Dec 2019 – Mar 2020

Southeast Asia

A 101-day adventure by skip's retirement travel Read more

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skip's retirement travel Southeast Asia
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- Day 11
- Monday, December 16, 2019 at 6:02 AM
- ⛅ 22 °C
- Altitude: 22 m
- Cambodia Phumĭ Trâpeăng Séh Khang Lĕch 13.41167, 103.8633313°24’42” N 103°51’48” E
Angkor Wat
December 16, 2019 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C
UNESCO site near Siem Reap dating to the 12th Century. Originally a Hindu temple. The kingdom converted to Buddhism later.
The first pic is sunrise over the temple. The 2nd looks across the wide moat surrounding Angkor Wat. Next is part of one of the buildings. 4th is a detail of some of the wall decoration. 5th is a Buddha statue added after conversion. Last is some detail of the carved rendition of a story from the Mahabharata. The entire outer corridor is carved bas relief like this.
This a large place, so much so I had great trouble deciding on which 6 pictures to post. I hope this gives a good sense of this amazing site.Read more
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- Day 11
- Monday, December 16, 2019 at 10:44 AM
- ⛅ 30 °C
- Altitude: 30 m
- Cambodia Prasat Baksei Cham Krong 13.42667, 103.8613°25’36” N 103°51’36” E
Bayon Temple
December 16, 2019 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C
Bayon is the main temple located at the center of Angkor Thom, a royal complex dating to the 10th century . This 1st picture is a be of the gates to Angkor Thom.
This temple is famous for all it's carved smiling faces. I'm told there are more than 200 carved faces, all with smiles. The pictures are various views of the temple.Read more
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- Day 12
- Tuesday, December 17, 2019 at 5:34 PM
- ⛅ 31 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- Cambodia Phnom Penh 11.55667, 104.9283311°33’24” N 104°55’42” E
Phnom Penh
December 17, 2019 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
Capital city of Cambodia. Pictures are of the evening in the downtown area. 1st is the Independence Monument, followed by the memorial to Prince Sihanouk. He is hard to see as the sun is behind him. Next is the main gate to the royal palace that is reserved for use of the king. 4th looks at the memorial to the Vietnamese defeat of the Khmer Rouge. 5th is a look along the river with the lights and lighted boats. The last, of course, needs no explanation.Read more
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- Day 13
- Wednesday, December 18, 2019 at 9:59 AM
- ⛅ 29 °C
- Altitude: 1 m
- Cambodia Choeung Ek 11.48333, 104.9016711°28’60” N 104°54’6” E
Killing fields
December 18, 2019 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C
One of hundreds of killing sites used by Khmer Rouge in the 70s. Estinates of the total number of people executed range from 2 to 3.5 million. People were sent here from S21 (see another post) where, as our guide said, "they were sent to finish the job."
The 1st picture is of a memorial Pagoda, one of 77 around the country. 2nd looks at some of the almost 9,000 skeletons placed here after the archaeological excavations. This is only some of those buried here. Next looks across an area of mass graves. Next is a look at a description of one of the steps in the process by which victims were handled here. 5th is another information plaque. Last is a photo of bones in situ.
I had heard stories from my friends from Cambodia in Lowell. So I had an intellectual sense of some of this. Now it's visceral. I hope this isn't too painful for those who lived through those times.Read more
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- Day 13
- Wednesday, December 18, 2019 at 11:55 AM
- ⛅ 31 °C
- Altitude: 1 m
- Cambodia S-21 11.55, 104.9183311°33’0” N 104°55’6” E
S21
December 18, 2019 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
Notorious former prison, interrogation and torture center under the Khmer Rouge. Those who survived this place were sent to the killing fields (see another post). I had trouble looking at all this. So there aren't many pictures. For example, there were before and after pictures of victims. Many were the educated. Shows what happens when mindless obedience and anti-intellectualism takes over.
The 1st picture is one of the buildings. This former high school was converted to a prison. 2nd are some of the small cells where pros need were kept and sometimes tortured. 3rd is a small look at the gallery of pictures. Next is a brief d scription of the site. Last is one of the 7 people found alive when the Khmer Rouge regime collapsed.
This site is a UNESCO world heritage genocide site intended to help the world see what genocide truly does, in the hope of ending the slaughter. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be too much success.Read more
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- Day 14
- Thursday, December 19, 2019 at 1:47 PM
- ⛅ 31 °C
- Altitude: Sea level
- Cambodia Phumĭ Véal Thum 11.53, 105.0633311°31’48” N 105°3’48” E
On the Mekong River
December 19, 2019 in Cambodia ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
The name Mekong has such resonance with someone my age. These pictures are first in Cambodia with the last 2 in Vietnam. The 4th picture is the boat from Phnom Penh to Chau Doc, taken at the Cambodia border postRead more
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- Day 14
- Thursday, December 19, 2019 at 8:47 PM
- ⛅ 27 °C
- Altitude: 8 m
- Vietnam Prêk Moăt Chruk 10.70833, 105.1233310°42’30” N 105°7’24” E
Chau Doc, Vietnam
December 19, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C
Border city sometimes called the gateway to the Mekong Delta. The first three pictures look at the city at night. 4th is the floating market on the Mekong. This is a wholesale produce market where farmers come by boat from around the country to where they hook up together and local buyers come. There are even small boats selling coffee, fish curry, etc. 5th is a traditional Muslim pancake made of rice flour, sugar and duck eggs. Last is a tilapia fish farm built in the river.Read more
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- Day 15
- Friday, December 20, 2019 at 9:14 PM
- 🌙 25 °C
- Altitude: 20 m
- Vietnam Nha Hat Thanh pho 10.775, 106.7016710°46’30” N 106°42’6” E
Saigon
December 20, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ 🌙 25 °C
Now officially called Ho Chi Minh City after the front man in the resistance to first the French and then the US. The change was made in 1975, right after the fall of Saigon.
The 1st picture is the city hall on union square with a statue of Ho in the center. Next is another part of the square with its illuminated lotus. 3rd is the Saigon opera house, dating to the 1890s. 4th is the cathedral, well decorated for Christmas. 5th is a local market, and last is a street food market with stalls selling many different foods. I had 3 meals here and all were very goodRead more
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- Day 16
- Saturday, December 21, 2019 at 9:36 AM
- ☀️ 28 °C
- Altitude: 17 m
- Vietnam Rạch Cầu Bông 10.78, 106.6933310°46’48” N 106°41’36” E
War Remnants Museum
December 21, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C
One sided museum of the horrors of war, specifically the Vietnam War. The exhibits are of US military hardware outside and photos news articles, etc., inside. I had seen a good bit of this before, including the photos, the journalism and the hardware, much of it in real time 50 years ago. Still, it was emotional, even though I was not here during the war. I'll let all this speak for itself, except to say that the last 2 pictures are prison replicas, with the last being called tiger cages used for special punishment.Read more
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- Day 16
- Saturday, December 21, 2019 at 2:52 PM
- ☀️ 32 °C
- Altitude: 8 m
- Vietnam Kênh Mười Hai 10.88167, 106.56510°52’54” N 106°33’54” E
Handicap Workshop
December 21, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C
Started in 1976 to provide primarily for victims of agent orange. Now, more general disabilities. The work is all hand done, painstaking traditional crafts. The pictures look at the work in progress, information on their process, and an example of their work product.Read more
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- Day 16
- Saturday, December 21, 2019 at 4:10 PM
- ☀️ 31 °C
- Altitude: 17 m
- Vietnam Xóm Bà Thiên 11.06167, 106.5283311°3’42” N 106°31’42” E
Cu Chi
December 21, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
Historic tunnel complex and exhibit of VC traps. They say they there were more than 250 km of tunnels, all interconnected. It was essentially a city underground with many small opening where their soldiers could appear and disappear, seemingly at random. In the 1st picture, I'm sliding down into one of those holes. The guide said this one had been enlarged for foreigners, but my shoulders just barely fit.
The next 2 pictures are examples of the man traps that the VC/NVA deployed, all incredibly ugly and painful looking. The 4th picture is an animation of people hand-making the components of the man traps. 5th is another part of the weapons animation. Here a couple guys are breaking down unexploded ordinance to be used for making mines to disable tanks.
The last picture is of the ventilation system. They pushed hollow bamboo up through termite mounds to hide the ventsRead more
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- Day 17
- Sunday, December 22, 2019 at 3:15 PM
- ☀️ 26 °C
- Altitude: 8 m
- Vietnam Hoi An 15.87667, 108.3333315°52’36” N 108°19’60” E
Hoi An, old town
December 22, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
Old spice trading port located just a few kilometers south of Da Nang. I seem to recall Da Nang being the main place for R&R during the war. (There are beach pictures in another post.) Hoi An was mostly spared from destruction during the war. So it is still old.
The 1st 4 pictures of are of the old streets and markets around the town. Lots of tourism here. The last 2 pictures are of the river at night. Lots of colored lights and floating candle offerings.Read more
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- Day 18
- Monday, December 23, 2019 at 11:00 AM
- ☀️ 25 °C
- Altitude: 6 m
- Vietnam Tân Thành 15.90436, 108.3554715°54’16” N 108°21’20” E
Cam An beach
December 23, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C
Part of the beach south of Da Nang. You can see Da Nang in the distance through the haze in the 2nd photo. The 1st picture looks to the beach from where we parked our bikes. The rest are of the long stretch of sand and the East Vietnam Sea/South China Sea .Read more
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- Day 19
- Tuesday, December 24, 2019 at 9:37 AM
- ⛅ 24 °C
- Altitude: 66 m
- Vietnam Montagnes de Marbre 16.00333, 108.2633316°0’12” N 108°15’48” E
Marble Mountains
December 24, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
Buddhist temple complex and pilgrimage site dating back at least to the 16th century. It is accessed by a slew of stairs, to enter through a gate into a lovely hidden dell in the rock. Turns out, there were several of these.
We were also told that the VC used Marble Mountain as a field hospital within sight of Da Nang.
The name was given to this set of 5 hills by the French, based on the composition of the soil and rock. The local village were craftsmen in marble, taken from the mountain. The site is protected now. So they continue their marble work with stone from elsewhere.
These pictures are a few of the many temples here, some in natural caves; some in buildings. All with incredible carvings. Many in the caves are carved from the native rock.Read more
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- Day 19
- Tuesday, December 24, 2019 at 11:12 AM
- ⛅ 23 °C
- Altitude: 489 m
- Vietnam Col des Nuages 16.18667, 108.1316°11’12” N 108°7’48” E
Hai Van Pass
December 24, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C
Pass at the top of the road between Da Nang and Hue. Site of ruins of an old French fort from the colonial days. The 1st 3 pictures are of the view from the top. The last 2 look at the ruins of the fortRead more
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- Day 19
- Tuesday, December 24, 2019 at 3:40 PM
- ☀️ 26 °C
- Altitude: 15 m
- Vietnam North Central Coast 16.46833, 107.5816°28’6” N 107°34’48” E
Imperial Citadel, Hue
December 24, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
Hue was the imperial capital of Vietnam during the last dynasty to rule here, ending in 1945. Unfortunately a lot of the complex of buildings was destroyed during the Tet offensive of the Vietnam War.
The 1st picture is of the fortress across the river. The fort predates the main citadel by a few years. The 2nd picture looks at the South gate of the citadel from the river. Next looks down a long corridort that has been restored. 4th is a look across the main courtyard. 5th is a tree planted by one of the earlier emperors as a gift and decoration. Last is inside the temple where all 13 kings of this dynasty are remembered.Read more
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- Day 21
- Thursday, December 26, 2019 at 3:49 PM
- ⛅ 20 °C
- Altitude: 90 m
- Vietnam Hòn Bồ Hòn 20.84333, 107.0916720°50’36” N 107°5’30” E
Surprise Cave
December 26, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C
Cave on one of the islands in Halong Bay (see another post). It was only discovered by the French in the early 20th century. The story has it that they followed monkeys who turned out to be living in the cave.
The pictures show something of the 3 chambers in the cave. The 3rd and last is by far the largest. There are also a few examples of some of the more interesting formations.
The cave is not well protected. So there is a fair amount of degradation due to the tens of thousands of tourists who troop through every day. The cave is limestone. So the carbon dioxide is breath creates carbonic acid that degrades the stone. And people touching the formations has a similar effect.Read more
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- Day 21
- Thursday, December 26, 2019 at 5:06 PM
- ⛅ 19 °C
- Altitude: 35 m
- Vietnam Hòn Dâm Nam 20.86, 107.0820°51’36” N 107°4’48” E
Halong Bay
December 26, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Amazingly beautiful bay about 3 hours from Hanoi. The bay is filled with hundreds of these mostly small rock islands. Took an overnight cruise here.
The 1st picture is a long view taken from the top of Titop Island out in the middle of the bay. The rest are various looks at the bay from the deck of the boat.Read more
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- Day 23
- Saturday, December 28, 2019 at 9:05 AM
- ☁️ 15 °C
- Altitude: 34 m
- Vietnam Hồ Hoàn Kiếm 21.025, 105.8466721°1’30” N 105°50’48” E
Hoa Lo Prison
December 28, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
Aka Hanoi Hilton. One of the comments I've made several times while in Vietnam is how emotional I've felt seeing all these places that were very front and center to pretty much everyone in my generation some 50 years ago, and I wasn't even here then. None more so than this place. Only about 20% of the prison as it existed then remains, as much was demolished for redevelopment (a shopping mall and apartments; welcome to the 21st century). At least the rest is preserved as a memorial. Mostly it recalls the French incarceration of locals before 1954. However, the Vietnam War era gets a nod (see the 5th picture).
The 1st picture is the front gate. 2nd is the inner gate. 3rd is a cell block. 4th looks at an emaciated prisoner through the bars in the Judas window of a cell on death row. There is a guillotine preserved here, too. 5th is the room that remembers the prisoners held here until 1973. Last is an area dedicated to a peace memorial, remembering much of the antiwar sentiment of the 60s and 70s as a word to today about the need for peace.Read more
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- Day 23
- Saturday, December 28, 2019 at 10:28 AM
- ☁️ 17 °C
- Altitude: 45 m
- Vietnam Hồ Hoàn Kiếm 21.02833, 105.8521°1’42” N 105°51’0” E
French Hanoi
December 28, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
The French were colonial overlords here up until 1954, when they ceded control. That was when south and north Vietnam were divided. These pictures look at the legacy left from the French colonial period.
The 1st picture is St. Joseph's Cathedral. Along the right edge you might make out some of the Christmas tree and creche. 2nd is inside the cathedral. 3rd is now a restaurant that was a house designed in the typical French colonial style (note the yellow walls and green doors/shutters) as the same architect who designed the Hanoi Opera House in the 4th picture. Next is a small pavilion in the man-made lake that shows French influence in the lower portion and traditional Vietnamese architecture in the upper. Now removed and destroyed is a statue of liberty that had sat on top. That statue was made by the same sculptor who designed that famous statue in NY harbor (Bartholdi).Read more
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- Day 23
- Saturday, December 28, 2019 at 1:58 PM
- ⛅ 21 °C
- Altitude: 18 m
- Vietnam Yên Phụ 21.03833, 105.8366721°2’18” N 105°50’12” E
Ho Chi Minh
December 28, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
No visit to Hanoi would be complete without a nod to "Uncle Ho," the man so central to the 20th century in this part of the world. One thing Ho got right was that his will called for him to be cremated with his ashes to be scattered around the country, but the powers that be did the opposite and gave him the full communist treatment. His embalmed body is on display in the mausoleum in the 1st picture. The mausoleum is part of a larger complex of buildings that include the presidential palace in the 2nd picture; house 54 (across the pond) where Ho worked in the 3rd; and the famous stilt house where he lived (the last 2 pictures).Read more
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- Day 23
- Saturday, December 28, 2019 at 2:48 PM
- ⛅ 21 °C
- Altitude: 30 m
- Vietnam Temple of Literature 21.02833, 105.83521°1’42” N 105°50’6” E
Hanoi
December 28, 2019 in Vietnam ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C
Capital city of Vietnam. There are several posts here looking at particular aspects of Hanoi. Here I try to capture a few more general impressions. The 1st picture is the entrance to the Temple of Literature, first built in the 11th century as a Confucian university. 2nd and 3rd are examples of traditional Vietnamese architecture. 4th is a street scene typical of the so called Old Quarter. The last 2 pictures look over a man-made lake: one towards the city and the other to a temple island. This is the same lake that has the small pavilion in the French Hanoi post.Read more
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- Day 25
- Monday, December 30, 2019 at 9:16 AM
- ☀️ 23 °C
- Altitude: 165 m
- Laos Viengxai 17.95833, 102.6217°57’30” N 102°37’12” E
COPE
December 30, 2019 in Laos ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C
Cooperative Orthotic & Prosthetic Enterprise on Vientiane. They say that Laos is the most heavily bombed country, per capita, in the world. More than 2 million tons of munitions were dropped here during the Vietnam War, largely cluster bombs. I understand that that's more than all bombs dropped by all sides during WW II. Now, 50 years later, people are still being killed and maimed by unexploded ordnance.
The 1st picture is the building, and the 2nd talks about their work. The 3rd pictures bombing locations. 4th is a mobile of cluster bomblets. 5th are some everyday items made from cluster bomb casings. The last looks across an exhibit of prosthetics.Read more
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- Day 25
- Monday, December 30, 2019 at 10:22 AM
- ☀️ 26 °C
- Altitude: 181 m
- Laos Namphou Fountain 17.96667, 102.6116717°58’0” N 102°36’42” E
Vientiane, Laos
December 30, 2019 in Laos ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
Capital city of Laos. Much more of a quiet, laid back place than I've seen in Asia. Basically monuments and temples. The 5th picture is a square all lit up for Christmas and New year's, and the last looks across the floor plain flats to the Mekong and Thailand.Read more
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- Day 26
- Tuesday, December 31, 2019 at 2:58 PM
- ☀️ 30 °C
- Altitude: 254 m
- Laos Pha Mom 18.89, 102.3783318°53’24” N 102°22’42” E
Blue Lagoon
December 31, 2019 in Laos ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C
Swimming/picnic area about a half hour from Vang Vieng. Just a stunning spot, located at the base of one of the cliffs. The pictures just can't do it justice.
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