We traveled north today. The train from Coimbra to Porto takes only a little over an hour. The train was late, but there was a shelter to wait under that meant we weren’t standing out in the rain.
Porto is also a university city, in addition to the home of port wine. Today we visited the bookstore that inspired Harry Potter,a church, a coffee place, and had an almost 3-hour dinner.
We are staying at a fancy hotel, the Torel Avantgarde. Our room feels like a New York hotel, small but very nice.
First stop was the Torre dos Clérigos, a tower above a church.
The story is J.K. Rowling worked for a year in the Livaria Lello bookstore (118 years old) and its design inspired some of the Harry Potter imagery. We haven’t read the books or seen the movies, but it certainly inspired a lot of people to take a lot of pictures for Instagram. You had to buy timed tickets to enter and queue up! The ticket price could then be applied to book purchases inside.
Nearby was the Igreja dos Carmelitas. The outside of the church was its most impressive feature with the blue-tiled side.
Dinner was at a restaurant Ellen chose, Tia Tia. The restaurant is vegetarian plus fish. The husband cooked, the wife waited on all the tables. We had 4 dishes plus bread, and the meal took almost 3 hours. We became friends with the couple at the table next to us, musicians from Toronto. We had all sorts of dishes we weren’t quite sure what was in, but it was a memorable meal. Plus I got to dash to an ATM in the rain because we found out it was cash only.
We didn’t cover much distance today, just under 9 km of walking and 13,000 steps. But we saw a lot.
The hotel had a great breakfast, fresh juice, breads, eggs, fruit. All my favorites.
This morning, we had tickets for the Biblioteca Joanina at the University of Coimbra. No pictures are allowed inside, but I borrowed this from Expedia. It is exquisite. The university was founded in 1290 and once held almost all the knowledge known to Europe.
The university took over what was once the Royal Palace. It was amazing to see.
The next stop was Sé Velha, a 12th-century church. We don’t have things like this.
We followed yesterday’s pattern of a late lunch as our main meal of the day. Today’s lunch was at a Portuguese restaurant, Sete. We shared a salad and salmon with couscous.
Our afternoon visit was to the Mercado Municipal D. Pedro V. We bought a bunch of fruit for dinner: 2 passion fruits, 2 clementines and a couple of handfuls of strawberries. Cost €2.82.
Our hotel is in the city’s upper part, with the market at the lower. To get back up, we took an elevator/funicular.
Raining like crazy this evening, we hit the mini-market again and combined that with the fruit.
It was an easy trip to Portugal. We flew from Pittsburgh to New York/JFK. We had a 7-hour layover, so we split our time between the Centurian Club and Delta, preferring Delta for a larger club with more food choices.
We flew business class so got decent food and a lie-flat seat. It was only a 6-hour flight, so there wasn’t a lot of time for sleep. Portugal uses an automated passport control system; we got scanned and let right in. Originally the half marathon was Sunday, March 10, but a government collapse meant a call for a snap election that day. So the race will be at the tail end of our stay. And it means Ellen flipped our itinerary so we are in the north to start and finish in Lisbon.
Our first city is Coimbra. It is a university town, known as the Oxford of Portugal. To get there, we took the subway to the Oriente train station. We were able to get on a train 2 hours earlier than we had planned.
The train was comfortable and took a little over 1.5 hours. We took an Uber from the train station to our hotel, the Sapientia Boutique Hotel, near the university. We got a nice welcome, plus, they had our room ready upon arrival.
Coimbra is built on hills, so we walked downhill to find lunch at Tapas Nas Costas. We split duck and chicken croquettes and lamb chops. There might have been a beer involved, too.
We were in the lower town and decided to walk around. It’s such a beautiful city.
We loved the public art statues we found.
We happened upon the Mosteiro de Sante Cruz and went in. The porcelain tiles are everywhere here.
We needed a snack (and coffee & tea), so topped in a pastry shop. While we were talking, a young man at the table next to us asked if he could talk with us. He was a law student and the son of a Portuguese NATO official. We ended up talking for over an hour, sharing stories about our countries, politics, and lifestyles. It is what we enjoy the most about our travels, genuine connections and learning.
We stopped in a market for a grocery store dinner. Our hotel has a 6 pm wine hour, which we decided to visit. Trying to stay awake as late as we can, but fear we are fighting a losing battle.
Starbucks mugs aren’t easy to bring back, but each one holds great memories.
Looking back on our trip to Vietnam and Cambodia
We’ve been back for a few days, and I now have had a little time to gather my thoughts on this amazing trip. It was an incredible trip of sights and feelings. And food, really good food.
Optimistic People, Looking Past the Tragedies
Both Vietnam and Cambodia would have many reasons to permanently detest the United States. Not only did we bring war there, but we used our cruelest weapons, from megatons of bombs to Agent Orange and napalm. Cambodia has its own horrific history after the Vietnam War. But both countries have adopted a look-forward approach. We were warmly received and had several conversations where they were as curious about us as we were about them.
Observations
Vietnam wasn’t what I expected. Having been to Russia, former communist East European countries and Cuba, I was expecting Vietnam to be lacking choices and to have government control of information. I was wrong. Vietnam has a one-party market based economy. We could access any site on the Internet. Shops had huge varieties of products.
The entire time I was in Vietnam, I couldn’t square how the form of government there was worth sending half a million troops and sacrificing over 58,000 lives. Those poor young men and women who were shipped there to serve were dumped 9,000 miles from home in very unfamiliar surroundings. I feel for them. The names of cities that I heard on the news were real; they hadn’t seemed that way in the 60s and 70s. As an 11 year old, I wore the POW bracelet of Kenneth Hughey, a pilot from Tennessee. I remember watching television on March 4, 1973 when he was released. And here I was now at the “Hanoi Hilton” reading how our POWs were treated to holiday meals and could play volleyball.
You may have noticed, we didn’t visit the torture prison and the killing fields in Cambodia. That was purposeful. Having visited concentration camps in Europe, we know all too well how humans can be horrifcally cruel. We chose not to revisit Cambodia’s chapter in that book.
The traffic in Hanoi especially was something we never quite got used to. Motorbikes are the major source of transportation, with an almost organic ability to expand and contract into the spaces available. Even on the sidewalks that existed, you were not safe from motorbikes using whatever space there was to keep moving. We missed being able to walk, but the heat and the traffic made that practically impossible.
Halong Bay was exceptionally beautiful and peaceful, a great interlude in this trip. Hoi An also was nice to be in a smaller town.
I think we both especially enjoyed Cambodia. How can you not love a country full of Priuses?!? I found this article to explain why they are so popular. There’s a surprise, Toyota does not even export Priuses to Cambodia! They are imported from the US, Japan and South Korea. Cambodian mechanics have specialized in how to keep the fuel-efficient cars running.
Angkor Wat alone is worth a trip to Cambodia. But go now! It is hot year round and physically taxing.
Angkor Wat
Appreciation for the Trip Planner
I have to finish with an unrestrained singing of praises for Ellen. This trip took so much work to plan. She had to arrange 4 flights just within Vietnam and Cambodia, hotels, ground transportation, tours, tastings, restaurant reservations and more. And the trip was as close to flawless as possible. With language and time differences, that wasn’t easy. And she kept an open mind and ended up loving tuktuks! I keep saying she should be planning bespoke trips for the discerning traveler. She’d get nothing but five stars!
Ellen’s new favorite form of transportation
End of SIM Talk
And as a post-script, I guess I have to officially retire details about procuring and activating SIM cards. I wouldn’t recommend Airalo if they didn’t make eSIMs the easiest thing to buy and activate. We bought the regional Asia eSIM that was good in Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore. Use code DAVID7970 when you sign up or apply it at checkout to save $3 on your first purchase.
The guide books had recommended a visit to see rats at work. I admit it, I was intrigued.
Land mines are a huge problem around the world. Millions are left behind after wars end. 19,000 citizens have died in Cambodia from undetected land mines.
That’s where the rats come in. African giant pouched rats, to be specific. They have an amazing sense of smell and can detect the tiniest amount of TNT, while ignoring other metal objects.
I visited the APOPO NGO office in Siem Reap and got to see Glen at work.
They can clear the area the size of a tennis court in 30 minutes, which would take humans 4 hours. They go back and forth on a harness and scratch when they detect a mine. They are then rewarded with a treat.
After my visit, we had lunch at the hotel and then took a car to the airport. Still the new airport smell!
There are only 10 departing flights from 1 pm until midnight. We are flying to Singapore and then on to Newark. We are staying in New York for a few days to celebrate Thanksgiving with Andrea & Will.
We’ve now made it back to Singapore and leave in a few hours to once again take the world’s longest flight back to Newark.
Thanks for reading along. You may want to review all the posts as I’ll be developing another crowd-favorite blog quiz!
Why not lead with the money shot? Angkor Wat is incredible, without question a wonder of the world.
We had breakfast at the hotel, and we were picked up at 8 am by our driver and guide. We visited Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm. All are very near Siem Reap. We first had to purchase tickets, which included our pictures.
Angkor Wat was our first stop. After parking, we were walking down a path and got a glimpse that had Ellen and me in awe.
As we kept walking, the temple came into view.
We walked through the temple, admiring the detailed work.
Once we got to the east side, we got the other money shot.
As we were leaving Angkor Wat, we had our first interaction with monkeys.
Angkor Thom was equally awe-inspiring.
And finally, Ta Prohm is famous to movie fans as the site of Lara Craft: Tomb Raider. We were careful not to pick the flowers!
The temperature was in the 80s and touring required walking and climbing. Thankfully, we were greeted with cold wash cloths every time we returned to the car. And because the distances were short, we were back at the hotel by 1 pm.
Like other strenuous trips, our advice would be to visit Angkor Wat when you are young. It’s physically taxing but worth it.
We had enough time to have lunch and recreate at the pool in the afternoon. We picked a brewpub for dinner, Pomme Brewpub.
I went to the bar to see the beers on tap, and the sweetest employee explained what was available. She ended up serving us dinner and drinks. As we were getting ready to leave, she came over and we engaged in a conversation about the brewpub, how she made it through COVID and where she learned English. Again, an exchange that made you feel connected.
To end the evening, we made a repeat visit to Gelato Lab.
We’re approaching the end of this trip; we did our last domestic flight, traveling from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. The exciting part of this flight was landing at SIA, a new Siem Reap airport that opened just one month ago. It had that new airport smell!
The old airport was just 15 minutes from the city, the new one is almost an hour away. We had arranged for a car from the hotel to pick us up, but our flight time had changed and they told us they couldn’t get flight information from the new airport. I used Skype to contact the hotel (remember my advice to always have Skype credit when traveling internationally, you never know when you’ll have to make a call). Once we realized the miscommunication, I requested a Grab which was there in a minute or so.
We are staying at the Shinta Mani Angkor Villas, a boutique hotel in the French Quarter. It’s lovely!
The hotel suggested Chanrey Tree for lunch, just a few minute walk from the hotel. We had spring rolls and chicken, very good.
We relaxed at the pool again, why not?!? Dinner was across the river at Sugar Palm, a Khmer restaurant. We had beef skewers and chicken satay as an appetizer, Ellen had ribs for dinner and I had beef.
We had seen a recommended gelato place in Lonely Planet, so sent our tuktuk in that direction. Gelato Lab was in an area with tons of restaurants and near a night market. We enjoyed the experience.
Tomorrow is our last full day and one of the main attractions of this trip, our visit to Angkor Wat.
We had 3 sites we wanted to get to today, and we did them, had lunch and were back at the hotel by 1. That is partly because of tuktuks.
I had suggested trying them today to get around, and Ellen begrudgingly agreed for one trip. Well, she is sold and we used them all day! FYI, they run on liquid propane, so pollute less.
You call them via the Grab app, so you still don’t have to give your destination or haggle with payment. So easy!
Our first stop was the Royal Palace andSilver Pagoda. You can tell by the pictures that we had a nice day with clear skies.
Royal Palace
We guided ourselves with the benefit of a map they provided.
Silver Pagoda
A short tuktuk ride and we were at the National Museum. They had art and artifacts dating back 1500 years. Photos were not allowed inside.
Last stop was the Central Market. I wanted to visit mostly for the architecture, but Ellen did find some nice jewelry.
Ellen searched Frommers and found a great place for lunch, The Shop, where I had soup and we had sandwiches.
We came back to the hotel and spent the afternoon at the pool. Very relaxing.
Dinner tonight was at a Cambodian restaurant, Malis. We ate outdoors in a covered courtyard with fans, very comfortable.
We ordered many dishes and did our best to eat as much as we could. We had beef, duck, pineapple fried rice and morning glory. All very tasty!
A tuktuk got us home, as I took a few pictures along the way.
A travel day, so more in the way of observations than activities.
We got to the airport in HCMC early. Too early, it turns out. They don’t start checking each flight in until 2.5 hours before the flight. So we had to wait 1/2 an hour to check in. We snaked through a Disney-type line to get through emigration. Security was then quick as they had a separate line for premium economy.
It was less than an hour flight from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh. A 1 pm flight had us arriving by 2 pm. We had secured e-visas before leaving, so getting through immigration was very easy.
Ellen made this hotel stay a splurge; we are staying at the Raffles Le Hotel Royal. It was built by the French in 1929 and has been restored to its original grandeur. We sat in the lobby as they collected our passports and took care of the paperwork to check us in.
The first thing I noticed when we arrived is there are A LOT of Toyota Piruses. As in maybe one of every three cars. Having driven a Prius from 2005 to 2018, it makes me feel very at home. And glad for the environment here. Toyota seems to have very high market share, as most cars are either Toyota or Lexus. We saw zero Priuses in Vietnam, which surprised me. Both of our Grab rides were in Priuses.
We had noticed a Starbucks near the hotel, so we made that our first destination to add to our country mug collection.
We had a drink in the afternoon at the Elephant Bar. It has hosted famous people from Jackie O to Angelina Jolie. Ellen had the Femme Fatale, Jackie’s drink.
We had made a dinner reservation at Le Langka, a French restaurant. We took a Grab to get there, right at evening rush hour. Not for the faint of heart. Phnom Penh has the same craziness of motorbikes and cars, with tuktuks thrown in for extra mayhem.
I had pumpkin soup to start and we shared a sirloin steak for dinner. After dessert, one of the partners in the restaurant came by to welcome us. We ended up talking for 5 minutes. He asked the marketing question I always ask, how did we find out and choose the restaurant. We told him we had seen it listed in Lonely Planet and then searched out reviews. We had a great meal and a calmer Grab ride to get home.
Traveling with Ellen & David 