All Templed Out and On My Way Home

I am truly sorry to report that this will be my last blog from Indochina. Today is our last official day in Cambodia, and tomorrow will be spent driving from Siem Reap back to Bangkok. I am so happy to have completed this trip, to have literally traveled through South East Asia and survived with a smile on my face. I was speaking with Adam, tour leader, and he told me that whether I liked it or not, I would be changed by this trip. I feel like same old Colleen, I told him, but he said the change will be subtle but it will be there. If you can walk away from an experience like this and want more... you will be back. I could write for hours what being in Cambodia has been like. I can't wait to talk to some of you, and tell you my stories, and perhaps get you interested in Cambodia, and traveling. This is by far the most corrupt, backwards, upsidedown place I've ever been. A police officer sold me a beer on the top of a 12th Century temple yesterday where I sat to watch the sunset! The election that is going to occur on Sunday (tomorrow) has already been decided. But I did see a European man wearing a blue vest which read, "European Union: Election Observation Mission 2008: Cambodia" Could you imagine the EU coming to the states to observe our elections! HA! And finally you have to pay the government to get a "good"job here, but teachers quit because there is more money in Motorbike Taxi driving.

I did see Angkor Wat yesterday, along with about 4 other huge temple sites. It is unbelievable the structures and carvings that were done with the most basic of tools. I will upload photos when I get home. One Wat (temple) was still covered with jungle trees and vines, and it was eerie to walk around. Another had 216 stone faces at the top of 56 different towers! I walked and templed from 5 am to 7 pm yesterday (no joke) and as you can imagine I was exhausted by the end. I have never been so consistently dirty, sweaty, smelly, and happy ever in my life! We reached a point yesterday where we almost killed a Frenchman who told our sweet Cambodian van driver to turn off our van to save the planet. Cambodia has bigger fish to fry than one van driver who likes his A/C. We went out last night to say good-bye to my two dear Irish friends, and our leader in training, Derek. Turns out there is no way to be hydrated enough here, and my few drinks (okay maybe it was more than a few) caused me to wake up with my ONLY SE Asian hangover! Thank goodness we didn't have to get going until 9 this morning! Tomorrow we board the van at 6:30 am, and due to the election tomorrow there is no beer for sale in Cambodia.

I do want to thank you all for reading along on my journey. As you can probably tell, this blog has turned in to more of a journal than anything else, but I really enjoyed this form of communication. I am already preparing my ear and voice for all the chatting I am anticipating next week!! (Look out Mom, Beccah and D!) And I'm looking forward to catching up with all my L.A. friends as well. It's strange, but I definitely view LA as home now, and have missed it! I hope that through my experience you had an opportunity to learn a little about this complicated wild area, and if you want more info. SIGN UP TO GO FOR YOUR OWN TRIP!!!!!! Love to you all from Cambodia! xoxoxo

Cambodia Anyone?

Can you believe I am in Cambodia now? I certainly can't, or am struggling to, even though we were hit right in the face with Phnom Penh (pronounced Pnom Pen) yesterday when we arrived mid-afternoon. My good friend Kusuma and I ran to the nearest ATM which was located oh so conveniently inside of a McDonalds type restaurant. What did I find? Oh all the prices in Cambodia are in American currency. ALL. And the prices here are much more similar to home than anywhere else we've been. Perhaps a good reality check for what I'm about to go home to. We also went into a supermarket (a first since I left) and wandered around to see the goods to buy. Turns out there is a LARGE ex-pat population here, and also a significant amount of NGO workers. It's bizarre. Large white men driving around on motor scooters...

We went on a long cyclo tour, then landed at a café to watch a film called Cambodia: The Final Domino or something like that. It was pretty interesting, and in an attempt to not get too political on my blog, let’s just say it recognized the US involvement in the “Secret War” and our support of Pol Pot. Interesting indeed. A wise woman told me, “Colleen, here’s what you need to always remember about history: Who told the story? When was the story told? You never know the whole story!” Thanks Lisa!

This morning we woke early to drive out to Tuol Sleng and to Choeung Ek. Tuol Sleng was a high school in Cambodia that was changed into a Security Prison where 17,000 people were detained and tortured before being taken out to Choeung Ek (or a killing field). They have both been turned in to museums/monuments recognizing the atrocities that occurred here. From 1975 (April 17^th actually) to 1979 1 million people were killed by the Khmer Rouge, and 2 million died due to starvation and other illnesses. I highly recommend reading “First They Killed My Father.” Informative memoir about growing up during this time period. The part that was actually the hardest for me (besides seeing skulls and bones everywhere at the killing field) was our tour guide. He was born in 1968 and essentially grew up during this horrible period in Cambodian history. Two of his siblings died, his aunt and uncle, and grandmother! Blah. Buddhist people have a hard time talking about atrocities, and so Rieth spoke with a smile on his face… it was so strange. To be completely honest, I don’t think I have the capacity to understand what has happened here.

Tomorrow we fly to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat! I am beyond excited!!!! It’s pouring rain here now, and we are off to a huge family style dinner out in the Cambodian countryside at one of Adam’s (tour leader) friend’s houses. Should be fun!

Cu Chi Tunnels or Disneyland?

I debated for most of yesterday as to whether or not I was actually going to write about my experience at the Cu Chi Tunnels, but I have decided that it is not fair, nor accurate, if all I talk about is the "interesting" things we see. Yesterday was by far the hardest, most emotional draining day I've had in a very long time. I knew that the day was going to be difficult, and I thought that I had be "mentally preparing" for the past few days, but there was no way to predict what going to this site was actually going to feel like. First, a little background on the tunnels. The Cu Chi tunnels were a system of underground roads, rooms, shelters that were used by the VC during the war. The communist gorrillas came down from the north and hid out in these tunnels and from here they would pop out at night and kill the Southern Vietnamese soldiers and their allies. The US bombed this area extensively, and poured tons of defolient on the trees, dropped napalm bombs, agent orange bombs etc. Needless to say, this site has seen a significant amount of trama, and death. We took a bus out (about an hour from Saigon) and our local guide was a 58 year old Southern Vietnamese man who in fact worked as an interpreter for the US during the war. After the US pulled out, he spent 2.5 years living in a reeducation camp. Wild. The energy was building as we drove out in to the countryside, and one of our leaders got up to warn us about the upcoming experience. I think he said, "If there is something that I feel you can't handle, I'll let you know." Now the whole group knows about Scott being in Iraq even though I don't talk about it very often. It's hard to be in an area that has been affected by war and not talk about your personal relationship with it.

We got off the bus at about 10, and found ourselves in a heavily forested area. Apparently it has only been recently that the trees have regrown. We walked to a dug out pit to watch a communist propaganda film which was so ridiculous we actually laughed at some parts. As we were sitting there I heard some blasting sound off in the distance. I had been forewarned that there was a shooting range at this site where tourists could try shooting all sorts of guns, including machine guns, but due to the fact that I've never spent time around guns (except for what I heard in the movies) I didn't really know what to expect. The sound is horrible, louder than I expected, and constant. It started to make my heart race. My emotional energy continued to build as we walked around the site and saw the types of traps the VC used, what they wore, where they lived etc. This is obviously one of the main attractions in Saigon, and so there were hundreds of people wandering around. My group, luckily, was taking the experience seriously, but clearly we have no control over how other people behave. Some American tourists were having their pictures taken pretending to be a soldier, or falling in to the trap etc. It made me feel really yucky. We walked around a bend in the road, machine gun firing in the backround, and there was a huge American tank stuck off to one side. On top of the tank was a fat white American woman grinning like the Cheshire cat, and I lost it. I knew that I couldn't stand there and watch people make a joke out of this war reality, and I walked away chin quivering. I can't emphasize the deafening sound of machine gun fire, and we couldn't see it so it sounded like it was coming from all directions. We had to walk right by the range in order to get out, and as we walked in to the clearing where the guns were, I had an anxiety attack. I couldn't breathe, think, see... all I could do was hear gun fire. Luckily Derek (leader in training) saw me, and he quickly ushered me around the next corner... but the sound penetrates everything. I sobbed, thinking of Scott, and soldiers, and war and it kept building and building. It took a good 15 minutes for me to calm down enough to take deep breaths.

So, clearly I am better this morning, and we are all allowed to experience moments in our own way. The people in my group were unbelievably supportive, thoughtful, caring etc. and I felt safe with them, and well taken care of. I still walked through a tunnel later on in the morning, and even went to the War Remenants museum in the afternoon. It was a hard day. But I am proud of myself for sticking with it, and I knew that talk of war was going to be part of this experience.

On a lighter note (ha ha) I did eat dinner last night at Pho 2000 (a famous Vietnamese soup restaurant) where Bill Clinton dined in 2000 when he came to visit Saigon. Pictures of him line the walls. They still love Bill here! Today we are off to Chau Doc (a border town) and then tomorrow morning we cross in to Cambodia for 5 nights... then back to Bangkok. Then end is definitely in sight.

3 Days in 100 degree heat makes me crazy!

It's finally happened. I've gone crazy. We spent the last 3 nights in Hoi An which is a small town in the middle of Vietnam. The primary purpose of this town is shopping. There are tailors everywhere who will literally fashion any clothing item your heart might desire. It was time to relax, walk around, explore the surround area, and shop your heart our. Those of you who know me, know that shopping is not my favorite thing to do, but you better believe that I participated! I bought a new pair of pants, and a cute little black dress that I am looking forward to wearing when I am not sweating all the time. Let's talk about the sweat for a second... I am honestly sweating all the time now. We've had no break from the heat for about 5 days, except for one afternoon thunderstorm that cooled things off for about an hour. Due to the fact that I don't want to be one of those travelers who spends too much time in the air conditioned hotel room, I've been going out and fighting the fight. This means that from about 6 am (yes I've still been getting up early to try to cram as much in as possible) till about 10 or 11 pm I'm sweating. I think it makes me feel a little crabby, and highly irritable.

All this being said, Hoi An was a beautiful town. 3 days ago I woke up at 5:30 to go to the fish market when all the little old ladies are bringing in the days catch. Due to the fact that there is little to no refrigeration here, people shop for groceries every day. I saw the most bizarre things in this morning market, including a whole basket full of ducklings (clearly someones bfast). Yesterday morning I woke again at 5:30 to drive out to My Son (pronounced Me Son) which are ancient ruins that date back to the 4th century. Unfortunately a significant portion of the ruins have been ruined from B-52 bomb blasts! I have seen up close and personal a blast hole. Wild. This morning I rode a bike out to the beach at 8 to sit in the sweltering sun for about 10 minutes, and then float in the China Sea for an hour! It was lovely.

Siagon/Ho Chi Mihn City is much more intense. Tomorrow is a trip to the Cu Chi tunnel to see where the VC operated during the war, and then an afternoon at the War Remenants Museum which apparently has brought every man, woman and child to tears. Blah. I've figured out that we go for an intense day or two, then take a break. Tomorrow marks the beginning of my last week on the trip, and we have so much planned between now and then I know I'm going to be running non-stop. Good thing I have a few weeks before school starts again! I'm going to need to REST! :) Hope everyone is well, and I love reading all your comments! Thanks for checking in with me! xoxo

It's all starting to sink in

We spent 24 hours blissfully floating around Halong Bay, on what should be considered a cruise boat, but is insanely cheap. I hiked up a tall mountain, swam in the salty sea water, and ate more fishy creatures than I have in a very long time. It was a nice opportunity to get to know some of the new members of our group. They are from all walks of life, and all ages. Nice enough, but I miss the people we've left behind. I was kind of wondering why we spent the time doing this amazingly nice trip, when I realized that we left Hanoi and Halong Bay to begin our journey to Southern Vietnam.

Last night we took a night train from Hanoi to Hue. We awoke this morning to Adam, our tour leader, opening the door and asking if we've been watching outside. No, was our reply, but we sat up, slipped out of our silk sleeping sacks, and stared out the window. I didn't see anything that looked too abnormal. Rice fields, water buffalo... Adam said, "Do you see those odd shaped ponds, the ones that are scattered everywhere?" Yes, they were easy to see. Well he informed us that those are B-52 Bomb craters, that have since filled with water. Oh sure. It's not even 8 am and we are in the midst of the main areas of tension during the American War (or the Vietnam War as we call it in the states). Hue, where we are staying tonight, was one of the main areas that was hit. Adam's idea for the day was to ride on motor scooters all around Hue. We boarded the bikes (helmets on I promise) at about noon. I did not return to our hotel until 6:30 or so. We rode for hours and hours, all around. It was an incredible experience. My driver was at least 60 but he was very sweet, and tried to teach me some more Vietnamese. We rode through rice fields, through alleys, and then ended up riding along the Perfume River. We saw Bunker Hill today, and across the river was Hamburger Hill. It's a pretty intense experience to walk through these hills, and hear a bit of history from a different perspective. There was one moment, near the beginning, where we were in the rice fields, and there was beauty everywhere I looked, and I cried. Clutching to the sweaty back of my 90lb driver, tears rolled down my cheeks because I understood that life goes on. This country is booming, and trying desperately to repair itself to compete in the world economy. What a day!

Tomorrow we are off to the Imperial Palace here in Hue, and then a 3 hour van ride will take us to Hoi An, which apparently is a beautiful, charming old city. Time is flying, each day faster than the last! I think I've decided my next trip will be to Africa! 41 days!!! :)

Off to Float on a Boat

We made it Hanoi, Vietnam all in one piece, but don't bother asking how many times I've almost died since I've been here. The drivers in Vietnam are worse than the worst drivers in Cali and Boise combined. Yesterday we walked around in the pouring rain for about 4 hours, and I stayed relatively dry, it's amazing what umbrellas can do. I bought a new silk top, as I was getting quite sick of wearing my tech clothes all the time. I did realize quickly though why I am wearing tech clothes here, and it's because I sweat so much that I sweat right through my new shirt in about 5 minutes. Nothing like wet silk to keep you cool in the humidity. Last night I went to Funky Monkey Pub to say good-bye to six of our group members. It is official, I have danced in South East Asia, and I don't think that I embarrassed myself too badly. Those of you that have seen me dance might feel differently...

Today we are off to Halong Bay to float around on a junk boat for about 24 hours. Very excited!!! Then down Vietnam we go!!! xoxox

Leaving Laos

Wow, I can't believe we are already moving on to a new country! I stop sometimes and think about how long I've been here, and I realize it's been almost 2 weeks, but in the same pause I realize how quickly it's all going by. There are moments here where I think about all the people who I am close to, and how much I would like them to see what I am seeing, or eat what I just ate, or drink a Dark Beer Laos (my favorite beer so far!). My group is wonderful, but I am also realizing how independent I actually am, and what an introvert I am. I get all my energy by spending time by myself, and then I am ready to share my energy with others. Some of the girls groan when they have to stay a night by themselves, yet I rejoice in that space!

I realized I haven't talked much about food or animals, so I will update you a bit on both. The food in Thailand and Laos are very similar. Breakfast every day is bread, egg, fruit, and (thankfully) coffee. Lunch can be just about anything you can imagine, but typically served with either white or sticky rice. Believe it or not, I am branching out to try new dishes (I've developed quite a taste for curry) and am eating tons of FRESH veggies and fruit. The pineapple here is unbelieveable. All the food is bought daily from markets that line the streets early in the morning. These are so interesting to visit, as there is everything you can possibly imagine for sale, but nothing is processed, all raw and fresh. Including, veggies, fruits, MEAT (just lying around) eggs, whole chickens still alive, fish -fresh and dried, etc. It's so wild. Not too many desserts, even though the other night I found a man making pancakes (actually crepes) and had a banana, coconut, chocolate concoction. It was DELICIOUS!

The animals are another story... first of all, there are ANTS everywhere, and I do think some of them bite. The misquitoes have not been too bad, got lots of bites in Thailand, but only a few here. Beetles of all colors. Butterflies as big as my hand. Geckos scurry across the ceiling of every hotel we've stayed at. There are spiders here, I'm sorry to say, and yesterday I saw one that was the size of a very large cookie. Yuck! People in Laos cohabitate with their pets, so there are also animals roaming the countryside. Kittens, dogs, pygmy goats, a few small horses, a few small cows, potbelly pigs, water buffalo!

Hanoi, Vietnam is where we will be arriving later this evening, and we have a full day of touring tomorrow, and we have to say good-bye to 6 of our group members on Sunday as they leave to go off to other things, and we will be acquiring 6 new people. Some of these first 6 I am going to be very sad to see go... I loved Laos, and this is a country I would love to visit again someday! :)

Photos

Monsoon Season Has Hit!!

What a crazy two days I've had. I don't think I've even stopped to breathe until just now, and that is only because it is raining too hard to do much else. The morning of the monks was incredible, it was a cloudy, misty morning (common here in Laos) and the whole group of us (16 in all) walked over to a temple to watch the monks receiving rice from the local residents of Luang Prabang. It was quiet, and peaceful, and the monks in their brightly colored orange robes were quite a sight!
Afterwards 3 of my new friends and I decided to be adventurous! We hired a long boat (a narrow, wooden boat with an engine attached to the back) to take us across the river to a different town. Here we went to see a few Wats (Temples) and a limestone cave with Buddha images inside. We really didn't know what we were getting ourselves in to. After climbing 300+ stairs to see an old rundown temple, I stopped to wipe the dripping sweat from my brow, and noticed the incredible view. It is so beautiful here, lush and green, and I swear it reminds me of parts of Indiana! On the way back down the stairs I saw a HUGE scorpion, and did my little screaming dance, and a small Laos girl came over with a broom and cleared it out of our way. Up the path we went, and found the entrance to the cave. It was closed, with a huge wooden door and a padlock. We were all so disappointed. But then, suddenly, an orange figure appeared, and it was a Monk (young, probably 13 or 14) and he opened the cave for us. He also became our silent tour guide. It was a limestone cave that went deep into the dark. No handrails, safety nets, helmets or lights. Thank goodness I had my headlamp!! What an experience, we saw bats, and climbed all around in this cave all by ourselves!

Yesterday the big event was our 3 hour trek through the Laos jungle. Again, as I am finding to be more and more common here, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. A small man led 6 of us through the jungle to meet up with the rest of our group at a huge waterfall. It was one of the most insane hikes/walks I've ever been on, solely due to the sheer quantity of mud, and slippery surfaces. I slipped 3 times, but am lucky as nothing is hurt except my ego. The path was so windy and narrow, and at one point I strangled myself on a vine!

Today we are in Vang Viene, then to Vientienne (capital city) then off to Vietnam! In 4 days we lose 6 people from our group, and get 6 new ones. There is a lot to be said for traveling in a big group. Some really wonderful, positive things (I'm learning a lot about Canada, Ireland, and Switzerland) but also there is little to no "alone time"! My Ipod with headphones has become my only break! I am so enjoying this experience, and am already thinking about... India? Central America? Russia? Where to next!! :)

Luang Prabang, it rhymes so it must be true!

I am in Laos now, and am officially exhausted. We spent the last two days traveling down the Mekong river (the 9th longest river in the world) to arrive at our new destination. Yesterday we stopped at a river village to see how they live. No electricity, no running water, making money by selling rice... yet they clearly have so many tourists come to visit that the children there knew to stick out their hands to ask for extra coins. It is hard to not give money to small children, even though we are not supposed to. Laos is a very interesting country, it's history is complicated. The people here are amazing, and a simple smile and wave does wonders here. Last night we slept in a villiage that only has electricity for 4 hours a day, all run by generators. Some of the people in my group were a bit freaked out by that, but it was nice to kind of be away from it all for a night. I walked for about an hour, down the main road, and was greeted by many people along the way. Turns out a tall, white woman, with blondish hair and blue eyes is not common in this part of the world. At one point, I had a whole troup of children following along behind me.

We are in Luang Prabang for a couple of night (and I get a room to myself!!!!). Tomorrow morning I am waking up at 5:00 am to watch the Monks do their walking meditation, where they apparently walk down the street with baskets and the villagers come out offering money to the Monks. A sight I can't wait to see. Life is good over here in SE Asia!!! Hiking on Monday, finally, to some waterfalls. It is official, I won't lose any weight over here, all I do is eat rice and sit around! Luckily there aren't many sweets, so hopefully I won't get in to too much trouble. But I do miss my spin class! Ha ha!!

Chang Mai, Oh My!

I rode an elephant yesterday, and that is pretty much all I have on my mind this morning. I recently went to the Santa Barbara zoo and we watched these two enormous elephants stand around in their artificial habitat, and it made me feel pretty sad. Yesterday was a completely different story. We drove up to the elephant park and there we at least 30 elephants roaming around! Yes, they were chained up, and yes their trainers used sharp hooks to guide them around, but for some reason I was not upset at all. I was completely overwhelmed by their majestic grace. Lumbering, playful, stubborn, strong beasts, with beautiful eyes, and hair that feels like steel wool. Of course I was the first person who wanted to get on, and I felt like a school girl, squealing with delight as I was lifted up into the air. We rode for about an hour, through the jungle, seeing the homes of the river dwellers. It was an amazing day!

Today I am taking a Thai cooking class. I know it sounds kind of strange, but apparently it is one of the most fun things to do in Chang Mai. We will be cooking some kind of soup, a curry, pad thai, and banana something. You all know how much I love bananas! We leave for Laos tomorrow (pronounced Lao), and I am feeling sad that we are already leaving this one beautiful country behind. Perhaps I will try to get some pictures posted soon, but please know that I am thinking of all of you, and wishing you were here!