Cambodja

Sometimes reality hits hard. A few days ago Loes and me were discussing whether or not we were going to take the Dive master course in Thailand, as it turned out to be more expensive than we first thought. We worried about the money because after the diving we’d have to go to Australia right away to find a job and earn some money. But after a few days we realized our ‘problems’ are those of a luxury kind.
First we ran into two guys in our guesthouse. They were asylum seekers who fled their countries and won’t be able to return. One guy’s brother was killed and the other one’s father was assaulted not too long ago. Also one of the refugees was held in prison for a year for sending an e-mail to an American radio station, explaining his situation. He was beaten everyday, the guy said, and because of that his memory didn’t always work the way it should.
After that we went to Choeung Ek – or Killing Field – just outside of Phnom Penh. I knew a little about Cambodian history from reading but actually seeing the spots where it al happened made it more real. Between 1975 and 1979 the communist Khmer Rouge – led by Pol Pot – ruled in Cambodia. During their regime almost 2 million people died – from killing, torture, disease and starvation. Choeung Ek was one of the places where people were brought to dead. Most of them stayed in a prison called S-21. During the Khmer Rouge period only few people knew about the existence of this prison – a former school. It was later discovered by two Vietnamese photographers. About 15,000 people were held in the prison. Most of them were tortured until they confessed crimes – which they obviously hadn’t committed – against the Khmer Rouge. We went there and saw pictures of prisoners taken during those four years. I was moved very much by one particular photo. It was an old man with a sad expression on his face. It was as if he knew his fate and was ashamed by it. He didn’t look into the camera.
Still people here are so friendly. Everytime I see a Cambodian I wonder how many people he or she has lost because of the Khmer Rouge regime.
We also visited a slum and took some pictures. The little kids followed us everywhere, smiling and posing. Their lives must not be easy, so who are we to complain about ours?

In the end we decided to take the diving course.

Ho Chi Minh pics

The Sheraton Hotel it is...

Journalists @ work

Cu Chi Tunnels

War Remnants Museum

Our Vietnamese night out was great. We thought the mother was going to cook us a nice meal but instead we were taken to a fancy restaurant. It didn't really match our backpackers budget and we were joking about having to go back home after that night - when mother Hoa insisted she'd pay. After a delicious dinner she directed us back to our hotel. 'You change clothes!'. The guys had to wear long trousers, she explained, and I couldn't wear my flipflops. Where the hell are we going, we wondered.
An hour or so later we found ourselves drinking cocktails in the Sheraton Hotel, listening to a live band and dancing the night away. Oh how wonderful is the backpackers' life...

Same same but different

Same same but different is what they say all over Southeast Asia. And I’m in such a situation right now. I was travelling with my friend Loes when my sister Loes joined us. We picked her up from the airport in Bangkok, travelled to the north of Thailand, into Laos and finally Vietnam. We did trekkings, went out, talked, laughed and finally cried when saying goodbye in Ho Chi Minh City. It may be a cliche but it’s definitely true: time flies when you’re having fun. I’m pretty sure she got infected with the travelling virus! After shedding a few tears it was time for some Vietnamese culture and history. We visited Cu Chi, an underground tunnel network of about 240 kilometres that was used during the Vietnam War. People actually lived there and I don’t envy them: the tunnels are so small that you have to crawl through them. We tried it ourselves, and it wasn’t much fun.

…American soldiers used the term "Black echo" to describe the conditions within the tunnels. For the Viet Cong, life in the tunnels was difficult. Air, food and water were scarce and the tunnels were infested with ants, poisonous centipedes, spiders and mosquitoes. Most of the time, guerrillas would spend the day in the tunnels working or resting and come out only at night to scavenge for supplies, tend their crops or engage the enemy in battle. Sometimes, during periods of heavy bombing or American troop movement, they would be forced to remain underground for many days at a time. Sickness was rampant among the people living in the tunnels; especially malaria, which accounted for the second largest cause of death next to battle wounds…

(source: Wikipedia)

Today we visited the War Remnants Museum. We were quite moved by the stories we read and the pictures we saw, especially the ones in which people affected by Agent Orange were shown.

Agent Orange is a herbicide used by the American government during the Vietnam War. 4,8 Million Vietnamese were exposed to it, resulting in 400,000 deaths and disabilities.

We got one more day left before we move on to Phu Quoc, an island close to Cambodia. Tonight we’re invited for dinner with a Vietnamese family. Loes has a Vietnamese friend back in Holland and he told us to visit his family here in Ho Chi Minh City. And so we went there yesterday. They barely spoke any English but were so friendly and asked us to come tonight to eat at their place and then go party. So who would we be to reject such an invitation?