gatoratlarge

I'll write more later but since pictures are worth a thousand words, and post a link to my photos which are basically in order of our itinerary...we were ambitious but had a great time...obviously we could have had more time in some locations but I didn't feel overly rushed...

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...e8d1ddf&type=1

Let me know if it doesnt work...thanks

gatoratlarge

Here was our itinerary:
Bangkok was our base. We departed almost immediately for Siem Reap and three nights at La Residence d Angkor...we explored the temples and took a trip up to Tonle Lake......we flew back to Bangkok for a half day tour of the grand palace and canals of the city (but the king's aunt had died so the Grand Palace was closed). We stayed at the Peninsula Hotel for the night. The next day we were back to the airport headed to Yangon/Rangoon. We took a half day tour: markets, the Shwedagon pagoda and the colonial areas...and stayed one night at the Governors Residence. Morning departure on flight for Bagan.

From Bagan we boarded the Road to Mandalay. We did the four night cruise to Mandalay. We found a good spot for the sunset atop a pagoda mostly to our small group and arranged for Min Thu to meet me at the jetty at five a.m. For a sunrise horse cart tour. Min Thu was great....seemed to know what I wanted out of the horse cart and advised me on some photo opportunities...that's the perfect way to amble around and take in the atmosphere of Bagan...The balloons don't run this time of year so I hated to miss that but that's the breaks. The boat run was to be the only departure this time of year, the water was high but we only had one brief down pour. I assumed there's a bit of weather risk but the average highs and lows and rainfall was not much different than Florida which is where I live so it was bearable...if you are especially sensitive to heat you may want to try a diffrenet time of year...The next few nights we spent aboard taking in life along the Irrawaddy. Mandalay, Sagaing and Mingun...Flight from Mandalay to Yangon to Bangkok...another night at the Peninsula before morning flight to Hanoi...we stayed at the Melia which is in a good location in the French Quarter.

Nine days in Vietnam: 3 nites in Hanoi; one night aboard a junk in Halong bay; cuc phuong np; One night in Hue at the Saigon Moran; Hoi An for two nights at the Palm Garden Resort on the Beach and Saigon for a night at the Sheraton (we had about a day and a half sightseeing before a early evening flight to Bangkok)....the last two nights were at the Centara Grand...we got in that visit to the palace that we missed earlier...ate lunch at Jim Thompson's house...hit the Pat Pong night market and went to a Muay Thai fight...

Kathie

Thanks for the link to your photos. I'll look forward to more of your comments on your trip. It was a whirlwind trip, but it sounds like you enjoyed it.

I'm glad you were able to utilize Min Thu in Bagan. We'll be seeing him again in November.

Of the places you visited are there any that especially draw you back?

gatoratlarge

I wish I could say---I really enjoyed all of our stops---Vietnam was quite different than Burma and Cambodia---for photos, atmosphere and people---it was hard to beat Burma---I would like to have been able to check out Inle Lake...fellow passengers aboard the boat raved about Laos...and we didn't go to anything outside of Bangkok in Thailand...so there is much in SE Asia to go back and see...Malaysia and Singapore...I need to add a pic of Min Thu...he's a real gentleman.

Kathie

Some of us here are addicted to SE Asia. It sounds like you can see why.

dgunbug

Loved your pictures

rhkkmk

great pics, thanks

gatoratlarge

Glad the link worked...I get it (the addiction) charming people, culture that's goes back thousands of years, beautiful, exotic scenery, great food...easy to see why...

live42day

wonderful pictures! thanks for sharing them

gearsau

Photo #9 in your set.

That Gate at Angkor Thom is "East Gate" , or "Gate of Death"..All the other gates have bitumen roads going through them,(South Gate, North Gate, Victory Gate),and West Gate now has a wooden walkway through it.

They used that gate in one of the scenes in Tomb Raider .

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?p...&id=1239983560

gatoratlarge

Thks! I wasn't certain but now that you say that I do recall the guide telling us that...after, we walked the top of the wall to the next gate...we wanted to check out the less "developed" gate...where you could get the sense of how it was

gearsau

No problems Have been at Angkor Wat and the surrounding area on four occasions. Off to Siem Reap again in September.

gatoratlarge

I've reorganized my pics and added some---I think it gives a pretty good feel for the countries we visited...here are the albums:

Angkor Wat and Tonle Sap in Cambodia:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...863910d&type=1

The Road to Mandalay (Rangoon, Bagan, the Irrawaddy, and Mandalay):

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...8e721b2&type=1

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...e8d1ddf&type=1

Good Morning Vietnam:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...a2fdb2b&type=1

What a spectacular and interesting part of the world!

pattyroth

Love your photos--crystal clear and an especially nice one of U Bein Bridge!

gatoratlarge

Thank you patty. I know when I'm planning a trip I love to look at other folks photos to get a feel for the places I hope to visit. Hope these will help folks plan or help them decide where to visit...did you recognize min thu in a few of the pics? I told him I learned about him from fodors forum...

sam_iam

Great photos! We are heading to Vietnam next month and these definitely have upped my excitement level even more!

One question - did you take a tour to Cuc Phuong national park or did you travel there independently? I'm wondering how you got so close to the animals - is that normal? We'd love to add that to our itinerary, so any tips you have on that are welcome!

Nutella

Having just returned from Cambodia, I enjoyed your photos. So that's what Angkor looks like when it's not raining lol. Thanks for posting!

gearsau

Nutella
Its bucketed down here for almost 12 hours ... No fun at all.

gatoratlarge

I had a guide and driver that took me from Halong bay and I requested ahead of time for the agency we used to contact the centers...the small carnivore center and primate center...the primate center is open to the public but not the small carnivore center...I think if you make a donation ahead of time you may be able to get a private tour...I would say the scenery is beautiful but it'd be difficult to see much wildlife without a visit to the special centers...there is also a turtle conservation center...if it can't be arranged ahead of time it's a gamble...not sure how worth it it would be...a long way to travel but I have a strong interest in pangolins...I thought it was worth it because I got to see the pangolin/carnivore center...without it I think it wouldn't have been enough...

gatoratlarge

Thought I'd post some vids from the trip to SE Asia:

Vietnam, here are a few from Halong Bay:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqH0XEbKGsk
The humidity fogs the lens:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVfdTufJnq0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6nL7RksaCA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl33TyKD6ic

Pangolins at Cuc Phuong NP:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leS2Q6JS_zE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGs4U...eature=related

Live at the Rex Hotel Rooftop Bar:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PykQzHU84E

Music on the Streets of Hoi An:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tisJLCcw0IY

Scooter Traffic in Hanoi:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ix50wt3vmTY