Photos of Halong Bay, Vietnam

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Photos of Cambodia

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Photos of Laos

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Floating Villages and Cambodia

There is pandemonium on the roads of Siem Reap, no general direction for traffic, and no age limit for drivers. Whole families are stacked up on motorbikes. We saw a woman driving a motorcycle in the rain with a tarp over three sets of legs behind her. When we smiled she lifted up her tarp and showed us a fourth set on an infant who was holding onto the gas tank.

Today we went out to Tonlé Sap which is the largest freshwater lake in S.E. Asia. It was after an epic ride and when I say, “Epic,” I’m talking it’s amazing we survived. We had about an hour of riding through mud and pot-holes, and hanging onto our tuk tuks to not bounce out. Somehow we missed all the oncoming traffic as we fishtailed our way to the boat launch. The engine of the 4’ x 14’ longboat went full throttle as we ploughed through the thick leaves. A large plume of water shot out the backside as the boat operator, his toddler son at his feet got us out to the lake. The 10-15’ tall bamboos that surround the lake are almost completely covered when the water level rises each year. People live on small floating houses in the edge of the lake, some are a little more than a shack. Others, like a school or a store are a little better built. There was a beautiful Pagoda on the shoreline that the community uses, especially if the water gets too high.

The children in white tops and navy bottoms taxi to and from their floating school together in small wooden long boats that are something like a cross between a canoe and a kayak. One child sits cross legged at the helm while the others read or play. People spend their lives on these little floating buildings with miles of bamboo reeds as their backyard. Most of the crocodiles have been removed though we saw one being loaded onto a truck parked onshore.  We stopped at a floating store that had a stuffed crocodile on the floor. Malia got a cup of instant Nescafe and powdered milk, which is pretty much the coffee de rigueur in Cambodia. It’s actually not bad except that it’s Nescafe.  Out back I saw a floating chicken coup, smelled where the bathroom must be, realized that there is no real sanitation and wondered how they manage their plumbing.

When we returned I splurged again on an $11 massage. Then we headed out to the Night Market, where the regular way of doing business goes something like this:

Sales Person: “Hello Madam, you like (whatever it is you’re looking at)?”

Me: “Yes, how much is it?”

SP: “I give you a really good price, it is $12.”

Me: (silence – while fondling said item, not smiling)

SP: “I tell you what, I like you a lot. I give it to you for $8.”

Me: (silence) “I don’t know.”

SP: “Ok, six dollars. Or here, you want two, I give you two for $10”

Me: “I will take one for $5. Thank you.”

Note: The actual price is always approximately 50% of what they initially quote… always.

The Khmer word for “thank you” is “akun”. We learned very quickly how to say to aggressive peddlers, “Te, akun,” or "No, thank you." Sadly most of those were the children that surrounded the temples at Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat is crumbling. It is being walked on and touched with very few limits. It is being wrapped by people trying to hold it up or by trees trying to reclaim it. We visited Banteay Srei and the heat was almost unbearable. It is a site that was dedicated to Shiva, and its name translates into the Citadel of Women or Citadel of Beauty. This may have been where women practiced a ritual related to fertility. The lingam/yoni coupling is prominently centered. Very common in Khmer art is the lingam stone standing upright on a square yoni stand. The yoni has a raised lip that holds water and an opening at one end that allows it to flow out. What is beautiful about this motif is the water flows from the base of the lingam out a down turned spout that resembles a labia. The “sacred” water that flows out of the yoni, this union of male and female is normal for the Khmer to talk about.

We then visited the Landmine Museum. It was started by a former child soldier who had himself planted tens of thousands of landmines. He is now dedicated to demining Cambodia, and there are between three to six million still in the ground. It is hard to write about this and I encourage you to visit their site and give to them. I realized even more so because I was there the horror of what had been done to these kind and gentle people, what continues to be done, the atrocities of war, the fact that 90% of the population is under the age of 45 and 70% is under the age of 30 because of genocide committed, well I was overwhelmed and began to cry uncontrollably. Because of the present day political and social environment in Cambodia, there is not a lot of information on their website. I will post a picture of some literature was in their entryway.

Before going to a “cultural dance exhibit” which was more like a buffet in an enormous bar with a really good band that no one is listening to, I got a chance to talk to Richard our tuk tuk driver about his girlfriend. He said that he is saving money so he can marry her. In Cambodia you must pay, basically a dowry, to marry a woman. If it’s an arranged marriage the father must pay the woman’s family. If it’s for love, you must pay her father yourself. He needs between three to five thousand dollars to marry her. Since she’s a doctor I said he should pay more and we both giggled. In the morning we all exchanged Facebook information, hugged, took photos and went on to our next adventure: Laos.

Hotel and Angkor Wat

Our little hotel includes free breakfast on the patio by the pool that looks like a reflecting pond with Buddha’s head overlooking at one end. The simple room for $25 a night includes bottled water and little one inch square sized soap. One of oddest things I have been seeing in all the bathrooms is their version of a bidet, which is a long hose attached to the side of the toilet with a spray handle like the one we use in our kitchen sink at home. At the end of the day we ordered an in-room massage for $10, with oil it was an extra dollar. 

Our tuk tuk drivers (we need two for our group) are with us the whole time and charge $15 a day, plus a tip and a meal of course.  Kaent is our driver and he is very kind and helpful. He has three children, and at night after their homework is done they may go up on their roof together and watch their small TV. The only way to learn English is to take lessons at a private school or to become a monk and many parents who cannot afford school send their children to the monastery. Our other driver was a monk. When I first met Kaent he said I was very lucky. He said there are many Cambodian people would like to go to Ankor Wat that cannot  because they cannot afford the travel or ticket costs. A three day ticket is $40. We’re finding that most places prefer USD, rather than the local currency which equals ~4,000 to $1.

Angkor Wat is a very large complex and we visited threesites today. It is full of monkeys and cats. It was built in the 700’s by the Khmer and the beauty of the stone work is indescribable. I was amazed at how the image of Goddess is present in all ancient religions and focused on those carvings. In the middle of one of the buildings was a fifteen year old boy painting stunning watercolors.  He was soft spoken and gentle and he told us that he had learned how to paint from his brother and then from his classes at the orphanage. We each bought one for $10 as a policeman sat by conspicuously present and relaxed. Maybe he was taking a cut of the profits.  As we left to meet our drivers  for lunch the sky broke open and in about a minute started to drench us. We scurried into our waiting tuk tuks, grateful for the perfect timing.

We had lunch at a restaurant whose sides were open to let the air move through. I realized the people working there lived in the back when I saw young people washing up in the sinks next to the toilets. Keant helped me choose the local dish, Amok, and a papaya smoothie.  The flavorful Amok was served with fish in a larger soup bowl with a cup of white rice on the side that you scoop in to soak up its rich blend of coconut milk, basil and vegetables. I want to eat Amok everyday while I'm here.

I am quoting prices because I am amazed at how inexpensive and materially poor it is here. One of the most haunting images today was of a little three year old girl who was trying to sell postcards as the deluge started. Her entire body was getting soaked including her diaper, and she keep singing over and over that something was, “One dah-ler." She gave us the most heartbreaking look when we didn’t need what she had. Yet on the other side of coin is a profound gentleness of spirit, a rich softness, an embrace from the Buddha in the Cambodian people which is completely invaluable.

Korean Air

They gave me a seat in the second to last row on the Korean Air flight from SFO to Seoul. I sat next to a young girl named Kitara and introduced myself as her new friend for the next twelve hours. The stewardess in their shiny aqua marine shirts and khaki pants formed a huddle in the waiting area as they studied the choreography of flight before we boarded. They were preparing to provide us with their signature “Excellence in Flight” service. There was a striking uniformity and it wasn’t just because they were all wearing the same uniform. I sensed their intense commitment towards creating the perfect experience for us, while keeping that stiff ribbon that resembled a pair of chopsticks clipped to the back of their tight bun.  With shiny aqua marine shirts, khakis, a scarf so stiff that its ends stuck straight out like a propeller attached to the side of their necks we were in for a very pleasant and courteous voyage.

There was a blanket, a pair of fresh head phones and a small light blue sack with a pair of slippers and toothbrush kit inside waiting at my seat. There was a USB charging port on the console in front of me and an A/C plug under my seat for charging.  The bathroom had l’Oreal handcream and wall to wall mirrors like an all you can eat buffet. We got a fresh hand wipes with peanuts as soon as we were cruising and soon after the first of two meals and a snack. I chose the traditional Korean boiled veggie and meat combo with steamed rice, little Kim Chee veggies, seaweed soup and oranges for dessert. And we got real metal forks and knives (!). They came by periodically with a fresh tea or coffee pot, and or a wine bottle in each hand like we were at a little flying cafe. When I started to feel hungry it was time for either a brownie or a steamed dim sum bun. The wine, movies, and all the food was included as part of their service. As left the plane I saw on the floor in first class a pair of slightly nicer slippers. I was totally impressed with coach.

Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Prague

So I am pretty much ready to go. I've been to REI about a dozen times, mostly to exchange things I changed my mind about (rollers or backpack? large or small? Do I really need that thingy ma-jiggy?) I settled on one carry-on with rollers, one over-the-shoulder bag and bought them from an entirely different store. There is the floppy hat, sun screen, bug spray, roll up pants, water purification, passport, extra passport photos, vaccinations, malaria pills, etc. and the dog sitter... seriously I've been planning this for months. With a copy of "Wild" and dozens of movies burned to my computer, from "Slumdog Millionaire" to "Brokeback Mountain," I am ready to go.

My friend Malia, of Altruvistas, planned a trip to S.E. Asia for her family and she offered me a chance to join along. She's an expert in ethical travel and the itinerary is amazing. I decided to stay and explore somewhere nearby after they leave and was blown away when I saw photos of Halong Bay, Vietnam. A friend referred a tour company who booked the week for me, and it turns out that my niece had her honeymoon there so she referred a cool junket for the bay. I saw that a group of friends were going to be in Prague the day after I was supposed to fly home. Well, I've always wanted to go there so I delayed my return from Hanoi to take a jag towards the Czech Republic. I may take a train from there to Vienna too, who knows? All I know is that this will definitely be an adventure!

This trip begins the next part of my life where I've finished my will, changed my name and now get to figure out where/what/who I want to be. How grateful am I? Very! Wish me bon voyage!