The Dr Pepper

Jeff has discovered a little slice of Texas, far from home on the
airport in Seoul, Korea.

Contemplating Naval Excercises

We are currently in the airport in Seoul, Korea. We have an incredibly
long layover here and spent the night sleeping on some soft benches
next to a planter of bamboo. We had our silk sleep sacks that we
bought in Hanoi yesterday, so it was pretty comfortable. If you must
spend the night in an airport, this is probably one of the best. It's
a little unnerving that our stopover coincides with the US-Korea
joint naval excercises. The airport is on an island just south of the
boarder with North Korea. But for now anyway, everything is quiet and
Jeff sleeps on...

Ba Na Hill Station

Sent from my iPhone

Ba Na Hill Station

The ruins are mysterious and fun to explore and the hiking is all
downhill. There's no need to hike uphill, just hop on the gondola and
sail above the tree ferns!

Ba Na Hill Station

The French built the Ba Na Hill Station in the 1930s to escape the
heat. The station is reached by a series of two gondolas. The place is
a wonderland of swirling mist and French ruins with a massive seated
Buddah guarding over it all and irridescent violet butterflies dancing
through.

The Coolest Place in Vietnam

We are wrapping up our time in Vietnam now. Yesterday we went scuba
diving off Cham Island. Jeff was attacked by a Titan Triggerfish. It
chomped his leg and then tweaked my swim fins before Jeff landed a
good punch and fought it off. Apparently this happens often-there was
a sign warning of this fish on the boat.
So, after the miserable heat here in SE Asia, we decided to seek out
the coolest place in Vietnam. Up, up and away to the Ba Na Hill Station!

At the Pepper Plantation

It becomes obvious that Jeff is no Peter Piper and will not be picking
any pecks of pepper, pickeled, or otherwise.

Tuk tuk through the countryside

We piled into a tuk tuk for a trip out to an amazing cave mountain and
a pepper farm. We followed an underground passageway behind a Buddhist
temple into a mountain and after a walk through a cave, popped out in
a hidden valley with a small temple (complete with reclining Buddah)
in the center of the mountain. Khmer school children gave us a tour of
the rest of the karst mountain. It was a mini Shangri-la. See the
video on Facebook.

All's well that ends...

So the night bus let us off at 6 am to stand in the mud and rain
waiting for transfer onto the second to last bus in the series that
delivered us to Kep. Happily, we found a sunny, flowery cluster of
bungalows to stay in. This heaven even included hammocks, toucans
swooping through the jungle above and this kitten for company.

More Night Bus

Here is Jeff in the bunk he gave to me when My bunk had exhaust
leaking into it. We were promised pillows, blankets, free water
bottles and a toilet on the bus. We were given only blankets with waxy
residue and told that the driver would stop if we needed a restroom.
When we stopped, the passengers stormed the W.C. of any nearby stand.
When we stopped in the middle of the night in a dark stand of huts we
squatted next to the road. Good times, good times...

Night Bus Torture

We took this bus between Siem Reap and Kep on the southern coast.
There were three rows of bunks and you were to sleep with your torso
raised and feet out straight. The bunks were covered with thin foam
pads enveloped in vinyl. Lexi is in the top bunk.

Lonely Wat

Today was our last day in Siem Reap. We visited this wat off the
tourist track, hidden behind a temple and monastary.

Banteay Srei

Here we are in front of our last Angkor site, Banteay Srei. It was a
beautiful, small wat. We stopped in at a wonderful wildlife sanctuary.
They actually had a pangolin that had been rescued from poachers.
Pangolins are a critically endangered mammal somewhat similar to the
armadillo. Our last stop was at the Land Mine Museum. That was a tough
thing to face. Unknown to most Americans, the US carpet bombed
Cambodia during the Vietnam War in an attempt to drive the Viet Cong
out. That bombing cost 600,000 Cambodians their lives and in many
ways, ushered the Khmer Rouge into power. Cases were filled with land
mines and unexploded ordinance dropped or placed by the US, Russia,
China and Vietnam. Behind the museum, children missing limbs played
soccer.

Kbal Spean

This was one of our favorite Angkor sites. Also known as the 'River of
a Thousand Lingas,' it is a carved riverbed. I am standing next to a
carved stone frog above a pretty waterfall.

Angkor Wat's all the green crap?

This is the Angkor Wat of our visit. Veiled in green tarps for her
restoration, she's not looking her best these days. Many of the other
temples have also had major cosmetic surgery going on.

Wat of a Million Stairs

What other way should we drink it?

Oh... please don't answer that!

"Oral Drinking Water"

Now Jeff has figured out what the salad sprayer next to the toilet was
for.

Silk Caterpillar Cocoons Being Unwound

Unwinding the Cocoons

After the mulberry-munching caterpillars mature, they are left to spin
a silk cocoon. In my fairytale version of the silk story, the cocoons
are harvested after the critter exits as a moth. In reality, the
cocoons are left in cheerful, golden piles to die in the hot Khmer
sun. Then, into this boiling pot they go. The silk is teased from the
cocoons and unwound onto a big bobbin.

Silk Cocoon Close-Up

Lovely, golden silk cocoons! This is the natural color of raw
Cambodian silk.

Silk Farm Visit

Today we visited a silk farm. We're standing behind trays of silk
caterpillar cocoons.

Wat Bayon

The monolithic faces of Bayon smile down on a mere mortal, and say,
"Lady, lady, you buy 10 postcards, $1!"

Tomb Raider

Andi and Lexi playing Lara Croft. Tomb Raider was filmed in several of
the wats here.

Massive Tree Squats on Wat

Jeff says, "I've heard of a tree topper, but this is ridiculous!"

Sunset at Pre Rup

After a long, hot day of traipsing around visiting wats and dodging
small children selling postcards and "wat-nots" we sit and enjoy the
sunset.

"Carnivorous Fish Eat Tourist"

So there we were, minding our own business and this man grabbed us and
forced us to dangle our legs in his pool of voracious pirannah. No,
actually Lexi and I paid $3 between the two of us for this unique,
ticklish experience. A Cambodian "Dr. Fish Massage"

Rush Hour in Siem Reap...

It brings a whole new meaning to toe jam! Dennis, thanks for your
continuing support of Eternal Summers! Please feel free to continue
adding your own captions.

THE question in Southeast Asia...

If this is next to the toilet, then what's next to the kitchen sink?

Eeeew!

There's do do on the mirror in our hotel in Phnom Penh! But at least it's Good Quality...

Wat am I doing here?

Temples in Cambodia are called wats. Let the Cambodia puns begin...

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Andi in the garden, National Museum.

Got our wires crossed...

Can you fix that wiring issue?

National Museum Phnom Phen, Cambodia

Saigon

Sitting in front of a government propaganda poster outside the market
in Saigon. If anyone knows what this poster says or wants to make up
their own meaning, please make a comment below.

Ha Long Should We Keep Up The Puns?

We've spent our time here on Cat Ba Island sea kayaking among the
karats, hiking and exploring caves! Also, there are mud skippers here.

Cat Ba Island (Ha Long Bay)

Due to technical difficulties, Eternal Summers is playing catch-up. We
neglected to take photos of stunning Ha Long Bay, since I wasn't able
to post them anyway, so here is a photo of Jeff on the bus as we were
leaving.

Good Morning Vietnam!

It's official, we can now say, "Back when I was in 'Nam."
Here is the view from our hotel window.

Hello Hanoi

Jet-lagged, 27 hours later, we finally reach our hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam. Our taxi driver drove slowly and turned on the emergency flashers whenever other drivers honked at him.