Performers, Phenom Penh, Cambodia

Performers, Phenom Penh, Cambodia
Originally uploaded by JonathanTheMan.

Quite by accident, we ended up visiting an orphanage in Phenom Penh where these kids were preparing for a dance performance that evening. The orphanage wasn't strictly just for orphans - it was a "home away from home" of sorts for disadvantaged kids from the country, run by a lovely couple and financed by their restaurant and donations.

Russian Markets, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Russian Markets, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
Originally uploaded by JonathanTheMan.

Tania, markets, need I say more?

Menu, River boat, Cambodia

Menu, River boat, Cambodia
Originally uploaded by JonathanTheMan.

Boat to Cambodia number 3 (this one on the Cambodian side of the border - after hours of form stamping and stuffing around of course) had a quality menu of food and services, conveniently listed on the back of the driver's (captain?) seat. [Click on the photo if you want to check out the fine print.]

Leaky boat to Cambodia

Leaky boat to Cambodia
Originally uploaded by JonathanTheMan.

Travel in Cambodia seems to go with mishaps. We should have read the not so subtle warning signs with boat number 2 - it was all mangled up from an incident the previous day when the rudder had broken and the boat had crashed into a house. Unsurprisingly, the rudder broke again and we ended up having to get a tow up the river in the dark. Which was actually very pleasant, unlike our trip out of Cambodia...

Floating village, Vietnam

Floating village, Vietnam
Originally uploaded by JonathanTheMan.

The floating village makes its living from fish, largely raised in big floating farms. These are like a big shed floating on the surface of the Mekong, with a big cage sitting under the water. The cage is absolutely chokas with fish of several different species. The most expensive part of running the farm is fish food - costly because of the antibiotics and other chemicals required to keep the fish "healthy".

Floating village, Vietnam

Floating village, Vietnam
Originally uploaded by JonathanTheMan.

Boat number 1 - a whistlestop tour of a floating village on a gondola. The method used to row these things requires the woman standing at the back of the boat to push the two row blades forwards with a twisting motion to cup the water. One of our group tried it and could barely make the boat move - not as easy as it looks.

Incense sticks, Vietnam

Incense sticks, Vietnam
Originally uploaded by JonathanTheMan.

We visited a village in the Mekong Delta where incense sticks are made. They are all rolled by hand. The little shop smelled divine...

Prayer flags, Cholon, HCMC, Vietnam

Prayer flags, Cholon, HCMC, Vietnam
Originally uploaded by JonathanTheMan.

Temple, Cholon, HCMC, Vietnam

Temple, Cholon, HCMC, Vietnam
Originally uploaded by JonathanTheMan.

We did a cyclo tour through Cholon, the Chinatown area of Saigon. Sadly, the government seems set on persecuting the cyclo drivers - banning them from the central areas of the city as a prelude to phasing them out altogether. I guess part of the idea is to be able to fit more cars on the roads (just what the city needs), but also as further punishment for those that fought for the South during the war. Many of the drivers are ex RVN troops who were relocated to the countryside after the war (and the 'reeducation' camps) and are back in Saigon illegally - and are therefore unable to own property or a business. And a cyclo of course is like a property (many drivers sleep in their cyclos) and a business in one.

Sand crab, Mui Ne, Vietnam

Sand crab, Mui Ne, Vietnam
Originally uploaded by JonathanTheMan.

These happy little guys were everywhere. Wouldn't want to be a fish in Vietnamese waters though - every night the lights from the local fishing fleet stretched across the entire horizon. By morning the boats had worked their way to just a few meters off the beach and were busy dodging each other and collecting the last survivors from just offshore.

Sand dunes, Mui Ne, Vietnam

Sand dunes, Mui Ne, Vietnam
Originally uploaded by JonathanTheMan.

Mui Ne is a beautiful little one road beach town and possibly our favourite spot in Vietnam. We did however drag ourselves away from the beach one day to check out the famous sand dunes. Vietnam being what it is, the local kids have discovered a way to make money from them by renting out big sheets of laminex for tobogganing down the dunes. We figured it would be less dangerous than the clapped out motorbike that we'd hired to get there (no front brakes!) so we gave it a go - fun!

Big Buddha, Vietnam

Big Buddha, Vietnam
Originally uploaded by JonathanTheMan.

Our very own Big Pineapple is still my favourite, but Vietnam sure is up there when it comes to kitch. (The hole in the belly button is a window into a little shrine inside.)

Xe Om, Vietnam

Xe Om, Vietnam
Originally uploaded by JonathanTheMan.

The xe om is a motorbike taxi - xe meaning motorbike and om hug, which pretty much sums up the best way for a non-local to ride on one! Locals on the other hand will be much too busy talking on the mobile or yelling at friends or relatives to bother holding on. Honda are king of motorbikes here - 9 out of 10 bikes are 110cc Honda Dreams of one vintage or another. This one is a particularly classic example.

Bride, Hoi An, Vietnam

Bride, Hoi An, Vietnam
Originally uploaded by JonathanTheMan.

Tania was very popular with her tailors in Hoi An, to the point of being invited to a wedding!

River boat, Hoi An, Vietnam

River boat, Hoi An, Vietnam
Originally uploaded by JonathanTheMan.

After our experiences trying to keep a kayak going in a straight line, I was very impressed with the skills of the women shuttling goods back and forth across the river.

Waterfront, Hoi An, Vietnam

Waterfront, Hoi An, Vietnam
Originally uploaded by JonathanTheMan.

The bustling waterfront in Hoi An. As well as its beautiful old town, Hoi An is famous for its master tailors - amazingly cheap and able to whip up anything in a couple of hours. Tania (along with every other western woman) was like a kid in a candy shop.