Follow Mike and Pat on a months journey 50 years after the Tet Offensive.
This is the day we have been waiting for we depart the hotel the Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra Golf and Spa Resort at 1100 for a 4.5 hour drive to the Mekong River in Kampong Chaam. Once we are safely on board the boat will depart for Wat Hanchey.
1815 Safety Briefing
1900-2100 Royal Kkmer dinner served in the La Marche Restaurant
After Dinner R&R
February 19, 2018
We spent the night anchored off Wat Hanchey. Our first excursion of the day was to visit the Buddhist community, naturally at the top of the hill. So we climbed the hill to the gates of Wat Hanchey.
Mike stay on the boat after being up all night with some stomach problems. (Note: He was fine by the afternoon)
This temple was damaged and rebuilt in the 1990’s. The three young monks gave us a water blessing after which they presened each of us a wristband (women on their left hand, men on their right). Our group even presented the three monks with gifts.
We walked the grounds found the residences, the dining hall, the schools. Sokun our guide told us about the life of a Buddhist monk. Young boys, of 12 or so tell their parents they would like to study at the pagoda. Theur parents go to the most senior monk and ask him to accept the boy for study. Young monks rise early, do chores, help the elders, study with the older monks, then in the afternoon they attend public school to complete their education. As they get older they must decide if being a monk is their life’s journey or if they wish to return to a more secular life. Buddhists cremate their deceased, but Chinese or mixed Chinese in Cambodia are buried. Every April the families come and clean the graves in preparation for spring.
After checking out the best view of the Mekong River, we boarded the ship and headed for Angkor Ban. Underway our guide discussed Cambodian geography, culture, history and Sokun gave us a demonstration of tying and using our scarves.
At Angkor Ban we climbed up the shore to town (water level is low, we’re in the dry season, waiting for the monsoon season). The town is comprised of homes built on stilts, a primary school, a pagoda, etc, We walked the streets and met a grandmother who warmly welcomed us. We visited with her, she was 86, red teeth from the beetle leaves, very thin. She was caring for her great grandson and great granddaughter. She even invited us up to her home to see how Cambodians live.
We passed some of the best looking cows in Cambodia. This town feeds their cows well and bathes them twice a day in the river. We saw free range chickens and even a cat or two
As we walked around, I had taken some life savers with me and handed them out to the pre-schoolers. I was almost mobbed. Next stop was the English language private school. We had been advised that it would be a wonderful idea if we would bring books and pencils with us and donate to the school. I also donated my whole bag of life savers to the teacher! We each sat with a student and helped them read. 
They were particularly interested in our pronunciation and faithfully copied us. A few of the children went to front of th class, introduced themselves, gave their name, sex, age, and told us what they want to be when they grow up. We had teachers, doctors, a soldier, and even a tour guide. It was a heartwarming visit that I will always remember.
We climbed down the hill to the Mekong Navigator and headed to Phnom Penh.
February 17, 2018
Sunrise over Angkor Wat. We got up at 0400 and departed fpr theeast side of Angkor Wat and climbed a 700 meter path to a temple and the up 50 ladder like steps the the top, fortunately there was a hand rail.
Following the sunrise at 0626 we drove to the foot of Angkor Wat for a box 
breakfast at a local snakier like restaurant which consisted of Hard Boiler egg, Yogurt, sausage, bacon, juice, an apple and orange a Croissant, a ham sandwich, two slices of white bread, banana bread, butter and jellywater, coffe and Tea.
Then we went to the moat surrounding Angkor Thom and boarded a gondola for a ride up the moat and back down observing Water Hyacinth, Water Lily’s and other work being done to keep the moat clear.
Angkor Thom is an almost square city surrounded by 8 meter high walls a little over 12 kilometers long with five impressive gopura gates providing access to the city. The city’s name translates to “large city” or “great city”.
King Jayavarman VII made Angkor Thom the new capital of the Khmer Kingdom after driving out the Chams , who destroyed the old capital Yasodharapura. He fortified the city by building a high wall around it, in turn enclosed by a 100 meter wide moat.
At the site where the new city was built, a few older monuments were already in place, most noticeably the Baphuon temple (mid 11th century) and the Phimeanakas (10th or early 11th century).
King Jayavarman VII built his state temple, the Bayon, at the center of the city. Just to the North he built his Royal Palace. Since it was built of perishable materials, nothing of it remains today except for the Royal Terraces that were made of stone. The Elephant terrace and the Leper King terrace formed the Eastern boundary of the Palace enclosure. The city was inhabited by tens of thousands of common people who lived in wooden houses, that have long gone. The city was highly developed with a system of roads and waterways, as well as four hospitals.
After the Khmer Kingdom went into decline, the city was at one point deserted and left to the jungle. In the 19th century, the site was rediscovered by French explorers, soon after which the EFEO (the École Française d’Extrême-Orient) began clearing works and restoration of the monuments overgrown by thick jungle.
The city is surrounded by high defensive walls, 3 kilometers long on each side. To the inside of the wall is an earth embankment, which allowed the Khmer good views of approaching enemy armies.
Access to the city was through five gopura gates, one at the center of each wall, an extra one (the Victory Gate) on the road from the Royal Palace to the East Baray. The gates were built between the end of the 12th century and early 13th century. The gopuras consist of a central tower, 23 meters in height, flanked by two smaller towers.
The towers, known as “face towers” similar to those at the Bayon, contain four very large heads on top of the gates facing each of the four cardinal directions. They are believed to represent Lokeshvara, the Bodhisattva of compassion. The central tower contains 2 faces looking in opposite directions; each of the smaller towers have 1 face each looking in one of the remaining two directions.
A great deal of knowledge about the history and daily life in Angkor was gained from the accounts of Zhou Daguan, a Chinese diplomat who lived in Angkor for a year until July 1297. According to him, there was a fifth head on the gopura’s top at the time, of which nothing remains today.
On the ground level of the gates on either sides of the entrance is a large sculpture of Airavata, the three headed mythological elephant with the God Indra sitting on his back. The opening of the gates are 7 meters high by 3½ meters wide in which there were originally massive wooden doors that were closed at night. Most visitors to Angkor Thom use the well preserved South gate, that was restored in the 1950’s.
One of the most famous temples in Angkor, the Ta Prohm is known for the huge trees and the massive roots growing out of its walls. The jungle temple also featured in the adventure movie “The tomb raider”; several shots were filmed in the Ta Prohm.
The temple was intentionally left in much the same way as it was when Henri Marchal, curator and conservator of the EFEO did some basic clearing work in 1920. Only the most necessary work to prevent further deterioration and collapse was done. The attractive jungle setting and the original state of the temple has made it one of the most visited Angkor temples.
Lately, things have changed at the Ta Prohm. The protect the temple from growing roots damaging the structure and from the danger of falling trees destroying the monument, a number of trees have been removed and restoration works have been carried out.
The Ta Prohm was build during the last decades of the 12thcentury by King Jayavarman VII. Where the older Angkor temples were Hindu temples dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu, the Ta Prohm is a Buddhist temple, as King Jayavarman VII was a follower of Mahayana Buddhism. The King dedicated the temple to his mother.
A lot of knowledge about the Ta Prohm is gained from the stone stele dated 1186 written in ancient Sanskrit language that was found in the temple. The stele praises King Jayavarman VII, Lokeshvara (a Bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism), Prajnaparamita (the perfection of wisdom) and the Three Jewels of Buddhism, namely the Buddha, the Dharma (the Buddhist teachings) and the Sangha (the Buddhist community).
It contains a list of all products used for religious ceremonies and lists the number of villages, priests and dancers that were to serve the temple. The stele also mentions that at the time there were 102 hospitals spread over the Khmer empire and a list of items that each hospital was to keep in stock. The stele then cites that there were 121 rest houses spread over the empire, along the major routes from Angkor to places as far away as Phimai in Thailand or the Kingdom of Champa in present day Vietnam.
February 16, 2018
Up at 0600, breakfast and on the bus to Angkor Wat, brief stop at ticket office for photo for ticket.
We arrived Angkor Wat at 0800 and toured the UNESCO Heritage site and our guide Sakou shared the history and other information.
We the toured a family run noodle making business in a small Cambodian village, named Preach Da village. The entire process was done by hand from grinding the rice to the extrusion of the noodles.
The family make about 18-20 pound a day which sells for $.50 a pound.
At the Chanrey Tree Restaurant we had a traditional Khmer (pronounced Khmee) lunch consisting of: Bok svay “chicken salad”, crispy sticky rice with “Natang Sauce”, Beef Jungle soup, River filet fish, eggplant with pork ribs and Mango sticky rice with Jackfruit (this is where the flavor of Juicy-Fruit gum is derived), Mango and Langon dessert.
We back a the hotel for a shower, it was 93 degrees. We took quick showers and changed clothes and are headed out for a Tuk-Tuk tour of a school of dance. The school has 80 students. The instructor, who is a French Expat, shared that there are not enough teachers in the schools so students go a 1/2 day and the teacher teach a class in the morning and a second class in the evening. If you think this is easy try bending your hand backward they practice for years to be able to make these gestures.
After the dance school we went to the artisan village where students learn wood carving, stone carving the art of lacquering, silver smithing, and silk screening all very interesting skills, most of the items are also available in their gift shop.
Side note: After the artisan village we took the tuk-tuk to the Lucky Mall, my shoes were beginning to lose their soles so I figured that I should get a back up pair in case so I purchased a pair of walking sneakers, not very high quality but they should make it for the next 10 days.
We have to get up at some un godly hour, 0400, tomorrow to go see the sun rise from Bakheng Hill, overlooking Angkor Wat, we depart the hotel at 0500, then we have a picknick breakfast and a gondola ride on the river and them the rest of the tour folks catch up with us and we then visit two temples . This was the site where Laura Croft: Tomb Raider was filmed in 2001.
February 15, 2018
We woke up in N. Vietnam and had a breakfast at the hotel, they have a great breakfast. Were partially packed and will finish after breakfast. Bags nned to be outside the door by 1200 and we depart for airport at 1300 and our flight to Cambodia, Flight VN837, on Vietnam Air, departure time is 1510. We arrive Siem Reap Airport at 1555. A short flight.
After the flight, and clearing Immigration and Customs which was all handled seamlessly by Uniworld we checked into the Sofitel Ankgor Resort and Spa.
That evening we took a tuk-tuk into the downtown area with Mayra and Furdie and ate a a restaurant named Red Tomato. 
I decided to have the special tasting plate on the menu which included the regional dish of Amok, fish cooked in banana leaf, everyone else opted for Pizza. It was happy hour so we all had a few drinks.
Tomorrow we tour Hanoi, beginning with the Temple of Literature founded in the 11th century as Vietnam’s first university.
We then go to Hoa Lo, commonly translated a fiery furnace also means “stove”. The name originated from the street name “Pho Hoa Lo” where most stored sold wood and coal fired stoves. Widely known know as the Hanoi Hilton where american soldiers were kept during the war, mostly pilots that were captured. Originally established by the French colonial government in 1896 for the purpose of detaining political prisoners. Only the southernmost corner has been preserved.
We then board the electric carts and ride around the Colonial Area of Hanoi. The City’s elegant, tree linedboulevards and weathered colonial buildings.
Lunch was next on the agenda at the Wild Lotus Restaurant – located in a restored colonial mansion on the esplanade at Torquay. The menu was fixed and cosisted of: Shrimp & mushroom soup, green papaya salad with chicken, fresh spring rools with prawn and mango, barbecued port loin with plum sauce, braised seafood with bean curd, stir-fried chicken with cashew nuts, sauted seasonal vegetables, steanwd rice and fresh fruit platter.
On to Ho Chi Minh Mausolem where Ho Chi Minh is buried. Even though his request was to be creamated and cast into the ocean so he could visit the world.
Then we went to the water puppet show.
Back to the hotel for welcome dinner at 1900.
Diner was at rhe Forest Restaurant in Hanio, located bt\y the flower market. The interior of the restaurant reminiscent of the forest in the northeastern refgions of Vietnam called the “Highlands”. The menu was as follows; Crab and Corn Soup, Hanoi Style Spring rolls, Beef and green Mango Salad, Fried Fish Sweet & Sour Sauce, Grilled Beef*, Stir fried mixed vegetables, steamed rice and Cream Caramel (actually a flan). The food was good expecially the beef Green Mango salad and the fish was fried, no oily and from with a good taste, the Grilled Beef* was interesting we believe that is was very finally choped beef (hamburger style serves in a length of bamboo, cook well done buy not dry buy pretty much void of flavor. Served with a cinnamon, honey and coriander laced sweet sauce. It was the least favoriate at our table of 8.
Were headed for Cambodia tomorrow.
Were headed out to Halong Bay, we have checked out of hotel and will return in two days. This is our expexted itinary and will update as the journey progresses and add photos.
We had breakfast at the hotel it was the most comprehensive array of food we have ever seen in a hotel. The food ranges from classic American to French and Vietnamees items beyond my basic comprehension of the cusine.
After a 4-hour buss ride we arrived at Halong Bay and boarded the Paradise Elegance with 31 en-suite cabins, luxury yes, junk no, the boat had a spacious sundeck, spa, main restaurant and piano bar.
Along the route we observed rice paddys, farming and Vietnamees life in general.
The style is traditional and grand, using luxurious materials such as dark wood and leather. The boat is the largest in the Paradise Cruises fleet, with plenty of space to roam around on board. There is lots of outside deck space equipped with comfy chairs and sun-loungers, meaning you can relax whilst still making the most of the stunning scenery.
With large windows and balconies, the cabins aim to create a sense of space, and the suites boast a similar size measurement to an average hotel room. All the cabins have air-conditioning, and there is also no compromise on the in-room amenities, including toiletries, a hair-dryer, bathrobes, slippers and a safe. The cabins also come with complimentary mineral water.
During the cruise we explored highlights of Halong Bay with an English-speaking guide, and sailed amongst some of the 2,000 limestone karsts that make this one of the most famous and dramatic vistas in the world.
We visited Luon Cave – known as monkey cave ia secluded grotto with a full family of Macau monkeys in residents.
Back to the boat for a 15-minute break while they moved closer to Sung Sot cave the largest cave in Halong Bay. Mike decided to stay on rhe boat while Pat took the launch to the cave due to the 200 plus steps in the wet cave. It was a bit early in the trip for a mis-step. Pat is incharge of taking the photos. 
While sitting on the balcony enjoying some quiet tine a flotilla of young enterprising Vietnamees girls cane by selling eveything fron wine, beer, snacks to star fish shells; the more things change in developing countries, the more tgey stay the same.
Tonight we anchored at Coconut Tree island.
Dinner on board at 1900 and music in the piano bar.
Tomorrow we visit Ti top island the most beautiful island in Halong Bay. We depart Halong Bay at 1030 for the ride back to Hanoi.
Update – Another overcast day weather wise so we decided to skip the 200 step climb on Ti Top island. The ceiling is very low and the visability is poor, once again proving that you can plan a trip but not the weather.
Even with the overcast weather Halong bay is beautiful with its 1,969 (the year of Ho Chi Minh’s death) karsts.
On the way back to Hanoi we stoped at Legend Pearl. They had excellent demonstration of the process of embedding a small piece of shell, usually from a fresh water musssel honed to a sphere shape.
If you are reading this post it means we have arrived at JFK Airport in NY via private transport, it probably about 2100 on February 9, 2018. Our flight departs on 2/10 at 0050 (12:50 AM for non-military folks) We arrive in Seoul S. Korea at 0515 (2/11/2018) we depart for Hanoi at 0810 and arrive 1110 hours at Hanoi’s Noi Bai International Airport. We are then picked up and taken the the hotel.
Let the adventure begin!
It’s now 0545 in Korea. We have arrived at Seoul/Incheon and are sitting with the masses because the Sky Club does not open until 0700 and we board at 0740, bummer. We had two good meals on the plane and excellent service. Cudos to Pat for wanting to fly business class, our seat actually turned into beds.
We have been busy preparing for our trip to Vietnam in February 2018. We have gone to Passport Health in Richmond for Hapititas A&B shots and Typhoid fever. We also have Malaria pills for our visit to Cambodia. We have researched the issue of mosquitos and will be using Duration to spray our clothes and a repellent with deet, while not ideal, it doest beat the alturnatives and it will only be for a short duration.
Now that were a few years older we have begun to take a bit more precautions with respect to health protection.
The Trip: Note: this is the itinerary for the Uniworld cruise, we have add time to both ends of the trip. In Hanoi we will be touring Halong Bay via luxury Junk spend on night on board. In Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) we have added a market tour as well as a cooking class.