Shan in Japan

My final days in Vietnam were spent cruising along the Mekong Delta.  After doing the solo mission on the bicycle, it was nice to relax on a fully organized tour and be herded around in a big tourist group.  I sold my bike in Saigon to the travel agent who I booked the tour with.  I would have liked to continue peddaling onwards, but I think a proper touring bicycle is needed as the comfort factor was very limited with a cheap bike.  Even as I type this, the nerves in the palms of my hands are numb and tingley from the handle bars. 

Border crossing went pretty smooth.  The semi-permanent buildings with corrugated iron roofs changed to smaller bamboo and thatched dwellings along the banks of the river as we chugged up towards Phnom Penh at a very slow pace.  It feels reminiscent of Laos here.  I enjoyed my time in Vietnam, which was mostly spent learning to kitesurf, but it was a relief to say good-bye and be welcomed into the more laid back atmosphere of Cambodia.  Phnom Penh is a pretty city with wide boulevards, great monuments and a Royal Palace.  Even has WiFi internet hotspots all over the place!  If you've heard of the 1 dollar shop, well then this is the 1 dollar town.  Everything here is in $US 1 dollar units!  tuk tuk ride = $1; bottle of beer =$1; breakfast= $1; haircut=$1...you get the picture!  Even the ATMs dispense US dollars. 

Today was a bit of a grim experience.  I'm reading a book about Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge and all the atrocities commited, but nothing really sank in until I visited the prison center S-21 and the "Killing Fields" just out of town.  How anyone can kill over 2million fellow countrymen is very bewildering.  As I walked through the mass graves of the Killing Fields, I looked down at my feet and realized I was walking on human bones.  Next to my foot were white fragments and ragged clothing.  Apparently there are still mass graves yet to be excavated and erosion around the paths is constantly reminding us of the victims below.  There was a white stupa filled with thousands of human skulls.  As I left with a long face, it was warming to see kids running along the roadside with big smiles yelling 'hello!'.  Even after so much repression and devastation, people move on and rebuild their lives. 

Sunburnt and sore.  This is how a couple of days of kitesurfing has left me.   Managed to get the hang of the kite now, but just need to coordinate it all with the board.  Definitely a great invention - adrenaline plus! 

Got some pics up: http://imageevent.com/shanakin/vietnam

I bought a bike!  After an overnight bus from hell from Hoi'an to Nha Trang, I decided there must a be better means of transport.  It's a simple and cheap bike, but I reckon it will get me to Saigon by the end of the month.  Could even carry on into Cambodia, if its still holding together.  Brand new bike cost me US$60. 

Nha Trang had negative reviews from other travellers I met, but I'm really enjoying this coastal town.  Did some snorkelling yesterday and soaked in mud baths today.  2 days is enough though.  I hear there is kite surfing down in Mui'ne which I'm definitely keen to try out. 

One of the best things I've done in Vietnam so far is take cooking classes.  I can make rice paper and fresh spring rolls now.  Surprisingly easy and very tastey stuff.  Sweet and sour chilli sauce and peanut sauce are another couple skills up my sleeve, but the best of all is my new ability to make a rose out of a tomato, and fern decoration out of a cucumber.  Yes, this confirms I am spending my time wisely here;-)

I hired a surfboard and had a frolic in the 2 foot surf at China Beach.  It was really great to get out and paddle around.  Might even be able to get a few waves in further down the coast, as apparently November is the best month for surf in Vietnam. 

Up early tomorrow to watch the fishing boats come in and the local ladies haggle to the death over the best fish - quite a spectacle of Nha Trang they say, then I start my peddle journey south.  Will get some photos up soon.

The pace of Laos started to become a little too slow and relaxed, so after seeing some amazing waterfalls on the Bolevan plateau and finding out what a coffee plant looks like, I crossed over the border into Vietnam yesterday.

At first, the hustle and bustle made me feel like I was back in China.  This place is very different to Laos.  First day in Hue, which is just south of the DMZ between and North and South Vietnam.  The place of some of the fiercest fighting during the war.  Checked out the infamous 'Hamburger Hill' and zipped around on a motorbike with some others.  Beautiful town - often referred to the Venice of Southeast Asia with all the waterways.  Food and coffee are great.  The people have spark and I'm back into my 'haggle mode' which was well refined whilst in China.  

Tomorrow I'm off to Hoi'an on the coast.  I'm in desperate need of some beach therapy!