Jan

14

Bangkok, Thailand

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Grand Palace

Grand Palace

Modern Day Bangkok is quite the contrast from most of what we experienced in Vietnam. Much of the city’s business district proper is more like New York City than SE Asia.  We have to remember, while much of SE Asia has been at war most of the past century, Thailand has been at peace.

Very cosmopolitan. Once we ventured into the outskirts, we then experienced the true culture and history of this noted place. Temples everwhere! The Grand Palace, Temple of Dawn, Old Bangkok……all were very impressive and allowed us to truly view some of the greatest monuments the world has ever seen. The river transportation system was facinating and a wonder to experience.   With the majority of the population Budhists, there were monks everywhere.

The Night Walk……………..very interesting indeed!  Two days in Bankok. Wow, what a special place to visit. Now it’s time to get some sleep…

Jan

14

A Land of Trauma

Filed Under Return To Vietnam | 4 Comments

Cambodia

Cambodia

It is Wednesday, January 14th and we just arrived in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.  If anyone every forgets to thank the greater universe for his/her daily blessings, take a few hours to visit here.  Cambodia is an entire country experiencing PTSD – severely tortured and traumatized by the incredible treatment of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.  During the “recleansing” of Pol Pot, Phenom Phen, the capital of Cambodia with over one million people, was reduced to a mere 45,000 as the soldier (many of them young boys) murdered the residents or made them flee to the countryside where they ended up starving to death or dying from disease.  Between 1975 and 1979, this small country lost over two million people – one million murdered (some for only wearing eye glasses which symbolized an intellectual) and the second million died of malnutrition and other maladies.  Our thirty-five year old tour guide was only four when the Khmer Rouge began its reign of terror.  His Dad, grandparents, younger sister, and several other relatives died.  He, along with many other small children, was taken from his parents to work in rice fields and fed very little.  After five years, his mother, who survived wherever she was kept, finally found him and one other sister.  Three years ago his mother died from a liver disease brought on by her many years of starvation and  torture. In spite of such loss, many of the people seem to possess an irrepressible joyful spirit even if their eyes tell a tale of pain and suffering.  The older people appear to be truly wasted, eaten up by the poverty of the environment and the memories of the past.  So when you go to sleep tonight say a prayer of infinite gratitude for all that you have, and say another prayer for the many millions of people around the world who have much less.  No matter how challenged some of our days may be or feel, they are nothing in comparison to most of the people here.

P.S.  Forgot to mention there are still many land mines in the area so it is best to stay on well traveled roads and sidewalks.  Yikes!