Quick Stop at Angkor Wat

We got to Cambodia yesterday afternoon, and indulged in some spa treatments after a long journey. It was just what we needed to push through this last 'leg of the race'. (I kept comparing this journey to the Amazing Race, and all the way back from SFO have been referencing it in those terms). This morning at the crack of dawn we went to Angkor Wat and Angkor Tom in order to catch the sunrise. Unfortunately it was overcast, but luckily it was cool. We took little Tuk Tuk's from the hotel and it was awesome. They also drove us between sights and all around the area. Each time I think about all the breathtaking views an sights we've seen thus far, and I am still impressed and amazed at this wonder. It wasn't as hot as we were expecting it to be, so that was nice that we went so early. Now things are definitely starting to heat up (it's 10:30am here).

It's unreal to see such a magnificent structure that is soo old, one of the lost civilizations. Some of the local police were showing us where Tomb Raider was filmed, and some other unique areas. Aside from that little bit of pop culture, the rest of the complex commanded awe and respect. It was interesting to see the detail in the stone, and the size of everything. Again, I fear pictures can't capture the magnitude of the structures, but the feeling of just being there was amazing. We did some Buddhist prayers in one of the structures with incense, and were 'blessed with luck' by the monk there (for only a $1 tip!) It was awesome.

The Buddhist influence is very striking here, and it isn't uncommon to find temples and shrines everywhere you go. Hinduism is also somewhat present just from an observer's perspective. It's interesting, one of my classmates just read that Thailand has adopted Buddhism as the 'official' religion of the country. He was saying that while that is clearly the majority there, there is a big Muslim constituency in the south near Malaysia, and that will cause some big conflicts.

Back to Cambodia - we are staying in Siem Reap, which apparently has grown tremendously over the past ten years. Another colleague came here in 1996 and said it was very different and overdeveloped. I guess post 9/11 in 2004 they started seeing a surge in tourism here for Angkor Wat, and built 75 new 5 star hotels, which mostly remain empty or less than half full. Tonight we are going to the night market to continue our shopping adventures as well :) I wish we had a little more time in Cambodia, but we are heading out tomorrow afternoon to go to Chiang Mai, Thailand, and finally the Yellow Leaf.

p.s. I think my best bet for posting pics will be after the trip, I'm just finding it hard to justify the time on the computer. I'll be happy to send them along to anyone interested!

Renegade drop offs in Sa Pa

It is unbelievable how beautiful the road to Sa Pa was. Once again, I was taken by the intense scenery with tall lush mountains, waterfalls, clouds covering the tops, it was gorgeous dotted with bamboo trees, rice terraces, water buffalo, etc. Pictures can't capture the depth and beauty of the mountains and valleys that we can see from our hotel which are very similar. I can't tell if I like Sa Pa so much because of itself or in comparison to the previous place we were at. Sa Pa is a quaint village with lots of shops and people from the Black Hmong tribes selling embroidered items and jewelry. It's somewhat reminiscent of an Alpine Village, but its in Vietnam, with lots of ethnic minorities, and rice terraces around. The French founded this town, and made it a vacation spot back in the day. It's definitely a refreshing difference from Paso.

Yesterday we were summoned to meet in room 211 with an empty day pack. We assembled and started packing our 'inconspicuous' bags with childrens clothes, candies, toys, medical supplies, and headed down the hill. Since we weren't having much luck distributing items due to the strict commie oversight, we were going to trek into villages in the mountains and go into their homes to distribute the goods - a renegade mission! It was super fun, but not as renegade as we thought it would be. Some of the villagers spoke English pretty well - mostly due to the tourists that visit the area. It was still neat to venture into the hills, see the people and talk with them, and distribute items. Another crazy thing was taking a motorscycle back to up the twisty road, up the mountain, into town. We didn't feel like walking all the way back up, and there was a motorcycle stand that was offering rides for $1. So, who could resist? Nevermind that I have never been on a motor bike before, when we took off, I had to close my eyes. He was driving really fast, and turning on an angle at each of the turns! After a little while I got used to it, and saw the amazing views. We almost got run off the road by a van, and a herd of water buffalo, but again - made it safely back to home base. We will be visiting more villages today, but this time not so undercover. It was a fun experience.

My wallet got a little exercise in this town as well. My two friends, Pam and Kim, and I met a 6 year old Black Hmong girl who was super sweet, and we were walking around with her. We bought her a whole new outfit (from head to toe), because her clothes were in such bad shape. She was beaming afterwards. It was a great experience, and we saw her later that evening wearing the clothes.

Finally, I can't believe how long this trip feels, and that I have 2 more countries to visit. Some people in our group will be leaving in a few days when we return to Hanoi, and the rest of us will trek on to Cambodia, and Thailand - where we'll meet the Yellow Leaf. It feels like we've been traveling for months, time has been really interesting out here.

Adventures in Paso

Today we ventured out to visit more villages in NW Vietnam. The views were once again spectacular, very mountainous, along the Red River, then along various creeks, etc. We had 2 crazy things happen, the first village we visited, a Red Hmong village, was near the Laos border, and we were stopped by communist police, who kept us in the village for a while as they checked passports, etc. We weren't allowed to give any goods to the village but they took us on a tour. It felt very uncomfortable, as they were seemingly trying to hide any corruption and show us some of the nicer huts. There was electricity in this village, and it was incredible to see the mud huts w/bamboo and leaves, and little to nothing inside except for a chair and a television. Just goes to show how far technology and media go. The place that I am blogging from right now is also an interesting site, dirt roads and floors outside, pretty grimey, yet there are 20 computer stations.

The other interesting adventure was that while we were having lunch on the side of the road (literally, oh and lunch = rice, peanuts, mangoes, and bread) our bus driver was smoking some beetlenut out of a bong-like contraption, and just as we were getting on the bus to head to the next village, he started puking. The tour guide asked if anyone had an orange, and then gave that to him, and he got up. It wasn't very comforting to know he was going to drive us back through the twisty, mountainous roads. Needless to say, I'm super glad to be sitting here out of harms way for now :)


Tomorrow we are off to Sapa, and will be visiting more villages. It's incredibly humbling and challenging to go from village to village to be either welcomed or turned away. Thuy, our guide, was saying the police didn't want us to give anything to these ethnic minority villages so they don't rise up against the government.

Finally, we are staying at this insane little hotel right now in Paso. Highlights from myself and others in the group include - spiders, rats, no A/C, a restaurant only open at certain hours, a piece of bread for breakfast, language barriers, paper thin walls, mosquito nets (thankfully), and showering from a waistlevel faucet coming out of the wall in the bathroom.... But, I am definitely not complaining, because I know it could be worse. I also know that we are staying at some really nice places along the way.

That's all for now!

Hanoi and Halong Bay

Hanoi was a great city. We stayed in the French Quarter and ventured by foot around town. The French influence on the buildings were not as striking as I thought, but the architecture and feel were definitely distinct (as well as the communist flags on every house and business - even the little pineapple stands along the road). After a day there, we headed on a bus 3 hours northeast to Halong Bay in the Gulf of Tonkin. The drive up was awesome - passing rice terraces, villages, palm trees, homes and shacks right next to each other. The tall narrow homes (to avoid property taxes) and the big corporations stood out as well. It was very interesting. Apparently three years ago, the government built a bunch of tall homes outside of the city of Hanoi to create 'suburb-like' areas outside of the city, but no one wanted to move there, so now they are just abandoned.


Once we arrived at Halong Bay, we boarded a boat, had fresh seafood, and embarked on an overnight journey on the water. It was absolutely breathtaking (pictures coming soon) - the rocks and islands were peeking out of the water which made it look like a huge dragon - hence the name (?). We got to explore different caves in the bay, and climbed the highest point in the bay (about 500 steps) for some more amazing views. That part was really fun, but literally by the morning we were all suffering from cabin fever. Let's just say we weren't staying on any luxury cruiseliner on the water.

Then we headed back to Hanoi, and then onto a flight to Dien Bien Phu. There we visited a war memorial, cemetary, and history museum. It was reminiscent of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. One of the most memorable moments was climbing up A1 Hill, a famous site where the Vietnamese defeated the French, and all of a sudden 3 young men came running down the hill as fast as they could. We all stared with bewildered looks, then within a matter of seconds, the hardest fiercest rain we've encountered thus far hit with strong winds. We were all soaked, and our Vietnamese tour guides (who have been with us the whole time here) said it looked like the gods were shooing us away from the bunker. It was pretty powerful to see the areas, and the cemetary.




The REAL highlight of Dien Bien Phu for me has been visiting the ethnic minority village to begin some of our service. We spent an afternoon at a local schoolhouse (with walls made of bamboo and dried mud, and roofs of banana leaves and straw). Our first stop in the journey was to the Xa (Kho-Mu) people. Unfortunately the community secret police were there and the chief of the village was made to distribute the items we brought. We gave the children clothing, basic school supplies, and much more. The biggest challenge was the language barrier. I had to try hard to fight the tears away, the children looked so sad and scared to see us. Then when we started playing with them, they started to warm up to us. I played catch with this young boy (about 4-5 years old), and he wouldn't stop. I also was able to leave a SWLC bag with the teacher of the village, and took a picture with her. We were taking pictures of the children and showing it to them on the cameras... they were amazed and intrigued.

Now, I am in Paso, a small village in NW Vietnam, near the Red River, on the way to Sapa. We will be here for two nights, and will be visiting some more small ethnic minority villages, thje Black Thai (Thai Dam), and Red Zao. The road here was insanely beautiful. I don't think I've experienced a more scenic drive (other than Big Sur). The mountains were green and lush, and the road was winding all over the place. This part of the journey is definitely the heaviest and the most rewarding. Its very weird though, as we want to capture the moments on film, I can't help but to feel bad about taking pictures. The only way I can is by connecting with the kids/families and showing it to them afterwards - as part of the experience.

That's all for now. Overall, it's been absolutely amazing, humbling, and refreshing to experience another culture, interact with the people here, and enjoy the sights. The conditions of some of the homes have been eye-opening (again, somewhat similar to some areas in the Philippines). It definitely makes me appreciate everything we have, and in some ways makes me envy the freedom of simple life some have here too. I've definitely questioned the lens and perspectives by which I'm experiencing different feelings and reactions to what I've seen. It's all about the journey.

p.s. the food in Vietnam has been fantastic, and it's been fun being adventurous with our meals, but I'm definitely going to stay away from certain specialties (Thit cho). Next on the agenda after a few days in Paso, Sapa.

Monkeys in Malaysia

I had almost forgotten the amazing feeling of being in a different country, seeing the sights breathing the air, feeling the culture. Since this is the first time travelling abroad (since Argentina circa 2003) I have had the itch to travel for awhile.

Kuala Lumpur is a metropolitan city with a tropical feel. It in some ways reminds me of the Philippines. We did some sightseeing, relaxing, and venturing out. The highlight of the area for me was the Batu Caves. It's a Hindu Temple in the side of the mountain, with 273 steps to the top. When you get up there, you are greeted by monkeys, some nice, some not so nice. They were everywhere (and added to the not so nice smell in the cave). Inside of the caves at the top were beautiful shrines to different Hindu Gods. I took many pix.

The city of KL itself was a bit less than impressive, but the skyline was beautiful with the Petronas Towers. Another thing I enjoy about travel is noticing the colonial influences on the architecture, culture, and town. The Bristish and Muslim influences were everywhere. Finally, the people in Malaysia were extremely nice and gracious. We were staying in a pretty nice hotel, but aside from that they were super friendly and went out of their way to help. It was interesting because one guy was saying that in the last few years the Minister of Tourism had instituted a new Malaysian way of saying 'welcome/hello' by putting your hand over your heart and saying hello. He said some people were resistant (for obvious reasons), but many people did it.

So now, I'm actually in Hanoi, Vietnam. We arrived last night and are heading out to Halong Bay today to spend the night on a boat in the bay. I am so excited to see the picturesque scenery. Another day in Hanoi, and then from there we're heading to the west, Dien Bien Phu and SaPa, and will be visiting some villages.

2 side notes:
1) In Malaysia I was consistently mistaken for Malaysian - or they definitely knew I wasn't. It's interesting because I was thinking about how I felt when they mistook me for a local, and was greeted by warmth and sincereity. I almost felt proud for the mistake. In some of my experiences within the US, when questioned about my identity, it evoked a much more defensive response in me, for obvious societal reasons. It's a simple reminder of how appearances and perceptions are complex and are still at play in our interactions with one another.

2) I have truly enjoyed getting to know my classmates better. We've had lots of late nights and long flights, and it's been great.

Looking forward to the next chapters....

I'm off

Well, I am heading out to the airport in a few hours and am SO excited to embark on this journey. This will be my first time to Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand, and my first time blogging. Thanks to my world-traveling students, I've been fast-forwarded into the real world by starting this online journal. I'm also looking forward to chronicling my experiences as part of my interest in studying the influence of international experiences on students.

I haven't been to this area of the world in 12 years, when my family and I visited the Philippines. I can't wait to explore, meet the people, experience the cultures, etc. Our first stop - after a 20 hour flight w/a stop over in Taipei: Kuala Lumpur... I'm looking forward to some good sight-seeing in the city and surrounding areas (Petronas Towers and the Batu Caves).