I am now in my third country of my trip. After 3 and a half days in Bangkok and 11 days in Cambodia, I arrived in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam yesterday morning. Most people know HCMC as Saigon, and the name itself brings to mind allusions and images of the Vietnam War, or as it is known her, the American War.
What I have found, thus far, on this enriching historic and educational journey, is the far reaching impact and implications of America's history. How our imperialistic tendencies and corporate greed have shaped economic and foreign policy since WWII.
This is not to say, that America is the only country with blood on their hands, but I can truthfully say, that I had NO IDEA, the ground-level effects of America on the rest of the world. Sure, we all see McDonalds and Wal Mart in foreign countries, but there is such a deeper and more profound impact that our nation has had on shaping the destiny of the world.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Cambodia
Cambodia will always have a special place in my heart. No more of a cliche statement could be made apart from that. Cambodia to me is a place of rich history, pain, enchantment, mysticism, corruption and smiles.
I have been here for 9 days, and spent the majority of that time in Phnom Penh. A city I did not intend to stay in for that long, but one in which I found a significant part I could play, albeit a short one, by helping the children of the People Improvement Organization in the Stoeng Mean Chey garbage dump.
PIO helps over 200 students in Phnom Penh. All are poor, some are orphaned. In the class I am volunteering with, their ages range from 10-18. They are boys and girls that do not look their age. Poor nutrition has stunted their growth, like many Cambodian children, to the point where one 15 year old boy in my class could easily pass for 8.
They run up to me the moment I step out of the tuk tuk. They take me by the hand. They hug me when I leave. Perhaps they are so starved for some sort of love, some fatherly figure, that they clutch to whatever foreigner comes into their midst.
They track barefoot over broken glass, sheep dung, hypodermic needles and viles of blood. They do this, all the while smiling and playing, making make-shift kites out of notebook paper and yarn, dancing about amongst garbage pickers and truck drivers.
Here, they are getting a shot at a better future. One that their country and their government cannot provide. They face exploitation, from yes, foreign hands, and I find the tourists that drive by their school to photograph their faces, unknowingly using them as if they are a circus side-show.
Something has happened to me, even before I got to this school. Something about the people of Cambodia and their ways. Something about the immense suffering they have witnessed and that has shaped a dim future. Working with these students only furthers my belief, that even though it is idealistic and hopeful, I believe I can change the world. Even though I know it cannot be done by one person, namely someone like me, whose name does not end in Jolie or Pitt, or whose company does not do 60 billion in sales, I still feel the same way. That I can make that difference. That I can lead them to something better.
Cambodia is reaffirmed that this is the work I was meant to do. Maybe it is because of my upbringing that I can easily relate to these children, maybe that is the reason I am skeptical of the rich and the privileged, namely Westerners who exploit and complain at the drop of the hat. Maybe it is just my simple belief that one person can make a difference, and that there is no better time to start than now.
I have been here for 9 days, and spent the majority of that time in Phnom Penh. A city I did not intend to stay in for that long, but one in which I found a significant part I could play, albeit a short one, by helping the children of the People Improvement Organization in the Stoeng Mean Chey garbage dump.
PIO helps over 200 students in Phnom Penh. All are poor, some are orphaned. In the class I am volunteering with, their ages range from 10-18. They are boys and girls that do not look their age. Poor nutrition has stunted their growth, like many Cambodian children, to the point where one 15 year old boy in my class could easily pass for 8.
They run up to me the moment I step out of the tuk tuk. They take me by the hand. They hug me when I leave. Perhaps they are so starved for some sort of love, some fatherly figure, that they clutch to whatever foreigner comes into their midst.
They track barefoot over broken glass, sheep dung, hypodermic needles and viles of blood. They do this, all the while smiling and playing, making make-shift kites out of notebook paper and yarn, dancing about amongst garbage pickers and truck drivers.
Here, they are getting a shot at a better future. One that their country and their government cannot provide. They face exploitation, from yes, foreign hands, and I find the tourists that drive by their school to photograph their faces, unknowingly using them as if they are a circus side-show.
Something has happened to me, even before I got to this school. Something about the people of Cambodia and their ways. Something about the immense suffering they have witnessed and that has shaped a dim future. Working with these students only furthers my belief, that even though it is idealistic and hopeful, I believe I can change the world. Even though I know it cannot be done by one person, namely someone like me, whose name does not end in Jolie or Pitt, or whose company does not do 60 billion in sales, I still feel the same way. That I can make that difference. That I can lead them to something better.
Cambodia is reaffirmed that this is the work I was meant to do. Maybe it is because of my upbringing that I can easily relate to these children, maybe that is the reason I am skeptical of the rich and the privileged, namely Westerners who exploit and complain at the drop of the hat. Maybe it is just my simple belief that one person can make a difference, and that there is no better time to start than now.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Siem Reap-Angkor
January 2-4, 2009
On the morning of January 2nd, I took a stifling 6 hour bus ride to Siem Reap. A sleepy, little tourist trap 6 hours to the Northeast of Phnom Penh. Siem Reap is quaint and much quieter than Phnom Penh. If you find your self in this town, it is for one reason. To visit the Angkor Archeological Park.
The park is better known as just Angkor Wat. The latter being the most famous of the park's temples. It is easily one of the most impressive man-made wonders of the ancient world and epitomizes the strength and solidarity of the once powerful Khmer empire, situated where most of modern-day Cambodia is.
The park itself is massive, and we spent a tiring full day on the 3rd, using a tuk-tuk to transverse the kilometers between monuments. The sunrise at Angkor Wat was not the most impressive part of the day. That would have to come at being able to climb on most of the monuments, past relics of Hinduism and Buddhism, past stone thousands of years old, the transfixing faces of Bayon and seeing the massive trees that cover Ta Prhom. As always, passing the international onslaught of fellow travelers, is an unavoidable task.
Angkor Wat is a must-see. I feel so blessed to have seen the Coliseum in Rome, Pompeii's ancient city ruins, the Great Wall and now Angkor.
This was a fleeting visit to Siem Reap. 2 nights with really a sunset and a full day at the park. On the 4th it was off to Phnom Penh again, where we arrived around 6pm. Even complete with a flat tire on the bus ride, and another sticky bus seat, I was able to get some sleep and continue reading my latest book. The ride also gives you a good glimpse into the life of rural Cambodia, where people's villages flank the road sides, and irrigation ponds dot the landscape. Once look at this country and you would think it was Africa.
In all places, I bought a Happy Meal (though from a Cambodian fast food chain) back in Phnom Penh. Then it was a night of rest and relaxation. A 5 dollar, one hour foot massage was just the nightcap I needed.
On the morning of January 2nd, I took a stifling 6 hour bus ride to Siem Reap. A sleepy, little tourist trap 6 hours to the Northeast of Phnom Penh. Siem Reap is quaint and much quieter than Phnom Penh. If you find your self in this town, it is for one reason. To visit the Angkor Archeological Park.
The park is better known as just Angkor Wat. The latter being the most famous of the park's temples. It is easily one of the most impressive man-made wonders of the ancient world and epitomizes the strength and solidarity of the once powerful Khmer empire, situated where most of modern-day Cambodia is.
The park itself is massive, and we spent a tiring full day on the 3rd, using a tuk-tuk to transverse the kilometers between monuments. The sunrise at Angkor Wat was not the most impressive part of the day. That would have to come at being able to climb on most of the monuments, past relics of Hinduism and Buddhism, past stone thousands of years old, the transfixing faces of Bayon and seeing the massive trees that cover Ta Prhom. As always, passing the international onslaught of fellow travelers, is an unavoidable task.
Angkor Wat is a must-see. I feel so blessed to have seen the Coliseum in Rome, Pompeii's ancient city ruins, the Great Wall and now Angkor.
This was a fleeting visit to Siem Reap. 2 nights with really a sunset and a full day at the park. On the 4th it was off to Phnom Penh again, where we arrived around 6pm. Even complete with a flat tire on the bus ride, and another sticky bus seat, I was able to get some sleep and continue reading my latest book. The ride also gives you a good glimpse into the life of rural Cambodia, where people's villages flank the road sides, and irrigation ponds dot the landscape. Once look at this country and you would think it was Africa.
In all places, I bought a Happy Meal (though from a Cambodian fast food chain) back in Phnom Penh. Then it was a night of rest and relaxation. A 5 dollar, one hour foot massage was just the nightcap I needed.
Monday, January 5, 2009
New Years in Phnom Penh
December 31, 2008/January 1, 2009
Ask most people what they expect from Phnom Penh, the capitol of Cambodia, and they would probably admit that they have never heard of it. However, this deeply historic city has seen its turn of the good and the bad. From the Khmer Rouge, to the French, to the Vietnamese. Phnom Penh is ensconced in Frenchness, with baguettes on the street and the architecture to match. It is also surrounded by reminders, mainly through the citizens that lived through it, of the terrible reign of the Khmer Rouge and the uncertainty thereafter their downfall.
The city is riddled with motobike taxis and tuk tuks, beckoning for your service. The food, diverse as it is plentiful, marks a welcome change to the street food of Bangkok, though you pay much more for it. Guesthouses are cheap, at 3-6 dollars a night.
I spent New Year's Eve in Phnom Penh. After a $2 haircut and some beers with a street vendor, it was just a matter of following the crowd. Dancing in a club full of lights and the smiles of foreiners and locals.
The next day, however, was much darker, with trips to the Killing Fields and Tulong Sleng, a former Khmer Rouge prison. Just how this culture, this society, has survived an onlslaught of foreign invaders, a genocide unmatched in paranoia and terror (and international silence and knowledge) and a generally economically poor people, is puzzling.
The only thing that goes farther down the road of wonderment, is the enchantment of the Khmer smile, which lights the faces of Cambodia as bright as the blazing sun.
Ask most people what they expect from Phnom Penh, the capitol of Cambodia, and they would probably admit that they have never heard of it. However, this deeply historic city has seen its turn of the good and the bad. From the Khmer Rouge, to the French, to the Vietnamese. Phnom Penh is ensconced in Frenchness, with baguettes on the street and the architecture to match. It is also surrounded by reminders, mainly through the citizens that lived through it, of the terrible reign of the Khmer Rouge and the uncertainty thereafter their downfall.
The city is riddled with motobike taxis and tuk tuks, beckoning for your service. The food, diverse as it is plentiful, marks a welcome change to the street food of Bangkok, though you pay much more for it. Guesthouses are cheap, at 3-6 dollars a night.
I spent New Year's Eve in Phnom Penh. After a $2 haircut and some beers with a street vendor, it was just a matter of following the crowd. Dancing in a club full of lights and the smiles of foreiners and locals.
The next day, however, was much darker, with trips to the Killing Fields and Tulong Sleng, a former Khmer Rouge prison. Just how this culture, this society, has survived an onlslaught of foreign invaders, a genocide unmatched in paranoia and terror (and international silence and knowledge) and a generally economically poor people, is puzzling.
The only thing that goes farther down the road of wonderment, is the enchantment of the Khmer smile, which lights the faces of Cambodia as bright as the blazing sun.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Spring Festival-Part One
Each year, the Chinese hold Spring Festival. In schools, this is also known as Winter Break and it coincides with the Chinese New Year. This year, the Chinese New Year is on January 25. This is all based on the Lunar calendar. My school has given me from December 25-February 8 off for winter break. So, what to do with that time? Backpack across Southeast Asia of course. Here are some of the highlights so far. I will be trying to post some pictures in the near future.
December 25, 2008
Christmas was very chill. I spent it finishing up scholarship applications, getting foreign currency (i.e. USD) and getting ready to leave. That night I hung out with some friends and had dinner.
December 26, 2008
Packed and left Changsha on the 10:40pm overnight train to Shenzhen. Shenzhen is on the border of Hong Kong and is the gateway to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
December 27, 2008
When we got in (I am with my friend Stephanie), we hopped on a random bus to take us around Shenzhen. We had all day to kill because we were flying out of Shenzhen that night (to Bangkok). We spent the day chilling in some restaurants, taking a nap or two in a park and then just sitting at the airport.
However, what I learned of Shenzhen is that it is the ultra of modern Chinese cities. Rich, rich, rich. It was the first city to really be allowed to experiment with capitalism and the effects, from the numerous glossy skyscrapers, to the overpriced taxis are everywhere. Unfortanately, Shenzhen leaves little for the traveller and is really just a transit point, albeit a very large one.
The highlight of the Shenzhen stay had to be the trouble I had getting past Chinese customs. Long story short, my passport picture is very unflattering and I had to show two other forms of ID for the clerk to believe me. In addition, a Swiss Army knife and multi-tool I had forgeton in my pack (which I was carrying on) got confiscated when I tried totake them on board. Embarrassing? Yes.
Not the start I wanted but I made it to the flight.
Overall Grade for Shenzhen: D
December 28, 2008-December 31, 2008
We arrived in Bangkok at about 3am in the morning, took a cab to our hostel and just chilled until the next morning. Now there are many stories that people can tell about Bangkok. How it is dirty, how you can find whatever you want there, how it is really stinky, how it has great food.
ALL of it is true.
Dirty-Moreso in the ethical sense. I thought that Bangkok was a great city for the first day, but after the second day, I began to get really creeped out by the abundance of transient expats and sexpats calling the city home. It has a real sleazy feeling to it and some of the stuff I saw in Bangkok I cannot repeat on here :).
Overall, my time in Bangkok was spent walking, visiting a Wat (Bhuddist temple), taking a river taxi, visiting a night market (complete with donuts and shakes), strolling around the multitude of vendors outside of the Grand Palace and tasting some excellent street food.
The best part about Bangkok for a short stay, has to be the night life. I did ingulge in checking out Bangkok's gay club scene which is expansive and attractive.
There were many little adventures in my 84 hours in Bangkok. A few include the tuk-tuk rides around town. They are simply a must for anyone that travels in SE Asia. In fact, you will not be able to not use the tuk-tuk, which is a motorcylce converted into a taxi for 1-4 people. Just be aware that some of the tuk tuk drivers like to drink soooo.....cheers!
On New Year's Eve, Christina another volunteer met up with us, and we flew to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Overall Grade for Bangkok: A-
Big points for food, nightlife, culture and general feel of the city. Points off for sleeziness that transpires from tourist based economy and uptight and rude locals who overcharge for imported t-shirts from Africa. If you are planning a trip to Bangkok, just remember what the song says:
One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster
The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free
You'll find a god in every golden cloister
A little flesh, a little history
I can feel an angel sliding up to me
One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble
Not much between despair and ecstasy
One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble
Can't be too careful with your company
I can feel the devil walking next to me
December 25, 2008
Christmas was very chill. I spent it finishing up scholarship applications, getting foreign currency (i.e. USD) and getting ready to leave. That night I hung out with some friends and had dinner.
December 26, 2008
Packed and left Changsha on the 10:40pm overnight train to Shenzhen. Shenzhen is on the border of Hong Kong and is the gateway to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.
December 27, 2008
When we got in (I am with my friend Stephanie), we hopped on a random bus to take us around Shenzhen. We had all day to kill because we were flying out of Shenzhen that night (to Bangkok). We spent the day chilling in some restaurants, taking a nap or two in a park and then just sitting at the airport.
However, what I learned of Shenzhen is that it is the ultra of modern Chinese cities. Rich, rich, rich. It was the first city to really be allowed to experiment with capitalism and the effects, from the numerous glossy skyscrapers, to the overpriced taxis are everywhere. Unfortanately, Shenzhen leaves little for the traveller and is really just a transit point, albeit a very large one.
The highlight of the Shenzhen stay had to be the trouble I had getting past Chinese customs. Long story short, my passport picture is very unflattering and I had to show two other forms of ID for the clerk to believe me. In addition, a Swiss Army knife and multi-tool I had forgeton in my pack (which I was carrying on) got confiscated when I tried totake them on board. Embarrassing? Yes.
Not the start I wanted but I made it to the flight.
Overall Grade for Shenzhen: D
December 28, 2008-December 31, 2008
We arrived in Bangkok at about 3am in the morning, took a cab to our hostel and just chilled until the next morning. Now there are many stories that people can tell about Bangkok. How it is dirty, how you can find whatever you want there, how it is really stinky, how it has great food.
ALL of it is true.
Dirty-Moreso in the ethical sense. I thought that Bangkok was a great city for the first day, but after the second day, I began to get really creeped out by the abundance of transient expats and sexpats calling the city home. It has a real sleazy feeling to it and some of the stuff I saw in Bangkok I cannot repeat on here :).
Overall, my time in Bangkok was spent walking, visiting a Wat (Bhuddist temple), taking a river taxi, visiting a night market (complete with donuts and shakes), strolling around the multitude of vendors outside of the Grand Palace and tasting some excellent street food.
The best part about Bangkok for a short stay, has to be the night life. I did ingulge in checking out Bangkok's gay club scene which is expansive and attractive.
There were many little adventures in my 84 hours in Bangkok. A few include the tuk-tuk rides around town. They are simply a must for anyone that travels in SE Asia. In fact, you will not be able to not use the tuk-tuk, which is a motorcylce converted into a taxi for 1-4 people. Just be aware that some of the tuk tuk drivers like to drink soooo.....cheers!
On New Year's Eve, Christina another volunteer met up with us, and we flew to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Overall Grade for Bangkok: A-
Big points for food, nightlife, culture and general feel of the city. Points off for sleeziness that transpires from tourist based economy and uptight and rude locals who overcharge for imported t-shirts from Africa. If you are planning a trip to Bangkok, just remember what the song says:
One night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster
The bars are temples but the pearls ain't free
You'll find a god in every golden cloister
A little flesh, a little history
I can feel an angel sliding up to me
One night in Bangkok makes a hard man humble
Not much between despair and ecstasy
One night in Bangkok and the tough guys tumble
Can't be too careful with your company
I can feel the devil walking next to me
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