Taipei, Republic of China / Taiwan

Coming to Taipei after Hong Kong is not fair to Taiwanese capital. And then in addition it is cold here (that is 25 degrees or less)... At first glance Taipei looks like any large, modern town in a highly developed country. Main sites are surrounded by streets of shopping malls, business districts and busy people. Only sometimes you come across colourful and lively night markets that Taipei is so famous of. For me however there were more like an exception to the rule, no longer an integral part of the city but rather an enclave constrained to few alleys in the middle of clean streets full of traffic. The truth is that the richer the country the more difficult it is to see what it is really like. You can still see enough to buy in to the story that guidebooks or reviews want to sell to you, but it takes time and inquisitiveness to reach beyond the facade, to see the unexpected. It is not that going random makes it any more real, factual or unique, but it just makes it more of your own, however good, bad or unbalanced of the experience it might be.
Taipei is certainly lively and vibrant. But for me it comes surprisingly close of my idea of an ideal Asian city movie scenery. All looks normal, comfortable and clean but there are dark alleys behind neon-lit streets, run-down whisky bars, red massage parlours and dodgy restaurants full of tattooed businessmen. It is like when you leave the cinema but you still live the movie and look for a next car chase or a kissing couple in the middle of the street. Or maybe this is just what I imagined exists behind the colourful facade...

Hong Kong

If you have a spare week and some money still left from a yearly bonus this is the best place to visit. My favourite town I have ever been to. Period.

Hong Kong has all in one - scenery, culture, food, entertainment, shopping and lots more. Whatever you want it`s here. It certainly does not come cheap but there are few bargains, like 10$ lunch at 1-Michelin star restaurant. People could be nicer though, a strange mix of business-oriented Chinese, seemingly party-oriented Brits (of the few that stayed) and all others who try to outdo the former or the latter. But hey it is still better than in most of the big world alpha cities.

Coming to Hong Kong made me wonder if I could live here. Forgetting all the advantages the quality of life in 30sq meters, 2,000$-rent apartment on a 40th floor in the shade of a neighbouring skyscraper cannot be the highest. One week is enough. And next one is hopefully soon...

Halong Bay, Vietnam

Google maps: Ha Long Bay, Vietnam

Ha Long Bay is a Unesco World Heritage Site and consists of thousands of limestone karsts and isles of various shapes and sizes. It is also a tourist epicentre of Vietnam with thousands of visitors every day. So it is really hard to escape the crowds even if you on a small boat. There are so many other boats around you that you never feel alone.
But then even despite the crowds and grey weather it is still an amazing site. Especially when you take a kayak and paddle to a secluded lagoon just when everyone else has already left for dinner. Or when you sit at night on a terrace of your boat anchored in a small bay sipping Hanoi beer. Until now Vietnam was fun, but not really spectacular or breathtaking - we had to wait for the best for last...

Hue, Vietnam

Google maps: Hue, Vietnam

Hue is just a 4-hour bus ride North from Hoi An. Hue was a capital city of Nguyen`s dynasty Vietnamese Empire for most of the XIX century and French colonial times until 1945 (French authorities governed out of Hanoi though).
The city was basically built out of the scratch following Emperor`s Gia Long reunification of South and North Vietnam in 1802. The city's citadel, the forbidden city and royal tombs aim to rival that of Chinese emperors but at the same time similarly prove the weakness of Asian empires of XIXth century so easily overrun by Western colonialists. It seems like Gia Long`s successors spent most of the time in court intrigues, perfecting the imperial etiquette and economically isolating the country from the foreign involvement. All of it ruined the country which eventually fell to the French in mid-XIX century. The puppet Emperors still pretended to rule out its palaces but basically spent time just entertaining themselves and building around. It is no surprise then that Vietnamese people quickly disposed of them once they finally regained their independence.
Hue was just a silent observer of Vietnamese history and as located in the middle of the country, only 70km South from demarcation zone, it often suffered heavily. For Northern Vietnamese it exemplifies the feudal history and for Southerners it still reminds of the glorious past. The US also played a role here heavily bombing the city in 1968 and retaking it following Vietcongs`s Tet offensive. The historical importance of the city seem to also be the reason why it has so many ideological posters, flags and Ho Chi Minh memorials. It is hard to believe it all happened in a small, but vibrant town on Perfume River...

Hoi An, Vietnam

Google maps: Hoi An, Vietnam

Again it took some days since my last post. Vietnam kind of slows you down :-)
After Saigon we went for slow and relaxing but uneventful beach days at Nha Trang surrounded with fellow Russian beach and vodka lovers. Then moved on by crazy bus trip to Hoi An, a sleepy tourist town in the middle of Vietnam.
Hoi An is one of these towns that used to be an important trade centres but due to tricky politics and changing geography lost its status and wealth. The speed of the decline was a blessing in disguise though - it helped to preserve the unique architecture of XVI century Asian trade town. It is a bit like Belgian Brugge only a bit younger. And similarly during the day it is drowned with tourists, dotted with little shops and cafes but then completely dies out in the evening. But unlike in Brugge the food here is amazing (supposedly Vietnam's best) and beer is not. In Hoi An they still miss chocolate shops but given the clientele they will appear here soon...

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam

Google maps: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

When I got to Vietnam, I had a feeling we left Cambodia too soon. The Cambodian feeling, the people, the sites will definitely merit a trip back. Or maybe it was just a contrast to crazy, hectic and bustling Ho Chi Minh City. We started bad getting screwed by a taxi driver (after all the experience and precautions it still happens) but then it was only better. The city has few sites, two must-see Vietnam war museums but above all has a lot of energy of one of upcoming world's big cities with big aspirations.
But despite all that the main thing I'll remember from Saigon was riding a scooter in the city's crazy traffic. And I have not even been the designated driver! Sitting on a back seat I was just a mere ballast at the mercy of Pawel's riding skills and imagination of fellow bikers. Every traffic lights you start in between 30 or more, you can slow down but never stop, trying to follow the crowd and avoid being crashed into by pushing wave at the back, and all the time feeling the exhausts of other bikes on your legs. But then there are also roundabouts, where scooters going in all directions mix with cars, bus and vans... But as they say you need to do like the locals do so even I gave it a try and was quickly waved by local parking security guys screaming 'Slowly! Slowly!'. But they did not know I just have not figured out the breaks yet...

Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Google maps: Angkor Wat, Siem Reap, Cambodia

I could not really make up my mind about Angkor Wat. I must say the expectations were high after so much hype. Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world is just one of many temples and monuments, all once located in the middle of the city with one million inhabitants and the capital of mighty Khmer Empire.
It is a must-see, it is impressive, almost intimidating by its size, symmetry, precision of the decoration, but for me it is not beautiful. It seems empty, misses history around it, too big for the jungle it inhabits nowadays. It needs the magic of sunrise or sunset to really come to life, or the energy of invading surrounding jungle to become moving and vivid. This is maybe the fault of the Khmer rulers that built the temples in 12th century but more as a proof of their own power rather than out of devotion to their Gods. And many Gods there were, Hindu Vishna or Shiva, Theravada or Mahayana Buddha. The religion did not matter, what counted was the might of the living God-king. And as such it was temporary and short lived. The Empire fell to the Thais, the city was abandoned probably after the collapse of the life-giving irrigation system.
Now Angkor Wat is just a proof of former glory and the city's grandeur. Unlike European cities built around mediaeval cathedrals, the city around it is gone. The stones remained magnificent, but the jungle, dust and empty space made the majestic spirit of the place barely imaginable...

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

After short stopover in Bangkok I hit the road again. Coming to Cambodia I expected little difference to Thailand but Cambodia proved so much more welcoming. Even though it is still poor it is developing fast and counting on tourism to be one of its main industries.
And Phnom Penh felt so much more relaxing, intense but peaceful. But visiting the city it is hard to escape its tragic past. It was at the centre of one of the biggest man planned and executed torture and mass killings in human history. During four years 1975-79 of the Khmer Rouge regime under Pol Pot's dictatorship almost 2 millions of Cambodians (1/4th of the country's population) died as a result of organized genocide or starvation.
Driven by outrageous ideas of agrarian communism, the city of 2 millions inhabitants in just a year became a mere village of 32 thousands. An operation of this size hinged on ruthlessness of the regime's security apparatus and Phnom Penh's notorious Tuol Sleng (S-21) had the worst reputation. Now as museum the prison is sober, silent and grey but still causes chills to go down your spine. Shockingly despite all that mounting evidence it took almost 30 years to get only few of the perpetrators to answer for their crimes. Pol Pot, French educated math teacher, died untroubled in house arrest in 1997. And many of his victims still remain unidentified...

Yangon, Myanmar / Burma

It took me some days to write a new post. Last days in Burma were really adventurous, small back roads, great people and first hand insight into real Myanmar. A week ago I was looking forward to going back to Bangkok and Cambodia, but when the moment came I was so sad to go... But then decided to finish in a style and opted for a classy restaurant on a last evening. Unfortunately as it often does, after eating street food for weeks, it was a big disappointment. The worst was that eventually famous revenge of Asia finally got me after two months. I think it was the white table cloth. Luckily enough I had a private room in Bangkok...

But Burmese food is not so bad :-) Oily but generous, few vegetables but amazing fruits, bony meat but tasty fish. And curry is just a small part of the whole dish. There  is always plenty of side dishes to go with - they are not very diverse though. Boiled fish paste, dried fish paste, pound fish paste, fish paste curry and powder fish paste to name just a few. And you can always ask for fish soup as an extra side dish...