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A Trek back in Time

1/27/2015

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The next day after breakfast at Jin’s restaurant, we were picked up by Nong our tour guide for a two day trek. We loaded into the jeep and Mama Thai made sure to shove several bags of food into Nong’s hands. She gave him clear instructions on how to prepare two dishes we liked. We drove for roughly an hour past rubber and teak tree groves, rice fields, and rolling hills of corn. Before beginning our trek we stopped at a clay stove workshop. Nong walked us through each step of the process. First they mixed charcoal made of rice husks with clay and water. They leave this mixture in a pit and stamp on it with their feet for a day. Then they put the clay into a mold and wait for it to harden. Then a worker makes some cuts and paints the exterior. The clay stoves are then placed in a very basic kiln and covered with rice husks. They are left to cook for a week and to cool for three weeks. In this process about 10% of the stoves are damaged. Nong also said that this workshop serves both Nan province and the border region of Laos. The demand for these clay stoves is 3,000 a month, but they are only able to produce 1,000. We met one worker and were able to watch her work for a bit. Nong told us she makes 7 baht per stove. On a good day she is able to make around 10 USD. That really puts things into perspective doesn’t it?

Our next stop was at a house out in the country where women were weaving. They receive orders from Bangkok and sell their products for 1,500 baht for 4 meters. The rows of straight colors took them no time at all. The rows with designs required painstakingly woven hand stitches. She said it would take her about a month to complete the current piece. We bought several small handkerchiefs and took some photos with them. It is really sad that the stores in Bangkok are able to turn around and sell these women’s goods for such a high markup when they are slaving over these looms every day. Alas, that is how the system works.

We stopped in a village where all the residents are refugees or the descendants of refugees from Laos.  During the Vietnam War the Royal Laotian Government was in support of the US aims against the Viet Cong. While the Communist Party in Laos was obviously in support of the North Vietnamese. With the defeat of the Royal Laotian Army, the fight was left to the US and Thailand backed hill tribe army led by the Hmong people.  Once the communist regime held power, it threated to exterminate the Hmong entirely.  Before the conflict there were 400,000 Hmong in Laos. Throughout the fighting around 100,000 were killed and that number would have been higher if it weren’t for many being resettled in other countries. Between 1975 and 1996 130,000 survivors were resettled by the US to several counties around the world. Thousands ended up in Thailand and remain there to this day. We spent some time with one of these refugees. He showed us his teak home. From the outside if felt a bit ramshackle, but once inside the teak wood was smooth under foot and had a deep shine. The kitchen had a peaceful view of the hills and his catfish pond. He handed us several herbs to smell and explained that he grew everything himself. That is why Thai cooking is so flavorful! They have so many native herbs growing along the street. Other than farming he also makes gun powder for the hunting tribes of the area.  

Finally hitting the trail, Nong informed us that we would be crossing 7 streams, so instead of preserving the bottoms of our feet we just took off our shoes. We waded through streams, raced leaf  boats, and made our way through rolling hills via cow paths. We passed one man smoking weed and Nong explained one problem of the region is that many men spend their days smoking marijuana or opium, while the women toil away in the fields. This is one reason why the men of the tribe we stayed with that night often have more than one wife. One word- Labor. We met one of these women packing corn into a bag high up in the hills. She asked Nong for something to eat because she was hungry. Myles handed her his bag of nuts with the intent that she would take a handful. Nope, the whole bag was snatched. I can’t blame her though.

The trek was beautiful and eye opening at the same time. It really gave a clear picture of the progression of time and humans’ impact on the environment. Nong explained that ten years ago the area was one of the world’s largest producers of opium. When the Thai government stepped in and began cracking down, the locals switched to growing corn (something like 40 baht per kl). In order to have the space required to produce enough corn to make a decent profit, the hill tribes (especially the Hmong) began clearing away the jungle. Each year another strip of jungle disappears. Nong estimates that all the jungle will be gone within 10 years. If you just set your gaze on a strip of jungle, you can imagine what the area must have looked like a decade ago. This trek stands as a stark comparison to the one we did in Laos. This one was more about meeting the hill tribes and learning about their struggles to fit into the frame work of a fast paced and globalized world. Their efforts to do so, unfortunately are leading to the demise of the land. On a lighter note, it was very entertaining to watch the locals bag the corn and fling the bags down the hill. Why carry them when you can just roll them!

After ascending high into the hills, we arrived at our home for the night. A village set high above the valley with sweeping views of greenery. Our shack was airy and incorporated the outside nature nicely ;). It felt like sleeping on the ground with the entirety of the village’s brood of hens in the bed with you. Kellie and I took great delight in our circumstances and found ourselves giggling late into the night. I didn’t even mention the showering situation… well it involved dumping icy water over ourselves in the pitch dark while the other held a flashlight over the door.

The highlight of the trek came the next morning when we met the last man living a traditional lifestyle of the Mlabri tribe (Yellow Leaf People), Ba. If you check out the Mlabri on Wikipedia, you will find his picture. The Mlabri are a nomadic tribe of hunter and gatherers. They are often called the Yellow Leaf People because they will build huts with banana leaves and when the leaves change to yellow it is a sign that they should move on. Over the past few decades their lifestyle has been shifting with each younger generation adapting more settled lifestyles. Now instead of being nomads they work in the fields with or for the Hmong throughout half the year. The other half of the year they spend settled near Hmong villages. The last true hold out to these changes is Ba. He wears the traditional loin cloth and nothing else. His wife was complaining about the cold to Nong. I can see why. We were freezing with our coats and many layers on throughout the night, while they were huddled under their banana leaf hut with no blankets and no additional clothing. On the coldest of nights they dig holes in the ground and cover themselves with the banana leaves.

Both of Ba’s ears were deformed and we asked Nong what had happened. He explained that as a boy Ba climbed a tree to get some honey. In the process his right ear was repeatedly stung by bees. In the rush to get down the tree, his left ear got snagged by bamboo thorns. His entire face swelled up and he couldn’t see for a few days. He was left with a crumpled right ear and a low hanging left earlobe. Thankfully the ordeal didn’t impede his hearing ability. I kept thinking that an anthropologist should be there preserving this piece of human history. When he dies, so does an ancient way of life. I asked about his diet, how many wives he has, where he was born, how many siblings he has, if he knew how old he is, and if he had traveled at all. For most of his life his diet has predominantly been made up of yams supplemented with an occasional turtle, lizard, snake, or mole. Now it is easier for him to have access to pork and chicken from the Hmong villages. He chuckled and said he only has one wife. Apparently, having more than one is too expensive for him. He was born on a nearby hill and grew up with 5 siblings, but only two brothers are still alive today. Since they do not have a calendar system, neither he nor his wife know how old they are. The younger generations have obviously adopted the Gregorian calendar. He has been to Chiang Mai and Bangkok. Along with the couple was their shy grandson. We really enjoyed sitting with them and were so thankful for the chance to meet such a special family. Tim even got to taste pure pork fat right after being steamed in a bamboo shaft- Yummy! Not really.

The trek snaked along the spin of several hills before a SERIOUS descent. Nong picked up five bamboo shafts and sharpened the ends with his machete. He warned us that the hike down would be steep and that last year one tourist had a bad fall. If it hadn’t been for a banana tree stopping his trajectory, the tourist may have been seriously injured. We inched our way down the incline on top of corn husks one step at a time. Unfortunately, the pictures just don’t do this hill justice. Oh well, take my word for it!

We passed several families working and were given a relaxing time to just chat. It was so wonderful to share that time with Kellie. I can’t say enough how much I love her company! I just hope she will be joining me on the road again soon for a more permanent period (Kellie- you know what I am talking about!).

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Nan: Home of Mama Thai

1/24/2015

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If you head east towards Laos and away from the usual tourist path, you will find the quant provincial capital of Nan. The city is very small and doesn’t have many sites to visit and here in lies the beauty of the area. Very few travelers have the time to pass this direction, which means the town has a very authentic non touristy feel. The one must-see site is Wat Phumin. Its exterior architecture is unique for the banisters leading up the steps on both sides of the temple are two continuing nagas (mythical snakes). Two of the interior walls are adorned with murals depicting everyday life in the 1800’s and the other two tell stories of Buddha’s life. The murals are so unique compared to other temples of the same era that they have given the city a bit of fame (it was originally built in the 16th century, but renovated in 1865/1873).  The region surrounding the city provides trekking opportunities and several expansive national parks.

What truly made Nan a memorable highlight of Thailand, was one inviting and giving woman. As we always do, we looked up the top vegetarian restaurants in the city. There were only a few, so we went in search of the closest one. Hidden down a side street we found a house surrounded by a tranquil garden with a running fountain. Two dogs lazily lifted their heads and quickly decided we were of no interest (btw the number of dogs wearing clothing was oddly high in Nan). A woman emerged from the kitchen wearing an apron and a huge smile. She showed us the four dishes we could choose from. One dish was 30 baht and two dishes were 40 baht. For just over a dollar we filled our plates with mouthwatering vegetarian fare.  As we ate, she continued to bring over side dishes. She gave us Taiwanese tea, bananas, dessert dates, soup, etc. I couldn’t believe that this woman was giving us so much food for just a dollar. It was mind-blowing. I did several Bob Wiley impersonations. “MMMMMMM…MMMMMMM… Sooo Gooood!” She was quite tickled by how much we loved her food. She was even more enthusiastic when she found out we were vegetarians.

After that first meal, we sat and chatted with her for a while. She told us about the few foreigners that she had hosted over the last couple years (not many come to Nan and few are lucky enough to meet her). A man named David left his bicycle with her and plans to return next October to reclaim it. She proudly showed me where it is safely stowed. She then offered to drive us around the city once her restaurant closed at 2:00 pm. We were actually on our way to the hospital for some antibiotics, so we declined. She laughed and said that Buddha had given us good luck. She in fact works at the hospital several times a week and would be more than happy to drive us.

So my entire hospital experience was supervised by a woman I now call, Mama Thai. She crinkled her brow and looked very concerned while I fumbled through a very odd interaction with a doctor. I had been having some pain in the region of my kidney and just wanted to make sure I didn’t have a kidney infection or UTI or something. I asked the doctor to take a blood sample and urine sample to check. He said, “Discharge?” I said, “No discharge.” He said, “Discharge?” I said, “No discharge.” Since his English and my Thai weren’t up to snuff, several nurses were included in this slightly embarrassing but mostly hilarious interaction. Everyone was so excited to meet me and Jin gave a large smile and puffed out her chest a bit with each introduction. In the end the tests all came back negative for problems. He gave me antibiotics anyway…

Jin then drove us to see a reclining Buddha, up a hill to see a beautiful gold Buddha overlooking the entire city, to a night market for local produce, and to her brother’s roadside restaurant for dinner. Now throughout this evening she bought us nuts, rice desserts, and bananas in sticky rice. Her brother spoke excellent English and sat with us for a while. At one time he lived in France where he learned English and French. He was a funny character and joked about having a secret second family in France. We all went home with full bellies and smiles on our faces.

Jin is one of those people I have met on the road, whom I will always carry with me. She reminds me very much of my Taiwanese friend’s mother. Jane’s mother and Jin both emit a powerful sense of joy, goodness, love, and calm. Both are extremely giving and brighten the room they are in. Throughout the two days I ended up spending with Jin, so many people approached her to give her hugs and well wishes that I joked she knew the whole town. “Jin, you are so popular! Everyone loves you.” She would giggle and say that she has happiness to share.

We shared another two special days with Mama Thai. She housed us and fed us the two nights after we did a trek through the hills surrounding Nan. The night we returned Mama Thai took us out to a local market to buy produce for the restaurant. During this process she bought us individual juice bottles, caramel rice treats, and hot buns. The woman was out of control! Then we headed to a street celebration for Buddha Day. She said, “Shop till midnight?” Kellie and I looked at each other and wondered how this 61 year old woman could do it. She gets up around 4 am each morning to cook for her restaurant and then around 2 she goes to the hospital to work till the late evening. She is so full of energy! After watching the performers and eating papaya salad (purchased by Mama Thai), we headed home for sleep.

The next day, Kellie and I got up at 4:40 am to cook with Mama Thai. Since that day was Buddha Day or Buddha's Birthday there were more customers than usual and several extra special dishes were on the menu. We got up, not wanting to stand in the outdoor kitchen at 5 am, but excited to spend time with Mama Thai. Unfortunately, many of the ingredients were new to us and most likely unobtainable in the States. In addition, Mama Thai was in a rush for the special day and couldn't take a lot of time to explain many steps to us. She kept saying, "Next year you come back for one month and I teach you to cook." She was also insistent that we must tell her when we both decide to get married. She would like to cook for our big days. We opened the restaurant at 7:30 am and Mama Thai told us we would learn about guest service. I guess she doesn't realize that Kellie is the front desk manager for a large hotel and that I managed 278 people at one point in time. Nonetheless, we enjoyed our customer experience and stayed at the restaurant until closing at 2:00 pm. Mama Thai showed us how she measures the food for each customer and how to properly tie the bags to go with a rubber band. Of course she constantly fussed that we weren’t giving the customers enough food, even if we were following her measuring rules. It is just in her nature to be generous. Several customers asked to take a closer look at our eyes. They had never seen eyes the color of Kellie's blue or my hazel green before. All showed the appropriate enthusiasm that we planned on returning next year for a month of cooking lessons.

In the evening we had a jammed social schedule. We were to stop and see three temples, go to her friend’s house to fish, then go to another friend’s house to eat dinner and to Karaoke. The real story worth telling came from the dinner party. We arrived and the two hosts didn’t speak much English. Mama Thai disappeared to cook something extra and we just sat around unsure what was happening. Then Mama Thai returned and all the dishes were shifted from one table to another. It seemed like a lot of extra effort for no real purpose. It was only the four of us and three of them. Anyway, we finally settled into eating. Of course by bite number two I had found a way to injure myself. A bit of the lime chili soup had splashed into my eye. In serious pain I ran to the sink while the others laughed. I threw water in my eye. One of the hosts ran over and insisted I put salt in my mouth. I was so focused on the pain that my brain could not wrap itself around the idea of putting salt in my mouth to help my eye. She was very sure that is what I needed, so I put salt in my mouth. My travel companions were in stitches giggling at the sight of my sour “salty” face. The only thing Kellie could muster was, “Why salt…. Giggle… salt!?” I was pleasantly surprised by how much we all enjoyed karaoke. They set up the system and disappeared. So the four of us belted out things like, I’m Gonna Getta Ya. That song is uber creepy by the way. Read the lyrics. It is a song about stalking. The only one who remained in the house with us was Mama Thai. I think the two hosts just assumed us foreigners were going to want to karaoke into the wee hours. Little did they know I am an old person in disguise. All we wanted was sleep, but we had to wait for them to return. So our singing progressively deteriorated until we all threw in the towel and screamed, We are the Champions…. Sleep eventually came.

Mama Thai made us breakfast and took us to the bus station in the morning. She shoved a bag of fruit, nuts, honey, and crackers into our hands. It was emotional to leave her. She really was one of the most special people we have met thus far.

Stay tuned to hear about our trek through Northern Thailand!

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Erawan National Park

1/24/2015

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The most beautiful landscapes of the Kanchanaburi Province can be found in Erawan National Park. The park features a beautiful 7 tier waterfall (1 mile hike to the top) and five caves. One cave even has prehistoric coffins. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to explore the caves. Our main focus was the waterfall itself.

We had read online that it was incredibly easy to find accommodation once you arrive in the park. The park has bungalows and tents for rent. After the 2 hour bus ride, which provided a view of the pavement through its wood slats, we strolled up to the tourist accommodation desk at around noon. I requested a four person bungalow. The woman was beyond rude and without looking up from her phone she said, “No bungalow. Tent only. Don’t like tent- go away.” Apparently there was an uncommonly large group of foreigners in the park for a party. I explained that we had no problem staying in tents, but would like to stow our bags at their office while we visited the waterfall. Her response was, “No luggage storage.” So we sat around to brainstorm what to do with our stuff. Leaving everything in tents was not a secure option. We decided to divvy up labor. The guys went in search of food, Kellie watched the stuff, and I went in search of foreigners who had successfully rented a bungalow in the hopes they would allow us to lock our bags up at their place.  I met two nice Irish men, some Russian speaking Russians, more Russians, and two hippies from San Francisco. Side note, there are actually so many Russian tourists in this area that my guidebook warns to get to the park as early as possible to avoid the Russian hordes. I now know way! The Irish men recommended a hotel outside the park, the Russians looked at me blankly, and the two hippies had nothing to offer except their extreme enthusiasm at hearing an American accent since it was the first one they had come across in their travels (I have only met 5 Americans on the road… tons of Germans). I then spotted a group of Thai people in my age bracket. I approached and asked if they were staying in a bungalow. They nodded. In basic English I requested if we could lock our things up in their bungalow. They said yes. As time went on and after phone numbers had been exchanged, it became obvious that they had not understood and that they were actually leaving for Bangkok that day. I told one of the girls that the woman at the desk had been very rude and seemed to not like foreigners. I requested that she inquire into the availability of bungalows in Thai. She too thought the woman was rude and offered to help. I put on my biggest Thai like smile and followed her into the office. The woman looked from her to me. I could see the wheel turning in her head and the shift in her persona. She flipped through the reservation book and found one two person bungalow. It really wasn’t a bungalow but a ply wood box with a door. Regardless, Jack Pot! All we needed was a place to lock our stuff. The bummer was that we had to wait till 2 pm. Fine we will take it! At two I entered the office to get the key to our wooden box and found two additional women in the room. I batted my eyes and explained to them that there are four of us. The one woman said, “You have been waiting for a while haven’t you?” I nodded. “Let me see what I can find.” Sure enough there was a six person bungalow available. So we happily overpaid for a place to sleep. The woman later told me that the house was supposed to go to another group, but she felt I was a much more patient foreigner than most and that my smile made me look like a nice person. I can hear my brother now, “Ha! Fooled her didn’t you!”  She also told me that they did in fact have luggage storage.

We hiked to the top of the waterfall, slid down smooth rock formation slides, had our dead skin eaten off of our feet by fish of questionable sanitation, watched a Bollywood film being made, and had an overall nice time. I just wish we could have spent a full day there. If you make the trip, don’t do a day trip from Kanchanaburi. You really should spend a couple days exploring the park.

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Bangkok Round Two

1/20/2015

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I got a bit ahead of myself by posting about Kanchanaburi before I even said anything about our 3 days in Bangkok and one day in Ayutthaya. I am going to let the pictures give you a better feel of that time period. Unfortunately, Bangkok just felt like Bangkok. It was loud, aggressive, and dirty. Having already visited the Grand Palace and Wat Po my previous trip, the rest of the city didn’t feel nearly as impressive. We did get to visit the Jim Thompson House which was interesting. Jim Thompson was an architect before WWII and was called to serve during the war. After the war he joined the OSS (the predecessor to the CIA), and spent a good amount of time in SE Asia. He fell in love with Thailand and decided to leave the OSS and to start his own business. He noticed that the Thai were producing beautiful high quality silk and that no one in the west even noticed. He took some back to a fashion show in New York and it was instantly a hit. Orders began coming in and he in one fell swoop revitalized the Thai silk industry. With his wealth and keen eye for design he had six traditional Thai houses relocated and connected into one large house. He had a large collection of folk art and observed Thai traditions in every aspect of his life. What really makes visiting the house more interesting is his mysterious disappearance. In 1967 he went for a hike in the Cameron Highlands never to be seen again. Was he eaten by a tiger? Did someone murder him? Or did he simply fall down a slick hill and land in a mud hole? Who knows!

While in Bangkok we visited Wat Traimit (Temple of the Golden Buddha- the world’s largest solid-gold Buddha weighing 5.5 tons), Wat Benjamabophit, Wat Arun, and Khoa San Road. We wasted a day at the National Museum (DISAPPOINTING!). Our day trip to Ayutthaya gave us a taste for the architecture of the Ayutthaya period. Ayutthaya and Sukhothai are the first two capitals of Thailand dating back to the 1300’s and all the way up until the end of the 19th century.

I did meet a panda at our hostel, Everyday Bangkok Hostel. That pretty much sums up our time in the capital. It was definitely time to move out into the country side! 

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Tap by Tap: A walk along the Death Railroad

1/18/2015

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Some people who have walked through the infamous Hellfire Pass say they can sense the presence of those who once toiled there.  The somber 3 hour hike is both strikingly beautiful and gut wrenchingly tangible. What happened along a stretch of 416 km between Burma (now Myanmar) and Thailand is in many ways not widely known. If it wasn’t for the Hollywood movie, The Bridge over the River Kwai, many people of our generation wouldn’t even know about the Death Railroad. Historical periods and events such as those that surround the building of the Death Railroad, provide us lessons on human nature, war, and most importantly the sheer strength of the human will.

Throughout the early 1930’s Japanese military imperialism led to the occupation of large parts of China (Manchuria). In 1937 the Japanese showed further signs of their plan to create an empire by enlarging their sphere of control to include even more territory in Asia. They went to war against China and in doing so built up a well-oiled military machine. Some countries like Great Britain and the United States placed trade embargos on Japan due to its aggressive behavior. This placed pressure on Japan to seek for resources like rubber and oil elsewhere. So they turned their gaze towards SE Asia. As Germany marched on Poland and Europe was thrown into WWII, Japan was quite busy “freeing” the people of Asia. Yet, in December of 1941 Japan launched a massive attack against the colonial holdings of Britain, the Netherlands, France, and the United States (including Pearl Harbor itself). This drastic move threw a curve ball and completely changed the war. Now the war was waging on two fronts. Japan had quickly swept through SE Asia and claimed the Malaysian peninsula along with Borneo and Singapore. Thailand signed an agreement with Japan, allowing it to freely move through its territory. As a vassal state to Japan, Thailand was at the mercy of its owner. It was the perfect avenue through which to advance against British Burma. The allies were making shipping goods from Japan through the Straits of Malacca difficult. Japan lost a lot of goods and ships to American submarines and thus needed a means of moving over land. It was at this point that the idea of building a railroad that connected Bangkok to Rangoon (Burma) was born. The problem was that the Japanese needed the railroad to be completed ASAP and it wasn’t an easy route. The British had already considered building such a railroad previously and decided against it due to the high difficulty of building over the rough mountainous terrain. So who better to employ for this task than POWs and unknowing Asian workers (Romusha). The Japanese promised Tamil, Thai, Malay, Chinese, and Indonesian workers high wages and good living conditions. They even convinced them to bring their families along. Unfortunately, the reality was that they were to be slaves. As time went on the Romusha were no longer promised attractive contracts, but forced against their will to leave behind their homes and families to join labor camps. Out of the deaths that came from the construction of the railroad, 90,000 were Romusha workers. They were not given proper burials and their deaths were not documented. I would like to point out that all the monuments and museums predominately focus on the POWs and not these Asian workers. It is important to pay them respect and to remember that these labor camps were a nightmare for all the POWs, but the Asian workers had it even worse.

The POWs were made up of British, Australian, Dutch, and American troops. They lived in camps plagued by cholera, beri beri, malaria, dengue fever, etc. In addition to this once the boots they arrived with wore away, they were forced to work bare foot which led to frequent tropical ulcers. They were given only two meals a day of rice and a few boiled vegetables. Not only were these two meals not enough calories for the men, but they were usually rotten and filled with maggots. Besides their basic needs not being met, they were forced to work up to 16 hours a day. Their work was arduous, back breaking, and monotonous.  The Japanese and Korean guards took all their frustration out on the men in many cases for no reason at all. These conditions led to the death of 12,000 POWs.

Before venturing out of Kanchanaburi to the pass, we spent a day visiting the Death Railway Museum and the cemetery across the street. Both were incredibly moving. For some reason visiting the cemetery gave me a rush of emotion I hadn’t expected. When I visited the Killing Fields in Cambodia, it was difficult to conceptualize the brutality and mass death that went on there. In the cemetery, the deaths of the POWs felt more real. Perhaps it was the kind and personal messages left by the parents, wives, children, and siblings of the men on their tombstones that really touched me. One mother wrote, “Tommy was always his mother’s best friend.” I couldn’t bare the idea of my mother having to lose one of my brothers or myself. To think of all the women who had to receive that dreaded knock at their door. This feeling then led to a sense of sadness for all the people who have died and do not have a place of remembrance. Here we have several cemeteries dedicated to 12,000 POWs, which tourists go out of their way to visit. What about the 2,000 people slaughtered in Nigeria this month? Who will go out of their way to visit their graves? What about the 90,000 Romusha? Do we properly remember them?

 With a decent understanding of the historical context, we set out to walk the section of the Death Railway known as the Hellfire Pass. The area gained its name from the lanterns that hung from the pass’ walls, in order to allow the workers to dig and build throughout the night hours. By the time the railroad reached this hill of solid stone, the Japanese had sped up their timeline and had entered the “Speedo” period. Realizing their troops in Rangoon needed supplies, the government demanded the railroad be completed months earlier than originally planned. The amount of work completed each day by each individual increased to an extent that many of the sick and injured couldn’t keep up. In order to build the pass, the area had to be cleared of bamboo, the stone had to be chiseled away by a hammer and drill, then a stick of TNT would be detonated to loosen the stone, then a team of movers would come in to carry away the debris, and this process was repeated over and over again. The audio guide provided a personal account of a drill operator. He said, “I thought the Japanese were mad when I first saw the hill. I really thought there was no way they were going to be able to build the railroad through it. Especially with only man power and no machinery. Unfortunately, I was wrong.” He also explained how dangerous it was to be a hammer and drill operator. One partner would hold the drill while the other would strike it with a hammer. Obviously a weak and exhausted partner meant the potential loss of appendages or even death.

It was almost eerie being out on the railroad with no one else around. The wind rustled the bamboo and the sun shone through the canopy above.  At one lookout point the view was so pristine that the place felt like a potential camping spot. I am thankful I was able to learn about these amazing men and their struggles to survive. For those who did make it through till the end, they are a true testament to the strength of the human will and our ability to endure when we ban together in unity.

Luck was upon us that day. Unable to get a bus in time to catch the last train back to town, we hitchhiked. A truck pulled over and hauled us all to the train station with one minute to spare. Catching the train was important for us because it actually runs on the original track the POWs laid. This ride gave us views of rice fields, the river Kwai, and most importantly THE Bridge. Back in town we enjoyed a vegetarian dinner at On’s Thai Issan Restaurant (highly recommended).

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700 years from Singapora to Singapore

1/8/2015

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I was incredibly surprised by how much fun I had in Singapore. After traveling separately from Myles and Tim, it was great to share a few days in one of the world’s more expensive cities. We went to the National Singapore Museum and learned about Singapore’s British colonial past and how so many different races came to populate the small country. We went to the Gardens by the Bay and randomly ran into Patrick (the German we met in Melaka). Most importantly, we met with my close friend from home Kellie! Kellie and I randomly met in the Frankfurt airport in 2009. I was on the way to participate in an archaeological dig in Rome and noticed a girl in my age bracket who looked friendly. For some reason I felt inclined to approach her and ask her why she was going to Rome. She said she was going to do a dig. It ended up being the same excavation I was going to. When she told me her name was Kellie, I quickly blurted out her last name to her surprise. I knew it because I had received an email listing my roommate’s name as Kellie. Low and behold I was sitting next to the person I was about to share a very small space with for the duration of the summer. We ended up sharing more than just a small room just off of Piazza Barberini, but skin rashes, diarrhea, and pure fun. We were by far the best matched roommates in the whole program and to this day are close friends. She is a positive, thoughtful, and goofy individual who happens to be my type of person!

As a group we all went to the Singapore Zoo (BEST ZOO I HAVE EVER BEEN TO!), Botanical Gardens, and spent some absurd time at the city’s nicest hotel. I really enjoyed the zoo. There were orangutans just hanging freely right above the pathways and an abundance of unique animals like Komodo Dragons. Come to Singapore just for the zoo.

My most interesting story this time doesn’t revolve around history, but a stroke of good luck. Kellie and I stayed in the cheapest hostel I could find, while Myles and Tim couchsurfed. Around 11 pm on our last night, I received a distressed message from Myles telling me they had been kicked out of their host’s house and didn’t have a place to stay. I called back and before I could inquire more, Myles turned on his video and showed me the view from the room they “found”. The view was of the bay from one of the upper floors of the Marina Sands Resort. Those lucky jerks had been offered a free night stay at the most famous hotel in Singapore by their host! So Kellie and I joined them the next morning to ensure quality control was high. We were able to get to the viewing deck and the infinity pool on the roof. Let’s just say, they had had a night of luxury. What a cool experience!

We are off to explore northern Thailand. Check back in soon for more photos of Singapore and an update on my time traveling with Kellie.

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A Fusion of Diverse Faces

1/3/2015

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Melaka (or Malacca before colonization) was originally founded by a Malay Sultan from Indonesia. It was often threatened by its neighbors, but fortunately gained the protection of Ming Dynasty China. China realized the trade significance of Melaka, which provided rest to the famous Chinese diplomat and tradesmen, Zheng He, during his seven expeditions. If you have interest in learning about Zheng He, I greatly recommend reading the book 1421 and visiting the Zheng He Cultural Museum. The museum was a pleasant surprise and depicted Zheng He’s life in a way that is interesting for the history buff and child alike.

The protection from the Chinese gave a strong sense of safety to traders in the region.  At that time piracy was very common and Melaka was considerably more stable than other trade hubs in the region. Melaka quickly became a center of trade and a safe haven along the traditional trade route from China to India and beyond. During the long period of European imperialism, Melaka came to be under Portuguese rule, Dutch rule, and British rule.

The Portuguese capitalized on Melaka’s strategic location on the straits of Malacca and greatly fortified the city. Unfortunately, the centuries have only left behind one gate of the Portuguese great fort. After around a hundred years of being under the Portuguese, the Dutch took over in 1641. The Dutch wanted to expand their control of the East Indies. Controlling the Strait of Malacca greatly enhanced their hold on Sumatra as well. The colonial buildings that still stand today are predominately Dutch. There is a Dutch church on the top of the hill in the middle of town, the famous red Dutch Square was home to many of the administrative buildings of the VOC government, and since its declaration as a World Heritage Site many original shop houses have been preserved. The tourist information center across from Dutch Square provides free tours on certain days of the week.

In the early 1800’s the Dutch and the British had a paper war for ten years over the ownership of Melaka and Singapore (More on this in my Singapore post).  In the end both countries agreed to a trade.  Britain would take Melaka and Singapore and the Dutch could have the British controlled part of Sumatra. It was a win for both countries. Melaka under the British didn’t experience the massive changes it did under the Dutch, but they still left behind their mark.  For example, the famous Dutch Square was not originally red. The British for some reason decided to paint this sector of the city a dark crimson red. Some say it is because the buildings’ white walls were splattered with beetle nut chewers spit (like chewing tobacco which comes out a dark red color). Others think that the British thought red was a Dutch color. Tim, the Dutchman, says that red isn’t a thing in the Netherlands. Our other guess is that the governor’s friend owned a paint shop and red was a more expensive color. Regardless of the reasoning the square now takes its name from the color. During WWII the city fell along with the rest of the region into Japanese hands and greatly suffered from a lack of food. With the end of the war, the European powers began to lose their grasp on the region and in 1957 Malaysia declared independence.  

During your time in Melaka, make a trip to the Baba-Nyonya Heritage House Museum. The Baba-Nyonya are a fascinating race. They are the descendants of Chinese men who settled in Malaysia for business and local Malay women. After this first union, all subsequent generations could not marry Chinese or Malay people. They had to marry fellow Baba-Nyonyas. This preserved their unique cultural heritage of Malay dress, Chinese family structure, and their own language. The Baba-Nyonya (Baba is for males and Nyonya is for females) tended to be very wealthy and often were in the spice trade. The Heritage House is a perfectly preserved example of one of these wealthy family's home. The house has a distinct Chinese influence (rich wood furniture with inlaid pearl) with European accents (such as Victorian tiles from England). The best part was the tour guide going into detail about the Baba-Nyonya traditions.

The city has done a nice job of preserving its historical core and has an easy going feel to it. One can spend hours strolling along its waterway and just taking in the views of St. Xavier’s church and the wall art that now decorates the length of many buildings standing guard on Melaka’s old trade route. It was on this waterway that on my last evening I met some very interesting people. I strolled past a couple enjoying a beer and they inquired whether or not I was Australian. They were amusing themselves with a game of guess the nationality. This led to an hour chat as day turned to dusk and candles were lit at the many restaurants overlooking the water. One was a marine biologist from Belgium and the other a marine biologist from Portugal. He studies the excrement of plankton and she studies oysters. I personally wish my profession somehow involved poop. It would sure make for a good ice-breakerJ.  While I enjoyed their company, a familiar face walked by. A very friendly Australian I had shared a cab with in George Town. What are the odds! Travel in SE Asia makes the world feel small at times.

My personal experience in Melaka was greatly enhanced by the people I met. The owners of Bikini Toppings were delightful to chat with and made delicious coconut desserts. The Indonesian family who gave me a ride back from the floating mosque were so giving and kind. There were also two English teachers (living in Japan) who I spent a day with. One is from the UK and the other ironically is from Portland. We also spent time with a funny German named Patrick. I truly believe the best part of travel is the people you meet!

The most significant experience I had in Malaysia was joining in a Hindu parade and festival. The feeling of joy was so palpable in the air that it just made me smile. People were dancing in the streets with abandon and flung their arms around strangers as if they were friends. The priests were handing out blessed fruit and throwing packs of nuts and crackers out into the crowd. I spoke with several of the revelers and priests. They explained that the festival was a means by which Krishna could come out of the temple once a year to be among the people. I have a deep seated respect for Hinduism and my night amongst its followers made me want to learn more.

I would like to close this blog by reflecting on the rich diversity of not only Melaka, but the Malaysian Peninsula. I approached many people over the last two weeks and asked if I could take their photos. My hope was to show the beautiful blend of races present in this region. I hope that the next generation will be able to learn from peaceful places like Malaysia where all colors and religions are able to be tranquil neighbors. The world stage is currently consumed by conflict, hate, and misunderstanding. In the end regardless of which god you believe in and the color of your skin, we are all innately equal and in pursuit of happiness.   

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Malaysia

12/28/2014

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Malaysia is a diverse melting pot of Indian, Chinese, Arab, Achehnese, Siamese, Burmese, European, and Malay people. Most cities have a Little India and a Chinatown along with a smorgasbord of places of worship (churches/temples/mosques). The population is predominately Muslim. What I find amazing is that the federal government is secular, but the states have their own Islamic laws. One such law that is currently creating legislative problems is that non-Muslims are not allowed to use the Islamic word for God in publications or when speaking in public. I can’t even type the word here.

Other than the obvious diversity, the first thing I noticed was that it feels an awful lot like home. There are Bath and Body Works, Victoria Secrets, Payless shoe stores, Baskin Robbins, etc. Thus far, Malaysia is a modern country with the conveniences of home. It is more expensive than Laos and Cambodia, but still an affordable place. In all honesty though, I don’t have a ton of glowing reviews to share. To date it is the most boring country I have visited. In its defense this may largely be due to the fact that many of the highlights of Malaysia are unvisitable at the moment. It is monsoon season on the east coast, so many of the islands are closed to visitors and the famous hiking spot, the Cameron Highlands, is under torrential rain.  In the eastern part of the country 100,000 have evacuated their homes and five have died due to intensive flooding. The road between Penang and George Town have been closed because of a massive landslide. I guess I am glad this occurred before my departure for the Cameron Highlands and not during my journey there. So my trip is limited to Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Malacca (Meleka).

The highlights of Kuala Lumpur were the modern architecture of the Petronas Towers, the Batu Caves, and the delicious food of Little India. If you make a trip here, make a point of visiting the Petronas Towers after dark to see them light up the night’s sky. The Batu Caves were first used as a place of worship in the 1800’s, when people realized that they provided a place for Hindu worship that gave the feeling of being in the Himalayas. The climb up the long staircase is worth it! Watch out for the brazen monkeys though. They will steal a bag right out from your hand or throw a coconut at you.

I am currently traveling with a woman I met in Thailand. She is from Northern Ireland. We have taken great delight out of expanding our English vocabularies to incorporate lingo from ‘across the pond’. For example, their word for pickle is gherkin! GHERKIN! This brought me great joy. Unfortunately, our sightseeing has been limited and we have had so much time on our hands we have even gone to two movies. TWO MOVIES while on the road is just plain embarrassing. Regardless, the third Night at the Museum movie was pretty entertaining to my surprise.

After some time in Kuala Lumpur, we headed north to our current location of the island of Penang. We are staying in the old British trading stronghold of George Town (Malaysia unlike its neighbors to the north was a British colony). The architecture is a throwback to the 1800’s and with a bit of imagination one can picture what the area would have looked like back then. What really gives the town its flare in my opinion is the wall art hidden amongst the streets’ walls. Many of the murals include 3D components. Such as a little boy riding a bicycle. The boy is painted on the wall and the bicycle is real. George Town is very proud of its status as a UNESCO World Heritage site. A visitor can spend a day walking around searching for the wall art and stepping into the town’s abundance of temples, mosques, and churches. Worthy of note are the Church of the Assumption, Kapitan Keling Mosque, Mahamariamman Hindu Temple, and the Goddess of Mercy Temple. Also make a point of visiting Fort Cornwallis. I am actually chuckling while typing this, because in all reality the 2 ringgit (58 US cents) to get into the fort isn’t worth it. Just walk around the perimeter. It is the famous landing spot of Francis Light (Late 1700’s) and the main defense of the cape. The Blue Mansion or the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion was impressive.  It gets its name with good reason… it is really blue! We stopped to ask an Australian family for directions and they suggested we follow them to the East Oriental Hotel. I am glad we did! It was built by the British and has a rich historical flavor to it. The bell boys even wear khaki shorts and high socks. Every afternoon for roughly 20 USD, you can have high tea with unlimited refills of finger sandwiches. Perhaps this makes me unclassy, but when I heard the word unlimited I got excited. Leave your Tevas at home though!

I also spent an afternoon visiting Kek Lok Si Temple. It is the largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia. Not far from the temple is Penang Hill and the Penang National Park. Set aside some time for hiking in this area.

Lastly, I need to point out the café, Mugshot. We ended up spending an absurd about of time there to the point where we know all the employees and they know our back stories.

I hope to have something more exciting to share with you in my next post. As of now, my near future will be consumed by torrential rain and a long bus ride.

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In Honor of the Millions of Victims

12/19/2014

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Imagine that you have been pulled from your home, and forced to work in the rice fields for 12 hours a day. You are only given two bowls of rice porridge, which contain a number of rice grains that you can count with your fingers, a day. Your family is starving and at times mysteriously taken away by the regime never to return. Your life is consumed by a state of constant fear, until one day your neighbor wants to get ahead and tells the local Khmer Rouge Cadres that you have stolen some rice or just one banana. A truck arrives and you are shoved inside. The truck comes to a stop and you jump out to find yourself at a school. Phew, it looks peaceful enough right? All they are going to do is question you a bit and then realize that you are a hard working supporter of the regime. No! They measure your height and take a mug shot, after which you enter a state of hell. Basically no food, no bathing, and torture in so many horrendous ways. This goes on until you write a confession of some sort and most likely it will need to include accusations about your family and friends. In the evening they will herd you blindfolded with your hands tied behind your back into a truck. They will tell you that you are just being relocated to another holding cell. After 30 minutes, the truck comes to a halt and everyone is ushered out into the night air. If you are one of the lucky ones, you will be led directly to a pit and not forced to wait and listen as those around you are beaten to death. All you could do is pray for death quickly.

The Khmer Rouge didn’t want to waste bullets, so they used axes, pipes, bayonets, knives, and palm tree bark to kill their victims in the middle of the night. After they threw bodies into the mass graves, they would sprinkle DDT on top to mask the stench and just in case someone survived the grotesque beating. They even killed babies by grabbing their ankles and banging their heads against the trunk of a tree. All of this brutality happened and not in the distant past. One third of the Cambodian population died under the Khmer Rouge. Several generations were scarred and the country today is still reeling. It is important for us as humans to visit these sites. We need to remember what cruelty humans are capable of and fight to prevent any form of genocide. Living in North America and Europe, we don’t often think about the fact that somewhere in the world right now people are being killed for their religious views, ethnic background, etc.

We spent a somber day at the Choeung Ek Memorial (Killing Fields) and the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S21). All of us took in a lot of information and felt drained afterwards. To end the day in a positive way we had dinner at a restaurant called Friends the Restaurant. It is very much like New Haven. The employees were at one time troubled youth who have been given a new lease on life. I highly recommend eating there and supporting their cause.

Thank you Miriam for joining our group for this experience. Your presence was greatly appreciated.

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Temple Fever

12/19/2014

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Three days amongst the temples of Angkor Archaeological Park gave us a look at one of the region’s great empires. We were far from Indiana Jones exploring undiscovered temples amongst hanging vines and preforming death defying stunts; the 7,000 tourists that visit Angkor Wat on average every day saw to it. Regardless, it was a special experience and one well worth a trip to Siem Reap.

Ticket options include a one day pass for 20 USD, a 3 day pass for 40, or a 7 day pass for 60. The nice thing about the 3 day pass is that the days do not need to be consecutive. They can be spread throughout a week. The 7 day pass can be spread throughout a month. The 3 day pass is recommended and still you won’t see it all!

Day 1:

Preah Khan

Neak Pean

Ta Som

East Mebon

Pre Rup

The 3 Roules Temples

Day 2:

Angkor Thom: Bayon, Baphuan, Phimeanakas, Leper King Terrace, and Elephant Terrace.

Ta Prohm (Jungle Temple/ Tomb Raider Temple)

Angkor Wat

Day 3:

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

Banteay Srei

Landmine Museum

Banteay Kdei

Sras Srang

Sunset at Angkor Wat

 

My recommendations:

  1.  For starters, try to plan an extra one or two days in Siem Reap so that you can have off days between your temple days. It is hot in Cambodia year round and walking in the sun all day can be very draining. Plus, the town has a few things to offer itself and there are some nice day trips outside of town.

  2. Pay 15 USD for a tuk tuk to drive you around all day. The temples are spread out and you need to be able to cover a large amount of ground in one day. Make sure you plan out your route with them first. Adding in sunrise and sunset should cost 3 USD extra each. If you want to go to the out laying temples like Banteay Srei, the tuk tuk will cost 30 USD or more.

  3. I think it is worth having a guide for the first day. We struggled finding a good guide. Check out Trip Advisor and reserve a professional guide. Don’t be cheap! Angkor Wat will be one of the highlights of your Southeast Asia trip. You might as well do it right.

  4. Carry your own food in or plan on bartering. Two of the days we had a guide. Both days the guide took us to overpriced restaurants. I quietly approached the owners and said the prices were too much and that we were going to have to leave. I was able to bring each dish down 50%. In town the same dishes were 1 USD and the restaurants wanted 6 USD. I shot for the middle ground, but you may be able to go lower.

  5. Food: Belmiro’s = Awesome Pizza (if you order a fresh pizza and not the already made slices) and Taj Mahal = Delicious 5 dollar Indian Platters and Haven= Out of this world food. For Haven you must make a reservation in advance. Their pumpkin vegetarian burger was unique and to die for.  The best part about Haven is that it employees troubled youth and trains them so they can have careers in the hospitality industry. Why not enjoy delicious food and support a good cause at the same time.

  6. Lodging: I really enjoyed staying at the Bliss Villa, but have also heard great things about the Siem Reap Hostel (number one hostel in Cambodia).

  7. Don’t visit the Roules Temples. One of them is under restoration and the others really aren’t that exciting. Make a point of doing sunset at Pre Rup and Angkor Wat. To actually see the sunset at Angkor Wat you need to climb a nearby hill. Only 500 people are allowed up the hill, so make sure you go early. Your other options is to just witness Angkor Wat reflect the golden hue of the setting sun. For the sunrise leave your hotel no later than 4:30am. The hotel will tell you 5:00am is early enough, but it isn’t. If you have a tripod, you want to be in the front row!

  8. I do think there is value to doing some of the lesser known temples first. If you check out Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom first, everything else will seem insignificant.

  9. Bayon will rock your socks off. Check a guide book for recommendations on how to avoid the tour buses and what time of day is best for photography at each temple.

  10. The Landmine Museum is a bit redundant, but worth a visit. It highlights the reality of daily life for those impacted by landmines and the serious need to continue efforts to remove the remaining landmines throughout SE Asia.

  11. If you are traveling elsewhere in Cambodia, go with Giant Ibis. Their buses are comfortable, clean, and have a maximum speed of 95 kph. The road conditions in Cambodia are horrible and it is worth paying a bit more for a reliable bus company. Also, some of the cheaper buses are notorious for people in the luggage compartments ripping open zippers and stealing passengers’ belongings.

Have fun and carry more water than you think you will need.

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    Hi, I'm Kristin!

    I am an avid traveler who also loves photography, history, and food. Life is short and I am trying to gather as many special memories as I can.

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