Imperial city
Day 23 – Hue, Vietnam During the 19th century, Vietnamese Emperors made of Hue their capital. The Imperial City is the enclave containing the palace and the administration of the government. I was very happy to have my conical hat when visiting the Imperial City, as the sun was bright and the shade was very…
Lanterns
Day 21 – Hoi An, Vietnam After the final fittings (Hoi An is reputed for its cheap, custom-made clothes, and I took advantage of it), I made my way after nightfall to the riverbank. The lanterns are lit everywhere, and it’s magical. On the river, small rowing boats take tourists on a short tour to…
My Son
Day 20 – My Son, Vietnam Following the appeal of a boat journey, I booked a tour to see My Son, the ruins of the Cham Empire capital, the rivals of the Khmers and their capital, Angkor. It was the kind of tour where you follow your guide from one explanation to another, which wasn’t…
Capsule Hotel
Day 18 – Da Nang, Vietnam So after spending a few hours killing time in my favorite park in Ho Chi Minh City, with more young people asking to speak English with me, I headed to the airport to get my plane. (I was dropped off by the taxi at the international departures when the…
Ho Chi Minh City
Day 17 – Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam First, nothing says dehydration more than drinking 1.5 litre in less than an hour. Go me. I started my quiet day by waking to a park with the intention of finding a congenial bench and reading a bit in the shade. (Today was almost sunny.) That’s the…
Mekong Delta
Day 16 – Mekong delta, Vietnam So yesterday, I had booked this wonderful-looking tour of the Mekong delta, with floating market, coconut candy factory, orchard, local music, local lunch organised… looked very nice. All that for 12.5 euros, it seemed a very good choice. But first, someone asked for more pictures of my daily life.…
Vietnam
Day 15 – Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam A long bus ride later, with several stops and a border control, I’m in Vietnam, in Ho Chi Minh City. I can’t describe the relief, the overwhelming familiarity of getting back to a Western alphabet. I couldn’t have conceived that it would make a difference, especially since…
The Silver Pagoda
Day 14 – Phnom Penh, Cambodia First, let me say that after the bad day I had on Monday, I met a Canadian in Battambang Tuesday who restored my faith in Cambodia. He bought the bar/restaurant I went to wait for my bus 6 months ago and was delighted to talk and share his experience…
Lost in translation
(I haven’t seen the movie, so, if you have, this has nothing to do with it.) Day 12: Battambang, Cambodia After a bit more than 5 hours in a bus, I arrived in Battambang, the second biggest city in Cambodia according to my guide. Before the bus has even stopped, tuk-tuk drivers wave placards with…
More temples than I can remember
Day 7 – Siem Reap, Cambodia After this morning’s switch of hotel, my tuk-tuk driver took me to see several, smaller temples -but some of them are not less impressive! Many of the pictures I took yesterday were hard to exploit because of the sun’s orientation, so I was more careful today. The first temple…