#34 - All good things.....

The Marci Wrap Up Report

So, how would we ultimately rate our SouthEast Asia experience? I know that everyone who reads our blogs thinks that each trip has a different vibe (true) and that our first blog in Europe sounded like our favorite extended trip so far. And while that is probably true (I always have called it the trip of a lifetime) you really can’t compare the three experiences. 

Asia was by far the most exotic. It took us in-depth to a part of the world very different than ours. It delved into more history, took us to small villages where life was very basic, had more flights, hotels and short stays than ever before and was a bit less independent than we are used to.  Sure, we would do it a bit different if we had to do it over, but the experience overall was amazing. We didn’t just skim the surface, we truly feel like we got to know the people and places and had great experiences everywhere, even if places were dirty, or we were sweaty. 

So, to end, here a a few of our lasting impressions and our favorite things.

• Best Airline - Cathay Pacific, with runner up Silk Air
• Favorite City - Siem Reap
• Place Worth Another Visit - Singapore
• Best Guide - #1 Bun in Siem Reap, #2 Shun in Hue, and #3 Tri in Vietnam on the Mekong Delta - but all our guides were great
• Best Hotel Room - Viroths in Siem Reap, Cambodia, with The Eldora in Hue, Vietnam and La Veranda in Phu Quoc, Vietnam tied for second
• Best Hotel Staff - Tamarind Village, Chiang Mai, Thailand 
• Most Unique Experience - Elephant Sanctuary in Chiang Mai
• Best Meal - Cuisine Wat Damnak in Siem Reap, Cambodia, and Manda de Laos in Luang Prabang, Laos, and The Green Tangerine in Hanoi
• Best Boat Ride- Jayavaram cruise on the Mekong Delta
• Best Big City - Singapore, with Hanoi second
• Best Night Market - Luang Prabang, Laos
• Prettiest City - Hoi An, Vietnam
• Biggest Surprise - Hue, Vietnam...thought it would be an okay stop and found it interesting, great sites, had a great hotel, good food and a wonderful guide
• Best Local Shopping - Hoi An, Hanoi, Singapore
• Best Pool - La Veranda, Phu Quoc, Vietnam

And there were lots of surprises too.

We never knew:

*In most of the places we visited, tourism makes up the majority of the economy.

*Communism or Socialism is just a word, not a reality- there is capitalism and freedom of speech everywhere

*Cambodians, Laotians, and Vietnamese seem to hold no grudges against their occupiers (France and Japan) or their enemies (US), they have moved on and simply want to join ‘the first world’.

*No one living or visiting SE Asia likes Trump except around DaNang and Hanoi, where they are only impressed because he just came to visit.

*Pol Pot’s genocide in Cambodia was on par with Hitler. 

*How everyone views learning good English as a ticket out of poverty, and a big step towards a middle class life, or better.

*Street sellers and night market vendors are very laid back, except in Vietnam

*No matter how hot it is, many locals eat hot soup for breakfast, AND they almost always eat breakfast out on the street, or buy a bag of soup to go on their way to school and work.

*In most countries the average wage for a decent job is $200 US a MONTH

*There may not be sewers, nor free public education, but everyone has a cellphone.

*Singapore has the world’s third highest GDP and one in six Singaporeans is a millionaire.

*The borders between Thailand, Laos and Cambodia were changed many times over the last 150 years with Cambodia losing the most.

*The Chinese have invested so heavily in all these countries from dams to hotels, skyscrapers and multi-million dollar houses with little regard for actually doing good or helping the local populations.

*The locals are so incredibly hospitable and lovely. Most speak some English and can’t do enough for you. They want you to have a wonderful experience and share their culture.

*The Food was not really spicy at all

*How different and great all of the beds were...super firm and fixed any backaches we had.

*We never got sick no matter what or where we ate.

*There are very, very few American tourists, and 95% of the time, where we were, if you look around, there are NO other Caucasians to be seen - BUT it never felt weird or uncomfortable.

*Just how sweaty 85F with 90% humidity feels and how great a ice cold frozen rolled up eucalyptus scented washcloth feels upon returning to your hotel ( or car) after a day of touring.

So, what is Selfie Coffee? 

You walk in and take a selfie. Then you order a cappuccino or a flat white. Then voila, you are served your coffee with YOUR selfie painted onto the foam! Think we can franchise that here in the States? 

So our blog comes to an end. SE Asia is probably not for everyone. Maybe too hot, maybe too dirty, maybe too many temples, Wats and pagodas. But it was for us. We have never before been so immersed in a culture that we had only seen in movies or experienced in restaurants. We maybe should have gone a month later to avoid some cloudy skies or rainy days but that never stopped us. We might have liked an extra night in one or two places or to have skipped, say, Hong Kong but overall the plan worked well. And our almost seven weeks was indeed the max time to spend there. I could have done a week in Bali at the end but we were just as happy to spend thirty six hours getting home and back to our life. We met great people from all over the world and we hope we touched a few lives along the way too. 

And now we look forward to 2018 for some shorter travel destinations, spending time with family and friends, getting back to sunny, dry Santa Fe and soon, in March, welcoming our first grandchild into this big, vast, wonderful world. Happy Healthy New Year!