We’re alive and well in Hanoi! It took just over 28 hours of travel to get here, and there is a 15 hour time change…let’s just say jet lag is being a bit of a bitch.
The flights were alright-the airline food would have killed both of my brothers, one of them literally would have died. FYI: the food was borderline alright, but different than any other airline we’ve flown. (Pork bits with huge chunks of mango, and the other a salad of cold noodles with thin slices of the most fatty marbled beef ever. I took photos.)
And now, we’re leaving Hanoi for Halong Bay. Hopefully it isn’t rainy and gross when we get there.
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network
(Yes, that yellow bit at the top is congealed ickiness.)
On one of the days that we’re in Cambodia we’ve planned to visit the Tonle Sap–a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. Yes, UNESCO strikes again!
What’s so interesting about this body of water? Despite having over 400 species of fish, and just as many mammals, birds, and reptiles, the most fascinating feature is the direction of the river flow changes depending on the season. True story.
During the dry season from November to May the Tonle Sap is a tributary of the Mekong. The River flows towards Phnom Penh. In June, heavy rain fall backs up the Tonle Sap and creates a large lake, and water is actually pushed from the Mekong into the Lake. At the end of the rainy season, the River changes direction again.
So, what makes this area worth visiting? (Besides being uber-nerdy?!) Well, the wildlife and scenery, the floating villages and stilt houses to name a few things. The sad part is that we’ll only see the region in the dry season, and not the other extreme. The depth of the lake changes from 1m to 10m during the rainy season. Check out the photo at the bottom of the Peace of Angkor page to see both seasons. We’re actually booked in with Peace of Angkor for the day to visit Beng Mealea and Tonle Sap. I hope it is a good one.
No, I’m not going to bust out the lyrics to the song, I’m gonna talk about money! Little known fact: I like collecting currency when we’re on vacation. Not so much the bills, but the coins. This isn’t about amassing a foreign fortune, but it does work well with the photo projects when we return home.
Obviously, I have to do a little pre-trip research before we leave to make sure I know what I’m after. The best part is in Vietnam I will be collecting DONG! Giggle away my little minions; that’s funny as hell!The exchange rate is approximately 20,000 Vietnamese Dong to $1US. I think it’ll be crazy to be paying for items with 50,000₫ notes. (That’s only about $2.50.) Also try wrapping your head around being able to take out a maximum of 2,000,000₫ from a bank machine. Apparently, that’s the machine limit. (That’s about $95!)
The least valued currency for exchange alternated between the Zimbabwean Dollar and the Vietnamese Dong for a while. Now the least valued currency is that of Somalia with the Vietnamese Dong running 2nd. Thanks VietnamWiki for the photo.
The Cambodian Riel is approximately 4010៛ to $1US. Unlucky for me the coins are rarely used. That could be a bit of a struggle collecting them. The Thai Baht is about 30฿ to $1US. Gotta love travelling with exchange rates like that. It definitely helps the bank account!
FYI: All of this learning, and now I know a lot of currencies are actually descendants of the Spanish Pieces of 8. How very Piratey! Arrrr!
I have wanted to visit Ha Long Bay since I first saw a picture of it. One of the first things we have planned when we arrive in Vietnam is a 2 day trip through Ha Long Bay. (Yay, one more for the UNESCO list!) We decided to go with Huong Hai Junks. The boats are beautiful. Now, do a quick google of Ha Long Bay images, and you’ll see just how amazing it is. I’m super excited for the photo opportunities.
It seems like we still have so much stuff to do, but the pressure isn’t on, so the procrastination continues. We do have our travel visas, and have booked all flights, accommodation and any additional trips/tours that we know for sure we’re doing. Here’s a rough map of the travel route.
Thankfully Jon’s much more organized than I am. His travel research knows no bounds, and he’s fully addicted to trip advisor–so much so that they’ve asked him to be destination expert for Peru. (Which I don’t think he’ll accept. It is a little hard to be a destination expert if you’re from another continent!)
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