Wednesday, November 8. There was an optional tour this morning to Banteay Srei temple complex. I’d been there five years ago, so I skipped it (and avoided another hot, humid event). After lunch we visited the Angkor National Museum. Very good displays, but I left more confused than ever about what’s Buddhist and what’s Hindu. I got the feeling that the difference is supposed to be intuitively obvious.

Flew to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) from Siem Reap’s brand new airport. Very new. Food services was overlooked in the grand planning. One restaurant in a very hard-to-find corner. Flight was unremarkable, except that the screens showed nonstop advertisements prior to departure and after landing. With loud audio.

After check-in I went outside to wander (9:30). Not surprisingly, motorbikes dominate the streets. Surprisingly, they dominate the sidewalks too. Parked everywhere. Men lying on their bikes, looking at their smartphones. Hordes of Young people sit on the sidewalks on small plastic chairs and wooden boxes to eat/drink/talk. Restaurants are open but largely empty. Seedy bars, with apparently very fancy bars in between.

I wasn’t outside the hotel 10 seconds before some lady from across the street began shouting at me. She crossed and followed me for at least a block. She wasn’t the last. I don’t know what she was offering as I followed my NYC training and completely ignored her. Possibly a massage. Men hawked food shops. Noisy would be an understatement. First impression isn’t favorable. On top of that, our tour guide spoke lovingly about coffee (which I don’t drink) and the ecstasy of adding coconut milk (which I also don’t drink). Had a Saigon beer. Nothing to get excited about.

No photos.