words

We haven't said much about what we've been doing over the last couple of weeks, but Adam's been good about giving you an idea through the pictures....his patience deserves credit considering it takes 5 minutes to download just one onto the blog. I figured I could offer some words to go along with the pictures.
So, there was Cambodia, about 2 weeks, 3 cities, and filled to the brim. I told you a little about Sihanoukville on the coast....beach beach beach. Then Phnom Penh, the dirty crazy capitol. I guess what stands out to us, and what may be of interest to you, was seeing the Killing Fields and the S-21 prison. I don't really want to go into the history of it all, mostly because I don't have the energy to take out the Lonely Planet Guide and copy it word for word, but maybe all you need to know is this: from 1975-79, Pol Pot's regime managed to kill a lot of people indiscriminately and gruesomely. He wanted a classless society, so he tried to eradicate the classes....if you were educated, you were in trouble, so doctors, lawyers, anyone that could speak a foreign language, were rounded up, imprisoned, tortured, and killed. And it goes without saying that any political opposition was met with a heavy hand. If a person was guilty, his/her entire family would be considered so, and not just one's immediate family but cousins, uncles, aunts, and perhaps even more distant relatives were at risk. In effect, the regime took pity on no one. In fact, at the S-21 prison the entire first floor is full of the pictures of prisoners (the mug shots that the regime took for their records), and in whole sections of the walls you find only young faces with scared and confused eyes. We saw children as young as 6 or 7. It was crazy, room after room was full of these mug shots, and it was....I don't know....interesting..... to just run your eyes across them seeing eyes, noses, and ears that you might find on anyone out in the street. People that looked like people we've met. That might seem obvious, but that was the most chilling part of it all.....not the pictures of mangled bodies (which were on display as well), but of normal healthy faces perhaps awaiting their fate.
Before visiting the S-21 Prison, we went to the Killing Fields where thousands were executed and buried in mass graves (I think there were around 120 graves). Just a field that one might mistake for a park, except for the giant stupa in the middle filled with level after level of human skulls, to the point where you have to strain your eyes and neck just to see to the top. It was the first time I've ever seen a human skull and I thinkI got my fill. I wasn't sure really what one does in a situation like this......... I took pictures........ but that seemed inappropriate somehow. They separated the skulls into categories like "juvenile women aged 18-25" or "adult men aged 25-40" ....that seemed strange for some reason.
It was hard to connect all this. Like if there was just one picture of one of my family members at the prison, I would be inconsolable, but somehow we're able to walk through room after room of pictures and stare at hundreds of skulls, and afterwards we can still laugh and eat. Almost every Cambodian had at least one family member--and in many instances 3 or 4--fall victim and I can't imagine what it would be like for them to do the same tour we did....... we saw both in one day.
Ok then, so next was Siam Reap in the north where the famous Angkor Wat ruins are. It was the center of Southeast Asia from the 8th c. to the 14th c. .....I can't tell you much more than that. The ruins are all stone temples. For me, it felt like a playground for big kids.
The place is absolutely enormous. You can buy a 3 day pass, which many people do, because it's impossible to see all in one day. We went for the sunset one night, which is free if you buy a pass for the next day, and then the next morning for the sunrise (I know......). Pretty funny though because there was neither, we'll just call it a set and a rise. In the morning it was storming with thunder, lightning, and heavy rains.....I don't know what compelled us to stick with our plans, but we did. The place to see the sunrise is at the main temple, Angkor Wat (the biggest religious building in the world) and most people stay at the entrance to watch the sun rise over the towers, but I figured there would be nothing to see from there and decided to venture into the temple by myself. You have no idea how busy this place gets during the day, but when I went I was the only person in there, and I emphasize only. It was scary climbing the steep steps to get in and then wandering through the gray vacant stone rooms all around the temple. It was one of the more amazing moments of my trip even though I was pissing my pants the whole time. I was sure I would run into the lost soul of some improperly buried monk who would threaten me with an eternal curse if I didn't help him.....but it didn't happen, at least I don't remember it happening.
I don't want to talk to much more about all the temples and our long day wandering around because I've already written a novel (which I'm sorry about....maybe split the reading up into two or something) and because you just need to see it anyways. One final word about it though: Jesse almost got kicked by a horse.....there's a couple just grazing, he decides to feed one at my encouragement he do so, he makes too quick a move, the horse wheels around and throws the back legs at him, but Jesse swiftly maneuvers out of the way with the funniest look on his face.... if those legs had landed, he would not be providing little Jesse Dills to this world....... the moment is forever with me.
So, that was Cambodia. We got into Bangkok a couple days ago after the longest bus trip of our lives. There's no pavement from Siam Reap 6 hours to the border of Thailand. If there had been an earthquake, it would've felt normal. We almost drove into a muddy lake, and we saw an enormous fire burning through a few Cambodian stores in Poi Pet..... that's the story. More to come. Farewell, Adam.

Heading South

Well, we have just about a month left in our trip. We've done the circle, now it's time we spend some time on the south beaches, and in the sun. This is where the crew splits into two. Me going to Bali for 2 and a half weeks, Jesse and Ryan in southern Thailand and maybe meeting me in Malaysia when I come back. Keep commenting, we enjoy everyone we get. We'll try to keep the photos and the posts coming. I hope this 22 hour train ride to Malaysia doesn't get the best of me.

Angkor Photos

1) Angkor Wat at sunset. 2) Angkor Wat. 3) Bayon. 4) It's the crew! Bayon faces. 5) Somewhere in the Angkor Empire

Cambodia Photos

1) The ghettos of Pnomh aka our guesthouse neighbourhood 2) Sihanoukville. Morning swims, not showers. 3) Skulls from the Killing Fields of Choung Ek. Victims burried in mass graves, and murdered usually with blunt objects to save ammunition. Skulls used in a comemorative stupa. 4) Khmer Rouge Prison S-21 at Tuol Sleng - "Hill of the Poison Tree." Was know as "the place where people go in but never come out," and used for interrogation, torture, and execution (aprox. 17,000 murdered). 5) Ryan sharking at Phnom Penh guesthouse. Way to go Ry, what good form! D=\

Vietnam Photos

Halong Bay, Hanoi, Nha Trang, Island off Nha Trang

Laos Photos

1) The Mekong, Waterfalls - Luang Prabang, Laos National Monument, Buddah Park - Vietntiane, Plain of Jars - Phonsavan

Northwest Kampuchea

We're not spending too much time in Cambodia, but the time spent has been memorable, and eye-opening. The level of poverty that has overwhealmed a lot of families is noticeable everwhere you go. It is depressing seeing little kids forced by their parents to go out in the streets in the middle of hot afternoons and late nights to either sell beaded jewelry, postcards, and sunglasses or beg for US dollars. Usually these kids are younger than 10, often as young as 4 or 5, and sometimes holding small babies. Looking into their eyes you see the beauty in Cambodia in the people, but at the same time feel the desperation. If anything, you can look at and almost touch the wealth gap here as if it's tangible.
Unfortunately, we're almost out of Cambodia though. We leave for Bangkok tomorrow - completing our little SEA tourist circle, before heading south. I've said I was gonna post photos a little while ago - I'm sorry, you know how it is. My memory card is all full, so I'll try and unload and upload today, and if not, when we get to Bangkok. We've missed a lot in picture, so I'll upload in a few posts, all the places I think you'll enjoy most - Angkor being last, which someone can explain then, even though pictures are worth 1000 of these little things I'm using.
Peace, pictures soon.

cambodia

It's a wild place. As much of a culture shock coming from Vietnam to Cambodia as it was coming from San Francisco to Bangkok. In Vietnam we experienced the most luxury of our whole trip....guesthouses being the best measure for us, we had TV in every room often with 60 channels, soft beds, A/C in a couple places, western toilets, soap/shampoo, even toothbrushes and toothpaste.
Cambodia though....right now (we're in a beach town called Sihanoukville), we each have our own room, prison cells, on the second floor of a restaurant/bar....just a mat, a blanket and a mosquito net. There's about 10 kittens that like to bat around cockroaches on the floor outside the rooms. When you come up, they scurry into the closest room through the cracks and holes in the walls and doors. A few of the rooms are their favorites probably because those are the rooms they were born in....... I think my room is one of those. Oh, and rats too.
It's disgustingly hot at night with no reprieve. When I got into bed last night, it was sandy, but it wasn't me who brought it in........you're sweaty, you're sandy and even if you take a shower right before bed, you don't escape the cycle. You pretty much treat the skin on your body like it's the bottom of your foot.
Because and despite of all this, I think Cambodia will end up being our favorite country. Nothing is watered down, nothing is kept out of sight.
The people, too, are so different....they look different.... in the other countries we've visited, people protect themselves from the sun because whiter skin is considered more beautiful, a symbol of one's social class, but here everyone is so dark. Some look Indian, others African, and others Mexican. Their hair is wiry and curly. It looks like they've been here for a long time.
Like I said, the realities of this place aren't kept out of sight, and there's a lot of tragedy in this poor country. There are many beggars on the beaches and on the streets, tired mothers with babies, amputees, paraplegic kids with only crutches, and blind men with untrained seeing eye dogs who trot along with a bucket in their teeth for change.
There's less of a buffer here so that it's all here for you, the good and the bad.....everything in between.

First Class

We usually don't splurge too much out here. The food is usually what's cheapest on the menu (fried rice, noodles), and you should see some of these garbage dumps, I mean rooms that we stay in. But we're budgeting well, eating a variety of different foods, and usually not spending too much time in our rooms. We splurge on occaison. Like today. We went to a shopping district where we spent an hour playing video games (I'm a wizard on Raiden 2, and pack a mean haymaker that's now the high score in Saigon's Diamond Plaza), then went to a restaurant - the classiest place me and ryan have eaten here - Dill wouldn't even come in! That's how classy this place was. Hostesses at the front showing you your table, great view, good service. You might have heard of the place - Pizza Hut. Try the Hawaiin.

I love our crew

So Ry and I are just checking some mail quick in our lobby where we get free internet... in minutes, before the passwords are entereed, Ryan is asked, "excuse me, how much for a roooom?" in slow, well pernounced form from someone expecting an answer in broken english.. we both started laughing before she even asked, because it has become the norm for him, the joke ended as Ry's Viatnemese brother informed her they were full

pictures for your eyes

Mid Vietnamese Update

I plan on writing often, but there's a lot that gets in the way over here: Travelling on long, cramped busses down the coast, headaches, the runs. It's usually not because our schedules are too cramped or we've been having too much fun, because there's internet cafes on every block of every town (almost not kidding). Right now we're in Hoi An, just making our way down coastal Vietnam, while chillin in the main towns along the way. Hoi An's known for the fabrics - any kind of clothing you want, they'll pretty much tailor it for you and have it made the next day. Imagine flipping through like, a sears catalogue blowout sale, everything 80% off. We haven't actually bought anything though, except for a few t-shirts and some books, saying that we'll do it up in Saigon or Bangkok. I guess the plan is if we have any dollas left, we'll go nutty in Bangkok for clothes and souvenirs.
We bounce to Nha Trang in a few hours - the real beach city. WE've seen some nice beaches and surf in Danang and Hoi An, but Nha Trang is supposed to really be off the rocker. We'll be snorkeling beach bums for a few days down there before hitting Saigon, then off through the dirt roads of Cambodia. I've booked a plane ticket to Bali on March 28 (+1 happy birthday chortfest) for a few weeks of hanging loose on perfect peelers. Jesse and Ryan are thinking about it, but it might be where we part ways for a while.
Hope everything's good on the other side of the world. Till next. Pce.