Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Today has been one heck of a day! My alarm went off at 5:30am, I was to the bus station by 6, and we were on our way to Ho Chi Minh City by 6:30. An uneventful 6 hours later, we arrived in Vietnam's capital city. I was supposed to meet up with Brian, a Canadian and fellow couchsurfer who lives here, but after sitting outside Lotteria, an Italian fast-food franchise and our designated meeting spot, for over 2 hours, I gave up. I hitched a ride to the local backpacker area and found a nice, clean guest house for the night. The guest house is run by Hun and his wife. The first thing I noticed when I walked in, was a man laying on the floor. I was started at first, but quickly realized that the man was actually their son and quadrapalegic. With no wheelchair to sit in, he is confined to living out his life laying on the floor and at the mercy of his parents, trapped in his contorted and imobile body. I don't have a clue how old he is, but he doesn't look older than 15 or 16. I make a point to smile and wave everytime I pass him.

This guest house is so clean! I won't even have to use my sleep sheet tonight and it has hot water and a western toilet!! Oh yea, and they have 2 chiuwawas...which Hun's wife affectionately refers to as her Mexican Dogs.

Terrified

Last night may have very well been the scariest night of my life. Bea and I crawled into our sheisty little bed and tucked ourselves in (aka got inside our sleep sheets and covered ourselves with the hole-filled mosquito net. Moments later, we hear what sounds like rifle shots in the distance. Then, a creature scurries along the wall by our heads. Scared, Bea shines her headlamp along the wall, to find a huge spider. More rifle shots and more scurrying creatures. We both lay there, terrified of our surroundings. Finally drifting off to sleep sometime near dawn, the roosters began to sound their morning alarm and at that point, sleep was a lost dream.

Sihanoukville

We've been in Sihanoukville for two days now and I had so much fun! S-ville is a sleepy fishing village that has had a recent explosion in tourism. Guest houses and restaurants are popping upon top of eachother as locals clamor to take advantage of the new tourism market.

This past weekend was Cambodia's annual Water Festival, a national holiday that celebrates the reversal of the water flow on Lake Tonle Sap. All well-to-do Cambodian's flock to the coast for three days, which just happened to be the same weekend we were there. The beaches were absolutely packed--not with westerners, but with Cambodians. It was a pleasant surprise to see locals celebrating and enjoying themselves, taking a break from their everyday lives to spend time with their families.

We spent today exploring the islands off of Cambodia's coast. We snorkelled, hiked, and swam the day away--it was perfect. The snorkelling here isn't great by any standards, as the visibility is quite low, but being one with schools of fish is always exhilerating! Most of the day was spent on Bamboo island, which was stunning. The crystal clear waters lapped up to powder like sand. There were very few people, no children trying to sell us things, and no women offering panicures, pedicures, or massages. My favorite part of the day was diving off the side of our boat into the warm, turquoise-blue waters of the Gulf of Thailand. I could have done that forever!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We spent most of the day at an orphanage that the hostel we are staying at helps to sponsor. The orphanage is home to 25 AIDS orphans, the sight of which broke my heart. Every child was covered in skin lesions, their nails rought and cracking, and all far too small for their age. Most of the children have lived in the home sice they were infants, having been abandoned by their families because of their positive diagnosis. The children had remarkable spirits, life in their eyes, and laughter that could melt anyone's heart. There was one girl in particiular who was 14, but looked no older than 10 and was obviously far sicker than the other children. She looked so tired and worn down, almost like she was sick of fighting. She tried to engage in the activities with the other children, but felt too sick to participate for long. There was a sadness about her that the other children didn't exhibit, almost like she knew she was close to the end. I sat with her much of the time--her head resting on my shoulder as I rubbed her back. I wanted so badly to give her a bath, rub lotion on her flaking skin, cut her toenails, and to make her feel loved. I wanted to tell her that everything was going to be alright.

Khmer Rouge

Cambodia has lived through a turbulent, bruttle, and bloody history. The Khmer Rouge regime devestated this country in the 1970's under the command of Pol Pot. Trying to create a supreme Khmer race, 2 million Cambodians were systematically toutured and killed. Anyone who was from the city, who was educated, who had worked for the government, had been a monk, or had any connection with the Western world was brought to work camps where they were starved and literally worked to death. We visited the killing fields and torture camps located outside of Phnom Pehn which brought a real human element to the facts.

All that is required for evil to triumph is for good men and women to do nothing. Pol Pot got away without once suffering for the evils of his regime--the world owes it tohis victims to ensure that this never happens again. These cannot be just words, because it is happening...Zimbabwe, Myanmar, Sudan, and even modern Cambodia in which political freedom is by no means issued. We must pressure our governments and be activists for freedom.

Phnom Penh

We arrived in Phnom Penh this afternoon after a 6 hour bus ride from Siem Reap. "The bus is very comfortable and air conditioned!"they told us as we booked the tickets...unfortnately this wasn't the case. Sitting next to the engine and bathroom, the smell of diesel permeated every breath. Bea got sick from the fumes and the stuffy air in the rear of the bus feeling nauseated the entire ride. Although I wasn't super comfortable, the heat and smells didn't bother me as much as I got lost in the book I am currently reading "First They Killed My Father," a story of a young girl who survivied 3 years of Khmer Rouge rule.

3 rivers converge on the banks of Phnom Penh, the Tonle Sap, Tonle Bassac, and the Menkong. Bea and I took a private boat tour of the rivers with the stunning skyline of the city as a fantastic backdrop.

Upon arrival in Phnom Pehn one of the first things I noticed was the lack of structure on the streets. There are absolutely no rules of the road. Cars are imported from all over the world, and thus, half the cars have steering wheels on the left and half have steering wheels on the right side of the cars. Choosing which side of the street you drive on is completely at your own discression. The thousands of motos create utter chaos as they weave in and out of all of the cars and trucks. Despite the chaotic flow of vehicles on the roads here, it somehow all works in perfect harmony.

First Days in Cambodia

Cambodia so far is a hard place to love. Granted we have only seen Siem Reap and Poipet, but the begging by children and adults alike is incessant. Everywhere you turn a child is trying to sell you postcards and coconut shell bracelets, toddlers are begging for food, and women extend their hands with eyes of despair. It is hard to constantly say no without feeling utterly selfish.

Angkor Wat was beautiful, although after a few hours, many of the temples began to lose their uniqueness, each temple looking more and more like the last. The hordes of tourists was overwhelming. No where have I witnessed tourist attractions that overflow with tourists as I have in Thailand and Cambodia. Sometimes I feel there is no escaping the inappropriately dressed, photo snapping swarms of tourists.

Thailand to Cambodia

We just arrived in Siem Reap after 14 hours on the bus. The travel agent in Bangkok promised that we would arrive by 3pm, but we didn't end up getting here until nearly 10pm! The border crossing at Poipet was chaotic, confusing, and intense. On the Thai-side of the border, the streets were clean and orderly, on the Cambodian-side, the streets were dusty, grimey, and full of trash. Children ran through the streets half-naked, barefoot, and dirty, a site that was unheard of in Thailand. I somehow felt we were transported to Africa.

We switched buses twice once we walked across the border. The first took us to a shady, black market money exchange that cheated me out of nearly $30. With so much chaos, nobody speaking English, and being herded from one point to the next with no idea what is going on, it is no wonder they are able to get away with these scams. After the money scam, we were told to get onto another bus that would take us to Siem Reap.

With all of the passengers and baggage piled in and the windows wide open, the driver took off down the dirt road heading east. Barrelling down the pot hold infested road at white-knuckle speeds, we sat back, inhaled dust and exhaust, and tried to enjoy the constantly changing scenery. The monotony of a five hour bus ride was quickened with bouts of sleep. Nodding in and out of consciousness with the lurching rythym of the bus, I was suddenly jolted fully awake with the arrival of pavement. Out of nowhere, the road was smooth and there were lights everywhere. Reminding me of the Vegas strip, massive hotels lined the streets whose over the top elegance seemed starkly out of place in a country whose people struggle on less than $2 a day. We had arrived in Siem Reap.

Bangkok & Beyond

Because we only planned for two days in and around Bangkok, Bea and I opted for a guided tour of a few sights just north of the Capitol. Thailand is famous for its floating markets, which were started by the Chinese hundreds of years ago. Chinese immigrants settled in Kanchanaburi and dug over 220 canals by hand in an effort to simulate the canals in China. As a result, Kanchanburi is now famous for its floating markets, and as such, it was packed with tourists. But nevertheless, it was one of those quintessential images of Thailand that we both wanted to see.

After spending the morning wandering through the market, it was back on the bus for our next stop at the River Kwai Bridge. This bridge was made famous by the movie "The Bridge Over the River Kwai," which depicts its significance during World War II.

Our last stop of the day was at the Tiger Temple. From pamphlets and accounts by other tourists, both Beatriz and I expected something completely different. First, we show up unaware that you are not allowed to wear any hot colors (red, orange or pink), as these are the only colors that tigers can see, thus putting you at heightened risk of becoming a tiger feast. Completely unaware of this, I show up wearing an orange dress and am told that I cannot enter unless I can find something else to wear. I ended up having to buy pants and a t-shirt from the gift shop for 400 baht ($13)...way over my $10 a day budget! Second, we had expected the temple to be a serene, peaceful place where monks and tigers live side by side, but instead it was a tourist trap like I've never seen. We had to line up to take pictures with the tigers, the token monk walked around and posed in pictures, and if we wanted "special" photos with the tigers, it would be an extra 1000 baht ($30)! I am glad that I bit the bullet and bought the new outfit because it was really neat getting so close to such big cats.

Ko Samui

Just finished spending 4 wonderful days on the island of Ko Samui. The island is located in the gulf of Thailand about 500km south of Bangkok. I stayed in a beautiful house with 8 other girls which was a total blast. I spent the majority of my time in or near the water, usually with food and drink in hand! The food here has been spectacular and my favorite dish so far is Papaya salad. Ko Samui was very touristy and while it was fun, I was ready to leave.

Last night, Beatriz and I took an overnight train from Surat Thani in southern Thailand to Bangkok, and just arrived about an hour ago. After arriving at the train station, we jumped on a tuk tuk and headed for Ko San Road. Ko San Road is backpacker central and its reasonable to say that everyone who visits Thailand passes through Ko San Road at one time or another. We're staying at the Green House Hostel which has nice, basic accomodations and is close to everything. Today, Beatriz and I plan on exploring the city and visiting the Grand Palace and the huge open markets in central Bangkok. Tomorrow, we will be heading 3 hours north to spend the day at Tiger Temple (www.tigertemplethailand.com). I'll share some more pictures soon. Hugs to all!

I'm Here!

I've made it to Thailand! No bumps, no bruises, just easy sailin' the entire way....yes, all 24 hours of it! The Bangkok airport is impressive, although I can't say the same for the scenery I witnessed during our final descent. The air was smoggy, the roads congested, and the ocean was brown! But I guess you can't expect too much from an overdeveloped city in an underdeveloped country. My flight to Ko Samui leaves in an hour and I'm sure the views from the plane (yes, its a 15 seater!) will be stunning and more than make up for what I've seen thus far. Well, there's free food waiting here for me in the Bangkok Airline lounge and what budget traveler could possibly turn down an opportunity to gorge on free Thai food?!?

Holy Crap!

I can't believe it! I'm leaving for the airport in 10 minutes...there's no turning back now. Thanks to everyone for your heartfelt wishes and send offs. Catch you in Thailand!

Last big hoorah!

Thank you to my wonderful colleagues and friends for throwing me such a fun going away party! I'm going to miss you guys.