From Viet Nam to Cambodia

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

 

This trip so far has been very active. We have had many consecutive full days of travelling and exploring the communities we are visiting. Although there were some excursions planned for today, I took the day off. A low key day was just what I needed. I caught up on sleep, worked on the blog and added to our photo book. Jim went for a walk by himself in the morning and spent the afternoon planning the continuation of our adventure following the end of this tour. For both of us,  it was a much needed relaxing day. We did go for walk along our hotel street late in the afternoon. The street was narrow and the traffic was crazy. It felt like we could be knocked over at any moment so it was a short walk.

We enjoyed a delicious dinner at our hotel overlooking the river.

Then we were invited to join a lively group of people who were enjoying karaoke at one of the hotel bars on the river front. The music was familiar with lots of song choices. 

Regardless of nationality, we all seemed to know the words to the oldies and goodies. It was an evening of laughter and fun.

 

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

Today, we flew from Hoi An in Viet Nam to Siem Riep in Cambodia. As we grew closer to the date, there was considerable angst about visas and passports to enter Cambodia but also to re-enter Viet Nam which we will do in a few days. Fortunately, all the visas came through, some at the very last minute and the worrying came to an end. It was a late afternoon flight, short and sweet. And all our luggage arrived. Everyone was happy when the immigration and customs process was behind us.

 

We met our new tour guide, Long, who accompanied us as we travelled by bus through Siem Riep to our hotel. We arrived after dark (dark falls about 6:30 pm) and we enjoyed an open air dinner with delicious food and good company from our tour.

 

The Shinta Mani Hotel is a beautiful structure with spacious rooms, a lovely dining room, outdoor patios and two swimming pools. It was a wonderful place to be spending a few days.

 

Thursday, February 5, 2026

 

Thursday was a busy, busy day. Cambodia seems to require more paperwork than we are accustomed to. We travelled by bus out of town and stopped at a large complex to get the required passes for temple visits that have been planned. It was serious business. We had to show our passports, have our photos taken and have entry cards made for each one of us. Today, we visited two temples, Ankor Thom and Bayon Temple. At both of them, we needed to show our documents and get them punched with a paper punch before we could enter the temple area.  to get required

 

Ankor Thom covers an area of 9 km², within which are located several monuments from earlier eras as well as those established by Jayavarman and his successors. There were several different temple structures within this area, all of which are very old and have large numbers of very uneven stairs. It was quite a challenge to navigate the structures.

 

At the centre of the city is Jayavarman's state temple, the Bayon, with the other major sites clustered around the Victory Square immediately to the north. Bayon also had several levels with uneven staircases. I chose to wait on the bus for this tour but Jim managed to conquer all the required ups and downs of the tour.

 

                                                         

We enjoyed a well-earned lunch at Mahob Restaurant. The food was not always familiar but it was consistently beautiful and delicious. In truth, I cannot recollect what any of the dishes were called.

 

After lunch, we returned to our hotel and soon after Jim and I left on a tuk-tuk for a countryside tour. Three of our travel companions also came along. They were braver than we were and rode on the back of motorbikes. Yikes!!

 

It was an outstanding tour, guided by a young woman, fluent in English, who had just begun studying to become a teacher. She told us a bit about her program but her manner had me convinced that she will be a wonderful educator.

 

We made four stops on the tour:

Stop 1 – a roadside market where we were introduced to local meats and fish as well as fruits and vegetables. Mangoes are in season and we all savoured the flavour. Our guide does not like mangoes at all because there are so many of them harvested, and lacking refrigeration or freezing options, they all have to be eaten in a short time. Households, especially in the countryside do not usually have refrigerators. Everything is prepared and eaten fresh.

                                                    

Stop 2 was a household that made baskets to be sold at markets. We were able to watch two women at work while the process was being explained. How intricate It was! Some baskets took several days to weave. Other smaller ones could be completed more quickly, perhaps two per day. I purchased a few small baskets and took a photo of the basket maker (with permission). The price was ridiculously low and it represented the main household income. I handed her considerably more money than she was asking. And, I will treasure those baskets.

 

Although we did not stop, we passed by a large herd of water buffalo as we drove along the rather rugged road. They are used for meat and are more valuable than regular cattle. The fine males are used for breeding and the females, of course, give birth to the calves, not unlike cattle farming in Canada. If the male or female are not successful in breeding, they also are used for meat.

Stop 3 is where we had a demonstration of preparing coconut rice. As I have previously described, the landscape is covered with rice paddies. Rice is a mainstay of the local diet and prepared in many different ways. It was fascinating to see how complex the preparation of authentic coconut rice is. In brief, the rice is mixed with coconut milk from coconuts harvested from local trees. The mixture is tightly pressed into short bamboo poles. A lengthy and carefully timed cooking process over coals is required, during which the bamboo poles are peeled back as the cooking proceeds. Eventually, there is only a thin layer of bamboo remaining with the rice still inside. Only then is it ready to eat.

 

Stop 4 – Our final stop was at another market where we witnessed a presentation on how to make coconut noodles. Of course, the coconut is cracked open and the white flesh is used to make the noodles. The coconut meat is cut into medium sized pieces and cooked in rapidly boiling water until it is soft enough to press through a sieve. As it emerges through the sieve it forms into noodles and is again placed in boiling water. I am not sure how long it remains in the second pot of boiling water. What was interesting is that the noodles are almost translucent white! But what a lengthy and difficult process to follow. However, coconuts are a plentiful crop and do not require refrigeration while they are in the shells.

             

                                                        

 

We travelled back through the city to the hotel. En route, we saw the outcome of a bicycle/motorbike accident. One of the drivers appeared to be injured. The drivers were both moved to the side of the road and the two vehicles were left where the accident occurred. We passed by an ambulance with siren and flashing lights,  likely en route to the scene. In spite of wild and crowded roads, this is the only accident we have seen since we have arrived in Southeast Asia. Amazing!!

 

After a brief rest, we boarded the bus and headed out for dinner. Tonight we went to a unique a la carte restaurant. There were two main serving stations, each with a range of food that could be ordered. The foods were cooked on site and served on bamboo trays. It was an interesting process from start to finish. And the food was quite tasty and well cooked.

 

Dinner was followed by a circus in a large tent adjacent to the restaurant. – amazing gymnastic performance with live music and several very strong and athletic men and one small amazing woman. They did tricks we have never seen before, including stacking up to six people on each other’s shoulders … and then jumping into the air and somersaulting on the way down. It was truly breathtaking.

 

It had been a long and full day. We arrived back at the hotel about 10:00 pm and fell directly into bed.  Tomorrow begins at 4:30 am. Yikes!!