Bia Hoi with Bun Cha

In the summers of 1948, the French colonial rulers were desperate to remain relevant in Indo-China. Japanese attacks during the world war and the pillage that followed by the Chinese army had left the ever infallible French, vulnerable and exposed to a disillusioned Annamese populace they had ruled and coexisted with for almost 2 centuries. As Ho Chi Minh's forces gained popularity and strength, the streets of Ha Noi and pristine waters of Ha Long Bay bore witness to uncharacteristic political folly and drama. It was in old quarter of Ha Noi, where the seeds of a thirty year long war would be sown, leaving millions dead, three of the world's strongest military and political powers (US, Japan & France) humbled and perhaps change forever the course of a nation.

Dance practice by the lake-side

Street food livens up the old-quarter at night

The lake in the center of modern day old quarter sparkles with lines of lantern-like colorful lights that surround it. Swanky cars and a million bikes parked all around the boulevard by the lake, bring people from all parts of the city to relax awhile by the banks. Hawkers line the streets selling everything from t-shirts reading "i-pho" (a play on the iconic communication device and the "pho" rice noodle soup, staple in Vietnam) to the surprisingly popular chihuahuas. Vendors clamoring for business offer delicacies like Pho, brilliant stuffed omelettes and Bun Cha (Bar-be-que pork) and freshly brewed teas. Families jostle for spots on the scores of small plastic stools that line the lake-side. The rich exotic smell of fresh food plays the perfect backdrop for laughter and joy it inspires. A puny toddler learns to take his first steps while his family looks on with excitement. In the center of the lake a pagoda scintillates, washed in bright red and golden light. On the far side a bunch of men and women of all ages put out a stereo on the road and start practicing their dance moves. Evening walkers jog along, dragged behind their chihuahuas, paying no heed to such drama unfolding all around them. Ha Noi is still very much the center of a change in course of a nation.





I first thought of coming to Vietnam in 2008 when a friend casually mentioned a road-trip across Indo-China. For a country that is surprisingly close to India (direct flying time is a little more than flying from Mumbai to Guwahati), Vietnam is a great example of how popular culture distorts our worldview. Vietnam's imagery in the world is perhaps governed by American cinema. And how incredibly off it is from the realities of the street. 


Getting to Vietnam from Mumbai:

Direct:              No direct flights exist between Ha Noi / Ho Chi Minh City and Mumbai. Jet Airways and Vietnam Airlines run code share flights via Bangkok with Luggage Transfer and removing the need for a Thai Visa. (~Rs. 34,000, 3-4 months in advance for 2013)

Cheapest:         You can make substantial savings by taking an alternate route, especially if Bangkok is part of your itinerary.  The options would be taking either of Cathay Pacific (Select days of the week, most comfortable), Jet Airways (Advance Purchase Fares) or Indigo (generally the cheapest) from Mumbai to Bangkok with a connecting from Don Mueng Airport on Air Asia to Ha Noi / Ho Chi Minh City. Based on dates the trip would cost you around Rs. 20,000 (Cheapest including Thai Visa). Air Asia also allows open jaw tickets allowing you to fly into HCM City and out from Ha Noi or vice versa.

Fastest:            Thai Airways connection takes 8 hrs onwards and 12 hrs while returning including the layover

Vietnam Visa:

The visa to Vietnam could be obtained from any of the multiple websites offering the service. A simple Google search should serve the purpose. We did our visas through vietnamvisapro@gmail.com . It is a lot more convenient and time-saving than obtaining the Visa through the embassy which seems long drawn and difficult.

Stay:

Both Ha Noi and HCM City offer options for all pockets. However our serious recommendation would be to stay in the old quarter in Ha Noi. The charm of relaxed evenings and bustling markets would sweep you off your feet.

Stay Safe:

Purse-snatching and petty thefts, specifically by motorcyclists seemed to be a problem. We witnessed one incident during our stay also. Simple vigilance and being aware of your surroundings should help you stay safe.

Ha Long Bay Trip:

While multiple websites exist, a trip to Ha Long Bay is best booked directly at one of the many agents in Ha Noi or from your hotel. A reasonable overnight trip on a clean boat with decent food should cost you between USD 80-100 per person. You could also choose from options of day-trip or a two-nights trip. We noticed that people on a two-night trip were asked to change boats on day two as each boat stays in the bay for only one day. This may have been an exception. Some boats offer family rooms accommodating 3-4 people as well. This option is not available through most websites.

The small nuisances:

Bear in mind that the boat would only be 60% of what is promised in the brochures. Instead of being disappointed at what you finally get, simply account for it when you make your purchase decision. The journey to and fro Hai-phong or Ha Long town is part of the package. The small bus would make a scheduled stop at one of the many arts vendors where you would be put through a “forced-guided” tour of the massive shop.

Lycee Khmer - Learning from Cambodia

When I proposed to my friends that we conclude a lavish holiday in South-East in a nondescript country like Cambodia, the idea wasn't met with much enthusiasm. More so because we wanted to spend a rare holiday cajoling our senses and getting spoiled in every conceivable way. But the enigma of this forgotten nation was enough to make me convince a change of plans. Few know that Siem Reap was a nerve center of Hinduism and a majestic city of a million people when Paris was merely a 500 people community. It was a mammoth settlement spread over a 1000sq km with temples and libraries and such, which were lost to the world until Angelina Jolie's Lara Croft brought the irresistibly beautiful and enigmatic ruins to limelight again. They were stories carved in stone, forgotten but vivid. And I needed to read them.

The trouble was, getting to Siem Reap wasn't quite as easy as deciding to go there and it took some serious effort to figure out a reasonable way.* Little did we know, when we crossed the Thai-Cambodian border at Aranyaprathet-Poipet, that two days in this enchanted Water Kingdom would leave us exhausted but still wanting evermore!

Cambodia is as different as it can be from any of its neighbors. The moment you enter, you've got to switch sides on the road. Thailand, being the English colony drives on the left, while French influenced Cambodians on the right. The countryside is vast plateaus which seem to be devoid of human interference with nature. The sky takes a wonderfully clear blue color untainted by pollution and you could see miles into the distance, and wherever you look, the horizon is a lovely interplay of green land & blue skies. The 3 hr journey from Poipet to Siem Reap passes in no time!

We reached Siem Reap around 6 PM. The first thing one notices on entering this conspicuously tourist town is the number of "heritage" hotels that line the streets right till the Sivatha Boulevard (the city center). While the original plan for us was to stay in a home-stay since we wanted to touch a little more of the local life, our home-stay turned out to be a dingy place quite some distance away from the town. A rapid search on Agoda.com (which runs quite brilliant weekend offers) landed us in the massive rooms of Somadevi Angkor Resort for $40 each.

Just like any other Asian tourist center, Siem Reap is also a bustling town at night. Sparkling lights shower the street-side food joints which boast of exotic meats and intense flavors. The night market a short distance away from the boulevard is perhaps the best place to haggle with the shop-keepers (and flirt with the pretty ones) for your souvenirs. With bright colorful silk and cotton concoctions lining the alleys, interspersed with artifacts and handicrafts, the night market charms you instantly.  Street-side shopping in Asia is a lot more about the experience and a lot less about the shopping. The adventure in haggling for that last penny, which both the shop-keeper can let go and you can easily spare, is what makes for the true experience of these markets. So even though the bargaining could bring down the prices by 80% leaving you completely boggled about a fair price and you simply cannot put any faith in the quality of the silks, you find yourself stuck with far too many souvenirs and trinkets. Along with our share of over-indulgence we picked up some feathery light cotton clothing in preparation for next day's hot and humid trip around temples of Angkor and closed the day with some (disappointing) Indian food in Hospital Road restaurants.

Cambodia witnessed a transition from Hinduism to Theravada Buddhism, both faiths originating in its distant cousin India. And in some way temples of Angkor are like pages of history, which have been written, scratched clean and written over again to record this mesmeric transition from one faith to another. A few of the temples of Angkor were originally dedicated to the Hindu Gods but with the ascent of Buddhism were reconsecrated to Buddhism. Notably Angkor Wat, which is perhaps the most important of all Khmer temples was devoted to Hindu God Vishnu (The God of Preservation and perhaps the most revered amongst his trinity peers Brahma, the Creator & Shiva, the Destroyer) but somewhere in the 13th century moved to Buddhist use. As we started for the temples next morning, we planned to visit Angkor Wat & Angkor Thom, Bayon, Baphuon and Preah Khan. While this was an ambitious plan, we wanted to put our solo day to full use and pigged off of an impressive breakfast spread at our hotel to ensure we were ready for the long day.

Pao our driver and guide, picked us up and quickly guided us through the ticketing and brought us to Angkor Wat before sun-rise. Unfortunately a cloudy day prevented us from witnessing a trademark sight of Angkor Wat with a backdrop of the rising sun). Even without the Sun, the sight of this massive temple in the distance, and knowing it has stood here for a 1000 years witnessing kings and then their scions learn, grow, and perish and dynasties rise and fall, fills you with awe. Standing there we made a futile attempt to imagine the processions of hoards of people who would have come here over the last millennium. To imagine how they prayed, how it'd feel to be one of them bowing in complete devotion to a higher power, the sort of undeterred, untarnished devotion that we and our generation may not be able to imagine, let alone experience. It was the kind of devotion that makes fathers and sons and then their sons toil for over 2 centuries to build this mammoth structure brick after brick after brick, knowing a generation in the far distance would get to bow in silence and maybe one lucky son or daughter in some divine moment would witness God.

For wonders of architecture which withstood a 1000 years, these temples were almost entirely reclaimed by the jungles in the short era of Pol Pot, Kampuchea's notorious dictator in a short rule of 3 years. Pol pot contrived to wipe out even the last trace of Cambodia's rich heritage. In 3 years, Pol Pot's armies, destroyed every symbol of intellect, arts, culture or history and even religion and in a first of its kind systematic genocide of the intellectuals, attempted to erase thousands of years of history. Angkor survived. Which is why these phenomenal structures, today, tell more than a mere tale of history. In a simple twist of fate, Cambodia has started to build itself again around these temples, both literally and figuratively. Siem Reap is one of the world's leading tourist destinations and accounts for a great portion of Cambodia's earnings. The symbol of Angkor has come to be connected to with all things suggesting at a resurrection, whether it is a local brewery or an airline. The hope in the eyes of a silent teenager, sitting in the temples of Angkor, the silent determination as he toils away at his English Language Guide....that is Angkor.

*There are three ways to get to Siem Reap from Bangkok, you could fly directly from Bangkok to Siem Reap but Bangkok Airways has a monopoly over the flight routes and charges a bomb (figure this, the return flight was 40% more expensive than our return flight from India to Bangkok). You could save about $100 if you chose to fly to Phonom Penh instead but increase your travel time to about 10-12 hrs including the flight since the road to Siem Reap is a two-lane highway with a lot of traffic. The last and final option was to take an early morning 3rd Class ticket on the passenger train to Aranyaprathet-Poipet broder, walk across and catch a taxi to Siep Reap making the trip in about 10 hrs. However the train has only seating accommodation and you have to stand in the queue really early since there is no pre-booking.


A good option is to make Pattaya your last stop and make for Aranyaprathet. An 8:30 1st class air-con bus, with a built in wash-room, leaves from the North Pattaya Bus Stand, for ist final destination: Mukdahan. It would drop you at Aranyaprathet in 5 odd hours with enough time on your hands to cross the border, catch a taxi and reach Siem Reap before sun-down. We reached Aranyaprathet and walked straight to the border. Having already done our E-visas, we were able to avoid umpteen touts offering a quick visa and finished the immigration process in about 20 minutes. We soon picked up a taxi ($35 for the one way drop, although I thought we were rather lucky to manage that price) and Pao, our driver would accompany us for the rest of our trip in Siem Reap. 


PS. We also requested Pao to drop us to the Phnom Penh airport from our hotel in Siem Reap. The one way trip costing us $50 for a comfortable drive.

Update: Cambodia and Thailand now allow a single tourist visa.