# Apocalypse Claw (Mekong River Trip, new pictures posted 03-30)



## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Next week, I am heading out of the country! I am taking a trip to Vietnam and Cambodia that will last almost three weeks. I'll fly to Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon), join a group there and spend a couple of days recuperating and taking a tour of the town. Then we'll board a boat and cruise up the Mekong River into Cambodia! We will spend a little over a week stopping at various small villages, and I'm told that among other things, we'll visit pagodas and temples, ride on oxcarts, and stop at at least one place where the town is entirely built on the water. We'll visit Phnom Penh and the museum devoted to "The Killing Fields."

The highlight of the trip will be Angkor Wat and the huge surrounding temple complexes. These were built five hundred to one thousand years ago, and are by all accounts are awesome!



















I'll be gone until returning home on October 12. Supposedly the hotel in Saigon has free wifi and the hotel near Angkor Wat has free wifi, and I should be able to at least hop online and say a bit from those places near the beginning and end of the trip, but of course when we are out on the river, we'll be incommunicado. It is weird to think about, I will totally miss all the Presidential election news and the first Presidential debate....Hey, I wonder if I could just stay on that boat on the river?!

I'm taking two cameras, and I should have some nice pictures when I return. I'll be around tomorrow, then I may disappear till I hit Saigon, when I'm sure I'll be exhausted after the long plane flight and big time zone shift. One good thing about that is that I'll be sitting in a plane and should get some reading done coming and going. There's a fair chance I'll have completed eighty books for the year by the time I return!

I'm sure y'all won't let KB get too quiet and boring in my absence....


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## telracs (Jul 12, 2009)

you should have plenty of weird kindle stuff to talk about when you get back.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

The Hooded Claw said:


> The highlight of the trip will be Angkor Wat and the huge surrounding temple complexes. These were built five hundred to one thousand years ago, and are by all accounts are awesome!


That's one of the few places on earth I would consider getting on a plane in order to see.

Mike


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## AnnMHammond (Aug 9, 2012)

Have fun! 

I'll try not to be *to* jealous


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

My husband and I visited Angkor Wat for our 10th wedding anniversary, it was a fantastic trip. Cambodia was a real highlight for us. Enjoy!


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Too cool, Claw!  Can't wait to see the pics...

Betsy


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## gdae23 (Apr 30, 2009)

Sounds like a fascinating trip! Looking forward to your photos and stories about it.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Great opportunity, Claw.
I am excited for you.
The closest to Angkor Wat I ever got was Thailand.
But I love the "ancient places".
Was thrilled to visit Stonehenge in the days when you  could walk among the stones and touch them.


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## loonlover (Jul 4, 2009)

Have a great trip, Claw.  Looking forward to your photos and reports.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

Envious. That part of the world's supposed to be beautiful.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Enjoy! Looking forward to hearing about your trip.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

Me so jealous (and maybe 3 years or so too young to have possibly had Uncle Sam send me over there via taxpayer money  ).


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## Casper Parks (May 1, 2011)

Looking forward to your photos, as well.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

In Half an hour I leave for the airport!  Hard to believe that the time to go is here after all the anticipation....This is gonna be a long trip, the flight from Los Angeles to Hong Kong (where I change planes to go to Saigon) will be almost fifteen hours if I remember right.  Hopefully I'll next post from Saigon!


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I am now in my room at the hotel and have had a shower. Hotel rooms are very nice, just as pictured on their website.  Bellboys everywhere in the lobby.  It is shortly after Noon.  We can rest till we have an orientation and dinner at 5:30.  I am going to try to stay awake, but will go to bed after the dinner.  I haven't slept in about thirty hours, and slept poorly the night before traveling.


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

Glad you made it there safely! We found the hospitality and service in SE Asia just wonderful, enjoy your dinner then get some sleep. In the morning, exercise is a great way to clear the jet lag a bit.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I fell asleep during the afternoon, but have had dinner and an orientation session with the group.  Had an unusual white fruit with black specks called dragon fruit that I've never seen before.  And I am now a millionaire, I withdrew one million Dong from the ATM!  Unfortunately 20,000 Dong are a bit less than one dollar.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I've posted a couple of street scene photos in the photo forum here

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,127805.0.html

Nothing spectacular yet, but more to come!


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Thanks for posting so soon. The traffic in the two photos looks less confusing and more organized than what I saw in Sri Lanka. But that might be due to the one-way street.


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

The Hooded Claw said:


> And I am now a millionaire, I withdrew one million Dong from the ATM! Unfortunately 20,000 Dong are a bit less than one dollar.



Have a wonderful adventure, Claw, but Gosh Dong, I am jeolous !!


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

In the morning, we heard a university prof talk about Vietnamese culture and geography, and visited with some university students, which was interesting.  In the afternoon, we toured the War Remnants Museum, which was even more propagandistic than I expected, and visited a big market, which was fun.  Some other short stops.  Tomorrow mornin, we have free time, and in the afternoon shift to our boat to head up the Mekong!  I'm looking forward to that.  But I will probably be offline till October 5th. I may check back here tomorrow morning once more.  Y'all keep the lights on here in my absence!


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## Raffeer (Nov 19, 2008)

Looking forward to your Mekong River and small villages along the way reports. So many memories......


Keep those photos coming!


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Hi from Chau Doc Vietnam.  We are tied up at a hotel dock and can use their wifi.  Going to dinner in minutes.  Trip is going great, not as hot as I feared, and no rain problems.  Must go eat, may be online again later


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Glad to hear that your trip is great and that the weather is cooperating.


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

Glad things are going well! Take pictures of your food so you'll remember what you ate, I always wish I had done that.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I survived the Mekong River trip, and am healthy and happy in my hotel room in Siem Reap, the tourist trap town for Angkor Wat.  The Mekong trip,was a wonderful adventure and I loved it.  But at the very end, we did have to be rescued!  We weren't in danger, but they did have to send out a boat to "rescue" us.  More later, I am going to go out for a couple of hours.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Three pics chosen semi randomly:










School kids singing for us at a very rural school. One group member snuck into this shot...










The head monk bosses around novices from a Buddhist temple










Yes, that is my pasty-white hand on the traces(?) driving the oxcart. It is harder than it looks, though not really difficult if you can avoid distraction by scenery!


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Great to hear your river adventure was wonderful. Love the photos. Glad you are happy, healthy, and loving the trip.


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

Great to see your photos and I am delighted that you are having quite an adventure.......

Don't over-rev those oxen !!


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

What group are you traveling with? What great experiences! And I want to hear more about the river rescue! Are you taking malaria pills, btw?


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## Casper Parks (May 1, 2011)

Looks like a real adventure!


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

The street market in Kampong Chhnang village. Especially for Annalog.










Our ship, the Toum Teav. Ten staterooms and very comfortable. And FABULOUS food! This was comfortable adventure.










The Toum Teav is too large to reach shore in most places, so we transferred to small local boats like this one to get around. Notice the sophisticated seating arrangements when it is redirected from freight to passenger service for us! We were required to wear life preservers, which I think was wise....


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

hsuthard said:


> What group are you traveling with? What great experiences! And I want to hear more about the river rescue! Are you taking malaria pills, btw?


I'm with Road Scholar. This is my fourth trip with them, and I've always been pleased with them.

My doc gave me Atovaquone, an antibiotic for malaria. In effect we are treating for malaria while I'm here and for a week after I return.

As for the rescue, our river trip was supposed to end in Siem Reap at 11am yesterday. About 8:30am we were enjoying breakfast when the engine started sounding funny and vibrating! The helmsman quickly disengaged the engine from the propeller,and crew began scrambling to find out what had happened. Ended up that the shaft between the engine and the propeller had snapped outside the hull. We couldn't move, so dropped anchor and called for help. A speedboat came out to take passengers and luggage to Siem Reap, and we were about ninety minutes late. Not a tragedy. The crew stayed with the boat, while the Captain came with us on the speedboat to Siem Reap to arrange for a tow to take the ship to the nearest dry dock in Phnom Penh.

A dramatic ending to our adventure!

Today we visited some lesser temples around Angkor Wat, and tomorrow Angkor Wat itself! There is the remnants of a tropical storm coming, which may make sightseeing troublesome for a couple of days.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

Yay Claw!  Glad you are having a wonderful trip, rescue adventures and all.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Thanks for the picture of chickens! Or are they the original jungle fowl? 

ETA: Some of those birds are Muscovy ducks, native to Mexico and South America. I always liked those ducks with their bumpy faces.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

After being a kid during the Vietnam War, it felt very strange to be on a ship flying this flag! They also flew a Cambodian flag, and once we left Saigon, this flag came down and the Cambodian stayed up. Note in the pic from a day or so ago, the ship is flying two Cambodian flags.










Most vessels on the Mekong have eyes on the bow to look out for and ward off misfortune.










The pilot house of the Toum Teav.

We went to Angkor Wat this morning for the sunrise, but clouds socked us in. Still toured Angkor Wat and saw the key stuff despite light rain.


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## hamerfan (Apr 24, 2011)

Love the pics! Thanks for sharing with us.
Safe travels to you.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Yeah Claw, fabulous pics.

Be sure to take good care of yourself, friend.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Just to let everyone know, I have clearly fallen among evil companions, as I hung out in The Hall of the Dancing Girls today!  More later!


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## hamerfan (Apr 24, 2011)

The Hooded Claw said:


> I have clearly fallen among evil companions, as I hung out in The Hall of the Dancing Girls today!


Pics or it didn't happen!


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

hamerfan said:


> Pics or it didn't happen!


I will, but I should warn you these dancers are over 800 years old!


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Till I get photos of the dancers up, here's a shot from Ho Chi Minh City two weeks ago. This is the Central Market, where individual vendors have set up stalls for their goods. This appears to be the Imelda Marcos Memorial section.....










And these bottles contain scorpion, spiders, sea cucumbers, and other yucky things pickled. Believe it or not, these are intended for eating!


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## gdae23 (Apr 30, 2009)

Thanks for sharing these wonderful photos! It seems so exotic to me, sitting here in NYC. I liked the ship with the eyes and the scenery and local flavor shots. I'm glad you're enjoying your trip.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

My group tour is over, this was my second day on my own, and I hired a guide and driver. We went out to a temple with less clearing work done that is off the tourist track a bit.

All this, and land mines, too! Cambodia was in war for many years, and was smothered in land mines. They have removed many, but in more remote areas, such as this temple, the work is incomplete, or confined to the main traffic areas. The guidebooks advise keeping out of overgrown areas, and my guide echoed the advice.










The local kids see the area as a great playground. Officially, the temple is off limits to them so they won't bother the tourists, but the kids sneak in anyway! I found them more entertaining than annoying, as they haven't yet learned to hawk postcards and photocopied guidebooks like the kids at the more popular temples.










Geronimo!










Wait,here comes the whole gang....










And there they go!


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## spotsmom (Jan 20, 2011)

The Hooded Claw said:


> This is the Central Market, where individual vendors have set up stalls for their goods. This appears to be the Imelda Marcos Memorial section.


Thanks for the laugh, Claw. Glad you're having such a good time.


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## Casper Parks (May 1, 2011)

HC,

I am enjoying your posts and photos,

Thanks,

Casper Parks.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

The tourism part of my vacation is over, I am back in my hotel room after my last day of sightseeing. Tonight I will rest, pack and wait for 11:30 tomorrow morning when I head to the airport for the trip home!  I'll arrive in Los Angeles airport late Thursday night, stay overnight in a hotel room there, then arrive home Friday afternoon!


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## NapCat (retired) (Jan 17, 2011)

It seems like that went by too fast....have a safe trip home.










Looking forward to your trip review.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

Safe travels home, Claw!  I can't wait to hear more details about your vacation and hope to see LOTS more pictures.


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## loonlover (Jul 4, 2009)

Have a safe trip, Claw.


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## Annalog (Dec 28, 2008)

Safe travels to you, THC.


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## hamerfan (Apr 24, 2011)

Get lots of rest! That must be a very long flight.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

I am back in the USA after an endless flight from Hong Kong!  In a Los Angeles hotel for the night, back home tomorrow afternoon.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

I understand the long flight thing.
Back when I was in a UN job, traveling to 3rd-world countries, I had a 747 flight from Tokyo to London via Alaska - 21 hours in the air.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Foreign signs always fascinate me. Here are two from Vietnam and one from Cambodia:










"Can I buy a vowel, please?"










"We want only the classiest broads and the heppest cats usin' this here Water Closet, see?" (and I know "broads" is wrong, but it just fits so well here....)










And this wins the 2012 "What Were They Thinking?!" Award! There really is a "Rambo Restaurant" in Phnom Penh. I'm grateful to say we didn't eat there.


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## gdae23 (Apr 30, 2009)

I enjoyed the signs, especially for the WC. The graphics on that one do make you think of classic films.
Did you pick up any bits of the languages during your travels?


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## hsuthard (Jan 6, 2010)

We missed the Rambo restaurant when we visited, but we did get a great t-shirt my husband still wears:


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Our first day was a whirlwind tour of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). In the morning, we went to a college campus and a Vietnamese professor gave us an orientation (in English!) to Vietnamese history, especially focusing on the Mekong River region. We then met with some Vietnamese students who were delighted to talk to Americans, and spoke surprisingly good English. After lunch, we went to the "War Remnants Museum", a museum of the Vietnam War, which I expected to be propagandistic, but was even more so than I expected. It made me upset enough that I just walked outside and waited for the group. We then had a tour of the old South Vietnamese Presidential Palace which I didn't find very interesting, but ended the day on a higher note with a visit to the big public market. Markets are always interesting, especially in non-Western countries! But overall, the first day wasn't great...The first and last days of the trip were the two weakest days of the trip for me!

Here are some pictures:










Above is "Lotus Rice". You wrap the rice up in lotus leaves before cooking, and serve with the lotus flower on top!










more...










This is enough for about four people!










I had a chance to briefly stop into the Catholic Cathedral for the city. Not nearly as memorable as some of the others I have photographed!










In the market










The funny-shaped things are sea cucumbers, sea urchins, and similar marine invertebrates, and they are intended for eating! EWWW!










Those coconuts in the market won't shred themselves, you know!










And outside the market, Pho is a common Vietnamese fad food (It's pronounced "Fuh". Think of starting to say "Elmer Fudd" but leaving the D silent). When President Bill Clinton visited Saigon (after he left office), he ate Pho at this restaurant, and they decided to make a marketing tool out of it!


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Since telracs is getting ready to leave for India, and wanted to see some shots of Angkor Wat before she goes, I'm gonna break briefly with my intention to post things in sequence. Here are a couple of shots of Angkor Wat. It was raining the day the group went there, so they are not knock-your-socks off photos, but they are MY Ankgor Wat photos, by gawd!










Here's the stairway from the second level up to the third level. I did climb this, but I did not enjoy it! Coming down again was arguably worse!



















And above is the classic view of Angkor Wat!


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## drenee (Nov 11, 2008)

WOW.  Thank you so much for sharing.  
deb


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## hamerfan (Apr 24, 2011)

Great shots, THC! Thanks for sharing.
I also wanted to say that I really like the subjects of your pictures.


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## Raffeer (Nov 19, 2008)

Thanks for taking us along. The pics were wonderful.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

A couple of more shots from the first day:

I didn't find the old Presidential Palace tour very interesting, but I was amused by this:










Note the blue sign at upper left, "The Combat Duty Bedroom of the President." This refers to the South Vietnamese President who the current government was fighting against. I'm not sure if this is a not-so-subtle attempt to make fun of the President, or if they are trying to be serious, but not realizing the impact of how they've translated the name into English. Warship captains often have a small room next to the bridge of the ship for use during prolonged periods of high risk, where they can retire for a nap, but be instantly available for an emergency. If the South Vietnamese President took an active role in overseeing combat, I can see him having a similar small bedroom right next to the Operations Center. I'm not sure our guide would have known the answers to this sort of thing, and I was still a bit too tired and jet-lagged to speak up and ask questions about it anyway!










Here's an overall view of the interior of the Central Market in Saigon. We visited late in the afternoon, when things were quieter.










And here is one of the smaller vendors in the market chatting with a friend after she's packed up for the day to head for home.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Vietnamese fast food--This is Pho, which I mentioned in an earlier post. I was surprised to find that this is not some ancient tradition, but is only about one hundred years old.

We then boarded our boat for the Mekong River trip. Here are a couple of views of my stateroom on the Toum Teav:



















In the harbor at Ho Chi Minh City, there were plenty of big ocean-going ships around us:










The staterooms were about 120 square feet. I had one to myself, I pity the poor married couples who both had to try to get dressed at the same time! The white box on the wall above the beds is an individual air conditioner. I was not optimistic about how well it would work, but it did a great job of keeping the room cool when it was hot outside. The humidity still overwhelmed the poor thing. One woman said she washed a blouse, and it took three days to dry hanging up in her room.


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## gdae23 (Apr 30, 2009)

I'm enjoying the beautiful pictures you took. The pictures of food are making me very hungry though!  It looks like you absorbed an incredible amount of many different things on your trip, and will likely still be thinking through all this for a long time to come. So much there! Thanks for letting us share in this.


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## Casper Parks (May 1, 2011)

I see the bottled water... A good idea...

That food looks very good...


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Casper Parks said:


> I see the bottled water... A good idea...
> 
> That food looks very good...


I understand that even the locals tend to drink bottled water if they can afford it (which most can't). It seems to be a point of religious doctrine there that bottled water is automatically safe. I'm not that complacent about it (though close to it for the big brands--Not so much for stuff I've never heard of, such as "Hi-Tech" bottled water. Made me think of buying gasoline!).


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

We left Ho Chi Minh City harbor and headed into a canal that would take us to the Mekong River. Here we saw all sorts of vessels, but almost all of them smaller and less modern than the big ships. The ship above appears to have a cargo of coconuts.










And here's one that I believe is carrying sugar cane.

After spending the night on the river, we made several brief shore visits the first day. We walked past a crocodile farm:










The crocodiles are raised for their hides. They also raised fighting cocks there. They would catch fish and dump the poor fish unceremoniously on land for it to be eaten by the bird.

"Hmm, is this catfish dead yet?"










"Oh my gosh, it's not dead!!!!"










I passed up the opportunity to get a hammer-and-sickle beer koozie. How will I ever forgive myself?!?!










I was interested in visiting some of the functioning local temples, and our first one was not a Buddhist temple, but a temple belonging to a breakway group called Cao Dai (they are still thought to have over two million worshipers, I was told, so they are not a small group!). The temple was definitely colorful, even on the outside:



















And they continued their streak inside!



















In this one, as in all temples, we had to remove our shoes to enter.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Photos from Vinh Trang Pagoda. This is a more conventional Buddhist pagoda, I understand it dates from 1849. Located in My Tho, in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam.


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## Steve Silkin (Sep 15, 2010)

Thank you for sharing these spectacular photos!! I was really, really impressed -- and transported!! (I've never been, I'd love to go.)


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

More pictures from cruising along the Mekong, mostly in the area of Sa Dec, Vietnam










Vietnam and Cambodia are overwhelmingly Buddhist or some similar eastern religion such as Cao Dai, but there are some Christians (mostly Roman Catholics, thanks to the period of French rule), and in Vietnam there are some Muslims. We didn't see a lot of Christian churches, but I did snap a shot of this one we passed by on the Mekong (and incidentally proved the popularity of television in the area!)










Now _THIS_ is an overloaded barge! The cargo looks like sugar cane.










I knew they were watching me!










Every building of any consequence, whether a private residence or a commercial building, has a property shrine similar to this one. The Vietnamese and Cambodians believe that each building or piece of real estate has resident spirits who must be appeased to avoid misfortune. This shrine is an older and more elaborate one at a mansion from the 1800s, the more modern ones are mass produced in concrete. But most everyplace has one of these, and it will always have incense sticks and other offerings in it.










I've heard vague mention of "ancestor worship" in many Eastern cultures. This is an ancestor shrine in the mansion of a Chinese merchant from the mid-1800s. A caretaker family continues to live there and maintain it, and several shrines similar to this one were in place. Now I'm baffled why I didn't ask more questions about it while I was there, but I guess you get novelty overload in a trip to a very foreign culture like this one!










Nope, it is not the egg of an alien monster hatching, it is a rambutan fruit! This one is only partially peeled. The fruit inside is decent, though not awesome.










Another partially-peeled fruit. This one is known as the longan. I'm told that this translates as "dragon's eye" which is very appropriate!










Plates with rambutans and longan and another plantain-like fruit










Earlier I posted a couple of photos of a fighting cock being allowed to run free. That wasn't typical. Most people who raise them keep them in an inverted basket like this one.


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## crebel (Jan 15, 2009)

We recently had a shipment of rambutans in our grocery store.  I was not familiar with the name and bought a few for the novelty (grandson thought they were "icky good" because of the eyeball effect when peeled).  I later learned that they are what is known as lychee fruit, which I have only had from a can.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

The best fruit we had was something called a mangosteen, sometimes known as "The Queen of Fruit."  I thought they were outstanding.  Pictures of them later!


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

It's alive!!!! The thread's alive!

My conscience has been bugging me for awhile, as I never did go through all of my photos from Vietnam and Cambodia. So here's one I edited back in November, and I'm going to go through and select and edit for posting some more later. More to come!

(by posting this and making it public, I'm less likely to be too lazy to follow through)


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Photos on the river as we returned from touring temples and (believe it or not) a brickmaking factory. I was fascinated by the variety of boats and different settings they were in.









The big boats got more attention, but the small ones had much more interesting variety. This is a nice boat and very well-maintained.









Old technology and new, both are useful!

And a trip to the market in a modest sized town on the river:










Our guide explains about different varieties of rice (with greatly differing prices)










You want rope? We got rope! And maybe some fabrics today?










Small vendors had their own area to display their wares.


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## Seamonkey (Dec 2, 2008)

Since I've only recently come to this area of the board, I'd missed this thread, but now I'm up to date.  I actually like lychees/rambutans but thought they were slightly different.

The early pictures of the signs and buildings remind me of so many signs here in Orange County, CA.  In and out of Little Saigon.  And many of your pictures remind me of The Amazing Race, which is a good thing.

We see the shrines in many stores around here.

Glad you resurrected the thread; I look forward to more.


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## geoffthomas (Feb 27, 2009)

Yeah claw, one of the things that always amazed me about this part of the world is the boats.
Even back in the 70's when I was in the many countries of southeast asia, they were wooden boats that seemed to be either very old or a very old design.  But they mostly were powered by automobile engines - some with very long drive shafts.


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Funny you mentioned the boats with engine on long drive shafts, photos will be coming up! 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

Time for more photos of my trip to Vietnam and Cambodia!

The only thing I like to photograph more than boats is SIGNS...And these billboards were good ones. The government of Vietnam deliberately maintains Ho Chi Minh as a cult figure of infallible benevolent goodness. His body is preserved and on display in Hanoi, and publication of anything criticizing him, or even of suggesting he had human foibles (the government presents him as celibate) is prohibited, and the censors and police are serious about this. So his image is everywhere, we visited an elementary school office that had five different portraits of him on the walls of the single office. And these billboards remind older Vietnamese that they must unite behind the government that carries on his legacy.










And for more conventional saintly figures, let's visit another temple:

Here's the entrance, complete with the temple guards permanently on duty on each side of the entrance.










Closer view of the temple guardians. Note the shelf for offerings in front of each statue, complete with a fruit you will now recognize! (see reply #70 in this thread)










Inside the temple is The Buddha. Illuminations behind his head are quite common from what I saw. Note the swastika, which was a very holy symbol long before it was converted for other purposes. Yes, that is a safe beside the altar. I didn't feel it would be good for my health to inspect too closely, but there is a stack of envelopes on top of the safe, and I believe the idea is that cash donations are placed in envelopes (with the name of the donor, etc. filled out on the envelope) and inserted through the slot in the safe door.










This calendar was on the wall in the temple. Nothing too surprising:










Nearby was another calendar, with an illustration I thought was interesting, and a little odd:


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## The Hooded Claw (Oct 12, 2009)

More from Vietnam. We are on the Mekong, approaching the Cambodian border. Next batch will have more shore stuff, including sunset from a mountain looking into Cambodia, a religious ceremony, and more!










For most of the Mekong's length, there are no bridges, and a ferry boat is the only way to get across. Outside of the largest towns, cars are uncommon, so most ferry boats were filled with scooters like this one.










Believe it or not, a significant export from the Mekong delta is mud! Silt deposited after being carried downriver from the Himalayas is scooped up and loaded on boats or barges to be shipped to Singapore, where they seek to augment the small size of their island country by making artificial land.










A barge of mud heads downriver to be loaded on an oceangoing ship for export.










Fishermen haul in their net.










Our captain bragged that our food on the boat was so fresh-caught that when we had fish, the fish had been swimming in the river the day before. The food on the boat was definitely the best food I've ever had anywhere on a regular daily basis. True to the captain's word, every time we would stop in a town or village, the captain's wife and some crew members would head for the market and come back with fresh food. One day I happened to be on deck with my camera when this happened. Everything was over so fast, and they were so close, that this was the best shot I could catch, however.










Meals on the boat were on the upper deck at the rear of the boat. They had screens that could be rolled down to keep out bad weather and minimize bug intrusion on the rare occasions we were there after sundown.










Fruit plate! I am at a loss now to identify any of the fruits.










Upper deck, just in front of the pilot house. When we were underway I spent most of my time sitting in a wicker chair like the one you see here, watching and photographing as the river went by. Of course from time to time I would go back to my cabin and soak up the air conditioning!


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