Because my Virgo mind is chained to forever view life through the practical critique of all experiences (not to be confused with criticism as Virgo's are also known for), I spend a lot of my travels looking for similarities to my usual life back home. What we have witnessed here in Nha Trang is that when the garbage truck comes down your street, people are also caught off guard and will run after it to dispose of their trash. This was probably the most comforting thing to witness yet. I had made the comment to Will on the way to dinner that I thought that trash day may be tomorrow because there were piles of trash on the side walks that had not been there before earlier in the day when I was walking. Then as we were eating dinner I noticed the garbage truck pull up in front of us and it was shortly after that that noticed the flurry of activity around us as the girls in the restaurant collected the trash and ran out after it. Other businesses were doing the same. To the town of Nha Trang's credit they appear to take anything in their trash pick up including building materials and big items. I wonder what their monthly water/sewage charge is?
When traveling I really love to run and do some type of physical exercise. I have encountered some of the most fit older folks here than anywhere. They have a passion for badmitton and while I can tell these folks are well into their seventies they all have the best heads of jet black hair. The Asians may have more issues with hair vanity that the Westerner's. Black hair is truly the color of vitality and these folks where showing just how much they had at 5:30 in the morning! When I was running three days ago this older dude rode up next to me on his bike (we were both on a paved path at the top of the beach). He gave me a sweet smile and said "ok, now you run faster" I quickly took him up on his challenge and yelled "lets race" and took off sprinting. He totally stepped it up and chased me down. I think we only went on for about two blocks worth and then we were at the end of the path and my run was over anyway. We both then did our calisthenics together...he did a version of some Qi Gong movements and I did some push-ups and jumping jacks. I then moved out onto the beach and did some yoga and had a quick audience. About a dozen older dudes who were done working out sat close by and talked amongst themselves on the beach while watching me. When I was done I ran right into the sea! It was very refreshing and I wished every run could end that way. I grabbed my shoes and headed for the hotel to wake up Will and get some breakfast. We have a shared love of Vietnamese coffee! Iced or hot! I never allow myself this in America. It makes me positively crazy it is so strong. We have both suffered for my indiscretions with Vietnamese coffee for the last two weeks, I am certain of it.
Later I will write a blog about body functions...one of my favorite topics.
Off to pack and get ready to leave this wonderful paradise. Can hardly believe I am going to go but I have to. I guess.
Later aligators...
willandCODY
Saturday, February 28, 2009
The Color Purple
Is truly magnificent when viewed as a lovely silk wall hanging in a Catholic Church half way round the world from home. Today I went to church. It is Sunday after all. I have spent so much time getting to know the Buddha and the Tao here in SE Asia that I thought it might be time to get back to my roots and see how the Christians were doing it. It was truly like coming home. The Church itself is just kn0wn as the Nha Trang Cathedral. It was built in 1912 of cement block but in a simple French Gothic design. A true classic. Reminded me much of St. Brigid's back in Midland, MI where my spiritual path would start so many years ago. For the most part the internal elements were the same...there was J. C. (Jesus Christ) hanging from the cross above the alter. Only difference is that the cross was outlined in red neon lighting which I think was a nice addition and want to recommend for the West. There were pews and a place to kneel in front of the pew. I took a seat on the left (but really its the right hand if you are taking directions from JC's perspective) half way up. Kneeled and said my prayers and waited for the service to start. The 9:30 mass was a good choice as the choir was singing today and while I am not certain which song they had chose for the day they sounded so lovely. Honestly, everything was the same although some parts of the mass that we would speak they sang them. Like the part where the Priest is holding up the body of Christ and we respond "lord I am not worthy to receive you but only say the word and I shall be healed....they sing that part and it was lovely. I stood and took communion with the other parishioners. It was a powerful experience to say the least. I realized half way through the mass that I have not actually sat through services since my mothers funeral almost seven years ago. March 28th 2002. When I walked up the Priest looked a little startled to see me there in line. He was able to get out in English "the body of Christ" and I said Amen back to him and he put it in my mouth. There was no blood of Christ to be offered so I obviously passed on that. Such a moving experience. I cried all the way through mass. Pretty sure it was enough of a strange experience for my fellow parishioners to see some blond woman but then to have her weeping and wiping her eyes with her hanky is quite another. We all made it through though. It was nice to feel so at home in this cathedral and not get too caught up in what the church represents to me now and what I represent to the church for that matter. I was just open for an experience and I got what I came for. And I gave a generous tything too. I loved sitting there and knowing the experience so clearly despite the fact that it was all in Vietnamese save for the AMEN. I realized while sitting there that the Purple sashes worn by the two priests and hanging from the wall represent the time of year. It now must be lent by my calculations since Fat Tuesday is all about being followed by Ash Wednesday.
And so it is a time to renew. According to the Catholic faith, but also by the law of nature. Which I am certain the catholic/christian holidays all follow from the Pagan celebrations. The fall noted the dying of the season and everything returning to the land, and now the land is becoming ripe again...getting itself ready for the thaw and spring and the birth of all new things...birds, flowers, trees, and so it goes. Anything with a life cycle is effected by these laws of nature. Even our human bodies. I think it is right that I chose to travel at this time of the year. For many reasons it is obvious, to avoid the cold but during this time of traveling so far away I feel like I have finally arrived at home and a greater level of peace within myself. The last fews day since arriving at the beach I have struggled with an inner turmoil that was becoming quite unpleasant for myself and surely for Will. I finally asked for some time alone and it was decided that he wanted to just go ahead to Hoi An and I would meet him in another day or so. From the minute it was decided I could feel the tides changing inside of me. I had wanted this journey to be more than just seeing what the rest of SE Asia had to offer. I wanted it to be about the further excavation of myself. I wanted to be more clear about the direction of my life and what I wanted to let go of and to also draw more near. Will could never have known he was hitching his wagon onto such a trip but he has done unbelievably well and I do believe he has come to know himself that much better as he had to navigate his own way through this trip.
After church today I went back to my hotel and had the best cry I have had in years. I honestly do not recall crying that much or that hard for almost seven years. it was beautiful and cleansing to say the very least. I feel like that is what I have been waiting for for far too long and the room it has created inside of me feels good. I see where the elements have been trying to line up to make it all possible and at every moment I have felt supported by the universe to get to this very moment. I was able to make it to this wonderful beach where I was not able to do anything but rest and stop fighting myself. And then the rain came yesterday, the night after Will and I spoke and seemed to wash everything away that we were holding collectively between us and for others. Although I can only speak for myself I am certain that I also noticed a shift in Will and we both felt better for it. I went for a long run on the beach in the rain and it felt wonderful. I had the biggest cheesy smile on my face that I could not have even tried to wipe off and I was so damn happy. I was so thankful for Will's unfailing companionship on this trip and his ability to be gentle with me at times when everything in his yang-filled 19 year old male body tells him to do other wise with his energy. His is a good balance for his age.
In the afternoon before he left we rented a moto and headed off to find the church for me so I could find out the times of mass today. Then we just took in the town of Nha Trang. It truly is beautiful here, the perfect balance of mountains and water. We drove into the foothills unsure of how far we should go because we did not know how much gas we actually had...either we had no gas or the gas indicator was broken. It turned out that we actually were low on gas and eventually we would run out of gas and then I would push us to buy gas where while buying a liter of gas we would be offered marijuana and "blow" very cheap, good stuff....we declined. Later after Will left I walked to the store and was offered marijuana twice more in the short distance of one block. Can these people smell my pot-a-holic days of youth? Or are they simply just trying to make a sale like those folks selling books, jewelry...etc. These guys just looked a little more shadey. Anyway, we drove out to the foothills past the ship yard and I think we encountered the naval academy? All I know is that there were about two hundred young men running along side of the road in matching uniforms with back packs and guns and when we rounded a curve and we saw each other at the same time they all waved and yelled "hello!" It was pretty sweet and for the first time someone was saying hello to us just because they wanted to not because they wanted to sell us something. Unless they were arms dealers.... It was great and just what we needed. Will got on the sleeping bus bound for Hoi An at 7pm. He texted me an hour later telling me that it was a huge party and the bus was over booked and he was fine. I guess we both got what we needed.
Maybe a little more later
willandCODY
And so it is a time to renew. According to the Catholic faith, but also by the law of nature. Which I am certain the catholic/christian holidays all follow from the Pagan celebrations. The fall noted the dying of the season and everything returning to the land, and now the land is becoming ripe again...getting itself ready for the thaw and spring and the birth of all new things...birds, flowers, trees, and so it goes. Anything with a life cycle is effected by these laws of nature. Even our human bodies. I think it is right that I chose to travel at this time of the year. For many reasons it is obvious, to avoid the cold but during this time of traveling so far away I feel like I have finally arrived at home and a greater level of peace within myself. The last fews day since arriving at the beach I have struggled with an inner turmoil that was becoming quite unpleasant for myself and surely for Will. I finally asked for some time alone and it was decided that he wanted to just go ahead to Hoi An and I would meet him in another day or so. From the minute it was decided I could feel the tides changing inside of me. I had wanted this journey to be more than just seeing what the rest of SE Asia had to offer. I wanted it to be about the further excavation of myself. I wanted to be more clear about the direction of my life and what I wanted to let go of and to also draw more near. Will could never have known he was hitching his wagon onto such a trip but he has done unbelievably well and I do believe he has come to know himself that much better as he had to navigate his own way through this trip.
After church today I went back to my hotel and had the best cry I have had in years. I honestly do not recall crying that much or that hard for almost seven years. it was beautiful and cleansing to say the very least. I feel like that is what I have been waiting for for far too long and the room it has created inside of me feels good. I see where the elements have been trying to line up to make it all possible and at every moment I have felt supported by the universe to get to this very moment. I was able to make it to this wonderful beach where I was not able to do anything but rest and stop fighting myself. And then the rain came yesterday, the night after Will and I spoke and seemed to wash everything away that we were holding collectively between us and for others. Although I can only speak for myself I am certain that I also noticed a shift in Will and we both felt better for it. I went for a long run on the beach in the rain and it felt wonderful. I had the biggest cheesy smile on my face that I could not have even tried to wipe off and I was so damn happy. I was so thankful for Will's unfailing companionship on this trip and his ability to be gentle with me at times when everything in his yang-filled 19 year old male body tells him to do other wise with his energy. His is a good balance for his age.
In the afternoon before he left we rented a moto and headed off to find the church for me so I could find out the times of mass today. Then we just took in the town of Nha Trang. It truly is beautiful here, the perfect balance of mountains and water. We drove into the foothills unsure of how far we should go because we did not know how much gas we actually had...either we had no gas or the gas indicator was broken. It turned out that we actually were low on gas and eventually we would run out of gas and then I would push us to buy gas where while buying a liter of gas we would be offered marijuana and "blow" very cheap, good stuff....we declined. Later after Will left I walked to the store and was offered marijuana twice more in the short distance of one block. Can these people smell my pot-a-holic days of youth? Or are they simply just trying to make a sale like those folks selling books, jewelry...etc. These guys just looked a little more shadey. Anyway, we drove out to the foothills past the ship yard and I think we encountered the naval academy? All I know is that there were about two hundred young men running along side of the road in matching uniforms with back packs and guns and when we rounded a curve and we saw each other at the same time they all waved and yelled "hello!" It was pretty sweet and for the first time someone was saying hello to us just because they wanted to not because they wanted to sell us something. Unless they were arms dealers.... It was great and just what we needed. Will got on the sleeping bus bound for Hoi An at 7pm. He texted me an hour later telling me that it was a huge party and the bus was over booked and he was fine. I guess we both got what we needed.
Maybe a little more later
willandCODY
Thursday, February 26, 2009
maybe just a little more...on transportation
Good evening everyone! We have just finished dinner. Yet another bowl of Pho and beer and spring rolls. Entire dinner for two with stuffed bellies equals just over $6. The food on this trip has been amazing. And again, still want to thank the country of France yet again for the early colonization of Vietnam, as well. Not ready to give up my baguette quite yet.
Before I give a summary about travel I must say a little bit more about the food and beverage. I can only eat vegetarian in my travels. Well, at least when I am doing the ordering. When I am having a dinner in my honor as with my students I have to eat what is served. It would be rude not to. Will and I had the opportunity to be walking in the beach side town of Kep (with the disappointing beach) only to see a little piggy all "hog-tied" so to speak and on its way to market on the back of a moto. The only problem was that it was till alive and you could here it crying ( I honestly cannot recall the word for the sound a pig makes....it this not a sure sign of a senior moment or what...) I could hear something that sounded a little odd, said something to Will, and sure enough, a moto passed us by with this huge hog all tied up on the back of the moto. It was in this moment that I was certain of my decision. I only eat (for the most part) organic steroid free flesh in America....and this is a far cry from it here.
Plus, after you have walked through a market in any developing nation only to witness the flesh laid out with tons of flies all over it and no refrigeration it cures your desire for it. Or at least for me it does.
With regard to travel...we did an estimation on modes of travel and total hours spent enduring and it appears the total looks like the following...although there did seem to be a disagreement about adding...having two virgos together makes details highly scrutinized...
Boat: 10 hours
Car: about six
Bus: aircon and no aircon... somewhere over 70.
Airplane: maybe five hours...not including the marathon it takes to get to Bangkok from ABQ.
And we have a few places yet to go. We decided today that Laos is out. I think we are both tired and honestly I am having a hard time leaving the beach. I feel for Will, he has nothing to do and having nothing to do at19 is a lot different than having nothing to do at 39. He has contented himself with the tv and air con room. We will be heading out at some point for Hoi An....we need to go there because our visas for Vietnam will expire before we leave and there is a large penalty for this...so we must stop off in Hoi An and get to the consulate. We were going to go there anyway as it is a natural half way distance between Nha Trang and Hanoi.
So, that is what is up with us. A whole lot of nothing but time to think about stuff that you have no control over, like for instance, the future...and read some books now that we both have a few after last night!
good night,
willandCODY
Before I give a summary about travel I must say a little bit more about the food and beverage. I can only eat vegetarian in my travels. Well, at least when I am doing the ordering. When I am having a dinner in my honor as with my students I have to eat what is served. It would be rude not to. Will and I had the opportunity to be walking in the beach side town of Kep (with the disappointing beach) only to see a little piggy all "hog-tied" so to speak and on its way to market on the back of a moto. The only problem was that it was till alive and you could here it crying ( I honestly cannot recall the word for the sound a pig makes....it this not a sure sign of a senior moment or what...) I could hear something that sounded a little odd, said something to Will, and sure enough, a moto passed us by with this huge hog all tied up on the back of the moto. It was in this moment that I was certain of my decision. I only eat (for the most part) organic steroid free flesh in America....and this is a far cry from it here.
Plus, after you have walked through a market in any developing nation only to witness the flesh laid out with tons of flies all over it and no refrigeration it cures your desire for it. Or at least for me it does.
With regard to travel...we did an estimation on modes of travel and total hours spent enduring and it appears the total looks like the following...although there did seem to be a disagreement about adding...having two virgos together makes details highly scrutinized...
Boat: 10 hours
Car: about six
Bus: aircon and no aircon... somewhere over 70.
Airplane: maybe five hours...not including the marathon it takes to get to Bangkok from ABQ.
And we have a few places yet to go. We decided today that Laos is out. I think we are both tired and honestly I am having a hard time leaving the beach. I feel for Will, he has nothing to do and having nothing to do at19 is a lot different than having nothing to do at 39. He has contented himself with the tv and air con room. We will be heading out at some point for Hoi An....we need to go there because our visas for Vietnam will expire before we leave and there is a large penalty for this...so we must stop off in Hoi An and get to the consulate. We were going to go there anyway as it is a natural half way distance between Nha Trang and Hanoi.
So, that is what is up with us. A whole lot of nothing but time to think about stuff that you have no control over, like for instance, the future...and read some books now that we both have a few after last night!
good night,
willandCODY
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
I love the beach.
Hello Everyone! We arrived at the beach a couple of days ago..I honestly can't remember as I am now officially on beach time and I have no gauge for real time. And I don't care either... Will mentioned yesterday or at some point that we needed to get our tickets to head toward Hanoi and all my mind could think about, and very muddled at that, was ...leave, what, why are we leaving? The beginning of the trip started with the beach of Myanmar. Ngapali Beach...my favorite. But this fine beach of Nha Trang is a very close second. If the town was quieter and smaller then it would probably be the new favorite. It is in times like this, when I am lying on a beach when I wonder to myself...why do I live in the desert? I love the water and miss it. Every trip away from Santa Fe always includes some water to moisten my soul. I could never leave the mountains either, so I guess I will either have to find the perfect balance of beach and mountains sometime in my life.
Once we arrived here I let Will know right away that there would be no economy backpacker accomodations for me. We are staying at a lovely hotel with crisp clean white sheets that we actually sleep on/in instead of our silk sleep sacks. The room is gorgeous with a little bit of a view and air conditioning AND cable....we have actually watched tv at times after coming in from the beach, and the best part of the whole scenario is that it only cost$30/night. I could stay right here for the next two plus weeks until it all comes to an end.
Yesterday i bought three silk dresses and some lingere! I can not even quote a price because I feel a little bit like a criminal. They were so cheap that I feel like I stole them!
When we arrived in Nha Trang I suggested that we just get off the bus and decline the moto taxi guys and make our own way to a hotel. I am admittedly tired of people asking me "where you go?...where you from?...you want taxi? You want buy book? Hey lady you want buy some jewelry today? The answer is consistently no, no and no. At this point in the trip I realize that I am beyond tired and the desire to be chatty has left me all together. I now simply walk past these people totally silent. I stare straight ahead and say nothing. Will, on the other hand is still being polite and says, Oh, no thank you, or some other kind or silly retort.
So when the bus pulled up there was the gang of moto taxi guys waiting for us. It was 545 am. Before we were even off the bus they were tapping on my window saying hey lady you want taxi? You Need Hotel? yelling through the bus window. It was all too insufferable. I realize these folks hardly make more than what I spend on my coffee addiction and I should be more sympathetic, but after awhile you see the rigged game you are all a part of and eventually I don't want to play anymore. Once you realize what a pawn you are the whole thing loses its luster. Also, the infuriating thing is that they hardly leave you any room to actually get off the bus and collect your bag. We clearly stated NO we do not want your help and still they persisted. We started walking down the road toward the beach and we had a couple of guys following us on their motos waving hotel flyers and trying to get us on their motos. We knew that a hotel was just two blocks away and we could just walk. Its not that we could not afford the $1-2 they would have charged to take us there...but there is something energetically that is not to my standards that makes me not want these folks help. Maybe I have lived in Santa Fe too long and some of you are now rolling your eyes in your head with that comment. But really, to be successful on the road you have to have an inner compass that says yes to some situations and no to others...not just for safety sake, but to also not put your energy in the line of someone elses energy that seems black and sucking. That should probably be enough on that subject...
Anyway, we left the street and these guys behind and walked on the beach for a little while and then decided to get some breakfast and then get a hotel. When we went back to the road the same guys were there waiting for us. Unbelievable! I asked them if they did not have anyone else to harrass in town but they did not get it.
We had a great breakfast and really took our time looking at many hotels. It had to be just right for me. Will and I came up with a great deal that he would pay $5 a day toward the room and buy me a beer everyday and I would pick up the rest of the cost. We went to hotels from $200/night to $10 a night and honestly the price for $30/night is just as nice as the one that was $100 night, just a block further from the beach. No problem! It feels so good to be here and honestly the only thing missing for me at this point is a sexy female companion. Actaully, I am certain the same goes for Will too. Someday I will travel to these lovely places perhaps with a great love. For the first time in a long time, I could actually see myself doing it, too. Enough about the future though..
So today we are renting a tandem bike and heading off to yet another Pagoda. It has been three days without a single prayer and we have stuff to pray about. This is Will's suggestion actually, he wants to go to the pagoda...I could easily stay on the beach and not do another thing besides read and sleep. I feel confident that we will have no transportation issues with the bike. Traffic is slow and easy here.
We had a little too much to drink last night....the Why Not Bar has happy hour from 9am to midnight....we started there and then headed to the cycle cafe for dinner. While you are eating people often walk up and try to sell their stuff. I realize that when we are eating I am usually the one looking out and I simply shake my head and they go away and Will never really deals with these people because his back is to them...we had a reversal of that last night and I realize after parting with about ten dollars on stuff I would never have bought that we need to go back to the original plan OR Will needs to toughen up.
When we arrived at the cafe a woman was selling books (bootlegged copies) and wanted to know if I wanted one...I actually looked in her box and told her I had read everyone of them. Then I started asking her if she had read this one or that one...and that she should, it was a good book...kind of reverse harassment I guess. Anyway, she left and we sat down for dinner. Then another guy showed up selling books and Will said "later, after dinner." I said you cant tell that guy to wait and then not buy one! He said he never said he was going to buy one, just that he would look later....it has been my experience that if you say later, it means you will be BUYING one LATER. This was going to be good. We had our dinner and there was a woman who came in selling bracelets. I told her no. She went away. At the end of the meal I went to the bathroom and when I came out there was a young man on the floor with his portfolio out selling pictures of life in Vietnam. Will was looking at them. I could not believe it. Give an inch and they will take a mile and then when you say no after they have taken the time to show things to you they get really bossy and pout and get a little mad. I ended up buying a picture because I felt we had to karmically as this guy had went through his whole protfolio and the Will said he had no money. Ugh! So I parted with 100,000 dong (about $6). The guy had it all figured out....he rolled the picture into a tight roll and put it in a pvc tube. No problem. The guy was a really beautiful man....stunning actually and I told him that he should be a model and not selling other peoples artwork and he said the comment made him uncomfortable. I guess maybe the booze made me say such a flirtatious thing, but really, he was beautiful. Will agreed.
So, in the mean time while we are pouring over pictures the book guy has disappeared only to reappear with an insane amount of books! I looked at Will and said, ok now you have to buy a book! We ended up buying three books....two for me and one for Will. The guy was happy. We were finally leaving and the lady who had wanted to sell me bracelets earlier was still there. She had watched us give our money to two other people. She asked me again if I wanted some jewelry and I said no. She got pissed and said "excuse me....you buy photo, you buy book, why you no buy jewelry....." I looked at her and said, because I do not want....and walked away. It was probably a shitty thing to do but I had already said no. These folks have the inside track on how to tap into latent catholic guilt. I am STILL thinking about that lady even today!
Ok, thats enough...we have a pagoda to ride to and then there is always the beach...
Ciao
willandCODY
Once we arrived here I let Will know right away that there would be no economy backpacker accomodations for me. We are staying at a lovely hotel with crisp clean white sheets that we actually sleep on/in instead of our silk sleep sacks. The room is gorgeous with a little bit of a view and air conditioning AND cable....we have actually watched tv at times after coming in from the beach, and the best part of the whole scenario is that it only cost$30/night. I could stay right here for the next two plus weeks until it all comes to an end.
Yesterday i bought three silk dresses and some lingere! I can not even quote a price because I feel a little bit like a criminal. They were so cheap that I feel like I stole them!
When we arrived in Nha Trang I suggested that we just get off the bus and decline the moto taxi guys and make our own way to a hotel. I am admittedly tired of people asking me "where you go?...where you from?...you want taxi? You want buy book? Hey lady you want buy some jewelry today? The answer is consistently no, no and no. At this point in the trip I realize that I am beyond tired and the desire to be chatty has left me all together. I now simply walk past these people totally silent. I stare straight ahead and say nothing. Will, on the other hand is still being polite and says, Oh, no thank you, or some other kind or silly retort.
So when the bus pulled up there was the gang of moto taxi guys waiting for us. It was 545 am. Before we were even off the bus they were tapping on my window saying hey lady you want taxi? You Need Hotel? yelling through the bus window. It was all too insufferable. I realize these folks hardly make more than what I spend on my coffee addiction and I should be more sympathetic, but after awhile you see the rigged game you are all a part of and eventually I don't want to play anymore. Once you realize what a pawn you are the whole thing loses its luster. Also, the infuriating thing is that they hardly leave you any room to actually get off the bus and collect your bag. We clearly stated NO we do not want your help and still they persisted. We started walking down the road toward the beach and we had a couple of guys following us on their motos waving hotel flyers and trying to get us on their motos. We knew that a hotel was just two blocks away and we could just walk. Its not that we could not afford the $1-2 they would have charged to take us there...but there is something energetically that is not to my standards that makes me not want these folks help. Maybe I have lived in Santa Fe too long and some of you are now rolling your eyes in your head with that comment. But really, to be successful on the road you have to have an inner compass that says yes to some situations and no to others...not just for safety sake, but to also not put your energy in the line of someone elses energy that seems black and sucking. That should probably be enough on that subject...
Anyway, we left the street and these guys behind and walked on the beach for a little while and then decided to get some breakfast and then get a hotel. When we went back to the road the same guys were there waiting for us. Unbelievable! I asked them if they did not have anyone else to harrass in town but they did not get it.
We had a great breakfast and really took our time looking at many hotels. It had to be just right for me. Will and I came up with a great deal that he would pay $5 a day toward the room and buy me a beer everyday and I would pick up the rest of the cost. We went to hotels from $200/night to $10 a night and honestly the price for $30/night is just as nice as the one that was $100 night, just a block further from the beach. No problem! It feels so good to be here and honestly the only thing missing for me at this point is a sexy female companion. Actaully, I am certain the same goes for Will too. Someday I will travel to these lovely places perhaps with a great love. For the first time in a long time, I could actually see myself doing it, too. Enough about the future though..
So today we are renting a tandem bike and heading off to yet another Pagoda. It has been three days without a single prayer and we have stuff to pray about. This is Will's suggestion actually, he wants to go to the pagoda...I could easily stay on the beach and not do another thing besides read and sleep. I feel confident that we will have no transportation issues with the bike. Traffic is slow and easy here.
We had a little too much to drink last night....the Why Not Bar has happy hour from 9am to midnight....we started there and then headed to the cycle cafe for dinner. While you are eating people often walk up and try to sell their stuff. I realize that when we are eating I am usually the one looking out and I simply shake my head and they go away and Will never really deals with these people because his back is to them...we had a reversal of that last night and I realize after parting with about ten dollars on stuff I would never have bought that we need to go back to the original plan OR Will needs to toughen up.
When we arrived at the cafe a woman was selling books (bootlegged copies) and wanted to know if I wanted one...I actually looked in her box and told her I had read everyone of them. Then I started asking her if she had read this one or that one...and that she should, it was a good book...kind of reverse harassment I guess. Anyway, she left and we sat down for dinner. Then another guy showed up selling books and Will said "later, after dinner." I said you cant tell that guy to wait and then not buy one! He said he never said he was going to buy one, just that he would look later....it has been my experience that if you say later, it means you will be BUYING one LATER. This was going to be good. We had our dinner and there was a woman who came in selling bracelets. I told her no. She went away. At the end of the meal I went to the bathroom and when I came out there was a young man on the floor with his portfolio out selling pictures of life in Vietnam. Will was looking at them. I could not believe it. Give an inch and they will take a mile and then when you say no after they have taken the time to show things to you they get really bossy and pout and get a little mad. I ended up buying a picture because I felt we had to karmically as this guy had went through his whole protfolio and the Will said he had no money. Ugh! So I parted with 100,000 dong (about $6). The guy had it all figured out....he rolled the picture into a tight roll and put it in a pvc tube. No problem. The guy was a really beautiful man....stunning actually and I told him that he should be a model and not selling other peoples artwork and he said the comment made him uncomfortable. I guess maybe the booze made me say such a flirtatious thing, but really, he was beautiful. Will agreed.
So, in the mean time while we are pouring over pictures the book guy has disappeared only to reappear with an insane amount of books! I looked at Will and said, ok now you have to buy a book! We ended up buying three books....two for me and one for Will. The guy was happy. We were finally leaving and the lady who had wanted to sell me bracelets earlier was still there. She had watched us give our money to two other people. She asked me again if I wanted some jewelry and I said no. She got pissed and said "excuse me....you buy photo, you buy book, why you no buy jewelry....." I looked at her and said, because I do not want....and walked away. It was probably a shitty thing to do but I had already said no. These folks have the inside track on how to tap into latent catholic guilt. I am STILL thinking about that lady even today!
Ok, thats enough...we have a pagoda to ride to and then there is always the beach...
Ciao
willandCODY
Monday, February 23, 2009
The BEACH!
Ok, People we decided at 4 pm to get the heck out of Ho Chin Min so we are on a 7:45 pm bus in about an hour on our way to the Beach of Nha Trang. We are both looking forward to reading and hanging out.
Currently our bellies are full of Pho. The food has been delicious here and we look forward to more to come. We (ok I...) ordered too much food tonight since I had not eaten all day and wanted to load up before we were sleeping on a bus. Suffering from some rebellious stomach Qi and food stagnation as I write this.
I made it to the Chinese section of town today (District 5) to see two last pagodas and hang out with the herbalists. It was great despite the fact that Wei had stood me up twice and I was waiting over an hour for him to take me today. I finally took an air-conditioned car which was exactly what I was supposed to do and got there in comfort and true safety. One of the Pagodas was a Taoist Pagoda...not too many of these around as the entire Taoist population of Ho Chi Min is reported as being around less than 6000. It was amazing. The depiction of the Five Elements was right on and interesting. Then I made my way over to the Tom Sam something something pagoda that is known to be the pagoda that women go to when they are trying to conceive and also it is known for Mothers and children. I spent a long time here today lighting bundles of incense for friends, patients...maybe even myself. There were not that many people at this pagoda which made me think that maybe fertility is more of a western issue....still, I appreciated the quiet and peaceful space to be able to pray.
Once back on the street my nose easily lead me to the herb section which was more than a block away. Smelled like a really well stocked herb room to me! So many huge bags of any kind of herb you wanted....plant or animal parts....no problem. I did not buy anything as I am certain a smelly bag at the LAX will only open me to scrutiny and I already have some items I have picked up that I want to keep and not surrender to an agent.
We are happy with the decision to move on and are really counting the days. We were booked on a 745 am bus and decided to go back to check to see if there was a night bus as we could easily get good sleep tomorrow on the beach and we should not waste valuable hours at this point. We are starting to worry about having enough time in Laos but I think we will be fine. Just costing a few things out at this point and I am looking to find a DHL stire to send a parcel back to America as my bag is already heavy. This does not include the bag I left in Bangkok either!
OK, more sometime tomorrow after we hit the beach. It is a 12 hour bus ride! But the busses in Vietnam are super sweet and cozy with air and a bathroom if you choose to be brave enough to enter one.
More later!
willandCODY
Currently our bellies are full of Pho. The food has been delicious here and we look forward to more to come. We (ok I...) ordered too much food tonight since I had not eaten all day and wanted to load up before we were sleeping on a bus. Suffering from some rebellious stomach Qi and food stagnation as I write this.
I made it to the Chinese section of town today (District 5) to see two last pagodas and hang out with the herbalists. It was great despite the fact that Wei had stood me up twice and I was waiting over an hour for him to take me today. I finally took an air-conditioned car which was exactly what I was supposed to do and got there in comfort and true safety. One of the Pagodas was a Taoist Pagoda...not too many of these around as the entire Taoist population of Ho Chi Min is reported as being around less than 6000. It was amazing. The depiction of the Five Elements was right on and interesting. Then I made my way over to the Tom Sam something something pagoda that is known to be the pagoda that women go to when they are trying to conceive and also it is known for Mothers and children. I spent a long time here today lighting bundles of incense for friends, patients...maybe even myself. There were not that many people at this pagoda which made me think that maybe fertility is more of a western issue....still, I appreciated the quiet and peaceful space to be able to pray.
Once back on the street my nose easily lead me to the herb section which was more than a block away. Smelled like a really well stocked herb room to me! So many huge bags of any kind of herb you wanted....plant or animal parts....no problem. I did not buy anything as I am certain a smelly bag at the LAX will only open me to scrutiny and I already have some items I have picked up that I want to keep and not surrender to an agent.
We are happy with the decision to move on and are really counting the days. We were booked on a 745 am bus and decided to go back to check to see if there was a night bus as we could easily get good sleep tomorrow on the beach and we should not waste valuable hours at this point. We are starting to worry about having enough time in Laos but I think we will be fine. Just costing a few things out at this point and I am looking to find a DHL stire to send a parcel back to America as my bag is already heavy. This does not include the bag I left in Bangkok either!
OK, more sometime tomorrow after we hit the beach. It is a 12 hour bus ride! But the busses in Vietnam are super sweet and cozy with air and a bathroom if you choose to be brave enough to enter one.
More later!
willandCODY
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Just a little bit more...on transportation
Hello everyone! I just wanted to mention again what a crazy city Saigon is and how it is just a sea of motos all driving around in no clear traffic pattern. Today the husband (named Wei...pronounced like the popular game Wii) decided to just drive on the sidewalk when he became impatient with the masses. Hang on! I was on the back of his scooter and his 11 year old son Wei Thoung was sitting on the front of the seat. So, I got to experience what a family of three feels like...plenty of room people now trade in those minivans and hatchback wagons!
We thought we were going to District 5 to the Chinese section of the city but it turns out that Wei had another idea...he was taking us out to the tunnels way out of the city. An hour and 10 minute ride by moto. Already my butt hurt but we agreed to it and made arrangements to go to District 5 tomorrow. Initially as we were driving out I found myself getting a little up-tight, not having wanted to come on this particular trip so far away and then something just gave way inside of me. Must have been my morning Yoga class...I did get my laundry back at 10pm last night and had Wei drive me to Yoga. It was a mix of Bikram and Ashtanga. The class was not hard at all and left me feeling a little disappointed that my body had not been worked to the max like I was hoping for but in the end I was going to need that strength to ride on a moto in the blazing heat all day. The yoga did help focus my mind and that alone was worth it. So, after I finally relaxed on the back of the moto I had lots of time to take in the countryside. We drove out past the rice fields, passing a funeral procession...this person had a coffin and would be buried above ground in a tile storage shed type deal. Some Buddists do not burn the body Wei said...he is a buddist but has no special Pagoda he attends. He does have a small shrine in his house that has a plastic cartoon looking fat and happy type of Buddha in it and I think of all the Buddha's I have seen in this lifetime, that this is probably truly the Buddha's favorite depiction of himself.
Back to the moto....so, I keep forgetting to comment on the Bougainvilla's and the Honeysuckle. The Bougainvilla grows into immense trees here. I am certain that if you give it any amount of unlimited area to grow it will kindly take all the space you have to offer. They are simply breathtaking as are the honeysuckle. I have noticed them at Ngapali beach in Myanmar where they will grow to be over three stories high. They have almost the same growth here. Amazing. Occasionally we will drive by a roadside nursery with all the plants in buckets and I just want to pull over and buy a bunch and some pots and get to the business of making a flower garden....guess I would have to buy a house here though, and while its nice, Ho Chi Min is not for me. Way too loud. And then there is the business of the motos.
So today this long moto ride took us to the tunnels of Cu Chi. The tunnels were there in a smaller version in this farming area back to when Vietnam was trying to gain independence from France (sidenote...still enjoying baquette..) When the American war started they added to the tunnels and they played a huge part in the Victory. The Americans could not get into the tunnels and essentially these crafty people would farm at night at then become guerrilla's by day. We were shown how they made seriously painful looking weaponry from metal that was sharpened into points and then buried pointed up in traps that soldiers would fall into and impale themselves on. They showed us how they would collect our huge fat bellied B52 bombs that had not detonated and saw them open for the gun powder to make their own bombs. It took a week to saw the bombs open...they had to go slowly and pour ladels of cold water over the crack so that the bombs would not detonate. Pretty crafty! We also saw the size of a hole that a detonated B52 bomb makes in the earth when dropped from the sky. Pretty big. Imagine the biggest in-ground pool you have ever seen then go a bit bigger. Oh! And we got to go in the tunnels...they were tiny and hot and I got out after 20 meters and Will stayed in for over 100! The guide said he would be a good guerilla. I would not have lasted long as one of these villagers. For over three years they LIVED in the tunnels. They could not live above ground because the Americans were bombing the crap out of the land trying to destroy the tunnels. And when they were not bombing them they were dumping Napalm on them. We were walking through a forest and I questioned the comment about napalm as everything seemed to be growning pretty well and frankly I did not want to be walking anywhere that Napalm had previously been...he hesitated and said this was another area....is it me or do my ovaries hurt....hmmm.
At the end of the tunnels we had the opportunity to shoot real live AK47's and M16's. We just had to buy the bullets (no less than ten..) we both declined. It seemed like a little too much glorification of war to me. Interesting things to note....these farmer's were initially motivated only because they wanted to save their land, then their family members started being killed and they were motivated by revenge and anger. Women and men fought alongside of each other equally. And if a guerrilla killed many US Soldiers they were given special merit and hero like honors. It was all documented on a movie that we watched at the beginning of the tour that was shot in about 1975 or so on Super 8 film and had pretty bad voice quality. I think this qualifies as the last war monument I care to see on this trip. On the way back in town we were shown a cemetary of Vietnam soldiers that looks just like any of America's National Cemetaries. The grave stones were shaped a little different and they all had a communist star in the middle of them but otherwise at first glance it was a bit disceiving.
So we are back in town and I am going to go to two more pagodas and to the Chinese section of town tomorrow in district 5. Not sure what Will is going to do but we are both getting ants in our pants to get to Nha Trang...the beach.
OH! Another important observation....in each country we have visited we are always amazed at the things people sell and how anyone ever makes enough money to even put food on the table. The one that truly puts us over the edge is the scale. Someone will have an actual scale...as in the kind you step on and check how much you weigh and they will charge others to step on it. I dont know the rate for this service but every time I see one ( and last nights was the kind you find in the doctors office and some woman was wheeling it off which I am certain must throw the scale off ) I think...no way...never in America!
Ok, time for a shower and a big bottle of water. Will and Wei are back at the house getting their drunk on....better to check in on the menfolk. maybe Jin (the wife) and I should go out tonight and leave the boys at home....
willandCODY
We thought we were going to District 5 to the Chinese section of the city but it turns out that Wei had another idea...he was taking us out to the tunnels way out of the city. An hour and 10 minute ride by moto. Already my butt hurt but we agreed to it and made arrangements to go to District 5 tomorrow. Initially as we were driving out I found myself getting a little up-tight, not having wanted to come on this particular trip so far away and then something just gave way inside of me. Must have been my morning Yoga class...I did get my laundry back at 10pm last night and had Wei drive me to Yoga. It was a mix of Bikram and Ashtanga. The class was not hard at all and left me feeling a little disappointed that my body had not been worked to the max like I was hoping for but in the end I was going to need that strength to ride on a moto in the blazing heat all day. The yoga did help focus my mind and that alone was worth it. So, after I finally relaxed on the back of the moto I had lots of time to take in the countryside. We drove out past the rice fields, passing a funeral procession...this person had a coffin and would be buried above ground in a tile storage shed type deal. Some Buddists do not burn the body Wei said...he is a buddist but has no special Pagoda he attends. He does have a small shrine in his house that has a plastic cartoon looking fat and happy type of Buddha in it and I think of all the Buddha's I have seen in this lifetime, that this is probably truly the Buddha's favorite depiction of himself.
Back to the moto....so, I keep forgetting to comment on the Bougainvilla's and the Honeysuckle. The Bougainvilla grows into immense trees here. I am certain that if you give it any amount of unlimited area to grow it will kindly take all the space you have to offer. They are simply breathtaking as are the honeysuckle. I have noticed them at Ngapali beach in Myanmar where they will grow to be over three stories high. They have almost the same growth here. Amazing. Occasionally we will drive by a roadside nursery with all the plants in buckets and I just want to pull over and buy a bunch and some pots and get to the business of making a flower garden....guess I would have to buy a house here though, and while its nice, Ho Chi Min is not for me. Way too loud. And then there is the business of the motos.
So today this long moto ride took us to the tunnels of Cu Chi. The tunnels were there in a smaller version in this farming area back to when Vietnam was trying to gain independence from France (sidenote...still enjoying baquette..) When the American war started they added to the tunnels and they played a huge part in the Victory. The Americans could not get into the tunnels and essentially these crafty people would farm at night at then become guerrilla's by day. We were shown how they made seriously painful looking weaponry from metal that was sharpened into points and then buried pointed up in traps that soldiers would fall into and impale themselves on. They showed us how they would collect our huge fat bellied B52 bombs that had not detonated and saw them open for the gun powder to make their own bombs. It took a week to saw the bombs open...they had to go slowly and pour ladels of cold water over the crack so that the bombs would not detonate. Pretty crafty! We also saw the size of a hole that a detonated B52 bomb makes in the earth when dropped from the sky. Pretty big. Imagine the biggest in-ground pool you have ever seen then go a bit bigger. Oh! And we got to go in the tunnels...they were tiny and hot and I got out after 20 meters and Will stayed in for over 100! The guide said he would be a good guerilla. I would not have lasted long as one of these villagers. For over three years they LIVED in the tunnels. They could not live above ground because the Americans were bombing the crap out of the land trying to destroy the tunnels. And when they were not bombing them they were dumping Napalm on them. We were walking through a forest and I questioned the comment about napalm as everything seemed to be growning pretty well and frankly I did not want to be walking anywhere that Napalm had previously been...he hesitated and said this was another area....is it me or do my ovaries hurt....hmmm.
At the end of the tunnels we had the opportunity to shoot real live AK47's and M16's. We just had to buy the bullets (no less than ten..) we both declined. It seemed like a little too much glorification of war to me. Interesting things to note....these farmer's were initially motivated only because they wanted to save their land, then their family members started being killed and they were motivated by revenge and anger. Women and men fought alongside of each other equally. And if a guerrilla killed many US Soldiers they were given special merit and hero like honors. It was all documented on a movie that we watched at the beginning of the tour that was shot in about 1975 or so on Super 8 film and had pretty bad voice quality. I think this qualifies as the last war monument I care to see on this trip. On the way back in town we were shown a cemetary of Vietnam soldiers that looks just like any of America's National Cemetaries. The grave stones were shaped a little different and they all had a communist star in the middle of them but otherwise at first glance it was a bit disceiving.
So we are back in town and I am going to go to two more pagodas and to the Chinese section of town tomorrow in district 5. Not sure what Will is going to do but we are both getting ants in our pants to get to Nha Trang...the beach.
OH! Another important observation....in each country we have visited we are always amazed at the things people sell and how anyone ever makes enough money to even put food on the table. The one that truly puts us over the edge is the scale. Someone will have an actual scale...as in the kind you step on and check how much you weigh and they will charge others to step on it. I dont know the rate for this service but every time I see one ( and last nights was the kind you find in the doctors office and some woman was wheeling it off which I am certain must throw the scale off ) I think...no way...never in America!
Ok, time for a shower and a big bottle of water. Will and Wei are back at the house getting their drunk on....better to check in on the menfolk. maybe Jin (the wife) and I should go out tonight and leave the boys at home....
willandCODY
Saturday, February 21, 2009
sacrificial flesh......
Hello everyone! We did it! Will is now my hero! We made our way around this crazy assed city on moto today with Will driving and me sitting on the bag with a book in my lap yelling out directions. Perhaps everyone should take a moment to google Ho Chi Min City and motos and you will quickly see what the fuss is all about. There are simply thousands of them, plus cars, and bicycles and everyone is vying for the same damn space you are currently occupying and the occasional traffic light is merely a suggestion as to what your next driving move should be. It is insane!
We slept in late as I surrendered my running clothes yesterday...VERY stinky! and we have yet to see any sign of them still today, more than 24 hours later. I am down to my last pair of pants, and t-shirt and not really sure what I am even wearing to bed tonight. Will and I have been maintaining a basic thread of modesty with each other on the trip so hopefully I will not have to disrupt the flow here. I think our clothes may be somewhere with my passport....locked up only to be handed over when we say we are leaving.
Anyway, after sleeping in we had a delicious breakfast and Iced coffee...my god this was not the trip to give up my addiction to coffee...it is simply just too good. Thankfully I held myself to one glass as I did not want a repeat of the other day when I was hungover and had two and thought I might stroke out. I also just had one because anytime I drink too much coffee my confidence level goes in the toilet and I have a wee bit of anxiety that creeps up on me...the heart can only take so much. So, considering that we were about to embark on a journey that surpassed ANY rollercoaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio, I wanted to be as calm as I possibly could. We agreed that after we rented the moto ($8/day) we would head to the first Pagoda we could and pay SERIOUS homage for safe travels. Maybe even light some incense. Well, we set out on our trip and the first place we drove by was the Unification Palace. We had just pulled up and I was inquiring where to park the scooter and trying to get us tickets to enter. I waved to Will to bring the scooter over and when he pulled forward the accelerator flooded and the scooter got away from him and they both went down. It was a scary sight. In hindsight it all happened very slowly and quite frankly looked like the perfect lay out of a slide head first into home plate. SAFE! I got over to him quickly, we piked up the scooter and assessed that he no longer had much skin left on his left toe and was also missing some epidermis from his left knee. We were both shaking!
It was all a bit much to take in. Also, it ripped his flip flop off and we both remembered lying awake in the middle of the night thinking quietly to ourselves to wear shoes today but then we both forgot. It was apparent that we needed to go back to the house and clean up the wound and get shoes on. I think we were both thinking...F! how are we going to do this!? The traffic is a major mind F-er.
We decided to stay and see the palace since we were already there and it was phenomenal! Best Palace yet in any country. Then we got back to the house and fixed up the wound. I took some Formula 303 (Magnesium and Valerian root) to calm my nerves and Will took some Advil. We took stock agreeing on the analogy as fellow cyclists that once you put on the shoes with clips and lock yourself to the pedals you will never get over your fear of falling over and not being able to get out until you just fall. And scratch yourself up and maybe chip a bone or two in your elbow. NO Problem! So, we agreed, that that was it. Will had taken the fall for us and we now no longer needed to do that again.
Once we headed out again we made the effort to finally get to that Pagoda! We arrived, bought insense and made a donation and Will stayed on his knees longer than I have witnessed yet! The rest of the day was a snap and we existed as one on the moto. We got lost and drove way out of the city. We visited Pagoda's that were more Taoist than Buddist and had amazing wood carvings. We even found the yoga studio where I can drop in tomorrow AM (provided I get my running shorts back) and do some Bikram yoga. We also made our way to the War Relics Museum. Over here it is referred to the American war, not the Vietnam war....anyway, it was really hard to make it through the museum. There was a major section that detailed the children and adults that were effected by Napalm. Even after almost two generations children are still being born with atrocious birth defects and cancers run high. It was a strange feeling being there as an American as well I have to admit. The faces of these young men....Will's age, being sent off to do God knows what and for WHY? were hard to look at. After two hours here my belly started to hurt and my mouth was dry and bitter tasting. The same occured even after visiting the Killing fields and S-21 in Cambodia.
I have not mentioned the Killing Fields in the blog yet. We went the morning we left for Kep, Cambodia. We found a really sweet man named T.V. who had the shittiest Tuk Tuk in Phnom Pen to drive us about 18 KM out of the city to the fields. There is a huge glass Pagoda that is about three stories high that is filled with skulls that have been dug up from the mass graves. As you walk around you can see pieces of clothing coming out of the ground from the victims. There is a huge area at the back of the excavated area that has not even been excavated thoroughly yet. It is estimated that over a million people were killed and burried at this one site alone. The Khmer Rouge used loud music and lots of chemical solvents to cover the bodies so no one would smell or hear and wonder what was going on. What struck me most was that the land right next to it had an elementary school on it and through the breeze you could hear the children doing their morning exercises...all speaking together....the sound of children was welcome input to my brain.
I think I may have about one more war relic scenario in me and then I have to bid it all goodbye. We will be making our way to a truly lovely beach as we head up the coast. After that we will cross the DMZ and hopefully that will be the end of the gloom and doom.
After we turned in the moto we found some peroxide and cleaned up Will's wounds a little bit better. And then I bought him dinner of a Burger and beer! He did an awesome job!
My GOD what a day! Tomorrow we are paying the husband at our house to drive us out to district 5 so I can nose around some Chinese people and see what types of herbs I can smuggle back into the country...If I ever get my shorts back I intend to go to Yoga. My body really misses it. May have to fly off to India to become a certified instructor so I can continue to afford it as even here in Vietnam it is $15/per class. Yikes! Those are American prices.
Ok folks...I have suffered more cortisol flowing through my veins than my adrenals can take today. Off to sweat in bed.
willandCODY
We slept in late as I surrendered my running clothes yesterday...VERY stinky! and we have yet to see any sign of them still today, more than 24 hours later. I am down to my last pair of pants, and t-shirt and not really sure what I am even wearing to bed tonight. Will and I have been maintaining a basic thread of modesty with each other on the trip so hopefully I will not have to disrupt the flow here. I think our clothes may be somewhere with my passport....locked up only to be handed over when we say we are leaving.
Anyway, after sleeping in we had a delicious breakfast and Iced coffee...my god this was not the trip to give up my addiction to coffee...it is simply just too good. Thankfully I held myself to one glass as I did not want a repeat of the other day when I was hungover and had two and thought I might stroke out. I also just had one because anytime I drink too much coffee my confidence level goes in the toilet and I have a wee bit of anxiety that creeps up on me...the heart can only take so much. So, considering that we were about to embark on a journey that surpassed ANY rollercoaster at Cedar Point in Sandusky Ohio, I wanted to be as calm as I possibly could. We agreed that after we rented the moto ($8/day) we would head to the first Pagoda we could and pay SERIOUS homage for safe travels. Maybe even light some incense. Well, we set out on our trip and the first place we drove by was the Unification Palace. We had just pulled up and I was inquiring where to park the scooter and trying to get us tickets to enter. I waved to Will to bring the scooter over and when he pulled forward the accelerator flooded and the scooter got away from him and they both went down. It was a scary sight. In hindsight it all happened very slowly and quite frankly looked like the perfect lay out of a slide head first into home plate. SAFE! I got over to him quickly, we piked up the scooter and assessed that he no longer had much skin left on his left toe and was also missing some epidermis from his left knee. We were both shaking!
It was all a bit much to take in. Also, it ripped his flip flop off and we both remembered lying awake in the middle of the night thinking quietly to ourselves to wear shoes today but then we both forgot. It was apparent that we needed to go back to the house and clean up the wound and get shoes on. I think we were both thinking...F! how are we going to do this!? The traffic is a major mind F-er.
We decided to stay and see the palace since we were already there and it was phenomenal! Best Palace yet in any country. Then we got back to the house and fixed up the wound. I took some Formula 303 (Magnesium and Valerian root) to calm my nerves and Will took some Advil. We took stock agreeing on the analogy as fellow cyclists that once you put on the shoes with clips and lock yourself to the pedals you will never get over your fear of falling over and not being able to get out until you just fall. And scratch yourself up and maybe chip a bone or two in your elbow. NO Problem! So, we agreed, that that was it. Will had taken the fall for us and we now no longer needed to do that again.
Once we headed out again we made the effort to finally get to that Pagoda! We arrived, bought insense and made a donation and Will stayed on his knees longer than I have witnessed yet! The rest of the day was a snap and we existed as one on the moto. We got lost and drove way out of the city. We visited Pagoda's that were more Taoist than Buddist and had amazing wood carvings. We even found the yoga studio where I can drop in tomorrow AM (provided I get my running shorts back) and do some Bikram yoga. We also made our way to the War Relics Museum. Over here it is referred to the American war, not the Vietnam war....anyway, it was really hard to make it through the museum. There was a major section that detailed the children and adults that were effected by Napalm. Even after almost two generations children are still being born with atrocious birth defects and cancers run high. It was a strange feeling being there as an American as well I have to admit. The faces of these young men....Will's age, being sent off to do God knows what and for WHY? were hard to look at. After two hours here my belly started to hurt and my mouth was dry and bitter tasting. The same occured even after visiting the Killing fields and S-21 in Cambodia.
I have not mentioned the Killing Fields in the blog yet. We went the morning we left for Kep, Cambodia. We found a really sweet man named T.V. who had the shittiest Tuk Tuk in Phnom Pen to drive us about 18 KM out of the city to the fields. There is a huge glass Pagoda that is about three stories high that is filled with skulls that have been dug up from the mass graves. As you walk around you can see pieces of clothing coming out of the ground from the victims. There is a huge area at the back of the excavated area that has not even been excavated thoroughly yet. It is estimated that over a million people were killed and burried at this one site alone. The Khmer Rouge used loud music and lots of chemical solvents to cover the bodies so no one would smell or hear and wonder what was going on. What struck me most was that the land right next to it had an elementary school on it and through the breeze you could hear the children doing their morning exercises...all speaking together....the sound of children was welcome input to my brain.
I think I may have about one more war relic scenario in me and then I have to bid it all goodbye. We will be making our way to a truly lovely beach as we head up the coast. After that we will cross the DMZ and hopefully that will be the end of the gloom and doom.
After we turned in the moto we found some peroxide and cleaned up Will's wounds a little bit better. And then I bought him dinner of a Burger and beer! He did an awesome job!
My GOD what a day! Tomorrow we are paying the husband at our house to drive us out to district 5 so I can nose around some Chinese people and see what types of herbs I can smuggle back into the country...If I ever get my shorts back I intend to go to Yoga. My body really misses it. May have to fly off to India to become a certified instructor so I can continue to afford it as even here in Vietnam it is $15/per class. Yikes! Those are American prices.
Ok folks...I have suffered more cortisol flowing through my veins than my adrenals can take today. Off to sweat in bed.
willandCODY
Friday, February 20, 2009
Seduction
We have made it to Ho Chi Min City (the formerly Saigon) and are truly seduced by this gritty, loud metropolis. We are staying at what I think is legally considered a "Hotel" but in actuality is really just someone's house. The woman who rented the place to us for $12 was so happy that I said yes that she will not quit hugging me. She is very sweet. I gave my passport to her and I am not certain when I will see it again. She pointed to her ring finger and said same same and made some motion to the door and I came up with my own version in English..."oh, your husband took it to photocopy it? Ok." She nodded and said yes and thank you and hugged my stomach again...she is kind of short. Anyway, who the hell cares...we are in Vietnam!
When we arrived at the border I instantly knew this was going to be good. Usually when the bus pulls over there are tons of people who want to sell you spackled colored quail eggs, or some apparent deep fried food item. These items do not have a shelf life and I have NEVER seen a foreign traveler purchase either item but still they persist. It is the same things when the bus arrives at the final bus stop....throngs of tuk tuk drivers who hardly let you get to your bag demanding "where you go..." "where you from?" "you want tuk tuk?" You feel a little like a rock star for a second....maybe the first time it happens then you grow to create some kind of force-field around you, sheltering you from their demanding looks. In the end it is all fine, but what in the hell would life be like if this was it for you? That you showed up at a bus stop and harassed people into getting into your tuk tuk. I am certain at this point you can go back to the earlier posting about gratitude. That kind of harassment is not good for the soul in my opinion and leads to its own course of health risks. SO....when we arrived at the border crossing for Vietnam we were met by two guys trying to sell us SIM cards for cell phones! Hysterical for sure. Speaking of cell phones, my iphone has worked in every country although in the last week it has been silent. I decided to phone my Dad as our bus was sitting on a boat making its way across the Mekong. It was ten pm Michigan time but I knew he would be up. He was a little shocked and surprised to hear from me but quickly recovered by going to our usual conversation about the weather. The other conversation we have is who has died lately. I generally just blurt it out these days...anybody die lately? It was a short and sweet conversation and he confirmed that he would be in New Mexico at the end of March to see his three youngest and stupidest children once again compete in the Bataan Death March Marathon. I said last year after I lost both of my big toenails never again, but if my two older brothers do it....I can not let them get the best of me. Nothing like a little competitive spirit amongst siblings....guess I better start logging some more miles....but I think I lost my running partner.
On the topic of exercise I was out this morning in Cambodia running and jumping rope and a guy came up and just stood there looking at me. Everyone looks at the strange white lady with the white hair but he seemed to be challenging me with his look. I handed him the jump rope and he started off and quickly finished. He gave it a few more attempts (he had no rhythm) and then handed it back to me, I said to him...."looks a lot easier than it is, doesn't it"...he just smiled and walked away.
Oh Cambodia! There are surely more thoughts about that beautiful country. I think that is all I have in me for today. For the first time I am thinking I may need air conditioning....I am making my way to District Five to see if I can find where the Traditional Medicine people live and have their stinky herb stores. Can't wait!
Good Night,
willandCODY
When we arrived at the border I instantly knew this was going to be good. Usually when the bus pulls over there are tons of people who want to sell you spackled colored quail eggs, or some apparent deep fried food item. These items do not have a shelf life and I have NEVER seen a foreign traveler purchase either item but still they persist. It is the same things when the bus arrives at the final bus stop....throngs of tuk tuk drivers who hardly let you get to your bag demanding "where you go..." "where you from?" "you want tuk tuk?" You feel a little like a rock star for a second....maybe the first time it happens then you grow to create some kind of force-field around you, sheltering you from their demanding looks. In the end it is all fine, but what in the hell would life be like if this was it for you? That you showed up at a bus stop and harassed people into getting into your tuk tuk. I am certain at this point you can go back to the earlier posting about gratitude. That kind of harassment is not good for the soul in my opinion and leads to its own course of health risks. SO....when we arrived at the border crossing for Vietnam we were met by two guys trying to sell us SIM cards for cell phones! Hysterical for sure. Speaking of cell phones, my iphone has worked in every country although in the last week it has been silent. I decided to phone my Dad as our bus was sitting on a boat making its way across the Mekong. It was ten pm Michigan time but I knew he would be up. He was a little shocked and surprised to hear from me but quickly recovered by going to our usual conversation about the weather. The other conversation we have is who has died lately. I generally just blurt it out these days...anybody die lately? It was a short and sweet conversation and he confirmed that he would be in New Mexico at the end of March to see his three youngest and stupidest children once again compete in the Bataan Death March Marathon. I said last year after I lost both of my big toenails never again, but if my two older brothers do it....I can not let them get the best of me. Nothing like a little competitive spirit amongst siblings....guess I better start logging some more miles....but I think I lost my running partner.
On the topic of exercise I was out this morning in Cambodia running and jumping rope and a guy came up and just stood there looking at me. Everyone looks at the strange white lady with the white hair but he seemed to be challenging me with his look. I handed him the jump rope and he started off and quickly finished. He gave it a few more attempts (he had no rhythm) and then handed it back to me, I said to him...."looks a lot easier than it is, doesn't it"...he just smiled and walked away.
Oh Cambodia! There are surely more thoughts about that beautiful country. I think that is all I have in me for today. For the first time I am thinking I may need air conditioning....I am making my way to District Five to see if I can find where the Traditional Medicine people live and have their stinky herb stores. Can't wait!
Good Night,
willandCODY
A few more words on...Transportation
Hello everyone! I can not rest until I make my final commentary on transportation in SE Asia. Given that I am always evaluating and critiquing each available situation as the Virgo mind is want to do, I am amazed and a little bit disappointed all together on this topic of transportation. After witnessing here in all of my travels how efficiently a family of five can get from point A to point B on a moto (scooter) and suffering through the gas hike of last year I really want all Americans to do just a little more. Get rid of your minivan and suburban and just get a moto. Soccer mom? No problem! I have continually witnessed and have photos to document that a mother and father and three children can safely ride on a moto together. AND the baby can be breastfeeding at the same time.
Ok, just a minute, this is a HUGE non-linear thought here...but yesterday as we were making it back to Phnom Pen on the bus Will had the very interesting experience of being peed on by a cute little one to two month old Cambodian baby. He did not appear to be amused. When the baby and the mom boarded the bus and sat next to us I did not think a second thought about the fact that the baby did not have diaper on, the only thought that registered was that it was definatelely a boy and that was about it. The boy was also attached to his mom's boob and was sucking away. Another nice things about this culture...no need to hide your breasts....they are for feeding your children! Anyway, in the heat of the day and with my hangover I was kind of in and out of sweaty sleep leaning against the window. I woke up at some point and looked at Will ( he had the most amazing ability to sleep in any situation that I am jealous of...) and he looked back at me with a funny face. We took off our head phones and he leaned toward me and said the baby had just peed on him. He was reaching into his bag and getting hand sanitizer out....Somewhere in the back of my mind I swear there is video footage of him doing the same thing when he is about the same age...it's what every boy does when they are not covered up...which made me think about the actual utility of the diaper.
Anyway, back to the commentary about transportation. If you do not have a family of five and you find you are just a single person, you can fit three of your mates on the moto. There is no reason that three adults can not fit in the seat of a scooter. I think with global warming and the intemperate price of gas we all owe it to ourselves and our children to make the conversion to this fine form of transportation.
Finally I want to give a shout out to my father, Jim Burch, who, in my opinion understood this at an early age and finding himself the father of five children, he did not go out and buy a van or a station wagon as was popular back in the early to mid seventies. He bought an El Camino and we all fit easily into that car...er....truck whatever it is classified as. I think he would be impressed by the fact that tomorrow Will and I are going to earn our traveler stripes and rent our own moto in this crazy busy city of Ho Chi Min. But first we will be heading to the first pagoda we can find to pay a little homage for sage travel in this seductive sprawling city.
Until next time...
willandCODY
Ok, just a minute, this is a HUGE non-linear thought here...but yesterday as we were making it back to Phnom Pen on the bus Will had the very interesting experience of being peed on by a cute little one to two month old Cambodian baby. He did not appear to be amused. When the baby and the mom boarded the bus and sat next to us I did not think a second thought about the fact that the baby did not have diaper on, the only thought that registered was that it was definatelely a boy and that was about it. The boy was also attached to his mom's boob and was sucking away. Another nice things about this culture...no need to hide your breasts....they are for feeding your children! Anyway, in the heat of the day and with my hangover I was kind of in and out of sweaty sleep leaning against the window. I woke up at some point and looked at Will ( he had the most amazing ability to sleep in any situation that I am jealous of...) and he looked back at me with a funny face. We took off our head phones and he leaned toward me and said the baby had just peed on him. He was reaching into his bag and getting hand sanitizer out....Somewhere in the back of my mind I swear there is video footage of him doing the same thing when he is about the same age...it's what every boy does when they are not covered up...which made me think about the actual utility of the diaper.
Anyway, back to the commentary about transportation. If you do not have a family of five and you find you are just a single person, you can fit three of your mates on the moto. There is no reason that three adults can not fit in the seat of a scooter. I think with global warming and the intemperate price of gas we all owe it to ourselves and our children to make the conversion to this fine form of transportation.
Finally I want to give a shout out to my father, Jim Burch, who, in my opinion understood this at an early age and finding himself the father of five children, he did not go out and buy a van or a station wagon as was popular back in the early to mid seventies. He bought an El Camino and we all fit easily into that car...er....truck whatever it is classified as. I think he would be impressed by the fact that tomorrow Will and I are going to earn our traveler stripes and rent our own moto in this crazy busy city of Ho Chi Min. But first we will be heading to the first pagoda we can find to pay a little homage for sage travel in this seductive sprawling city.
Until next time...
willandCODY
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
On Transportation...
Hello everyone! My heart is pounding and I can not type fast enough to keep up with my thoughts....translation....a little dehydrated and over-caffeinated. We have had an interesting last 24 hours to say the least. At about 4:30 pm yesterday we decided that we had had enough of Cambodia and were ready to move onto Vietnam. Within the course of about five minutes we had a very cheap and easy plan to get out and it became apparent to me that perhaps Cambodia was through with us as well.
The beach has been wonderful and disappointing at the same time. There is actually no beach, just a rocky coastline and no place to lay in the sand. There is a small beach that is sandy but more like a sandbox kind of sand...we were able to walk into the water which was so incredibly warm and that was about it. Given that the beach was not quite what we were looking for and the fact that we are starting to get a little weary of the Cambodians and their love of the mighty US dollar it was all too easy to say goodbye to it all. We are so happy that we came all the way down to Kep. It is am amazing, sleepy, quiet town. Hardly any tourists. Before we left Phnom Pen I had mentioned to Will that the beach would be awesome if we arrived and it was raining buckets and was a little chilly. The extreme hot weather has been wearing us out. Well, my wish was granted and it was raining as we arrived and the air was crisp and cool. There were not many options for accommodations and we finally ended up staying dorm style at a place owned by a crazy French guy named Fabrize called Kukuluku. We arrived after 5pm and got settled and then got some food and then Will split to the internet cafe for his facebook date with M. I went back to the guest house and had a lovely time with other guests from Italy, Australia, Canada and Austria. It is truly a party of strangers out here in the world and the communication flowed easy and everyone enjoyed the company. Staying dorm style means there is one huge room that is filled with beds and you pay for the bed and the bathroom is shared. The beds were huge....almost king size and had Will and I shared a bed like many other travelers sharing the room with us it would have been $5 total. Before we even left Myanmar I had already announced that I wanted my own bed from here on out...so we each paid $5 for a bed and were quite happy.
We pretty much hung out yesterday reading and catching up on journal writing. I did lay out in my bikini in a hammock that was strung between two palm trees...not such a bad thing really, sun was able to get to me, a slight breeze coming off the water, I have no complaints. We walked into town and got a burrito...yup a burrito that had cheese and tomatoes inside of it, and a coke! Such Americans! The name of the place was called Led Zep and they cranked out nothing but classic 80's hits. It was here that we decided to move on. So we are now in Sihanoukville where the Vietnamese Consulate is. We arrived here at 930 by car (which will be another blog altogether...) and caught a moto to the Consulate. It took exactly five minutes to get our visas. Certainly makes you wonder what the hell takes so long at other Consulates but I will try to be grateful about it as they still did not require me to have a photo...
We are now booked on a bus back to Phnom Pen and will leave tomorrow morning for the former Saigon/ Ho Chi Min City!
In the end we are glad we went all the way down to Kep. Seeing the coastline and then the rain was well worth it. Last night we went to a restaurant and ended up being joined by four other guests from the Kukuluku that we were staying with that I had been talking with the night before. We ate and drank and then went back to the guest house and drank more...it was a huge party with very loud music, Cambodian men playing pool and lots of wine and beer drinking. I had five beers (three of them stouts and very potent) and this morning as we were waking at 545 to get our taxi to this town the thought occurred to me that I have not had a hangover in years..,but today I did!
Which is why, when the taxi showed up I was a little pissy. I have often been quoted on this trip as saying "nothing is ever as it seems..." take for instance the burrito from yesterday. I said to Will the minute we saw the sign that the word conjures for me the ultimate burrito which is from Pancho Villa's on Valencia in the Mission in San Francisco. The next burrito that comes to mind is the no carne burrito from Felipe's in Santa Fe... Will has his own mental image of his favorite burrito as well...don't we all? That is why we had to know what the Cambodian Burrito looked like...plus it was 75 cents...
Ok back to this morning....when we booked the car yesterday we were aware that there were two other passengers. So, in my head I imagined a car with four foreigners and one local driver. Three in the back, one in the front seat with the driver. I also imagined that I would be able to lean on a window and sleep for the three hour drive. Given that nothing is ever as it seems I should not have been surprised to see that in the toyota camry already were not just two other foreigners, but four adult Cambodians and a young girl approximate age of five. Will and I just looked at each other...the couple from France looked at each other and then us. We all looked at the Cambodians...surely some of these people were now getting out of the car and walking somewhere....weren't they? Well actually No. they were all coming to Sihanoukville as well. I mean if the car was taking some foreigners might as well not waste the trip and take half of the village with you. Remember the hangover....ugh. So, a huge tall French guy and his tall girlfriend and Will and I all squeezed into the back seat and the Four Cambodians adults and one child squeezed into the front seat. Eventually we would pick up two more Cambodians and make our way. One person sat on the back of the car and the other extra guy sat next to the driver beside the driver-side door. It is a little known fact after today that the drivers seat is actually meant for two. The driver drove the car, shifted gears and loaded up DVD's in the dashboard mounted DVD player and Talked on his phone all at once and while seated in the middle of the car. Three people shared the passenger side front seat. And as always...no travel in Cambodia or really anywhere in SE Asia is ever complete without a few huge bags of dried fish. The smell was great. We drove very fast and only four people appeared to be awake in the car when the driver drove over a dog in the middle of the street. I was one of those people. To his credit, the driver did slam his breaks and tried to stop but there was nothing that could be done. We did not stop to see how the dog was either. There was no way he could have been alive though....or at least I surely hope not.
It was just another assurance to me that we had made the right decision to get out of Cambodia.
I will have to blog more when we get to Phnom Pen and let you know about the killing fields.
Off to catch a bus...
willandCody
The beach has been wonderful and disappointing at the same time. There is actually no beach, just a rocky coastline and no place to lay in the sand. There is a small beach that is sandy but more like a sandbox kind of sand...we were able to walk into the water which was so incredibly warm and that was about it. Given that the beach was not quite what we were looking for and the fact that we are starting to get a little weary of the Cambodians and their love of the mighty US dollar it was all too easy to say goodbye to it all. We are so happy that we came all the way down to Kep. It is am amazing, sleepy, quiet town. Hardly any tourists. Before we left Phnom Pen I had mentioned to Will that the beach would be awesome if we arrived and it was raining buckets and was a little chilly. The extreme hot weather has been wearing us out. Well, my wish was granted and it was raining as we arrived and the air was crisp and cool. There were not many options for accommodations and we finally ended up staying dorm style at a place owned by a crazy French guy named Fabrize called Kukuluku. We arrived after 5pm and got settled and then got some food and then Will split to the internet cafe for his facebook date with M. I went back to the guest house and had a lovely time with other guests from Italy, Australia, Canada and Austria. It is truly a party of strangers out here in the world and the communication flowed easy and everyone enjoyed the company. Staying dorm style means there is one huge room that is filled with beds and you pay for the bed and the bathroom is shared. The beds were huge....almost king size and had Will and I shared a bed like many other travelers sharing the room with us it would have been $5 total. Before we even left Myanmar I had already announced that I wanted my own bed from here on out...so we each paid $5 for a bed and were quite happy.
We pretty much hung out yesterday reading and catching up on journal writing. I did lay out in my bikini in a hammock that was strung between two palm trees...not such a bad thing really, sun was able to get to me, a slight breeze coming off the water, I have no complaints. We walked into town and got a burrito...yup a burrito that had cheese and tomatoes inside of it, and a coke! Such Americans! The name of the place was called Led Zep and they cranked out nothing but classic 80's hits. It was here that we decided to move on. So we are now in Sihanoukville where the Vietnamese Consulate is. We arrived here at 930 by car (which will be another blog altogether...) and caught a moto to the Consulate. It took exactly five minutes to get our visas. Certainly makes you wonder what the hell takes so long at other Consulates but I will try to be grateful about it as they still did not require me to have a photo...
We are now booked on a bus back to Phnom Pen and will leave tomorrow morning for the former Saigon/ Ho Chi Min City!
In the end we are glad we went all the way down to Kep. Seeing the coastline and then the rain was well worth it. Last night we went to a restaurant and ended up being joined by four other guests from the Kukuluku that we were staying with that I had been talking with the night before. We ate and drank and then went back to the guest house and drank more...it was a huge party with very loud music, Cambodian men playing pool and lots of wine and beer drinking. I had five beers (three of them stouts and very potent) and this morning as we were waking at 545 to get our taxi to this town the thought occurred to me that I have not had a hangover in years..,but today I did!
Which is why, when the taxi showed up I was a little pissy. I have often been quoted on this trip as saying "nothing is ever as it seems..." take for instance the burrito from yesterday. I said to Will the minute we saw the sign that the word conjures for me the ultimate burrito which is from Pancho Villa's on Valencia in the Mission in San Francisco. The next burrito that comes to mind is the no carne burrito from Felipe's in Santa Fe... Will has his own mental image of his favorite burrito as well...don't we all? That is why we had to know what the Cambodian Burrito looked like...plus it was 75 cents...
Ok back to this morning....when we booked the car yesterday we were aware that there were two other passengers. So, in my head I imagined a car with four foreigners and one local driver. Three in the back, one in the front seat with the driver. I also imagined that I would be able to lean on a window and sleep for the three hour drive. Given that nothing is ever as it seems I should not have been surprised to see that in the toyota camry already were not just two other foreigners, but four adult Cambodians and a young girl approximate age of five. Will and I just looked at each other...the couple from France looked at each other and then us. We all looked at the Cambodians...surely some of these people were now getting out of the car and walking somewhere....weren't they? Well actually No. they were all coming to Sihanoukville as well. I mean if the car was taking some foreigners might as well not waste the trip and take half of the village with you. Remember the hangover....ugh. So, a huge tall French guy and his tall girlfriend and Will and I all squeezed into the back seat and the Four Cambodians adults and one child squeezed into the front seat. Eventually we would pick up two more Cambodians and make our way. One person sat on the back of the car and the other extra guy sat next to the driver beside the driver-side door. It is a little known fact after today that the drivers seat is actually meant for two. The driver drove the car, shifted gears and loaded up DVD's in the dashboard mounted DVD player and Talked on his phone all at once and while seated in the middle of the car. Three people shared the passenger side front seat. And as always...no travel in Cambodia or really anywhere in SE Asia is ever complete without a few huge bags of dried fish. The smell was great. We drove very fast and only four people appeared to be awake in the car when the driver drove over a dog in the middle of the street. I was one of those people. To his credit, the driver did slam his breaks and tried to stop but there was nothing that could be done. We did not stop to see how the dog was either. There was no way he could have been alive though....or at least I surely hope not.
It was just another assurance to me that we had made the right decision to get out of Cambodia.
I will have to blog more when we get to Phnom Pen and let you know about the killing fields.
Off to catch a bus...
willandCody
clowns have nothing on cambodians.
briefly...
all that i really have to say is this- 10 people. 5 large luggage bags. 1 Toyota Camry. No problem.
all that i really have to say is this- 10 people. 5 large luggage bags. 1 Toyota Camry. No problem.
Monday, February 16, 2009
kids in asia
Every time we walk around the streets of a major city, we are inevitably followed by a small kid. It happened today, and by the time this tiny, shoeless beggar had disappeared, he had been with us for at least 30 minutes.
I also received a piggyback ride from a tuk-tuk driver today, free of charge. Take that, overpriced transport!!!!
I only tell the important things.
more later from this side of the,
WIll and cody
I also received a piggyback ride from a tuk-tuk driver today, free of charge. Take that, overpriced transport!!!!
I only tell the important things.
more later from this side of the,
WIll and cody
It's HOT!
Hello everyone! It is so incredibly hot. A cold shower is no longer something to be dreaded but looked forward to at least twice a day. Will and I got back to the business of running today. We have been on hiatus since we stayed at the Monastery while I was working. Not sure what he was doing but I was doing my best to keep up my Yoga practice and meditate every morning before I had to attend to the onslaught of patients that were waiting everyday. I really miss bikram yoga and at this point, other than missing Basil and wishing he was here with me, it is the only thing I could come home for right now.
We had such a busy day today. We decided to take in a few museums and sites around the Capital and then tomorrow morning we are headed out to the killing fields. One of the sites we both wanted to go to today was the Toul Sleng Museum. It is the actual site (a former high school) where the Khmer Rouge would take people after they had been arrested to torture them almost to death and then they would transport them to the killing fields to do the actual killing. It was quite a museum. It is also known at Security Prison-21 or S-21. Of the estimated 20,000 people who passed through this site, seven made it out alive. Everyone else ended up at the killing fields. Dead. In the museum they have photos of many of the victims. They were photographed hands tied behind their backs looking at the camera with such sober faces...all of them, men, women and children. The Khmer Rouge were detailed note takers of their torture methods and everyone that was detained much like the Nazi's. On a wall of the stairs leading to the second floor of the camp someone had written the following...."when this was a prison, nobody learned. When this was a school, nobody died." Such small ironic statements really make a large point. In the end, after the liberation of Cambodia from the Khmer Rouge, those that were responsible, the top Military people including Pol Pot, the notorious leader, were never brought to justice.
So tomorrow we are off to see one of the locations, reportedly the largest area, where victims were taken and killed. Most remains have been left there.
Yesterday I had a long sit down with myself while I was trying to sort out many details in my life and I had to admit that the decision to go and see all of these places of destruction in the next four weeks is already weighing heavy on my heart. The things that humanity can do to itself with justification is shocking sometimes. But, in the end as I was refocusing priorities and trying to bring some loose ends together I realized I really need to see this stuff. There are few things as real as this magnitude of suffering. In some morbid way it helps to contain myself and be that much more grateful and put things into perspective.
Thankfully when we were done walking around the prison we walked across the street to the sweetest restaurant called the Boddhi Tree Umma and had a delicious dinner of curried coconut veggies and a fresh carrot, ginger, lime juice. Or at least that's what I had. Oh and a hunk of baguette with cammenbere cheese and black sesame seeds on it. Again, thank you France and your influence and colonization of Cambodia.
We also went to the National Museum. Amazing Thousand year old artifacts mostly taken from Ankor. Amazing statues of the Buddha, Ganesh, Shiva...the best part that Will and I could agree on was that every last artifact was sitting on a podium or some type of display table....just out there in the open where we could have touched them but obviously did not. There was a point when I had one of those queer thoughts like..what if a tripped and fell and knocked over a podium and a 1000 year old relic? Would they send me to a new version of S-21, take my passport, kick me out....? What? We laughed about how our countries history is less than 300 years old and everything is behind 12 inch glass and is heavily guarded...
Oh, we went to a great Pagoda first thing in the morning ( I can't not go to a pagoda everyday now...they are like crack for me, I see a pagoda and I want to go in and get on my knees and start praying)..the Wat Phnom. This pagoda is known for good luck and success in school exams and business affairs. I figured this covered both Will and I and drug him along. On the back side of the pagoda there were tall trees that had quite a few Monkeys in them. So cute. Seeing elephants (super stinky) and Monkeys really makes you feel good. Well, maybe not the elephants...they never look happy but the Monkeys are always playing and up to something. Maybe Basil would like a Monkey...just checking to see if Nancy has been reading him the blog...
We just walked all over today in the blistering heat sweating like dogs and getting a slight sun burn. It was great. After we get back from the Killing Fields we are jumping on a bus and heading South to the beaches of Kep and Kampot. I need to lie down again. Near the water. Guess I need to find another book store.
OK, I should get off the computer now, been on it for over an hour and a half catching up on stuff in my real life. Maybe Will has something to say about today....we shall see.
Good night everyone,
willandCODY
We had such a busy day today. We decided to take in a few museums and sites around the Capital and then tomorrow morning we are headed out to the killing fields. One of the sites we both wanted to go to today was the Toul Sleng Museum. It is the actual site (a former high school) where the Khmer Rouge would take people after they had been arrested to torture them almost to death and then they would transport them to the killing fields to do the actual killing. It was quite a museum. It is also known at Security Prison-21 or S-21. Of the estimated 20,000 people who passed through this site, seven made it out alive. Everyone else ended up at the killing fields. Dead. In the museum they have photos of many of the victims. They were photographed hands tied behind their backs looking at the camera with such sober faces...all of them, men, women and children. The Khmer Rouge were detailed note takers of their torture methods and everyone that was detained much like the Nazi's. On a wall of the stairs leading to the second floor of the camp someone had written the following...."when this was a prison, nobody learned. When this was a school, nobody died." Such small ironic statements really make a large point. In the end, after the liberation of Cambodia from the Khmer Rouge, those that were responsible, the top Military people including Pol Pot, the notorious leader, were never brought to justice.
So tomorrow we are off to see one of the locations, reportedly the largest area, where victims were taken and killed. Most remains have been left there.
Yesterday I had a long sit down with myself while I was trying to sort out many details in my life and I had to admit that the decision to go and see all of these places of destruction in the next four weeks is already weighing heavy on my heart. The things that humanity can do to itself with justification is shocking sometimes. But, in the end as I was refocusing priorities and trying to bring some loose ends together I realized I really need to see this stuff. There are few things as real as this magnitude of suffering. In some morbid way it helps to contain myself and be that much more grateful and put things into perspective.
Thankfully when we were done walking around the prison we walked across the street to the sweetest restaurant called the Boddhi Tree Umma and had a delicious dinner of curried coconut veggies and a fresh carrot, ginger, lime juice. Or at least that's what I had. Oh and a hunk of baguette with cammenbere cheese and black sesame seeds on it. Again, thank you France and your influence and colonization of Cambodia.
We also went to the National Museum. Amazing Thousand year old artifacts mostly taken from Ankor. Amazing statues of the Buddha, Ganesh, Shiva...the best part that Will and I could agree on was that every last artifact was sitting on a podium or some type of display table....just out there in the open where we could have touched them but obviously did not. There was a point when I had one of those queer thoughts like..what if a tripped and fell and knocked over a podium and a 1000 year old relic? Would they send me to a new version of S-21, take my passport, kick me out....? What? We laughed about how our countries history is less than 300 years old and everything is behind 12 inch glass and is heavily guarded...
Oh, we went to a great Pagoda first thing in the morning ( I can't not go to a pagoda everyday now...they are like crack for me, I see a pagoda and I want to go in and get on my knees and start praying)..the Wat Phnom. This pagoda is known for good luck and success in school exams and business affairs. I figured this covered both Will and I and drug him along. On the back side of the pagoda there were tall trees that had quite a few Monkeys in them. So cute. Seeing elephants (super stinky) and Monkeys really makes you feel good. Well, maybe not the elephants...they never look happy but the Monkeys are always playing and up to something. Maybe Basil would like a Monkey...just checking to see if Nancy has been reading him the blog...
We just walked all over today in the blistering heat sweating like dogs and getting a slight sun burn. It was great. After we get back from the Killing Fields we are jumping on a bus and heading South to the beaches of Kep and Kampot. I need to lie down again. Near the water. Guess I need to find another book store.
OK, I should get off the computer now, been on it for over an hour and a half catching up on stuff in my real life. Maybe Will has something to say about today....we shall see.
Good night everyone,
willandCODY
Sunday, February 15, 2009
the city life
Hello everyone. We took a bus to Phnom Pen. Pretty uneventful, Will slept, in fact he is still sleeping, and I am much further along in my Barbara Kingsolver novel than I would like to be. I picked up a used copy in Bangkok of Prodigal Summer and it has been an excellent companion these last few days. Very thought provoking and I am already growing a little sad at the impending end of it which should happen tonight. So, off to find another book now. I think we may end up being here two days as Will has now slept the entire day and we will not be able to make it to the killing fields until tomorrow. We will be unable to take the land-crossing we had hoped to into Vietnam and must come back to this city to get to Ho Chi Min anyway through another land crossing. Phnom Pen reminds me a little bit of Yangon. Something about the feel of it, the tension seems to be the same here, but I will let you know more when I have had more time to explore. The Kingsolver book was really a good choice, there are a couple of story lines running though the book. One is about nature and how when one element of it is destroyed or extirminated so to speak, how the entire network of nature loses it balance. Maybe just a little, and then it fights its way back only to suffer another imbalance and so it goes. The ebb and flow of life. The Tao is around me, everywhere I am and at all times. I guess those are the eyes I view life with ... in, out, up down... together, apart, everything is relative to the situation I am currently experiencing. Just taking it all in over here and trying not to have too much judgement or thought, but my mind does challenge me at times. And certainly my heart.
Talk to you all later,
willandCODY
Talk to you all later,
willandCODY
Friday, February 13, 2009
Next up...
Hello everyone...again I would just like to take a brief moment to thank the country of France for my baguette every morning.
We are leaving Seim Reap tomorrow AM on bus and heading to Phnom Pen, the capital. We will only stay a day and then directly to Kep and the beach. After a few days there we will head into Vietnam by land crossing. Seim Reap has been a wonderful quiet town. I am amazed at how comfortable I feel stepping out into busy traffic and simply crossing the street in the middle of it (no stop signs or traffic signals here...people just seem to pick up on intention I guess.)
The capital of Phnom Pen will likely be a complete change to the wonderful solitude we have enjoyed here, after coming from Bangkok. We will be able to take in the killing feilds in Phnom Pen and we both look forward to seeing the monument in a strange sort of way. Iguess this is what the rest of the trip will be about....the destruction of war and its long lasting aftermath. Certainly makes me think about our current occupation of Iraq and what is next for those folks when we are "gone."
I have been missing the news wondering if the bottom has fallen out of the economy and how Obama is taking it. I calculated that I will miss half of the first 100 days in office. This is disappointing. I hope all is well. People all over here are so delighted by him and excited for America as well. Yeah.
Just a quick note to let you all know that we are well, and very sweaty and having our laundry done by someone else for $2. Will has jumped on this bandwagon as well. I love handing my laundry off and having it returned the next day ironed and folded...yes, even the t-shirts and underwear, for anywhere from 50 cents to $3. So nice. Now if I could just find a brow wax and tint I would be set....hey Nance, could you call Kimberly and try to get me an appointment for the 12th, 13th or 14th? I will pay double! Dont think I can wait until the 18th.
Happy Valentine's day everyone. When you all wake up it will be this day where ever you are. They are selling lovely single roses all over town...its pretty sweet.
Ciao
C
We are leaving Seim Reap tomorrow AM on bus and heading to Phnom Pen, the capital. We will only stay a day and then directly to Kep and the beach. After a few days there we will head into Vietnam by land crossing. Seim Reap has been a wonderful quiet town. I am amazed at how comfortable I feel stepping out into busy traffic and simply crossing the street in the middle of it (no stop signs or traffic signals here...people just seem to pick up on intention I guess.)
The capital of Phnom Pen will likely be a complete change to the wonderful solitude we have enjoyed here, after coming from Bangkok. We will be able to take in the killing feilds in Phnom Pen and we both look forward to seeing the monument in a strange sort of way. Iguess this is what the rest of the trip will be about....the destruction of war and its long lasting aftermath. Certainly makes me think about our current occupation of Iraq and what is next for those folks when we are "gone."
I have been missing the news wondering if the bottom has fallen out of the economy and how Obama is taking it. I calculated that I will miss half of the first 100 days in office. This is disappointing. I hope all is well. People all over here are so delighted by him and excited for America as well. Yeah.
Just a quick note to let you all know that we are well, and very sweaty and having our laundry done by someone else for $2. Will has jumped on this bandwagon as well. I love handing my laundry off and having it returned the next day ironed and folded...yes, even the t-shirts and underwear, for anywhere from 50 cents to $3. So nice. Now if I could just find a brow wax and tint I would be set....hey Nance, could you call Kimberly and try to get me an appointment for the 12th, 13th or 14th? I will pay double! Dont think I can wait until the 18th.
Happy Valentine's day everyone. When you all wake up it will be this day where ever you are. They are selling lovely single roses all over town...its pretty sweet.
Ciao
C
Getting Riel
Will and I finally changed some money out for Cambodian currency although they are completely happy to be gobbling up our pristine US dollars. Actually we did not need to do this but we are finally in a country that has banks! And they are beautiful and AIR CONDITIONED! I changed out $4 and got one each of every bill from 10,000 to 100 Riel. Cool. The teller spoke exceptional English as well.
I hate to say it but we have been glorified Americans today (even after seeing the tragedy of the landmine museum). Will needed a new phone since the charger on his old one bit the dust and lest he be without communication to Melissa....this could have been a tragedy in itself! I have never seen a young man move quite so deftly as I did today. Within moments he had inquired as to where he could find a used cell phone store and we were on our way. With in less then 30 minutes he had a new Nokia in hand with charger for $25!
Then we set off to do a little shopping and find a massage for me. Instead we came across a Mexican restaurant (no I have not miss-spoke here) and ordered two margarita's (frozen cuz it is super hot here!) and some chips and salsa and Guac and got a good shot of the two of us toasting Mom/Grandma. Maxine was here in Cambodia with us so we thought we would buy her a drink!
Then we walked back to our guesthouse and had ice cream at a place called Swenson's (Nance can you help me out...is there one in San Francisco?). They have ice cream and sundaes and pretty much anything you want in the ice cream department... but then they all have silly names like...Coit Tower, which takes me to San Fran...I was just literally thinking about taking another trip to San Fran and wondering if I would have time to go to Glide Memorial and then I had this silly thought about an old trip with Nancy when I had food poisoning from a late night drinking with Chris Boyd in the Castro and we went to Welcome Home and I had the coleslaw and I had to be near a bathroom for two days and when I finally felt better Nancy dragged me all over that city. Including Coit tower. So, we did not get the Coit Tower sundae but Will did get a sundae with a small American flag on top of it and I have a feeling that little flag may show up in a few shots in the next 28 days.
On the way home from the break at the ice cream store we walked by a little boy estimated at about 2 years of age taking a bath in a five gallon paint bucket right next to the street. What a cutey! I took his photo as he was sucking his thumb. Adorable. And why do we not bathe our babies in buckets in America? Such a conservation of water and it looked pretty fun!
We arrived back at the guesthouse and I was immediately off for a massage. I was headed out for a 2 hour $30 body scrub, oil massage and pedicure combo when Will seemed concerned that he would have to entertain himself for two hours (he had already had a beer) so I cut it down to just an oil massage and wow, what an experience.
The young gal who gave me the massage stood there and pointed to a basket on the floor next to the bed and made some movement with her hand motioning me to take off my clothes. So, while she stood there and watched I got naked and then laid down on the bed...no need to be bashful I guess. Again, another experience with minimal draping and this time, copious amounts of oil. Pretty sure I have never had that much oil on my body before! The experience was relaxing although a little bit intrusive at times and in the end I would save my money next time. I am really starting to miss the best massage therapist ever, my friend Channing Huser and need to email her now to get in within the next month before she gets booked.
Did I mention that we went back for Mexican tonight? We both had chicken enchiladas and they left a lot to be desired. I am tired of rice and noodles. This usually happens at this point. But, let me tell you what, it is so nice being in a country that is formerly France's and not Britain's. I have been having the best baguette with butter and jam for breakfast! Nice and crunchy just like it should be. Thank you France!
Ok, that is all I have for now people. I am sweating and it is just rolling off my super oiled body!
Time for bed,
willandCODY
I hate to say it but we have been glorified Americans today (even after seeing the tragedy of the landmine museum). Will needed a new phone since the charger on his old one bit the dust and lest he be without communication to Melissa....this could have been a tragedy in itself! I have never seen a young man move quite so deftly as I did today. Within moments he had inquired as to where he could find a used cell phone store and we were on our way. With in less then 30 minutes he had a new Nokia in hand with charger for $25!
Then we set off to do a little shopping and find a massage for me. Instead we came across a Mexican restaurant (no I have not miss-spoke here) and ordered two margarita's (frozen cuz it is super hot here!) and some chips and salsa and Guac and got a good shot of the two of us toasting Mom/Grandma. Maxine was here in Cambodia with us so we thought we would buy her a drink!
Then we walked back to our guesthouse and had ice cream at a place called Swenson's (Nance can you help me out...is there one in San Francisco?). They have ice cream and sundaes and pretty much anything you want in the ice cream department... but then they all have silly names like...Coit Tower, which takes me to San Fran...I was just literally thinking about taking another trip to San Fran and wondering if I would have time to go to Glide Memorial and then I had this silly thought about an old trip with Nancy when I had food poisoning from a late night drinking with Chris Boyd in the Castro and we went to Welcome Home and I had the coleslaw and I had to be near a bathroom for two days and when I finally felt better Nancy dragged me all over that city. Including Coit tower. So, we did not get the Coit Tower sundae but Will did get a sundae with a small American flag on top of it and I have a feeling that little flag may show up in a few shots in the next 28 days.
On the way home from the break at the ice cream store we walked by a little boy estimated at about 2 years of age taking a bath in a five gallon paint bucket right next to the street. What a cutey! I took his photo as he was sucking his thumb. Adorable. And why do we not bathe our babies in buckets in America? Such a conservation of water and it looked pretty fun!
We arrived back at the guesthouse and I was immediately off for a massage. I was headed out for a 2 hour $30 body scrub, oil massage and pedicure combo when Will seemed concerned that he would have to entertain himself for two hours (he had already had a beer) so I cut it down to just an oil massage and wow, what an experience.
The young gal who gave me the massage stood there and pointed to a basket on the floor next to the bed and made some movement with her hand motioning me to take off my clothes. So, while she stood there and watched I got naked and then laid down on the bed...no need to be bashful I guess. Again, another experience with minimal draping and this time, copious amounts of oil. Pretty sure I have never had that much oil on my body before! The experience was relaxing although a little bit intrusive at times and in the end I would save my money next time. I am really starting to miss the best massage therapist ever, my friend Channing Huser and need to email her now to get in within the next month before she gets booked.
Did I mention that we went back for Mexican tonight? We both had chicken enchiladas and they left a lot to be desired. I am tired of rice and noodles. This usually happens at this point. But, let me tell you what, it is so nice being in a country that is formerly France's and not Britain's. I have been having the best baguette with butter and jam for breakfast! Nice and crunchy just like it should be. Thank you France!
Ok, that is all I have for now people. I am sweating and it is just rolling off my super oiled body!
Time for bed,
willandCODY
beauty and destruction
Hello everyone! We have had a busy day today. Covered lots of ground in a very short amount of time thanks to the craziest taxi driver I have ever encountered! We split a taxi with our friends from Australia, Ray and Barry , to the landmine museum. On the road there the taxi driver was driving over 60 mph and passing people and driving down the middle of the road and flying along even when there were small children riding bikes home from school. We tried to tell him we were in no hurry but he did not seem to care. I was pissed. how dare he drive by children so fast! I will get out of the car the next time that happens.
Anyway, we did arrive at the landmine museum and it was amazing. The tragedy of what continues to happen after war is over was made clear today for all of us. It is estimated that Cambodia has more undetonated landmines than any other country. We also learned of the idea behind a landmine which is only to maim and not to actually kill. The idea behind this is another way to win a war in that if a country has to pay to take care of an injured soldier that costs more money than killing one. Also, the average price to manufacture a landmine is between $1-3 but to collect one and clean up an area cost about $300 per landmine. The museum had a great deal of information about the Ottawa treaty which was sign by most nations and is an agreement among the signees to not use this technology anymore. The US had not signed this treaty as yet and continues to justify the presence of all the landmines we have places particularly in the DMZ zone of Vietnam saying their presence there keeps the peace between Northern and Southern Vietnam.
What is most heart rendering is that soldiers are obviously not the people who are currently being injured anymore. The museum has story after story of children and grown ups who have lost their limbs accidently while doing any particular random activity like palying with friends, farming food to feed a family, you name it. While we were looking at the ruins yesterday there were many people begging for our money. Occasionally we encountered a band that had set up that was usually a group of grown men who were missing at least one limb and maybe blind as well. It was humbling. We gave readily to them. They want to stop begging and provide a legitimate way to feed their families.
It was a sobering sight to see children playing soccer hopping along with one leg and a made up crutch to get them along. The NGO that manages the landmine museum also takes children who have been injured in and provides for them so that they may go to school and hopefully learn some type of skill. I was reading a story about one boy on the way and he went on about how their were four children in his family originally but the baby got a fever and died, and then his sister was raped by the Khmer Rouge and another brother was shot. just two of them left now and also his mother drinks everyday and his father is was killed by the khmer rouge. Small wonder that this boy woud want to live at the museum.
This whole concept was developed by a man my age who at the age of ten was a member of the Khmer Rouge and then he defected to the Vietnamese army to fight the Khmer. They trained him in how to use landmines and he became an expert. He now spends all of his time trying to clear them from his country and to make it safe. He spoke of how he really wants to get an education and learn to read and write better because when he should have been learning these things he was killing people.
The most moving item at the museum was a small pagoda style building made of glass that was filled with landmines. Surrounding it was a sweet moat filled with koi fish and lotus flowers growing in the water. Two items that i have come to associate with peace and tranquility and rebirth...perhaps there is a time in the near future when no human in this country faces the accidental tragedy of the landmine and harmony can be restored to a country that has seen so much turmoil in the last fourty years.
thats all for now
willandCODY
Anyway, we did arrive at the landmine museum and it was amazing. The tragedy of what continues to happen after war is over was made clear today for all of us. It is estimated that Cambodia has more undetonated landmines than any other country. We also learned of the idea behind a landmine which is only to maim and not to actually kill. The idea behind this is another way to win a war in that if a country has to pay to take care of an injured soldier that costs more money than killing one. Also, the average price to manufacture a landmine is between $1-3 but to collect one and clean up an area cost about $300 per landmine. The museum had a great deal of information about the Ottawa treaty which was sign by most nations and is an agreement among the signees to not use this technology anymore. The US had not signed this treaty as yet and continues to justify the presence of all the landmines we have places particularly in the DMZ zone of Vietnam saying their presence there keeps the peace between Northern and Southern Vietnam.
What is most heart rendering is that soldiers are obviously not the people who are currently being injured anymore. The museum has story after story of children and grown ups who have lost their limbs accidently while doing any particular random activity like palying with friends, farming food to feed a family, you name it. While we were looking at the ruins yesterday there were many people begging for our money. Occasionally we encountered a band that had set up that was usually a group of grown men who were missing at least one limb and maybe blind as well. It was humbling. We gave readily to them. They want to stop begging and provide a legitimate way to feed their families.
It was a sobering sight to see children playing soccer hopping along with one leg and a made up crutch to get them along. The NGO that manages the landmine museum also takes children who have been injured in and provides for them so that they may go to school and hopefully learn some type of skill. I was reading a story about one boy on the way and he went on about how their were four children in his family originally but the baby got a fever and died, and then his sister was raped by the Khmer Rouge and another brother was shot. just two of them left now and also his mother drinks everyday and his father is was killed by the khmer rouge. Small wonder that this boy woud want to live at the museum.
This whole concept was developed by a man my age who at the age of ten was a member of the Khmer Rouge and then he defected to the Vietnamese army to fight the Khmer. They trained him in how to use landmines and he became an expert. He now spends all of his time trying to clear them from his country and to make it safe. He spoke of how he really wants to get an education and learn to read and write better because when he should have been learning these things he was killing people.
The most moving item at the museum was a small pagoda style building made of glass that was filled with landmines. Surrounding it was a sweet moat filled with koi fish and lotus flowers growing in the water. Two items that i have come to associate with peace and tranquility and rebirth...perhaps there is a time in the near future when no human in this country faces the accidental tragedy of the landmine and harmony can be restored to a country that has seen so much turmoil in the last fourty years.
thats all for now
willandCODY
Thursday, February 12, 2009
government corruption? Not such a bad thing...
Hello everyone! We have been in Cambodia for over a day now and let me just say that it is amazing. We decided to get the hell out of Bangkok and make a run for the Cambodian border without having our visas first. Generally this is no problem as it is in Burma but the particular land crossing we were choosing was known to be a sketchy one with lots of border guards trying to scam you out of your money and demanding high inflated prices for visas. Knowing this, Will did a great job of finding some information on the net about how to get to Siem Reap the cheapest. Our five our luxury bus from Bangkok left at 5 at and it cost us less than a $1.50. About an hour into the trip i realized that I had completely forgotten to get a passport photo for the visa application that was required. I quickly said a small prayer on the bus asking for safe passage across the border while being willing to pay any reasonable price for the visa. And then i tried to get some sleep and not worry about having to be returned to Bangkok or having to find a passport photo shop in Poipet (the border crossing town) The border/immigration guard took my visa application with no photo and said something in Cambodian that I simply said...do not have and made a waving motion with my hand. He then pulled the drawer open of his desk and fished around and pulled out a passport photo o a Thai looking woman with long dark hair. He placed it over the empty spot on my visa ap and looked at me and said "same same." I said yes, I recently bleached my hair and then he quoted me a price of 1100 bhat (only 100 more than he was charging Will, around $30) and i forked over the cash to him quickly. Our visas disappeared somewhere with a man driving a motorcycle and then they came back in ten minutes looking totally official. Thank you government corruption!
We then met up with two of the cutest Australians...a brother and sister ages 18 and 21 names Ray and Barry and we split a taxi car to drive us the next five hours to Seim Reap. This cost $15. So now we are here and have spent the last day touring the ruins of Ankor and being completely amazed! I know I have not yet finished blogging about Myanmar, but the ruins of ancient Bagan are not quite as spectacular. Pretty close, but really different all together. On the way to the ruins we say Monkeys! So cute, they were on the road and very playful. AND we could have seem the temples of Ankor of elephant back for $15. It seemed like a great deal but in the end it would probably be a little stinky.
I am fairly certain that I am close to knowing what it feels like to be a rock star. Every temple you show up at there are throngs of people (mostly children) hawking lots of stuff from books, tshirts, bracelets, whatever. They are totally darling but too much attention quickly turns to asking for anything you are willing to give up...candy? Gum? Pen? Suddenly when they realize you are not going to buy their ten postcards or bracelets for a $1 then they want to know what you have in your backpack that you are willing to part with. Too funny.
We love the tuk tuk driver in cambodia. They would never think of taking us to a travel agent OR a tailor. God bless them! Our driver yesterday and today was David?! He really assured us that he has no Cambodian name. Generally everyone knows just enough English to say Hello, how are you, what is your name...simple stuff. When we got dropped off yesterday by our taxi and had to get a tuk tuk to find our guest house the guy who picked us up was a different breed of cat...instead of a general salutation like Hello, how are you he simple proclaimed " I am Pete!" I yelled back "nice to meet you Pete I am Cody and this is Will!" Lets GO! and we were off! The guest house is $8/day and has free internet although each key sticks really bad. It has cold showers and in this heat that is just fine. We have everything we need and we are content.
Ok, that should do it for now!
Until next time.
willandCODY
The weather was the hottest it has been the entire trip. We were sweating the entire day and it almost rained which we would have been delighted by. The whole day was yet another day in our travels when we were grateful for each other but really wishing we were each here with someone special instead. This continues to be a common theme when we are talking.
We then met up with two of the cutest Australians...a brother and sister ages 18 and 21 names Ray and Barry and we split a taxi car to drive us the next five hours to Seim Reap. This cost $15. So now we are here and have spent the last day touring the ruins of Ankor and being completely amazed! I know I have not yet finished blogging about Myanmar, but the ruins of ancient Bagan are not quite as spectacular. Pretty close, but really different all together. On the way to the ruins we say Monkeys! So cute, they were on the road and very playful. AND we could have seem the temples of Ankor of elephant back for $15. It seemed like a great deal but in the end it would probably be a little stinky.
I am fairly certain that I am close to knowing what it feels like to be a rock star. Every temple you show up at there are throngs of people (mostly children) hawking lots of stuff from books, tshirts, bracelets, whatever. They are totally darling but too much attention quickly turns to asking for anything you are willing to give up...candy? Gum? Pen? Suddenly when they realize you are not going to buy their ten postcards or bracelets for a $1 then they want to know what you have in your backpack that you are willing to part with. Too funny.
We love the tuk tuk driver in cambodia. They would never think of taking us to a travel agent OR a tailor. God bless them! Our driver yesterday and today was David?! He really assured us that he has no Cambodian name. Generally everyone knows just enough English to say Hello, how are you, what is your name...simple stuff. When we got dropped off yesterday by our taxi and had to get a tuk tuk to find our guest house the guy who picked us up was a different breed of cat...instead of a general salutation like Hello, how are you he simple proclaimed " I am Pete!" I yelled back "nice to meet you Pete I am Cody and this is Will!" Lets GO! and we were off! The guest house is $8/day and has free internet although each key sticks really bad. It has cold showers and in this heat that is just fine. We have everything we need and we are content.
Ok, that should do it for now!
Until next time.
willandCODY
The weather was the hottest it has been the entire trip. We were sweating the entire day and it almost rained which we would have been delighted by. The whole day was yet another day in our travels when we were grateful for each other but really wishing we were each here with someone special instead. This continues to be a common theme when we are talking.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
boys in burma.
As we were walking around Yangon our last day in Burma, we were approached by this young lad- maybe 10 or so years old. We were on our way to the Castle Internet cafe, just about a tenth of a mile from our guesthouse. He walked with us the whole way, mostly by my side, talking in Burmese. I think he was asking questions. Every statement he made was accented with hand motions- like the hands pillow, the tummy rubbing, and the keyboard typing motions that go along with tiredness, hunger, and Internet use. Experience has led me to believe that locals who follow you around usually want your money- so Cody and I basically ignored him , then waved goodbye as we entered the cafe.
Several hours later, after some shopping at the local market, which was kind of like a labyrinth of textiles and jewelry, we left our guesthouse again for some food. As we crossed the street, we were joined the little boy from earlier. I told him we needed food-despite my earlier claim of being ill and not able to eat, a failed attempt to thwart his presence- and his "services", whatever they might be, were not needed. HE tried diverting us to another restaurant, but we persisted and finally made it three blocks up the street to our favorite Indian restaurant in Yangon. Again, we waved goodbye as we ordered our biriani. Mysterious boy faded into the night.
After dinner and one last stint at the Internet cafe, we walked back towards our guest house. The pagoda- Sule Paya, mentioned earlier by Dr. Cody- was still opened so we decided to pay one last homage to the Buddha for safe travels and what not. After the shoe keeper incident, Cody kneeled at the first large golden image. I decided to explore a bit first- there were many images so i wanted to pray at JUST the right one. And then he appeared- the omnipresent boy who would follow me everywhere. He followed me around the temple. HE kneeled with me when i prayed and kept tapping on my knee. He wanted to hole my shoes. And then we had to go. HE extended his hand and said the first English word i had heard from him- friend. IT was beautiful. Poetic. That's Burma in a nutshell.
when we got back to the guest house i promptly scrubbed my hands.
Several hours later, after some shopping at the local market, which was kind of like a labyrinth of textiles and jewelry, we left our guesthouse again for some food. As we crossed the street, we were joined the little boy from earlier. I told him we needed food-despite my earlier claim of being ill and not able to eat, a failed attempt to thwart his presence- and his "services", whatever they might be, were not needed. HE tried diverting us to another restaurant, but we persisted and finally made it three blocks up the street to our favorite Indian restaurant in Yangon. Again, we waved goodbye as we ordered our biriani. Mysterious boy faded into the night.
After dinner and one last stint at the Internet cafe, we walked back towards our guest house. The pagoda- Sule Paya, mentioned earlier by Dr. Cody- was still opened so we decided to pay one last homage to the Buddha for safe travels and what not. After the shoe keeper incident, Cody kneeled at the first large golden image. I decided to explore a bit first- there were many images so i wanted to pray at JUST the right one. And then he appeared- the omnipresent boy who would follow me everywhere. He followed me around the temple. HE kneeled with me when i prayed and kept tapping on my knee. He wanted to hole my shoes. And then we had to go. HE extended his hand and said the first English word i had heard from him- friend. IT was beautiful. Poetic. That's Burma in a nutshell.
when we got back to the guest house i promptly scrubbed my hands.
So much gratitude
I am still trying to catch up with the blog about our time in Burma. It is hard for me to call it Myanmar as this is not a name decided on by the people. It is a construct of the government to tidy up and make new the atrocities that can never really be swept under the carpet just by offering a new name. My friends there say it will always be Burma to them.
I have so many thoughts about the experiences encountered in our travels. Everyday was an opportunity to experience ever emotion known to the psyche. For the most part, on a daily basis, it is always easy to feel grateful. Not only for this one simple life I am trying to navigate but for the nuances of it...like the fact that I was born in America, that I speak English, that no one cares that I love women and choose to partner with them in life when the occasion presents itself. Grateful that I don't have to be married (although it might be nice) to have a child, grateful that if I choose to not marry I am not considered a spinster and have to live at home with my parents the rest of my life...GOD! how awful, or maybe I just really don't know the benefits of this kind of set up. And asking intimate questions about the set up would seem kind of rude really. I have been to my friends houses and seen how they live with their families. The girls all sleep together and so do the boys. Usually on some king-sized platform with a thin futon type mattress on it. They all sleep together. Maybe I have been on my own too long end enjoying my own bed but when do these people get around to masturbating? I am sorry, I hope this is not too intimate of a conversation to be having but really!? I grew up sharing a full-sized bed with my sister's who were older than me and gone before I ever got to junior high. I can not imagine still sleeping with Betsy and Jenny. First of all Betsy kicked if you got too close and Jenny could smother you...and then there was the cat... I realize that this lifetimes destiny has afforded me the opportunity to have privacy, to have the economic ability to have my own household separate from my Father's, to love a woman openly. And I can not tell you how grateful I am. Burma is constructed of over 95% Buddists and there is no end in sight of beautiful pagoda's built by single men, entire villages of people who did so willingly or not so willingly under the confines of slavery, but the pagodas are everywhere and available for anyone to drop onto their knees and pay homage at any time.
And so we did. Or at least I did everyday and Will would usually join if he was so moved. There is really nothing quite as gratifying as getting on your knees, bowing and praying. I grew up doing this almost every Sunday at St. Brigid's but honestly, it felt a little empty. Where was the perfect life I was asking and praying so hard for at times...I laugh about it now. Because the Buddha is in front of my on this trip I pray to him, but I know that whatever forces beyond my imagination help to guide me, I know they too, are picking up on the transmissions from my head and from my heart.
Our last night in Rangoon we were out walking late after a successful trip to the internet (only happened twice in three weeks) that left us both feeling full of warm loving feelings and we came across the Sule Paya (the only pagoda that I have ever seen that is smackdab right in the middle of the road with a traffic circle around it and a long trail of people just cutting through it to make it to the other side of the road). Anyway, here we were walking right by it and feeling so good and the moon was full and high in the sky and we decided to take one last opportunity to go in and pay homage. We were quickly told that to come in we would have to pay 1000 kyat to have someone "watch " our shoes. this is less than a dollar but we had exactly enough kyat to pay for the taxi to get to the airport in the morning. I said we did not have enough to go in and we turned to leave and the sweet lady quickly said Oh...please, for you, free. And we were off. We paid our homage and hung out for awhile looking at the moon over the top of the gold and ruby crusted top of the pagoda. Quite a site, glad we did not miss it.
One strange occurrence to the last day in Rangoon was this kid who kept finding us all over town and I will leave it at that as Will has agreed to blog later about this strange character.
Ok, we are off to buy some presents and pack up our shit because we are out of here at the buttcrack of day tomorrow.
Oh, speaking of butt's...I am learning so much on this trip...for instance to "shart" means when you think you have to fart and something else happens....this is really good stuff.
And, i need one last massage.
willandCODY
I have so many thoughts about the experiences encountered in our travels. Everyday was an opportunity to experience ever emotion known to the psyche. For the most part, on a daily basis, it is always easy to feel grateful. Not only for this one simple life I am trying to navigate but for the nuances of it...like the fact that I was born in America, that I speak English, that no one cares that I love women and choose to partner with them in life when the occasion presents itself. Grateful that I don't have to be married (although it might be nice) to have a child, grateful that if I choose to not marry I am not considered a spinster and have to live at home with my parents the rest of my life...GOD! how awful, or maybe I just really don't know the benefits of this kind of set up. And asking intimate questions about the set up would seem kind of rude really. I have been to my friends houses and seen how they live with their families. The girls all sleep together and so do the boys. Usually on some king-sized platform with a thin futon type mattress on it. They all sleep together. Maybe I have been on my own too long end enjoying my own bed but when do these people get around to masturbating? I am sorry, I hope this is not too intimate of a conversation to be having but really!? I grew up sharing a full-sized bed with my sister's who were older than me and gone before I ever got to junior high. I can not imagine still sleeping with Betsy and Jenny. First of all Betsy kicked if you got too close and Jenny could smother you...and then there was the cat... I realize that this lifetimes destiny has afforded me the opportunity to have privacy, to have the economic ability to have my own household separate from my Father's, to love a woman openly. And I can not tell you how grateful I am. Burma is constructed of over 95% Buddists and there is no end in sight of beautiful pagoda's built by single men, entire villages of people who did so willingly or not so willingly under the confines of slavery, but the pagodas are everywhere and available for anyone to drop onto their knees and pay homage at any time.
And so we did. Or at least I did everyday and Will would usually join if he was so moved. There is really nothing quite as gratifying as getting on your knees, bowing and praying. I grew up doing this almost every Sunday at St. Brigid's but honestly, it felt a little empty. Where was the perfect life I was asking and praying so hard for at times...I laugh about it now. Because the Buddha is in front of my on this trip I pray to him, but I know that whatever forces beyond my imagination help to guide me, I know they too, are picking up on the transmissions from my head and from my heart.
Our last night in Rangoon we were out walking late after a successful trip to the internet (only happened twice in three weeks) that left us both feeling full of warm loving feelings and we came across the Sule Paya (the only pagoda that I have ever seen that is smackdab right in the middle of the road with a traffic circle around it and a long trail of people just cutting through it to make it to the other side of the road). Anyway, here we were walking right by it and feeling so good and the moon was full and high in the sky and we decided to take one last opportunity to go in and pay homage. We were quickly told that to come in we would have to pay 1000 kyat to have someone "watch " our shoes. this is less than a dollar but we had exactly enough kyat to pay for the taxi to get to the airport in the morning. I said we did not have enough to go in and we turned to leave and the sweet lady quickly said Oh...please, for you, free. And we were off. We paid our homage and hung out for awhile looking at the moon over the top of the gold and ruby crusted top of the pagoda. Quite a site, glad we did not miss it.
One strange occurrence to the last day in Rangoon was this kid who kept finding us all over town and I will leave it at that as Will has agreed to blog later about this strange character.
Ok, we are off to buy some presents and pack up our shit because we are out of here at the buttcrack of day tomorrow.
Oh, speaking of butt's...I am learning so much on this trip...for instance to "shart" means when you think you have to fart and something else happens....this is really good stuff.
And, i need one last massage.
willandCODY
Monday, February 9, 2009
Moving on....
Ok people! We can no longer keep from scratching the travel itch so we are off sometime in the next 24 hours to Cambodia. We will be entering the country by bus through Siem Reap. We will then go to Ankor Wat for a few days, then catch a bus through Phnom Phem and onto the southern coast to the beach. It will be tight but at least we will have air con busses this time. We have scaled our travel stuff down to slim pickins....do I really need a shaver and shampoo? The slightest, smallest items feel so burdensome at this point so out they go! So, we do not know what we will encounter when we arrive as far as internet and the ability to connect (it should be ok) but if we are dis-connected again, please know that we are holding you all in our thoughts and prayers (and some of you who shall remain un-singled out so as not to show preference...are being thought of a whole lot!)
until next time,
willandCODY
until next time,
willandCODY
its not all about the buddha
here in SE Asia, especially Burma, there are many Buddists. But, as it turns out, the Christians are doing the most for those impacted by the cyclone that hit just over one year ago. As some of you may know I donated a day of work at my office in lieu of donations to the orphans of the cyclone that were being cared for by the monastery where I often stay while teaching. Details are often confused and shortly after arriving in Burma I found out that the Monastery never got an orphanage up and running. Then I found myself distressed with the burden of having raised this money and needing to make sure that it ended up in the originally intended place. I inquired often while up North in Burma about where orphanages could be found. It was not until the last day in Burma when I thought to call my friends sister who lives in Rangoon and who is a Catholic that I found an orphanage. My friend lives in Santa Fe and he fled Burma in 1973 when the government killed many of his university friends when had the first wave of protests against the government. he has never been back to his country and has not seen his family since then. I managed to find his sister who is a pathologist in Rangoon and I gave her some photos and correspondence from him. She is a 72 year old woman who still works full time because when you retire in Burma you only make $20/month. Not enough to even by tea and snacks on as I am told. I showed up at Katie's (her christian name) work and waited for her to arrive. The minute she got to work and I explained how I had this donation to drop off she told me about her church, St. Mary's and the work they had done with the cyclone victims and we were off.
We went to St. Mary's and met with the head nun. I can not remember but I think you call this woman a mother....er something/ Anyway it was a trip as this woman came out in actual nun clothes....long gray robe, black habit...the works. A classic look. She was actually from a village that was one of the few that were somewhat spared. She recanted the story of the day that it happened. When the storm rolled in the parents told their children to run to the catholic church as it was the highest and most sound structure in the village and the water was rising fast. The children all ran to the church for safety thinking their parents would all be along shortly once the livestock and things were taken care of. The nun said the only thing that saved then was that when the water level rose they kept climbing higher in the church and finally ended up in the bell tower and on the roof. The parents never made it to the church. They were alll swept to sea by a great wave. The Archbishop commented that in all of his years (over 60) of being with the church officially, had he ever experienced such a tragedy and that once in a lifetime was more than enough. The orphanage houses 54 young girls from age 3 to 18. The boys orphanage has bout the same number. They offered to take me to the orphange but I had just gotten off a 15 hour bus ride and was not eager to take another two hour ride anywhere. I also did not think I could withstand seeing the faces of those children who now had nothing. So I declined the nun said she would send me photos and correspondence from the kids. I decided that was going to be good enough.
Incidently, today as I was at my tailor (he is also from Burma....many people in Thailand are from Burma...the purse I am carrying is a traditional burmese purse that can only be found there and I am immediately asked by people in Thailand where I got it and we are then off talking about Burma)...anyway, my tailor is from Burma and he is one of the lucky rich men who has his paperwork in order and has the money to grease the pockets of some government official in Burma so he can go back and forth. he was there for his sisters wedding and he was stuck for five days because the airport was closed. he said that there are rumors that when the government assessed the scene and found people alive but badly injured they beat them to death instead of offering them aide as their country had no infastructure for this... I completely believe his story. The Nun talked about how after the storm ended and they were able to go outside their were dead people and cows and water buffalo all dead together floating in the water. They lost a priest. A young priest. The blessed the bodies and burried 64 people on the first day following the storm. I consider myself lucky to have never experienced this kind of trauma in my life. These people live under the constant strain of never knowing what tomorrow brings and if they wil even have enough food to feed their families or if someone will come and take away a family member or everything they have because they have made some comment about their government or did not file some useless piece of paperwork with some government office.
Burma is a beautiful place. The people are so innocent in some ways about how the world works. And somehow they manage to maintain this beauty under all of the tyranny.
its time for bed folks...
willandcody
We went to St. Mary's and met with the head nun. I can not remember but I think you call this woman a mother....er something/ Anyway it was a trip as this woman came out in actual nun clothes....long gray robe, black habit...the works. A classic look. She was actually from a village that was one of the few that were somewhat spared. She recanted the story of the day that it happened. When the storm rolled in the parents told their children to run to the catholic church as it was the highest and most sound structure in the village and the water was rising fast. The children all ran to the church for safety thinking their parents would all be along shortly once the livestock and things were taken care of. The nun said the only thing that saved then was that when the water level rose they kept climbing higher in the church and finally ended up in the bell tower and on the roof. The parents never made it to the church. They were alll swept to sea by a great wave. The Archbishop commented that in all of his years (over 60) of being with the church officially, had he ever experienced such a tragedy and that once in a lifetime was more than enough. The orphanage houses 54 young girls from age 3 to 18. The boys orphanage has bout the same number. They offered to take me to the orphange but I had just gotten off a 15 hour bus ride and was not eager to take another two hour ride anywhere. I also did not think I could withstand seeing the faces of those children who now had nothing. So I declined the nun said she would send me photos and correspondence from the kids. I decided that was going to be good enough.
Incidently, today as I was at my tailor (he is also from Burma....many people in Thailand are from Burma...the purse I am carrying is a traditional burmese purse that can only be found there and I am immediately asked by people in Thailand where I got it and we are then off talking about Burma)...anyway, my tailor is from Burma and he is one of the lucky rich men who has his paperwork in order and has the money to grease the pockets of some government official in Burma so he can go back and forth. he was there for his sisters wedding and he was stuck for five days because the airport was closed. he said that there are rumors that when the government assessed the scene and found people alive but badly injured they beat them to death instead of offering them aide as their country had no infastructure for this... I completely believe his story. The Nun talked about how after the storm ended and they were able to go outside their were dead people and cows and water buffalo all dead together floating in the water. They lost a priest. A young priest. The blessed the bodies and burried 64 people on the first day following the storm. I consider myself lucky to have never experienced this kind of trauma in my life. These people live under the constant strain of never knowing what tomorrow brings and if they wil even have enough food to feed their families or if someone will come and take away a family member or everything they have because they have made some comment about their government or did not file some useless piece of paperwork with some government office.
Burma is a beautiful place. The people are so innocent in some ways about how the world works. And somehow they manage to maintain this beauty under all of the tyranny.
its time for bed folks...
willandcody
when in Rome....
Hey everyone....we are not in Rome but we are in bangkok and people are often drunk and stumbling around after 4pm in the Khao san road area so we decided to join them! We were determined to get our drunk on and get a little messy (especially Will) but then we had a little indian food and then I had a $4 pedicure where Will and I discussed men who get pedicures and he really can not be swayed that all men who get them are just trying to get laid, but then almost every man I know who gets them is married and has a pretty steady supply of sex in their life, so go figure. Nonetheless, we lost our buzz. Honestly one beer makes me feel pretty giddy and Will gets super funny withthe addition of alcohol and we had the idea that we woudl come to the internet place a little trashed...can you be a little bit trashed....anyway, I found myself being sucked into a 19 year old vortex that in the end never panned out.
What we did do today was attend cooking school. We learned how to cook thai vegetarian food (NO fish sauce!) and had a great time doing it! I also made another trip to the tailor for another fitting of of my suit and ended up ordering another four pairs of pants! They will have them done tomorrow but I will not pick them up until mid march when we are on our way out. We are quickly shedding objects and items that we do not need as we long to travel even lighter. We will be sitting in our guest house asking each other....do I need this long sleeved shirt if I have this hoody? And do I need four pairs of socks....isn't three enough? We are trying to live our lives in the most simple of terms now that work is over for me and we are now headed into uncertain territory. We have decided that Vietnam and Cambodia are the two most important places for us to visit and if we have enough time we will head into Laos. But before I talk about the future plans of our trip I shoudl try to give you more updates on Burma.
see you in the next blog
willandcody
What we did do today was attend cooking school. We learned how to cook thai vegetarian food (NO fish sauce!) and had a great time doing it! I also made another trip to the tailor for another fitting of of my suit and ended up ordering another four pairs of pants! They will have them done tomorrow but I will not pick them up until mid march when we are on our way out. We are quickly shedding objects and items that we do not need as we long to travel even lighter. We will be sitting in our guest house asking each other....do I need this long sleeved shirt if I have this hoody? And do I need four pairs of socks....isn't three enough? We are trying to live our lives in the most simple of terms now that work is over for me and we are now headed into uncertain territory. We have decided that Vietnam and Cambodia are the two most important places for us to visit and if we have enough time we will head into Laos. But before I talk about the future plans of our trip I shoudl try to give you more updates on Burma.
see you in the next blog
willandcody
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