Today I flew from Singapore to Brisbane. Great because it was a direct flight, still ok over 10 hours. The great thing is that it was off by only a couple of hours, so no jet leg! A first in the years I’ve been coming here to visit my sister, Summer.
I love Brisbane. A medium city, with a river running through it and Summer only 10 or so minutes from the bay and great walking along the water. I also really love being at Summer’s. It feels like home, growing up in Houston and a lot of time in Galveston. Warm, humid, house up on stilts. She has a huge backyard with crazy birds who come and sometimes get to finish off her dog’s food. They have a lot to say about breakfast options!
That bush in the corner of the porch was a tiny little plant only 5 years ago. Grew out of a pot. Plants and birds are very happy here!
We also went to Wynnum Mangrove Boardwalk, a great park with a big dog park and a boardwalk that goes alongside the mangroves. It is Australia, so the spiders are here – though this was well off from the boardwalk.
Then Summer and I got to go for a few days to the Whitsunday Islands in the Great Barrier Reef. This place was cool, we took a boat straight from the airport. That was cool to roll our bags out the airport to the dock. And then we’re off!
It threatened weather, but only rained at night. I loved being out far enough that land looked distant.
Tons of Cockatoos serenading us at meals at the restaurant (and hoping for food, I saw one take a half a sandwich off a plate).
The place we stayed was great, The Hayman. It had the whole tiny island and kept it pretty wild except for the resort itself. The place did a really nice management of having a lot of people and yet creating so many spots of serenity.
It was quite hot, but the mornings were gorgeous and you could always come back from a hike up Mount Rooper, the hill that took up the interior of the island, and jump in the pool. Which I did!
Starting off my hike I kept hearing giant thumps like the sounds in one of the chapters from the Dawn Treader in the Narnian Chronicles. Turned out to be one footed cheerful funny creatures. Wallabies sounded the same, but looked differently!
From the top:
Back to Brisbane for one more wonderful night at Summer’s and then home. An incredible trip!
Last night I decided enough huddling – and signed up with Viatour for a bike ride at 9am and then a water tour at 5 that included seeing the light and laser shows that everyone talked about when I asked what I should do.
It was my last day and I was determined to do more. I figured the bike rides in Vietnam and Cambodia had been real highlights – turns out it was the best thing I could have done. I’m doing this from now on wherever I go!
Today was so great, I’m now a firm believer in doing guided bike rides. You see so much and we had an amazing guide. I was one of two Americans, mostly British, Australian and a smattering of others.
Again, like in Vietnam and Cambodia, I ended up being fascinated by our guides talk around the political system. Singapore is a parliamentary republic, with elections, but Singapore has been governed by the People’s Action Party since 1959; consequently it has been described as being a de facto one-party state under the PAP. In the last general election held in 2025, the PAP won 87 out of 97 seats and 65.57% of the popular vote, meaning the PAP won its 16th consecutive term in government.
Our guide was clear about the pros and cons, with the pros meaning that everyone has housing, education, medical care and safety. Those are big wins. The one big issue that came close to really pushing the government, was LGBTQ rights. There were protests in the 2020’s (which are not usually allowed) large enough that parliament repealed anti-gay laws and put in place anti-discriminatory protections. Our guide said that it’s basically don’t-ask-don’t-tell, but that one of the highest politicians is outright gay with a partner. Singapore does not recognize same-sex marriage or civil unions. However, transgender rights in the country are progressive in the region, which included Singapore being the first country in Asia to legalize sex reassignment surgery in 1973. Drugs are not tolerated at all – and the population seems to be ok with this. Punishment is very corporal, with caning being the primary tool, left over from British colonization.
So a really interesting mix of progressive policies, taking care of ALL people, but no tolerance for infraction. A lot of people are moving here from Hong Kong, after the Chinese take over, and they seem to find the politics friendly.
One thing our guide said is that Singapore was very Asian in that jobs/education were very hierarchical in perceived value. He had been in finance, focusing on sports, national and Olympic and had what was regarded as a high-ranking job. However, he wanted to be out of the office moving around. He kept his position as the head of the Olympic committee for Singapore but decided to do guiding. He loves guiding – or at least said and acted like he did!
He realized that the valued hierarchy of law/dr/finance of Singapore really missed because the country is clean, safe, and well run because of the thousands who do the menial work of trash collection, cooking, etc. He said he has shifted his understanding of the gifts that all people bring to the society.
The buildings are the most striking part of Singapore, the remnants of history – here apartments in Chinatown crafted form the old store below, many families above, but now with a clear roof to protect from weather, clean and so inviting.
From the Atlas bar, incredibly beautiful, we didn’t go in, just stopped in to se. Some of the bar’s iconic and extensive brasswork – evocative of the Roaring Twenties, or what Ms Keller calls “the golden age of drinking” – and a 15m-tall gin tower containing the bar’s collection of over 1,400 gin bottles.
Outside in the garden were evocative sculptures exploring some of the challenges of living in this society. This one was my favorite: Trying to think outside the box.
Heading towards the Sultan Mosque, an interesting blend of Chinese, Malay, Indian and European cultures all in Kampong Gelam.
The whole bike ride was just a wonderful exploration, from the historical to the crazy modern and creative skyline. The photo below was of the botanical spheres, photos from the inside coming later.
This unbelievable building – a set of 3 towers holding up the plane like structure is the Marina Bay Sands – Hotel and SkyPark. Consistently ranked as one of the world’s most spectacular pools, visitors flock to the SkyPark for a unique experience. It is the world’s longest infinity pool (142 meters) and the largest outdoor pool at this height (650 meters). I did not go up, actually didn’t have any interest, WAY too high.
During WWII, Singapore primarily fought alongside the British and Allied forces against the Japanese Empire. The conflict, culminating in the Battle of Singapore, saw Singapore fall under Japanese occupation after a swift and decisive campaign in 7 days in Feb 1942 and they remained under occupation until the end of the war.
The man who “found” Singapore and in a brief few days negotiated trading for England. Sir Stamford Raffles, a British administrator for the British East India Company, is recognized as the first British person to set up a trading post in Singapore. Raffles landed in Singapore on January 28, 1819 and established a trading post for the British East India Company after negotiating a treaty with Sultan Hussein and the Temenggong of Johor.
I couldn’t get a great photo, but Hotel Raffles names after above is a famous stopping point where the Singapore Sling was invented.
A typical tourist shot, but fun. This is the iconic image (the statue, not me) for Singapore, Merlion. Using the fish in its design alludes to the idea of Singapore’s beginnings as a fishing village, while the lion refers to the sighting of a lion in Temasek by a prince from Palembang, Sang Nila Utama, as narrated in the Sejarah Melayu, leading him to rename the island Singapura (“lion city” in Sanskrit).
The Telok Ayer Market was THE place to go for Satay, the next most famous food in Singapore. I missed on that special dish, but got to see the market and loved this inviting sign for a desert.
So – a wonderful adventure on our bike tour. I then went straight over the tram to the Gardens by the Bay, with more than 1.5million plants from every country except Antartica. The two giant domes held first the Cloud Forest and then the Flower Garden. Unbelievable. The Cloud Forest had the highest indoor waterfall except for the one at the Singapore Airport. I tried hard to see that one too, but my timing didn’t work. But I explored all the levels of this forest and it was truly a marvel.
There’s an enterior elevator in this hill that takes you up many stories and then you walk your way down exploring the different levels of flora.
A whole series of images and scenes of Thailand were in the flower dome, though there were many many areas represented.
I then went back to the hotel after hours of exploring these scenes and got ready for our river cruise. It didn’t turn out to be so much of a cruise, but still fun to get out and see from the water side. We then went back to the Gardens by the Bay for the Supertree light show. Crazy.
We walked through the gardens until we got to the Supertree gardens and then found a space to lie down and look up at the light show. And it was in incredible light show. I took a million photos and videos because I was incredulous.
So cool against the clouds swirling and reflecting the light.
By the end, we were utterly impressed. The people I’d been chatting with on the boat tour – we were together here and then to the next light show as well all marveled as we walked back to the meeting spot.
The next show was from the water front and was fun and interesting as well. A lot of time and effort went into making these shows and the place was packed as we waited to see.
So a fitting end to my Singapore adventure, a perfectly fascinating and satisfying day!
Today I decided to walk – I was tired of being a slug. So I walked over the botanical gardens. Absolutely incredible. It’s actually an Unesco site – and well deserved. I left early since it opened at 5am – I left at 7:00 to walk over. I took a wrong turn, but no problem, but it was so hot! I had residents passing me running, biking, walking dogs. I was the only one sweating and I was WAY past glowing.
The Gardens were established in 1859 on an abandoned plantation. They were then handed over to the government for managements in 1975. Thank goodness they had the presence of mind to protect it even as land rapidly became developed. It evolved from an experiental economic garden to a botanical institution with roles in research, education, conservation and recreation.
It was a Sunday, so makes sense that there would be a lot of people there and it was wonderful to see everyone. Tai Chi classes, music, walkers, runners, so many people. No one else sweating, did I say that?
Cool history and description of the areas, this one was striking:
This area was interesting and gave a reminder of wars that have crossed these lands.
And it had an orchid garden that was giant in the midst of the giant gardens. That was a separate fee and opened at 8:30 and I was waiting. Then I went absolutely crazy taking photos because they were so beautiful. Then I realized there was a cloud forest garden in the orchard garden in the botanical garden and it had AC!!!! So took more photos.
After I came back from the gardens and cooled down, I decided I had to venture out to have lunch since the second thing people do after shopping here is eat – and they take great pride in their stalls that are licensed and strictly monitored so that no one gets sick.
I decided to go to THE market for chicken and rice. Ok – must be special. Everyone I talked to at the hotel and the GRAB drivers (I hadn’t braved the wonderful metro yet) all said I had to eat this dish before I left. And the Maxwell Market was the market for that item (though you could get it everywhere).
I took a GRAB – the Uber of Singapore down to the Maxwell Market. I walked in and saw a long line – ok, I’ll go there. I got up to the window and it was very fast – and I got my plate of chicken and rice with some brown sauce and a dipping sauce. I didn’t know the protocol, but saw an empty seat at a table with a couple of other women – clearly not connected. I sat down and started talking with the younger woman. She was a student who’d just come from China for school and was finding her way. She said housing was really difficult, but she’d finally found something with another student.
The chicken and rice was cooked and good enough with the brown sauce – but it was just plain sliced baked/boiled? chicken over plain rice. Seriously. This is what everyone told me I should have? I’m always ok with a white diet – so enjoyed the food and chatting with the student. I couldn’t understand why it was THE Singaporean dish. The next day I asked, trying to be respectful, our bike ride guide why it was so special. He said it’s the only Singaporean dish that incorporates elements from all four cultures.
The sauces (hot so I didn’t do one of them) were from the Malay and Indian cultures, the rice was from the Chinese culture and the chicken was a nod to both the Muslim and Christian traditions since they could both eat chicken. Oh, ok, makes it more interesting. But there were a lot of food options, so figured I’d venture on to other things for my next meals.
Two other things highly suggested as truly Singaporean was satay and fish ball noodle soup. No – not going that route, maybe the satay.
Then off to the aquarium on Sentosa Island, another must see according to the hotel people and others I’d chatted with. It was like a small Disney land – complete with a movie theme park section. I whizzed through the aquarium, packed and it was nice, but I’m clearly very spoiled with the aquariums that I’ve seen. Then I took the tram around the island to see if I was missing something. I guess so, since nothing called me to stay.
Then – took the tram to the end off of the island, which ended at a….mall. In this case, the Vivo City mall. Yes, there are SO many malls, I don’t think I could count them. I started to get just as lost in this one, but I did not want that same panic moment, so was very limited in how far I went in order to find the subway to get back to my hotel.
I found it and it was so easy. Goodness, it’s an incredible public transport system. Took me to my scary mall, but I had it under control and walked back to the hotel.
Easy, low key day and getting my travel-by-myself feet back under me.
I landed in Singapore last night and couldn’t really see anything, but the driver said to make sure I downloaded the GAP app – their Uber and to definitely use the public transportation. He also said I could walk at 2 in the morning if I wanted because Singapore is completely safe – clearly taking great pride in his country.
When I woke up and started to think about my day, I felt like a limb had been cut off with everyone gone. I love traveling on my own, so that was a bit of an adjustment to realize how upended I felt. I made my self do things out of force of habit about traveling by myself, but I was so disconcerted, I ate breakfast, lunch and dinner at the little club room that linked to my hotel room, not even venturing to the restaurant. Homing like a pigeon to the safe space. Good grief.
I decided to do the hop-on hop-off bus tours. It was raining off and on and I was tired – still not sleeping, but not because of jet lag. And that’s all I did today! I listened to the bus’s spiel while seeing things, but a lot of times whatever they were talking about was gone by the time I made the connection. I wasn’t firing too many cylinders.
First, though, I had to get some money. I was told by the front desk to just walk a block down to The Orchard – a shopping mall. I figured that would be easy enough. The driver the night before had said to go to the basement of the mall and there was an ATM there. So that’s what I did, there were 5? 6? levels down below the walk in floor. Then I started walking looking for an ATM. There were so many halls, directions, stores, that within a short time, I had no idea where I was or even how to get out. I actually had a bit of a panic reaction – crazy. The only place I’d known at all similar was the Twin Towers where all the shops and food court were below level – but there I knew all the subways, directions, etc. Here – nothing. And there were so many escalators that I had no idea where the one was that I came down on. It was a totally crazy place. I’m writing this now, so I obviously found my way out, but I have NO interest in shopping!
This sculpture was outside the mall and caught my eye as I was recovering from my mall panic. It’s a giant nutmeg – recognizing the nutmeg orchards that used to be all over the island until a blight killed off almost all of them.
The most interesting thing I saw on the bus rides were the buildings and the glimpses of history. Honestly, I never got off either bus, too tired, it was really hot and rainy here and there. But I picked up some things.
Clearly the original prime minister of Singapore upon liberation was far seeing and brilliant. Singapore was freed of British occupation in 1967, and Lee Kwan Yew served from 1959-1990. He set in place the public housing principal – people can be happy and successful if they have homes. A commitment to green and conservation – 46% of the land is green, from tiny gardens to the giant Botanical Gardens. A single party governance that is committed to decent living with health care, housing, education, and stability. And clearly a market economy.
There are four groups of people who make up Singapore and everyone seems to take great pride in the mingling of the four even as there are distinct historical areas for three of them – the Malay, the Indians, the Chinese, and the Eurasians.
This gorgeous building is the police building. The Old Hill Street Police Station (now known as the MICA Building), home to the Ministry of Communications and Information and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, is a colonial landmark located at the junction of River Valley Road and Hill Street. It officially opened in 1934, and was the largest government building in Singapore at the time. The building has a total of 927 windows that have been painted in shades of rainbow colours. The main courtyard has been converted into an air-conditioned atrium, and is sheltered by a 29-metre-high glass roof. It had a dark history as it fought the Chinese secret societies gaining traction at the time of its building. Now – the arts.
There was a Hindu temple with public housing buildings rising up behind it. 80% of the population lives in public housing and 90% of those own these apartments and homes. And it’s nice! A variety of buildings and apartments. People are in a lottery when they come of age and as their circumstances improve, they can get in the lottery for a better apartment. However, once their income exceeds $12,000 month, they can no longer opt for a different apartment. And if they give up their apartment, they can never enter the lottery again. They can bequeath their housing to children.
This is from my hotel room. Green everywhere. 46% of the land areas are green and all are strongly encouraged to have plants and most balcony’s and roofs had gardens. Individuals and organizations talked about how the green helped the environment and helped keep Singapore cool. It was pretty remarkable given that it’s a city-state of buildings.
As I said, I was tired and disconcerted enough that I had breakfast, lunch and dinner at the hotel around my bus rides. I was NOT going near the mall again.
I’m going to go on a bit of a diversion on the way to finishing our Cambodia trip by writing about Asian toilets They’re the ones with wash, dry, massage (seriously), stop, heat, go, temperature, all kinds of buttons. I’m writing about this now because my toilet is currently very upset with me. Maybe because I’m not visiting enough? My system’s ok, but as I write, my toilet is beeping and repeatedly slamming the lid. Occasionally, it lifts up the seat too and then it gets two slams in one go. We’ve had a lot of discussions about this apparatus as well as the need or sadly, lack of need, of different members of the party. Many many laughs. But oy, to have an irritated toilet makes for a definite lack of concentration.
So – back to our last day. We thought we were going to have a morning luxuriating at our hotel, but Pat and I wanted Holly to get a chance to see some of Siem Reap and ride in one of the tuktuks like we had the night before so we went out again. We thought it was going to just be a quick hour outing, but it turns out that the tuktuk driver had things he wanted us to see!
He said he was taking us to more local places than we had seen before. We went to another market where he said his mother came every day to buy – an hour into the city to buy when the market opened at 6 and then go straight back home to sell the goods in her store at the front of their house.
Our driver was wonderful. He loved working at the Aman, taking pride in the people who stayed there and his wife worked there too in housekeeping. Their first baby was due in a month and he showed us the ultra sound photo – the baby was smiling!
Our driver and Holly going into the market.
The scooters belonged to all the vendors. Incredible what they can bring in on these bikes.
Then he took us to the Royal Independent Gardens and a group of trees. The night before, Pat and I had thought we heard swallows – a rush of them – flying overhead. Turns out they were bats! A ton of them. They nest in these trees, with a few flying around. They were huge. Holly had gotten bat pee in her mouth at Ankhor Watt when she was looking up. Pat got pooped on when we were at the trees. They both decided it was for good luck 🙂
We then went to another artists market, the driver said that this one was more for locals, but also for tourists, thus showing their skills and wares. Getting a blessing.
All the leaves and plants that contribute to the dyes of the weavers. So cool.
Then back to the hotel, to pack up. We were separating today, me to Singapore and Australian and the others back to Colorado.
They kept bringing us last minute treats – my final decaf Vietnamese iced coffee and yummy cookies to accompany my last bits of typing.
It felt very weird to say goodbye after we’d been together nonstop for two weeks with the exception of one dinner. I was glad we were all going to the airport together for one last sit in the waiting room. I was off first and felt so lucky to have had so much fun with the whole group!
We started with another bike ride. Best bikes yet, actually. So we were all comfortable. We first visited a market that was fascinating, per usual. Fish still alive being set up for the market, sad, but meant they were fresh. All kinds of veggies and other goods.
Pat, of course, took an interest in a treat and was given a whole bag. Turns out it wasn’t such a treat to our western taste buds, but he now had a bag of not just one kind, but also a second. What to do? As we left, he made friends for life with a small boy on the back of his dad’s scooter by handing over the treats.
We rode along a village road, seeing the houses and people. Later passing the driveway of the little boy who yelled and waved happily when he saw Pat.
We had style on the ride and the sag wagon was great – never used, but so cheerful as an accompaniment.
We then turned onto a much smaller lane, seeing the houses and gardens. At one point, we could hear music and Sam stopped us and said let’s go in. This turned out to be an impromptu visit to a musician who was at his brother’s house along with 2 wives and a couple of small children and a bunch of puppies, who were eating trash. The people were lovely and welcoming. The main musician was blind and Sam knew about him from the musician’s band that he had seen recently. The main singer was raising funds for this musician to be able to buy a new instrument. Turns out he had just gotten the instrument the day before and they were celebrating by practicing. Then Sam was given the same kind of instrument and he started picking out a song, then the others joined in. It was so much fun and Sam was just delighted. Really fun to see him loosen up and be so happy with this surprise stop.
Scott tried too – it was an interesting instrument because the strings went between the bow and its strings. From looking online, I think it was a spike fiddle. The drum the brother was playing was clearly made of snake skin – they ate snakes here, not that we saw that on any menu.
We continued on, seeing both water buffalo and Brahman cows. These cows were thin, some painfully so. Evidently they’re honored in the Hindu tradition, but when I asked Sam if that was how they were regarded in Cambodia, he said, no, we’re Buddhists and they’re used for plowing. Kellie said that their build was always thin, but it still looked like a hard life, though they were grazing just as the water buffalo were.
Styling with the helmets to deal with sun and heat.
We ended this morning ride at a Buddhist temple. First we explored the cemetery. They have a practice here of burying a person, within 3, 5 or 7 days, depending on how long they need to gather enough money to feed the monks and people who come to the service. The body is then buried for a year. At the end of the year, it is cremated and the ashes are put into a stupa. If a family can afford a stupa, they have their own. If not, they can rent space from a wealthier family. The stupas have enough room, some just enough room, to walk around in prayer. Evidently you walk counter clockwise for a burial stupa and clockwise for a prayer stupa.
Series of stupas, close together, but you could walk around each.
We then went to the actual temple (Wat Por Bonteay Chey area) with stories and traditions painted on the walls, and within were stories from the Buddha’s life. We walked into the temple and saw a technicolor buddha. Huge and mesmerizing with the lights. We gathered around a monk to get a blessing, instructed to sit with our legs going to the side, crossed if we couldn’t manage the side sit. This turned out to be wonderful. The monk recited from memory in Pali, a blessing for health and happiness, continuing for 10 minutes? It was meditative and I slipped into that quiet space quickly. Even when Sam took my phone and started taking photos and videos. I just let it go and listened to the chanting. A surprise gift. And we’d thought of canceling the morning.
The monk gave each of us a blessing bracelet.
Our last stop of the morning was to an artisans factory. Wonderful, weaving, carving, lacquering, all crafts that have been following old traditions. I found the silk weaving to be the most amazing. It can take up to 3 months and more just to set up the loom, the threads were SO thin!
Wore Pat out
We returned for lunch to the hotel and then Sam said he could add on another temple that Scott had wanted to see – the temple in the lake. It was so tempting to stay in the cool of the hotel, maybe go to the pool? But no, how could we not go see more.
Turns out this was a wonderful little temple designed for medical purposes. It was one of the many hospitals that Jayavarman VII built in the 2nd half of the 12th century. We walked across a long bridge crossing a Barray – or a rain water collecting reservoir – to get to this small temple. The Neak Pean ,“the entwined serpents,” had two giants carved snakes which wrapped the center island temple in the small lake, we could just see the remnants. This was a Buddhist temple built within its own small reservoir on the island out on the lake. The center temple was surrounded by water at a slightly higher level than the 4 small surroundings blessing pavilions with their own pools at east, west, north and south points. A person could be blessed or healed by going into the small pavilions and water would pour over them from the upper lake. This was also built by King Jayavarman VII in the 12th century. I’m so glad Scott asked to see it.
We’ve seen lotuses everywhere, but I’ve rarely taken photos. After thinking of them as rare and special because of the link with the Buddha and Lotusland in Santa Barbara, I couldn’t help but want to get pictures every time.
We then went to one more temple, before heading back. On our way up the main temple, we saw this small beautiful temple, one of the first and oldest that was built as a pyramid with bricks. Then we continued to the “sunset temple” That’s my description. I guess Angkor Watt is for sunrise, this was clearly for sunset.
Basket Chamkrong, built during the first decades of the 10th century, this is the only pyramid temple in this area that survived.
The Phnom Bakheng Temple, both Hindu and Buddhist had the form of a temple mountain. It was built in the 9th century. Incredible By now poor Holly was starting to get really sick from the heat and Kellie belatedly realized on our way back down from the temple visit that it was probably the beginnings of heat stroke. And we’d left Holly for an hour sitting below while we climbed up and down. We were definitely on auto and not thinking well in the heat. This last temple was where people went to see the sunset.
And just as other temples were being rebuilt or stabilized by different countries, this one was being supported by the US. Given how the current admin is treating foreign countries, I’m not sure how long this will continue, but as of now they’re still doing repairs. And it was wonderful too.
Everyone waiting for sunset.
The details of this skirt are just remarkable, and I loved seeing the monks at so many of the sites.
We came back and cleaned up and then kept going, though Holly stayed back and was able to cool down and recover, quickly going to sleep. We went by tuktuks to a wonderful restaurant that Sam had recommended. This was our first tuktuk ride, it was a great temperature and fun to see the city at night. Sam joined us for dinner and then we went via van to the Phare circus.
Phare artists are students and graduates from Phare Ponleu Selpak’s vocational training centre in Battambang. The association was formed in 1994 by 9 young men coming home from a refugee camp after the Khmer Rouge regime. They were greatly helped during that time by an art teacher using drawing classes as therapy and wanted to share this new skill among the poor, socially deprived and troubled youngsters in Battambang. They founded an art school and public school followed to offer free education. A music school and theatre school were next and finally, for the kids who wanted more, the circus school. Today more than 1,200 pupils attend the public school daily and 500 attend the alternative schools. Phare Ponleu Selpak also has extensive outreach programs, trying to help with the problems highlighted in their own tales.
So cool mission, sweet little circus and the performers seemed to be having fun. I sent little videos home to Holly so that she could see that it was fun, but it was ok that she was missing.
And back to the hotel for a free morning tomorrow before we all fly out. Me to Singapore and the rest home to CO.
Today was Angkor Wat from the Khmer Empire. We left the hotel at 5:00 and were at the site by 5:45. Us and a whole lot of other people, but it was wonderful. We were there to see the sunrise over the towers and our guide, Sam, knew all the spots to sit and wait and shared history as well. The people of Cambodia are still primarily Khmer. The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea, who followed Pol Pot and killed almost 25% of the population. So that was a distinction we needed to figure out. Sam’s family was in a small village far from the primary fighting, though two of his uncles, one of whom was a monk, were taken away for “reeducation” which meant killed. He lived near Angkor Wat and the other temples and talked about playing hide and seek in the temples, swimming in the pools in Angkor Wat – that are now drained – and avoiding all the poisonous snakes in the jungle. There are shrines in all of the temples that are still used today by the local people.
Angkor Wat was the capital of the Khmer Empire and was a mega city of almost a million people and built during the Khmer Empire between the 9th and 13th centuries. It’s the largest religious monument in the world – covering an area four times the size of Vatican City. It was built by the Khmer King Suryavarman II in the first half of the 12th century, around the year 1110-1150. Military defeat is supposed to be the main reason for the fall of Angkor, with different dates proposed for the ending.
The statue below is that of Naga – a 7 headed serpent. These images were in many if not all of the Buddhist temples. Sometimes a statue like this, many other times a long – very long – serpent body held in the hands of warriors surrounding a bridge or a temple. The snake is often a symbol of protection to the Buddha and his teachings. There were wonderful images of nagas, or snakes circling temples, held in the hands of the warriors. In Buddhist lore, the Buddha had gained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. A violent store arose and caused the water to rise. Mucalinda, the King of -Serpents, coiled his seven heads to form a hood over the Buddha. Mucalinda and other nagas sheltered the Buddha for seven days and seven nights. After the storm, Mucalinda paid homage to the Buddha and returned to his domain.
This statue was before we even got into the compound and then the walls of the compound were also incredible and we weren’t even up to the temple!
We were able to watch sunrise and get photos that imply it was serene and majestic. It was serene, but also very busy!
There were two smaller beautiful buildings where people prepared for entering the temple and then the grand walkway up to the temple itself.
There were a number of shrines with different images of Buddha, still used for practice by local monks and villagers. There is an ongoing monastery outside Angkor Wat.
The stairs were incredibly steep. We later climbed a staircase built on top of the original and it followed the same grade, you had to use the banisters, especially coming down.
The carvings throughout the temple were endlessly creative and astonishing.
There were courtyards all the way around the central temple, as well as pools (now drained).
There were a series of hallways – incredible. Sam absolutely loved all the carvings and took time to tell us stories that were being conveyed. In this hallway, the series was about heaven and hell and the different levels and reasons that a being might be in one level, “The Talavrikshavana tier is reserved for those who cut trees that should not be cut, those who fell trees or relieve themselves in a deva sanctuary.”
We saw this couple as we left and thought it was an instagram pose, but Sam said no, they were pre-wedding photos using traditional dress. Gorgeous.
And a couple of American gorgeous couples!
Photo 16 – Pat and Holly
Sam has been guiding for 30 years and had taken Mick Jagger, David Rockefeller and a few others around which indicated his seniority in the business. We appreciated his wisdom so much. It took a good part of the day, but he finally caught on that it was ok to laugh at our mistakes – Pat was totally up for this – and Sam started cracking smiles and even laughing upon occasion.
His comments about Vietnam – they’re with the Chinese – were the same as the Vietnamese about Cambodia – they’re with the Chinese. Vietnam declared war and occupied Cambodia for 10 years from 79-89 and there are still hard feelings.
The Vietnamese consider themselves to have rescued the Cambodians from the Khmer Rouge.
There was a different feel in Cambodia. Granted, we only saw Siem Reap, so a limited view. It was not as polished as Vietnam has become (in certain areas), but it also felt kinder and more open. Hard to describe since the Vietnamese we met were largely delightful. But we’d like to go back and explore more of Cambodia. Poverty was more present, but we saw very few people who seemed like they were begging for food.
Several times we saw Buddhist monks or nuns walking with bowls. People would come to the monk and give offerings and ask for prayers. The two times I saw this, up to 5 people gathered around the monk to receive his prayers, leaving shoes and hats behind. The prayer was not a quick waving of hands, but took a few minutes as the monk spoke. Later when we were in a temple, we learned that the monk was speaking in Pali. I loved that because it’s the language of Buddha and used by those who are Theravadist Buddhist, distinct from Zen or Tibetan Buddhism.
We watched one nun (I think, different colored robe) slowly walk along the street stalls and not ask for anything, but clearly open if someone wanted to give an offering and ask for a prayer. It must be a balance and maybe the monk just keeps walking until there is enough to feed him/her for the day.
After Angkor Wat, we returned to the hotel for food and to cool down before venturing back out to see some more temples. Before I came, I had thought that the temples were basically on top of each other and right around Angkor Wat, but each had its own space and compound. Angkor Wat is the biggest, with small lakes/ponds originally both in and out. So – we were going back out to see different temples.
After lunch, we visited Anghor Thom, the ancient royal city of Khmer Empire, starting with the Bayon Temple. After the Cham people of modern-day Vietnam sacked Angkor in 1177, King Jayavarman VII (reigned 1181–c. 1220) decided that the Hindu gods had failed him. When he built a new capital nearby, Angkor Thom, he dedicated it to Buddhism. We could see the faces of former King Jayavarman VII facing in every direction in this particular temple. There was a Terrace of the Elephant which served as a platform from where the King could welcome back his victorious army.
Another long panel with Sam describing the stories, notice that all of us are hiding in the shade of pillars, each with his/her own pillar.
We then went to my favorite temple, the Ta Prohm Temple. At the start, Sam said he was going to take us a different way and that the building’s complex enclosed 2 miles. I was dismayed at the idea of walking for 2 more miles in the heat, but it turned out to be a highlight because for a while, it was only us walking along the wall of the complex with the jungle on the other side (not a huge swatch, you could see hints of the road on the far side).
We could hear birds and a particular call was noted as a hornbill by Sam. He said during the war, they caught and ate them, they were all starving. He said you could see all of his bones – he was 8-12 years old during that time. We kept walking and then came to the typical entrance where many people were streaming in. Thanks, Sam, for a rare quiet interlude.
The temple was wonderful. I couldn’t tell you why it felt so distinct, perhaps projecting, but it was built by King Jayavarman VII to commemorate his mother and it had a softer feel. It was also being repaired in places, while being held up/torn down by these incredible fig trees and encroaching jungle. Part of the Tomb Raiders movie was filmed here. I may have to see it.
We were all completely flagging along with headaches, etc and Sam saved us by getting us all coconuts.
We were supposed to then go on to a Vespa food tour, but the food was so good at the hotel and we were pretty wiped out by the heat, so stayed in. A total treat.
And we started with high tea which was a great way to move to relax!
Today we drove to see the tunnels. I’d heard about these tunnels from different people who’d gone to see them and couldn’t really understand why it was such a destination because I haven’t read enough Vietnam War history. Now I understand.
We’re here in the coolest part of the year and actually, if you’re sitting still in the shade, it’s not bad at all. And our poor soldiers coming here, wearing full gear, carrying loaded packs and then going into the jungle. The jungle we saw was new since 1986-90 – they cleared out all the damaged jungle from the agent orange, replanted and started working with the existing tunnels to show the cleverness of the VC and the north Vietnamese as they fought in the jungle.
This was a totally party line place. Our guide told us not to ask too many questions here. And in fact, unbeknownst to me, I asked a bad question – were there women in the tunnels? This was a bad question because the VC forced many civilians into fighting with them, women, children, and men. So, yes, there were many women fighting alongside the men.
By the end, we had a great deal of respect for the tenaciousness of the north in fighting this fight and had just a small small glimpse of how completely awful it was for the Americans, Australians and others who fought here.
A couple of videos of Joe explaining the tunnels.
The actual tunnels were a large network that funneled supplies to Saigon and allowed the VC to fight a guerrilla war. We were shown many types of traps set with bamboo spikes both in the tunnels and on the paths. The current jungle was just a hint of what the original jungle was. Then there were so many poisonous snakes above and below, spiders, many ways to die and that’s without the soldiers, traps, heat, and disease. Awful.
The VC were incredibly resilient, strategic and nothing went to waste. Cars/trucks never stopped going up and down the Ho Chi Minh trail and tires wore out rapidly. We were shown how the tire and tube were combined into shoes for the soldiers. Evidently, they were able to move silently and knew when people were coming down the trails if it was the south Vietnamese/Americans because they all had boots supplied by the Americans.
The tunnels were very small. This entrance has been enlarged by 20% and the tunnels enlarged by 40% so that visitors can now experience them.
They had trap after trap if someone tried to enter the tunnel – poisonous snakes at the roof bc an enemy would enter head first with a partner holding their boots, then if they made it into the tunnels successfully, there were pits with a variety of sharpened bamboo spikes used in many ways to torture or kill the unsuspecting. The spikes were coated with oil to slide further and dung to set up infection.
This was one of the gathering places – would have been an earthen roof over the wood beams, there are 3 tunnels into this room
After the tunnels, I was reading my book and one of the author’s brothers was VC. He was offered yams in a family dinner and said he doesn’t tough them because that’s all he had during the time he was underground. Tourists got the peanut spice, rarely did they get anything more.
We were glad we went because it did give a small small glimpse of the war and how incredibly bewildering and awful it was when the allies arrived and went into battle. We also had a glimpse how determined the north was as they created this new type of warfare.
And then our guys came home and were booed and rejected by the general population.
I can’t imagine the level of internal chaos the whole experience created in so many young men.
We then flew to Cambodia. Kellie was intent on getting a shower at the airport if there was any way – and there was in the lounge. I went right after her and it was great – very clean, they had a whole shower kit. Much better for getting onto the plane.
We arrived in the evening at the Amansará in Siem Riep and it was incredible. The aura of serenity was amazing. When I walked in my room, there was chanting set on the iPad. I ended up using it to fall asleep for a few nights.
Today, again, was so interesting and fun too. We drove 2.5 hours south to the Mekong Delta.
We were given bikes and these actually fit pretty well, basic bikes, but the seats could go high enough. We then took a ferry across to an island and started riding.
The weather was hot, but perfectly fine with the breeze and we were often in shade from the trees. We rode a lot of the island and all along the way we were behind houses and occasionally little shops. All of our stops were to visit women who were individual entrepreneurs – making their products by hand and then selling directly to the market.
Our first stop a woman was making rice wine. She gave us a sip (I smelled it) and it was like drinking everclear alcohol – not that I ever drank that, but the smell made me think of. They cook it longer and longer to make it less strong and more drinkable, and that product is sold more often. In the video our guide is saying that if you sell that super strong wine – it doesn’t go well.
Basket and bracelets made from the water vines/reeds that were growing all around the delta and tributaries. We each got a bracelet – so pretty.
Scene on the ride
Another scene – we saw roosters in several places in both Vietnam and Cambodia. As the Cambodian guide said, it’s outlawed in both places, so you just pay off the policeman. These roosters were gorgeous and you knew immediately why they were so well taken care of. Different lives and hard lives. I had to let it go, but didn’t end up having a snack sitting next to them.
Then nail files, so precise.
Tofu – first soaked for 4 days, then ground with water, cooked until most of the water evaporated, then drained through a basket covered with something like cheese cloth and a heavy pot pressing down until the water is mostly gone, then it’s cut in blocks.
Macrame weaving to make hammocks. She’s the last one making these on the islands. It’s too hard on the hands and hard work to begin with, and no one in her family wants to continue the tradition.
Our guide said that if he was to make one of these products, it would be making tofu, least hard on the body.
We then left the bikes and got into small boats (we’re starting to see a pattern) that were the same that the Viet Cong used to smuggle goods/weapons into Saigon. They were able to row into the reeds, lie down in their boats and be completely hidden.
Then lunch with a whole fish. Here, people eat the shrimp shells and in this type of fish, they also eat the scales. Pat’s up for trying anything and said the scales and tail weren’t bad, just really crunchy like fries.
Then we got into a larger boat that took us back to the ferry and back to the mainland.
There were large boats that looked like stationary houseboats, along the river.
Our guide said they were owned by the government and rented out for free of pennies to those who wanted a vacation, but couldn’t afford one. Bathroom? River. Our fish – where did they come from? Further out in the delta. We think.
The Mekong Delta actually has 9 tributaries, has a 3 meter tide and you can take a boat all the way up to Saigon or even up to Cambodia. Our island adventure was on Caí Be in the province of Then Giang.
We loved this day, but boy we were ready for showers by the time we got back to the hotel.
It’s incredible that every day has brought new, different, learning experiences.
Per usual, I was up at 5 and saw this early morning scene from in front of my room. Early fishing boat:
Today we took an early flight from Danang to Saigon. Again, we walked into a really interesting day, this time fully focused on the Vietnam war. Our guide (I’ll call him Joe) said – you’ve come from the north – they’ll be really careful about what they say. You can ask me anything in the van, if we’re outside the van, we can talk some, but quietly.
US Consulate – we drove by this, it’s still in operation, though it’s been modernized. It was empty for 20 years after the year, then was given back to the US. Since it was in poor shape, they had to tear down one main building, but the rest remain.
Reunification Palace – former headquarters of the South Vietnamese Government and presidential residence, then taken over by the North Vietnamese. This was a very cool building, though at first it seemed pretty uninteresting compared to the original French building that had been there. However, the windows were largely designed with bamboo looking pillars that allowed air and light to flow through, allowed them to see enemies approaching, but didn’t allow anyone to see in. Pretty remarkable. The whole building was designed on Feng Shui principles.
There were photos of someone who’d been a VC (learned that Cong in Viet Cong meant communist in Vietnamese) and had joined the south as a spy. He was in the South Vietnamese army for 5 years, rising up through the ranks and was then sent to America to train as a jet pilot. He came back and moved up in the Air Force until he was flying jets. He then loaded his jet with 2 bombs and drove over the palace and dropped his bombs. He’d been in the building and knew the weak point was the staircase. He dropped successfully but the bombs didn’t explode. Local lore is that the dragon rug given them years before at the center of the building just in front of the stair case kept the bombs from exploding. No one was hurt and they now show where they were dropped next to a helicopter. The pilot flew straight to “an improvised airstrip prepared by the Liberation Forces” and turned his plane over the VC.
The note about the bombing was interesting – adding this detail. “This feat seriously undermined the republic’s authority and prompted the US President to order the evacuation of the last of the Americans still in Sài “. Note Liberation Forces capitalized and republic is lower case letter. Throughout our days in central and southern Vietnam, the stories and semantics shifted depending on who was presenting the info.
It was interesting to go through the whole residence. Some gorgeous meeting rooms and designs, as well as this scene used for a photo posed by Joe, our guide.
We then went down to the bunker.
Throughout the Reunification Palace, if it was the president’s private area, there were multiple phones for different connections. If there was a black phone, that was the direct line to the US. In the bunker, there were multiple rooms with phones, typewriters, radios and it was so hot. This was the president’s bedroom.
Our next stop was a secret weapons chamber used by the VC. This was a wild story. The man who owned this house was secretly devoted to the communist party. He was the contractor who rebuilt the Reunification Palace. He knew that the weak part was on the side. He and fellow VC secretly brought in weapons from the Ho Chi Minh trail hidden in fruit baskets, bamboo rolls, carved out panels of wood, and under food carts coming to the market – which was outside his door on the street.
He then built a bunker under the house that connected to bunkers under 3 more houses. It was a tiny space in the one that we saw, but he stored a ton of weapons in preparation for attacking the Reunification Palace in an assasination attempt on the president. There were 50 in the group who attacked; he wasn’t there since he was directing as general. They severely damaged the building, but in the end were all killed or declared missing. There was a photo of maybe 8 of them with the general after the war was over. The South Vietnamese strongly suspected that his house was the source of the weapons and came with weapons firing and shot up his front gate – you can still see the bullet marks. They then went through the whole house (tiny) looking for the storage space. It was so cleverly disguised that they never found it. Red and white checkered floor – with one very small panel that could be pulled up by the edge of one of the tiles – hid the bunker. We went down into it, tiny, crazy, and clearly the man was completely committed to the case. Later after the war, he was very famous and highly rewarded for his efforts.
In the bunker.
Getting into the bunker!
Next was the former residence of the US Ambassador of South Vietnam in the early 1960’s, Mr. Henry C. Lodge Jr who “supported the overthrow of the South Vietnamese government”. This note was from Wikipedia and things can definitely be slanted here when you Google items. In fact, he was very committed to the Vietnamese, but thought it was a losing battle by the end and wanted America to pull out. We watched a short documentary film in the living room which fleshed out a bit of the story from Henry Lodge’s perspective. The house itself was a fourth of what he had when he lived there with his family – there were 4 houses connected, a full block. Now it’s one section, but still beautiful. Joe’s boss is the owner of the guide business and bought this house, keeping a fair amount just as it was when Lodge was there and living more in the back. Amazing.
Joe then took us to our favorite lunch of the whole trip. This was a fried pancake shop, making the same kind of pancake sandwich that we had on the bike ride. But the woman who started it had a particular method of cooking and particular ingredients. Her daughter/grandaughter? Was the one cooking now and we were able to take video as well as photos because she loved explaining how she cooked (vegetable oil now because of so many allergies) and seeing how much people liked her food. There were also two things that came in banana leaves – a rice paste with things on top. I really liked this one as well as the fried pancake.
Her son did a trick with a piece of wood and a screw and three beer bottles, opening them with one quick chop. A big crowd pleaser that one!
Finally, the woman showed us a photo from the Tet offensive during the war – mostly destroyed. Scott or Pat then took a photo from the same vantage point showing what it looks like now. I’m hoping I can find those photos.
Rex Hotel – we went here for a drink at the end of the tour. I asked why so many signs say Cocktails/Mocktails. Has it always been that way? Joe said that last year they cracked down on drinking and driving. If you’re caught having drunk anything at all, you’re fined severely and can have your scooter/bike/car taken away for 2 months. Serious consequences. Joe then said that many police are undercover and just watching. So they’ll be on a corner and watch what people are doing, remember the faces of people drinking and then if they see a person driving who’s been drinking, they pull them over. Joe said he couldn’t pick out the policemen. When they’re wearing their uniform, they’re off and showing off. Most are undercover when on duty.
The hotel’s bar was the site of the United States military command’s daily press conference, and derisively named Five O’Clock Follies by cynical journalists who found the optimism of the American officers misguided. The daily event was hosted by Barry Zorthian, chief spokesperson for the U. S. government in Saigon from 1964-68.
From the Rex Hotel on the balcony – where the famous bar is – we could see the former CIA building, where helicopters did the final evacuation in April 1975. We saw this from a distance and it was a TINY little spot on top of a building. They had a photo of swarms of people on the ladder and leading up the ladder – they’d climbed 9 stories to get to this spot. And only 8 people were able to get on the helicopter and then it was gone. Awful. That famous ladder is now in the Gerald Ford museum.
We were ready to call it a day after this, but Joe told us we were making a BIG mistake if we missed the Vespa food tour. From the first time we started planning this trip, Kellie had said she was not going to do the Vespa tour. In the end, we all went.
Our guide and the Vespa drivers were all from the Vespa Wanderers Team. My cortisol leves were VERY high for the first leg, by the second stop, I’d relaxed, by the third, I wasn’t even paying attention to the traffic and was just watching the city go by. The drivers were so safe, communicating by radio on their vests, using blinkers and totally safe.
Saigon is a beautiful city, very prosperous, clean, lot of great food and a lot of shopping. For the party members – crazy high end shops and cars driven by only a few. But many people were out and about and it seemed like it was far removed from being a third world country. In fact our guide, the gorgeous and very energetic Chi, said that was the case. People have food, are starting to have more choices. She was from Hanoi, but had left and was living and working on her own and having a great time!
Finally relaxed after this stop!
So – a long day, but full of very cool experiences, and we ended it on a high because the Vespa tour was so much fun.
Reb's Walks! 