10.21.2007
Final Two Weeks in Thailand
One last visit of Surin, Thailand:
The Beaches of Ko Tarutao:
Dive Trip in the Similan Islands:
Final Stop in Bangkok:
Getting Home to Arizona:
The Beaches of Ko Tarutao:
Dive Trip in the Similan Islands:
Final Stop in Bangkok:
Getting Home to Arizona:
Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Hello all -
I know that I just sent an email not too long ago but I just realized how my last few emails has made it seem like the sky is falling in so this is my attempt to show what we really think about on a daily basis instead of just the heavy days, which Jason has so lovingly pointed out, are giving me gray hairs ;).
The following two transportation stories happened within two days of each other a little less than a week ago, both are true and not exaggerated ;)...
Our bad luck started a few days ago in Battambang, Cambodia (it already sounds serious!). One of the reasons for visiting Battambang is to see the French colonial architecture in town but, being it is a small town, most people also use the town as a base to explore the countryside and outlying temples. After an hour in town, we too were itching to get out and stretch our legs. Unfortunately the only way to get there is by renting a motorbike so for the last time on our trip (hopefully) we hopped on a Honda 100cc (more like a scooter) motorbike.
Cambodia is a good country to explore on bike because there aren't too many other vehicles on the road and before too long we were biking through small villages that make their living by catching fish in the near-by river or growing rice in their plot out back. Most of Cambodia's roads are empty but they also aren't very well maintained so the ride is more about avoiding pot holes than other vehicles and at times it can be quite jarring, however after a half hour or so of driving the ride became so rough that I had a hard time keeping my feet on the foot rests and after a few seconds Jason asks me if I keep shifting my weight (making it hard for him to steer). Once I convince him that I am holding still we think that there must be something wrong with the bike. Sure enough we have a flat. We pull over in the middle of a small rural community (people build their own houses, almost everyone grows at least some of their own food, extended family lives together, chickens run amok, etc) and start to think of our options... was there a mechanic shop that we drove past a few blocks back (you can always tell which ones they are by the bike tires hanging from the eves outside)?
Before we can even recall the past 30 seconds of driving a man comes out of his home and motions to our bike. It must have been obvious that there was something wrong but I point out our tire and he gives us a knowingly smile and motions for us to follow him into his yard. In his yard his wife cradles their son in a hammock as he falls asleep and his mother/mother-in-law prepares vegetables for lunch. They offer us seats and he runs into his home returning a few seconds later with tools in hand and starts to work on our bike. We watch as he effortlessly finds the hole (and shows us the small spiral shaped metal wire that punctured our tire), prepares the tire for a patch, adheres the patch to the tire, checks to make sure it sealed the hole, and puts the pieces of the tire back together. In the meantime to take notes and share our leechy (small, maybe best described as grape like fruit) with his mother/mother-in-law and son. We think it is going to be an expensive day; $7 to rent the bike plus... 2,500 reil (approx. $0.60) for the tire repair. We say our thank yous and continue on our way.
We visit the ruins of a temple and take back roads stopping for lunch on the way where when asking for their specialty we get coffee... which neither of us drink, we go hungry. After our caffeine buzz we take another dirt road to a second temple located on top of a hill with breathtaking views of the countryside we had covered that day and back to Battambang. A young man learning English shows us around the temple and to a killing field used by the Khmer Rouge... but I promised not to be serious so I will stop there ;).
After looking around we start making our way down the step hill back to level ground. We were almost down when we hit a small patch a gravel and the bike slides onto its side. We were going slow enough that we were able to jump off before the bike hit the ground, however the hand break (like a bicycles) was a little less lucky and snaps off. We think... man this really is going to add up! The man who fixed our tire was very kind and hardly charged us anything but surely this will cost a bit more. Luckily the hand break is really only the back-up break and the foot break is the one we will actually use to get home. On the way back we keep an eye out for more tires hanging from eves...
We spot a small shop in a roadside village and pull over. As I walk up I hold up are break and smile. They smile back and show me that they have the part and motion to bring the bike over. I ask him how much it is and I think I hear "pee puan bram" or 2,500 reil or $0.50. As they start to work on the bike Jason and I discuss his quote. We start to question ourselves. We had thought the price we be $5-10 and figured he probably said "m'pee bram puan" or 25,000 reil or $6. It took 2 people 5 minutes to fix the break and the foot rest which was bent. At the end I clarify (sometimes when we have given too much the price magically goes up)... "pee puan bram roy" (roy is their word for 100 which he left off his quote that would tell us just how many zeros he meant). Head nods all around. We pay the gentlemen $0.50, bringing the total for the day to $8.10, and are on our way. In the end, although the incidents that happened were unfortunate and a bit annoying, we were really happy that they allowed us to interact with the locals, to get a feel of what the price desparities are between home and here, and to be the recipients of their generosity.
The next day we took an 7 hr boat trip from Battambang to Siem Reap were the famous Angkor civilization was based for 600 years. In it's height, the Angkorian Kingdom covered much of Northern Thailand, Southern Laos, and Southern Vietnam. It was the most powerful in the region and acquired great wealth which it used partly to build a huge capital city here is Siem Reap. Much of what is left today are beautifully decorated stone temples, gates and bridges. They call it one of the worlds "New 7 Wonders". I have to say I buy it... I am awestruck by what we have seen the past week. It can be compared to the Mayan civilization in Central America (maybe a little more familiar to us Americans).
We picked our hotel here based on the fact that they offer us free water to refill our water bottles, free breakfast, and free bicycles to explore the temples on. We plan to spend 7 days here taking our time to take in the structures so this is quite a deal for us! Today we got up at 4:30 to eat breakfast and bike to Angkor Wat (the temple of all temples (some say in the world), the most famous structure in Angkor) for the sunrise. The main temple complex is 6km from town and at 5:30 we buy our week long passes. Eagerly we pedal fast towards Angkor, perhaps too eagerly because Jason's feet whirl the pedals around too fast for his single-speed, silver, no-name bike and the chain snaps off. We are stopped in our tracks 500 meters (about a third of a mile) from Angkor Wat's entrance gates. No matter! We have a bungee cord that we rig up for Jason to tow me by (we switch bikes because I was pulling us too slowing for our anticipation).
With 400 meters to go (1/4 a mile) and entrance gate in site but out of grasp, the situation goes from bad to terrible fast (don't worry I am being dramatic... this isn't a serious email). While perched on top of Jason's bike (I have to jump off it to stop) I loose hold of the bungee cord. What happens next is hard to explain in words but the hook on the end of the cord gets caught in Jason's wheel spoke and coils like a snake around his wheel hub. It wound itself so tight that the wheel would no longer turn. After cutting ourselves loose and missing the sunrise by 15 mins, we were on our way again.
Jason soon forgets some of his disappointment when we park the bikes and spend the day exploring the walled city of Angkor Thom. The monuments are more than I had ever imagined with huge faces made out of stone peering down at us from every angle and detailed reliefs telling epic Hindu stories caringly carved deeply into the stone in even the smallest corner of every structure. At the end of the day we hop back on our bikes for Jason to tow me the half hour back to our hotel. Within the first kilometer (about 1 1/2 miles) my ride becomes bumpy and now I know the feeling... a flat tire. We get a quote from a man fixing bikes up ahead... $5. After paying $0.50 not two days before we decided to spend $2 on a taxi instead. We felt bad having to explain what happened to our hotel... "so that free bike you lent us... and then.... and then...".
In the end we got to see sunrise and sunset at Angkor Wat each twice... so nothing is lost. I guess you can say our trip has given us plenty of opportunities to work on our patience!
So this email may be less serious but it isn't any shorter! I'll work on that for next time ;). I am still enjoying all of your updates and look forward to hearing them in person very soon (2 and a half weeks!).
Much Love to you all!
-m-
Angor Wat:
Our Engagement Photos:
Former Khmer Rouge Strongholds:
I know that I just sent an email not too long ago but I just realized how my last few emails has made it seem like the sky is falling in so this is my attempt to show what we really think about on a daily basis instead of just the heavy days, which Jason has so lovingly pointed out, are giving me gray hairs ;).
The following two transportation stories happened within two days of each other a little less than a week ago, both are true and not exaggerated ;)...
Our bad luck started a few days ago in Battambang, Cambodia (it already sounds serious!). One of the reasons for visiting Battambang is to see the French colonial architecture in town but, being it is a small town, most people also use the town as a base to explore the countryside and outlying temples. After an hour in town, we too were itching to get out and stretch our legs. Unfortunately the only way to get there is by renting a motorbike so for the last time on our trip (hopefully) we hopped on a Honda 100cc (more like a scooter) motorbike.
Cambodia is a good country to explore on bike because there aren't too many other vehicles on the road and before too long we were biking through small villages that make their living by catching fish in the near-by river or growing rice in their plot out back. Most of Cambodia's roads are empty but they also aren't very well maintained so the ride is more about avoiding pot holes than other vehicles and at times it can be quite jarring, however after a half hour or so of driving the ride became so rough that I had a hard time keeping my feet on the foot rests and after a few seconds Jason asks me if I keep shifting my weight (making it hard for him to steer). Once I convince him that I am holding still we think that there must be something wrong with the bike. Sure enough we have a flat. We pull over in the middle of a small rural community (people build their own houses, almost everyone grows at least some of their own food, extended family lives together, chickens run amok, etc) and start to think of our options... was there a mechanic shop that we drove past a few blocks back (you can always tell which ones they are by the bike tires hanging from the eves outside)?
Before we can even recall the past 30 seconds of driving a man comes out of his home and motions to our bike. It must have been obvious that there was something wrong but I point out our tire and he gives us a knowingly smile and motions for us to follow him into his yard. In his yard his wife cradles their son in a hammock as he falls asleep and his mother/mother-in-law prepares vegetables for lunch. They offer us seats and he runs into his home returning a few seconds later with tools in hand and starts to work on our bike. We watch as he effortlessly finds the hole (and shows us the small spiral shaped metal wire that punctured our tire), prepares the tire for a patch, adheres the patch to the tire, checks to make sure it sealed the hole, and puts the pieces of the tire back together. In the meantime to take notes and share our leechy (small, maybe best described as grape like fruit) with his mother/mother-in-law and son. We think it is going to be an expensive day; $7 to rent the bike plus... 2,500 reil (approx. $0.60) for the tire repair. We say our thank yous and continue on our way.
We visit the ruins of a temple and take back roads stopping for lunch on the way where when asking for their specialty we get coffee... which neither of us drink, we go hungry. After our caffeine buzz we take another dirt road to a second temple located on top of a hill with breathtaking views of the countryside we had covered that day and back to Battambang. A young man learning English shows us around the temple and to a killing field used by the Khmer Rouge... but I promised not to be serious so I will stop there ;).
After looking around we start making our way down the step hill back to level ground. We were almost down when we hit a small patch a gravel and the bike slides onto its side. We were going slow enough that we were able to jump off before the bike hit the ground, however the hand break (like a bicycles) was a little less lucky and snaps off. We think... man this really is going to add up! The man who fixed our tire was very kind and hardly charged us anything but surely this will cost a bit more. Luckily the hand break is really only the back-up break and the foot break is the one we will actually use to get home. On the way back we keep an eye out for more tires hanging from eves...
We spot a small shop in a roadside village and pull over. As I walk up I hold up are break and smile. They smile back and show me that they have the part and motion to bring the bike over. I ask him how much it is and I think I hear "pee puan bram" or 2,500 reil or $0.50. As they start to work on the bike Jason and I discuss his quote. We start to question ourselves. We had thought the price we be $5-10 and figured he probably said "m'pee bram puan" or 25,000 reil or $6. It took 2 people 5 minutes to fix the break and the foot rest which was bent. At the end I clarify (sometimes when we have given too much the price magically goes up)... "pee puan bram roy" (roy is their word for 100 which he left off his quote that would tell us just how many zeros he meant). Head nods all around. We pay the gentlemen $0.50, bringing the total for the day to $8.10, and are on our way. In the end, although the incidents that happened were unfortunate and a bit annoying, we were really happy that they allowed us to interact with the locals, to get a feel of what the price desparities are between home and here, and to be the recipients of their generosity.
The next day we took an 7 hr boat trip from Battambang to Siem Reap were the famous Angkor civilization was based for 600 years. In it's height, the Angkorian Kingdom covered much of Northern Thailand, Southern Laos, and Southern Vietnam. It was the most powerful in the region and acquired great wealth which it used partly to build a huge capital city here is Siem Reap. Much of what is left today are beautifully decorated stone temples, gates and bridges. They call it one of the worlds "New 7 Wonders". I have to say I buy it... I am awestruck by what we have seen the past week. It can be compared to the Mayan civilization in Central America (maybe a little more familiar to us Americans).
We picked our hotel here based on the fact that they offer us free water to refill our water bottles, free breakfast, and free bicycles to explore the temples on. We plan to spend 7 days here taking our time to take in the structures so this is quite a deal for us! Today we got up at 4:30 to eat breakfast and bike to Angkor Wat (the temple of all temples (some say in the world), the most famous structure in Angkor) for the sunrise. The main temple complex is 6km from town and at 5:30 we buy our week long passes. Eagerly we pedal fast towards Angkor, perhaps too eagerly because Jason's feet whirl the pedals around too fast for his single-speed, silver, no-name bike and the chain snaps off. We are stopped in our tracks 500 meters (about a third of a mile) from Angkor Wat's entrance gates. No matter! We have a bungee cord that we rig up for Jason to tow me by (we switch bikes because I was pulling us too slowing for our anticipation).
With 400 meters to go (1/4 a mile) and entrance gate in site but out of grasp, the situation goes from bad to terrible fast (don't worry I am being dramatic... this isn't a serious email). While perched on top of Jason's bike (I have to jump off it to stop) I loose hold of the bungee cord. What happens next is hard to explain in words but the hook on the end of the cord gets caught in Jason's wheel spoke and coils like a snake around his wheel hub. It wound itself so tight that the wheel would no longer turn. After cutting ourselves loose and missing the sunrise by 15 mins, we were on our way again.
Jason soon forgets some of his disappointment when we park the bikes and spend the day exploring the walled city of Angkor Thom. The monuments are more than I had ever imagined with huge faces made out of stone peering down at us from every angle and detailed reliefs telling epic Hindu stories caringly carved deeply into the stone in even the smallest corner of every structure. At the end of the day we hop back on our bikes for Jason to tow me the half hour back to our hotel. Within the first kilometer (about 1 1/2 miles) my ride becomes bumpy and now I know the feeling... a flat tire. We get a quote from a man fixing bikes up ahead... $5. After paying $0.50 not two days before we decided to spend $2 on a taxi instead. We felt bad having to explain what happened to our hotel... "so that free bike you lent us... and then.... and then...".
In the end we got to see sunrise and sunset at Angkor Wat each twice... so nothing is lost. I guess you can say our trip has given us plenty of opportunities to work on our patience!
So this email may be less serious but it isn't any shorter! I'll work on that for next time ;). I am still enjoying all of your updates and look forward to hearing them in person very soon (2 and a half weeks!).
Much Love to you all!
-m-
Angor Wat:
Our Engagement Photos:
Former Khmer Rouge Strongholds:
Last Country: Cambodia
Hello Everyone!
It's almost April and I will be back in the states in 26 and a half days! Our trip is finally down to a vacation length, but I don't think either of us fully grasp that the end is approaching. This has been our life for quite a while now and there aren't really any preparations that will make it sink in (we've packed a bag every day for the last 330 days). On April 24 we will go to an airport instead of a bus station, and then we will fly home to see the first familiar faces in a year. We are both very excited! The trip has been a wonderful experience that has taught me many things that (I hope) will allow me to live the life I want live, but each passing day makes me more certain that I should be at "home (wherever that ends up being)." I feel like I should be at my "home" not simply because of frustrating cultural differences, missing familiar things, or the long time away from friends and family, but rather because traveling has started to seem like such an unnatural thing to do in this world. Having met so many people with greater ability but less opportunity has made me excited to get back to the real world (where people have to work to feed themselves) and into the thick of things; there has been an increasing feeling of guilt, and I guess the best way to put it is that traveling for this year has made me feel an enormous desire to get back and repay the world for this opportunity. I hope it doesn't sound like I'm whining, I still would not trade the lessons learned in the last year for anything. This year of travel is most definitely the best decision I've made. It's just time to get home, move forward, and truly appreciate the things around me that I used to take for granted.
Right now I find myself in Kampot, Cambodia. The last three months have taken us through China, Tibet, and Vietnam. The next few weeks will be spent in Cambodia with a final brief stop on the Thai beaches for some relaxation and (hopefully) scuba diving. Just like that we will be a world away from the history that Cambodia holds and relaxing on peaceful beaches. The countries we have been lucky enough to visit have all had a turbulent recent history to say the least. Seeing the effects of history and politics in these areas has been confusing and sobering. I don't want to get too serious in this message, because I'm hoping that you'll look forward to seeing me again after reading this email and not think that I've gotten even more boring and serious over the last year (though I probably have). :) The one thing I will say about our travels is that even with the turbulent recent histories in the countries of Laos, China, Tibet, Vietnam, and Cambodia is that I was a bit shocked at how normal everything seemed, how normal life is during and after war and famine. Life in these countries, at the superficial tourist level at least, isn't that different from life at home. Life is filled with more extremes (ie poverty), but the general feel is the same. I don't know what I was expecting, but the lack of major cultural barriers was strange to me. I think people in the USA have an image of life outside our borders as totally different from the lives we enjoy, but, I guess if there's one thing I've learned over the last year, people all over the world have very similar desires, problems, and frustrations. The degrees are very different, but people are very similar all over the world no matter if governments or ideologies try to convince you otherwise.
Enough of that. While I may try (very hard, believe me) to sound like I've had this profound experience grappling with all of the world's problems, those of you that know me well probably can see through it and know I'm only showing one side. In the end, if you would ask me: 'what's the best (and most useful) thing I've learned in the last year?,' my answer, without hesitation, is to learn how to use chopsticks like they were a natural extension of my hand. I can pick up two peanuts at the same time with ridiculous ease. It's the simple things that make life interesting, and I have enjoyed every single meal over the last three months for the simple fact that I got to impress myself with my mastery of chopsticks. Forks and spoons are much more useful, but NOT more fun. :) I was given a fork to use the other day and I fumbled... I really forgot how to use it more effectively!
We are still unsure of the exact date we will be in CO (sometime around Mother's Day) but plans will come together sooner or later; we look forward to spending lots of time with Jason's family and all of our friends there once we arrive. Then we will head to MN and WI in July to visit the rest of my family and friends at the Hart family reunion and Cassie's wedding! For those of you who have dispersed further we will have to talk about meeting up somewhere! I love you all very much! Please take care of each other and I look forward to seeing you all very soon!
I hope this message finds you happy and healthy and getting excited for spring thaw. Only 26 and a half days! I can't wait to see you all again; we have A LOT of catching up to do. Take care of yourself!
Oh and Jason and I are going to put together a list of our favorites and mosts (e.g. favorite national park, most exhilarating bus ride, favorite dish/what I ate for dinner, biggest screw-up, what my current hotel bathroom is like, etc... like the ones you did in college when you were procrastinating reading... if you don't know what I am talking about let me know and I will forward you one ;) ) to help us process some things and then send it out just before we get home... so if you have any questions you want answered (anything and everything)... send them our way in the next couple of weeks and we will add them!
Much love,
-m-
Phnom Penh, Capital of Cambodia:
Kampot and Bokor Hill Station:
Battambang:
Boat Trip from Battambang to Angkor Wat:
It's almost April and I will be back in the states in 26 and a half days! Our trip is finally down to a vacation length, but I don't think either of us fully grasp that the end is approaching. This has been our life for quite a while now and there aren't really any preparations that will make it sink in (we've packed a bag every day for the last 330 days). On April 24 we will go to an airport instead of a bus station, and then we will fly home to see the first familiar faces in a year. We are both very excited! The trip has been a wonderful experience that has taught me many things that (I hope) will allow me to live the life I want live, but each passing day makes me more certain that I should be at "home (wherever that ends up being)." I feel like I should be at my "home" not simply because of frustrating cultural differences, missing familiar things, or the long time away from friends and family, but rather because traveling has started to seem like such an unnatural thing to do in this world. Having met so many people with greater ability but less opportunity has made me excited to get back to the real world (where people have to work to feed themselves) and into the thick of things; there has been an increasing feeling of guilt, and I guess the best way to put it is that traveling for this year has made me feel an enormous desire to get back and repay the world for this opportunity. I hope it doesn't sound like I'm whining, I still would not trade the lessons learned in the last year for anything. This year of travel is most definitely the best decision I've made. It's just time to get home, move forward, and truly appreciate the things around me that I used to take for granted.
Right now I find myself in Kampot, Cambodia. The last three months have taken us through China, Tibet, and Vietnam. The next few weeks will be spent in Cambodia with a final brief stop on the Thai beaches for some relaxation and (hopefully) scuba diving. Just like that we will be a world away from the history that Cambodia holds and relaxing on peaceful beaches. The countries we have been lucky enough to visit have all had a turbulent recent history to say the least. Seeing the effects of history and politics in these areas has been confusing and sobering. I don't want to get too serious in this message, because I'm hoping that you'll look forward to seeing me again after reading this email and not think that I've gotten even more boring and serious over the last year (though I probably have). :) The one thing I will say about our travels is that even with the turbulent recent histories in the countries of Laos, China, Tibet, Vietnam, and Cambodia is that I was a bit shocked at how normal everything seemed, how normal life is during and after war and famine. Life in these countries, at the superficial tourist level at least, isn't that different from life at home. Life is filled with more extremes (ie poverty), but the general feel is the same. I don't know what I was expecting, but the lack of major cultural barriers was strange to me. I think people in the USA have an image of life outside our borders as totally different from the lives we enjoy, but, I guess if there's one thing I've learned over the last year, people all over the world have very similar desires, problems, and frustrations. The degrees are very different, but people are very similar all over the world no matter if governments or ideologies try to convince you otherwise.
Enough of that. While I may try (very hard, believe me) to sound like I've had this profound experience grappling with all of the world's problems, those of you that know me well probably can see through it and know I'm only showing one side. In the end, if you would ask me: 'what's the best (and most useful) thing I've learned in the last year?,' my answer, without hesitation, is to learn how to use chopsticks like they were a natural extension of my hand. I can pick up two peanuts at the same time with ridiculous ease. It's the simple things that make life interesting, and I have enjoyed every single meal over the last three months for the simple fact that I got to impress myself with my mastery of chopsticks. Forks and spoons are much more useful, but NOT more fun. :) I was given a fork to use the other day and I fumbled... I really forgot how to use it more effectively!
We are still unsure of the exact date we will be in CO (sometime around Mother's Day) but plans will come together sooner or later; we look forward to spending lots of time with Jason's family and all of our friends there once we arrive. Then we will head to MN and WI in July to visit the rest of my family and friends at the Hart family reunion and Cassie's wedding! For those of you who have dispersed further we will have to talk about meeting up somewhere! I love you all very much! Please take care of each other and I look forward to seeing you all very soon!
I hope this message finds you happy and healthy and getting excited for spring thaw. Only 26 and a half days! I can't wait to see you all again; we have A LOT of catching up to do. Take care of yourself!
Oh and Jason and I are going to put together a list of our favorites and mosts (e.g. favorite national park, most exhilarating bus ride, favorite dish/what I ate for dinner, biggest screw-up, what my current hotel bathroom is like, etc... like the ones you did in college when you were procrastinating reading... if you don't know what I am talking about let me know and I will forward you one ;) ) to help us process some things and then send it out just before we get home... so if you have any questions you want answered (anything and everything)... send them our way in the next couple of weeks and we will add them!
Much love,
-m-
Phnom Penh, Capital of Cambodia:
Kampot and Bokor Hill Station:
Battambang:
Boat Trip from Battambang to Angkor Wat:
3.17.2007
South Vietnam
It has been a difficult past week or so for me thinking about how much suffering death causes in its aftermath. The topic has been coming up far too often lately...
My Grandmother (father's mom) died a week ago. It was hard for me because she is someone I hadn't made a priority to see recently and really wanted to take time to visit when I got home. I feel like I deserted her the past few years and now I can't tell her how much she meant to me anymore. It was even harder, though, to find the words to comfort my dad. He lost his sister only a couple of months ago and it is really hard for him to be so far away from his family (my parents are in AZ but our family is mostly in WI). I just feel so far away from my family and that there is not much I can do for them while they are going through hard things like this.
Then yesterday on a public bus trip we passed a motorcycle accident right after it happened and saw the two men involved dieing in the road. Unfortunately helmets are not widely worn and the roads are so congested that it will take 30 mins to an hour before an ambulance will even arrive and when it does the equipment it carries is very minimal compared to our standards. In fact, I was talking to a Vietnamese doctor and he said that the equipment they learn on is not as advanced as our ambiances carry. The day before that we saw another man who was thrown off his motorbike lying untouched and unmoving in the road... we were on our way to the Demilitarized Zone and some other Vietnam War sites; moments after we passed him there was a huge cemetery where soldiers were buried during the war. It was a pretty sobering day seeing sites where so many people have suffered.
Yesterday on the bus I started weeping after seeing the two men. I just think about the pain my family has gone through loosing people close to them, about my friend having to find the strength to go about her job after loosing people she has grown close to and fearing that what the next time could bring, and about the suffering the 'men in the roads' families will go through when they hear the news and how much all these deaths affect so many lives. I also thought of the Vietnam war and the current Iraq war and all the people on both sides who are loosing their lives.
And then about the unrest in all the regions we have been to so far...
The war over Kashmir: In 1846 India's British rulers sold Kashmir to a Maharajah. Then, after India's independence from British rule in 1947 the individual states were divided into India and East and West Pakistan. Because of strategic value of Kashmir it became under attack from all sides. Pakistan started attacking Kashmir and the Maharajah's army was overran. The Maharajah appealed to India for help but India would not send troops until the Maharajah signed a document of accession to the Indian Union, which included a clause that said the Kashmiri people were allowed to vote on which side they would like to be a part of. Next the Indian Prime Minister brought the conflict to the UN and a ceasefire was signed and Pakistan was given 1/3 of Kashmir and India the remaining land but fighting didn't stop. The Indian government contends that the Maharajah signed the document but the Pakistan government don't believe the Maharajah actually signed it.
Now both India and Pakistan claim the entirety of Kashmir and three separate wars have been fought between the two countries over the land, not including the localized fighting which ebbs and flows constantly. The number of deaths and lives affected is innumerable. And after all of this, unfortunately, the situation will only become more intense as the two countries acquire nuclear weapons.
The unrest in Southern Thailand: In Thailand's deep south on the border of Malaysia lie the four southern provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, Songhkla and Yala. These southern provinces were once a part of the ancient Kingdom of Pattani, a semi-autonomous Islamic Malay region. Thailand acquired the region in 1902 but still to this day the people living there have far more in common with neighboring Malaysia (speaking a Malay dialect and adhering to the Islamic faith). These differences (and the fact that a large percentage of the population is in poverty) has lead Muslim separatists to begin an insurgence in the 1970's and has sparked many clashes on an off since. In the last 15 years many Thai leaders (including officers, teachers, and Buddhist monks) have been the target of violence in the region. Concern has also been voiced by the degree of force used by Thai security forces in retaliation. With such strong methods used in response to recent events it seems like the violence will only grow in the region. We will spend our last week along Thailand's beaches (word has it our families won't let us home if we don't spend some time on the beautiful beaches in this part of the world), however because of the current situation we will not travel this far south though we hear it is a beautiful part of the country.
The people fleeing fighting in Burma: The country of Burma has been under military rule since 1962. In 1990 free elections were held for the first time in 30 years and Aung San Suu Kyi was democratically elected the head of Burma with an overwhelming majority (82% of parliamentary seats) after fighting for decades to bring democracy to Burma. However the military regime refused to step down. Of the past 17 years of her life she has spent 11 under house arrest with no contact to the outside world. She even won the Nobel Peace prise while under house arrest. The military junta denies many of the basic freedoms to its citizens including the freedom of speech, association, and press. It also employs torture and political imprisonment. Some of the worst abuses (persecution, torture, extrajudicial executions, widespread rape and forced labor) are directed at Burma's numerous ethnic minority groups. As a result many of these people have fled to neighboring countries (Thailand, Bangladesh, India, and Malaysia) for refuge. The number in refugees camps (to the best I can add up) is around 250,000 excluding the number of refugees living illegally in these countries as well. Driving past the refugee camps in Thailand it is sobering to see how permanent the camps appear to be and as we gazed across the border we wondered when these people would be able to return to their homes.
The people struggling with foreign rule in Tibet: Since the Chinese Government started taking over Tibetan land in 1950 it is estimated that 1.2 million (a contested number), out of a total of 2.8 million, Tibetans have died from "the Great Leap Forward", violence, or other indirect causes. The official toll of deaths recorded for the whole of China for the years of the Great Leap Forward is 14 million, but experts say the number is closer to between 20 and 43 million. In 1959 the Tibetan Government, including its head the 14th Dalai Lhama (who has also since won a Nobel Peace Price for his methods of dealing with the Chinese government), fled to India over the Himalaya mountain range where about 120,000 refugees has followed in his footsteps over the last 50 years.
The Chinese government continues to suppress the Tibetan people through denying them basic rights. While I have no doubt most of the injustices against Tibetans is hidden from tourists we have scene multiple methods the Chinese authorities have used to intimidate the local people. Their religious institutions are heavily watched and their culture and history systematically eroded by the authorities (such as destroying historical artifacts that would go against the history China has fabricated for Tibet). The saddest part is how wide spread the Chinese influences are now. Even small towns in Tibet have heavy military influence and Chinese block-architecture buildings and the Chinese flag hangs from the Potala Place (the center for the Tibetan government and the home of the Dalai Lhama). All of the monasteries we visited were ruined and now being rebuilt, however the quality we saw was disgustingly low in some areas. The are incentives for Han Chinese to move into Tibet are high and as a result the Tibetans are being increasingly overshadowed. As the Chinese become more of a majority in Tibet it will become even more difficult for the Tibetans to realize freedom. In our experience, Dharamsala and Northern India is a better location to experience Tibet's incredible history and religion.
Our war in Vietnam: Between 110 BC and 1975 Vietnam was a hot potato being tossed between various foreign powers. From China to France to Japan until Japan granted Vietnam nominal independence towards the end of World War II. In 1954, the Geneva Accords dictated a temporary partition of Vietnam, which was to be unified after a national election in 1956. The agreement stipulated that the artificial line (termed the Demilitarized Zone) was in no way to be interpreted as a political or territorial boundary, however the president of Southern Vietnam (Diem) refused to hold the elections based on the justification that the elections in the communist-run North were illegitimate. The US supported this opinion, calling into question their commitment to democracy in the region. Funny enough, the U.S. supported government of South Vietnam justified its refusal to comply with the Geneva Accords by virtue of the fact the US had not signed them.
US backed Diem was an unlikely candidate for the first president of South Vietnam as he was a devout Roman Catholic and had a pretty sever case of paranoia and didn't care much for socializing. In 1955, he (against US advice) started launching military operations against religious sects (Cao Dai and Buddhist) in an effort to get rid of political opposition. With all that said Diem's next step was to rig the elections so he received 98.2% of the votes. After his "win" he declared the new "Republic of Vietnam". Upon this announcement the US started providing military aid to the region. The US developed their policy based on what was termed the Domino Theory. This idea argued that if South Vietnam fell to the communist forces that the rest of Southeast Asia would surely be to follow until eventually communists were knocking on Hawaii's door. This idea became the motive for the American involvement in Southern Vietnam.
As a result of Diem's oppression against a large majority of the population a insurgency began to brew in the late 1950's. Soon after the North issued a resolution authorizing an armed struggle in the South. The US reacted by sending money, equipment and men to South Vietnam in order to resist the communists. Even with the large amount of aid from the US the South's army remained of low-quality being plagued with bad leadership, corruption and political interference. So... the US sent more troops while in Vietnam the frequency of guerrilla attacks rose and the insurgency gained momentum.
The US government began to loose faith in the Diem regime and its ability to defeat the Communists and started encouraging a coup. In 1963 President Diem was overthrown and executed after the US promised its support of such a move. However, the coup didn't stop the increase in guerrilla activity and Kennedy again increased the number of US troops to 16,000. After Kennedy was assassinated (3 weeks after Diem was), Johnson escalated the bombing of North Vietnam with the intention of destroying North Vietnam's air defenses as well as transportation and industrial infrastructure. In turn, instead of a conventional war the US was confronted with small-unit guerrilla warfare. This allowed the North Vietnamese to control the pace of the war through engaging in battle only when they believed they had a decisive advantage. The US responded by... you guessed it... dramatically increasing their troops to more than 553,000, well that and spraying large areas of land with herbicides. The chemicals destroyed the landscape, ruined ecosystems, caused multiple diseases including sever birth defects, and poisoned the food and water from the areas sprayed. Trees are only now starting to grow and people are finally able to resettle the land. In Saigon, people born with birth defects begging or selling lottery tickets (the other day we saw a blind woman making a living by selling lottery tickets in the street... that's one strong person) are, unfortunately, far to a common of a site.
Main while Mguyen Van Thieu became the president of South Vietnam ending the long series of military juntas that were sparked after Diem's assassination. After a huge offensive battle from North Vietnam and the surfacing of some over exaggeration by US officials the war became very unpopular in the US and the decision to start to withdraw troops was made. The Paris Peace Accords to end the war and restore peace in Vietnam was signed in January of 1973 and officially ended US's involvement in the war. A cease-fire was also declared but the North Vietnamese forces were allowed to remain in South Vietnam territory they had seized. By the end of April of that year the Southern army had completely collapsed and on the 27th 100,000 North Vietnamese encircled Saigon. Hysterical crowds pleaded to be evacuated from the country on limited helicopter seats. Emergency aid from the US was asked for but the American public opinion had long soured on the conflict and additional help was not sent.
In the end, the war claimed between 2 and 5.7 million Southeast Asian lives (I never mentioned how much of the war carried over into Laos and Cambodia), a large number of whom were citizens. The US toll was another 57,000 to 59,000 people.
I do have to say though that I am constantly amazed by how normal life seems in all of these regions. Even in Vietnam, where a war took place only 30 years ago and many of the villages have only been able to re-establish themselves in the last 10 years, it would have been hard to tell that life hadn't been going on like this forever if we didn't have a guide to point out the sites. It also astounds me at how welcoming people here are towards westerns after being "owned" by the French and bombed out by us in the lifetime of many adults still living today... they seem to hold no grudges which I would imagine to be quite a feat. In some places we have visited the destruction just seems so normal that it is eerie and scary that people could get used to such a terrible thing. I am sorry to talk so much about all that. I am sure it is the last thing you would want to dwell on. It has just been on my mind a lot lately.
The massacre in Cambodia: I will leave this terrible story for a future e-mail after I have had the opportunity to travel the country and partly because my brain is turning to mush and I am beginning to questions my accuracy.
And that is just where we have been. So many people around the world die everyday because of human ideology, hatred, or ignorance. There are so many people already dieing form natural causes and human error, I just wish there was a better way. Sometimes I think it is hopeless and that the world is doomed to be in a constant state of conflict forever...
Other than all that terrible news we are doing well. I got some crazy foot rash that has left me with huge itchy welts but they are starting to go away now. I don't know why everything happens to me and Jason just skips along ;). We are currently in Hoi An which is an old port town. We read that it had a lot of beautiful old buildings but really compared to other places we have been its not preserved so well and the town feels like it is only tourists so that is not so nice but the food is really great so we have been splurging a little bit on dinners ($2-3 each on one meal!). I have even tried fish, well crab. I have also been forced to eat pork a couple of times so I think traveling is making me less picky ;). From here we head to the Mekong Delta for a few days on our way to Cambodia! It's getting closer!
------------------------
Now we find ourselves in Hue. We've spent the last couple days touring the old dynastic capital of Vietnam and went on a tour of the old Vietnam War Demilitarized Zone today. We visited a tunnel complex used by an entire villlage for the duration of the war as well as Khe Sanh combat base and other overgrown sights. Apart from the tunnels, the other sights were overgrown and hard to distinguish, which I suppose is an extremely good thing. The tunnels were absolutely incredible, however. The complex was about 3 kilometers (just under two miles) in length and included meeting rooms, living quarters, etc. Seventeen (17) babies were born underground before the end of the war. Absolutely incredible! My head still hearts from the sight as well as the fact that everything is "Vietnamese size" and I hit my head on all of the crossbeams. Khe Sanh was also sobering simply because of the history; it's tough to imagine what it must have been like b/c now it's a bustling border town. 500 Americans and 10,000 North Vietnamese soldiers died over the course of a 75 day siege (not included civilians caught in the middle). Places like that should feel different, but life has just kept on moving. We're trying to get our heads around the Vietnam War and its legacy here in Vietnam right now, so you'll have to wait for any opinions or pearls of wisdom. :) Right now it's being added to the list of heart wrenching historical atrocities we've come across in our travels (the Indian Partition, Secret War in Laos, Chinese revolutions, Cultural Revolution in Tibet, etc) and it's tough to know just how to feel. One thing is for certain though, there are too many similarities to the news snippets we're getting from Iraq. Life is taken far too cheaply.
Jason
Hoi An and My Son:
Central Highlands:
Saigon:
Mekong Delta:
My Grandmother (father's mom) died a week ago. It was hard for me because she is someone I hadn't made a priority to see recently and really wanted to take time to visit when I got home. I feel like I deserted her the past few years and now I can't tell her how much she meant to me anymore. It was even harder, though, to find the words to comfort my dad. He lost his sister only a couple of months ago and it is really hard for him to be so far away from his family (my parents are in AZ but our family is mostly in WI). I just feel so far away from my family and that there is not much I can do for them while they are going through hard things like this.
Then yesterday on a public bus trip we passed a motorcycle accident right after it happened and saw the two men involved dieing in the road. Unfortunately helmets are not widely worn and the roads are so congested that it will take 30 mins to an hour before an ambulance will even arrive and when it does the equipment it carries is very minimal compared to our standards. In fact, I was talking to a Vietnamese doctor and he said that the equipment they learn on is not as advanced as our ambiances carry. The day before that we saw another man who was thrown off his motorbike lying untouched and unmoving in the road... we were on our way to the Demilitarized Zone and some other Vietnam War sites; moments after we passed him there was a huge cemetery where soldiers were buried during the war. It was a pretty sobering day seeing sites where so many people have suffered.
Yesterday on the bus I started weeping after seeing the two men. I just think about the pain my family has gone through loosing people close to them, about my friend having to find the strength to go about her job after loosing people she has grown close to and fearing that what the next time could bring, and about the suffering the 'men in the roads' families will go through when they hear the news and how much all these deaths affect so many lives. I also thought of the Vietnam war and the current Iraq war and all the people on both sides who are loosing their lives.
And then about the unrest in all the regions we have been to so far...
The war over Kashmir: In 1846 India's British rulers sold Kashmir to a Maharajah. Then, after India's independence from British rule in 1947 the individual states were divided into India and East and West Pakistan. Because of strategic value of Kashmir it became under attack from all sides. Pakistan started attacking Kashmir and the Maharajah's army was overran. The Maharajah appealed to India for help but India would not send troops until the Maharajah signed a document of accession to the Indian Union, which included a clause that said the Kashmiri people were allowed to vote on which side they would like to be a part of. Next the Indian Prime Minister brought the conflict to the UN and a ceasefire was signed and Pakistan was given 1/3 of Kashmir and India the remaining land but fighting didn't stop. The Indian government contends that the Maharajah signed the document but the Pakistan government don't believe the Maharajah actually signed it.
Now both India and Pakistan claim the entirety of Kashmir and three separate wars have been fought between the two countries over the land, not including the localized fighting which ebbs and flows constantly. The number of deaths and lives affected is innumerable. And after all of this, unfortunately, the situation will only become more intense as the two countries acquire nuclear weapons.
The unrest in Southern Thailand: In Thailand's deep south on the border of Malaysia lie the four southern provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani, Songhkla and Yala. These southern provinces were once a part of the ancient Kingdom of Pattani, a semi-autonomous Islamic Malay region. Thailand acquired the region in 1902 but still to this day the people living there have far more in common with neighboring Malaysia (speaking a Malay dialect and adhering to the Islamic faith). These differences (and the fact that a large percentage of the population is in poverty) has lead Muslim separatists to begin an insurgence in the 1970's and has sparked many clashes on an off since. In the last 15 years many Thai leaders (including officers, teachers, and Buddhist monks) have been the target of violence in the region. Concern has also been voiced by the degree of force used by Thai security forces in retaliation. With such strong methods used in response to recent events it seems like the violence will only grow in the region. We will spend our last week along Thailand's beaches (word has it our families won't let us home if we don't spend some time on the beautiful beaches in this part of the world), however because of the current situation we will not travel this far south though we hear it is a beautiful part of the country.
The people fleeing fighting in Burma: The country of Burma has been under military rule since 1962. In 1990 free elections were held for the first time in 30 years and Aung San Suu Kyi was democratically elected the head of Burma with an overwhelming majority (82% of parliamentary seats) after fighting for decades to bring democracy to Burma. However the military regime refused to step down. Of the past 17 years of her life she has spent 11 under house arrest with no contact to the outside world. She even won the Nobel Peace prise while under house arrest. The military junta denies many of the basic freedoms to its citizens including the freedom of speech, association, and press. It also employs torture and political imprisonment. Some of the worst abuses (persecution, torture, extrajudicial executions, widespread rape and forced labor) are directed at Burma's numerous ethnic minority groups. As a result many of these people have fled to neighboring countries (Thailand, Bangladesh, India, and Malaysia) for refuge. The number in refugees camps (to the best I can add up) is around 250,000 excluding the number of refugees living illegally in these countries as well. Driving past the refugee camps in Thailand it is sobering to see how permanent the camps appear to be and as we gazed across the border we wondered when these people would be able to return to their homes.
The people struggling with foreign rule in Tibet: Since the Chinese Government started taking over Tibetan land in 1950 it is estimated that 1.2 million (a contested number), out of a total of 2.8 million, Tibetans have died from "the Great Leap Forward", violence, or other indirect causes. The official toll of deaths recorded for the whole of China for the years of the Great Leap Forward is 14 million, but experts say the number is closer to between 20 and 43 million. In 1959 the Tibetan Government, including its head the 14th Dalai Lhama (who has also since won a Nobel Peace Price for his methods of dealing with the Chinese government), fled to India over the Himalaya mountain range where about 120,000 refugees has followed in his footsteps over the last 50 years.
The Chinese government continues to suppress the Tibetan people through denying them basic rights. While I have no doubt most of the injustices against Tibetans is hidden from tourists we have scene multiple methods the Chinese authorities have used to intimidate the local people. Their religious institutions are heavily watched and their culture and history systematically eroded by the authorities (such as destroying historical artifacts that would go against the history China has fabricated for Tibet). The saddest part is how wide spread the Chinese influences are now. Even small towns in Tibet have heavy military influence and Chinese block-architecture buildings and the Chinese flag hangs from the Potala Place (the center for the Tibetan government and the home of the Dalai Lhama). All of the monasteries we visited were ruined and now being rebuilt, however the quality we saw was disgustingly low in some areas. The are incentives for Han Chinese to move into Tibet are high and as a result the Tibetans are being increasingly overshadowed. As the Chinese become more of a majority in Tibet it will become even more difficult for the Tibetans to realize freedom. In our experience, Dharamsala and Northern India is a better location to experience Tibet's incredible history and religion.
Our war in Vietnam: Between 110 BC and 1975 Vietnam was a hot potato being tossed between various foreign powers. From China to France to Japan until Japan granted Vietnam nominal independence towards the end of World War II. In 1954, the Geneva Accords dictated a temporary partition of Vietnam, which was to be unified after a national election in 1956. The agreement stipulated that the artificial line (termed the Demilitarized Zone) was in no way to be interpreted as a political or territorial boundary, however the president of Southern Vietnam (Diem) refused to hold the elections based on the justification that the elections in the communist-run North were illegitimate. The US supported this opinion, calling into question their commitment to democracy in the region. Funny enough, the U.S. supported government of South Vietnam justified its refusal to comply with the Geneva Accords by virtue of the fact the US had not signed them.
US backed Diem was an unlikely candidate for the first president of South Vietnam as he was a devout Roman Catholic and had a pretty sever case of paranoia and didn't care much for socializing. In 1955, he (against US advice) started launching military operations against religious sects (Cao Dai and Buddhist) in an effort to get rid of political opposition. With all that said Diem's next step was to rig the elections so he received 98.2% of the votes. After his "win" he declared the new "Republic of Vietnam". Upon this announcement the US started providing military aid to the region. The US developed their policy based on what was termed the Domino Theory. This idea argued that if South Vietnam fell to the communist forces that the rest of Southeast Asia would surely be to follow until eventually communists were knocking on Hawaii's door. This idea became the motive for the American involvement in Southern Vietnam.
As a result of Diem's oppression against a large majority of the population a insurgency began to brew in the late 1950's. Soon after the North issued a resolution authorizing an armed struggle in the South. The US reacted by sending money, equipment and men to South Vietnam in order to resist the communists. Even with the large amount of aid from the US the South's army remained of low-quality being plagued with bad leadership, corruption and political interference. So... the US sent more troops while in Vietnam the frequency of guerrilla attacks rose and the insurgency gained momentum.
The US government began to loose faith in the Diem regime and its ability to defeat the Communists and started encouraging a coup. In 1963 President Diem was overthrown and executed after the US promised its support of such a move. However, the coup didn't stop the increase in guerrilla activity and Kennedy again increased the number of US troops to 16,000. After Kennedy was assassinated (3 weeks after Diem was), Johnson escalated the bombing of North Vietnam with the intention of destroying North Vietnam's air defenses as well as transportation and industrial infrastructure. In turn, instead of a conventional war the US was confronted with small-unit guerrilla warfare. This allowed the North Vietnamese to control the pace of the war through engaging in battle only when they believed they had a decisive advantage. The US responded by... you guessed it... dramatically increasing their troops to more than 553,000, well that and spraying large areas of land with herbicides. The chemicals destroyed the landscape, ruined ecosystems, caused multiple diseases including sever birth defects, and poisoned the food and water from the areas sprayed. Trees are only now starting to grow and people are finally able to resettle the land. In Saigon, people born with birth defects begging or selling lottery tickets (the other day we saw a blind woman making a living by selling lottery tickets in the street... that's one strong person) are, unfortunately, far to a common of a site.
Main while Mguyen Van Thieu became the president of South Vietnam ending the long series of military juntas that were sparked after Diem's assassination. After a huge offensive battle from North Vietnam and the surfacing of some over exaggeration by US officials the war became very unpopular in the US and the decision to start to withdraw troops was made. The Paris Peace Accords to end the war and restore peace in Vietnam was signed in January of 1973 and officially ended US's involvement in the war. A cease-fire was also declared but the North Vietnamese forces were allowed to remain in South Vietnam territory they had seized. By the end of April of that year the Southern army had completely collapsed and on the 27th 100,000 North Vietnamese encircled Saigon. Hysterical crowds pleaded to be evacuated from the country on limited helicopter seats. Emergency aid from the US was asked for but the American public opinion had long soured on the conflict and additional help was not sent.
In the end, the war claimed between 2 and 5.7 million Southeast Asian lives (I never mentioned how much of the war carried over into Laos and Cambodia), a large number of whom were citizens. The US toll was another 57,000 to 59,000 people.
I do have to say though that I am constantly amazed by how normal life seems in all of these regions. Even in Vietnam, where a war took place only 30 years ago and many of the villages have only been able to re-establish themselves in the last 10 years, it would have been hard to tell that life hadn't been going on like this forever if we didn't have a guide to point out the sites. It also astounds me at how welcoming people here are towards westerns after being "owned" by the French and bombed out by us in the lifetime of many adults still living today... they seem to hold no grudges which I would imagine to be quite a feat. In some places we have visited the destruction just seems so normal that it is eerie and scary that people could get used to such a terrible thing. I am sorry to talk so much about all that. I am sure it is the last thing you would want to dwell on. It has just been on my mind a lot lately.
The massacre in Cambodia: I will leave this terrible story for a future e-mail after I have had the opportunity to travel the country and partly because my brain is turning to mush and I am beginning to questions my accuracy.
And that is just where we have been. So many people around the world die everyday because of human ideology, hatred, or ignorance. There are so many people already dieing form natural causes and human error, I just wish there was a better way. Sometimes I think it is hopeless and that the world is doomed to be in a constant state of conflict forever...
Other than all that terrible news we are doing well. I got some crazy foot rash that has left me with huge itchy welts but they are starting to go away now. I don't know why everything happens to me and Jason just skips along ;). We are currently in Hoi An which is an old port town. We read that it had a lot of beautiful old buildings but really compared to other places we have been its not preserved so well and the town feels like it is only tourists so that is not so nice but the food is really great so we have been splurging a little bit on dinners ($2-3 each on one meal!). I have even tried fish, well crab. I have also been forced to eat pork a couple of times so I think traveling is making me less picky ;). From here we head to the Mekong Delta for a few days on our way to Cambodia! It's getting closer!
------------------------
Now we find ourselves in Hue. We've spent the last couple days touring the old dynastic capital of Vietnam and went on a tour of the old Vietnam War Demilitarized Zone today. We visited a tunnel complex used by an entire villlage for the duration of the war as well as Khe Sanh combat base and other overgrown sights. Apart from the tunnels, the other sights were overgrown and hard to distinguish, which I suppose is an extremely good thing. The tunnels were absolutely incredible, however. The complex was about 3 kilometers (just under two miles) in length and included meeting rooms, living quarters, etc. Seventeen (17) babies were born underground before the end of the war. Absolutely incredible! My head still hearts from the sight as well as the fact that everything is "Vietnamese size" and I hit my head on all of the crossbeams. Khe Sanh was also sobering simply because of the history; it's tough to imagine what it must have been like b/c now it's a bustling border town. 500 Americans and 10,000 North Vietnamese soldiers died over the course of a 75 day siege (not included civilians caught in the middle). Places like that should feel different, but life has just kept on moving. We're trying to get our heads around the Vietnam War and its legacy here in Vietnam right now, so you'll have to wait for any opinions or pearls of wisdom. :) Right now it's being added to the list of heart wrenching historical atrocities we've come across in our travels (the Indian Partition, Secret War in Laos, Chinese revolutions, Cultural Revolution in Tibet, etc) and it's tough to know just how to feel. One thing is for certain though, there are too many similarities to the news snippets we're getting from Iraq. Life is taken far too cheaply.
Jason
Hoi An and My Son:
Central Highlands:
Saigon:
Mekong Delta:
North Vietnam
Vietnam has been a very pleasant surprise for us both thus far. We've heard horror stories from other travellers about the people that gave Michele cold sweats thinking back to India, but we have loved the country so far. The people have been incredibly friendly (with a couple patience testing exceptions just like any country) and the sights have been far better than we anticipated. The last couple weeks have taken us from Hanoi to Halong Bay to Ninh Binh (just south of Hanoi) and now to Hue, the former dynastic capital. Halong Bay has definitely been the highlight along with the area around Ninh Binh. We really enjoyed a boat trip through limestone carst formations similar to Halong Bay with the added element of seeing people working in the incredibly green paddie fields. I really can't say much else about it, but hopefully we'll have some pictures up soon. It's one of the (if not the) most beautiful things we've seen so far. Another highlight was renting a motorbike (yep, again...have to admit that I really like it even with the INSANE Vietnam roads) and riding back roads to a national park where they rehabilitate monkeys rescued from poachers. I didn't know creatures like these existed; once again, I'll have to let the pictures show you what I'm talking about. Needless to say, our time in Ninh Binh was very well spent.
Hanoi:
Halong Bay:
Ninh Binh:
Hue and the DMZ:
Hanoi:
Halong Bay:
Ninh Binh:
Hue and the DMZ:
Tibet
Currently we are preparing for Tibet's (and China's) New Years which is coming up on the 18th. Everyone here is stacking up on firecrackers (and full out fireworks), they buy them by the arm loads. They set them off in the streets... so far we have seen a mans vendor stall start on fire and a 4 year old boy stick one into a tracker engine... we got out of there pretty fast. It is really quite crazy because the streets are really narrow and packed with people this time of year. I am really afraid to walk on the back streets around town. I guess on New Year's Eve the Chinese parade Chinese dragons in front of the Potala Palace the Dalai Lamas old residence and political head quarters)... so that should be utterly disturbing to watch) and set off fireworks all night so we won't be getting much sleep that night!
Tibet is a pretty crazy experience. We loved the "Tibetan" parts (the culture, people, religion, architecture, etc.) of India and that is why we decided to come here but China has completely hijacked most of what we loved about Sikkim, Dharamsala and Ladahk (India). They have torn down most of the old building and moved the nomads into settlements that look much like housing developments in the states (all the same housing layout, set in neat little squares, and topped with a Chinese flag). Most of the "cities" are Chinese military towns and it is virtually impossible to patronize Tibetan owned shops and hotels. The monasteries that were blown up in the cultural revolution are now being rebuilt but have very low quality.... the paintings and statues are just not the same and most holy places have been reduced to museums in order to make a tourist buck. Many days leave us pretty depressed and feeling helpless about the current situation.
Oh and I just finished a conversation with a French girl who explained to me that she studied Tibetan culture for three years... got a scholarship to study in Beijing... where she digests (happy) Chinese government propaganda while "keeping her mouth shut", no foreign texts are allowed. Currently she is traveling Tibet speaking with the locals in Chinese... her chosen language instead of Tibetan. Once she finishes studying she will work for the Chinese government in Beijing... where they systematically destroy any Tibetan artifacts that could be used against their theory that Tibetans are really Chinese... she gave examples. How can anyone study Tibetans history and culture and then work for someone who is destroying it?!?
Overland into Tibet:
Lhasa:
Eastern Tibet:
Shigatse and Gyantse:
Tibet is a pretty crazy experience. We loved the "Tibetan" parts (the culture, people, religion, architecture, etc.) of India and that is why we decided to come here but China has completely hijacked most of what we loved about Sikkim, Dharamsala and Ladahk (India). They have torn down most of the old building and moved the nomads into settlements that look much like housing developments in the states (all the same housing layout, set in neat little squares, and topped with a Chinese flag). Most of the "cities" are Chinese military towns and it is virtually impossible to patronize Tibetan owned shops and hotels. The monasteries that were blown up in the cultural revolution are now being rebuilt but have very low quality.... the paintings and statues are just not the same and most holy places have been reduced to museums in order to make a tourist buck. Many days leave us pretty depressed and feeling helpless about the current situation.
Oh and I just finished a conversation with a French girl who explained to me that she studied Tibetan culture for three years... got a scholarship to study in Beijing... where she digests (happy) Chinese government propaganda while "keeping her mouth shut", no foreign texts are allowed. Currently she is traveling Tibet speaking with the locals in Chinese... her chosen language instead of Tibetan. Once she finishes studying she will work for the Chinese government in Beijing... where they systematically destroy any Tibetan artifacts that could be used against their theory that Tibetans are really Chinese... she gave examples. How can anyone study Tibetans history and culture and then work for someone who is destroying it?!?
Overland into Tibet:
Lhasa:
Eastern Tibet:
Shigatse and Gyantse:
1.30.2007
Beijing and Around
Hello there,
I apologize for the long email gap. If you can believe it, Beijing actually has an big internet cafe shortage and we ended up staying at a hotel for Chinese tourists with no internet (but big rooms w/ a TV and bathroom for the same price as 2 dorm beds). I've also had much less time than I intended b/c we have spent far too much time with traveling chores. We've experienced daily headaches because everything in the city is either closed, knocked down, or moved in preparation for the 2008 Olympics. The entire city is a construction site and being created before our eyes. For us, it has meant finding the new locations of bus stations, tourist sites, restaurants, etc. Probably shouldn't have been as big of a deal, but, since we give everything a shot on our own (ie- try not to book tickets/tours thru hotels, it has meant A LOT of walking. That said, the biggest headache of our travels so far has been extending our visa for another 30 days. Long story short, it ended up taking 7 working days (10 days total); we were planning on only 5 days in Beijing...not 12!!! Needless to say we have had to juggle our schedule a bit.
All things considered, Beijing hasn't been a bad place to spend some unplanned days; there definitely is not a lack of things to see. The city itself has been hard for me to love b/c the majority of it looks brand new. The number of construction cranes is absolutely incredible; the city is literally being built before our eyes. The down side is that the old buildings are being knocked down. The famous hutongs (old, small houses lining old, small alleys) are being destroyed for large, generic high rises or at least getting a fresh coat of paint on the outside (but only the outside) to hide them from view. I'll be really interested to see what this place looks like in 2008!!!
Apart from scratching our heads looking at the intentional, rapid, and forced modernization of the city, we have enjoyed visiting some pretty incredible sights. The top on my list is definitely the Great Wall. I've been lucky enough to visit it twice now (Mutianyu and Simatai) in the last week and it didn't disappoint. Once I got over the cable cars and alpine slides blocking my first view (sad but true) and actually got to walk on the wall, I began to understand why it is justifiably one of the wonders of the world. The scale is just incredible and we got to see the popular view of it snaking off into the distance; I can't imagine the manpower it must have taken when it was first built. I took Dad's advice and wandered past the "no tourists" sign for some time on an unrestored section and it really is more impressive with signs of age and decay.
We still have to go on strike and not buy anything our first 3 days in a new country because they can sense when you are new blood and once they are on to you they never fail to rip you off. We have also given up on private transport (namely tuk tuks and taxis') and take public transport solely because they win every time.No matter what country we are in the drivers of the three wheeled mini taxis (tuk tuks, rickshaws, etc) cheat us one way or another every time we step into their vehicle. You would think after 9 months of traveling we would have caught on to their tricks. Of course they always come up with new ones and so many accumulate that it is hard to keep track of them all. Then there are countries like Laos that lull us into a peaceful stupor where we truly believe that not a sole in the world would ever lie to us... truly throwing us off our game. So we walk everywhere. We prefer the humiliation of carting our bags, sweating through the center of town (or with our toes frozen here in China) than to step into another tuk tuk.
The other day we had to take a taxi from the train station to the bus station (about a mile) because there was no direct transport and we only had a half hour to get there, so we were cutting it pretty tight (the Great Wall keep us longer than anticipated!). Our only option was a taxi, but we knew where we were going and the route was straight there, plus the use of taxi meters is widespread in Beijing so we figured it would be okay. Turns out the man zig-zaged the whole way there doubling our fare (there was a language barrier) but the worst part was that he dropped us off only 6 minutes before our bus was scheduled to leave. We had to run through the station and jump on the bus as it was about ready to pull away and plead with the driver to let us use the bathrooms one last time before our 7 hr overnight bus. Dam taxis'.
The only other adventure to report on is that the other day we wanted to go from Xi'an to Pingyao by train but because they were all full I got the great idea to go by bus instead. It was a little more expensive but only took 8 hours instead of 12 and we could stick to our schedule so we set off. At 5:00 in the morning we were dropped off on the side of a highway at the exit ramp for Pingyao... it doesn't get light here until 7:30 or so and no one spoke any English. When I asked them how far the walk was he turned into the bus and asked if anyone spoke English and when no one replied took off without looking back ;). So we started walking towards the city... luckily we had a flashlight (it was so dark we couldn't read signs without it!) to read the signs that were translated in English (also extremely lucky). Anyways after a hour and half of a cold walk we arrived into Pingyao unscathed... a bit scary though. Just that day we were talking about how our travels had gone so smoothly and that we really didn't have any good ''adventure"'stories... so that is the best I got ;).
Another recent highlight was a sidetrip we took to climb the holiest mountain in China and most climbed mountain in the world, Tai Shan. It's only about a 4 hour climb (but on 6,000 plus steps), but is flanked by ancient temples, caligraphy in the rocks, and three gates to heaven. As an indication of its age, there's a marker where Confucius began his climb back around 500bce. I had some gripes with the chair lifts and hotels on the mountain, but it did keep some of it's holy feel once you got to the top. The top is filled with Taoist temples (the yin-yang signs); it must have been incredible back in its prime when Emperor's climbed it to make sacrifices to the Gods. It's still impressive today, but I think it's suffered like all other religions places in China; most are primarily shells of former sacred sights kept alive just enough to attract the tourist. That said, some people were climbing it for more than the great views; I, however, was one of the people climbing it for the views and wasn't disappointed. The best part was the sunrise view. The mountain is perched in the middle of nowhere, so it was really impressive. I also lucked out b/c the relentless wind drove everyone off the viewpoint within 10 minutes of the sunrise, so I enjoyed a bit of solitute on the crowded summit. Definitely one of the highlights of China for me so far, but I am a bit partial to mountains.
Now we are off to Tibet (FINALLY!)!
Beijing:
Great Wall:
Tai'an:
I apologize for the long email gap. If you can believe it, Beijing actually has an big internet cafe shortage and we ended up staying at a hotel for Chinese tourists with no internet (but big rooms w/ a TV and bathroom for the same price as 2 dorm beds). I've also had much less time than I intended b/c we have spent far too much time with traveling chores. We've experienced daily headaches because everything in the city is either closed, knocked down, or moved in preparation for the 2008 Olympics. The entire city is a construction site and being created before our eyes. For us, it has meant finding the new locations of bus stations, tourist sites, restaurants, etc. Probably shouldn't have been as big of a deal, but, since we give everything a shot on our own (ie- try not to book tickets/tours thru hotels, it has meant A LOT of walking. That said, the biggest headache of our travels so far has been extending our visa for another 30 days. Long story short, it ended up taking 7 working days (10 days total); we were planning on only 5 days in Beijing...not 12!!! Needless to say we have had to juggle our schedule a bit.
All things considered, Beijing hasn't been a bad place to spend some unplanned days; there definitely is not a lack of things to see. The city itself has been hard for me to love b/c the majority of it looks brand new. The number of construction cranes is absolutely incredible; the city is literally being built before our eyes. The down side is that the old buildings are being knocked down. The famous hutongs (old, small houses lining old, small alleys) are being destroyed for large, generic high rises or at least getting a fresh coat of paint on the outside (but only the outside) to hide them from view. I'll be really interested to see what this place looks like in 2008!!!
Apart from scratching our heads looking at the intentional, rapid, and forced modernization of the city, we have enjoyed visiting some pretty incredible sights. The top on my list is definitely the Great Wall. I've been lucky enough to visit it twice now (Mutianyu and Simatai) in the last week and it didn't disappoint. Once I got over the cable cars and alpine slides blocking my first view (sad but true) and actually got to walk on the wall, I began to understand why it is justifiably one of the wonders of the world. The scale is just incredible and we got to see the popular view of it snaking off into the distance; I can't imagine the manpower it must have taken when it was first built. I took Dad's advice and wandered past the "no tourists" sign for some time on an unrestored section and it really is more impressive with signs of age and decay.
We still have to go on strike and not buy anything our first 3 days in a new country because they can sense when you are new blood and once they are on to you they never fail to rip you off. We have also given up on private transport (namely tuk tuks and taxis') and take public transport solely because they win every time.No matter what country we are in the drivers of the three wheeled mini taxis (tuk tuks, rickshaws, etc) cheat us one way or another every time we step into their vehicle. You would think after 9 months of traveling we would have caught on to their tricks. Of course they always come up with new ones and so many accumulate that it is hard to keep track of them all. Then there are countries like Laos that lull us into a peaceful stupor where we truly believe that not a sole in the world would ever lie to us... truly throwing us off our game. So we walk everywhere. We prefer the humiliation of carting our bags, sweating through the center of town (or with our toes frozen here in China) than to step into another tuk tuk.
The other day we had to take a taxi from the train station to the bus station (about a mile) because there was no direct transport and we only had a half hour to get there, so we were cutting it pretty tight (the Great Wall keep us longer than anticipated!). Our only option was a taxi, but we knew where we were going and the route was straight there, plus the use of taxi meters is widespread in Beijing so we figured it would be okay. Turns out the man zig-zaged the whole way there doubling our fare (there was a language barrier) but the worst part was that he dropped us off only 6 minutes before our bus was scheduled to leave. We had to run through the station and jump on the bus as it was about ready to pull away and plead with the driver to let us use the bathrooms one last time before our 7 hr overnight bus. Dam taxis'.
The only other adventure to report on is that the other day we wanted to go from Xi'an to Pingyao by train but because they were all full I got the great idea to go by bus instead. It was a little more expensive but only took 8 hours instead of 12 and we could stick to our schedule so we set off. At 5:00 in the morning we were dropped off on the side of a highway at the exit ramp for Pingyao... it doesn't get light here until 7:30 or so and no one spoke any English. When I asked them how far the walk was he turned into the bus and asked if anyone spoke English and when no one replied took off without looking back ;). So we started walking towards the city... luckily we had a flashlight (it was so dark we couldn't read signs without it!) to read the signs that were translated in English (also extremely lucky). Anyways after a hour and half of a cold walk we arrived into Pingyao unscathed... a bit scary though. Just that day we were talking about how our travels had gone so smoothly and that we really didn't have any good ''adventure"'stories... so that is the best I got ;).
Another recent highlight was a sidetrip we took to climb the holiest mountain in China and most climbed mountain in the world, Tai Shan. It's only about a 4 hour climb (but on 6,000 plus steps), but is flanked by ancient temples, caligraphy in the rocks, and three gates to heaven. As an indication of its age, there's a marker where Confucius began his climb back around 500bce. I had some gripes with the chair lifts and hotels on the mountain, but it did keep some of it's holy feel once you got to the top. The top is filled with Taoist temples (the yin-yang signs); it must have been incredible back in its prime when Emperor's climbed it to make sacrifices to the Gods. It's still impressive today, but I think it's suffered like all other religions places in China; most are primarily shells of former sacred sights kept alive just enough to attract the tourist. That said, some people were climbing it for more than the great views; I, however, was one of the people climbing it for the views and wasn't disappointed. The best part was the sunrise view. The mountain is perched in the middle of nowhere, so it was really impressive. I also lucked out b/c the relentless wind drove everyone off the viewpoint within 10 minutes of the sunrise, so I enjoyed a bit of solitute on the crowded summit. Definitely one of the highlights of China for me so far, but I am a bit partial to mountains.
Now we are off to Tibet (FINALLY!)!
Beijing:
Great Wall:
Tai'an:
Stops on the way to Beijing
We still have to go on strike and not buy anything our first 3 days in a new country because they can sense when you are new blood and once they are on to you they never fail to rip you off. We have also given up on private transport (namely tuk tuks and taxis') and take public transport solely because they win every time.No matter what country we are in the drivers of the three wheeled mini taxis (tuk tuks, rickshaws, etc) cheat us one way or another every time we step into their vehicle. You would think after 9 months of traveling we would have caught on to their tricks. Of course they always come up with new ones and so many accumulate that it is hard to keep track of them all. Then there are countries like Laos that lull us into a peaceful stupor where we truly believe that not a sole in the world would ever lie to us... truly throwing us off our game. So we walk everywhere. We prefer the humiliation of carting our bags, sweating through the center of town (or with our toes frozen here in China) than to step into another tuk tuk.
The other day we had to take a taxi from the train station to the bus station (about a mile) because there was no direct transport and we only had a half hour to get there, so we were cutting it pretty tight (the Great Wall keep us longer than anticipated!). Our only option was a taxi, but we knew where we were going and the route was straight there, plus the use of taxi meters is widespread in Beijing so we figured it would be okay. Turns out the man zig-zaged the whole way there doubling our fare (there was a language barrier) but the worst part was that he dropped us off only 6 minutes before our bus was scheduled to leave. We had to run through the station and jump on the bus as it was about ready to pull away and plead with the driver to let us use the bathrooms one last time before our 7 hr overnight bus. Dam taxis'.
The only other adventure to report on is that the other day we wanted to go from Xi'an to Pingyao by train but because they were all full I got the great idea to go by bus instead. It was a little more expensive but only took 8 hours instead of 12 and we could stick to our schedule so we set off. At 5:00 in the morning we were dropped off on the side of a highway at the exit ramp for Pingyao... it doesn't get light here until 7:30 or so and no one spoke any English. When I asked them how far the walk was he turned into the bus and asked if anyone spoke English and when no one replied took off without looking back ;). So we started walking towards the city... luckily we had a flashlight (it was so dark we couldn't read signs without it!) to read the signs that were translated in English (also extremely lucky). Anyways after a hour and half of a cold walk we arrived into Pingyao unscathed... a bit scary though. Just that day we were talking about how our travels had gone so smoothly and that we really didn't have any good ''adventure"'stories... so that is the best I got ;).
Xi'an:
Pingyao:
Datong:
The other day we had to take a taxi from the train station to the bus station (about a mile) because there was no direct transport and we only had a half hour to get there, so we were cutting it pretty tight (the Great Wall keep us longer than anticipated!). Our only option was a taxi, but we knew where we were going and the route was straight there, plus the use of taxi meters is widespread in Beijing so we figured it would be okay. Turns out the man zig-zaged the whole way there doubling our fare (there was a language barrier) but the worst part was that he dropped us off only 6 minutes before our bus was scheduled to leave. We had to run through the station and jump on the bus as it was about ready to pull away and plead with the driver to let us use the bathrooms one last time before our 7 hr overnight bus. Dam taxis'.
The only other adventure to report on is that the other day we wanted to go from Xi'an to Pingyao by train but because they were all full I got the great idea to go by bus instead. It was a little more expensive but only took 8 hours instead of 12 and we could stick to our schedule so we set off. At 5:00 in the morning we were dropped off on the side of a highway at the exit ramp for Pingyao... it doesn't get light here until 7:30 or so and no one spoke any English. When I asked them how far the walk was he turned into the bus and asked if anyone spoke English and when no one replied took off without looking back ;). So we started walking towards the city... luckily we had a flashlight (it was so dark we couldn't read signs without it!) to read the signs that were translated in English (also extremely lucky). Anyways after a hour and half of a cold walk we arrived into Pingyao unscathed... a bit scary though. Just that day we were talking about how our travels had gone so smoothly and that we really didn't have any good ''adventure"'stories... so that is the best I got ;).
Xi'an:
Pingyao:
Datong:
1.10.2007
The Christmas Spirit in Northwestern Laos
Happy Holidays!
I hope this finds you enjoying the holiday season with family and friends! I am sorry this Holiday email didn't make it out in time for Christmas. I have been very fortunate to have received so many wonderful emails from all of you that I decided to take a break in Laos for a couple of days so I could clean out my inbox (which I wasn't able to do so if you are still waiting... I haven't forgotten about you!)... but I wasn't able to get to the holiday email before we headed of to more remote regions.
I hope that everyone had a very safe and relaxing holiday season... and that you have a very safe and exciting New Years! You were all in my thoughts as we celebrated the holidays in Northwestern Laos near the borders of Thailand, China, and Myanmar. On Christmas Eve we woke-up early and admired the beautiful ethnic clothing of tribal woman at the local market before strolling through a Buddhist temple where instead of listening to Christmas Carols we enjoyed the chanting of monks.
In the afternoon, we rented bikes in hopes of pedaling through the countryside and visiting various small villages but within the first 2km I blew out my back tire (now the moms can stop saying that I have lost too much weight ;) ). Since we had to walk our bikes all the way back we decided to make the journey a bit more interesting by collecting local flowers that we used to make our own Laos mistletoe (pic attached).
In the evening, after a great conversation about what we are grateful for and those who are in our thoughts at home and around the world, Jason opened our only Christmas gift wrapped in colored bags from the market: 4 of our used water bottles (it disgusts us to think of how many bottles we have used over the past 8 months but after our water purifier broke in India we have no other options... though we have tried a few... but that's a longer story), 4 permeate markets, and 4 candles which we used to create our own Christmas candles (pic attached). Our holiday consumption totaled 4,000Kip or just under $0.40. Which is a feat I will probably never again be able to match. In a way, it really made the season much more meaningful for us than giving and receiving a lot of gifts from each other. It was nice to be able to share the day together and not get so wrapped-up in "finding the perfect gift" which, in the end, we know neither of us need anyways (and this feeling has only been magnified throughout our travels).... so what did you all get for Christmas ;).
On Christmas Day we woke-up early to start our series of bus/truck/van rides into China. It has been nice to experience a new culture and see new architecture since Laos and Thailand were so similar to each other in these aspects. Today we went to a temple that was destroyed over the course of the last 900 years from natural disasters, war, and the cultural revolution. It was a really bazaar experience. The site was re-built in the mid-1990's as a full scale tourist attraction (it cost us $15 each to get in... which is more than we paid for all of our tourists sites in Laos combined - literally)... cement terraces, picnic tables, a golf course, and nic-nacs galore (black-belt Buddha figurines, florescent Buddha clocks, etc)... inside the temples. Even though the site is re-done beautifully, after experiencing such spiritual devotion at Buddhist temples in Thailand and India and becoming really fond of the atmosphere there, visiting this "temple turned theme park" was quite a shock. I don't know how many $30 tourist attractions will be in our budget!
A couple of days ago we ran into our first counterfeit Chinese note. We were in the process of buying mittens and long underwear to make the next two months in China bearable (I've spent this time of year in China before so I know what it will be like and as one person we ran into put it... the weather this time of year shouldn't be a problem... if you are from Canada or Russia... I think MN is close enough but I worry about Jason ;) ). Anyways, when we went to check out our change should have been 4 rmb but the woman asked (or motioned... no English) if we had another 6 rmb so she could give us a 10 note... we obliged. She set the note on the counter and immediately after touching it I knew it was a counterfeit so we held it up to the light and compared it to another 10 note we had. We told her we wouldn't take the bill and ultimately didn't give us a real bill until I started to take our purchases out of the bag to tell her that we weren't going to buy anything then... it changed her mind pretty fast! It is unfortunate that they were given a fake bill but we were glad to know it is easy to distinguish between the real and the fake ones.
It reminds me of a story from the last time I was in China with my family and Ben visiting Jeff and Patty and family (relatives). One way or another my dad was given a fake note from someone (makes me wonder if they like pawning fake bills off on tourists). After Jeff pointed out that the note was a fake we thought we were stuck with it... until my dad came up with a brilliant idea... give it as a tip! As he proudly said after the fact when asked what he did with it, "Our guide thought he did a real good job!" Oh I love it!
So any grand New Years resolutions or wisdom gained over the last year you would like to share? I am sure my reflections from the last year of my life will stretch out for years to come but one thing I have learned is to be happy with where I am at... you know the whole "the grass is greener on the other side". Some days I find myself dwelling on being home again... with all of you; living in a permeate home and actually having some responsibilities... instead of fully enjoying where I am at, but then I remember what I thought about while I was in school studying and what I wanted to be doing instead of working in CO... never what I was doing that's for sure! So my New Years resolution is to not take for granted the beauty and potential that each day brings, to enjoy everyday to its fullest no matter where I am at in my life.
I hope you have a great holiday and happy new year! Even if it takes me a while to get back to you I love the pictures you send (maybe some holiday ones??), as well as all of your updates and stories. I read every one of them and sincerely look forward to writing you back.
As Jason said in his holiday email "Thanks for everything in 2006 and I can't wait to catch up in 2007!"
Much love to you all,
Michele
Villages on the Nam Ou:
Nam Ou boat trip to Luang Prabang:
Luang Prabang:
Our 2006 Christmas in Laos Album
I hope this finds you enjoying the holiday season with family and friends! I am sorry this Holiday email didn't make it out in time for Christmas. I have been very fortunate to have received so many wonderful emails from all of you that I decided to take a break in Laos for a couple of days so I could clean out my inbox (which I wasn't able to do so if you are still waiting... I haven't forgotten about you!)... but I wasn't able to get to the holiday email before we headed of to more remote regions.
I hope that everyone had a very safe and relaxing holiday season... and that you have a very safe and exciting New Years! You were all in my thoughts as we celebrated the holidays in Northwestern Laos near the borders of Thailand, China, and Myanmar. On Christmas Eve we woke-up early and admired the beautiful ethnic clothing of tribal woman at the local market before strolling through a Buddhist temple where instead of listening to Christmas Carols we enjoyed the chanting of monks.
In the afternoon, we rented bikes in hopes of pedaling through the countryside and visiting various small villages but within the first 2km I blew out my back tire (now the moms can stop saying that I have lost too much weight ;) ). Since we had to walk our bikes all the way back we decided to make the journey a bit more interesting by collecting local flowers that we used to make our own Laos mistletoe (pic attached).
In the evening, after a great conversation about what we are grateful for and those who are in our thoughts at home and around the world, Jason opened our only Christmas gift wrapped in colored bags from the market: 4 of our used water bottles (it disgusts us to think of how many bottles we have used over the past 8 months but after our water purifier broke in India we have no other options... though we have tried a few... but that's a longer story), 4 permeate markets, and 4 candles which we used to create our own Christmas candles (pic attached). Our holiday consumption totaled 4,000Kip or just under $0.40. Which is a feat I will probably never again be able to match. In a way, it really made the season much more meaningful for us than giving and receiving a lot of gifts from each other. It was nice to be able to share the day together and not get so wrapped-up in "finding the perfect gift" which, in the end, we know neither of us need anyways (and this feeling has only been magnified throughout our travels).... so what did you all get for Christmas ;).
On Christmas Day we woke-up early to start our series of bus/truck/van rides into China. It has been nice to experience a new culture and see new architecture since Laos and Thailand were so similar to each other in these aspects. Today we went to a temple that was destroyed over the course of the last 900 years from natural disasters, war, and the cultural revolution. It was a really bazaar experience. The site was re-built in the mid-1990's as a full scale tourist attraction (it cost us $15 each to get in... which is more than we paid for all of our tourists sites in Laos combined - literally)... cement terraces, picnic tables, a golf course, and nic-nacs galore (black-belt Buddha figurines, florescent Buddha clocks, etc)... inside the temples. Even though the site is re-done beautifully, after experiencing such spiritual devotion at Buddhist temples in Thailand and India and becoming really fond of the atmosphere there, visiting this "temple turned theme park" was quite a shock. I don't know how many $30 tourist attractions will be in our budget!
A couple of days ago we ran into our first counterfeit Chinese note. We were in the process of buying mittens and long underwear to make the next two months in China bearable (I've spent this time of year in China before so I know what it will be like and as one person we ran into put it... the weather this time of year shouldn't be a problem... if you are from Canada or Russia... I think MN is close enough but I worry about Jason ;) ). Anyways, when we went to check out our change should have been 4 rmb but the woman asked (or motioned... no English) if we had another 6 rmb so she could give us a 10 note... we obliged. She set the note on the counter and immediately after touching it I knew it was a counterfeit so we held it up to the light and compared it to another 10 note we had. We told her we wouldn't take the bill and ultimately didn't give us a real bill until I started to take our purchases out of the bag to tell her that we weren't going to buy anything then... it changed her mind pretty fast! It is unfortunate that they were given a fake bill but we were glad to know it is easy to distinguish between the real and the fake ones.
It reminds me of a story from the last time I was in China with my family and Ben visiting Jeff and Patty and family (relatives). One way or another my dad was given a fake note from someone (makes me wonder if they like pawning fake bills off on tourists). After Jeff pointed out that the note was a fake we thought we were stuck with it... until my dad came up with a brilliant idea... give it as a tip! As he proudly said after the fact when asked what he did with it, "Our guide thought he did a real good job!" Oh I love it!
So any grand New Years resolutions or wisdom gained over the last year you would like to share? I am sure my reflections from the last year of my life will stretch out for years to come but one thing I have learned is to be happy with where I am at... you know the whole "the grass is greener on the other side". Some days I find myself dwelling on being home again... with all of you; living in a permeate home and actually having some responsibilities... instead of fully enjoying where I am at, but then I remember what I thought about while I was in school studying and what I wanted to be doing instead of working in CO... never what I was doing that's for sure! So my New Years resolution is to not take for granted the beauty and potential that each day brings, to enjoy everyday to its fullest no matter where I am at in my life.
I hope you have a great holiday and happy new year! Even if it takes me a while to get back to you I love the pictures you send (maybe some holiday ones??), as well as all of your updates and stories. I read every one of them and sincerely look forward to writing you back.
As Jason said in his holiday email "Thanks for everything in 2006 and I can't wait to catch up in 2007!"
Much love to you all,
Michele
Villages on the Nam Ou:
Nam Ou boat trip to Luang Prabang:
Luang Prabang:
Our 2006 Christmas in Laos Album
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