Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam in 14 days

Join us as we explore ancient temples reclaimed by nature, the mighty Mekong River, the hustle and bustle of the cities, and meet the people and natural beauty of the countries of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam. After a brief breakfast with the view, we're off to explore the self-proclaimed Pearl of Asia. We start at the Royal Palace, home of the King of Cambodia and showcase for the glittering architecture of the Khmer people. Built in the mid-19th century, these palaces and pavilions have a wealth of gold and jeweled Buddha statues as well as enormous murals and intricate carved and tiled buildings. Next, we head out of town to visit the killing fields at Cho O Nek. This now peaceful place was one of the locations for the mass genocide of the Khmer Rouge during the 1970s, when over a million men, women and children were tortured and killed. At the centre of the site is a monument to all those victims, a sobering reminder of the brutality of Pol Pot and his regime. Coming back into the city, there's time for a brief stop at the Russian market, where you can shop for handicrafts and local produce, before kicking back and letting a local cyclo-ripsaw driver weave in and out of the traffic and show off the sights. Later in the evening, we catch the customary tuk-tuk for a couple of dollars and a ferry to the night market by the riverside, where everyone gathers for food, drink and some late night shopping deals. We've got three days in Siem Reap to explore the ancient Buddhist temples of the Angkor region. First on our list is Banteay Kadai, also known as the Citadel of Chambers. It's a fairly small temple, but a great introduction to what's coming up. In the late afternoon, everybody heads to a crematorium temple called Pre Rup. We climb to the top to watch the sunset over the jungle and all the other temples in the surrounding area. The following morning, we start our tour at the inner royal city of Angkor Thom. There's always reconstruction going on here and we find out how the workers easily manipulate the heavy stones. The first temple within Angkor Thom, the Bayon, is famous for its historical bas-reliefs and the multitude of serene and smiling stone faces. Around the corner is the Bathuon and the Terrace of the Elephants, all part of the original royal palace complex. This is a great place to see Buddhist monks walking around. 30 kilometers out of Siem Reap is Banteay Srei, the Lady's Temple. Although built way back in the 10th century, it lay undiscovered until 1914 when boar hunters came across it by accident. It has a quite different style from the other temples in the area due to the use of red sandstone. On the way back, we stop to see two ladies at the roadside peeling, crushing and cooking the local palm sugar. Our last temple of the day is many people's favorite, Ta Prohm, also commonly known as the Tomb Raider Temple. I think the reason for its popularity is the photogenic atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings. We're up at 4.30 in the morning to take our place at the lakeside and witness the iconic sunrise over Angkor Wat, Siem Reap's most famous temple. Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world with the site measuring around 400 acres. We're not the only ones here though, there are literally thousands of people enjoying the view. There are three levels with the first level comprising mainly corridors and columns. The second level contains a group of four large pools which represent the elements air, water, earth and fire. Climbing up the steep stairs to level three gives the best views of the temple grounds. At this time in the morning there is a beautiful misty dusty quality to the whole area. The Rolawis group of temples are the earliest structures built by the Khmer people. They were constructed from brick and sandstone in the late 9th century. So after three days we've had our fill of temples and it's time for something different. So we're going on a boat ride to see a floating village and Cambodia's great lake. This amazing village is built on stills because the water rises so much during the rainy season. The village comes to an end and we're now cruising through jungle towards the lake. Suddenly mangroves appear at the side of the river and we're heading out on what appears to be a large ocean. In fact this is Tonle Sap, a massive 5,000 square mile lake that provides Cambodia with most of its fresh fish as well as water for the rice fields. We've traveled from Cambodia to Luang Prabang in the north of Laos. This UNESCO world heritage site is most famous for its numerous Buddhist temples as well as the well-preserved French colonial architecture. At Posey Market there's a really colorful display of fruit and vegetables on sale as well as live produce. This little critter is a bamboo rat and if you're feeling adventurous you can eat regular rats barbecued on skewers at a roadside stall. I'm not sure I'm quite ready for that yet, it's only breakfast time. Across the road is the Ok Pop Tok weaving center where we see all of the skill that goes into creating artwork and clothes as well as enjoying the tranquil riverside location. Driving out of Luang Prabang we stop at a local Hmong village where we get a display of creating cotton yarn out of the raw product. Don't touch that. I know, I've got a camera. Stronger, stronger, yeah. Yeah. Yeah? Yeah. Okay, you see coming here, no seed. One more. There's a seed in there, right? Yeah, that's right. And now you stay here for the rest of your life. On the other side of the road excited children in local dress clamor to sell us the handicrafts they've made. After buying a few bracelets we also get to see the local way of life in the village. Kuang Si Falls is a beautiful 60 meter high waterfall where we stop to enjoy lunch. Our guide has prepared a picnic lunch with a fantastic view, although it's more of a feast than a picnic. After lunch we follow the turquoise blue pools down the hills to the foot of the cascade where we and our fellow travelers enjoy a refreshing swim. Before leaving the park there's the chance for us to visit the rescue center for Asiatic sun bears. They're brought here as young orphan cubs due to illegal hunting in the wild. On our second day in Luang Prabang we get up at the crack of dawn to see the locals giving arms to the monks. To be honest it's mainly tourists here but it's still good to see this age-old tradition. After the sun rises we set off for a boat ride on the Mekong river. This immense river starts in China and passes through Myanmar, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia before coming to the ocean in Vietnam. Okay the whole thing for just us. Oh sorry dear. No what did you know? So we have the whole boat for just us. At a riverside pit stop we get the opportunity to try and buy rice wine. For added effect they've added a snake or scorpion to the bottles. We've reached our destination the caves at Paku. The lower cave is flooded with natural light and there are hundreds of buddha sculptures to be seen everywhere you look. Another few flights of stairs is the upper cave. This is much more atmospheric and can only be navigated by torch or candle light which gives the whole place an ancient eerie feeling. On the other side of the river we have lunch at a local restaurant. The crispy seaweed rice and river fish are delicious but the water buffalo is as tough as old boot leather. Later in the afternoon in the center of Luang Prabang we climb the hundreds of steps to the top of Mount Puzi stopping to see the various buddhist shrines along the way. At the summit is a small temple where some people are praying but most people like us are here to appreciate the 360 degree view of the town and rivers. Coming down the other side of the hill brings us to the main street. Beneath the royal palace museum the local traders are setting up for the regular night market. We're in Hanoi the capital of Vietnam up in the north of the country where it's a little cooler. First off we're visiting the 11th century temple of literature. Vietnam's first national university as well as a temple dedicated to Confucius. There are still many school children coming here to learn the history of this place. Next we travel to the ethnology museum to learn about the 54 tribes who make up the diverse population of Vietnam. There are many interesting artifacts inside the museum but the real stars of the show are the tribal houses which they've relocated and rebuilt in the grounds outside. Everything from tall community houses on stilts to long houses and funeral huts. The craftsmen of the local lacquer arts workshop show off their skills creating paintings using eggshells and mother of pearl. We spend a couple of hours in the old quarter soaking up the sounds and sights of this busy area. Lunch is a Hanoi speciality called Bun Cha, a marvelous concoction of noodles, fresh herbs, pork meatballs, roast pork belly and dipping sauce with chili and garlic. This is what Barack Obama ate when he visited Hanoi. In the centre of the old quarter is a large lake with an ornate red bridge leading to the temple of the Jade Mountain. After all this walking we let somebody else do the work and hop on a cyclo. The old guys cycling are so slow it would probably be quicker to walk. Some of the time they don't even bother cycling. Our final stop for the day is the Lotus Water Puppet Theatre where we see an age-old production of classic folklore and legends performed in a large pool by puppeteers hidden behind stage curtains. We're traveling from Hanoi to Halong Bay to take an overnight cruise on one of the most beautiful stretches of water in the world. It's a four-hour journey to the coast so we're taking the opportunity to watch the rice farmers in the paddy fields as we go. At Halong Bay we tender out to our boat for the next two days, the Dragon Legend Junk. Inside is elegant and opulent with a bedroom that would put many high-end hotels to shame plus a bathroom with an amazing view. The sun is out, a rarity in Halong Bay, so we head up on deck to enjoy lunch and soak in the view of the limestone casts which make this area so famous. At our first stop in Bai Tu Long half the passengers kayak around the bay while we take the lazy option of a boat ride. Back on the Junk we enjoy watching the world go by from our cabin window and in the late afternoon we go back up on deck to view a glorious sunset. All the overnight boats gather together as we weigh anchor for the night under a rocky island which looks ominously like King Kong. In the morning there's another trip out to a small island up a few steps is a secluded cavern which runs through the middle of the island and out the other side. Hoi An in central Vietnam translates as peaceful meeting place and is a beautifully preserved trading port with a mix of influences from many other countries. At Mrs V's cookery school we're here to learn to prepare a few dishes but first we have to take a boat to the market to pick up our fresh ingredients. Back at the school we see some of the professionals in action as well as trying some native dishes including some very weird items on the menu. Now it's our turn to cook and after a demonstration from our teacher we make four dishes including our personal favourite the local speciality of Hoi An pancakes. The next morning we cycle the flat landscape of the town to see the farmers and fishermen of the region. The abundance of water from the nearby river makes irrigation of the land very easy as well as providing plentiful catches for the fishing community. Even though it isn't the capital Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city in Vietnam. Previously known as Saigon it's much more cosmopolitan than the northern capital of Hanoi. During the Vietnam war the Viet Cong were the masters of the jungle and used the Cu Chi area as their base of operations. Here they laid all manner of vicious traps for the unwary American soldier. They also hid in a network of tiny tunnels underground, extremely hot, cramped and claustrophobic. There are also cooks and craftsmen around including a lady cooking rice paper and a guy who makes sandals out of old rubber tyres. South of the city is the Mekong Delta and we're back on another boat ride to explore the area. At a riverside sweet factory we see men and women making coconut toffee and popcorn. We even get some samples to satisfy our sweet tooth with a nice cup of tea or two. Back on the river we transfer to a traditional sandpan to navigate the narrow tributaries of the delta. At the end of the waterways we get a refreshing coconut water before lunch at a local homestay. The river fish wrapped in rice paper is filling enough but there are also spring rolls, chicken, rice, pork in a mango salad, vegetable broth and enormous prawns on the menu.