Langur Conservation Holiday

One thing Greg and I decided to do was a volunteer holiday. We chose a Langur monkey conservation project in Thailand at a place called Khao Sam Roi Yot National Park. The Langur Project was established by Responsible Travel partners in Thailand together with the local villagers in order to help preserve the langur population in their natural environment. We lived in a small fishing village in a 2 bedroom bungalow on the beach, went swimming every morning at 6, ate at the local restaurants, planted mangrove trees, fed and watched monkeys, and saw all the sites. What a great holiday.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia II

The next day Greg and I took a tuk-tuk to see "The Killing Fields". Our first stop was the school turned torture chamber within the city. It was a gruesome site. Many of the classrooms contained the beds, torture implements, and pictures of victims. There were so many. I remember hearing of the atrocities back in the '70s, quite a different thing to be where they took place.

From the school we drove out to the spot where the victims were buried. Many of the skeletons were excavated but many are still in the ground. You could see bones and clothing sticking out of the ground. Over 17,000 men, women, and children were buried here. And this site is only one of over 14 across Cambodia.

The road we were on went through the poor part of Phnom Penh. Unlike Vietnam where most people have motorcycles, workers were crammed into pickup trucks. The house on stilts was in a body of water that smelled like a cesspool! The greenery is called "morning glory" and is a vegetable staple in this part of Asia. The contrast between rich and poor in Cambodia was more obvious than Vietnam. We also saw many victims of landmines, struggling to make a living. The man was our tuk-tuk driver.

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Greg and I spent a few days in Phnom Penh. We flew from Hanoi, Vietnam to Bangkok, Thailand, then to Phnom Penh. Air Asia was cheaper than flying direct. We stayed in an old Khmer Rouge home turned into a bed and breakfast for street children. We were within walking distance of most of the sites in downtown and tuk-tuk were available outside the gates for any distances too far to walk.

The first day we visited the Presidential Palace and the Museum. We were unable to get any pictures of the Silver Pagoda (forbidden). This Pagoda has a silver floor. It was amazing. The Silver Pagoda was in the same compound as the Presidential Palace. There were areas that were off-limits to tourists guarded by army types with guns.

Within this compound was a building made of iron. It was a gift from Napoleon back in the 1800's. Unfortunately for the king of Cambodia, the iron kept the building so hot that no one was able to use it!

People of Sapa

Once I finished my work assignment in Vietnam, Greg and I hit the road. Our first stop was Sapa. We took the overnight train, and stayed in the Darling Hotel. It was a beautiful time, not too hot, lots of sun, a welcome change from the cold and damp of winter. The hill tribes were in town selling their blankets, earrings, pillowcases, etc. Greg was able to take a few pictures of them working.

CAT BA

Last week was my final workshop in Hai Phong. We went early so we could spend the weekend at Cat Ba island. We took a combo bus and ferry to the island. Once there we found a lovely inexpensive hotel with gorgeous harbour views. Got to love the off season!!!

We checked out the beaches, lovely little strips of sand and karst mountains. Haven't been on a beach in months. We also rented motorcycles to tour the island and National Park. We went into a huge cave that had been converted into a hospital during the American War. It had 3 concert floors, including a small swimming pool. Ingenious.
We also rented a boat and went out into the bay. We stopped at one of the floating houses to look at the fish farm. The clams looked so good we bought a kg and the captain grilled it right there. Delicious, and a view to die for.