SOUTH ASIA BLOG October 10th, 2024 - HANOI to SIEM REAP

 

10/10/24– Get up feeling phlegm in my throat. I knew that train was going to hit me somehow, but luckily I’m not feeling any other symptoms yet as I enjoy a cup of tea with breakfast to help.

This is our last day in Vietnam before flying out later tonight. Unfortunately, the hotel doesn’t have a late check-out option, so at noon we have them store our bags and walk around the area a bit more. Strangely, they ask us about two missing hand towels from our room which we know nothing about. Nothing came of it but it does provide for an awkward moment as we don’t want to be branded towel thieves for the rest of our days. They also hand us a survey to fill out regarding their hotel… as they stand in front of you… watching you fill it out.

With a few hours before our trip to the airport, we walk around the corner to Hoen Kiem Lake (also named “Sword Lake” due to the legend of a sword being returned to the Dragon King god after fighting off the Chinese). The breeze and shade provide little relief from the sun trying to find us, but we don't plan on being out long. Especially since we don’t have an actual hotel room to go back to.

Currently, Vietnam is celebrating the 70th anniversary of its independence from France, and quite a few have shown up around the lake, dressed in traditional dresses and garments, to take photos. It’s easy to see that this is a very important time.

Out in the water, we see Turtle Tower sitting all alone on a small island. The abandoned structure seems so isolated from the chaotic picture takers and gawkers roaming around, which makes it feel peaceful as we dodge the hoard of people clogging the sidewalk.

Just ahead we see The Huc Bridge, which is very red in color and expands over to another island temple that comes with an admission charge. Just taking a front facing photo of the bridge is difficult as they have barriers around the entrance, but we manage to take a few through the gate opening. 

Our last location we want to hit is the Old House. It’s only a six minute walk away, but the wind has suddenly died down, leaving us in a mini pool of sweat. Also, the calmness of the lake area is overtaken by the roaring of mopeds and cars slicing down the road. It takes us a moment to find the correct building only to find it’s closed for lunch for another twenty minutes. An oasis of air conditioning is seen nearby at a vegan restaurant where we order a strawberry smoothie in the meantime.

Twenty or so minutes later, we walk across the street as it’s now open and very interestingly walk through the ancient house built in the 19th century. There’s a modern feel to the layout but overall something different to explore before taking a GRAB back to our hotel.

We now have less than an hour to freshen up before another GRAB takes us to the airport. The flight leaves on time around 6:25pm, and a short and smooth ninety minutes later we land in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

We fly through customs, grab our bags and locate an ATM that only wants to give me US dollars. Seems weird but find out the country takes US cash everywhere. We then locate our driver who has my name on a sign and he speaks English very well (a little too well). This is where it gets interesting as he soon asks what hotel we are going to. Hmmm, didn’t the booking service provide that info already to him?

Scrambling a bit, I quickly message the booking service to confirm the driver is indeed the one who was supposed to pick us up. I can imagine a scenario where he beats up our driver and poses as one to lure us to be kidnapped. Now his perfect English is looking a bit suspect. I’ve seen the movie Taken I know how this goes down.

After a few miles he begins to cough, and all I can think about is him using this as an excuse to pull over for water while a van takes us away. Sure enough, he pulls to the side of the road and says, “I need to get some water.” Ummmmm.

Around this time, I receive a message back from the booking service confirming the person is our driver and they have now relayed our hotel info to him. Whew! I have more to sightsee and prefer not to do that in a watering hole somewhere.

The drive takes forty-five minutes to Koulen Hotel, which is very nice as we have an apartment suite with a balcony. However, with the late hour, we don’t spend much time going through anything as sleep is mostly on our minds.

Side note: Our bathroom has a see through window in it. Where do people get off wanting all of their business shared. I just don't get it.

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