SE Asia, January 2025
Disclaimer: This is me getting healthy.
It’s been a few days since I checked in so I thought I’d let you guys know what I’ve been up to since leaving Chicago, bound for SE Asia. It’s only been a couple of days but it’s been quite an experience so far. Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul: detached seat back pocket, broken middle seat, and an angry argument over seat reclining between my Somalian seatmate and the German woman behind her. Beautiful hotel right on the sea. Too bad it was rainy so I couldn’t enjoy a walk along the water.
Middle of the night flight to Vietnam. The airplane was in much better condition than the first one but I was now the recipient of a person in front of me fully reclining her seat and the person behind me wouldn’t let me recline. Got to Ha Noi and didnt want to just stay in so I booked a last minute food tour. Max also helped me find a traditional Ao Dai for the Tết festivities in two weeks. This morning I went to breakfast and then walked around the Old Quarter, browsing all the shops - beautiful paintings and silk. It’s always a little nerve wracking to walk around a new city let alone one where the language is foreign and the sites and sounds has you stopping every moment to take it all in.
Now I’m on my way to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat and the Killing Fields of Phnom Penh. When I was here last January, this is the part of my trip that I switched up, so I’m excited to do it now.
Cambodia
Siem Reap, home to the old capital of Cambodia so home to temples that date back to the 9th and 11th centuries. The most famous Angkor Wat. Known for its sunrises, I wasn’t so impressed with sunrise especially when it comes with a 4am wake-up. But the temple complex itself is definitely impressive. Also that day, we went to Beng Mealea, which is where parts of TombRaider were filmed. The day ended early given the early wake-up call so later after a nap, I headed out to Pub Street to meet up with a group of Canadians that I met on the flight to Cambodia.
The next day consisted of the most beautiful temple of all. The temple, Banteay Srei, is built largely of red sandstone and has beautiful carvings. We also went to the largest freshwater lake (Tonle Sap) in Southeast Asia and saw fishing villages with homes built on stilts to protect them during the rainy season. Later that evening, I saw an Apsara Show. The movements of the dancers was mesmerizing. The food was just meh.
On day 3, I arranged a sightseeing tour while driving to Phnom Penh. Maybe not my best idea but I did enjoy the lake again. Though mad at myself for missing out on fried spiders. Well a good reason to come back.
Admittedly I didn’t love Phnom Penh as much as Siem Reap. It lacks the charm of the old capital. But my motive for coming here was to see the killing fields of Pol Pot and the Khmer rogue regime of 1975-1979. If you haven’t watched, First they killed my father, you should if for no other reason than to have an understanding that post Holocaust, the Cambodians committed genocide against their own people too. While I am glad to have gone to the site, it didn’t have the impact that I thought it would have. I did meet a survivor of the genocide (and of course bought his book). Also on the agenda was the Royal Palace, another temple, and the Russian Market.
Laos
I can’t believe it’s only been two weeks since I left Chicago. And I’ve had so many amazing experiences since then.
After leaving Cambodia, I headed north to Laos. First stop was Vientiane, the current capital of Laos. While here, I stayed in a luxurious hotel and did a city tour of temples and other landmarks.
After departing Vientiane, I took the train north to Luang Prabang. And while I also saw a ton more temples, I also saw beautiful mountain scapes and waterfalls and went zip lining and rappeling. And the city is exactly what I had hoped to find when traveling there - walkable, lots of shops and restaurants, and friendly ex-pats everywhere. I met a couple of lovely women and had dinner with them, made friends with the hotel manager (she is living a dream life), and volunteered teaching conversational English at a local community center. The three days in Luang Prabang were busy but there was plenty of relaxing too.
Vietnam
For this portion of the trip, I flew from Laos to Vietnam and then headed down to the central highlands of Vietnam and a province called Đắk Lắk. Here is Minh’s hometown and family.
I didn’t get to see much of Buôn Ma Thuột, the large city I flew into but I did see all the preparations they were doing for the Lunar New Year holiday, and there were many. Red and gold everywhere. Streamers and lights throughout the city. And a growing sense of festival.
While with Minh, I met her family. They were so kind and welcoming. It really was like nothing I’ve experienced before. We ate a LOT! There was karaoke and dancing. There was plenty of beer flowing. And there was family.
I had to cut my trip short due to personal reasons and had to leave before the actual new year celebration (sadly I was sick in a bed in Hanoi) but I don’t think I will ever forget the experience and all that I’ve learned about myself.