Central Vietnam: Hoi An

"Midieval-looking Hoi An was once Vietnam's most cosmopolitan port. Today the good times have returned and this beautiful, ancient town is bursting with gourmet Vietnamese restaurants, hip bars and cafes, quirky boutiques and expert tailors."

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The first thing we did in Hoi An was a street food tour. It was led by a gregarious Australian transplant named Neville (fitting I think). We stopped at more than forty authentic Vietnamese street food stands. It was feast for the senses as we walked through the markets and tasted food from stalls we would never think of going to on our own. He dispelled all the myths about street food in foreign countries, including everyone's biggest concern: cleanliness. Neville explained that the dirtier the floor, i.e. how much food/trash is on the ground, the better. This is a sign that the Vietnamese really like the "restaurant." He tried to emphasize that these people are no different that we are; they are just as concerned about what they put in their mouths as the Westerners.

That afternoon we walked through the downtown streets of Hoi An. One of the things the town is known for is the tailors, and there are hundreds of them. It was a good thing we got some recommendations from Neville, or we wouldn't know where to start. I ended up having a dress made. In one store, there were a few women set up in the front making paper lanterns. One was taking strips of paper and pressing them with an iron while another was placing them over the thin wooden frame of a lantern. I'm not sure what attached the paper to the frame, but my guess would be some kind of hot glue. It was fun to watch the process. 

Cambodia: Angkor Wat Day 2

The second day we traveled a bit farther outside the primary Angkor Wat complex. Our driver Serei picked us up and drove us through the Cambodian countryside; along the way we passed through a number of villages. The most striking sight was the level of poverty that ran rampant and was blatantly apparent everywhere I looked. Almost all the homes were thatched-roof huts set on stilts at least 10 feet high. There were open markets all along the roadside filled with exotic fruits, clothing, and other goods. The Cambodian countryside was beautiful; palm trees, rice fields, as well as mango, dragon fruit, and sugar cane farms blanketed the landscape.

The first two temples we went to were similar to the ones we visited the day before, but the third was the most interesting and intriguing of them all. Boeng Maelea is almost completely unrestored and has crumbled in many places. Trees and plants have grown up and around the structure. We got there late in the day which I soon realized would be the best time of day to be there. The light on the temple was stunning. On one side of the complex three different trees' roots were climbing down from the top, curling over the sides and down to the ground like spiderwebs.

A different kind of reminder of Cambodia's past was also present at this site. On the way into the temple, a sign was posted about the number of land mines found and cleared in and around the site. For a moment it was very disturbing to think about the idea of coming across something like that. The bleak past and struggling present of Cambodia surfaced again on the way back to the hotel when Serei began to talk about his family and the social infrastructure of the country. His father was killed by the Khmer Rouge because he was an educated French teacher. I believe there were other family members killed, but his father was the only one he talked about in detail.

The government has no money and is not generating revenue because Cambodia has so many debts to pay off. There was road work being done on the way to the temples, which Serei said the funding came from Korea. Most of the country's electricity is supplied by Thailand and 80% of the tourism profits from Angkor Wat go to Vietnam to pay off debts. There is an enormous amount of foreign aid in all areas going into Cambodia because they are unable to support themselves.

Cambodia: Angkor Wat Day 1

"Angkor, in Cambodia’s northern province of Siem Reap, is one of the most important archaeological sites of Southeast Asia. It extends over approximately 400 square kilometres and consists of scores of temples, hydraulic structures (basins, dykes, reservoirs, canals) as well as communication routes. For several centuries Angkor, was the centre of the Khmer Kingdom. With impressive monuments, several different ancient urban plans and large water reservoirs, the site is a unique concentration of features testifying to an exceptional civilization. Temples such as Angkor Wat, the Bayon, Preah Khan and Ta Prohm, exemplars of Khmer architecture, are closely linked to their geographical context as well as being imbued with symbolic significance. The architecture and layout of the successive capitals bear witness to a high level of social order and ranking within the Khmer Empire. Angkor is therefore a major site exemplifying cultural, religious and symbolic values, as well as containing high architectural, archaeological and artistic significance."

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We got up at four in the morning the first day to go to Angkor Wat and watch the sunrise. The road there was filled with tuk tuks, bicycles, and cars headed exactly where we were going. It was like rush-hour at 5:30 in the morning. We arrived at the site around six, so we still had an hour to wait. On the opposite side of the outermost stone perimeter a large cobble-stone walkway juts straight through an expansive courtyard toward the main temple. A number of food stands lined the edges of the wall and many of the operator's assistants came around numerous times trying desperately to coax us into buying coffee, tea or pastries. They gave themselves Western names like "007" and "Star Wars" to make it easy for people to remember them. There were others who bombarded us with guidebooks, postcards, scarves, and other clothing items. When the sunrise finally came, it was certainly beautiful but it wasn't as dramatic as it sounded.

I opted to explore the temple on my own. It was nice to be there early in the morning because it provided the perfect opportunity and setting to be alone with my thoughts while wandering through a place where so much symbolism and sacredness is present. When I reached the center of the temple, the place where the Buddha supposedly sat, I could almost sense the "cosmic" energy as I imagined sitting there with no one around and being perfectly still. Intricate patterns and depictions of the Hindu gods and their battles were carved into the stone on every surface.    

The next set of temples was the Angkor Thom complex which was just as jaw-dropping as the Angkor Wat. This temple had similarly carved pediments depicting gods and battles. After we got through the temple I was drawn to the sound of music and as I walked out of the temple, I noticed a group of monks sitting under a tree playing what I assumed to be traditional Khmer music. One of the instruments was a smaller version of the roneat ek, a boat-shaped instrument that sounds like a marimba. I became greatly intrigued by it the night before at the hotel where a woman was playing one the lobby. Throughout the day I was constantly reminded of the power of human creativity.