Anchorage to Saigon

To backtrack slightly, the original plan for this trip was to go to Iceland and visit other Greenhouses. But we were using Alaska Airline Frequent Flyer Miles for our tickets and seats were not available to Europe during August. So the destination somehow shifted to Vietnam where flights were available. How this time space continuum shift from Iceland to Vietnam happened is still not clear but we're glad it did. Fortunately frequent flyer miles were in abundance,so this trip was unique in that we flew first class from Anchorage to Vietnam and back again. We had booked a hotel in Hong Kong and two nights at a hotel in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) but other than that the next three weeks weren't planned at all. We just took each day as it came and the general vague idea was that we would travel from Saigon in the south to Hanoi in the north of Vietnam,perhaps venture over to Cambodia time permitting. But that was not what happened at all.

Because we didn't want to carry our suitcases around Hong Kong, we checked them all the way through from Anchorage to Saigon, and only took daypacks with a change of clothes for the Hong Kong part of the trip. It would be two days before we caught up with our suitcases again in Saigon. When our flight was called we walked down the walkway to the plane with a high sense of adventure that stayed with us every single day for three weeks to come. Throughout the trip we kept repeating with awe- Can't believe we're going to Hong Kong tomorrow!, Can't believe we're going to Saigon today!, Can't believe we're actually in Phnom Penh having dinner! We have been home several months now and the same sense of excitement remains even now as we write our story.

While we packed light, the next time around we would take even less but there
would be some things we would take that we didn't take. Pretty much anything
you'll need on a trip can be purchased much cheaper in Vietnam and Cambodia.
Jeans and socks are very uncomfortable in both countries unless you're in an air
conditioned area or up in the mountains. But if you're outside in the
cities walking around as much as we did then jeans and socks will be unbearable.

While it is common to see the Vietnamese and Cambodians wearing long sleeved shirts, the reality is that it's very hot there, especially so in Cambodia. What you should take that might be hard to find just when you want it might include sun tan lotion, mosquito spray, neosporin, band aids, and anti diarrhea
medicine.

The overnight flight from Anchorage to Seattle flight was 3 & ½ hours.
After a brief layover in Seattle we flew up to Vancouver, BC., arriving in the
early morning with the entire day to explore downtown Vancouver. We cleared
the serious, frosty, frankly annoying and suspicious Canadian Customs guys'
questions as to 'Why are You Two Really Going to Vietnam?', they just didn't
seem to understand. Fortunately, the Vietnamese and Cambodian people understood exactly why we were there and their friendliness was a big highlight of the trip.

In order to go from the airport to downtown Vancouver we converted just enough US Dollars to Canadian currency to purchase Air Train tickets for the 'Air Train' as we were under the impression they had to be purchased with Canadian cash. There are currency conversion kiosks right after you get off the plane. To purchase the Air Train tickets go all the way down to the 7-11 Mini Store on the bottom level of the airport adjacent to the food courts. Then to catch the Air Train go all the way back up to the top floor and you're there. We checked our day packs at a paid baggage check area for about $12.00 close to the downstairs food court area so we wouldn't have to lug them through downtown Vancouver.

The Air Train trip to downtown Vancouver was about 45 minutes. Downtown
Vancouver is significantly larger and more cosmopolitan than Anchorage, to be
sure, and has a European flair. So it was time for breakfast and we stumbled
into a Vietnamese restaurant of all places where the food was great and the
owner said she would like to go with us to Vietnam. We walked to China Town in Vancouver, but it was to be discovered later to be nothing compared to Hong Kong where we'd be tomorrow or Chinatown in Saigon later in the week for that matter.

We spent the rest of the day walking the streets and quaint neighborhoods. But
we're sitting here right now a couple months later trying to remember what we
did in Vancouver and are just drawing a blank. We returned to the airport by
Air Train for our evening flight to Hong Kong.

Back at Vancouver International Airport, we started the journey to Vietnam on Cathay Pacific Airways. What an incredible way to fly in style. We were given vouchers to Cathay Pacific's Board Rooms at each of the airports we flew through, including Vancouver. This was something new for both of us and it was here that we rapidly gained an appreciation for the incredible customer-oriented service that is Cathay Pacific Airways. The Board Room was a quiet, comfortable lounge with an incredible array of food and beverages far from the hustle and bustle of the airport yet right beside our gate to Hong Kong. We got used to this first class service treatment rather quickly. At left is a photo of Matt using wifi in one of the board rooms.

We had no idea what to expect about the 13 hour + flight from Vancouver to HongKong other than we knew the seats somehow made into beds. So we went through customs and showed our passports and carry on day packs when requested, but here they seemed much less preoccupied with shoes than in Anchorage and Seattle as if shoes didn't seem to matter. One of us had on strange looking shoes that got a lot of attention during the next three weeks wherever we were, more about that later. The flight attendants had been waiting for us, they knew our names, they showed us our seating arrangements and they just kept on continuing with way beyond belief awe inspiring customer service through the entire flight which covered 16 time zones.

This is a cool photo of Matt, excitement radiating from his face. We didn't even have seats, we each had an 'apartment' at the very nose of the plane, in fact our two seating areas were the nose of that plane. We were served Caviar, Sashimi, Champagne, Jasmine Tea, Cream Bulle, a fresh Seafood dinner, Caesar Salads, Petit Fours, fine wines, delicious soups; all of this was Asian style and it just went on and on. The seats did make into perflectly flat spacious beds with the push of a button. They placed down comforters on us while we slept, they gave us pajamas and shaving cream and just everything imaginable. More so than anything else it was the manner and style of how the airline attendants waited on us. This was a level of service which neither of us even knew to exist. They awoke us to warm croissants and scented teas as we made the descent into one of the largest most incredible airports in the world, Hong Kong International Airport.

Much like anyone else we had read and thought about safety in the countries we
would visit, precautions to take to safeguard ourselves, our money, and passports. We did use money belts and under the shirt pouches for our passports and credit cards.We always felt safe everywhere in all three countries at all hours of the day and night. We walked everywhere we went for miles and were constantly surrounded by masses of people in heavily populated areas. In fact a big highlight of the trip was the incredible friendliness of the people and especially the graciousness of the Cambodian people. Our day to day experiences with the people in Vietnam and Cambodia were very positive and would be a major factor on a return visit to both countries.

It was after dark in Hong Kong when our huge plane gracefully landed and we regretfully left Cathay Pacific Airlines. There was a 20 minute or so wait to clear the efficient, friendly Hong Kong passport stamping Customs. We knew from Trip Advisor to take the A21 bus to our hotel and we thought this might be some huge ordeal as the airport is absolutely humongous and we were two days in transit by this time without any real sleep. There are numerous currency conversion kiosks in the airport and there are clear directions and signs for everything you need to know. There are also friendly employees with white shirts on walking around asking if you need assistance. But what you need to do for a bus ticket is just buy the “ordinary Octopus Card” and you have to buy it with Hong Kong Dollars, not a credit card. There is a ton of information on Trip Advisor about the Octopus Card, but what it boils down to is just tell the guy at the booth where you buy it where you're going and he'll tell you how many Hong Kong Dollars to load onto your Octopus card as he himself will have an Octopus Card in his wallet and will know all about it. Then when you depart Hong Kong you can receive a refund at the same booth where you bought the Octopus card for any unused “time”. Anyway, catch your Downtown bus outside at street level of the airport; everything is clearly marked in Chinese, English and other languages and easy to navigate.

Hotel Benito is a boutique hotel and about as centrally located in downtown
Kowloon as it is possible to be. It's in an action packed area. Their website is
www.hotelbenito.com. The 45 minute A21 bus trip was intriguing and left us off
into the night just two blocks from our hotel on Nathanson Boulevard and into
the masses of people strolling the streets. Hotel prices, along with everything
else, are high in Hong Kong but the Benito was reasonably priced, clean, quiet
and the staff were great. We had that evening and most of the next day to
explore Hong Kong. So we checked into the hotel then walked amid all the
thronging crowds until later that night, had dinner at a local place mainly
frequented by 16 year old Chinese, then went to bed not sure of when we'd wake
up the next day. But we did wake up just fine the next morning and were curious
to look out the windows and see what this part of Hong Kong actually looked like
in daylight. We were surrounded by shops and restaurants and many many people
and conveniently a bakery right across the street! Jet lag wasn't to seriously
catch up with us until a day or so later in Vietnam.

We set off straight to the bakery where they had all kinds of cool ham and cheese type croissant sandwiches and pastel colored pastries. Hong Kong business folks were as excited as we were by the selections but they were more adept at paying than we were given the new pink and other colors of the currency. Then we walked and walked for hours through downtown Hong Kong. Yes, it was really hot there compared to Anchorage and the sun was bright and sweat ran in our eyes. But later Vietnam and especially Cambodia would be much much hotter.

Cosmopolitan, brisk commerce, clean and orderly describe Hong Kong. Our first impressions of Hong Kong were just that as we were only in downtown Kowloon for less than a full day. The sidewalks are lined with businesses of all kinds and the skyscrapers loom above everywhere. There were a lot of stores selling spices, herbs, dried fish and shrimp; all painstakingly arranged in symetrical piles. But we saved our money for Vietnam and did no major buying. Signs were posted throughout the city with instructions on behavior that would not be tolerated and even with associated fines in Hong Kong dollars. No spitting, no urination, no dogs, no ball games and no lying on benches. We had heard from someone that Hong Kong is like Manhattan on steroids and that's probably true. But what we were soon to discover later that evening was that Saigon made Hong Kong look like a retirement community! Later in the afternoon we checked out of Hotel Benito and walked across the street to the clearly marked bus stop to catch our bus back to the Hong Kong Airport.

Jet lag was a big question in our minds and how would that work? Hong Kong is 16
hours ahead of Anchorage and in order to get there we spent two nights on planes
which is a lot of time to be physically present within the confines of 'your
seat', even when it's on Cathay Pacific. But no, there was no major jet lag when
we arrived in Hong Kong and we were thinking and acting probably at 85% capacity
when we cleared customs and found our way to Hotel Benito. The excitement of
actually being here in Hong Kong perhaps kept the jet lag at bay for the time
being. Even the next morning waking up in Hong Kong there was some dazed feeling involved but nothing serious. But jet lag did catch up with us in Saigon and to each of us in different ways. We both lied awake during several nights in
Saigon. Then a few times we returned to the hotel in mid afternoon for a nap.
Maybe part of it was the heat and all the new food must have figured in. I
remember one bus trip where if I wasn't talking to Matt he'd fall asleep. After
4 or 5 days into our trip all the things we were defining as jet lag
subsided.

The flight from Hong Kong to Saigon was about three hours and once again we
were given vouchers to the Cathay Pacific Board Room at the Hong Kong Airport
before departure where the food and the whole layout was incredible. We have
photos of Matt sitting in the lounge looking more “dressed up” than he would
later appear on our return back through Hong Kong from Cambodia. Cathay Pacific
did not disappoint on this flight either with their delicious expansive meals,
wine, desert and entertainment systems. We arrived in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City)
in Southern Vietnam an hour or so after dark as that seemed to be our customary
arrival time at new places on this trip.

The Saigon airport was relaxed, the customs agents were eager to greet us, were super polite, welcoming and smiling with more passport stamping and then incredulously our luggage was just right there waiting for us after we last saw it more than two days ago. Outside the airport a Vietnamese man from Bich Duyen Hotel stood holding a paper sign with our names and we followed him to a small compact car.

It was immediately apparent from the trees and bushes and the heat that we were definitely in the tropics, much more so than Hong Kong. As greenhouse business people we couldn't help noticing the local foliage. Then out of nowhere the legions of motorcycles started coming from everywhere. Everybody and their extended families were on motorcycles all around us. The night time lighting of the streets was sort of dim or nonexistent and the electrical wires were hanging overhead like a wealth of grapevines. Mesmerizing doesn't begin to describe the scenery or the closeness the cars and motorcycles were all driving to each other and the apparent lack of traffic rules. And the whole population seemed to be out on the sidewalks eating dinner. We drove through back alley ways and back every which way and the traffic was coming from about every direction into some kind of organized chaos. Absolutely fascinating to think we were finally there in Saigon! It was much more intense to be be there than to see it on the internet.

The Bich Duyen Hotel came highly recommended on TripAdvisor and we totally enjoyed our three nights there. It's what you might call a mini hotel, has two or three rooms on each floor with maybe 5 floors. The hotel is located down a labyrinth of an alley and your shoes are left at the front door. Two young guys own the hotel and they are both cheerful and cool and welcoming to Vietnam. Our room had air conditioning, hot water, wifi, a window and breakfast was included. The hotel was spotlessly clean, the staff were constantly polishing this that or the other. The toilet paper is pink throughout Vietnam and Cambodia and tooth brushes and tooth paste were provided in all the hotels we stayed in. One of the owner guys exchanged some dollars into dongs for us on our arrival. We took our bags upstairs to our room and then walked out into the night to explore and have dinner. Bich Duyen Hotel doesn't have a website but you can read about them extensively on TripAdvisor and make reservations by email with Chanh at bichduyenhotel@yahoo.com. And Chanh will not only be smiling broadly at you every time you walk in the door of his hotel, but you will be greeted with a cheery, enthusiastic, “How are you?”

Saigon comes to life at night and goes strong until late. The smells of food
fill the air everywhere. It seems like the entire population is outside driving
around on motorcycles and having dinner on the sidewalks. Just outside our hotel
alleyway we right away encountered the situation of 'how do we get across the
street?'. Traffic, mostly motorcycles, was coming from every direction, even
from up and down, honest. At first we tried to shadow Vietnamese people crossing
the streets and that worked well as long as there were Vietnamese people about
to shadow. But it was confusing so we chalked it up to the night and thought the
traffic thing might all go away the next day.....

For money, we each started out with a few hundred dollars in cash then after that ran out we started using our ATM cards to get the local currency. We had credit cards from local credit unions where the foreign transaction fees were much less than say, a Bank of America card. We took along two credit cards issued by two different credit unions in case one should stop working. We also called our credit unions before leaving and asked them not to block our cards when our charges started coming in from overseas. When using the ATM card to get local money the associated fees are the foreign transaction fee, currency conversion fee and the fee of the local ATM you're using. The ATM's we used charged anywhere from $1.50 to $5.00 per transaction. Credit cards seemed to be accepted in more places in Vietnam than Cambodia.

Matt soon handled the money. In spite of iphone apps the conversion thing just
started to not compute very quickly for Dale after we left the Hong Kong dollars
behind and got into the Vietnamese Dong. It was all the worse in Cambodia with
the Riels where they would combine several currencies in your change; more about
that later. But Matt was quite skilled and quick with the money thing. These
were the US Dollar conversion rates during our trip: 7.8 Hong Kong Dollars,
20,600 Vietnamese Dong, 4,100 Cambodian Riel and even though we ran out of time
to get to Laos, 8,000 Laotian Kips. Everywhere we went in Hong Kong, Vietnam,
and Cambodia we were dealt with honestly when paying for goods and services.

We had an incredible first night dinner in Vietnam at one of the sidewalk
restaurants. The same amazing customer service we received on Cathay Pacific
Airways followed us through Vietnam and into Cambodia and was certainly true at
this sidewalk cafe in Saigon, the waiter guys doted on us. Right away we noticed
how 'fresh' the food was. The food we had throughout Vietnam and Cambodia was
incredible, some of the best ever. We later learned about the wealth of the
Mekong Delta and all the vegetables and fruits that are grown there and abundant
fish and seafood harvested. Our dinner that night for the two of us with a
couple of beers each was way less than $10 and the street side ambiance of a
night in southern Vietnam was something we'll never forget.

That night on our way back to the hotel we wanted to get bottles of water which
are sold everywhere although the prices vary widely. An elderly Vietnamese woman had the larger bottles that looked cold for what seemed like a reasonable amount of Dong and just about then jet lag or the Saigon Beer or both set in big time and Dale was trying to hand her Hong Kong Dollars. She got confused as Dale's jet lag hit her too and Matt stepped in and gave her the Dong but he had a hard time remembering the currency rate, and after much deliberation, several back and forths, some pointing and obvious misunderstandings, she eventually let us go with our water. We later tried to recall how much she was charging and how much Matt gave her but in the end we still owe her money. For the duration of our trip the Vietnamese and Cambodian people were very honest to us in our transactions with them. It was only us who were unintentionally dishonest with them, just this once.

So we woke up early on our first morning in Vietnam and took a curious look
out the window to see what Saigon looked like in daylight. Well, there were
motorcycles everywhere, even more so than the night before. We figured out how to work the shower. The Vietnamese are up and about early and they're not quiet about it either. We too fell into that habit right along with them. As breakfast was included in the price of the hotel we went down the few flights of stairs into the lobby area where they have 4 or 5 small tables for the guests. One of the owners of the hotel made a real nice breakfast for us of eggs, fruit, juice a loaf of bread and coffee or tea.

After breakfast we walked out into our Saigon alley way and into a sweltering
morning. We headed out into the streets of Saigon and walked miles and miles
during the next few days. Yes, it was very hot in Vietnam, even in the mornings.
It was incredibly hot in comparison to Alaska, and Dale was to be astounded at
the amount of water Matt drank along the trip. Well, the traffic was 10 times
more intense and louder than the night before. Nothing looked familiar from last
night. Everything we saw was just incredible. This is the kind of place where
you're instantly lost. One block in Saigon was really Hong Kong on steroids.
Right away the whole thing about crossing the streets went to front and center
on the learn how to do list fast. Reality is redefined in a world of some six
million + motorcycles. Neither are the sidewalks immune to motorcycle travel. We
had a small map of Saigon but we're not sure how useful any map would be. It's
very easy to get lost there and have absolutely no idea where you are even two
blocks from your hotel. Thank Buddha for Matt's often last minute sense of
direction. Saigon is divided into Districts and our base was in District 10,
which had a distinct quality so that when we were out and about all day and
arriving close to 'home' we knew it just from the vibes of the area, real good
vibes.

On one of our first days in Saigon, we had an interesting encounter with a
shoe shine specialist. There was a squadron of men waiting attentively on
every street corner to shine your shoes in Saigon and then running after you,
and one of the enterprising fellows took initiative when we passed, and began to
shine our shoes without even asking. The fellow followed us for several blocks
attempting to shoe-shine. He even attempted to shine shoes while we were
walking, and he really got a good shine in when we were stopped and waiting to
cross the road. These guys had personality along with their mobile shoe shine
boxes.

We ended up sitting down at one of the food stalls that are everywhere on every
sidewalk in Saigon. One vendor will have a small food cart and some specialty
food and then there will be all these child's plastic chairs and tables where
the people are squeezed together to eat. So we were comfortably doing this
squeezing thing and Vietnamese business folks are joining us and we have no clue
whatsoever what we're about to eat or what it's going to cost other than the
woman is chatting away in Vietnamese and doing something with a big knife. Soon
our plates are in front of us and nothing looked familiar at all food wise.
Whatever it was it was all delicious with the predominant color of the food
being beige and we were having a grand time just being part of this local scene
on our very first morning in Saigon when our lady chef grabbed the tables,
chairs and overhead umbrellas in one swoop and we along with all the other
patrons were scooted a few feet further from the sidewalk as police were
approaching to enforce zoning laws. This put us all in much cozier seating
arrangements even than previously and everyone was laughing and chatting away,
perhaps it was raining too. For this delicious breakfast and incredible street
side ambiance we paid a whopping $1.50 for the both of us. This was also one of
our first encounters with Vietnamese people not related to the trip, and by
that we mean we had legitimate conversation with a Vietnamese Businessman during
this breakfast, who advised us to eat on the street, as he did (and likely still
does) to save money. The Businessman was incredibly friendly and communication
was incredibly easy throughout the trip; excepting one instance where Dale, Matt
and a Japanese friend they acquired by the name of Satoshi, attempted to buy a
cell phone. (But that is an interesting anecdote for later)

There is so much to see and do in Saigon. Much of life happens on the
sidewalks. This is a city in constant motion with hard working people who seemed to have a driven work ethic. People of all ages were constantly working, hanging items in their shops, picking up trash, sweeping, cooking, cleaning, nonstop motion. One thing we noticed about the Vietnamese, they are always counting their money. This was strange at first, but as we too struggled with the sheer amount of Dong, (one trip to the ATM and we became instant millionaires with the 20,600 conversion rate) we began to understand, they were simply counting to figure out whether they had 5 or 6 million dong from the day’s sales. Just sitting at a restaurant on the sidewalk watching the traffic and the people was an experience. We can still smell Saigon and hear the traffic when we talk about our trip.

We went to the top of the Bitexco Financial Tower and while pricey for admission by Vietnamese Standards, it was worth it for the view. Saigon stretches on out into the distance for what seems like forever. Matt and Dale tried out their camera phones (Matt had bought a new phone specifically for the trip) from the top of the tower, as this was one of the first true “photo ops” of the trip. Being on the top of the tower gave a full view of the city of Saigon, 95% of
which would have never been seen if we had not ascended Bitexco Tower.

Strolling along the Saigon sidewalks early in the morning we saw a lot of people having Pho for breakfast heaped high with fresh assorted greens and herbs and doused with hot sauce. This Pho, their national soup, is real flavorful and is eaten at all hours of the day and night. The Vietnamese were generally small statured and thin; it was not unusual to see several of them riding on one
motorcycle. We saw them eating substantial amounts of fruits, vegetables, leafy herbs, fish, seafood and rice. We too fell into this pattern for the next few
weeks and noticed the heaviness of the American food on our return to Alaska.

We went to the famous Ben Thanh Market. There was a traffic roundabout of sorts in front of the market and this was a classic example of where higher level skill was required to get across the street with all those motorcycles. This market was huge with who knows how many small stalls jammed together selling everything on the planet. Watches, jewels, shiny glass creations, metal sculptures, clothes, sunglasses, housewares, food, spices, flowers; you name it and it was there. Nothing was priced so you'd need to know how much an item should cost before making a purchase. A lot of the clothes had name brand labels but only the label was name brand. We sat in the middle of the market at one of the food stalls for lunch and had chicken, we think. The lady next to us was eating several varieties of snails. Torrential rain was pounding against the roof of the market. All sorts of smells and sounds were there in this market.
There were snakes in bottles of alcohol.

The motorcycle tour guide in the next section gave us advice on street crossing, he said to simply start walking, and allow the bikes to flow around you. It was amazing, and intimidating, to venture into the crowded Saigon streets, with vehicles traveling in front, behind, to the left, to the right, and to make it across alive. Later, towards the end of the trip, Matt had a hard time remembering that in Los Angeles, people do not take kindly to pedestrians attempting to cross a crowded street, as Dale had to remind him to wait for the crosswalk indicator, something Matt forgot during the Vietnamese venture.

Later that day we were picked up in front of the hotel at 6 PM by XO Motorcycle Tours for a three hour After Dark motorcycle tour of Saigon. Tung Do owns the company and has an all female staff of very cute drivers. Both Matt and Dale’s drivers had names pronounced “knee” although Matt’s driver was named Nhi, and Dale’s driver was named Ni. This was the only event that we had planned for the entire trip and had booked it online before leaving Anchorage at www.xotours.vn. It was just incredible to be on the back of a motorcycle in a sea of motorcycles and to be a part of that whole moving traffic pattern. We can not recommend this motorcycle ride highly enough. It was the perfect way to start our time in Saigon. Tung Do joined us for much of the trip and they took us all over Saigon. It was a fantastic evening which they narrated the entire trip. They even stopped and bought us dinner and fresh pure sugar cane juice before dropping us back at the hotel.

We needed a photo of someone on a cell phone to insert in the text here and
conveniently had this photo of our guide Thola, in Phnom Penh. We call him our
guide but he was really our tuk tuk driver. For now that part of the trip is in
the future, but don't worry we will get to it and tell you all about Thola. For
phones and how they worked on this trip, between us we had an Iphone 3 GS with
AT&T and a Samsung Galaxy with GCI, an Anchorage based telecommunications
company. We relied on WiFi (never using the AT&T overpriced overseas plan)
and we did not change out the Sim-cards on our phones although Sim-cards were
readily available and cheap just about everywhere in Vietnam and Cambodia. WiFi
was available throughout Hong Kong, Vietnam and Cambodia. Most of the hotels and restaurants had WiFi, some were secured with a code which we obtained.
Throughout the trip email and facebook were sometimes working or not at all
while fast at other times. Still, we were surprised to find WiFi was prevalent
just about everywhere we went as it was a contrast the huge grapevine like
masses of electrical and telephone wires hanging not far above the city streets.

Our phones were also our cameras and it may be that we'll need to return to
both Vietnam and Cambodia just to retake some of the pictures. Unique photo
opportunities abounded around every corner there in day to day life as there
seemed to be a lot of color, activity, motion and just a lot of unusual things
going on constantly. The Iphone camera didn't do so well on the Mekong Delta
with the glare of the sun on water and the speed of the Iphone camera was a
limiting factor. In retrospect, it would have been better take a small, better
resolution camera next time.

We are posting the story of our travels because we had a great time on the
trip and it is fun to look back, remember and get some of it down in words,
hopefully also for the enjoyment of others. We are far from experts about
Vietnam or Cambodia. We saw so much while there but really never even got to see much beyond the tip of the iceberg. We're writing our story together, sometimes in the third person, sometimes using each others' names and sometimes writing about ourselves as if we were the other. We thought this added an interesting writing style. Our 'story' has turned into more of a project than anticipated. So on a daily basis we are updating, editing, adding photos and formatting text from all the parts of the story until we get it just right.