A Tale of Three Cities: Our Time in London, Edinburgh & Glasgow

SMOTH – They were the best of times, they were the… well really just the best of times to be honest.

It’s sort of appropriate to start this blog off with a Dickens reference — given that we started our trip in London, and that every single pub we went to bore a commemoration to the prolific author, celebrating him as a regular patron.

Smonk’s journey started in the cities of the United Kingdom, and what cities they are! Here’s a taste of what we got:

 

London England

Tower Bridge, NOT London Bridge, as we assumed

As Bonky so aptly put it, “London is endless.”

I used to think Toronto was a big city. But in fact, it’s a quaint little hamlet that just got it’s first general store next to the metropolis that is London England. You could spend an entire day taking the subway, and still barely cover a fraction of its breadth.

On top of its scale, London also happens to be amazingly beautiful and charming, if a just a LITTLE busy.

Bonky and I sampled a bit of everything, from the old-fashioned movie-goers experience of the Electric Cinema, to the total-tourism of Big Ben and the Tower of London.

We also took every chance to sample from classic English culture. I took a brief foray from vegetarianism to try the essential “Full English Breakfast” and Bonky was extremely patient as we dove into century-old pubs time and again.

The famous old Electric Cinema

Pure luxury on the inside

Big ol’ Benny

A walk through the neighbourhoods

FEB

One of many pints

The infamous Tower of London

Skyline at night.

Westminster Abby

One of the coolest pubs we visited was called the “Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese” which was rebuilt (after the London fire) in 1667 — a full 200 years before Canadian independence. Even neater, the foundations were those of a 13th century church. Needless to say it was hard for me to leave (beer not a factor, in this case.)

If you’ve ever followed Smonk travels, you know that food is a major part of our experience. This trip, we decided to indulge in the 2 Michelin starred “Square” for lunch, and absolutely LOVED it.

All in all, a fantastic trip which wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity and hospitality of Bonky’s Aunt and Uncle, who housed us (and treated us to a lovely meal) for the duration of our stay.

The view from our room. Weren’t we lucky?

Buckingham Palace is BUSY

Bonky outside the Canadian Embassy

Could this pic BE more British?

The Square Restaurant

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese

Changing of the guards.

Me outside the Globe theatre.

BIG ol’ dome.

Edinburgh Scotland

Edinburgh is a blending of countryside and city.

After all the cities I’ve seen, I expected my favourite had been chosen. But Edinburgh proved that I may have decided too early, in how effortlessly it balanced the medieval charm, modern bustle, and serious tourism it can all claim to its name.

The architecture and monuments are stunning, but its the massive parkspace in its centre, where Arthur’s Seat rises prominently upwards that sets Edinburgh apart.

Bonky and I soaked in the all culture, scenery (and in my case, whisky) that Edinburgh had to offer, with a bust tour, a hike, and frequent walks about the old part of town.

Bonky overlooking Edinburgh

A ruined chapel from the 1400s

Top of Arthur’s Seat

Walking through the meadows.

Spectacular view.

Arches like this were everywhere.

Neat bridge!

Bonky in Old Town

Arthur’s Seat proper.

Of course, what would Edinburgh be without some proper afternoon tea?

That’s what lead us to the Balmoral Hotel for some delicious treats, tea and Champagne (a beverage I’ve always found superior to a mug of leafy water.) The sandwiches and pastries were stacked intimidatingly high, but Bonky and I gave them our old college try and made a fair dent.

One other unique tidbit of Edinburgh was its peculiar fascination with Greek-themed architecture.

You couldn’t go a block without seeing a Parthenon knock-off or a columned structure. Most notably, this was evident atop Carlton Hill which we climbed just prior to our tea.

We also enjoyed a night of Academic-themed comedy at “The Stand” club, and capped off the evening with a couple of fancy cocktails. Not a bad time by any measure!

Afternoon tea sammies!

Afternoon tea pastries!

Greek stuff?

Bonky raving out at the comedy show.

Delicious cocktails

Our room in Edinburgh

Glasgow Scotland

Kelvingrove Museum in the evening

Glasgow was an awesome experience, but after the wonder we felt, it came in a distant third for us as a UK city.

That isn’t to say the experience was bad — far from it. But a weird sense of doom and gloom seemed to lurk over us during our first day there (even as I battled a cold), and it coloured our first impression.

That said, there was some AMAZING architecture, and a massive diversity to Glasgow that left us feeling we only scratched the surface.

From the University, to Kelvingrove Museum, to the Necropolis Graveyard, Glasgow hardly lacked attractions for sightseeing.

Bonky in Kelvingrove Park

Kelvingrove Museum

cool skeleton in museum.

Glasgow Cathedral outside

And inside!

Cool bridge.

Bonky in front of a big ol’ grave.

Church at dusk.

University tower.

But believe it or not, it wasn’t the massive monuments and wonderful views of Glasgow that tickled us the most. In fact, it was a little bar called the Hillhead Bookclub, which featured a Ping Pong table, which we took full advantage of.

Don’t you wish Canada could have cute rhymes on its signs?

Bonky at the table.

SMASH

All in all, our time spent in the big cities of the UK was fantastic.

But afterwards, it was on to the Scottish Highlands, renting a car and some VERY interesting driving ….. so stay tuned!

Food Worth Waiting For

It was at the back of a thirty-person line that extended down a side street in the Mission District that a stranger walking by scoffed in our direction: “Why are you all waiting in line for ice cream?!”

Truthfully, I didn’t have an answer to this question. Smoth and I had joined this massive line reluctantly after noticing the daily ritual of people waiting patiently for this mysterious ice cream, right up until the store’s closing time of 11pm. The revered Bi-Rite Creamery joined the list of eminent eateries that defined our experience in San Francisco.

Later that week we waited in a similarly daunting line at the Tartine Bakery, which stretched halfway down the street before its opening time 7:30am. Barely awake enough to navigate our way to this acclaimed french-style bakery, we foolishly ended up ordering a deliciously creamy lemon tart, a double pain au chocolat, a bowl of bread pudding topped with fresh fruit and a warm morning bun coated with cinnamon sugar and candied orange.

This decadent “breakfast” rendered us out of commission for a few hours after its consumption, causing us to swear we’d never be so cruel to our bodies again! (This promise lasted two days. Though the next time we exchanged the pain au chocolate for a chocolate eclair.)

Before

After

Similarly stuffing was our first meal in San Francisco, after living off of McDonald’s double cheeseburgers and cheap airplane beer for the day, we ducked into a crowded Mexican restaurant near our apartment. Eager to experience authentic Mexican cuisine, we asked the cashier to recommend us the best thing on the menu. Enthusiastically he began gushing over this amazing dish of which we could not register the details of due to his thick accent and our tired minds, dazed from the day on the road. Embarrassed, we panicked and ordered two.

Ten minutes later, the cook came over with two giant cast-iron skillets of sizzling beef, bacon, chorizo, pineapple, onions, mushrooms and peppers. Another cook followed with freshly made tortillas, spicy salsa and a variety of fresh vegetables as toppings. “That’s going to make an exciting breakfast tomorrow,” smirked a lady beside us, noting our failure to barely make a dent in this feast after eating for an hour.

Smoth using the leftovers for a delicious omelette

Some lines got the better of us, like the line to a trendy Korean place we happened upon, where the server was clumsily organizing the growing crowd with an iPad. Discouraged, we left, only to happen upon a Japanese restaurant specializing in koji (fermenting agent used in Japanese cuisine). After a long discussion over the menu, we settled on an earthen pot of salmon rice, shrimp and roots vegetable tempura with green tea salt, chicken meatball skewers and fried rock fish and shrimp dumplings.

Having recently discovered our love of oysters, the next day we headed to the iconic Ferry Building to join the line-up outside of Hog Island Oyster Co. Short for cash, we forwent the main courses to afford a platter of one dozen assorted oysters. Fresh and delicious, we unfortunately slurped up our uncomfortably expensive meal in under ten minutes — spending the rest of the time filling up our stomachs with the free bread.

After our oyster “feast,” we visited the nearby shops selling fresh bread, cheese and meats for our trip to Napa the following day. After a morning of touring vineyards and tasting award-winning wine, we settled in the shade with our sourdough rye, creamy havarti artisan cheese and smoked pastrami. Our frugal meal left me enough money to afford a banana cream tart at one of the many fancy nearby restaurants.

After waiting for nearly 30 minutes, we finally reached the front of the Bi-Rite Creamery line to claim my cone of Honey Lavender and Brown Sugar ice cream. Delicately flavoured and perfectly creamy, we were happy with our decision to dedicate our evening to discovering the appeal of this shop. Ice cream in hand, we began walking home only to be accosted by another stranger who accusingly jeered, “you guys really waited in line for Bi-Rite ice cream?” Unsure of what to say, we paused awkwardly.

“Just kidding, that stuff is delicious!” he said before walking away, leaving us to enjoy our treat.

Seeing San Francisco: Surprise Pride, Wonderful Wines and More!

SMOTH — Team Smonk once again took to the skies, headed for sunny San Francisco. Where Chicago had been refined (albeit cold) and Asia had been warm (albeit chaotic) SF promised the best of both worlds — and it lived up to expectations.

This was the first time we’d ever used Airbnb for our accommodations, and we found ourselves staying in a lovely century home in the Mission District. While our hosts were away for most of the week, we were kept company by their lovely cat Banksy. It was a fantastic location to stay in, as the Mission lit up at night with a vibrant night life, and diverse culture during the day. If you like Mexican food, the Mission cannot be beat.

Neat brick wall.

Bonk’s early morning coffee

Street art.

SF architecture.

The hills.

Zig zag st.

Bonky with the flowers.

Alcatraz from the city

SF skyline

Sweaty from hill hiking

Boats in harbour

Strange photographer.

In typical Smonk fashion, we had a vigorous first day, covering tons of ground and really soaking in the touristy goodness that is Fisherman’s Wharf. While certainly lacking a certain “authenticity,” the cute cheesiness of the whole area appealed to us  as comfortable, slow moving travelers. The arcade museum was superb (got to relive a classic Princess Diaries moment), the Coit Tower was cool, and China Town bustling (where we of course tracked down some delicious Dim Sum.) Mostly we enjoyed the unique and colourful architecture of San Francisco. After a big walking day, we capped it off with delicious Oysters at a restaurant at the Ferry building.

Fisherman’s wharf

Sea lions at rest

VERY ironic.

For the kids.

Coit Tower.

Banksy street art.

City Lights

Bonky’s ARE people.

Earthquake proof.

Mmmm…. Dim Sum.

Ferry Building.

Takin’ a sip.

Of course, if I was in San Fran, I was going to visit Napa for wine. Thankfully, Bonky indulged me and we tried some extraordinary wines (stay tuned for a Sublime Imbibing on a particular winery). We also made some wine-drinking friends, and got a chance to see the beautiful rolling hills of Northern California. While the grass was dry, the carefully tended vineyards remained a lush green. It appears the Californians have their priorities straight. We capped off the day with some authentic Japanese cuisine

Smonk rambling through the vineyards

Smonk with wine

The best wine of the bunch

The lush vineyards.

Young vines

Smoth in his natural habitat.

Rows of vines

From a distance.

45 year old vine.

One thing we didn’t count on when we booked our trip was the fact that it was Pride weekend in San Francisco. And not just any Pride weekend — THE weekend Marriage Equality was legalized in the United States. Over a million people came to San Francisco to celebrate, and Bonky and I knew we had to soak in some of the experience. We managed to visit Dolores Park to take in the “Dyke March” (sic) and sneak in some public drinking along the way. The crowds were buzzing with excitement and there was a palpable sense of camaraderie in the air. The costumes ranged from the neat to the nearly nude, but no second glances were paid. The next day we also took in the parade. The city’s excitement had reached a fever-pitch, and the crowds pressed uncomfortably close. That said, the colourful paraders and rainbow flags were worth seeing, and the “Dykes on Bikes” (sic) roaring past was good for more than a couple cheers. While we didn’t stay as long as some, Pride was a great experience and we were glad to be there.

After

Pride in front of a highschool

Bonky in the park

Smoth in the park

The Dyke march begins!

Dyke March

Brown baggin’ it.

Pride!

Pride float

Airbnb pride float.

Pride crowds

Rainbow flags

After Pride we ate some western-Chinese fusion food recommended by our hosts, and visited the enormous Golden Gate Park, in which we briefly saw Kelly Clarkson perform (she’s still got it, FYI.) The greenery was faded in the dry weather, but the beautiful architecture and towering trees were worth the trip. The day was capped off by seeing the excellent film “Inside Out” and another delicious dinner of Mexican Food.

We kicked of our last full day with an early start to rent bikes for a trip to Sausalito, a 10 mile journey that took us across the epitomes Golden Gate Bridge. It really is as majestic as you’d think, and it’s beauty is only slightly marred by the hordes of picture-snapping tourists (us included.) The bike trip had a few solid hills, but we powered through it to the lovely sea-side Sausalito, a  quaint tourist town that maintained its history and charm. Definitely worth the calorie expenditure to get there, for those inclined to biking. We took a ferry back to SF proper, and once recuperated, we went out for authentic southern Thai food, and a couple of enormous Martinis.

San Francisco City Hall

Golden Gate form a distance

Bonky and the Bridge

Photoshopped into a postcard

On the bridge!

SF from Golden Gate

Boats in Sausalito

Sausalito from the water

Alcatraz

All in all, San Francisco was exactly what we were looking for. Beautiful sights, beautiful weather and beautiful food. We’re already plotting our next trip there, and, if you don’t mind the cost (it is high) then you should consider it too.

 

Last stops: Malaysia and Singapore

SMOTH – All good things must come to an end, and after over four months of traveling, Smonk’s trip is just about over. But it hasn’t been a boring conclusion by any means — Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Melaka and Singapore were all treats for two weary travelers.

Monkey in KL

Moonrise in KL

Architecture in Singapore

Street art, Penang

Lit leaves, Penang

Sippin’ sangria

Penang: In our previous post, we shared the amazing foods we had in Penang, some of which were among the best we ever had. But there was more to the city than the cuisine. Fantastic street art, museums and views were to be had, and we took advantage of as many as we could during the seven days we spent here.

Busy street festival

Colonial buildings

Locked love on Penang Hill

Kuala Lumpur: The big city in Malaysia, we had high hopes for KL, a city renowned for its culture. While not the easiest city to navigate, we got some practice getting creative with our walking journeys and enjoyed using the excellent rail systems. KL lived up to its reputation, and it is definitely a jewel of our trip.

KL tower

Cavin’

Pretty Grafitti

The Petronas Towers

From below

Awwwwwww

Melaka: By this point, Bonky and I were pretty gassed. Thankfully, Melaka was a slow, leisurely town with an accessible tourist core area. While not exactly the most authentic or exciting destination we’ve been to, Melaka was just the kind of lazy break we needed to recharge our batteries. Plus, the blended histories of the Portuguese then Dutch THEN British made for fascinating learning.

Old church

Melaka at night

Lizard!

Map reading

Neon rickshaws

Packing up for the journey there

Singapore: Quite honestly, we weren’t expecting much. We’d heard Singapore described as a big shopping mall, or just another city. But between a bustling Little India, exceptional architecture and even the odd rare historical building, Singapore did provide us with some interest. Plus we took advantage of the excellent sidewalks for long foot journeys, and the opulent Marina Bay Sands for a swanky last lunch. It also had the best zoo we’d ever been to. A great final stop for us, overall.

Bonky at Ku De Ta

The Marina Bay Sands

Entrance to park

View from MBS

Bonly and bird at the zoo

Elephant show

I was on the right street

Turtle orgy

Bonky near Little India

Little India Sunday evening

Street banners

This trip has been absolutely delightful, and no part more so than our last month in Malaysia and Singapore. It’s been fun sharing our experiences and pictures, and we’d like to thank all our dedicated readers. We hope you enjoyed Sojourning With Smonk, and will tune in for our next installment — whenever that may be.

 

Travelling Tastebuds 2: Food of Malaysia

SMONK – After motor biking, snorkeling and swimming our way around the Thai islands, we were relieved to find the biggest attraction of Penang, Malaysia is eating. But rather than going into great detail about our week here (which mostly consisted of eating and recovering from eating too much) click on pictures below to get an idea of the delicious and unique foods we sampled

 

Assam Laksa, spicy and sour shrimp paste soup

Sour and spicy chicken

Coconut, rice, and palm sugar set in pieces of bamboo

Chinese sesame balls, dumplings filled with bean paste rolled on sesame

Mooncake , a Chinese pastry eaten around thru mid autumn festival.

Jawi Balmieh, boneless lamb stewed in tomatoes and herbs

Penang white coffee

Roasted duck

Char kway toew , flat noodles stir fried with bean sprouts, chili, prawns and other ingredients

Famous local breakfast of thick toast, Kaya spread, half cooked egg and Penang white coffee

The most delicious lemon tart covered in cream

Deep fried ice cream

Egg tart and dumpling

Not sure what this is called but it was amazing

Chicken and beef satay

Mee Goreng

TANDOORI CHICKEN

Coconut ice cream with nuts and sweet corn

Thailand 2.0: Back to Bangkok and islands again

SMOTH – After narrowly surviving our first tour of Bangkok over three months ago, there was really only one thing to do after Cambodia — go back for round two. This time, however, we were eschewing the low-budget windowless hostel option in favor of a chic downtown hotel. After the heat and dust of Siem Reap, it’s just what we needed to pep us up and recharge our batteries. Plus, after Bangkok, we were heading down south to the famous Thai islands, where we would need our energy for the cornucopia of ocean-based activities they offered. Still, we managed to pop down to Soi Cowboy, one of Bangkok’s red light districts to watch the action, and visit Chinatown to track down some elusive black sesame soup for Bonky.

Bonky wanted her black sesame soup in Chinatown

Bangkok at dawn

What a lobby

Me at Soi cowboy

Loungin in the bar area

Bonky at Soi Cowboy

It didn’t exactly look appetizing

Bangkok from our hotel

Me admiring the city

After a short, uneventful flight, we landed on the island of Koh Samui, where we then jostled with hundreds of others to get a seat on the high speed ferry to our first destination, Koh Tao. This small island, most well known for its world class scuba diving was going to be our base for our snorkeling adventure (which you can watch in the YouTube link below.) After a quick chat with our awesome hotel manager, we booked a day snorkeling tour, as well as a trip around the island.

Koh Tao taught us something interesting: we are in fact snorkeling people. We could even be scuba divers… one day. For now this baby step was more than satisfying. We were boated to sites all around the island sporting diverse coral and fish species. It was like a window to another world, something neither of us expected. The boat trip ended on a beautiful triple island connected by a white sand and bleached coral beach. It made for a stunning picture, one well worth the steep hike. We spent the next day swimming and snorkeling at beaches within walking distance of our guesthouse, and at night went to see fire dancers and a very *ahem* unique cabaret show. All in all Koh Tao was a treat.

Snorkeling intensity

All systems are go

Smoth action shot

Bonky action shot

Fish feeding

Parrot fish were my favourite

colourful coral

Fish inspecting foot

Cool coral

Sea anemone

Blue on blue

Beach on Koh Tao

Bleached coral

Tree snake!

Palm tree forests

After the business of one island, we took a stomach-churning ferry to a much more relaxed experience on Koh Phangan. Bonky had spoiled us by booking a rather luxurious beach resort, replete with its own pool and private well-furnished bungalows. We once again rented a motorbike, picked points on the map, and made day trips to beautiful beaches on both sides of the island. After busy afternoons, we could return to our air conditioned haven, maybe only dashing out for a quick evening dip in the pool. It was remarkably close to paradise.

Evening dip

Roadside pancake dessert

The bike

A cloudy sunset

Beaches and mountains go well together

Our beach

Rocks and sand

Morning pool view

Me at our bungalow

Our second time in Thailand was much calmer than the first. The Thai islands are beautiful oasis on a bustling continent, ones which we found difficult to leave. But with Malaysia still ahead, we regretfully abandoned them, although we still find ourselves flipping though pictures of the aquamarine waters and white beaches we just left.

 

 

Wat to see around Siem Reap

SMOTH – It’s hard to imagine what the first French missionary thought when he cut his way through the jungle to see the ancient cities and temples of Angkor. The Cambodian legend posited the buildings were constructed by a race of giants, centuries before Western civilization took interest in the country. While this may seem an unlikely tale now, the missionary, standing under the ornately carved towers of rock at Angkor Wat, probably didn’t think so.

When Bonky and I began planning this trip, I was adamant about one thing — I wanted to see the Angkor Wat. From pictures in National Geographic to building it in video games, I’d always taken an interest in the ancient temple, the largest religious structure in the world. But what I didn’t know was just how varied the sites of Angkor were. The famous Wat was only a small part.

After buying the grossly overpriced three day pass, Bonky and I began planning our Angkor itinerary. Our first stop was a sunset sojourn up a hill to see Phnom Bakheng, a temple built in the late 10th century, and famed for its beauty at sunset. Unfortunately, when I say famous I MEAN famous — it seemed that every able bodied tourist in Siem Reap climbed the hill to snap selfies in front  of Phnom Bakheng as the sun sank. Bonky and I found ourselves elbowing through crowds, and shouting over the din. Altogether it was rather demystifying. While still beautiful, the experience was somewhat tainted — would all subsequent temples be like that?

Sunset at Phnom Bakheng

The temple an countryside

The fields below

The crowds

From afar

The only way to not get tourists in your shot

Thankfully, when we bicycled out to Angkor Wat early in the morning, we found the crowds noticeably thinner. I had high expectations for this temple, and they were all met handily. It doesn’t quite feel real, staring at bas reliefs carved a thousand years before, less than 6 kilometers from a town where I can buy $2 elephant-patterned pants and snake brandy. It’s a bit like stepping back in time, albeit joined by about 1000 other tourists. The towers and temples inside Angkor Wat rival any architecture I’ve seen from Europe in any period. It was a bit mindblowing, and well worth the wait in our trip to see. But what to do after you’ve seen THE Angkor Wat? What could possibly compare? Luckily the Angkor region had a few more wonders in store for us.

Temple tower

The back of Angkor Wat

Smoth

Damged artwork

Bas Relief

Buliding in Wat complex

Long hallway

Obligatory Angkor selfie

Fields in front of Wat

Bonky and a Bas relief

Walkway across the moat

Smoth

Angkor translates as “Great,” and while Wat means temple, Thom means city. And the Angkor Thom was a great city indeed. Our day started there early, this time in a Tuk Tuk, where I promptly made friends with a thirsty monkey. Inside the city proper were numerous temples including the famous Bayon with its face carvings, as well as palatial buildings and pools. It was very rich with history and we both left utterly exhausted after seeing as much of Angkor Thom as we reasonably could in our travel-frayed states.

Thirsty monkey

Head at Bayon

Apsara artwork

Bayon tower

Looking out

Awesome shot by Bonky

Look at that temple!

Bayon

Bonky the martial artist

Our last temple seeing day took us farther afield to some temples left less well restored. Rather. than detract from their beauty, the encroaching jungle merely augmented it. The most famous of these was Ta Prohm, brought to prominence when it was used as the set for the 2001 film Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. While a bit smaller and busier than other places we’d been, seeing the stone buildings being reclaimed by the trees made us feel rather small. It was definitely an awesome way to cap off our temple time.

Posin’

Hallway

Tree vs. building

Taking over

Bonky dwarfed by tree

Temple at Ta Prohm

Filling the cracks

The ruins

Sure, they’re overrun by tourists now. But the ancient temples and structures at Angkor are still among the most awe inspiring things we’ve seen on this trip. If you’ve got an appreciation for art and architecture this is an absolute must see, even if it’s half a globe away. It was the cherry on top of our amazing Cambodian journey.

 

 

 

Four Days, Three Nights on Koh Rong Samloem

BONKY — As most will hopefully fail to realize, the title of this post is a homage to the exceedingly bad 1998 film ‘Six days, Seven Nights.’ While this over-sexualized, campy film is nothing more than proof that ‘Ross from Friends’ should never act, it nevertheless made our list of ‘stranded on a deserted island’ films to watch while holing up in a rustic bungalow on one of this island’s nearly empty beaches. And like Harrison Ford (who for some reason agreed to act in this film), our island stay had some pretty eventful nights.

A two hour ferry took us from the garbage-strewn beaches of Cambodia’s Sihanoukville to the white sand shore of Koh Rong Samloem. Shielded by the curving, hilly landscape of the island, wind is practically absent from the main bay, making our arrival at the pier startling calm as we pulled up through the glassy, turquoise water. As we unloaded ourselves and our bags from the boat any looked out at this island paradise, covered by more jungle than civilization, and whose shores seamlessly melted into the ocean, we thought to ourselves: ‘I can’t believe we are going to get to spend four days here.’

And we weren’t. Our temporary abode was still a little whiles off.

Feeling thankful that we had left our big backpacks back in Sihanoukville, we began our trek through the jungle to the other side of the island where we had booked our accommodation for three nights. The first half of the trek was deceiving – a flat, well-maintained path that seemed like nothing more than a casual nature walk through a park. Then the incline started. At first it appeared the trail maker had attempted to ease the steep incline by winding the trail back and forth, allowing us to cling onto nearby trees for support as our feet shakily attempted to grip onto muddy rocks. As the path headed back down the mountain the trail maker had clearly given up as the homestretch was a straight ascent down a rocky hill, scattered with mangled flip flops who had met their fate on this treacherous route.

As we reached sea level after almost an hour trek, the jungle gave way to a completely empty beach whose waters, while still the saturated blue of our starting point, were rushed toward the shore by the wind, folding into choppy, foaming waves. With less than half a dozen occupied bungalows on shore, this area felt deserted. Settled into the hammocks our wooden bungalow overlooking the capricious sea, we knew we had found the Robinson Crusoe experience we were looking for. The rest of our days were spent eating, swimming, reading, napping placed on repeat. We even had a colorful gecko named Francis as our roommate to fight off the bugs and keep us company. The nights, however, were a little more interesting.

Night One: Night one promised to blend perfectly with our days of relaxation. We watched the sunset over the horizon before heading back in  darkness to our candlelit bungalow. Hot from the days heat, without a fan to keep us cool we headed to the ocean. While in the city the moon is no more than ornament in the night’s sky, on our island it acted us an invaluable guide to navigate our way down the steps of our cabin to the shore. The waters now calm, we watched the stars light up over the tree tops before heading to bed.

Sune

Beach Selfie

Night Two: As far as we knew night two was uneventful. But as we slept, others did not. We woke up the next morning to grab breakfast when I noticed something missing. Being close to the only ones around, we slept soundly with the door and window open to let in the breeze. But what was missing was not from within our cabin, but at the foot of it – our beloved Tevas. Both pairs of our loyal, scrappy sandals seemed to have disappeared into thin air. We spent the morning wandering around the beach (careful not to walk into any of the land mine areas), and contemplated the identity of our midnight thief. The next day one of the staff members told us his Tevas had been taken too. To make matters worse, Francis was also gone.

Night Three: Having woken up at six that day, we forwent the nightly swim to catch an early sleep. Tevaless and geckoless we were anxious to return to mainland the next morning. We entered the bungalow after dinner, with nothing but a flashlight for light. We were stumbling around trying to collect our things for bed when the beam fell on a place beside the door, revealing a hairy, menacing spider the size of Smoth’s hand. We froze.

“Should we kill it”
“No!”
“What should we do?”
“I don’t know!”

I scrambled quickly into bed, taking shelter under the mosquito net while Smoth finished getting ready, keeping an eye on our new roommate. A few seconds later, a large shadow swooped into the room through the front door close to Smoth’s head – a bat had entered the bungalow. Now the room was getting a bit full. In a few seconds it had flown out but nevertheless Smoth decided to take shelter with me in case we had another visitor.

Nervously, we huddled under the sheets and set up another island movie to end the night. We tried to enjoy the film but the restlessness had yet to settle. Just as we began to be engrossed by a Harrison Ford versus pirate fight scene, Smoth turned to me and slowly said “what is that…” I looked up, and by the light of the tablet I could just make out a water bottle sized mass that was weighing down the top of our mosquito net near our heads. Like a Christmas Carol, our third and final nightly visitor had arrived.

“I can’t look!” I said, hiding my face under the sheets. Bravely, Smoth turned the light of the tablet up toward this mysterious creature.

He paused.

“It’s Francis!” he said.

I turned over. Sure enough, there was Francis’ large speckled belly and signature stunted tail hanging over our heads. Beside him was the cricket he had been lunging for before ending up on our mosquito net. Eventually he scuttled back to the wall, continuing his nightly hunt and we settled back into the movie feeling safe again. While we never got our Tevas back and were forced to hike back to the pier in our flip flops, we arrived in Sihanoukville feeling satisfied with our experience. Tired of having small animals flung at our heads, we were comfortable in our air conditioned, WiFi-accessible room as we fell asleep. The next day we were to continue onto Siem Reap for more adventures, but I cannot say it was without a tinge of remorse that we lay in bed, without our loyal friend Francis to watch over us.

Killing Time in Kampot: Our Favourite Place in SE Asia

Bonky-After three months of non-stop traveling, we did not think we could find a place that could surpass the vibrant rice terraces of Sapa or the quaintness of Luang Prabang – especially not in a small riverside town whose fixture was a statue of a giant durian. But after a weeklong stay in Kampot, Cambodia, neither of us wanted to leave.

Our hotel was situated on the edge of town – a short bike ride away from a small fishing village populated with more chickens and ducks than people, and a lazy walk down the riverside away from enjoying a view of Kampot’s infamous Franken-bridge, precariously cobbled together from several bridges or eating a fluffy pumpkin spice pancake in the morning in the town. Though the town has all the charm and natural beauty of Luang Prabang, it is without the hordes of tourists flooding the streets, or the pestering tuktuk drivers forever parked outside your guesthouse.

Cheap motorbike prices allowed us to rent one for the week – though its conditioned certainly seemed to match the price tag. We weren’t sure how old this little machine was since the mileage meter broke at 260 000 km, but after several minutes of patient encouragement, the stubborn engine would eventually start and allow us to putt through the streets of decaying French buildings renovated into cafes and restaurants. I even gave it a spin around the block a couple times with instruction from Smoth but soon decided I was better off as a passenger.

While thankfully for us Cambodia is a fairly flat country where the worry of being flung off a mountain by a crazy bus driver is closer to non-existent than other areas of our trip, our first day trip saw us up one of the several mountains surrounding Kampot – Bokor . To my understanding, some billionaire has bought this old French resort town to renovate into a major tourist attraction complete with a casino. But while that dream waits to come to fruition, the road leading up to the top of the mountain has been paved and maintained into the most beautiful road we’ve seen thus far. The winding climb brought cooler temperatures and a view that stretched over the ocean. The summit was a mixture of dilapidated remnants of the previous resort – from an old church to an abandoned casino – and new development sites whose extravagance seems a little optimistic. At this point, the unpopulated area is more like an eerie abandoned amusement park than a promising enterprise.

Another day brought us through rural Cambodia to the Oceanside town of Kep. Palm trees stretched over the vibrant green rice fields toward the mountains as we made our way to the ocean to grab a plate of fresh crab  seasoned with some famous Kampot pepper. We returned to Kep a few days later to enter the national park, which has a trail wrapping around the edge of a mountain. A tip from the park’s security guard allowed us to bring our trusty motorbike along the path so that the day we imagined of solid hiking through the wildness turned into a bumpy bike ride along the empty, rocky path – we have gotten pretty lazy at this point in the trip…

 

This week was filled with a million other activities like me trying to taste every single brownie in town (I have them ranked on a list now) or going to the local zoo so that Smoth could (allegedly) see an elephant for the first time. Of course we didn’t need to go to the zoo to see wildlife we discovered as soon as I realized that the pack of weird dogs I saw running down the street was actually a tame family of monkeys. Soon enough, our time in Kampot slipped past without us hardly noticing. Though we continue our journey onward our minds constantly turn back to this small town and wish for an opportunity to one day return.

The gritty city: Our time in Phnom Penh

SMOTH – After being sick in Saigon, and taking a pretty lazy week off our insatiable sight-seeing, Bonky and I decided to dive back into the whole traveling thing in a new city — and country — with Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The bus ride from Ho Chi Minh City was uneventful, if long, with Bonky and I opting to watch TV shows on my tablet the whole way.

For us, Phnom Penh stood out immediately as being just a tad more rough around the edges than Vietnam had been. Our hotel was in an area where bike mechanics and welders did their work out in the grease-covered streets. Piles of garbage lay on every street corner, and the market a block away served recently dead, bloody chunks of meat and other equally interesting goods. We were most certainly not in Kansas anymore.

 

Smells as good as it looks

The excellent SE Asia wiring

The ubiquitous razor wire

Interesting trash disposal method

Backseat photographer

Some pretty vandalism

But along the river, and in the more groomed parts of town were beautiful temples of a degree of opulence we hadn’t seen since Thailand. Government monuments and statues acted as the centerpieces of beautifully groomed gardens. The magnificent royal palace was an audaciously appointed feast for our eyes, and the riverside boardwalk would not have been out of place in California. In essence, Phnom Penh was a city at odds with itself.

Birds taking floght

Garden in the Royal Palace

Stupa in palace

Some interesting artwork…

Beautifully carved wall

What time is it?

The independance monument

Palace statues

Bonky with a fantastic hair do.

It just the city that interested us. The recent, bloody history of the Khmer Rouge revolution was easily accessible. Less than an hour walk away was the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, housed in the remains of a brutal Khmer Rouge prison. This prison (called S-21) was essentially a torture camp used to force confessions from prisoners arrested on arbitrary charges. Many lied, claiming to be spies to stop the torture. The vast majority were sent to the nearby “Killing Fields” for execution.

Touring the prison

The hallways and photographs of prisoners

A grim habitat

No smiling allowed

The prisoners

A cell

These fields, about a 45 minute drive outside Phnom Pen’s city centre have since been turned into a memorial to the thousands slain there. So many were killed, bone and teeth fragments still rise to the Earth’s surface during the rainy season. Guests are asked to report such fragments to staff who will properly remove them. Many of the mass graves are marked, as well as storage sheds for execution tools and other important landmarks. An audio tour takes you around the area, giving history and first hand testimony of varying aspects of the Killing Fields. In the centre, a large monument housing hundreds of skulls stands in memorial to the victims of the Khmer Rouge. It is a dark reminder of Cambodia’s frightening past, one which the country bravely displays for genocide education purposes.

Bracelets hung in memorium

Serated palm branch used in executions

Skulls of the victims

The memorial

A poignant sign

Closeup of the skulls

While the history of Phnom Penh was dark, our time there was anything but. Fascinating city walks, amazing restaurants and moving history really grabbed us, and set us on our feet after our long illness. It was good to hit the ground running, and we look forward to our coming adventures.

Closed street in fromt of palace

Road to the market

Palace building

The air wasn’t exactly “breathble”

At a park

Bonky at dinner

Under renovation

Some amazing noodles

…and dumplimgs

Heading South: Hue, Hoi An and Nha Trang

SMOTH- After the big city and bigger mountains of North Vietnam, it was time for Smonk to begin our descent South towards Saigon. But along the way we had some stops to make: Hue, the ancient imperial capital of Vietnam, Hoi An, a world heritage site (and premier tourist trap) and Nha Trang, the ultimate beach resort town. We had to buckle down for some long-haul train rides (including one spent sitting up all night in a crowded car) but the destinations were undoubtedly worth it.

Hue (pronounced “huh-way”): Hue was a destination steeped in historical significance. From the ancient imperial city —  once forbidden to outsiders — to bullet holes left from the Vietnam war, Hue really took us out of the present. While the city itself lacked the charm of Hanoi, we took advantage of the little gems we found, like a delicious nearby bakery we visited almost every day. We also rented some bikes to take a lovely (albeit hot) ride outside the city centre to visit the tomb of an old Vietnamese emperor, as well as a pine-treed religious site. Our accommodations in Hue were awesome, and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

Entrance to the old city in Hue

Bonky soakin’ up some history

Ravages of war

Inspecting the bullet holes

Bonky in front of the palace

Smoth on his steed

Tomb of the emperor

Tomb cont.

Grounds of the forbidden city

Hue baked goods

Bonky at the tomb

River that runs through town

Hoi An: Another historical city, bearing influences from Chinese and Japanese culture going back centuries, Hoi An has capitalized on its World Heritage Site status, and become a serious tourist town. Our guide book described it as a bit like a Vietnam exhibit in a Disney theme park, and it was that. Dozens of 24 hour tailors and trinket shops lined the streets, while people peddled their wares at us from every direction. But beneath the glitz, there was a truly unique history, and some beautiful Architecture to boot. That, combined with a broad unpopulated beach a mere 15 minute bike ride away made Hoi An a lovely stopover on our way South.

Boats in Hoi An

400 year old bridge, thought to be built by the Japanese

Hoi An Lanterns

Snacks

Communication blocks used at cafe staffed by the hearing impaired

Dragon statue

Hoi An at night

Best Spring rolls we’ve had

Misty beach

Nha Trang: Many travelers avoid Nha Trang if the can. An unapologetic resort town, it lacks the authenticity you see elsewhere in Vietnam. Further, it’s one of Russia’s most popular tourist destinations, and many shops, restaurants and hotels cater primarily to them, with everything from signs to menus written in Russian. However, since we had to stop here to catch our train to Saigon, Smonk decided to make the best of it. We had to sit up all night in a cramped train car to get to Nha Tran, and we were looking forward to some comfort. Thanks to a generous gift from Bonky’s Aunt Colleen and Uncle Wayne, we were able to afford a beautiful room in a beachside hotel, far above the standards of which we’ve become accustomed. Eschewing our usual culture consumption, we instead decided to unwind in the sun and surf. It was an awesome vacation… from our vacation.

Underwater selfie

Smoth above water

Bonky underwater

Sunny beach

View from our room

Beach nap after overnight train

That coulour eh?

View of our hotel from the water

Out to sea

While the trains and buses were far from enjoyable, the destinations made the whole trip worth it. Central Vietnam stands out as far more than just the break between North and South, it stands out as a trip highlight.

From palm trees to pine trees: Our sojourns in Hanoi and Sapa

SMONK – Northern Vietnam has proven remarkably kind to Smonk. From the hustle-and-bustle of Hanoi to the peaceful misty mountains of Sapa, it’s been nothing but pleasure for us and stands out as one of the best segments of our trip so far.

Sapa: Undoubtedly among the most beautiful places we’ve ever been, the sights of Sapa were literally overwhelming. Just looking out our hotel window showed a breathtaking view of the mountains, often shrouded in low hanging clouds. The temperature was much cooler than Hanoi, which made it perfect for the treks we did around the village. The surrounding area had several hill tribe villages, as well as tumbling waterfalls and dozens of rice farms. No matter where you looked everything just seemed a little too spectacular to be real.

One of the unique aspects of Spa was the interactions between the tourists and the local hill tribe people. Never have there been such impassioned sales people — often we would be swarmed by nearly a dozen women selling handicrafts when we stepped out of our hotel. While at times frustrating, it was neat talking to these women, some of whom joined us on our trek and helped us keep our balance on the slick trails. In the end there persistence paid off, for both members of Smonk ended up purchasing items.

Between the interesting interactions with the locals and the awe inspiring natural beauty, Sapa stands out as Smoth’s favorite location so far.

Hanoi: By the time we left Hanoi to head south toward Saigon, it felt like the city had become our home. Toward the lake was the bubble tea place we visited each day, and on the corner of our street the pho restaurant where we always grabbed lunch, hunched over miniature plastic stools. While at first the insane traffic appeared to be every motorcyclist’s total disregard for the well being of others, zooming into crowded intersections without slowing down or flinching, we soon became accustomed to the chaos of the street. While we assumed our role as the tourist, wandering through the old quarter, visiting an old prison turned into a museum, and navigating through students praying for good marks on their exams at the temple of literature, our true love for the city came from the ease through which we slipped into an everyday routine. It even became common to run into friends we had made in Halong and Sapa. While we are excited for the rest of this beautiful country, it is not without a little bit of regret that we left Hanoi.

There is one thing we will not miss: each morning around six or seven, a loudspeaker would sound through the street broadcasting the voice of stern woman who we assumed was reciting the daily dosage of Vietnamese communist propaganda. When we inquired it turned out she was just selling washing machines.

Cruisin’ through Ha Long Bay

SMOTH – After an incredibly hectic, hot and wholly-enjoyable few days in Hanoi, it was time to partake in a jewel of our trip we’d long been looking forward to – a two night cruise on the legendary Ha Long Bay in Vietnam.

Widely regarded as a natural wonder of the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Ha Long Bay is characterized by it’s towering rock islands jutting from its aquamarine water. One of the most popular tourist destinations in the country, Ha Long Bay is generally crisscrossed by dozens of cruises loaded to the brim with tourists seeking to soak in the sights. We were fortunate enough to be among them.

Glory Cruise was the company Bonky had booked, and it was clear that she made an excellent choice. From the comfortable pick up and bus ride to the bay to our enthusiastic tour guide to the wonderfully luxurious rooms, Glory Cruises impressed in nearly every way.

Our cruise itinerary was quite busy, with activities ranging from caving to kayaking (and of course caving in kayaks.) The first day took us into an enormous cave that was well lit and paved, but still left us awestruck by its enormous scale. After climbing down the steep stairs that lead to the cave, we were boated to a small white sand beach, where we soaked and swam until we were boated back to the mother ship for cocktails and dinner. We were able to meet interesting people from all over the world, including a couple of Welsh expats living in Qatar, and a group of rowdy, hard-drinking Australians.

Water cave

Kayaking is hard work… for one of us

Lit up cave

Big ole cave

Cave

The second day was spent largely on a smaller boat, which took us to water caves which we could kayak through, a pearl farm, and was going to take us to another beach, but was cancelled on account of rain. Watching the rock formations through the rain was beautiful regardless, and it was a great day. The final day was a quick trip to a floating fishing village, and a lovely brunch before heading back to shore and bussing home.

 

Pearl farmers

The farm

Oysters

Bonky chillin’

Our Welsh friends

Floating village

…and again

Cruising through and around a natural wonder of the world is something I won’t soon forget. While returning to Hanoi also promised adventure, I still find myself missing the startlingly blue waters of Ha Long Bay.

How to Waste a Week in Vientiane

BONKY- Reading any guidebook, blog post or travel itinerary, it becomes clear that staying a week in the modest capital city of Laos does not come highly recommended. While undoubtedly pleasant, Vientiane’s main attractions can be conquered in one action-packed day, leading the small riverside city to act mostly as a stop to apply for visas before rushing off to the limestone mountains in the north or the lazy beaches in the south. So why did Smonk choose to stay for a whole week?

That choice can be attributed to our insidiously growing fear of Laos transportation that has slowly accumulated with each steep cliff we nearly topple off of. For those closely reading this blog, you may have caught the (not so) subtle motif of mentioning scary bus trips – really, the tip of the iceberg that is our trepidation. Between riding in a minivan where the seats were hardly attached to the floor and having a bus driver stop on the side of a mountain to cool off his steaming hot brakes using a crumpled half-filled water bottle, we were sufficiently dreading future voyages by the time we got to Vientiane. Along with waiting for our Vietnam visas to be released before our flight to Hanoi the following week, settling in the city became the obvious plan.

In a incredible turn of events Smoth decided to take fully control of the itinerary, patiently crafting an exciting several days around the city -most of which we followed. While we never got around to going bowling or singing karaoke, his thorough research allowed us to fill our days without growing bored.

The first thing to know about Vientiane is that its a quickly growing city. Plastered around empty lots and new buildings in the city centre are grand plans for skyscrapers and shopping malls. Even crossing the street proved a challenge comparable to busy area of Thailand – something we had to readjust to after growing accustom to the slower pace of the north. Attracting both new businesses and a rising number of expats meant there is easy access to delicious international cuisine.

Truthfully, most of our week here was spent savoring crispy French style pan-fried fish, guiltily giving in to a bacon cheeseburger and fries, and ordering-in perfectly baked four-cheese Italian pizza. Of course our Western indulgences were balanced with yummy Lao dishes whose highlights were fresh vegetable and tofu spring rolls with lime and mango sauce, pumpkin chicken curry, and a mango and sticky rice pancake.

While our modest budget has banished a trip to Paris to future, hopefully wealthier, times, Vientiane is surprisingly a reasonable alternative for a backpacking budget. Lazy afternoons are best filled strolling along the streets, shaded under lines of trees, passing beautiful buildings and dropping into any one of the cute coffee shops for a coffee and croissant.

You can even get a good view of the city by making a climb up the Patuxai Monument, a war monument similar to the Arc de Triumphe, which was built (mostly) in the 1960s after the Americans gave the Lao government funds to build a new airport and they decided to build Patuxai, the “vertical runway”, instead. To cap off our “Parisian” experience we even saw a French film at the city’s French institute, seemingly one of the few places in Laos to watch a movie on the big screen.

Looking back at Vientiane from our hostel in Hanoi, where blaring horns and echoing radio broadcasts sound a little too loudly to fall comfortably in the background, Laos’ largest city seems completely tame in comparison. Laos as a whole, while a short drive or flight away, seems like a different planet, one which has managed to evade the massive commercial development of its neighbors for the time being.  But as we contemplate navigating Hanoi’s impossible streets, dodging numerous scams and surviving an overnight train to trek in the mountains tomorrow, our simple week in Vientiane is a pleasant but distant memory.

 

 

Ancient artifacts and Unexploded Ordinances at Laos’ Plain of Jars

SMOTH – It takes a lot of motivation to convince Bonky and I to board a tiny bus for a seven hour trip careening through the mountains. But when we were afforded the chance to see 3000 year old megalithic monuments, combined with a countryside ravaged by the most intense aerial bombing in history, we leapt at the chance.

Just outside of the small town of Phonsavan in Northeast Laos, lies ‘The Plain of Jars’, which consists of several different sites, kilometers apart, upon which are scattered massive and ancient stone “jars”. No one knows for certain who put the jars there or why. No trace remains of the civilization that constructed them almost 3000 years ago. Laos legend states they were massive whiskey urns created to celebrate a King’s victory in battle, while Archeologists suggest that the jars were used in family burial rituals. What is certain, however, is that these jars, some almost two meters tall, were laboriously crafted and transported, and provide a real historical interest.

Jars at Site 3

Jars at Site 2

An intact example

A jar lid

Further adding to the intrigue of this location are the war artifacts and craters left from “The Secret War,” a period of several years in the late sixties and early seventies where the USA pummeled Laos with over 2 million tons of bombs, up to 30% of which failed to explode on impact. These unexploded bombs remain incredibly dangerous for the Laos people, 12,000 of whom have been killed by the Unexploded Ordinances (UXO) since the end of the war.

Bonky and I opted to book an official, private tour through our guesthouse, to take us to the three safe Plain of Jars sites (having been cleared of UXO), some remnants of the war including a tank husk, and to a small village which made its own rice whiskey. It was way out of our normal budget, but thanks to a lovely birthday gift from my parents, we were able to indulge and get the full tour experience.

Our guide was great, simultaneously juggling archeology, Lao legend, and war history. We went to see a discombobulated Russian tank from the war, stripped of its useful parts by industrious farmers. He also told us some devastating stories about how the locals would dig up craters for scrap metal from the bombs, but sometimes the would hit a still unexploded piece, and many people would die. These craters were distinguishable by having a distinct smaller crater within the much larger space. Scrap metal continues to be dug up today, and is used in the making of crafts, jewelry and spoons.

Sign at a crater

An enormous crater where many people died digging for scrap

Another crater

Bottle opener made from high-grade aluminum reforged from bomb shrapnel

The tank

Oh hey there.

Luckily, a team of bomb disposal experts is slowly clearing the Laos countryside of UXO’s, digging them up and detonating them safely. In fact, as Bonky and I browsed through the jars, we heard a loud explosion in the distance, which our guide informed us was just the bomb disposal team taking care of business.

The jars themselves were magnificent. It was truly awe inspiring to imagine what sort of motivation it must have taken for a relatively primitive people to construct such enormous artifacts. Because the sites are very minimally regulated, we were able to interact with them, run our hands over the millennia old carving, even step inside a collapsed one for a photo op suggested by our guide. It was a rare and wonderful experience, something I will always remember fondly.

Walking through rice fields to Site 3

A carving on the side of a jar

To cap of our day, we drove to a little shack where an elderly woman distilled some incredibly potent rice whiskey, which Laos people generally save for special occasions. Our guide introduced us to the incredibly friendly distiller who offered me some. I steeled myself for something brutal and took a shot. It was actually pretty damn good, although it kicked like a mule. Even Bonky tried a sliver of it, and found it to be tolerable. When I was offered a second shot, I accepted without hesitation and rode back to our guesthouse feeling rather warm and content.

Tools of the trade

Undoubtedly, visiting The Plain of Jars will be a highlight of my trip. With it’s blending of contemporary and ancient history, it’s beautiful landscape, and even a couple of whiskey shots, I’d say it was worth the seven hours spent in a sardine can-cum-rollercoaster of a bus.