. You get a card with your photo on it and they punch the date when you go in

Time in Vientine Laos

The capital city of Laos and the largest city in the country. About 250,000 folks live here.
I must say it is hot here during the day. I would say in the 90's and pleasant during the evening. I have had fun with friends Mack and Chelsea I met after entering Laos and we met on the slow boat on the Mekong River.The coffee is really good and not a Starbucks in site.
The French have been here and you can see it in the street names, street and also the food.
They have a better system for the money. There is not one coin to be found. The bills start at 500 kip and the largest I have seen is 50,000. I have a hotel that is 243,000 kip a day. We are talking a lot of paper bills for a few nights stay. 
I am off to Cambodia on Monday the 7th of March to the capital city Phnom Penh. One task I have while there is apply for my visa for Viet Nam which will be the next country I will travel in after Cambodia.

Phnom Penh Cambodia

What's different about these country's

1 They eat with a fork and large spoon and you never get a knife.
2 The napkins are very thin and some times from a toilet roll. They do not glue the cardboard roll to the paper so you can take it out and pull from the center. They put it into a container that looks like a CD container
3 In some of the country's they drive on the left side of the road and walk on the left side of the stairs and street.
4. Some have no coin's and use bill's for everything Smart!!!
5. If you are walking you are on the bottom of the pecking order and have to weave your way on the street.

Cambodia

A beautiful country and I do like the people here. They want to please and do a good job of that.
I arrived in Phnom Penh on Viet Nam Airlines. Wow great service and the ride was on a Airbus 320. 

They have the area's there that was affected by the Khmer Rouge. Very sad. About 17,000 people tortured and killed there.This is where the killing fields are.I went to both the S21 school and the killing fields. They had photo's of the people and how they were treated. I don't know how one person can treat another that way.Here is a photo of the killing fields and the school where they were tortured

Joel Hoofing Around the World: Time in Vientine Laos

Joel Hoofing Around the World: Time in Vientine Laos: "The capital city of Laos and the largest city in the country. About 250,000 folks live here. I must say it is hot here during the day. I wou..."