A Kansan in the Kingdom of Wonderful

Realizing that my Vietnam visa was going to expire in less than a week, and pending the upcoming Tet (Chinese Lunar New Year) holidays--in which Vietnam shuts down--I headed off to Cambodia!

Here's a run down of my almost 2 weeks in the Kingdom of Wonder:

January 16: Phnom Penh
It takes only 6 hours to get to Phnom Penh from Ho Chi Minh City by bus--including the red tape at the border.

Phnom Penh park outside the Royal Palace

Independence Monument

January 17-19: Siem Reap and Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat is--yes, you know it--amazing! I spent the first day exploring by bike with my trusty guide, Yut--an awesome time! The next day I woke up at 4:30 am (ouch) and tuk tuk'd it to see the sunrise (pretty, only marred by all the people talking, taking photos, and cramping my space) and a few other temples. It was an exhausting and overwhelming and exhilarating experience!

biking Angkor Wat!

Bayon Temple with the smiling faces

January 20-21: Battambang

I decided to check out Battambang to the west of Siem Reap, as I'd met some folks who worked with a non-profit social enterprise there called Kinyei. I took a bike tour exploring the country side with Soksabike, a program they support. It involved a lot of sweating, but was definitely rewarding and educational!

rice paper making

fermenting rice wine (fizz)

January 22-23: Phnom Penh

I bussed it back to Phnom Penh to see a few more sights. I was quite depressed after visiting the Choeung Ek killing fields and Toul Sleng (S-21) Prison. I was saddened by what humans can do to each other--and yet amazed at how friendly and kind Cambodians are, despite this sad period not even 40 years ago. There is hope--further evidenced by my visit to the Phnom Penh Metro Rotary Club.

mass grave at Choeung Ek killing fields

photos of young prisoners at Toul Sleng Prison (the majority of whom never lived)

members of Phnom Penh Metro Rotary Club

January 24: Kampot

Just as I was coming down with a cold, I headed south to Kampot, the black pepper capital of Cambodia. I spent one night there, a sleepy, scenic town on the river. 

old French buildings in Kampot

January 25-26: Kep

I arrived in Kep, just a 30 minute (albeit bumpy and very dusty) tuk tuk ride from Kampot (and NOT pleasant while suffering from a cold and a sunburn on one's face), and was oh-so-happy to find my bungalow at Tree Top Inn ready and waiting, hammock and all. 

my bungalow (on the right) at Tree Top in Kep

This is just a small slice of my trip to Cambodia--click here for more details and photos on Facebook!

My YouTube Cambodia Playlist:

The January 2012 cacao diaries: ROP SHADE project in Binh Phuoc

So I've been in Vietnam for 2 months now as an intern with Roots of Peace. It's been a unique experience, living with Tucker Kuhn, the ROP Vietnam Country Director, accompanying him to visit the offices in Binh Phuoc and Quang Tri, and--most of all--getting to meet the cacao and black pepper farmers. In January I made two trips to the ROP SHADE (Sustainable Horticulture and Agriculture Development) in Binh Phuoc--once with my sister, Katrina, who took photos for Roots of Peace--and again with Tucker and Gary Kuhn, Executive Director of Roots of Peace. Both trips involved some hot temperatures, washed out red dirt roads, and, of course, lots of smiles.

Mrs. Nguyễn Thị Ghim was so eager to show us her cocoa pods and family farm. Thanks to higher earnings from cocoa production, her family is starting to grow asparagus--a brand new crop in this area (Bù Gia Mập, Binh Phuoc).

After visiting several cocoa farms, ROP staff, my sister, and I were invited to share a meal at the home of Mr. Nguyễn Văn Hiền, Club Leader. Every time we visit farmers and their families, we are invited to tea or a meal. In this case, the Club Leader invited us to come and stay in his home. Amazing hospitality!

ROP involves the Vietnamese government's agriculture department in their work in order to reach as many farmers as possible and provide excellent agricultural training and assistance. This helps to build the foundation for cacao production in Binh Phuoc that is sustainable in the short- and long-term. During Gary's recent visit, we met with the Binh Phuoc Agriculture and Aquaculture Extension Committee (AAEC). Here, Mr. Nguyễn Quang Ngân, ROP Project Manager (in the striped shirt), discusses plans for ROP and AAEC collaboration in 2012.

ROP's cocoa project works with established cashew farmers since cacao needs shade--75% as seedlings and at least 50% as mature plants. Pictured here are one-year-old ROP seedlings in Mr. Nguyễn Tất Nhân's farm (Bù Gia Mập, Binh Phuoc).

Binh Phuoc Province is the epicenter of cashew production in Vietnam. Cashew trees tend to flower in the dry season--but if it rains after the trees flower (as it was during our visit), fungus and mildew results. Hence ROP's SHADE Cacao Project provides cashew farmers with a "safety net" by helping them diversify their agricultural production.

The ROP SHADE Cacao Project works with Club Leaders that are trained by AAEC staff and provide advice and support to ROP cacao farmers in their area. Here, Gary and Tucker (far right) compliment farmer Nguyễn Tất Nhân (in the dark green jacket)--and, by extension, Club Leader Kiều Văn Thái (in the black jacket)--on his beautiful cashew and cocoa farm (Bù Gia Mập, Binh Phuoc).

Ms. Nguyễn Thị Mơ, ROP Extension Advisor, stands next to a two-year-old ROP cacao seedling to demonstrate how ROP cocoa farmers are growing success!

Sisters in Saigon

Kat and I bid farewell to Hoi An on the 29th of December. After sitting in the Danang Airport all day (thanks, Jetstar, for neglecting to send me an email or give me a phone call to let us know our flight was canceled), Kat and I returned to Ho Chi Minh City. It felt good to come "home" to the apartment and the familiar comforts of the big city for Kat's last few days in Vietnam.

We decided to be unapologetic tourists and take a cyclo tour of the city with Urban Adventures. It was $15 per person and we were the only two on the tour--it was great! I'm glad we did it--and we tipped the drivers well for their efforts (we are a bit heavier than most Vietnamese).

cheesy tourists!

Click here for photos of our cyclo tour

We also splurged and took a speedboat tour of the Mekong Delta. The tour itself was interesting and very comfortable--but a bit overpriced. We stopped at a temple, a market, and a village--which, having been in Vietnam for a while, we've seen our fair share already of all three. We did manage to make some nice friends along the way...

the mighty Mekong

new friends

zippin' along sippin' on coconuts

Click here for photos of our Mekong Delta tour

To round out our trip together in Vietnam we visited a few more museums and pagodas in Ho Chi Minh City (they start to blend together after 3 weeks of travel)...

Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts Museum 

"But of course darling--I don't think they'd mind if we borrowed this for a spin..." (At the Ho Chi Minh City Museum)

The Pagoda that goes by many names: Emperor Jade Pagoda or Tortoise Pagoda (Chua Ngoc Hoang or Phuoc Hai Tu).

There is a shrine to the goddess of fertility at the pagoda that people pray to. Obviously the parents of these two little twin boys were coming here to pay respect.

And that wrapped up Kat's final week in Vietnam. We took a taxi to the airport at 3:30 am and she boarded her plane to begin her 30+ hour trip back home. All in all, we had a grand tour of Vietnam and we're happy to have done it together, Lewis sister style.

Click here for more photos of our time in Ho Chi Minh City 

Ahoy Hoi An!

December 27-29, 2011: Kat and I took a train from Dong Ha down to Danang, and then took a car to Hoi An. The train ride along the coast was stunning (although I can't say the same about the train). We enjoyed our time in Hoi An wandering the charming streets and looking at old houses, visiting Cham ruins in My Son, and munching on delicious food.

Click here for photos and the story