Divine inspiration from Angkor

The coach left for Bavet, border between Vietnam and Cambodia half an hour late than the planned 7am departure. 3 hours after leaving the busy streets of Saigon, we arrived at the border, which was surprisingly quick and straightforward. 2 quick stops, passport checks and we are off again heading towards Phnom Penh. The bus boarded onto a barge as we crossed the mighty Mekong river, a meeting point of many hawkers as they try to sell everything from maize to lotus stalk to fried locusts, all carried on the heads of men, women and kids alike. Couple of hours later, we arrived in the capital and waited for another hour for another connecting coach to Siem Reap.

An Australian couple was the only one aboard the 5 hour journey from Phnom Penh and was dark again by the time we arrived in the town. The locals at the stop were quick to play down the guesthouses that you have in mind, and suggesting others. If you are to go on their motorbikes to the accom, make sure you are happy with the rooms before you agree to stay, or pay for the transport. I managed to negotiate a free ride to one of the nearby guesthouse and paid $8 for a non-air con room. Siem Reap is a food paradise, especially if you do not mind sitting by the road to enjoy a local dish under the sweltering heat will only set you back by a couple of dollars.

I rented a bike for the day and headed straight for Angkor, spending an amazing day visiting many of the temples. The 25km around the main Angkor area can be intimidating for many, which you can hire a tuk tuk for the day instead, although I will definitely encourage all to try out the more adventurous route. To really soak in the atmosphere of all the temples, one probably need to spend a couple of days, so if you have limited time like me, be selective on which temples to visit and never try to overdo it. For me, Ta Prohm and Bayon were probably the most interesting ones, especially when one snakes through the crumbling narrow corridors of the former which seem to be devoured by the giant trees climbing all over the walls. I struggled to cycle back into Siem Reap by sunset and even had cramps towards the end!

Spent the night feasting on more cheap and excellent local food, and stocking up again for another long journey into Bangkok the following day.

Laid back Hanoi, busy Saigon

Hanoi will seem quite chaotic to many first-timers arriving into the capital but the streets in the old Quarter are surprisingly very well organised - you find a street full of shops selling all kind of shoes, from $1 slippers to the latest sneakers, street selling the latest movies in DVD for only £1, or if you are hungry, hunt down the street where it is lined with roadside stalls selling dried cuttlefish, grilled in the most delicious crispy form. Head over to Hoàn Kiếm Lake at first light or evenings and join the locals in their morning exercises as the sun glitters over the water.

I sampled some really good and cheap Vietnamese food at cosy Little Hanoi 1 (recommended by Lonely Planet), and enjoyed getting lost in the maze of streets that all looked the same in the Old Quarter. Avoid the night food market that is highlighted in guidebooks as the prices can be 2 to 3 times more expensive for foreigners than what you get elsewhere, and they are not necessarily better. Walking or motorbikes are the best form of transport as the city is relatively small and you can explore all the little sidewalks where the cars are unable to get to easily. If you are a coffee lover, make sure you try the Viet coffee, not really to my taste, but you might immediately fall in love with it. I especially like buying the different kinds of tropical fruits peddled by the hawkers on bicycles at incredible cheap prices, and eating so much till I ended up having stomachache on both days. The only disappointment was not seeing the Vietnamese women in the traditional gown called ao dai, which always seem so graceful and elegant in pictures, together with wooden hat.

Paid 1.3million Dong for a upper soft sleeper bed on the Reunification Express, the price partly inflated by the commission charged by the hostel, meaning it is definitely a better idea to get the tickets directly at the train station, or check with the hundreds of tour agencies dotted around the city. The locals mentioned that domestic flying can be as cheap as $50 one way to Saigon but have also heard about stories about the flying experience. For me, it was always only gonna be one option, by land, meaning either I take the historical rail slowly humming along the coast to the south or go cheap by taking one of the hundreds of open tour buses on offer that takes you from Hanoi to almost anywhere south. The thought of experiencing a train journey holding the world record of the slowest speed for a railway proves too much to turn it down, which I am sure some of you must have immediately rolled your eyes immediately at this point!

Settled into a compartment with an elderly couple and their grandson, as well as another bloke who joined us on one of the stations along the way. Amenities were bare minimal, so don't expect too much. The conditions for the hard sleeper (6 berth) and sitting were alot "tougher", but I am sure they are just fine after you get used to it like what the locals do. There is a restaurant cart which serves rather nice Viet food at very affordable prices, as long as you ignore the local habits of throwing bones and leftovers on the floor.



The green padi fields along the way seem like a world lost in time, with farmers still using water buffalo to plough their fields and move harvested grain. Occasionally, the train goes pretty close to the coast and smell the fresh sea breeze from the South China Sea, making one feel like jumping into the glistering waters immediately. The 30 hours journey seem like forever, not helped by a kid that was getting restless and was constantly throwing tantrums. Mr Obama's first autobiography was a big help to passing time, and was very impressed with the book.

Arrived in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) late and found a guesthouse along Pham Ngu Lao area for $8. As this area is packed with guesthouses (there are no hostels in this city), one can see travelers enjoying a beer at the many pubs and roadside stalls. The city definitely looked far busier than the capital in the north. Booked a bus into Siem Reap the next morning for $16 after checking around the many travel agents in the area, enjoyed a nice local Pho Bo and strolled around the area before turning in for the night.

Head south, from Hong Kong into Vietnam

Heading to Vietnam from Hong Kong is usually a breeze but the efforts increase slightly when you limit your transport options to be only land based. First leg of the journey involves taking a China train heading in the direction of Guangzhou. You can either take to Guangzhou East station and take a cab to another station in the city for the train heading to Nanning. Instead of crashing into another mega Chinese city, I bought a ticket to Foshan, (佛山, home to the legendary gongfu master, Wong Fei Hung 黃飛鴻) instead and transfer to the next train heading to Nanning in the same station after a 3 hour wait. Do take note that you will need to re-enter China at Foshan and standard visa requirements will apply for relevant folks. Another cheapest ticket meant that I was again allocated the top bed in the 6 bed berth layout, only this time, the compartments are all open plan. Most of the locals brought their own food whereas some simply bought the meals from the push trolleys that come by every 10 minutes or so. I did the same and it was pleasantly quite edible, and at a very affordable price of 15Y (~£1.50). It was quite interesting to see the varied food brought on board, ranging from traditional dumplings to spiced chicken drumsticks conveniently vacuum wrapped in ready-sale packs.

Arrived in Nanning at six the next morning and got my next train ticket to Pingxiang for 30Y, leaving at 8am to the Chinese/Vietnam border town in 3 hours. Managed to grab some porridge with you tiao (kind of fried dough fritter) for breakfast before the clouds opened and started to pour. As the train snake through the hills and valley completely covered with lush greenery, the train attendants started to come around the cars selling strange things from toothbrushes to UV mini torchlights (they argued that it was very useful to spot fake notes) to 3-for-10Y "top range" socks. One do need to be always wary of everything that is going around you, especially keeping an eye on your belongings as the train was completely packed to the brim. At Pingxiang, bargain hard with the rows of mini vans and tuk tuks lined up outside the rail station. It is worthwhile to exchange some Vietnamese Dong from the ones carrying stacks of millions in their hands as I did not see any ATM machines at the border. Paid 5Y sharing a mini van of 5 to the "Friendship Pass", named to signify the warm relationship between the countries. Locals are not entirely surprised to see backpackers crossing into Vietnam from here but it is still quite unusual, which is good as it meant that prices are kept to the local standard. The Chinese immigration was a breeze but over at the Vietnamese end, one will need to hand over your passport together with the immigration forms to the counter and wait for your name to be called out after it has been verified and stamped. After which you will have to pay another 3Y for a "doctor" to certify you OK before you put your bags through the scanner. Outside the border, look out for buses that head directly into Hanoi, another 4 hour slow journey due to the country's speed restrictions, costing roughly 80,000 Dong for the trip. With the cheap price comes the need to share with fellow "travelers" as the mini van will attempt to pick up as many people heading into the direction of the capital as possible along the way. At one point, it was so crowded that people literally had to "stand" in the van! I was hastily dropped off along a road in Hanoi to take a xe om, or motorbike to the Hanoi Backpackers' hostel as the van was not willing to drive through the Old Quarter. Been a frugal traveler, I ended up taking a 20min stroll through the hustle and bustle of the city landscape, lined with narrow streets filled up with roadside hawkers selling tasty snacks and fruits, crossing the roads like an old pro with millions of motorbikes screaming past, always making sure that the motorists can see me, and avoid me...