jodo

Please say hello to Ponheary for us...and Tong too (she's not going to be there when we are...now I know why (she's with you!!!) Have a wonderful journey.
Look forward to your trip report.
Joyce and Don
p.s. We're doing another "Flip Flop Fund" this year in Thailand. It started with Ponheary!

terryr

Hi Lori,

Oh, your trip with Tong sounds great. What a blast you two will have with Ponheary! Please send our love to Ponheary and Dara from Terry and Alissa! We keep them and the school children in our hearts (and their children too)! Please give the Ly family our warmest wishes.

Hope you are having a great trip and can't wait to hear more from you.

Terry

laurieco

Lori, have a great time and give Tong a great big hug and kiss from me and Eric!

kathrynj

Hi Lori,
Been thinking of you, the kids, Ponheary, etc. Enjoy your trip and I'll look forward to hearing about Hanoi!
Kathy

offwego

OK I feel a penalty coming on if I don't make a post soon.

Tong and I are having a GREAT time. Ponheary worked us to death in Siem Reap.. Happy work though. Got a lot done as well as took Tong to the major temples. The Cambodia part of the journey was sunup to late at night every day.

Major plus points for the de la Paix. Good grief what a great hotel. I liked it better than any of the pissy hotels I have stayed in in BKK. Perfect service. Great food and drinks. Supremely comfortable bed, fabu pool; every detail attended to. Felt a little guilty about not staying with Ponheary but the guesthouse was full anyway and I think this is the last time I can get away with staying somewhere that nice in SR. Was able to use Tong for an excuse!

I still can't find any great food in SR, but that's not why I go there...tried Viroth's, Amok, Dead Fish Tower, Wherehouse, a couple others I can't remember....eating at a noodle shop is just as good for a fraction of the price. On the other hand, the food at the de la Paix was outstanding, although mostly western. I ate there a lot. The coffee is even good.

I will write a complete report about the activites in SR this time whern I return home. It's just too much to tell right now. Head still swimming.

We are in Hanoi right now. Coming in we sat on the runway in SR for over an hour then almost got scammed bad on the taxi on the way in to the hotel. Thought maybe bad juju at work, but since then all has been well.

This morning we hired the antique Citroen limo at the Sofitel Metropole (where we are staying) with a tourguide (who was excellent) and went to a few museums. It was a very good day of site-seeing and a fun way to do it.

I was not aware that the "body" at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is wax and Uncle Ho's real body is actually downstairs in the basement. They only bring him up on his birthday but only Vietnamese nationals can get in to see him. Regardless, I felt like it was an ok way to pay repect to the man who authored the independence of this country and it's kind of nice for a child of the seventies to get a different slant on "the American War". My dad was a draft dodger (We grew up in Berkley what can I say) so I certainly heard plenty of opinions at home about the VN War.

I love Hanoi. It's exciting without being stressful. Lots of super groovy shops. Who doesn''t love a city that doesn't show you a good time in just crossing the street? Bun cha till you're bleeding pork broth. Love the cyclos. Love the lake and public spaces. The weird Asian/Euro architecture mix. People are super friendly, but not in that patronizing sort of way. The holy trinity of eating/walking/shopping is in abundance here, so I'm in heaven.

One complaint about the hotel is a lack of internet service. 2 machines-$6 an hour. Finally found a cafe about a 7 minute walk away so we're saved. Surprised there's not more internet access in the old quarter where all the tourists are...maybe I'm looking in the wrong places. Tong is spending about 2 hours a day on the internet trying to keep up with all her correspondence while she's away. The girl never stops.

OK so will post more later... We'll be here till Tuesday then Tong is flying back to Bangkok to tour for one day with someone who booked her a long time ago and she won't cancel him...then we're off to LP.

Gpanda

Good to hear from you. The seldom-incurred lapse penalty was waiting in the wings. Sounds like you and T are having a wonderful time.

Your dad was a draft dodger? I was draft possible myself. Student deferment. Don't want to hear about being in your Dad's generation. It's bad enough being lumped in with Bob.

jenskar

Great to hear from you -- you had to make Hanoi sound so inviting, didn't you !! Like I needed another must see destination to add to the list. Looking forward to your pics and info about your time in Siem Reap.

Kathie

I'm glad to hear that you are having a wonderful time! Have you been to teh Temple of Literature yet? This was perhaps my favorite place in Hanoi.

rhkkmk

for the record, i served my country for 3 years, 9 months and 9 days and i continue to serve it by making excuses for the actions of andy and others....

rhkkmk

lori---looking forward to the full report....thanks for this...would be interested in tong's thoughts as well about other asian civilizations...

Gpanda

Do you think Bob shared his food crticism with the service cooks? There's little doubt he was always sucking up to his commanding officer. That's why he always talks to the manager of any hotel unlucky enough to receive his custom.

laurieco

I'm a bit disappointed that Uncle Ho is a wax figure. I thought I was seeing the real thing when I was there. I kind of feel cheated after waiting on line. Oh well, hopefully the Lenin I saw in Red Square was real, especially since I was "escorted" out by several armed guards for accidentally bringing in a camera.

Sounds like you're having a blast. Keep the reports coming.

offwego

Scammed again in the taxi on our way to the airport. Had the hotel get the taxi-got a price negotiated up front, then got there and he wanted more money. I wasn't in the mood to haggle with him about it but Tong wasn't too happy about it. It was about 5 bucks. Whatever. The taxi scammers and lack of decent internet service are my only two complaints about Hanoi. Otherwise found it absolutely charming. And the weather was a blessed relief. Would love to go back there sometime..was sorry we didn't feel up for Halong Bay-didn't want Kathie and Bob on my case about doing too much...

Next time.

We're back in BKK this evening. I'm staying at the Buddy Lodge while Tong does her tour tomorrow. This will balance the ridiculous price of the Hotel Metropole in Hanoi..

Hanging out on Khao San Road is a bit of a departure for me. I'm far too old and sober to be hanging out here, but it's nothing if not entertaining. In fact I think I'll go grab a cool adult beverage and watch the freaks go by.

More to follow....

rhkkmk

don't feel that bad about halong...i thought it was boring...

khtodd

hey Lori - don't know if you're back yet - but am glad you enjoyed Hanoi... nothing better than strolling those streets, eating, and shopping... sounds like you enjoyed the Bun Cha as much as we did! Did you get a chance to try the Pho? I know Tong wouldn't want to try it (it's beef) but I was curious as to your thoughts...

Can't wait for the LP installment...

Ken

ps- I hate to jump on bandwagon this late in the game, but if you're still there, give Tong a big hug from me and Cathrine!!