Southeast Asia

 

I'm so overdue in posting this incredible trip. JB and I have been home a good month and I'm still influenced by the experience. We began in Bangkok Thailand, sailed to Cambodia, and then Vietnam, and ended in Hong Kong China. 

On total impulse, we'd signed up for a Viking Ocean cruise. We had never discussed Southeast Asia, and even now, I'm not sure what led us to book the voyage three days later. We'd be gone almost three weeks,  docking at five ports and traveling by bus, tram, cable car, tuk-tuk, and foot to bustling markets and deltas and mangroves and bays and upscale cities and fishing villages and private homes and monasteries and temples and artist communities. It was all incredible. 

I'll start with Bangkok. We arrived two days before we would board the Viking Venus ship, mostly so we could adjust to a massive time change and to get ourselves settled. We stayed at a lovely hotel and immediately noticed how gentle and polite the Thai people are. And the food: fantastic. Most of these two days was spent relaxing at the pool, eating incredible Thai food, visiting a temple, walking along a very poor section of the city. The temple trip convinced us to cross temples off our list. There was gold glitter everywhere, but it was too crowded and too hot. 

 

Bangkok is a stark mix of high rise buildings and run down shacks. The vibe is clearly upscale and hip, but poverty is pretty apparent. The streets are filled with motorcycles and motorbikes, zig zagging and moving in all directions. Most people don't have cars, so motorcycles transport almost everyone. It's surprising to learn that accidents are rare!

The food was fabulous and the people were gracious. We drove a good two hours inland, but never saw the lush landscape I imagined we would. That surprised me. All in all, Bangkok is a bustling city, one of the most visited in the world.  Some Americans we met at the hotel had had shirts and other clothing made for them, on the spot, and ready for pickup 24 hours later. Others indulged in great local massages at a cost of $10-15 American dollars. 

When we boarded the ship, it was obvious we were in for a fantastic cruise. The ship itself is both elegant and functional--four restaurants, living room style seating everywhere. a buffet at every meal that never disappointed, a theatre, a spa, TED talks, entertainment, and best of all, a sweet 270 foot room with a private sliding glass patio. Our views from that room were amazing.

We sailed overnight to Cambodia, and Cambodia turned out to have a special place in my heart. I'll write about that next. 

love kj