Travel Writing

Singapore Airport Terminal 3

2008-01-12T17:35:00.001-08:00

Terminal 3
On a recent connection at Singapore International airport I accidentally stumbled on the brand spanking new terminal 3. At a cost of about 1.75 billion dollars and eight years of building, she is finally open to the public. Prior to opening on the 9th of January 2008 test flights were held from November 12 until 3 January where the baggage handling, check-in and ground handling systems were tested. While I was waiting for the sky train to make a transfer from terminal 2 to terminal 3, I was distracted to see a homeless man lying on the bench next to me. Perhaps a sign it was time for a new terminal?

A structure mainly made of glass, with big transparent spaces inside the terminal. However, unlike these newer airports, it incorporates "natural" features and "warm" tone extensively to balance the sterile feel of glass and steel. For example, the column is given a wood-like cladding and the floor of the terminal is mostly cream/ beige colour. The roof has been designed to allow natural light to enter the building, with 900 skylights. A five-metre-high "Green Wall" with hanging creepers and waterfall has been constructed to make the place feel tropical.

Now the house is open, everyone wants to be a tenant. Of course Singapore Airlines is at the front of the line followed closely by China Eastern Airlines, Jet Airways, Qatar Airways and United Airlines. Terminal 3 departs from the largely utilitarian architecture in the first two terminals. By world class standards it stands out as a first class terminal.

The first thing that hits me when I walk into this terminal is how massive the space is. On www.changiairport.com/t3/ you can experience a taste of the future in airports. The website header reads like a fairy tale island - " Explore Paradise " Its social marketing pages encourage customers to leave stories, pictures, videos like a you tube or my space site. They can chat about their experiences at an airport that appears more like a bird sanctuary than a stressful experience of long lines and security checks. They even had a paradise wedding photography contest. You can check the site for a whole bunch of soft focus, tree hugging and face sucking pics. It's hilarious! The winner gets to go to Paris care of Qatar airlines flying 1st class for an all expenses paid honeymoon valued at $30,000. Nice choice of winners who seem to be lost in a jungle of tropical green, waterfalls and cascading giant palms. The place smells good and whether you like it or not you come out feeling refreshed. It is like you have been to a convention of natural medicine.

I was almost waiting for the South American from the old TV show called "Fantasy Island" to come out in his white suit and greet me with his humble assistant in the golf cart.Each week two guests came to "Fantasy Island" to get their wish/fantasy fulfilled. Their mysterious host, the debonair and suave white-suited Mr. Roarke, would do the sometimes impossible and grant them their wishes...but there was always some twist to the fantasy, letting the guest learn something about themselves or get something they weren't expecting. Best remembered for the presence of Herve Villechaize as the diminuitive "Tattoo" and his cry of "De plane! De plane!" De plane at Singapore airport terminal three is waiting for you.

Cambodia's future

2008-01-09T02:41:00.000-08:00

Cambodia’s Future

A visit to Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh is not complete without a visit to the genocide museum and the Kings palace. The contrast between Cambodia’s rich and respected monarchy and Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge make for a great introduction to the real Cambodia. Once known as the “Pearl of the Orient’ it is the commercial, political & cultural hub of Cambodia. It is home to more than 13 million with over 2 million in Phnom Penh.

Phnom Penh

First stop is the Royal Palace where the King resides. The Royal Palace of Phnom Penh are a complex of buildings which are the royal abode of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Its full name in the Khmer language is Preah Barom Reachea Vaeng Chaktomuk. The Kings of Cambodia have occupied it since it was built in 1866, with a period of absence when the country came into turmoil during and after the reign of the Khmer Rouge. Outside the palace children gather to beg along with land mine victims walking on crutches. Inside we are blinded with the glitter of gold and silver on the temples roof tops.

The complex is divided by walls into three main compounds, on the north side is the Silver Pagoda and to the south-west is the Khemarin Palace and a central compound containing the Throne Hall. The buildings of the palace were built gradually overtime, and some were dismantled and rebuilt as late as the 1960s.

Throne Hall

The Khmer name for the Throne Hall is the "Sacred Seat of Judgement." The Throne Hall is where the king's confidants, generals and royal officials once carried out their duties. It is still in use today as a place for religious and royal ceremonies (such as coronations and royal weddings) as well as a meeting place for guests of the King.

Silver Pagoda

The Silver Pagoda is a compound located on the North side of the palace complex. It features a royal temple. Its main building houses many national treasures such as gold and jewelled Buddha statues. Most notable is a small 17th century baccarat crystal Buddha (the "Emerald Buddha" of Cambodia) and a near-life-size, Maitreya Buddha encrusted with 9,584 diamonds dressed in royal regalia commissioned by King Sisowath.

Khemarin Palace

The Khemarin Palace is the common English name for a building called the "Palace of the Khmer King." It is used a residence by the King of Cambodia. This compound is separated from other buildings by a small wall and is located to the right of the Throne Hall.

Chan Chhaya Pavilion

Otherwise known as "Moonlight Pavilion", is an open-air pavilion that serves as stage for Khmer classical dance in the past and present. It is one of the most notable buildings of the palace as it easily seen from the outside as it was built along side a section of the palace walls.

An hour of strolling through the four palaces reminds me of Bangkok’s Royal Palace, elegant & extravagant.

Second stop is Tuolseng Genocide prison.

The double wire fence serves as a reminder of the holocaust that once swept this humble nation. They were known as the killing fields when over 1.5 million Cambodians were slaughtered between 1976 & 1979. Tuol Svay Prey High School was taken over by Pol Pot's forces and was turned into the S-21 prison camp, where Cambodians were detained and tortured. Pol Pot desired a return to an agrarian economy and therefore killed anyone who was educated, who wore glasses, or who did not have calloused hands to cleanse the population of the taint of westernization. Many others starved to death as a result of failure of the agrarian society and the sale of Cambodia's rice to China in exchange for bullets and weaponry. Tuol Svay Prey High School is now the Tuol Sleng Museum in which Khmer Rouge torture devices and photos of their victims are displayed.

This genocide of barbaric proportions is being told by its people who survived. Everyone has a connection with the past. Through story telling they are healing their emotional wounds and looking to a positive future. Despite rampant corruption in government &
Extreme poverty in some parts, Cambodians are optimistic for the future.

A walk through the old prison and a look at those who perished from Pol Pot’s Khmer rouge regime, leaves me drained of emotion. It was a shock to hear of the way they were
Tortured. Even more shocking to hear when I heard when the kids were also killed. Pol Pot’s reasoning for this was no generation should be left behind as their ideology would be passed on.

As I walked around the prison I ran into a Buddhist monk eager to practise English. In exchange for small chit-chat I asked to take his picture. The stark contrast between the good in the monk and the bad in the Khmer Rouge made for a good story about the past and the future. A future filled with kindness and forgiveness. Tourism dollars are re-shaping this great nation and NGO’s are patching up loose ends and broken branches on family trees. The war tribunals are bringing to justice those responsible for the atrocities. Development is apparent with bamboo scaffolding on many street corners and hoards of new motorbikes swarming the city like flies on a birthday cake. Many are celebrating a new wealth of opportunities. Next stop is an hour away by plane – Angkor Wat.

Lost Kingdom

Siem Riep is the gateway to North Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temple and Tonle Sap lake. It is where rich people’s homes are on the right. Odd numbers are liked. Where mirrors drive evil spirits away. Over the next 4 days we explore all three destinations with Siem Reap as our base.

Day One

Tonle Sap is a combined lake and river system of huge importance to Cambodia. It is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and is an ecological hotspot that was designated as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997. Home to a row of floating villages along its river with 40% of its population coming from Vietnam. It is no great secret that there is no love lost between the Cambodians and the Vietnamese over the centuries. Education, Health and sanitation are falling by the wayside in areas heavily populated by their new neighbours the Vietnamese.

For most of the year the lake is fairly small, around one meter deep and with an area of 2,700 square km. During the monsoon season, however, the Tonle Sap river which connects the lake with the Mekong river reverses its flow. Water is pushed up from the Mekong into the lake, increasing its area to 16,000 square km and its depth to up to nine meters, flooding nearby fields and forests. The floodplain provides a perfect breeding ground for fish.

The pulsing system with the large floodplain, rich biodiversity, and high annual sediment and nutrient fluxes from Mekong makes the Tonle Sap one of the most productive inland fisheries in the world, supporting over 3 million people and providing over 75% of Cambodia's annual inland fish catch and 60% of the Cambodians' protein intake. At the end of the rainy season, the flow reverses and the fish are carried downriver.

Perhaps over time this area will learn to live in harmony and help each other with projects to manage its waste, sediment and water levels. The reversal of the Tonle Sap river's flow also acts as a safety valve to prevent flooding further downstream. During the dry season (December to April) the Tonle Sap Lake provides around 50% of the flow to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. Perhaps for some westerners who have not seen poverty this area may seem as a shock to some. Having said this, it is worth a look to see how worlds collide and nature exists.

Day Two

In 2007 an international team of researchers using satellite photographs and other modern techniques concluded that Angkor had been the largest pre-industrial city in the world with an urban sprawl of 1,150 square miles. The closest rival to Angkor, the Mayan city of Tikal in Guatemala, was roughly 50 square miles in total size.
Angkor as you can see from the map below covers a large area and comprises of quite a few temples. For our day trip we only had time to see some of the best. At 5am we rode our Tuk-Tuks in Siem Riep to arrive 20 minutes later in Angkor Wat before sunrise.

Along with thousand of other tourists we waited for the sun to rise. We set up our tripods for the quintessential shot of the Wat of all Wats. I didn’t seem to blend in with my We were all mesmerised by a moment that stood still for a few minutes of silence among the thousands of tourists waiting half awake.

Once the sun had blinded us, all crowds dispersed into pockets of groups swarming through the temple. Oblivious to our guide’s commentary we were easily distracted by a family of monkeys playing along the temples walls. “Hang on to your belongings as Monkeys have been known to bag snatch” mentioned our guide. Our attention had focused back to our guide.

Angkor is a name conventionally applied to the region of Cambodia serving as the seat of the Khmer empire that flourished from approximately the 9th century to the 15th century A.D. (The word "Angkor" itself is derived from the Sanskrit "nagara," meaning "city." More precisely, the Angkorian period may be defined as the period from 802 A.D., when the Khmer Hindu monarch Jayavarman II declared himself the "universal monarch" and "god-king" of Cambodia, until 1431 A.D., when Thai invaders sacked the Khmer capital, causing its population to migrate south to the area of Phnom Penh.

The temples of the Angkor area number over one thousand, ranging in scale from nondescript piles of brick rubble scattered through rice fields to the magnificent Angkor Wat, said to be the world's largest single religious monument. Many of the temples at Angkor have been restored, and together they comprise the most significant site of Khmer architecture.Visitor numbers approach one million annually.

Since we are supposed to cover just a few temples in one day, our next stop after a boxed breakfast is Angkor Thom. It was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire. It was established in the late twelfth century by king Jayavarman VII. It covers an area of 9 km, within which are located several monuments from earlier eras as well as those established by Jayavarman and his successors. At the centre of the city is Jayavarman's state temple, the Bayon, with the other major sites clustered around the Victory Square immediately to the north. To cover all entrance fees make sure you hang on to your ticket worth US$20. If you are keen for an elephant ride this is the place for US$10. Bayon temple is in Angkor Thom.

Banteay Srei our third stop(or Banteay Srey) is a 10th century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Located in the area of Angkor in Cambodia, at 13.5989 N, 103.9628 E, it lies near the hill of Phnom Dei, 25 km (15 miles) north-east of the main group of temples that once belonged to the medieval capitals of Yasodharapura and Angkor Thom.[1] Banteay Srei is built largely of red sandstone, a medium that lends itself to the elaborate decorative wall carvings which are still observable today. The buildings themselves are miniature in scale, unusually so when measured by the standards of Angkorian construction. This temple can be seen in a few minutes as it only covers a very small area which adds to its charm and popularity. The Indian government has invested money to preserve its structure and re-build some damaged sections.

Our last and final stop is Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found: the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor's most popular temples with visitors. Famous for its association with the movie “Tomb Raider” where many scenes with it’s star Angelique Jolie were filmed. Angelique also formed her charity when she was exposed to Cambodia’s poverty. She continues to come back and support her charity. Finishing our trip here and seeing how deep the trees roots have gone and how they continue to grow and protect its foundations amazes me with its resilience and beauty much like its people and future.

Vietnam's Vibe

2008-01-05T00:08:00.000-08:00

Vietnam’s Vibe

According to the Vietnam tourism bureau’s statistics for 2007, its total number of tourist was 3.8 million with an increase from last year of 103%. For the next ten days I will travel from south in Saigon (A.K.A. Ho Chi Minh) to Hanoi the capital in the north. Hotels in Hanoi are at a shortage and prices for rooms have increased up to two times more in some areas. Traffic is increasing in the air and on the ground. From the 15th of December 2007 it is compulsory to wear motorcycle helmets. Vietnam is changing rapidly and tourism is one of the driving forces for its booming economy.

Day 1 Saigon

This is where the south was lost in the war to the north so when locals talk about their city they call it Saigon. When locals fill out legal documents they call it Ho Chi Minh. Ho is most famous for leading the Viet Minh independence movement from 1941 onward, establishing the communist-governed Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945 and defeating the French Union in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu. He led the North Vietnamese in the Vietnam War until his death; six years later, the war ended with a North Vietnamese victory, and Vietnamese unification followed. The former capital of South Vietnam, Saigon, was renamed Ho Chi Minh City in his honour.

Its population is meandering on 8 million but it is hard to tell as more and more Vietnamese from all over Vietnam are moving into the city that is the beating pulse of its economy with Hanoi in second place.

5 places worth a visit:

1. Dong Khoi Street ( Film scenes from “the Quiet American”)
2. Notre Dame Cathedral (Built by the French in the 1880’s)
3. Saigon Post Office (across the road from Notre Dame)
4. Reunification Hall (formerly the Presidents Palace)
5. Ben Thanh Market (city’s central market)

5 local dishes:

1. Pho (B/fast noodle soup w/ chicken or beef)
2. Pho 2000 (Restaurant next to central market)
3. Lau Hai San (Seafood Hot Pot)
4. Lau De (Goat Hot Pot)
5. Cha Gio (Spring Rolls)

Day 2 Mekong Delta

Amidst the hazy sky and murky brown waters of the mighty Mekong, we boarded our ferry for a day on the Delta. Feeling dwarfed by the enormity of several barges flowing past, I had no idea what to expect in the myriad of hidden entrances down narrow pathways. After a two hour drive from Vietnam’s capital Saigon, we arrive in a region where the Mekong river approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries. The Mekong Delta encompasses a large portion of South Eastern Vietnam of 39,000 km. The area covered by water depends on the season. We are in the month of December after the rainy season. A cool 25-30 degrees celcius. Today we are here to sample Mekong’s fruits, food and drink.

5 things worth trying:

1. Elephant Ear fish
2. Catfish
3. Snake Wine
4. Honey, tea & Cumquat mixed
5. Coconut candy

Agriculture and tourism seem to intertwine together and more surprisingly natural wildlife plays a part in tourism as well. Large 2 metre long pythons can be wrapped around our neck like scarfs. This is Eco-Tourism to the max.

Day 3 Cu Chi Tunnels

Located 70km North-West of Saigon lies the Cu-Chi tunnels. During the Vietnam war between 1965 – 1972 buried beneath the ground lay a network of tunnels where the north Vietnamese Vietcong would hide. Viet meaning “Vietnamese” and Cong meaning “communist”. The Vietcong were also known as the NLF (National Liberation Front).

5 things worth doing:

1. Crawl down a tunnel
2. Shoot a machine gun
3. Eat Tapioca
4. Drink Green Tea
5. Buy a cheap souvenir

Like a chameleon in the jungle the enemy would hide in tunnels 4-5 metres deep. When we arrived with our guide, stood by a tree and asked if we could find an entrance nearby, nobody was successful in locating a tunnel hatch. Right under our noses, the guide brushed away some leaves and revealed a wooden hatch and rope to pull open. Hundreds of these secret doors still connect many tunnels. The American G.I.’s would use sniffer dogs to try and find them. To throw the dogs scent astray the Vietcong would confuse them with false entrances leading to traps.

Day 4 & 5 Hoi An

Hoi An is a small city on the coast of the South China Sea in central Vietnam. It is located in the Quang Nam province and is home to approximately 88,000 inhabitants. We fly into the busy port city of Danang, an hour away from Saigon. Hoi An is Vietnam’s most colourful town with quaint French colonial architecture and a spattering of Chinese and Japanese influence.

In 1999, the old town was declared World Heritage by UNESCO, as a well-preserved example of a Southeast Asian trading port of the 15th to 19th centuries, whose buildings display a unique blend of local and foreign influences.

5 Things to do;

1. See a tailor
2. Visit the local market
3. Design some jewelry
4. Eat a French Pastry
5. Join a Vietnamese Cooking Class

Day 6 & 7 Hue

From Hoi An we drive along the beautiful Hai Van pass to Hue. On our way out of Hoi An we stop at China Beach where the American G.I’s used to stop over for some R&R. From here we drive further south along the coastal road to a place called Marble Mountain.

Marble Mountains is a cluster of five marble and limestone hills located in Ngu Hanh Son ward, south of Da Nang city in Vietnam. The five 'mountains' are named under the five elements - metal, water, wood, fire and earth.

Hue is our next stop after a three hour drive, we arrive in the busy city known for its monuments and architecture. Between 1802 and 1945, it was the imperial capital of the Nguyen Dynasty. With a population close to 400,000 it feels more like a small city than a big town.

5 things to see or do:

1. The Citadel (Home of the Emperors)
2. Cyclo ride ( around town)
3. Dragon Boat ride (Perfume River)
4. Tu Docs Royal Tombs
5. Buddhist Monks Morning Prayer

Day 8 - 10 Hanoi & Halong Bay

Hanoi

This is my second time in Hanoi after a year. I notice a huge difference in the traffic and an increase in the number of motorbikes and cars. This equates to more money in a city which is growing beyond its current means. This is where all political decisions are made for the rest of the country. Hanoi has an air of arrogance and elegance that stands out from the rest of Vietnam.

A city with 11 lakes therefore also known as “the city of lakes” Hoan Kiem lake in the old quarter is where most tourist first experience Hanoi’s vibrance. Hanoian’s live on the streets all day everyday. Government has just imposed new laws to allocate proper motorbike parking stations around the city. To date the sidewalks have always been where locals park their motorbikes or set up street stalls. Unfortunately, due to an increase in traffic, pedestrians need to stop using the streets and start using the sidewalks in busy areas.

This evening I hooked up with some locals to have a bite to eat. After a few shots of Hanoian Vodka and pippies, my big western bottom on a tiny plastic stoll was starting to fill the strain. Directly behind our table in a back alley, a tip truck backs in to drop off some soil at a construction site directly across our sidewalk street stall. Perhaps a reminder of the growth that is happening all over Hanoi. The hustle and bustle is what gives this city a buzz worth experiencing.

5 things to do:

1. Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum
2. Old Quarter
3. Eat street food (At your own risk)
4. Local Beer at sunset overlooking any lake
5. Shop till you drop

Halong Bay

About a 2.5 hour drive east of Hanoi. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site and located in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes.

5 Things to do:

1. Visit an island
2. Visit a floating village
3. Walk through a cave
4. Dive off your boat
5. Eat the seafood

At the airport

I am left wanting more. More time to see this culturally diverse nation of 54 ethnic groups. More time to savour all its cuisines and customs in each province. I feel as though I have skimmed the surface of this great nation. Sitting at the international airport in Hanoi about to board my plane It has just dawned on me that I have only been here 10 days which felt more like a month.

Angkor Wat & Temples

2008-01-02T18:18:00.000-08:00

Angkor Wat

Siem Riep is the gateway to North Cambodia’s Angkor Wat temple and Tonle Sap lake. It is where rich people’s homes are on the right. Odd numbers are liked. Where mirrors drive evil spirits away. Over the next 4 days we explore all three destinations with Siem Reap as our base.

Day One

Tonle Sap is a combined lake and river system of huge importance to Cambodia. It is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia and is an ecological hotspot that was designated as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997. Home to a row of floating villages along its river with 40% of its population coming from Vietnam. It is no great secret that there is no love lost between the Cambodians and the Vietnamese over the centuries. Education, Health and sanitation are falling by the wayside in areas heavily populated by their new neighbours the Vietnamese.

For most of the year the lake is fairly small, around one meter deep and with an area of 2,700 square km. During the monsoon season, however, the Tonle Sap river which connects the lake with the Mekong river reverses its flow. Water is pushed up from the Mekong into the lake, increasing its area to 16,000 square km and its depth to up to nine meters, flooding nearby fields and forests. The floodplain provides a perfect breeding ground for fish.

The pulsing system with the large floodplain, rich biodiversity, and high annual sediment and nutrient fluxes from Mekong makes the Tonle Sap one of the most productive inland fisheries in the world, supporting over 3 million people and providing over 75% of Cambodia's annual inland fish catch and 60% of the Cambodians' protein intake. At the end of the rainy season, the flow reverses and the fish are carried downriver.

Perhaps over time this area will learn to live in harmony and help each other with projects to manage its waste, sediment and water levels. The reversal of the Tonle Sap river's flow also acts as a safety valve to prevent flooding further downstream. During the dry season (December to April) the Tonle Sap Lake provides around 50% of the flow to the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. Perhaps for some westerners who have not seen poverty this area may seem as a shock to some. Having said this, it is worth a look to see how worlds collide and nature exists.

Day Two

In 2007 an international team of researchers using satellite photographs and other modern techniques concluded that Angkor had been the largest pre-industrial city in the world with an urban sprawl of 1,150 square miles. The closest rival to Angkor, the Mayan city of Tikal in Guatemala, was roughly 50 square miles in total size.
For our day trip we only had time to see some of the best. At 5am we rode our Tuk-Tuks in Siem Riep to arrive 20 minutes later in Angkor Wat before sunrise.

Along with thousand of other tourists we waited for the sun to rise. We set up our tripods for the quintessential shot of the Wat of all Wats. I didn’t seem to blend in with my Canon camera alongside with those who seemed to belong to the Nikon camera club from Japan. Nevertheless, we were all mesmerised by a moment that stood still for a few minutes of silence among the thousands of tourists waiting half awake.

Once the sun had blinded us, all crowds dispersed into pockets of groups swarming through the temple. Oblivious to our guide’s commentary we were easily distracted by a family of monkeys playing along the temples walls. “Hang on to your belongings as Monkeys have been known to bag snatch” mentioned our guide. Our attention had focused back to our guide.

Angkor is a name conventionally applied to the region of Cambodia serving as the seat of the Khmer empire that flourished from approximately the 9th century to the 15th century A.D. (The word "Angkor" itself is derived from the Sanskrit "nagara," meaning "city." More precisely, the Angkorian period may be defined as the period from 802 A.D., when the Khmer Hindu monarch Jayavarman II declared himself the "universal monarch" and "god-king" of Cambodia, until 1431 A.D., when Thai invaders sacked the Khmer capital, causing its population to migrate south to the area of Phnom Penh.

The temples of the Angkor area number over one thousand, ranging in scale from nondescript piles of brick rubble scattered through rice fields to the magnificent Angkor Wat, said to be the world's largest single religious monument. Many of the temples at Angkor have been restored, and together they comprise the most significant site of Khmer architecture.Visitor numbers approach one million annually.

Since we are supposed to cover just a few temples in one day, our next stop after a boxed breakfast is Angkor Thom. It was the last and most enduring capital city of the Khmer empire. It was established in the late twelfth century by king Jayavarman VII. It covers an area of 9 km, within which are located several monuments from earlier eras as well as those established by Jayavarman and his successors. At the centre of the city is Jayavarman's state temple, the Bayon, with the other major sites clustered around the Victory Square immediately to the north. To cover all entrance fees make sure you hang on to your ticket worth US$20. If you are keen for an elephant ride this is the place for US$10. Bayon temple is in Angkor Thom.

Banteay Srei our third stop(or Banteay Srey) is a 10th century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Located in the area of Angkor in Cambodia, at 13.5989 N, 103.9628 E, it lies near the hill of Phnom Dei, 25 km (15 miles) north-east of the main group of temples that once belonged to the medieval capitals of Yasodharapura and Angkor Thom.[1] Banteay Srei is built largely of red sandstone, a medium that lends itself to the elaborate decorative wall carvings which are still observable today. The buildings themselves are miniature in scale, unusually so when measured by the standards of Angkorian construction. This temple can be seen in a few minutes as it only covers a very small area which adds to its charm and popularity. The Indian government has invested money to preserve its structure and re-build some damaged sections.

Our last and final stop is Ta Prohm has been left in much the same condition in which it was found: the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surroundings have made it one of Angkor's most popular temples with visitors. Famous for its association with the movie “Tomb Raider” where many scenes with it’s star Angelique Jolie were filmed. Angelique also formed her charity when she was exposed to Cambodia’s poverty. She continues to come back and support her charity. Finishing our trip here and seeing how deep the trees roots have gone and how they continue to grow and protect its foundations amazes me with its resilience and beauty much like its people and future.

Day in the Delta

2008-01-02T18:10:00.000-08:00

A Day in the Delta

Amidst the hazy sky and murky brown waters of the mighty Mekong, we boarded our ferry boat for a day on the Delta. Feeling dwarfed by the enormity of several barges flowing past, I had no idea what to expect in the myriad of hidden entrances down narrow pathways. After a two hour drive from Vietnam’s capital Saigon (HCM on paper) We arrive in a region where the Mekong river approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries. The Mekong Delta encompasses a large portion of south eastern Vietnam of 39,000 km. The area covered by water depends on the season. We are in the month of December after the rainy season. A cool 25-30 degrees celcius.

Due to lower tides we boarded a smaller boat to take us down one of these pathways. At turtle pace we put-putted down the river. Sugar Palm Trees line the banks of the river. Eco-Tourism works in these areas where local farmers have not changed their way of life
They simply continue living their life and show us a glimpse of what they eat, drink and sing. Most plots of land are flat and dotted with coconut or sugar palm trees. Free range chickens, black and white geese walk freely from one property to the next. Our day on the Delta is a taste of the raw ingredients that abound this place.

Our first stop is a coconut candy factory. More like a dozen locals working as a family unit selling a finished product manufactured and packaged right before our eyes. Other coconut candy combinations come with ginger and banana. At the same location we stopped for a drink of hot water mixed with cumquat juice and honey. Cumquat trees surround the area and bees buzz on honey combs close by. Agriculture and tourism seem to intertwine together and more surprisingly natural wildlife plays a part in tourism as well. Large 2 metre long pythons can be wrapped around our neck like scarfs.

At the next farm we sit for another drink and light snack. On the table is Jackfruit, finger bananas, papaya, dragon fruit, pineapple and sapodilla. Also known as Chiko, this fruit is the size of a small mango with similar skin to a kiwi fruit but hairless. Tastes of fruity brown sugar with some grittiness and a black seed in the middle. Two young boys sing a traditional song as we sample the fruit and drink some green tea.

Our lunch is waiting for us at the next farm. Just a hop, skip and a jump away we cross a monkey bridge over some marsh water. Once again we arrive at a farmers home where bamboo tables are laden with yellow orange table cloths and a feast of local delicacies awaits us. For lunch we eat Elephant Ear fish, spring rolls (pork, mushroom, green bean, taro) with rice paper that looks like a fish net. The spring roll is deep fried in veg oil. Every household or restaurant has their own secret recipe. We also have rice paper rolls with steamed shrimp. On a side plate we dip the rice paper roll into a mix of salt, pepper and cumquat. The soup is green cabbage, catfish and fish ball. Catfish is also served separately with steamed rice and pork. To finish off our feast we skull a double shot glass of snake wine. The Cobra snake is stuffed into a bottle alive and drowned with 100% rice wine and stored for five years. Other rice wines also contain, scorpions and lizards, Don't quote me on this but this English translation was taken from the back of a bottle. “Regularly drinking appropriate quantities of the wines can moisturize your skin, improve your appetite, and strengthen your bones, tendons and muscles. They are used to treat general fatigue, hair loss, migraine headaches, rheumatism, and neurasthenia”

Sounds like a miracle cure? Feeling a bit of a pinch and a punch in my belly we board the boat to head back home. Just when I thought I had consumed enough, a coconut’s top is sliced off, straw inserted and passed around for our final drink on the mighty Mekong. Today we only experienced a snap shot of the real life in this wonderful place and a memory of the sights, smells and tastes that have left me craving for more.

Royal Palace

2008-01-02T18:03:00.001-08:00

The Royal Palace of Phnom Penh are a complex of buildings which are the royal abode of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Its full name in the Khmer language is Preah Barom Reachea Vaeng Chaktomuk. The Kings of Cambodia have occupied it since it was built in 1866, with a period of absence when the country came into turmoil during and after the reign of the Khmer Rouge. Outside the palace children gather to beg along with land mine victims walking on crutches. Inside we are blinded with the glitter of gold and silver on the temples roof tops.

The complex is divided by walls into three main compounds, on the north side is the Silver Pagoda and to the south-west is the Khemarin Palace and a central compound containing the Throne Hall. The buildings of the palace were built gradually overtime, and some were dismantled and rebuilt as late as the 1960s.

Throne Hall

The Khmer name for the Throne Hall is the "Sacred Seat of Judgement." The Throne Hall is where the king's confidants, generals and royal officials once carried out their duties. It is still in use today as a place for religious and royal ceremonies (such as coronations and royal weddings) as well as a meeting place for guests of the King.

Silver Pagoda

The Silver Pagoda is a compound located on the North side of the palace complex. It features a royal temple. Its main building houses many national treasures such as gold and jewelled Buddha statues. Most notable is a small 17th century baccarat crystal Buddha (the "Emerald Buddha" of Cambodia) and a near-life-size, Maitreya Buddha encrusted with 9,584 diamonds dressed in royal regalia commissioned by King Sisowath.

Khemarin Palace

The Khemarin Palace is the common English name for a building called the "Palace of the Khmer King." It is used a residence by the King of Cambodia. This compound is separated from other buildings by a small wall and is located to the right of the Throne Hall.

Chan Chhaya Pavilion

Otherwise known as "Moonlight Pavilion", is an open-air pavilion that serves as stage for Khmer classical dance in the past and present. It is one of the most notable buildings of the palace as it easily seen from the outside as it was built along side a section of the palace walls.

An hour of strolling through the four palaces reminds me of Bangkok’s Royal Palace, elegant & extravagant.

The Killing Fields

2008-01-02T17:56:00.000-08:00

My first reaction was to not take photos after hearing about the horrific stories that plagued this humble nation. After taking the first photo, I felt it was a personal challenge to try and see hope where there was so much evil. To push myself to tell a story that not many want to hear but must listen to. The double wire fence serves as a reminder of the holocaust that once swept this humble nation. They were known as the killing fields when over 1.5 million Cambodians were slaughtered between 1976 & 1979.

Tuol Svay Prey High School was taken over by Pol Pot's forces and was turned into the S-21 prison camp, where Cambodians were detained and tortured. Pol Pot desired a return to an agrarian economy and therefore killed anyone who was educated, who wore glasses, or who did not have calloused hands to cleanse the population of the taint of westernization. Many others starved to death as a result of failure of the agrarian society and the sale of Cambodia's rice to China in exchange for bullets and weaponry. Tuol Svay Prey High School is now the Tuol Sleng Museum in which Khmer Rouge torture devices and photos of their victims are displayed.

This genocide of barbaric proportions is being told by its people who survived. Everyone has a connection with the past. Through story telling they are healing their emotional wounds and looking to a positive future. Despite rampant corruption in government & extreme poverty in some parts, Cambodians are optimistic for the future.

A walk through the old prison and a look at those who perished from Pol Pot’s Khmer rouge regime, leaves me drained of emotion. It was a shock to hear of the way they were tortured. Even more shocking to hear that children were also killed. Pol Pot’s reasoning for this was no generation should be left behind as their ideology would be passed on.

As I walked around the prison I ran into a Buddhist monk eager to practice English. In exchange for small chit-chat I asked to take his picture. The stark contrast between the good in the monk and the bad in the Khmer Rouge made for a good story about the past and the future. A future filled with kindness and forgiveness. Tourism dollars are re-shaping this great nation and NGO’s are patching up loose ends and broken branches on family trees. The war tribunals are bringing to justice those responsible for the atrocities. Development is apparent with bamboo scaffolding on many building exteriors. Hoards of new motorbikes are swarming the city like flies on a birthday cake. Many are celebrating a new wealth of opportunities. Come and blow out the candles of evil and wish for a future of peace and joy.

Cu Chi Tunnels, Vietnam

2008-01-02T17:36:00.000-08:00

Located 70km north-west of Saigon lies the Cu-Chi tunnels. During the Vietnam war between 1965 – 1972 buried beneath the ground lay a network of tunnels where the north Vietnamese Vietcong would hide. Viet meaning Vietnamese and cong meaning communist. The Vietcong were also know as the NLF (National Liberation Front)

American soldiers used the term "Black echo" to describe the conditions within the tunnels. For the NLF, 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 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. A captured NLF report suggests that at any given time half of a PLAF unit had malaria and that “one-hundred percent had intestinal parasites of significance.” In spite of these hardships, the NLF managed to wage successful campaigns against a conscripted army that was technologically far superior.

Like a chameleon in the jungle the enemy would hide in tunnels 4-5 metres deep. When we arrived with our guide, stood by a tree and asked if we could find an entrance nearby, nobody was successful in locating a tunnel hatch. Right under our noses, the guide brushed away some leaves and revealed a wooden hatch and rope to pull open. Hundreds of these secret doors still connect many tunnels. The American G.I.’s would use sniffer dogs to try and find them. To throw the dogs scent astray the Vietcong would confuse them with false entrances leading to traps.

Some traps can still be seen on display. The traps were given nicknames such as “see-saw”, “souvenir” or “no more happy boy”. The souvenir trap was a folding deck chair. When you stepped into the ground a deck chair would fold close and steel metal rods would remain embedded in your leg therefore forcing you to take the souvenir back to camp hospital.

In order to understand how difficult it was moving through a tunnel, they have shortened and widened the tunnels for tourists to experience. I sampled a 30 metre long tunnel coming out the other end with a very stiff lower back as you need to bend down and walk through this way or end up with a sore head. To finish off our tour we sat for a green tea and tapioca snack much like what the Vietcong would eat & drink. Close by we could hear AK-47 machine guns fire off $1.00 bullets in a rifle range. Perhaps an unkind reminder of the sounds that once were in the tunnels of Cu – Chi.