After our sad farewells to the lads James and myself did some last sight-seeing around Phnom Penh. We visited a local temple (Wat) called Wat Phnom around which the town was built after Lady Phnom erected a Buddha shrine there back in the day. That turned out to be bit of a washout quite literally.
After a few snaps it was over to the FCC bar for dinner and drinks and to watch the 2nd US presidential debate surrounded by US Embassy staff, who appeared for the most part to be fairly democratically inclined (judging from the amount of 'I voted for Obama from Cambodia t-shirts on display)
The following morning we hit the road back to Vietnam. The easiest and cheapest option was to get a 6 hour bus back to Saigon before moving onwards. Onwards hence we flew to Hoi An, which is a charming UNESCO listed town in the centre of Vietnam's sprawling coastline. It's a beautiful settlement with lovely old low rise yellow buildings and narrow streets. One of it's attractions is the Japanese covered bridge which is down by the riverfront, a beautiful ornate structure. It'a all very pretty indeed.
It is also known for its' tailors and whilst we hadn't planned on shopping we got sucked in. Well at least I did and brought James with me! We emerged two days later with two suits, two winter jackets (yes I know, not exactly practical), two shirts, one dress and three tops! Phew! It involved alot of measuring tapes and pins and haggling! But most definitely worth it. Excellent value. And of course a few other things including lanterns, a hammock and countless scarves were purchased mid ramble! I could open my own stall with all the flippin' scarves I've bought! We got a bit carried away needless to say!
(Thankfully - ed. )we did more than shop of course there was a token effort at doing some sight-seeing to the nearby temple site of My Son. In hindsight perhaps the visit was not worth the effort, it was mainly ruins of temples as most of the complex was bombed by the Americans during the war because they had convinced themselves that the Viet Cong were hiding there. They were wrong. It was an interesting tour but there were moments when I thought I might lose J to dehydration - sweat record broken again! Our hotel luckily had a pool to cool him off after. Accomodation in the town is excessive so as a backpacker you have your pick of the best for cheap prices.
We also did a cooking course on afternoon. It was great we rambled off to the local market with our cook and she showed us the ins and outs of picking the ingredients. Going to the market in SE Asia is always an interesting experience so it was cool for a change to be buying local produce and learning about it. We cooked a few local specialities before gobbling them up. Aswell as it's fame as a hub of all things tailored, Hoi An is also lauded for cuisine - so we managed to have one or two fantastic meals.
The old lady who runs a little place called 'Truc Vien' just outside the old town deserves a mention. We ate there on more than one occasion as she was so entertaining. A 5 course meal was about 3 euro, and she scolded you if you didn't finish you your vegetables! She was hilarious from the moment you arrived when she clucked around till you were seated and food ordered till the moment you left when she came out for a hug and a promise you'd return!
On our final night there (after a few pre-dinner Bia Hoi's at about 20 cent a pop) we ate in Cafe Amis where the fuss and hassle of having to make one's mind as to what to gobble is done away with by Chef's decision to serve whatever the chef decides to cook that evening, like it or lump it. Luckily for us, this particular evening's delights consisted of a delicious set vegetarian, and a set seafood menu. Yet another excellent meal. We were sad to leave Hoi An, it was a lot different to the Vietnam we knew up to that point. But it was time to go before I ordered any more clothes! !
S
After a few snaps it was over to the FCC bar for dinner and drinks and to watch the 2nd US presidential debate surrounded by US Embassy staff, who appeared for the most part to be fairly democratically inclined (judging from the amount of 'I voted for Obama from Cambodia t-shirts on display)
The following morning we hit the road back to Vietnam. The easiest and cheapest option was to get a 6 hour bus back to Saigon before moving onwards. Onwards hence we flew to Hoi An, which is a charming UNESCO listed town in the centre of Vietnam's sprawling coastline. It's a beautiful settlement with lovely old low rise yellow buildings and narrow streets. One of it's attractions is the Japanese covered bridge which is down by the riverfront, a beautiful ornate structure. It'a all very pretty indeed.
It is also known for its' tailors and whilst we hadn't planned on shopping we got sucked in. Well at least I did and brought James with me! We emerged two days later with two suits, two winter jackets (yes I know, not exactly practical), two shirts, one dress and three tops! Phew! It involved alot of measuring tapes and pins and haggling! But most definitely worth it. Excellent value. And of course a few other things including lanterns, a hammock and countless scarves were purchased mid ramble! I could open my own stall with all the flippin' scarves I've bought! We got a bit carried away needless to say!
(Thankfully - ed. )we did more than shop of course there was a token effort at doing some sight-seeing to the nearby temple site of My Son. In hindsight perhaps the visit was not worth the effort, it was mainly ruins of temples as most of the complex was bombed by the Americans during the war because they had convinced themselves that the Viet Cong were hiding there. They were wrong. It was an interesting tour but there were moments when I thought I might lose J to dehydration - sweat record broken again! Our hotel luckily had a pool to cool him off after. Accomodation in the town is excessive so as a backpacker you have your pick of the best for cheap prices.
We also did a cooking course on afternoon. It was great we rambled off to the local market with our cook and she showed us the ins and outs of picking the ingredients. Going to the market in SE Asia is always an interesting experience so it was cool for a change to be buying local produce and learning about it. We cooked a few local specialities before gobbling them up. Aswell as it's fame as a hub of all things tailored, Hoi An is also lauded for cuisine - so we managed to have one or two fantastic meals.
The old lady who runs a little place called 'Truc Vien' just outside the old town deserves a mention. We ate there on more than one occasion as she was so entertaining. A 5 course meal was about 3 euro, and she scolded you if you didn't finish you your vegetables! She was hilarious from the moment you arrived when she clucked around till you were seated and food ordered till the moment you left when she came out for a hug and a promise you'd return!
On our final night there (after a few pre-dinner Bia Hoi's at about 20 cent a pop) we ate in Cafe Amis where the fuss and hassle of having to make one's mind as to what to gobble is done away with by Chef's decision to serve whatever the chef decides to cook that evening, like it or lump it. Luckily for us, this particular evening's delights consisted of a delicious set vegetarian, and a set seafood menu. Yet another excellent meal. We were sad to leave Hoi An, it was a lot different to the Vietnam we knew up to that point. But it was time to go before I ordered any more clothes! !
S
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