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Published: September 19th 2011
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Southeast Asia!? Well – we are here in Southeast Asia. I kind of screwed up the whole visa to India thing and last minute we booked a flight to Bangkok instead of Delhi. It was a hassle and a pain in the ass at first – and we had to wrap our minds around the fact that we would not be in India and would be in Southeast Asia instead – a last minute unexpected mental shift. But after all that, we of course realized that there could be much worse things happening. And – I love Southeast Asia! We spent a few days in Bangkok getting our bearings and figuring out what we were going to do. After Mongolia, we really felt like we were on the Gringo trail – Khao San Road in Bangkok is backpacker and traveler’s haven – only a couple days of that we could bear – but fun for a short time. Explored Bangkok a bit as well – temples, waterways, etc. We thought that we might go to Southern Thailand to spend my birthday on a beach – but decided to get off the main Gringo trail a bit and go to a beach
in Cambodia instead.
We took an overnight bus from Bangkok to Sihanoukville, Cambodia. Our entrance into Cambodia started at the Thai/Cambodian border where another seasoned German traveler warned us that the authorities would try to take us for as much as possible. This was indeed the case, as Pat and I were ushered into a private room and we basically negotiated a fee to enter the country – and we politely insisted on paying in dollars instead of Thai Baht, which is what they wanted (a much better deal for them). I’m pretty sure the money went straight into their pockets. Right away, this experience pointed to the level of corruption that exists within the government. It seems that the Cambodian folks are very well aware of this, but understandably so are a bit ashamed. Anyway, the beach at Sihanoukville was beautiful and pretty idyllic, with the exception of the constant onslaught of touts who are trying to sell you anything under the sun. It’s also really hard to turn down all the folks with missing limbs. We decided to move a day before my birthday and that we would spend my birthday at Angkor Wat instead. At 12:30am
on Sept. 9, I realized it was my birthday and I was starting it off right by munching peanuts in Phnom Penh (capital of Cambodia) on the overnight bus to Siem Reap (gateway town to Angkor Wat). That day on my bday, we rented bicycles in Siem Reap and rode to the ancient temples of Angkor. We spent a total of 3 days exploring temples, rural Cambodian village life, and a mind blowing (no pun intended) very sad museum about landmines in Cambodia. The museum is part of an NGO that helps support and house children who are landmine victims. There are still an estimated 5 or 6 million active landmines in Cambodia (many of which our wonderful U.S. government put there) – and obviously very sad accidents that happen as a result of these landmines. These landmines are the result of the Khmer Rouge regime as well as Vietnam War. The guy who runs the museum started the NGO in which he clears landmine areas and deactivates them. He himself had laid some of the mines as a child soldier of the Khmer Rouge – then he switched sides to join the Vietnamese army to fight the Khmer Rouge.
His story in and of itself is amazing. There are tons of people in Cambodia with missing legs and limbs and various other disabilities as a result of their volatile and sad history. I just finished reading a book about a woman’s story as she survived the Khmer Rouge – so heartbreaking and amazing how recent this history is. It’s hard to not scan my brain for anyway to help these victims. But the damage is done and people seem to be recovering. I’ve had quite a glimpse at some of the huge human atrocities that have taken place in the world – between Auschwitz in Poland several months ago, and now the Killing Fields in Cambodia. The last 2 days that we were in Siem Reap in Cambodia, the town kind of flooded due to heavy rains and the river came into the streets. Pat and I had rented bicycles to explore the temples of Angkor and it was pretty funny to return to town and ride through about 3 feet of water. The kids loved it. I really loved Cambodia. The people are so genuinely sweet and helpful. It’s a very mellow culture despite their recent horrific history
– and once you get used to the touts.
We took another overnight bus to Saigon, or currently known as Ho Chi Mihn City in Vietnam. I think Saigon is still mostly the preferred name. This is a super animated city – tons of energy and a lot going on. Vietnam is a total motorbike/scooter culture and the number of people riding around on these things is a sight in and of itself. In Saigon, we visited a war remembrance museum. I realized how ashamed I felt at how much our country really fucked up that war. But need to keep these things in perspective and it was good to see at the museum that they showed the protests that were taking place in the States. It’s all kind of mind numbing though. We also went to a massage institute run by blind folks – called seeing hands massage. Not a typical upscale spa experience, but nonetheless a good no nonsense massage for only $3.00. Although Pat’s experience sounds to be a bit strange as he said there was a “peeping tom” looking in the crack of the door when he was taking a shower. Interesting – we thought
everyone was blind. Anyway, it seemed like a good organization to support. Outside of Saigon, we visited the Cu Chi tunnels, which is a whole underground tunnel network that the VietCong (the communist group) built and used to fight the Americans and non-communists. It’s amazing at how extensive this tunnel network is. Pat and I were the only Americans on this guided tour of the tunnels (not many Americans traveling in Vietnam in general, we realized) – and again kind of hard to not feel ashamed and sort of self-conscious. We also took a 2 day trip to the Mekong Delta. Went on a couple of different boats and through some cool narrow river channels. Visited some small villages and saw production of things like rice paper and coconut candy and also observed a floating market where tons of vegetables and fruits were bought and sold all on boats.
We left Saigon and are currently now in the town of Dalat, which is in the central highlands of Vietnam. It’s mountainous and cool here and a nice break from the humidity that we’ve been experiencing. I actually don’t mind the humidity so much, but it drains Pat. The town
itself has some nice French Colonial influenced charm. Yesterday, we hiked up to the top of the highest peak around here. So nice to be in nature and also get some real exercise! We spotted a baby cobra on the trail too – pretty cool. We rented a motorbike to get there and I have to say I was impressed with Pat’s good driving amongst all the craziness. Today, we will take a bus and head to the coast of Vietnam, which is supposed to be quite amazing. Vietnam used to be known as the pearl of the Orient. I am starting to understand why. Lush green valleys – lots of agriculture – plenty of incredible fresh tropical fruits – and a gorgeous coastline. So far, I can say I love Vietnam as well. While the culture and people here might have a slight more edge than in Cambodia, still very sweet and heartwarming nevertheless. Again, the number of folks with a variety of disabilities is quite evident – likely victims of landmines as well, in addition to Agent Orange. Between the Vietnam War in Vietnam and the Killing Fields in Cambodia, it’s pretty amazing to observe how much both
of these countries seem to have recovered – while there is still much healing to take place though.
I have to say that after Mongolia, which I truly loved as well, but for many different reasons, Southeast Asia is sort of a paradise. Tropical fruits abound, vegetables, tasty and spicy fresh foods, gorgeous coasts, and lushness. Although Mongolia is much more untouched and pristine and vast unending spaciousness and skies – and I loved the sweetness of the ger culture and countryside folks. I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to be able to compare 2 such wonderful and varied cultures.
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Diana
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Well, since you are in SE Asia...you\'re so close to Korea/Japan! If you guys could swing it, Autumn in Japan is so beautiful. (Middle of nowhere Japan/Kyoto/Takayama....) Your trip has truly turned into an adventure though! How thrilling! Hoping everything continues to fall into place... :)