From Jim:
Vietnam and Cambodia did not disappoint. My favorite part of this trip remains the grace of these people. We’ve been invited into village homes and temples along the Mekong. These people live very close to the land, nothing is wasted. Hard working people, seem happy, women work for piece pay for their craft, allowing them to be home caring for their children. Men seem to travel to construction jobs.
In this these countries there is an elegance from a past time. The cities have evolved and developed. Rough in places, however beautiful. I enjoyed visiting during the lunar New Year. Flowers, celebrations and joy. And traveling with good friends has enriched the experience.
From Ian:
I am resisting, strenuously, the impulse to craft an ode to the underappreciated and (mostly) unloved Palmetto, the most noble fruit of Shiva’s creation. Alas, both Jim and I fell under its allure (calling to us like Sirens!) whilst it rested stoically, seductively – mostly at glorious sunrise – upon the Jahan’s buffet table. But, damn it, I was given my assignment to share my favorite thing about our travels thru Indochina, so I will not yield to temptation.
I have no reservations about what touched me the most during our adventure. The young boys & girls of Cambodia and Vietnam that were our guides, service staff and, ultimately, our friends were beyond belief. Mai (with her contagious humor), Tea (the philosopher), Mom (Bombay & tonic, with the lime muddled no less!), Rhi-Rhi (princess of Siam), Sareth (the Cappuccino king), We (who laughs while telling his own jokes), Nora (sweet and oh-so adorable) and Johm (our handsome – so say the ladies – Vespa leader). In a country that struggles mightily to make ends meet and has such a troubled past, what a wonder to meet such kind, warm, quick-to-smile and loving young ambassadors. Most unexpectedly, meeting the youth of Cambodia and Vietnam left me optimistic that our future is in good hands. God & Budda bless these wonderful people, I suspect we will be back some day!
From Yvonne:
There were so many memorable experiences and new adventures on our Vietnam/Cambodia trip that picking one favorite is difficult, but since I am told I must… I would say my top favorite was visiting the Green School and experiencing the beautiful Cambodian children’s enthusiasm for learning. This was topped off with receiving many warm hugs and kisses from them as we were leaving. So fun and so special! In general, I found Cambodian people to be truly lovely and so graceful and peaceful. The country has a special ambience all its own, one I loved very much!
This was a trip of extremes…sheer luxury set against true poverty, amazing pleasures with wonderful people set against a history of unbelievable cruelty, amazing dining set against the putrid smell and grotesque sights of the local markets, scenic beauty set against careless littering, and cherished relaxing time spent with fun and dear old friends (and some new ones!) set against a very full schedule!
Truly a trip of a lifetime!!!
From Kerry:
And now it’s my turn. You have heard from me every day, so it seems like I have said it all. When I assigned the homework, I expected a sentence but they all came back with more than I could have expected. Given my guidelines – my answer would have been that same school that Yvonne selected. In reviewing our itinerary before we left it was the one thing that I was not looking forward to – thinking it would just be a ploy for collecting donations. How wrong I was. The children and teachers were absolutely captivating and seeing their joy and ease at interacting with us one on one brought tears to my eyes. It was so touching! So that was the homework assignment – one thing; but my students are clearly over-achievers and have outdone me.
So let me tell you the other things I was not looking forward to.
The humidity – turns out it eliminates the need for moisturizer, your skin is never dry.
The food – turns out there is always a delicious option available
The bugs – turns out we actually only saw ONE mosquito and it was this morning
The heat – turns out it was a blessing to miss the storms and winter at home.
And everyone above is right, the people were welcoming and happy people. Our guides were unbelievable in their historical knowledge and accommodating our requests. A great trip that I return from with memories of laughter and fun and even some historical facts. Like who knew a 3 letter word in Vietnamese could mean so many different things.
The word Pho means a noodle or a road or a “woman of the evening” depending on where the accent is.
And no picture of the last meaning!
Happy travels to all.
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