Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam
Elsa's Badly Needed Vacation
February and March, 2014
We make a loop through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam
China Airlines, not to be confused with Air China,
on the ramp at LAX. Next stop, Taipei, Taiwan, in 14 hours.
After a midnight plane change in Taiwan, only 4 more hours to Bangkok, Thailand
Weary Travelers appear Good as New, after a day's rest
Bustling Bangkok awaits Us
Police, called in to quell the "Rice Riots"
The Government promised rice prices they couldn't deliver
All the white vans are Police Vehicles
Temple Number One
From Star Wars, C-3PO, protocol droid, under patchwork repairs
Roadside Flower Market
Temples Number 2 to 1000. The Imperial Palace
You must be properly dressed to enter, or borrow a sarong
No shorts
Testing the Water Lilies
Yes, They Are Real.
No, You Can't Take Them Home
Everything is Covered with Gold Leaf
The Figures Look Small
But They're Not
European Lower Floors, Oriental Upper Floors
Dinner Cruise Boat Docking
Boarding for the Dinner Cruise
On the River
Waiting for Dinner to Start
Imperial Garden from the River
Landing Siem Riep, Cambodia
We Found Your Lost Baggage...
Our Fine Hotel, Siem Riep
Main Street in Front of Our Fine Hotel, Siem Riep
Shops adjacent to Our Fine Hotel, Siem Riep
Angkor Wat is Many Temples spread over a large area.
The City of Siem Riep is marked at center, left
The Airport is above, left of the city.
Close-up map of main temples
How nice the Ta Prohm Temple is going to look...
How nice it looks now
Jungle growth has devastated the buildings
Ongoing restoration will take many years
Attack of the Killer Tree
You get to stand here for only 10 seconds
Gate of Four Faces
Bayon Temple
Elephant Ride
Wall Carvings
More Reconstruction
How the Original Blocks were Moved into Place
Of the 32 travelers, these were the nicest.
Our New Friends, John and Doug from San Diego
Blondina from California, Traveling in Disguise, Angkor Wat
The Accidental Tourists Visit Angkor Wat
Inside Angkor Wat
Inside Angkor Wat
View from the Library Window
Who are all these tacky people?
Almost Empty Corridor
Cell phone time, Angkor Wat
Inner Courtyard
In the distance, Main Entrance, Angkor Wat
Steep Stairs from Upper Level
Cambodian Country Road
And Off We Go... for a Water Buffalo Ride
Chicks and ducks and geese better scurry
When I take you out in the surrey with the buffalo up front
Cambodian Country Home
Water Buffalo Gas Station
Start of Boat Visit to Floating Village on Lake Tonle Sap
Floating House
Floating Homes
Floating Grocery Store
Floating Kids going to Floating School
School is Out
Off to Saigon
Center of Saigon from our Hotel
Motorcycles Outnumber Cars
This Will Kill You
And it Will Hurt a Lot
The Whole Time You Are Dying
Opera House
Wedding Album Pictures
Curiously, the Cu Chi Tunnel Entrance
Is large and well lighted
The Tunnels are very small and dark
Rex, describing Life in the Tunnels where 18,000 people lived during the day
on three levels, 10, 20 and 30 feet below the surface
All day, every day, for years
A disguised Entrance to a Tunnel
Our Esteemed Tunnel Evaluator decides the enlarged Vistor's Tunnel is too Small
The Real Tunnels were much Smaller
On the road to Saigon
In Saigon
Preparing for Sunday Morning Motorcycle Ride through the streets of Saigon
On the Road, Again with tour leader Le Quoc Voung, known as Rex
"You Got a Helmet?" Peter Fonda, Easy Rider, 1969
Off to Da Nang
So Long, Saigon
In the Distance, China Beach
My Khe beach was nicknamed "China Beach" by
American and Australian soldiers during the Vietnam War
Hoi An Temple
Red Coils are burning incense
Prayer Time
Posing for Wedding Pictures
Hoi An
Famous for Lanterns
Dinner served along the river
Fresh Shrimp
Dinner with Happy Budha, "The Judge"
Hoi An
Boarding for boat ride
Makes One think of Lido Island
Well, Maybe Not
Fishing nets are lowered into the water, then raised with trapped fish
Waiting for a Free Lunch
Why use a table when the floor is so convenient?
Grocery Market
Hoi An
Hoi An
Boat Building, Hoi An
Cutting Timbers, Boat Yard, Hoi An
Good Supply of Wooden Boat Fasteners
This Explains Everything
Lunch from the Surrounding Garden
What we ate came from here
Basket Boats are for Fishing
Setting Sun
Dinner in Hoi An
Lanterns For Sale
Experienced Sales Lady, Trinket Division
Trinkets Made, While You Wait
Launching Floating Candle in the River in memory of Father
I Owe, I Owe, So Off to Work I Go
Box marked "M90 M92" is a gas station pump for motorcycles
Looking toward the City, from the Hotel
Looking toward the Beach, from the Hotel
On the Road to Hue, Elsa practices being Buddha
Trunks pointing Up is Good Luck
Also seen on Elsa's pants
Basket Boats, Passing China Beach
Terrain Changes as we Drive North of Da Nang
Our Hotel in Hue
Street Scene, Hue
Entrance to the Citadel
In the Imperial City
In the Imperial City
Our Pedi-Cabs Await
Pedi-cab
Pedi-Cab Ride to Dinner
Our Dinner Guests
Another Dinner Guest
Dinner
Incense bringing Good Luck to a Bus
Dragon Boat Ride
We visit a Vietnamese family at a stop along the way.
Hondas repaired, while you wait
Did you want one hair cut or all of them?
Lunch is Over
Dog in background, keeping safe distance from stew pot
A nice neighborhood
Making little masks to cover your nose and mouth, across the street
Village Meat and Fish
Dragon Boat Ride, continued
Dragon Boat parking places are limited
Inside the Citadel in Hue
This Russian Mig-21 was used to shoot down American Imperialists
Captured American Cessna A-37 "Dragonfly" Light Attack Aircraft
These little pigs are going to market
Rice field, on the way to the airport
Approaching Hanoi
Always foggy, rice fieds, enroute Ha Long Bay
From our hotel, Ha Long Bay
Queueing for boats, Ha Long Bay
Boat owners live onbord
Vendors board our boat
Selling fruit
Foggy Ha Long
The Accidental Tourists, enjoying Ha Long Bay
We were lucky. Trips the day before and the day after were cancelled due to fog
It was nicer inside
Miss Sai Gon Ha Long
What it's supposed to look like
What it did look like
Cave Tour
Penguin Trash Can inside Cave
Vietnamese Starbucks, across the street from our hotel, Hanoi
Apartments above Starbucks with outdoor closets
Street scene, Hanoi
Main road frontage is the most valuable property
Nobody wants beachfront or mountain top land
Along Embassy Row, Hanoi
Presidential Palace, Hanoi
Tomb of Ho Chi Minh
Posing for Wedding Pictures
Chaos, viewed from the City View Restaurant
More chaos from above
The Best-selling Coffee in Vietnam
Water Puppet Theater
Puppets are moved by rods under the water
One-cylinder diesel farm tractor
A very popular item...
Today a Rice Paddy, Tomorrow a Condo Project
Finally, someone shorter than Elsa, only 78 years old
Many homes are open on one side
One-person Noodle Factory, Fancy Footwork Required
A survivng section of the original "Hanoi Hilton"
Corner of the original "Hanoi Hilton"
Bikes easily outnumber cars in Hanoi
Four feet is plenty of width for a store
China Airlines to Los Angeles
China Airlines is based in Taiwan
Over Los Angeles International Airport
You're Welcome