Farewell Saigon and Welcome to Phnom Penh!

Saigon from the windy rooftop of our hotel

Today is our last day in Ho Chi Minh City, and it started with our daily buffet on the fifth floor of the hotel where we picked from a broad selection of Vietnamese food as well as some American food. I usually eat the traditional Vietnamese food served at the buffet like the fried rice with chicken prepared with unique spices and served with a multitude of different sauces, but after almost a week I started craving the food I am accustomed to at home, so I had eggs and Frosted Flakes. After breakfast, we went to the 16th floor of our hotel where the pool is located and as a group we had a discussion. From the 16th floor there is a beautiful panoramic view of the many hotels and buildings in Saigon and we discussed the influence of America on Saigon while observing the skyline. We also reflected on our time at the War Remnants Museum where we witnessed the horrors of war and learnt about the brutal death of thousands of innocent people. We reflected on all the all the experiences we have had thus far and talked about aspects of our behavior we could change in order to learn more and improve the overall experience of our trip for everyone. After talking as a group for about half an hour, we split up into groups and explored the city one last time and. In our small groups we dodged our way past motorcycles(in Saigon hardly anyone obeys the few stoplights or stops when they pedestrians) and eventually reached the Saigon River. We have a view of the Saigon River from our hotel, but when we got close to the river we noticed that it wasn't as clean and blue as we thought it was. Never the less, there were still people offering us tours of the river. Since our flight was soon we couldn't go on the tour. After rushing back to the hotel we checked out of our hotel and headed for the airport. --Mustafa


After being able to sleep in and enjoy a nice breakfast, we all gathered on the roof of our hotel in Ho Chi Minh City to enjoy one last moment of Ho Chi Minh City and Vietnam as a whole. We quickly reflected upon our time in Vietnam and gazed towards what we were excited for in Cambodia and what to expect in terms of logistics. We had about an hour and a half to explore the city in small groups whilst being careful to not stray too far from the hotel. We then gathered back at the hotel, enjoyed a quick and authentic Pho lunch, and then headed off to the airport. After a 28 minute flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh, the Capitol of Cambodia, we went through customs, checked into the hotel, and then traveled to the offices of Cambodia Living Arts. We tried to watch the film "A River Changes Course" about environmental destruction in Cambodia but unfortunately the internet was slow and unwilling to cooperate, so we decided to watch it on a later day. We then went back to the hotel in order to get some rest for our big day tomorrow.--Willy

Still feeling the effects of crawling through the Cu Chi Tunnels and our long walks in the sun, we awoke tired and slightly drained. We had to eat our breakfast more quickly than usual due to the early call time: 8 o'clock on the top floor of our Saigon hotel. We sat in a circle next to the pool and talked about our stay in Ho Chi Minh City, and about the next leg of our journey which was approaching quickly: Cambodia. After about 30 minutes on the pool deck, we returned to our room to finish the rest of our preparations for the plane ride. Then we met up at the lobby, split into smaller groups, and without the guidance of our chaperones, explored Saigon for the last time. Some of us tried some adventurous activities such as fish hand spas (small fish nibble at your feet and hands to clean the dead skin) while others went to drink some authentic Vietnamese coffee. We often came close to death as we attempted to cross the busy streets and were met with a relentless stream of scooters, cars and bicycles. After an hour and a half, we met back up and departed from the hotel. Our last meal was at a nice Pho restaurant. Then we headed to the airport.

The plane ride was extremely short, lasting only 25 minutes. Of the 25 minutes, only 5 were spent fully in the air; the rest of the time we were either ascending or descending. Ironically, the plane had about ten times more films available than our 16 hour plane ride to come to Vietnam, which was quite odd. 

We arrived in Cambodia in the late afternoon, and were met by a pleasant guide named Chancy (the spelling of his name is unclear). He was very friendly and talked to us on the 45 minute bus ride to the hotel about the customs, people, politics, and religion of Vietnam. Our bus was quite glamorous; the outside was bright pink, the inside lined with ornate curtains, and fully furnished with a set of red and yellow seats. We arrived at the hotel, which was very beautiful. For dinner, we headed to Cambodian Living Arts, which is led by Arn Chorn Pond, the man who came and talked to us at Poly earlier this year. They served us pizza, the first truly westernized meal we have had in a week. It was delicious. We also attempted to watch a film about environmental aspects of Cambodia, but the Internet was not working, so the film wouldn't stream. Instead, we spoke with Arn for a while, and after promising to come back, we returned to the hotel to sleep. 

Though we have only been in Cambodia a few hours, we can already feel the warmth and the generosity of all the people we have met, and we are excited for the rest of our stay here in Phnom Penh, and later, Siem Reap. --Sachi

Our new bus in Phnom Penh!

Our guide Chanseng.  I'm serious!