Pedaling in SE Asia

Not exactly cycling, but just now back from a month in SE Asia and we did enjoy a few days turning the pedals.  Here is primarily a photo-log of four rides.

Northern Vietnam

Outside of Hanoi we visited an ancient village that "does things the old way".  The only thing is, as best as I can tell from my month in SE Asia, nearly everybody not living in a city does things the old way.  But it was neat to see by bicycle.

P with rental bike.

If you are going to build a village in Asia, do not forget the gate.

Still pedaling

And pedaling

Me foreground, P background, rice paddy behind

Guide Vu (with a tilda over the u)

Vu points out something pastoral

After a week in a big city, this is pretty nice

Rice is Vietnam's most important crop (duh) and the Red River region is one of the primary growing regions.

P and Vu and a rice paddy

Lots of walls with gates in SE Asia

Saigon

After Hanoi we visited Hue and Hoi An, landing in Saigon for a week of teaching at Vietnam National University.  And we got to visit that campus by bicycle one afternoon:

This day was on classic bike share rentals.

P. speaks with student J. (from Congo)

Not sure what that solar panel is for - lighting?

Host professor Phuc.

Students from all over - Indonesia, Malaysia, all across Vietnam, and Congo

I'm enjoying this, but how could I not?

Group photo. It was a nice group.

I should lecture him about the earphones while cycling.

Cattle on the college campus.  I like a place that does that.

Phuc and two students

P. with two students

I thought the flowers were nice.

Siem Reap, Cambodia

After Vietnam we traveled to Cambodia for a week in and around Siem Reap (the primary locus of dramatic temples, including Angkor Wat) and then a week on Koh Rong in the Gulf of Thailand.  Pictures from our first day in Siem Reap.

Patricia saddles up for a cycling tour of temples

Business model:  moto, trailer, dozen bikes.

A cool ruin of an emporer's lake-house

Guide Kehleur and his bike

A break from the bike

Manmade - hand dug - lake

In the lake house.  I quickly learned not to take so many pictures of the lame structures.

P. rides through forest

P rides through villages

P rides down dirt trails

And more dirt trails

The flora is really lovely

More gates.  This one 1000 years old

P and Kheleur

The reddish rock is swiss cheese like, but it is not volcanic rock.  It is used as the inner brick on many temples, with smooth rock for carving on the outside

The "Tomb Raider" temple, named for Angelina Jolie's movie.  That tree is grown into the rock itself, with roots snaking all over the inside of the temple

Riding past a water buffalo

There's the water buffalo

And a cow. The cows are very skinny here.  The buffalo look pretty good.

A lovely lane

And . . .

Travel agent set up this trailside breakfast . . .

Coffee, crepes, fruit.  Lovely.

P.

Some old temple complex wall to the left.

Another gate . . .

The "four faces" temple.  There are dozens of towers with Buddha faces on each of four sides.  Apparently it's the thing to kiss them, but we didn't.

And Koh Rong

We had five days and six nights on this resort island in the Gulf of Thailand.  I rented a bike one day and explored a little.  Actually, a fair bit of fun, including some washed out roads that were at the edge of my comfort level on a mountain bike.  No pictures, but here is the Strava data.

The jog on the northern end of the ride got pretty fun on a washed-out mountain road

I quibble with that estimated power line.  It was pretty hard.