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September 15th 2007

Published: September 15th 2007

Well hello there, i know it has been a while but when you are traveling by boat to Socialist countries it is not always the easiest of things to do, and surprisingly can take some time to do. But i am here now in the lovley land of Vietnam and am really liking it, i traveled from Siam Reap to Battenbong in the north west but was none to impressed and so made my way down to the coast where i stayed longer then intended, but thats the beauty of traveling on a one way ticket, i have no flights that i have to meet so i have no real time frame. I loved it down on the coast, did some cambodian cooking classes, where i ate so much food that i had to have a little cat nap and then couldn't eat for the next few days as i was still so full, that will learn me; went on a day trip snorkling and out to some remote islands, all very nice and chilled out. Partied at the red moon party, but we didn't see any red moon action and so asked the organised what kind of compensation they could give for their false advertising...aparently none. But was still fun. Went and saw an NGO working with street kids in the local neighbourhoods, was amazing talking to them, about how they are tryign to educate not only the kids but their families also, to get them into schools or learns skills, rather then just selling bracelets to tourists on the beach. There is also another NGO that i went and visited in the capital called "Child Safe" again its about education and getting the local comunties involved with protecting these kids. Lots of tuk tuk drivers and hotels are behind the seem, and they even have a number you can call 24 hours a day to report a hurt child or one who you think might be in danger. Amazing NGO, all run by Cambodians. I gave them a big donation.

I really liked the Capital, even if it rained moonsoon floods, so much so that when riding about on motobikes you have to lift up your legs or you would be drenched out. But it was an intresting city, the high school, S021 which was turned into the main death and torture building was as expected horendous. The building has been left much as it was 28 years ago, they have beds with chains still attached to them and blood up the walls, photos of some of the million or so people, children, tourists who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, anyone who aposed the system. It was amazing seeing the photos and knowing what happened to them in this building. They showed a documentry of some of the guards now talking to some of the victims to survived; it was heartbreaking seeing how they forgave these people of what they were forced to do, the Cambodians see what they did as worse then what happend in WW2 as they did it to them-selves and are ashamed of what they did to their own people.

The killing fields are about 16ks out of town and is a nice ride to get there, the fields have a monument in the middle which is full of skulls and some of the clothes of the victims who were murdered there. You walk around the grounds and see bones and clothing sticking out of the ground and you feel sick. You walk past a tree and there is a message telling you that children where beaten against this tree and then killed. At some point i sat in the shade and cried. My tuk tuk man came and sat with me, neither of us said very much, in that kind of a place there is nothing much that can be said.

I spent the rest of my time walking around the city going to nation museums, drikinking local beer at the Forigne corespondence club while watching the amazing street life of Cambodia beneith me. Meeting people i had traveled with in Loas in the club, " the heart of darkness" totally by accident. Spent the night dancing away but was totally out danced by the local lady-boys and their boyfriends.

I decied that a boat would be the best option of getting into Vietnam, the had romantic ideas of the Mekong delta, and seeing passing villages along the banks, eating rumbatan and relazing my way into the Nam. And to be honest it was mostly like that, a bumpy dodgy bus ride to the river and then it was just me on the boat into Vietnam, the crossing was easy and quick you are met by a really nice woman called San who takes you though the medical check up and visa control, which included giving them some $'s and you getting a stamp, no need to cough boys!!! The rest of the boat trip was as i thorght, local children smiling and waving at you, rumbatan was shared and enjoyed, tuk tuks were haggeled over and Siagon here i came.

I had heard so many mixed things about Vietnam that i was worried that i would not like it, fear not my little friends, Ho Chi Minh or Siagon as all the locals still call it is by far one of the coolest cities i have ever been to, more moto then i have even seen in my whole life, amazing Chu Chu tunnels to go and explore, though i did get down there and freak out a little bit, well maybe more then that and have to come back up again, i would have been a rubbish Viet Kong. Not being able to live down in the 200+ Kms of tunnels, i was impressed with the rest of the group who crawled and scraped their way though 90ms of the things...not me. I saw lots of trap doors with horrible spikes underneith, just to make sure that the enemy was definantly dead. I though that there might be more resentment towards the Yanks and Aussies traveling here after all that happened, but no the locals i have met love them, and are fully involved with their music and films, though if you ask a 16 year old who their fav band is they say westlife....not sure what that is all about?

The war museum was the best thing i have gone to in all my travels, the was photo journalism was graffic, unfogiving, brutely honest and the best exerbition i have seen about what really happened in the war. There were photos of the American army holding a screaming child with a knife to their neck, accounts of them using the butt of their gun to kill villages of people so as to save on bullets, or just kick their heads in. I saw the effects of agent orange, and the son of the man who gave the order to use it, coming back to Vietnam to ask for the peoples forgivness. Deformed featus in jars and tiger cells; a B52 American Bomber refusing to fly any more, as he " could not in good conscience kill any more people" harrowing stuff but a must to begin to understand the country and how and why it is the way it is.

I am doing an open bus ticket up the country, so i have stopped at small beach town, gone on motobike rides in the mountains in Delat, even felt cold being 2000+ meters up, now that was an emotion i have not felt in 5 months, i even had to ware socks!!! My feet still have not recoved from that experience. Found a cafe which was actually someones house, he is a famous poet, who writes on scrols and makes very good hot chocolate. He made me a scrol/poem which is now my new book mark. He was a read card, the best beard i have seen in quite a while. I am now in Na trang, been out to the islands, got stung by small jellfish, not nice. The coral was ok, but having been to Thailand and Oz, i am just spoilt and not much now compares. had some big nights out, with a girl from York who is on my bus. She as been teaching english here, so knows the craic.

Going on a fun night bus tonight to Hoian only 10 hours, which is where all the tailors on Vietnam live, so might be getting some dresses made. Its ment to have a nice beach, and more diving, but i might just wait for Malaysia?

Hope all is well back home and see you here or on Facebook, how adictive is it????

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