Sunday, April 28, 2013

ASIA TRIP 2013: Cambodia Part I - Siem Reap

ASIA TRIP 2013
CAMBODIA PART I 
SIEM REAP


We will be in Siem Reap for 3 nights.  Our flight from Luang Prabang took 2 hours.  Trails of Indochina had arranged for the VIP pass through customs ... GREAT IDEA!!!
AngkorWat


The weather here is steamy hot!!  Siem Reap has changed quite a bit since we were here 6 1/2 years ago.  There are more travelers and therefore more hotels.  We visited La Residence D'Angkor and had dinner there which was very nice.  The hotel is a boutique hotel with 62 rooms.  Part of the hotel is protected under Unesco and cannot be changed.  There is a new wing with a few newer hotel rooms and a wonderful spa.
La Residence D'Angkor


We are staying at the Sofitel Angkor Phokeethra.  They say this is a 5 star property which technically, it is but to me, it's similar to the Maui Marriott.  There are over 300 rooms and its more of a convention hotel than a luxury hotel.  Enough said ...


Ta Prohm
We saw Angkor Wat today and it was just as I remembered.  This is the highlight of the visit to Siem Reap.  The weather is in the high 90's with very high humidity so hats, suntan lotion and a battery fan are a must.  This is such a poor country!  (HELPFUL HINT:) When we arrive and as we leave, people and VERY young children are after you to buy their goods ... and they are VERY aggressive.  It's important to be prepared either to politely say no thank you or to bring very small bills for your purchases.
Angkor Thom
Later today, we will be returning to the temples to visit Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm.

The two temples are fascinating and completely different from each other.  Angkor Thom has the different faces in bas relief and Ta Prohm is the Wat with the tree growing around it.

I visited the Aman property, Amansara.  It is stunning and quite zen.  To approach the hotel, you need either an appointment or a reservation.  The hotel does not have a sign in front of it.  The spirit at the hotel is peaceful and the hotel is extremely service oriented.


Aman property, Amansara
We also visited and did a "hard hat tour" of the new Park Hyatt (formerly Hotel de la Paix).  We had stayed at Hotel de la Paix before and loved the location and the hotel.  When the hotel is finished, it will be stunning.  Perfect for those who want to be in the center of things here in Siem Reap.
Raffles Hotel

We went to Raffles Hotel for a site visit and dinner.  This hotel has vastly improved itself since we were here last.  I loved the two bedroom villa the most.  It is spacious and would be perfect for two families and their children.  The food at the hotel was the best that we have had in Siem Reap AND the hotel had the best shopping experience as well.

Before I end Cambodia Part I, I wanted to point out a few things.
Cambodia is hot!  It is a third world country with limited resources for medical care.  I'm saying this not to scare you but more to prepare you.  When visiting Cambodia, it is so important to protect yourself against the sun ... hat, sunscreen etc.  Also, good walking shoes are a must because the sidewalks, road and paths are not even.  I love KEEN's for this.  Everyone takes U.S. dollars.  Bring small bills, 1's, 5's, 10's and 20's.  Everywhere that we have visited, I have found the service to be excellent.  The pace here is slow ... very slow


Stay tuned for Cambodia Part II - our journey from Siem Reap to Sihanoukville.


The World is Our Playground!

Mari

Friday, April 26, 2013

ASIA TRIP 2013: Laos

ASIA TRIP 2013
LUANG PRABANG, LAOS
 
Laos
I love Laos!!  There is a magic to Laos.  Its spirituality and tranquility surround you.  After the craziness in Hanoi and the long drive from Halong Bay to the Hanoi Airport, peaceful Laos is a welcome change.  We landed and were quickly transferred to our fantastic hotel, Orient Express's La Residence Phou Vao 5 minutes outside of Luang Prabang.  The hotel is an intimate 5 star property with 32 junior suites and 2 suites.  Our room is beautiful with teak wood throughout.  The staff is helpful and so pleasant.  In fact, EVERYONE we have met in Laos is so sincerely nice.  We will be here for 3 nights.
Luang Prabang is a World Heritage Site city.  They do not have advanced medical care and limited educational options.  The average age of death is 63 years old.  In spite of this, these hard working people seem happy.  Everyone smiles.  There are over 30 temples and thousands of monks.  This is a very spiritual place.

Baci ceremony (NOT our group)
The first day, we visited 2 Wats which are monasteriesWat Visoun and Wat That Luang.  The buddhas in each Wat were beautiful.  After visiting the wats, we participated in a Baci ceremony.  The ceremony is held to celebrate pretty much anything.  New birth, marriage, visit etc.  A village elder led the ceremony and tied white cotton strings around our wrists and prayed for our happiness.  White is the color of peace good fortune and warmth.  10 female village elders followed with prayers and white strings of their own for our group.  The ceremony continued with the sharing of Lao Lao - VERY strong whiskey that we communally shared.  We were treated to a group of 11-13 year old young women dancing for us.  This is a definite must!


Living Farm (rice)
Our second day in Laos was a mix...some good and some not so good.  I'm always relieved when the not so good happens to me so it doesn't happen to you.  We saw how rice is farmed.  At first, this seemed a little boring but it really was very interesting.  We were taken to the Living Farm to learn about the different kind of rice as well as see how they are grown and what other uses they have.  We learned about regular rice versus sticky rice which is the major rice used in Laos.  The rice in the North can be purple and black while the Southern rice near the Mekong River are white.


Feeding the monks
After visiting the Living Farm we drove for 45 minutes to a tiny village selling SOS and had to walk down a rickety (I'm being REALLY generous with this description) path to a small long boat to take us up the Mekong River.  On route, we visited the Pak Ou Caves to see the 1000 Buddhas.  After the visit to the caves, we returned to Luang Prabang via an 1 hour 15 minute river ride back down the river.  This is something, that I wouldn't recommend unless you really wanted to see the caves.


monks
On our final day in Laos, we woke up at 5:00am to be ready by 5:30am to take us to see and feed 300 Buddhist Monks.  We were instructed to be modestly dressed and sit on a mat.  We could give the monks sticky rice and crackers as they proceeded down the street to the temples.  The monks each wore the same crimson robes and ranged in ages from 9-80 years old.  This was a definite highlight!  After feeding the monks, we walked through the Morning Market to see the food and crafts that the locals buy and returned back to the hotel by 7:30am for breakfast.  At that point, we were given a choice, relax at the hotel, shop or visit a waterfall.  Jeff went to see the waterfall which was a 45 minute drive away and I joined two other women and went shopping.

We are now getting ready to say goodbye to lovely Laos.  I really did love Laos!  It is an unspoiled third world country.  I recommend that you consider Laos as part of any Southeast Asia itinerary.

Off to Cambodia!


The World is Our Playground!

Mari

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

ASIA TRIP 2013: Hanoi to Halong Bay Part II

ASIA TRIP 2013
HANOI TO HALONG BAY
Part II
Halong Bay


The drive from Hanoi to Halong Bay takes 3 1/2 to 4 hours down a 2 lane road. Surrounding you are buses, motorcycles, bicycles and a few cars.   EVERYONE is honking or trying to pass you.  You pass village after village, rice fields after rice fields.  In the middle of most rice fields are the family's burial plots.  
Rice Field
Interesting Fact: Vietnamese people are buried twice.  Strange, right?  The first time, the body is buried in a traditional coffin with everyone wishing them well and celebrating their life.  Three years later, the local shaman takes the bones from the coffin and re-buries the bones in the family's plot.


There was a stop halfway to Halong Bay at a store selling total “crapage”. Jeff saw a gong and we negotiated it from $160 to $125.  On the way back to the Hanoi Airport, we have been “promised” that there will be another option.
Junk Ship


We arrived into Halong Bay which is a small port city advertising itself as a resort city...by American standards, this is NOT a resort city!  We were escorted onto our junk.  Junks are rustic small sailing boats which have been converted to "hotels on water".  We were told that our junk, owned by Indochina Sails and not the 3 ships owned by Trails of Indochina were the best.  The feel to me is Novotel.  I'm going with the flow for the experience of the islands of Halong Bay but this is not a 5 star experience.  (To some of you, this would not matter at all.)  The beauty and uniqueness of Halong Bay is why it is on people's bucket list.  Some of you would feel that the 3 1/2 to 4 hours each way plus the accommodations would not be worth your time.  This blog is explaining the differences so when its your time to visit, you can make a decision.
Tip top Island


We saw Tip top Island and a local fishing village.  There is a very tight schedule of events if you want to experience the excursions.   Today, we woke up at sunrise (5:15am) and took a Tai Chi Class followed by visiting a cave and brunch.  Our return to Hanoi Airport took 4 hours.  Please keep in mind, we only went 160 km (about 110 miles).  The roads were that bad!  Our halfway point was another stop selling the same kind of stuff.  We stopped at a small village to see a water puppet show (something that Northern Vietnam is known for).  Jeff bought a "used" puppet in the shape of a cat or a fox to bring home. 
Our flight to Laos took 1 hour and 10 minutes.  
Example of a Suite on a Junk Ship


I'll talk about Laos in my next blog.
Stay tuned and thank you for following this adventure.


The World is Our Playground!


Mari

Monday, April 22, 2013

ASIA TRIP 2013: Hanoi to Halong Bay

ASIA TRIP 2013
Hanoi to Halong Bay
 
Halong Bay - that boat is called a Junk
Today, we are leaving Hanoi for a 3 1/2 hour drive to Halong Bay.  We will tour Halong Bay and sleep on a junk.  This has been on my "bucket list" since I first met Tom Linton from Trails of Indochina.  Seeing the pictures of junks on the quiet water touring the small islands around Halong Bay has always called to me.
Ho Chi Minh's body in state
Pho (pronounced Fa)
Yesterday, we toured Hanoi seeing Ho Chi Minh's body in state, visiting where he lived and ended with meeting a 94 year old Vietnamese historian to hear about Vietnam from it's inception to current day.  Unfortunately, he possible had a stroke and at times, it was difficult to understand him but following his logic was quite easy.  Interesting professor.  One thing that we did that I REALLY did not like was a tour of Hanoi on a pedicab.  This went on for 1 hour.  The problem was it was in the middle of all the crazy traffic that is Hanoi.  We were in the middle of buses, cars and scooters.  We passed buildings that I didn't understand (signage in Vietnamese) which was frustrating BUT we did have a chance to see city life.  I saw women sitting on the sidewalk preparing Pho (pronounced Fa), men lined up on the sidewalk getting haircuts and children walking home from school with their grandparents. We were passed by people on scooters carrying desks in the back of their scooter and a bag full of who knows what in front of them.  The street life is amazing!  I felt like I had swallowed all of Vietnam's pollution though in 1 hour so for my clients,  I would not recommend this tour.


More to share on our Asia 2013 Trip in the next few days!!


The World is Our Playground!

Mari

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

ASIA TRIP 2013: Hanoi, Vietnam

ASIA TRIP 2013:
Travel to Hanoi, Laos and Cambodia
Hanoi

How many people can YOU fit on your motorcycle?!

Hanoi or as the Vietnamese spell it Ha Noi is an urban city full of sounds and smells and people driving crazy on their motorcycles.  It seems as though the motorcyclists have the right of way so be careful in this crazy city.
Hoan Kiem Lake

We arrived after 21 hours of flying (YIKES!) at 10:00 pm local time.  Because this was not my first visit to an Asian city, I had pre-planned having a VIP arrival.  Great choice!  The lines were insane!!  Rather than wait like everyone else, we were met by our guide, Ming (more about Ming later) and escorted to a separate waiting area while our passports (with Vietnamese Visa that I had gotten in advance) were inspected.  Ming's assistant retrieved our luggage and away we went for a 40 minute drive to downtown Hanoi.  
Sofitel Hotel MetropoleHanoi

We are staying at the Sofitel Hotel MetropoleHanoi near the Opera House.  The hotel is 101 years old and we were placed in their Opera Building.  The hotel offers a spa (our appointment is this evening - 90 minutes for $98) and a fitness center including complementary Tai Chi classes.  The boutiques are nicely stocked but we will be venturing out of the hotel for our shopping.

Le Beaulieu Restaurant at the Hotel Metropole
Hotel Metropole is beautiful.  You can see Vietnamese and French influences everywhere.  Our room was an Executive Room with access to the Club Lounge located on the 7th Floor.  The linens are comfortable.  The beds...not so much.  They are on a platform and need extra cushioning.  The bathroom is quite comfortable with dual sinks a large soaking tub and a separate shower.  The service so far has been wonderful.  We registered, bleary-eyed in our room with our "Butler" (everyone has one).  Breakfast this morning was in their French Restaurant, Le Beaulieu.  The food options were a lovely combination of French, Vietnamese and Japanese.  Other breakfast options included their Club Lounge, the Vietnamese Restaurant, Spices Garden or we could have chosen breakfast in our room.

Hanoi Old Quarter
We decided to take a walk after breakfast toward the Old Quarter.  Of course, the first stop (and stop #3) was at a children's clothing store for Maddy, my granddaughter.  I found 3 adorable outfits for under $40.  Stop #2 was to buy 2 skirts.  I was measured and made arrangements for 2 cotton skirts to be delivered to my hotel.  The cost?  $42 for both.  Let's see what happens...

Later...
We had our massages which were very good.  The spa itself was medium sized and has a large fitness center.  This hotel is quite lovely.  Excellent service with 5 restaurant options.  I love the feel of the hotel.  I love that the restaurants open to the bar and pool area.  Also, for the early birds like me...the hotel has a wonderful early morning complementary coffee service next to the reception desk with coffee, tea and breakfast breads.  I would recommend that my clients stay here when they visit Hanoi.
(Not us - but looks FUN!)

The reason that I'm visiting Hanoi, Laos and Cambodia is that I was chosen to be part of a FAM (familiarization group).  There are 8 people plus the representative of Trails of Indochina, the host of our group.  Six of the people are travel consultants and the other two are a friend of one of the agents and my husband, Jeff.  Before I was a travel consultant, I had used Trails of Indochina hen I had visited Phuket, Bangkok and Siem Reap 6 years ago.  This is a wonderful company and I am eager for this tour to begin!
Stayed tuned.

p.s.  Solo travelers - ask me about A & K tours!  They have either waived or minimized the single supplements!

The World is Our Playground!

Mari