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Published: October 26th 2008
Monk, Umbrella and Temple
This was taken just before sunset in front of one of the temples of Angkor Wat. It's one of my favourite photos so I wanted it on first.I realise the heading is a bit melodramatic, but it's pretty much the truth. Unfortunately for people feeling obliged to read this entry I'm over the speechlessness and now able to ramble on for what will probably be far too long. Also, I don't know why but I've uploaded an obscene amount of photographs.
So. I left off the last time in Vietnam, with Ross having headed for Australia (apparently via a night involving Singapore Slings in Raffles Hotel in Singapore - how nice for some). Anyway, people can't seem to steer clear of Robin Williams as soon as they hear the word "Vietnam". From incessant emails to text messages from my mother quoting one-liners, I was inundated. Ironically I haven't actually seen the film. I probably don't need to.
I stayed in Saigon (apparently nobody uses Ho Chi Minh - that's so 1975) for a few days and visited the nearby Cu Chi Tunnels. This is one set of tunnels (there were many, apparently) used to fight the Americans during the Vietnam War. (Interestingly the Vietnamese call it the "American War"). Before being taken to the tunnels themselves, we were shown a documentary on how they were used.
A Good Place for Hide & Seek
I didn't volunteer for that photo. This involved an awkward half hour, as the documentary had clearly been made not long after the War and had quotes such as "this villager was a hero who managed to kill lots of Americans" and "the more dead Americans the better".
Unfortunately there were a number of American tourists in the tour group. The Vietnamese people themselves go out of their way to make it clear there's no bitterness but this obviously hasn't extended to updating documentaries. There was lots of nervous laughter, although everyone seemed to recover quickly enough.
The tunnels themselves are unbelievably small. In fact, the word small doesn't do them justice. How anyone even managed to get in them, let alone live in them is completely beyond me. I can't imagine the horror of living underground in such a claustrophobic environment. The guide announced that they had widened one tunnel "for all you large foreigners" in order that we could try walking (or more realistically crawling or - even more realistically if you have a stupid knee - duck-walking) through.
Crawling / duck-walking through that tunnel has convinced me I should never go pot-holing. Not that I was planning to, but you
Tunnel of Fear
This is the tunnel we crawled into. The girl in the photo didn't make it through. She's not still there or anything - she just came back out 2 seconds later. never know what will turn up. Inevitably I ended up following a gung-ho American guy who was loving every minute and felt the need to share his excitement. Loudly . The person behind me, on the other hand, started hyperventilating halfway through. It was so dark we couldn't see one another and so narrow that to go back reversing was necessary. We came to a fork in the tunnel which resulted in the irrational part of my brain taking over. I screeched at the American that no-one had said anything about having to make a choice over which way to go. He seemed to find it funny, whereas I was fighting what felt like genuine panic and claustrophobia. I had to keep telling myself to breathe normally and keep going for what felt like ages but was probably only around 3 minutes. Back out in the sunlight I realised how irrational I had been, although felt a bit vindicated when it became clear hardly any of the other girls had got further than crawling into the tunnel in the first place. So if anyone was planning on buying me a pot-holing voucher for Christmas - please don't.
The whole
Life on (in?) a Floating Market
Annoying tourists insist on having stupid photos taken while perching on the edge of a boat. experience was disconcerting even without crawling through tunnels. There's a rifle range where tourists can fire automatic weapons recovered from both sides (why?). There was lots of interest from the men and the odd woman (not me, I can't think of anything worse). Anyway, as we wandered through the jungle in tropical temperatures, looking at huge holes where bombs had landed, traps set by the resistance, the tunnels themselves and the odd tank, we could hear intermittent machine gun fire in the near distance. It all felt a bit too real for my liking. That's probably the point, but I was quite relieved to get back into the city.
Other than wandering round the local shops, I didn't do much else in Saigon. The next day I embarked upon a 3 day tour by slow boat to Cambodia (swimming would have been faster). On the first day we were taken to a floating market on the Mekong Delta which was really interesting. The people basically live and work on their boats. I expected lots of small boats with some fruit and vegetables, but everything is much larger, more business-like and industrial than I'd imagined.
We continued along the
Sharing a Joke
I didn't get it. Mekong Delta, stopping off at various floating villages. In one, the people make sweets from coconut which are exported daily. We all ended up buying the sweets but sickened ourselves of them by the end of the first day. In other villages, the people weave clothes, own restaurants for tourists, operate fish farms - you name it. The whole experience was fascinating: seeing normal, daily lives being carried out on the water.
Given the Mekong Delta simply flows into Cambodia, I assumed nothing much would change once we crossed the border, other than the extra stamp on my passport. This wasn't the case. The houses immediately looked poorer. By the time we arrived in Phnom Penh, it was clear this country was markedly less developed than its neighbour.
I spent all of one week in Cambodia and - as promised by the guidebook - went from open-mouthed horror to stunned admiration in 24 hours (I didn't even know I was capable of either reaction, both of which seem to belong in a fictional novel but apparently I am). The open-mouthed horror part occurred in Phnom Penh itself, home of the main prison of the Khmer Rouge and of
Khmer Rouge Victim
Clearly a threat to the regime. the Killing Fields.
I had wondered whether or not to go to the prison and Killing Fields as I thought it might be a bit ghoulish. The locals are keen for tourists to go though - they want everyone to know what happened. So I went.
I visited the prison with a French girl I'd met on the Mekong Delta tour and two Irish guys we didn't really know. One of the Irish guys was over 6 feet tall, built like a tank & cried all the way round.
What makes the prison so horrifying is that they have a photograph of every single victim displayed, as well as photographs of the guards who tortured them. Many of the guards were kids of around 13 years old. The photos seem to go on and on - thousands of terrified faces. The other aspect is that it's just so recent. Some of the victims were dressed in the kind of clothes my parents wore in the 70s. The fact I was alive while it was happening seems unbelievable (although I know being over 30 means I'm officially old now - there's no need for any sarky comments).
Killing Fields
You can maybe appreciate the title of my blog. The Killing Fields themselves seem peaceful and benign now. They literally are large, grassy fields. It's only when you get close enough to read the stark signs next to the sites of mass graves that you feel the horror of the place. There are still large areas to be excavated; wandering round knowing there are invariably bodies underfoot is not pleasant. At the entrance a glass tower has been erected and filled with the victims' skulls.
After those cheery experiences, the French girl - Carole - and I went to a pub and drank far too much beer. I don't even really like beer much but it cost £1.50 for unlimited beer all night (I was impressed too). Anyway, I don't normally drink alcohol to forget the day but I made an exception that night.
Sorry, this is very depressing. Stay with me - I've still got to go on about my stunned admiration. First on the agenda was the Royal Palace of Phnom Penh. The architecture is beautiful, although it was so humid I couldn't appreciate it properly. Even more stunned adminration took place at the Angkor temples near Siem Reap. A mix of Hindu and Buddhist
Angkor Wat: Reflection
I quite fancied myself as a bit of a David Bailey when I took this of THE Angkor Wat. temples, they are among the most awe-inspiring buildings I have ever seen. The sheer size of some is incredible; seemingly Angkor Wat, the most famous, is the largest religious building in the world. The intricate carvings and sculptures in all the temples are impressive, particularly considering the temples date back to the 9th century. There are over 50 temples and in two days from sunrise to sunset I doubt we saw half.
One thing that's sad but makes for great photos is that trees are destroying the temples. It's like a bad B movie - a sort of Revenge of the Killer Trees. Lots of countries have sponsored at least one temple in order to assist the restoration. Cambodia is still so poor that it obviously can't do much about the problem itself. Germany seems to be the leader - the German guy in my group was slightly smug. The British seem to be involved in a slightly obscure temple.
Surrounding the temples are hundreds of kids selling jewellery. Their English is amazing and the conversations are funny. An example:
Girl of around 7 years old: "HELLO LADY"
Me: Hello.
Girl: "You buy
"Five For One Dollar"
It was really hard to say no, but there's a limit to how many bracelets I can carry. bracelet?
Me: No thank you.
Girl: Yes. You buy bracelet. 5 for 1 dollar.
Me: No thank you. I have lots of bracelets.
Girl: You do not have these bracelets.
Me: Yes I do. I bought 10 from the girl over there and they are the same as yours, sorry.
Girl: No they are not.
Me: Yes they are - look. They are exactly the same and I have 10 now. I'm sorry.
Girl: They are same same but different.
Me: They're what?
Girl: Same same but different. Same bracelets but I have these in my hand and you have those in your hand. Same bracelets but different hands. 10 for 1 dollar.
Me: No thank you. I don't need 20 bracelets.
Girl: Yes. You buy from me. Where are you from?
Me: Scotland.
Girl: Capital is Edinburgh. You buy now.
Me: Well done for knowing Edinburgh but I don't need 20 bracelets.
Girl: Yes. Thank you. You buy from me now. 20 for 1 dollar. Or you buy postcards for the friends in EDINBURGH.
I could go on. And on. Suffice to
Killer Trees
I made the others stand in front to give some perspective. From left: Sam, Carole & Phillip. say I ended up with 40 bracelets, 20 postcards and a flute (nearly - I didn't actually buy the flute but it was a close call). They've obviously learned every capital of the world. If someone is from London they immediately chant "luvley jubbly" and "you plonker". I think they need to be updated from Only Fools & Horses. Although I did wonder what they should be saying instead. Answers on a postcard, preferably not a Cambodian one as I have enough.
I met some nice travellers in Cambodia - Sam from London, Phillip from Germany and Carole who I mentioned earlier. Unfortunately they all left before me so I was in Siem Reap myself for a few days. It was too hot to just wander about and there's not much to see other than the temples. I read about an impressive landmine museum but typically got a rickshaw driver who decided I should see the war museum instead. It was too hot to argue so I agreed. It was the weirdest museum I've ever been to. I found myself in a field surrounded by areas fenced off with landmine signs. Dotted around were lots of tanks and weaponry
Danger: Mines
This wasn't worrying at all. from various conflicts. I was the only person there and the place gave me the creeps. I left quickly. I think the rickshaw driver was disappointed - he wanted me to "understand Cambodia". By that stage I think I understood enough.
Other than India, Cambodia has left the biggest impression on me. It's frightening being in a country still so heavily mined you have to be careful to always stay on paths and not walk on grass. It's isolating being in a country with no rail network and very few roads. It's bizarre being in a country where the average age is 19 and at 30 I felt like one of the oldest people anywhere I went. I could count on one hand the number of local people I saw older than me. I spoke to a guy (younger than me, obviously) who said that there is a whole generation of Cambodians desperate to get ahead but it's difficult because there are no teachers; no professors left. The educated were wiped out 30 years ago and the country has yet to recover. The Cambodian people themselves are among the friendliest people I have met anywhere. They see humour in
everything. They are desperate to make progress and are frustrated that the process will take so long. Tourism is slowly helping to change their lives so I suggest you all go there on your next holiday. You can blame me when you get fed up being harrassed to buy bracelets or want to collapse due to the heat.
I'll get off my soap box now. I did say I would ramble on - I'll end quickly.
I had planned to go to Thailand but there were riots in Bangkok and, given my usual luck, I thought I would end up being involved in some sort of civil unrest. So I bypassed Thailand and went to Malaysia instead. Malaysia is much more expensive than anywhere else I've been in Asia so I decided to head to Australia a bit early to save money. I ended up just staying in Kuala Lumpur for a few days. It was so westernised I actually had a bit of a culture shock. I flew to Melbourne via Singapore (minus the Sling, sadly) and am now living a life of some sort of normality. Probably one for another entry. I'll try not to leave
"You Buy Baby?"
The baby in question. I was going to ask if his gold chain came free but thought that might be in bad taste. it for two months this time.
Food of the two months: sometimes the scariest ones are when you don't know exactly what you're eating and there were a few of those meals throughout Vietnam and Cambodia. Other than that, I have a few interesting photos of things I didn't actually eat but if I had they would definitely be mentioned here...
Quote of the two months: a woman holding a baby in a Cambodian market to me - "you buy baby?" Really. I'm still not sure if it was a joke or not. Could have resulted in an interesting conversation at customs. I wonder if that's what Angelina Jolie did?
Bye.
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Frankie
non-member comment
Good morning (it is here.) I don't think I can really say anything that isn't stupidly crass about your post but otoh at least I won't bellow lines from Good Morning Vietnam at you unlike some people we both know. My brother went to Vietnam on his honeymoon this year and had much the same reaction as you, which is not that surprising considering. In news of considerably less importance, Stephen seems to be using your room as some sort of impromptu studio and has been up all night playing the same line from the same song over and over. The weather is absolutely foul but the cat has flounced out in disgust all the same. I'm sorry to tell you he's started eating Billy again, I don't know why. (The cat, that is, not Stephen.) I have acquired a water pistol. He lacks discipline.