Xin Chào! My Journey to Vietnam

"A day of traveling will bring a basket full of learning." (Vietnamese proverb)

Wow - another year, another travel adventure! As I've done for the past four years now, I headed off for nearly a month to a far corner of the world with my "photo family" - a group of wonderful, talented inspiring artists, led by the one and only Ron Zak, a travel photography mentor like no other. This year, our destination was Vietnam. The group trip, coupled with my extension to neighboring Cambodia, really rounded out my exposure to the wonderful countries of Southeast Asia, and reconfirms in my mind that it's an incredible part of the world to visit. I'd go back again tomorrow (if only!).

We traveled the entire length of this long, narrow country, and if I had to sum up my impression of Vietnam succinctly, it would be this: Vietnam is a land of contrasts. Contrasts in weather: we went from the south where it was 90+ degrees with 90% humidity in Saigon, to the north where the temperatures approached freezing in Hanoi. Contrasts between the old world and modern life: the clash of withered old women with conical hats and baskets slung over their shoulders peddling their goods in front of sleek designer stores like Versace and Gucci. Contrasts between fast-paced city life and quiet village life. Contrasts between a war-torn country still recovering and a new economy that is bursting with enterprise. Contrasts between rugged mountains, thick jungles and sparkling white sand beaches. Contrasts between dirt roads traveled by bicycles and wide avenues traveled by thousands upon thousands of buzzing motorbikes. Contrast, contrast, contrast. You are constantly slammed between these contrasts at every turn, and it makes for quite an unforgettable experience.

In this blog, you'll see some photographic evidence of these contrasts. I keep my words to a minimum and just let the images do the talking. Use the "Blog Archive" links at the right hand side of the page to navigate. There is quite a lot to see, so humor me and at least click through to a few links that  sound interesting to you. I hope you find a few things that make you smile. Cam on!

Angkor

Well I wasn't going to go all the way to Vietnam and not take a puddle-jumper flight to get a look at one of the world's most magnificent wonders - the ancient remains of Angkor in Cambodia. I went with four other friends from the photography group who also had decided to extend their stay in the area. Luckily for us, visiting Cambodia was one of the absolute highlights of the entire trip. We had a wonderful guide who was flexible in letting us deviate from the "ABT" itinerary (another Buddhist temple) - so we got to see not only the impressive and important temples of Angkor, but spend time in the charming city of Siem Reap, visit the countryside, and take a boat tour of a floating village on Ton Le Sap Lake - highlights all! We even managed to make time to lounge around the resort's pool - a true luxury on a journey that was go go go the entire time.

If you're not familiar with Angkor, here's what Wikipedia has to say:

"Angkor ("Holy City") is a region of Cambodia that served as the seat of the Khmer Empire, which flourished from approximately the 9th to 15th centuries. The temples of the Angkor area number over one thousand, ranging in scale from nondescript piles of brick rubble scattered through rice fields to the magnificent Angkor Wat, said to be the world's largest single religious monument. Many of the temples at Angkor have been restored, and together, they comprise the most significant site of Khmer architecture. Visitor numbers approach two million annually. In 2007, an international team of researchers using satellite photographs and other modern techniques concluded that Angkor had been the largest preindustrial city in the world, with an elaborate system of infrastructure connecting an urban sprawl of at least 390 square miles to the well-known temples at its core."

Or in a word: Amaze!

The temples all were constructed as Hindu temples, but throughout the centuries, Buddhism gained favor and was practiced as well. Today, a mix of both religions are represented.

As I'll probably state throughout this blog, however, photographing buildings and landscapes are not my forte. That pretty much sucks when all of Angkor is just that - buildings and landscapes. Throw in some brutal light conditions (hot temperatures, flat hazy skies), and the majority of my images are not going to do this spot in the world much justice. But it's impossible to capture everything anyway, since the region is so vast (I was similarly overwhelmed when attempting to photograph Bagan in Myanmar last year). But here goes!

Temples include: Angkor Thom, Bapuan, Bayon, Banteay Srei (pink sandstone), Angkor Wat, Pre Rup (for sunset), Ta Prahm (with the crazy tree roots). I think. :)