Thailand, at least in Phuket, is all dressed up for Christmas. All the stores are fully decorated, the flyers are being left in the gate, the music is the same as one finds in all the stores at home at Christmas. And this is a Buddhist country. I don't know what it might be like in Bangkok but so many farang live in Phuket, Thais make them feel right at home. Although many Thais will tell me that if it is a holiday from anywhere, they like to celebrate. Amazing. On Christmas Eve, the entire school is turned over to Christmas activities, parties, and gift giving. I will already be in Africa so will miss that, but not a problem since I sure am familiar with the festivities.
What is it like living in Thailand. Well, it is all pretty normal in many respects. My house is very suburban. I get up every morning at 5:30 so I can watch the Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer and catch up on some of the TV commentators I like best. I am sure it is because they almost all agree with me. I walk get to school about 7:30 every morning and like everyone else swipe my finger on the print identification device. Usually I have to do it two or three times before it says Karp Khoun Ca 0 thank you. Don't know why I have this problem; everyone else seems to swipe once and it is a go. We all have to stay until 4:30 to swipe out again. Sometimes that is a drag as one has to hang around even if all the classes are finished. I am fortunate not to have a homeroom as every homeroom teacher has to stay for extra lessons which begin at 4 and end at 5. There is extra pay, but it is a long day. Currently, I am teaching my "need help" students and have about 12 hours a week of very small classes. Just the way it turned out and I get paid the same as everyone else.
I have hot water in the bathrooms, but none in the kitchen so I have to heat a lot of water. This is usual for a Thai household. We do not flush paper down toilets anywhere so that is kind of problem, especially in many public bathrooms. Most public toilets do not have toilet paper unless they have a large farang clientele. But the Thais have something else. It is really a bidet shower. Every place has them and that, of course, is for use every time you need. Actually it is pretty good to have around (with tp as well). Pretty sensible and refreshing.
I do eat out a lot as food is really cheap as long as you are not looking for very foreign food. Cheese and hamburgers will almost always cost $6.00 or $7.00 for example and just about all decent Thai food will cost anywhere from 35 baht to 120 baht for a meal. The 35 is rice and maybe some small amount of chicken and pork, a stir fry, and the price goes up as you add vegetables, whole fish, pieces of fish. There is some very good beer in Thailand which runs from $1.00 to $1.50 for a liter. All wine is very expensive as there is a high import duty on it; strange as there is none made here. Whiskey made in Thailand is very cheap but potent. Imported whiskeys like Scotch, Bourbon, etc. are pretty reasonable as is Vodka, Gin and Rum. Johnny Walker is very popular here. If I have anything, it is usually beer. Everything else is too much on a farang salary
Speaking of salaries, in my school, almost all teachers begin at 30,000 baht or about $1,000 a month and get after school lessons pay. Phillipino and Thai teachers make under 10,000 baht.Quite a difference. There is a raise every year of about 1500 baht. If you are here long enough you have three weeks off in October and one month in April. I got one week in October and can have two in April as things stand now. We also have quite a few holidays and for Christmas we have 10 days.
I am learning more about Thai culture and mores and just wanted to let you know that in normal families, girls are very protected and a great deal of emphasis is placed on not bringing disgrace to the family. They are expected to abstain until marriage. Like many countries that are becoming westernized and have great influence from Western movies and music, there are the beginnings of the breaking of these traditions. They really are not allowed boyfriends and girlfriends till quite late, although many of the kids talk about a girlfriend or boyfriend. Lots of text messaging, etc. but no dating. If a girl does not marry, she generally stays with her parents and very often strict rules still apply. We have one teacher who is about 25 who loves to hang out with a group of teachers her age who are farang. This is not allowed so she literally has to be very secretive about her joining them.
One of the big advantages in living in Phuket are the beaches for me. Last weekend we had 4 days off and a friend spent three of them island hopping, swimming, snorkeling and eating some great lunches that were provided by the tour boats. It really is so much fun to swim among so many beautiful tropical fish and the water is always warm enough to just jump or wade in.
It is always hot. We just finished the rainy season which is hot with very high humidity. Now we are getting into the dry season which is hot but not so humid. I am delighted to report that a pool just opened a block away from my house, so now I can just go and jump in after work. Membership is 150 baht a year, a little less than $5.00, and each pool visit is 30 baht, a little under $1.00. I had been coming home and jumping in the cold shower every day. Now I have an option.
My holiday begins the night of the 23rd when I fly off to Tanzania. I am really looking forward to this new adventure. Look here for my tales from Africa.
Geraldine
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Thailand Update Dec. 13
Dear Friends:
It has been quite awhile since I have written. Time flies by so quickly. But this last couple of weeks has been horrendous with terrible news from home and around the world. Detroit, Wall Street, Chicago, Kirkuk, Darfur, Mumbai, Mozambique, Iraq, and Afghanistan – it all goes on and on. To top it off I just watched “Planet in Peril” and really got sick to my stomach. It seems as though everything is going crazy around us and more than that is seriously harming us. And to top it off the changing weather patterns are adding more misery to millions.
I know if I were home I would be churning all the time worrying about it all, talking about it all, arguing about it all, and immersed in the problems of the world because I get like that. Thailand makes it all seem far away. This is a place that is not caught up in the worldwide turmoil; it has no immediate enemies; it does not have something the rest of the world wants to exploit; and it pretty much contains itself to within it borders. This is a country that is steeped in Buddhism, (although I am not always clear how that is manifested in everyday life), esteems its monks and making merit, absolutely reveres its monarch, and yet has all the problems one might find anywhere. On the surface everything seems to be sublime and easy but that is part of its allure. If things look good, they are. This is a country that does not even teach history in the schools. But it is a country that many come to for the pleasures it offers both in nature, sunshine and sea, exotic monuments and celebrations, and its allure for many who like to frequent its most seamy areas. Thailand is a land of many contradictions that I sense but cannot truly define. If there are those who speak of the activities of the “bar girls” with often disgust, but then they will also say “but there is no other way for them to take care of their families.” And they do take care of their families. Family is supreme and many a “farang” (foreigner) is supporting untold numbers of poor relatives of their Thai women. Love is for sale but it comes at more than the price of a one night stand when there is a decision to totally buy in.
Thailand is a land of nation, Buddha, and King. In travel brochures it is also called “Amazing Thailand.” It is a land of courtesy and saving face. There is still the polite but hierarchical custom of “weiing” each other. That is folding the hands in front as if in prayer and greeting one another with the words “sa ba dee ka.” Where one places one’s hands (chest, face or higher) and bows one’s head determines the stature of whom you are addressing. It is a custom I am getting used to as the children must wei their teachers and we wei back. As a sign of respect, they wei me with hands on the face and I wei them with hands on the chest. The head is bowed to the hands. I wei the director and the administrators as well. This courtesy happens everywhere and all over Thailand. When you purchase goods or food in stores and supermarkets, the clerks wei you in thanks. It is a sign of thanks, good wishes, and respect. Often, the children will go by me and bow low as they pass as a sign of respect for an older person. That is the custom.
I witnessed the extremes of this custom during the funeral of the King’s sister a couple of weeks ago. The Princess had been a beloved person for the Thai people and she was accorded an incredible funeral full of all the pomp, circumstance, and regalia that is at the disposal of the Thai Monarch. Parades full of elegantly uniformed marchers; royal regalia of gold and silver carried by bearers, monks presiding over dozens of services sending her on her way, traditional rituals involving cremation and final resting place, gift giving, chanting and mourning – all went on for days. I witnessed all of this on television and truly experienced the depth of the weiing and bowing traditions at their highest levels. With royalty the weiing tradition goes all the way to the forehead with a deep bow and during the religious ceremony weiing involved leaning back and head to or over forehead facing the heavens. I must admit I was absolutely fixated and fascinated as I watched such incredible spectacle unfold for the benefit of the Princess and the honor and tribute which was given to her life and death. As pageantry, the tributes were spectacular.
I am trying to describe all this and not display any commentary or judgment about all of this from a Western perspective because there are no doubt contradictions here in this display of extreme wealth and expenditure for the soul of a Princess and the extreme poverty in which many Thais live. This is a Constitutional Monarchy and the Thais love their King who is now aging and many wonder what the future will hold.
Some of the highlights of my life here include having had the opportunity to visit Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. I had to go renew my visa in order to stay in the Country and teach while my work permit was being processed. I spent four days there and really loved visiting the City. It is modern, clean, colorful, and full of all of the most elegant designer shops you would ever need in many shopping malls around the City. I enjoyed watching the dress of so many women who were stunning in their traditional, colorful and elegant dress of over- -blouse and flowing pants. I took one a two day, on and off, bus tour around the City and enjoyed its incredible green belt housing orchid and butterfly parks, lakes and recreation activities, museums and monuments. I really loved the National Art Gallery which displays hundreds of works of Malaysian contemporary modern art. The Gallery itself is a great display of traditional and modern architecture which has rounded umbrella-like arches around the exterior and surrounded by grand staircases and pools and fountains. It is different but has some of the exterior look of the Opera House in Sydney.
Teaching is turning out to be a great delight. My students are fifth and sixth graders and I have 12 hours a week of very small groups that need special help with English. They are so much fun and though they are not always the best of students or the best behaved, I am developing a rapport with them and think I am making some progress. English is required for only the first six grades so many know they will not continue with it. Students at Kajonkiet Suksa School are Thai or a mix of Thai and just about every other nationality: American, Russian, Swedish, English, German, Korean, and Chinese… although most of the Koreans are Korean only. The Teachers are also from everywhere and there are about 100 farang teachers within the three-school system. Although the school requires that teachers be primarily native English speakers we do have a few from the Philippines and Eastern Europe whose English is good enough for teaching the Kindergarten and Primary.
A cultural phenomenon that makes teaching difficult is the Asian concept of saving face and that means that nobody really fails. That means that there are not those built in problems of failure potential that are an inducement to working harder. So my job is to help the kids do the best with English. Failure happens but that is rare and every effort is made to assist the kids in passing either through after school lessons, tutoring, or my ESL class. I am amazed at how well they do considering my own language abilities. I have never been good at learning languages and can speak about 10 words in Thai. It has been really difficult for me to get a good sense of the language and, of course, cannot read any of the signage anywhere. Thai is a kind of Sanskrit/Pali combination and there is no official agreement on the correct Roman alphabet spelling of any of the Thai words. So translations include a variety of spellings. I did much better in Vietnam which uses the same alphabet as English.
A major advantage for me of being in Phuket is to be near so many beaches and islands. I take advantage as much as possible. Last weekend we had a three day holiday so I went camping on the Similan Islands, one of the greatest dive places in the world, so they tell me. I did not dive, but I snorkeled around every day at several of the eight islands that make up the Similans. Camped in a tent and slept pretty well considering that it has been a long time since I slept in a tent – not since Romania. The Islands are a protected natural resource so the beaches were clean and pristine with absolutely clear turquoise waters, coral reefs with a variety of white, blue, green, and pink coral surrounded by lots of sea anemone. The water was fascinating with colorful, tropical fish of all shapes and sizes and I spent hours watching them. I love swimming, snorkeling and being at the sea. Food was included with the campsite and there was an amazing amount of food at every meal. Grilled fish (some of the best I have ever eaten), steamed fish, fish stew, mixed vegetable dishes, varieties of cooked rice and noodles, curries and curried soups, chicken grilled and fried or stir-fried in vegetables, omelettes and fried eggs, all but the latter cooked with some of the most incredible sauces I have had in Thailand. And to finish off the meal, plates of fresh fruit were served. I think I have already mentioned that Thais really like to eat and the tables are always covered with a variety of food. That was an enjoyable three days. But I was sad to discover that I have developed sea sickness – was absolutely uncomfortable on the speed boat to the Islands.
We have a four day weekend this week for some reason but I will stay around Phuket and take some day trips to a couple of islands off the Southern tip for swimming and snorkeling. Since I am going to Africa for Christmas, Kenya and Tanzania on Safari, I really have to budget. I am absolutely amazed that I can actually go to Africa from here at so much less than I could from the USA. I never thought that this would be one of my destinations but it was too tempting to pass up. I am hoping that with everything holding up okay at home, I can go to Australia during the break next April before I come home. It is a real possibility that I can do this.
Thanksgiving was a great holiday with hundreds of farang folks at a restaurant that caters to foreigners. We all had the turkey and all the trimmings and all we could eat. I really enjoyed that meal. It was a work day but the evening was just perfect. You would not believe that the whole meal was only $10.00.
Getting around is still hard for me so I spend most days teachings and most evenings at home. I do use motorbikes and have a favorite driver who fortunately drives slower and carefully when I use his service. Taxis are too expensive for the budget and I use them only after grocery shopping. I decided to go for it and ordered the only satellite TV that offers several English programs and CNN round the clock. Once in a while there is a good movie but mostly there are re runs of American programs. If you can believe it, there is even Commander in Chief in re run and The Guardian. Yes, Oprah is carried on the Hallmark channel, but I don’t watch her; never really have. I have watched a good amount of National Geographic, the History Channel, Discovery, and Animal Planet. Unfortunately, I watch too much CNN. But I read a lot too, not much that is truly intellectual or stimulating as there is not much around and the used books even for pulp fiction are really expensive. I did manage to borrow a copy of two Thai Books: The King Never Smiles, and A History of Thailand (both of which have helped me to learn more about Thailand) from someone who has a very few good books. He actually also had a Tony Hillerman and that was fun, of course.
I do miss close friendships, lady talk, Gregory, and chile! It is interesting that I have already been asked to stay for the next year which begins in May but there is lots of time to decide. No matter where I am I will need work. Greg has been gone for several weeks now and I am glad he was here. We shared some great times and he is now happily, I hope, at home with Lauren and writing what he writes endlessly.
Do write to me. I do hope all of my dear friends are weathering whatever is going on at home and not having any unhappy times and that my friends from around the globe are also having good lives. I want to hear from all of you no matter what.
It has been quite awhile since I have written. Time flies by so quickly. But this last couple of weeks has been horrendous with terrible news from home and around the world. Detroit, Wall Street, Chicago, Kirkuk, Darfur, Mumbai, Mozambique, Iraq, and Afghanistan – it all goes on and on. To top it off I just watched “Planet in Peril” and really got sick to my stomach. It seems as though everything is going crazy around us and more than that is seriously harming us. And to top it off the changing weather patterns are adding more misery to millions.
I know if I were home I would be churning all the time worrying about it all, talking about it all, arguing about it all, and immersed in the problems of the world because I get like that. Thailand makes it all seem far away. This is a place that is not caught up in the worldwide turmoil; it has no immediate enemies; it does not have something the rest of the world wants to exploit; and it pretty much contains itself to within it borders. This is a country that is steeped in Buddhism, (although I am not always clear how that is manifested in everyday life), esteems its monks and making merit, absolutely reveres its monarch, and yet has all the problems one might find anywhere. On the surface everything seems to be sublime and easy but that is part of its allure. If things look good, they are. This is a country that does not even teach history in the schools. But it is a country that many come to for the pleasures it offers both in nature, sunshine and sea, exotic monuments and celebrations, and its allure for many who like to frequent its most seamy areas. Thailand is a land of many contradictions that I sense but cannot truly define. If there are those who speak of the activities of the “bar girls” with often disgust, but then they will also say “but there is no other way for them to take care of their families.” And they do take care of their families. Family is supreme and many a “farang” (foreigner) is supporting untold numbers of poor relatives of their Thai women. Love is for sale but it comes at more than the price of a one night stand when there is a decision to totally buy in.
Thailand is a land of nation, Buddha, and King. In travel brochures it is also called “Amazing Thailand.” It is a land of courtesy and saving face. There is still the polite but hierarchical custom of “weiing” each other. That is folding the hands in front as if in prayer and greeting one another with the words “sa ba dee ka.” Where one places one’s hands (chest, face or higher) and bows one’s head determines the stature of whom you are addressing. It is a custom I am getting used to as the children must wei their teachers and we wei back. As a sign of respect, they wei me with hands on the face and I wei them with hands on the chest. The head is bowed to the hands. I wei the director and the administrators as well. This courtesy happens everywhere and all over Thailand. When you purchase goods or food in stores and supermarkets, the clerks wei you in thanks. It is a sign of thanks, good wishes, and respect. Often, the children will go by me and bow low as they pass as a sign of respect for an older person. That is the custom.
I witnessed the extremes of this custom during the funeral of the King’s sister a couple of weeks ago. The Princess had been a beloved person for the Thai people and she was accorded an incredible funeral full of all the pomp, circumstance, and regalia that is at the disposal of the Thai Monarch. Parades full of elegantly uniformed marchers; royal regalia of gold and silver carried by bearers, monks presiding over dozens of services sending her on her way, traditional rituals involving cremation and final resting place, gift giving, chanting and mourning – all went on for days. I witnessed all of this on television and truly experienced the depth of the weiing and bowing traditions at their highest levels. With royalty the weiing tradition goes all the way to the forehead with a deep bow and during the religious ceremony weiing involved leaning back and head to or over forehead facing the heavens. I must admit I was absolutely fixated and fascinated as I watched such incredible spectacle unfold for the benefit of the Princess and the honor and tribute which was given to her life and death. As pageantry, the tributes were spectacular.
I am trying to describe all this and not display any commentary or judgment about all of this from a Western perspective because there are no doubt contradictions here in this display of extreme wealth and expenditure for the soul of a Princess and the extreme poverty in which many Thais live. This is a Constitutional Monarchy and the Thais love their King who is now aging and many wonder what the future will hold.
Some of the highlights of my life here include having had the opportunity to visit Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. I had to go renew my visa in order to stay in the Country and teach while my work permit was being processed. I spent four days there and really loved visiting the City. It is modern, clean, colorful, and full of all of the most elegant designer shops you would ever need in many shopping malls around the City. I enjoyed watching the dress of so many women who were stunning in their traditional, colorful and elegant dress of over- -blouse and flowing pants. I took one a two day, on and off, bus tour around the City and enjoyed its incredible green belt housing orchid and butterfly parks, lakes and recreation activities, museums and monuments. I really loved the National Art Gallery which displays hundreds of works of Malaysian contemporary modern art. The Gallery itself is a great display of traditional and modern architecture which has rounded umbrella-like arches around the exterior and surrounded by grand staircases and pools and fountains. It is different but has some of the exterior look of the Opera House in Sydney.
Teaching is turning out to be a great delight. My students are fifth and sixth graders and I have 12 hours a week of very small groups that need special help with English. They are so much fun and though they are not always the best of students or the best behaved, I am developing a rapport with them and think I am making some progress. English is required for only the first six grades so many know they will not continue with it. Students at Kajonkiet Suksa School are Thai or a mix of Thai and just about every other nationality: American, Russian, Swedish, English, German, Korean, and Chinese… although most of the Koreans are Korean only. The Teachers are also from everywhere and there are about 100 farang teachers within the three-school system. Although the school requires that teachers be primarily native English speakers we do have a few from the Philippines and Eastern Europe whose English is good enough for teaching the Kindergarten and Primary.
A cultural phenomenon that makes teaching difficult is the Asian concept of saving face and that means that nobody really fails. That means that there are not those built in problems of failure potential that are an inducement to working harder. So my job is to help the kids do the best with English. Failure happens but that is rare and every effort is made to assist the kids in passing either through after school lessons, tutoring, or my ESL class. I am amazed at how well they do considering my own language abilities. I have never been good at learning languages and can speak about 10 words in Thai. It has been really difficult for me to get a good sense of the language and, of course, cannot read any of the signage anywhere. Thai is a kind of Sanskrit/Pali combination and there is no official agreement on the correct Roman alphabet spelling of any of the Thai words. So translations include a variety of spellings. I did much better in Vietnam which uses the same alphabet as English.
A major advantage for me of being in Phuket is to be near so many beaches and islands. I take advantage as much as possible. Last weekend we had a three day holiday so I went camping on the Similan Islands, one of the greatest dive places in the world, so they tell me. I did not dive, but I snorkeled around every day at several of the eight islands that make up the Similans. Camped in a tent and slept pretty well considering that it has been a long time since I slept in a tent – not since Romania. The Islands are a protected natural resource so the beaches were clean and pristine with absolutely clear turquoise waters, coral reefs with a variety of white, blue, green, and pink coral surrounded by lots of sea anemone. The water was fascinating with colorful, tropical fish of all shapes and sizes and I spent hours watching them. I love swimming, snorkeling and being at the sea. Food was included with the campsite and there was an amazing amount of food at every meal. Grilled fish (some of the best I have ever eaten), steamed fish, fish stew, mixed vegetable dishes, varieties of cooked rice and noodles, curries and curried soups, chicken grilled and fried or stir-fried in vegetables, omelettes and fried eggs, all but the latter cooked with some of the most incredible sauces I have had in Thailand. And to finish off the meal, plates of fresh fruit were served. I think I have already mentioned that Thais really like to eat and the tables are always covered with a variety of food. That was an enjoyable three days. But I was sad to discover that I have developed sea sickness – was absolutely uncomfortable on the speed boat to the Islands.
We have a four day weekend this week for some reason but I will stay around Phuket and take some day trips to a couple of islands off the Southern tip for swimming and snorkeling. Since I am going to Africa for Christmas, Kenya and Tanzania on Safari, I really have to budget. I am absolutely amazed that I can actually go to Africa from here at so much less than I could from the USA. I never thought that this would be one of my destinations but it was too tempting to pass up. I am hoping that with everything holding up okay at home, I can go to Australia during the break next April before I come home. It is a real possibility that I can do this.
Thanksgiving was a great holiday with hundreds of farang folks at a restaurant that caters to foreigners. We all had the turkey and all the trimmings and all we could eat. I really enjoyed that meal. It was a work day but the evening was just perfect. You would not believe that the whole meal was only $10.00.
Getting around is still hard for me so I spend most days teachings and most evenings at home. I do use motorbikes and have a favorite driver who fortunately drives slower and carefully when I use his service. Taxis are too expensive for the budget and I use them only after grocery shopping. I decided to go for it and ordered the only satellite TV that offers several English programs and CNN round the clock. Once in a while there is a good movie but mostly there are re runs of American programs. If you can believe it, there is even Commander in Chief in re run and The Guardian. Yes, Oprah is carried on the Hallmark channel, but I don’t watch her; never really have. I have watched a good amount of National Geographic, the History Channel, Discovery, and Animal Planet. Unfortunately, I watch too much CNN. But I read a lot too, not much that is truly intellectual or stimulating as there is not much around and the used books even for pulp fiction are really expensive. I did manage to borrow a copy of two Thai Books: The King Never Smiles, and A History of Thailand (both of which have helped me to learn more about Thailand) from someone who has a very few good books. He actually also had a Tony Hillerman and that was fun, of course.
I do miss close friendships, lady talk, Gregory, and chile! It is interesting that I have already been asked to stay for the next year which begins in May but there is lots of time to decide. No matter where I am I will need work. Greg has been gone for several weeks now and I am glad he was here. We shared some great times and he is now happily, I hope, at home with Lauren and writing what he writes endlessly.
Do write to me. I do hope all of my dear friends are weathering whatever is going on at home and not having any unhappy times and that my friends from around the globe are also having good lives. I want to hear from all of you no matter what.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Kajonkietsuka Early September
Interestingly enough I wrote the following last night and the news from home seems even more disastrous - let me have your perspective. Tomorrow I go on my visa trip to Malaysia where I will get my one year visa. In a way this is fortunate as I have wanted to go to Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, while I am still in SE Asia;
Today I begin my third week at Kajonkiet Suksa School, a private school that starts at Kindergarten and goes to Grade 8 for the time being. Aside from observing and filling in until the end of the Semester (Sept. 26), my primary assignment is to write a course outline for a new 9th grade which will begin next year. School year starts in May and is comprised of two semesters, the second of which begins in November. I will have the course outline completed by the 26th and we all go on vacation. I actually get one week paid and then come back to teach what is called summer school in October. Most of the school is on a one month holiday which is traditional in Thailand. When November comes, I will have several classes of students who need additional
support through ESL. I am actually having a pretty good time observing the management of a school here, the mix of Thai and
Falang teachers which does
not always work, and the total mix of students many of whom have at least one European, English, or American parent. That makes the teaching of English imperative for them and also for Thai parents who believe that English will be necessary to the success of their kids in the future....unless they are wealthy with lots of influence (and there are a lot of those in Thailand.) I may have said this before but I have found that in general the Cambodians and Vietnamese in cities and in schools were much better at English than the Thais, interesting because Thais actually start English in first grade. Many also learn Chinese as well. In fact, we have a couple of Chinese teachers who volunteer here to teach the language. China's education policies seem to require that those who want to teach spend a couple of years abroad volunteering before they could get a job in China. Naturally, they teach Chinese (their English is pretty
good, too and as an additional aside we have several Phillipine teachers who are teaching English so they are certainly up to par and the computer techs are all Phillipine as well. The latter are a blessing to a surface computer user like me.) But to finish with the Chinese, after the policy was described to me, it sounded a bit like an altered of our Peace Corps in terms of exposing young Chinese to other cultures.
I did find a house just about 5 minutes from school so I am grateful that I do not have to depend on motorbike taxis which really are the cheapest form of transportation. Between the walking to school and walking to a market which is about a kilometer away and climbing three flights of stairs every day, I am keeping in pretty decent shape. Or almost. The first several days of climbing three flights of stairs 5 or 6 times seems to have caused a strain on my right knee and I got to where if I sat down, I
could not get up without a
major stab of pain there. I panicked a bit but our teacher liaision took me to the hospital where I saw an orthopedic surgeon. After the usual x rays, we found nothing structurally wrong and Doctor said inflammation was probably caused by my new "life style activity." So some strong anti inflammation drugs along with a pain killer has eased the problem and I find myself not having any problems with my daily workouts but I have another week worth of pills before I go back.
I will tell you the hospital was certainly impressive; immaculate, efficient, very little waiting time and I was escorted by nurses from start to finish which eased the flow of paperwork and prescription filling. The doctor spoke very good English, the x rays were completed and read with 15 minutes and I was given a pointer lesson on the results and a couple of neat photos of my knee. The whole thing took about an hour and cost less than $60, meds
included. I don't have insurance here yet but should be covered by the time the new semester begins.
My house is a two bedroom, two bath house in what might be considered a rather suburban environment - nothing fancy but the landlady really cleaned it up for me and got me set up also with broadband internet which was just installed over the weekend, so I feel complete. Amazing how we cannot do without computers anymore. Unfortunately I am not so lucky with TV service. I currently have all Thai channels except for a couple of sports channels and the worst - for news only FOX NEWS! Is it ever godawfu, so I asked them to cancel it and I am not getting the super vision service that includes more English and CNN because it is too expensive. I turn on to catch the news in between the absolute love affair all their commentators are having with Sarah Palin - McCain hardly matters. That whole situation really makes me
nervous as the polls seem to be going pretty badly from Obama from here. In fact the country seems to be doing so badly from here. All those financial disasters mixed with really tragic natural ones are heartbreaking from here. How is it affecting you all? When one listens to Asian news, we don't fare so well; not because we are disliked but because we seem to be weakening and China seems to be rising along with the fears of a new Russia and its influence in some parts of Europe. Bush's good friend Putin sure must be having a time of having the last laugh. Energy stockpiles are realigning and influencing the world power structures.
I hope I like it all well enough to stay awhile and I hope if any of you are so inclined you will come visit. I have room, that is for sure. But I will tell you Thailand has many great places, but it is difficult to get around. There are lots of cheap air flights to various places, but if you come, I
would suggest that wherever you go you arrange for tours. I would strongly recommend seeing Bangkok (which I have not seen), Chiang Mai, Ayuttha (an ancient City which I have not seen) Phuket or some of the islands for beach goers. In fact if you stay with me you would have to taxi to the beaches which is anywhere up to 800 baht roundtrip (33 baht to the dollar). But that is stuff that can be worked out; Phuket is really just for beachgoers. Despite all the hype, I would not say that Thailand has the most beautiful beaches in the world, but like many others the good resorts have created little paradises within their bounds. There is supposed to be quite a night life in Patong, but I haven't wandered out and about to check it out, at least at night. Over the weekend I did go to Kata beach which has great surf but not overwhelming and spent the morning swimming and reading; then I wandered over to Patong just to check it out. Lots of great places to
stay, but the beachfront activities are like any resort town with lots of places selling cheap stuff and expensive ordinary restaurants. The beaches along this strip from Chalong Bay are lovely but not exquisite and need some
The longer I stay and the more I can be helpful about places to visit. Now that I have been living in the "burbs" some of the glamor has worn off, so if you want to see the exotic Thailand, tours are the way to go.
Chiang Mai is a delightful city with its moat still surrounding the old
city. I did visit Chiang Rai as well but it is a great and beautiful drive through lovely tropical mountain jungle and worth that alone and okay to stay if you are running off to do outdoor trekking, etc. A truly marvelous site very near Chiang Rai is the wonderful creation in progress and designed to represent contemporary religious (Buddhist) art. The artist, whose name I cannot remember but whose photo with me I have, has devoted his life to creating this enormous site with Wat and monk's quarters and all that goes with it his "White Palace." It is one of the most awesome structures I have seen, with a completely white exerior showcasing fantastic mythological characters from the Buddhist cosmology and the standard turrets, finials, and umbrellas along with carved surfaces that make up Buddhist temples. All this is covered with millions of pieces of mirrored glass which makes the whole thing look like a winter
fairy tale, but which will encompass some most sacred relics and wonderful art work in the inerior that depicts the Buddha and his life as one finds in most Wats. The White Palace will take many years to complete and will be a draw from everywhere for the devout who will seek solace and for tourists. I am sure you can find it on the web as the artist has raised money from around the world, is dedicating all of his own proceeds from his works of art, and is donating all of his time to the design, oversight, and artistic renderings of the buildings. In the process he is training a whole generation of artists in both the old and new artistic traditions of Buddhist art.
Wats in Thailand are a contrasting activity. By day many are both cultural attractions and oddities for a melange of tourists who have come to be awed by the glittering jewel -like mosaic patterns of colored glass which cover various parts of each Wat, along with
the exquisitely delicate looking, colorful wood and often lace-like carvings (turrets) which extend from the roof tops all glittering in red and gold, (real, gold leaf or paint) with an architecture strongly influenced by India. Thai Buddhism is influenced by earlier Hmong animistic religious along with Hindu influences, so one often find the spirits or gods of all three among the statuary and paintings. The insides of the most famous and not so famous of Wats are more than impressive with immense statues of the Buddha often set high above to smile benevelontly down on the viewer. The statues can be of gold or gold leaf, silver, emerald, marble, and one has a standing statue encrusted with diamonds. The artifacts of bowls and offering pieces are both simple and extravagantly elegant made of simple pottery, enamelled coated with inlay embellishments, or materials finely crafted from gold and sillver and even wood. The Wats combined hold and store
treasure lodes of national culture, history, and religion that cannot be removed by collectors and traders. So there is a lot of patrimony being saved.
Until next time - then I will try to think more about this very different place. It is hard to get a handle on it. The sublime and yet ostentatious Buddhist elegance not all that far from the street life of a bar girl who seeks the farongs for support seems eons apart and a study in the complexity and contradictions of Thailand.
Tell me stories from back home or from wherever you are. Greg is half way through his University course in Chiang Mai. He has had it much tougher than I did in my Language Corps class. I am hoping when he finishes we can do an island of Krabi before he goes back and spend a few days in a quiet bungalow resort on the beach.
Love,
Geraldine
Today I begin my third week at Kajonkiet Suksa School, a private school that starts at Kindergarten and goes to Grade 8 for the time being. Aside from observing and filling in until the end of the Semester (Sept. 26), my primary assignment is to write a course outline for a new 9th grade which will begin next year. School year starts in May and is comprised of two semesters, the second of which begins in November. I will have the course outline completed by the 26th and we all go on vacation. I actually get one week paid and then come back to teach what is called summer school in October. Most of the school is on a one month holiday which is traditional in Thailand. When November comes, I will have several classes of students who need additional
support through ESL. I am actually having a pretty good time observing the management of a school here, the mix of Thai and
Falang teachers which does
not always work, and the total mix of students many of whom have at least one European, English, or American parent. That makes the teaching of English imperative for them and also for Thai parents who believe that English will be necessary to the success of their kids in the future....unless they are wealthy with lots of influence (and there are a lot of those in Thailand.) I may have said this before but I have found that in general the Cambodians and Vietnamese in cities and in schools were much better at English than the Thais, interesting because Thais actually start English in first grade. Many also learn Chinese as well. In fact, we have a couple of Chinese teachers who volunteer here to teach the language. China's education policies seem to require that those who want to teach spend a couple of years abroad volunteering before they could get a job in China. Naturally, they teach Chinese (their English is pretty
good, too and as an additional aside we have several Phillipine teachers who are teaching English so they are certainly up to par and the computer techs are all Phillipine as well. The latter are a blessing to a surface computer user like me.) But to finish with the Chinese, after the policy was described to me, it sounded a bit like an altered of our Peace Corps in terms of exposing young Chinese to other cultures.
I did find a house just about 5 minutes from school so I am grateful that I do not have to depend on motorbike taxis which really are the cheapest form of transportation. Between the walking to school and walking to a market which is about a kilometer away and climbing three flights of stairs every day, I am keeping in pretty decent shape. Or almost. The first several days of climbing three flights of stairs 5 or 6 times seems to have caused a strain on my right knee and I got to where if I sat down, I
could not get up without a
major stab of pain there. I panicked a bit but our teacher liaision took me to the hospital where I saw an orthopedic surgeon. After the usual x rays, we found nothing structurally wrong and Doctor said inflammation was probably caused by my new "life style activity." So some strong anti inflammation drugs along with a pain killer has eased the problem and I find myself not having any problems with my daily workouts but I have another week worth of pills before I go back.
I will tell you the hospital was certainly impressive; immaculate, efficient, very little waiting time and I was escorted by nurses from start to finish which eased the flow of paperwork and prescription filling. The doctor spoke very good English, the x rays were completed and read with 15 minutes and I was given a pointer lesson on the results and a couple of neat photos of my knee. The whole thing took about an hour and cost less than $60, meds
included. I don't have insurance here yet but should be covered by the time the new semester begins.
My house is a two bedroom, two bath house in what might be considered a rather suburban environment - nothing fancy but the landlady really cleaned it up for me and got me set up also with broadband internet which was just installed over the weekend, so I feel complete. Amazing how we cannot do without computers anymore. Unfortunately I am not so lucky with TV service. I currently have all Thai channels except for a couple of sports channels and the worst - for news only FOX NEWS! Is it ever godawfu, so I asked them to cancel it and I am not getting the super vision service that includes more English and CNN because it is too expensive. I turn on to catch the news in between the absolute love affair all their commentators are having with Sarah Palin - McCain hardly matters. That whole situation really makes me
nervous as the polls seem to be going pretty badly from Obama from here. In fact the country seems to be doing so badly from here. All those financial disasters mixed with really tragic natural ones are heartbreaking from here. How is it affecting you all? When one listens to Asian news, we don't fare so well; not because we are disliked but because we seem to be weakening and China seems to be rising along with the fears of a new Russia and its influence in some parts of Europe. Bush's good friend Putin sure must be having a time of having the last laugh. Energy stockpiles are realigning and influencing the world power structures.
I hope I like it all well enough to stay awhile and I hope if any of you are so inclined you will come visit. I have room, that is for sure. But I will tell you Thailand has many great places, but it is difficult to get around. There are lots of cheap air flights to various places, but if you come, I
would suggest that wherever you go you arrange for tours. I would strongly recommend seeing Bangkok (which I have not seen), Chiang Mai, Ayuttha (an ancient City which I have not seen) Phuket or some of the islands for beach goers. In fact if you stay with me you would have to taxi to the beaches which is anywhere up to 800 baht roundtrip (33 baht to the dollar). But that is stuff that can be worked out; Phuket is really just for beachgoers. Despite all the hype, I would not say that Thailand has the most beautiful beaches in the world, but like many others the good resorts have created little paradises within their bounds. There is supposed to be quite a night life in Patong, but I haven't wandered out and about to check it out, at least at night. Over the weekend I did go to Kata beach which has great surf but not overwhelming and spent the morning swimming and reading; then I wandered over to Patong just to check it out. Lots of great places to
stay, but the beachfront activities are like any resort town with lots of places selling cheap stuff and expensive ordinary restaurants. The beaches along this strip from Chalong Bay are lovely but not exquisite and need some
The longer I stay and the more I can be helpful about places to visit. Now that I have been living in the "burbs" some of the glamor has worn off, so if you want to see the exotic Thailand, tours are the way to go.
Chiang Mai is a delightful city with its moat still surrounding the old
city. I did visit Chiang Rai as well but it is a great and beautiful drive through lovely tropical mountain jungle and worth that alone and okay to stay if you are running off to do outdoor trekking, etc. A truly marvelous site very near Chiang Rai is the wonderful creation in progress and designed to represent contemporary religious (Buddhist) art. The artist, whose name I cannot remember but whose photo with me I have, has devoted his life to creating this enormous site with Wat and monk's quarters and all that goes with it his "White Palace." It is one of the most awesome structures I have seen, with a completely white exerior showcasing fantastic mythological characters from the Buddhist cosmology and the standard turrets, finials, and umbrellas along with carved surfaces that make up Buddhist temples. All this is covered with millions of pieces of mirrored glass which makes the whole thing look like a winter
fairy tale, but which will encompass some most sacred relics and wonderful art work in the inerior that depicts the Buddha and his life as one finds in most Wats. The White Palace will take many years to complete and will be a draw from everywhere for the devout who will seek solace and for tourists. I am sure you can find it on the web as the artist has raised money from around the world, is dedicating all of his own proceeds from his works of art, and is donating all of his time to the design, oversight, and artistic renderings of the buildings. In the process he is training a whole generation of artists in both the old and new artistic traditions of Buddhist art.
Wats in Thailand are a contrasting activity. By day many are both cultural attractions and oddities for a melange of tourists who have come to be awed by the glittering jewel -like mosaic patterns of colored glass which cover various parts of each Wat, along with
the exquisitely delicate looking, colorful wood and often lace-like carvings (turrets) which extend from the roof tops all glittering in red and gold, (real, gold leaf or paint) with an architecture strongly influenced by India. Thai Buddhism is influenced by earlier Hmong animistic religious along with Hindu influences, so one often find the spirits or gods of all three among the statuary and paintings. The insides of the most famous and not so famous of Wats are more than impressive with immense statues of the Buddha often set high above to smile benevelontly down on the viewer. The statues can be of gold or gold leaf, silver, emerald, marble, and one has a standing statue encrusted with diamonds. The artifacts of bowls and offering pieces are both simple and extravagantly elegant made of simple pottery, enamelled coated with inlay embellishments, or materials finely crafted from gold and sillver and even wood. The Wats combined hold and store
treasure lodes of national culture, history, and religion that cannot be removed by collectors and traders. So there is a lot of patrimony being saved.
Until next time - then I will try to think more about this very different place. It is hard to get a handle on it. The sublime and yet ostentatious Buddhist elegance not all that far from the street life of a bar girl who seeks the farongs for support seems eons apart and a study in the complexity and contradictions of Thailand.
Tell me stories from back home or from wherever you are. Greg is half way through his University course in Chiang Mai. He has had it much tougher than I did in my Language Corps class. I am hoping when he finishes we can do an island of Krabi before he goes back and spend a few days in a quiet bungalow resort on the beach.
Love,
Geraldine
Friday, August 29, 2008
VIENTIANE
Our last excursion with Language Corps was a memorable trip to Laos: Vientiane, the Capitol and Vong Vien, a river area several hours away by van. I loved Vientiane so very different from where I had been in other cuntries. A quiet, French influenced city on the banks of the Mekong, it is manageable, provincial and a place where one could retire. It lacks the hustle and bustle of a major Asian City but nonetheless has its own character but shares with others the pervasive Buddhism as reflected in numerous Wats, temples and monasteries. The most famous in the center of the city is enriched with colorful gold and mosaic buildings with incredible paintings of the life of the Buddha inside. I was startled to see one such painting with a very St. Christopher like figure carrying the Buddha on his shoulders and which reminded me how very similar are the beginnings of all of our religious cultures.
Some great Laotian local restaurants are situated right on the river which is really a main part of the City and we enjoyed several great meals. One such dish is a ground pork dish made with lime, cilantro, garlic and served with sticky rice. One just rolls the rice up into a ball and scoops up the main dish with it. My first experience with sticky rice was a delight. Sitcky rice with mango is also favorite breakfast dish. What I have learned in this part of the world is that there are maybe 80 varieties of rice grown here and sticky rice is only one and it is a type of its own. It is much more glutinous than other rice which gives it its texture. Did you know that Thailand is the world's largest exporter of rice with Vietnam being second? But I digress from Vientiane. It is a lovely city to walk around in and we did a lot of that along with visiting its very famous Wat and the incomplete Arch of Triumph, which is patterned after the French but quite a bit smaller. Begun in 1962 it will probably never be finished given the current political status of the country. That does not mean that there is not still leftover French influence in the architecture, and especially the cooking. The greatest French bakeries with the baskets of French breads of all kinds are everywhere and we enjoyed our morning coffee in one every day that we were there.
Our trip included visiting the village of Vong Vien, now a jumpoff site for kayaking, trekking, tubing, and just laying back. Our sport of choice was kayaking for several hours down the Nam Song river - if found it truly exciting. Fortunately for me, last winter when Greg and I were in Puerto Escondido he encouraged me to go kayaking with him on the lagoon outside our city in a natural reserve. I had always been scared of kayaks thinking if I was in danger I would never be able to roll it around, upright and escape. But there in Mexico, we went out on a sea kayak with legs free to jump out if need be. We had similar kayaks in Laos. When we teamed up, however, I chose to go with the guide as the river was full enough to have some decent white rapids which would be a first for me. We proceeded down the river surrounded by incredible landscapes of forest jungle mountains, rice paddies, and a variety of all the tropical flowers one might expect to see on a riverside. Some of the mountain peaks were clouded with mist creating a dreamy atmosphere. In full sun everything sparkled with green and gold light on the water. Like every river I have been on so far, the water is that milk chocolaty brown which comes from the rapid flow of the river churning up the bottom.
Later we went to Luang Prabang, the earlier capital and seat of the monarchy. This is a really small capital but full of again French influence. Our first outing was to the night market as we arrived late afternoon. So many items for sale along two blocks of the city which is closed to traffic every night. What was of most interest were the crafts from the Hmong tribes. Lovely woven items of all sorts with multicolored yarns and scroll stamping...bedspreads, purses, friendship bracelets and more. This is truly a very colorful market that is sometimes left in the drk as the lights flicker and go out from brownouts. It is a bit difficult to shop in the dark, but people seem to manage. A nice aspect of LP is the lack of raging. The pace is much slower and there are fewer around, so that helps with walking. I am amazed that no matter where I have been in Thailand, pedestrian traffic is essentially ignored and one cannot even walk on the sidewalks, if they exist at all. Even in Chang Mai I found myself having to step off the blocked sidewalks as shops and restaurants extended to the curb.
I enjoyed another of boating on the Mekong as we travelled upriver to visit the Buddha caves. A very large limestone cave contains hundreds if not thousands of Buddhas left there by the faithful. In fact in the past the King used to lead the boat procession to the caves once a year (and I forget which holiday) followed by the faithful and leave a Buddha in tribute. Again on this trip we stopped at a Hmong village which was very poor indeed but full of tourist souveneir racks. Even in Thailand, one has to be sure you are finding Thai goods. There are lots of items available from all over Asia and if I were to buy anything, I wanted it to be made in Thailand. At this village, there was one woman who was actually weaving cotton oblongs which were quite soft and simple in design. They were finished off with a little fringe and can be used for a scarf, a table piece, or a kitchen towel. For only 20 baht, I bought one because it was genuine. (33 baht to a dollar).
We visited the National Museum which used to be the National Palace. The last king disappeared mysteriously after the Pathet Lao overturned the monarch and has never been heard of. Although it is strongly written in many places that he and his wife and son were carted off to the mountains and basically starved to death in jungle conditions. The Museum was, of course, a gold and red fantasy which lots of silk brocade, couches, king's room, queen's room and all that goes with royalty although at this point probably not as elaborate with items that might have been originally found there. A real highlight were the brightly colored mirrored glass mosaics on the walls which threw off great light and sparkles to the rooms they decorated. Later that evening we went to the Royal Ballet performance in what used to be the Royal Theater. The performance was done in the Thai dance tradition of masked performers, elaborate costumes, and wonderful hand motions from the women dancers. The male dancers were quite athletic as they performed so many routines with legs at 90 degree angles. I still prefer traditional ballet, but this was fun to see.
I had a great outing through villages and mountains to one of the country's large waterful. Just standing at the bridge at the bottom was like being in the rain. I did manage to swim in one of the lower pools but was pretty careful so that I would not lose any balance. I do not think I would have been swept over the next small fall, but did not want to take any chance. No one else did. But I just could not resist having a refreshing dip in this beautiful place. On our walk back, we came across a bear sanctuary and it was fun to see more of these beautiful creatures. While I was doing all this, Greg was off elephant trekking and kayaking.
As I write this I am in Phuket where the political protestors have shut down the airports. It is safe where I am but there is a determination to shut down this current government and closing of travel for tourists seems to be one of the tactics. This country cannot survive without tourism, its number one industry. We are in a delightful lodge complete with tropical gardens, swimming pool and all in all a delightful place full of travellers from all over the world. Waterfalls provide the soothing gurgling backdrop to this oasis just 100 yards from a main road. It is very near the school where I will be teaching and I will stay here until I can find something closer so that I can walk to school. If all goes well and the airports open, Greg flies to Chiang Mai on Sunday to attend the Language Arts School at the University for a month.
Love to all. Please send me a line now and then. I will catch up on Chiang Mai next time.
Geraldine
Our last excursion with Language Corps was a memorable trip to Laos: Vientiane, the Capitol and Vong Vien, a river area several hours away by van. I loved Vientiane so very different from where I had been in other cuntries. A quiet, French influenced city on the banks of the Mekong, it is manageable, provincial and a place where one could retire. It lacks the hustle and bustle of a major Asian City but nonetheless has its own character but shares with others the pervasive Buddhism as reflected in numerous Wats, temples and monasteries. The most famous in the center of the city is enriched with colorful gold and mosaic buildings with incredible paintings of the life of the Buddha inside. I was startled to see one such painting with a very St. Christopher like figure carrying the Buddha on his shoulders and which reminded me how very similar are the beginnings of all of our religious cultures.
Some great Laotian local restaurants are situated right on the river which is really a main part of the City and we enjoyed several great meals. One such dish is a ground pork dish made with lime, cilantro, garlic and served with sticky rice. One just rolls the rice up into a ball and scoops up the main dish with it. My first experience with sticky rice was a delight. Sitcky rice with mango is also favorite breakfast dish. What I have learned in this part of the world is that there are maybe 80 varieties of rice grown here and sticky rice is only one and it is a type of its own. It is much more glutinous than other rice which gives it its texture. Did you know that Thailand is the world's largest exporter of rice with Vietnam being second? But I digress from Vientiane. It is a lovely city to walk around in and we did a lot of that along with visiting its very famous Wat and the incomplete Arch of Triumph, which is patterned after the French but quite a bit smaller. Begun in 1962 it will probably never be finished given the current political status of the country. That does not mean that there is not still leftover French influence in the architecture, and especially the cooking. The greatest French bakeries with the baskets of French breads of all kinds are everywhere and we enjoyed our morning coffee in one every day that we were there.
Our trip included visiting the village of Vong Vien, now a jumpoff site for kayaking, trekking, tubing, and just laying back. Our sport of choice was kayaking for several hours down the Nam Song river - if found it truly exciting. Fortunately for me, last winter when Greg and I were in Puerto Escondido he encouraged me to go kayaking with him on the lagoon outside our city in a natural reserve. I had always been scared of kayaks thinking if I was in danger I would never be able to roll it around, upright and escape. But there in Mexico, we went out on a sea kayak with legs free to jump out if need be. We had similar kayaks in Laos. When we teamed up, however, I chose to go with the guide as the river was full enough to have some decent white rapids which would be a first for me. We proceeded down the river surrounded by incredible landscapes of forest jungle mountains, rice paddies, and a variety of all the tropical flowers one might expect to see on a riverside. Some of the mountain peaks were clouded with mist creating a dreamy atmosphere. In full sun everything sparkled with green and gold light on the water. Like every river I have been on so far, the water is that milk chocolaty brown which comes from the rapid flow of the river churning up the bottom.
Later we went to Luang Prabang, the earlier capital and seat of the monarchy. This is a really small capital but full of again French influence. Our first outing was to the night market as we arrived late afternoon. So many items for sale along two blocks of the city which is closed to traffic every night. What was of most interest were the crafts from the Hmong tribes. Lovely woven items of all sorts with multicolored yarns and scroll stamping...bedspreads, purses, friendship bracelets and more. This is truly a very colorful market that is sometimes left in the drk as the lights flicker and go out from brownouts. It is a bit difficult to shop in the dark, but people seem to manage. A nice aspect of LP is the lack of raging. The pace is much slower and there are fewer around, so that helps with walking. I am amazed that no matter where I have been in Thailand, pedestrian traffic is essentially ignored and one cannot even walk on the sidewalks, if they exist at all. Even in Chang Mai I found myself having to step off the blocked sidewalks as shops and restaurants extended to the curb.
I enjoyed another of boating on the Mekong as we travelled upriver to visit the Buddha caves. A very large limestone cave contains hundreds if not thousands of Buddhas left there by the faithful. In fact in the past the King used to lead the boat procession to the caves once a year (and I forget which holiday) followed by the faithful and leave a Buddha in tribute. Again on this trip we stopped at a Hmong village which was very poor indeed but full of tourist souveneir racks. Even in Thailand, one has to be sure you are finding Thai goods. There are lots of items available from all over Asia and if I were to buy anything, I wanted it to be made in Thailand. At this village, there was one woman who was actually weaving cotton oblongs which were quite soft and simple in design. They were finished off with a little fringe and can be used for a scarf, a table piece, or a kitchen towel. For only 20 baht, I bought one because it was genuine. (33 baht to a dollar).
We visited the National Museum which used to be the National Palace. The last king disappeared mysteriously after the Pathet Lao overturned the monarch and has never been heard of. Although it is strongly written in many places that he and his wife and son were carted off to the mountains and basically starved to death in jungle conditions. The Museum was, of course, a gold and red fantasy which lots of silk brocade, couches, king's room, queen's room and all that goes with royalty although at this point probably not as elaborate with items that might have been originally found there. A real highlight were the brightly colored mirrored glass mosaics on the walls which threw off great light and sparkles to the rooms they decorated. Later that evening we went to the Royal Ballet performance in what used to be the Royal Theater. The performance was done in the Thai dance tradition of masked performers, elaborate costumes, and wonderful hand motions from the women dancers. The male dancers were quite athletic as they performed so many routines with legs at 90 degree angles. I still prefer traditional ballet, but this was fun to see.
I had a great outing through villages and mountains to one of the country's large waterful. Just standing at the bridge at the bottom was like being in the rain. I did manage to swim in one of the lower pools but was pretty careful so that I would not lose any balance. I do not think I would have been swept over the next small fall, but did not want to take any chance. No one else did. But I just could not resist having a refreshing dip in this beautiful place. On our walk back, we came across a bear sanctuary and it was fun to see more of these beautiful creatures. While I was doing all this, Greg was off elephant trekking and kayaking.
As I write this I am in Phuket where the political protestors have shut down the airports. It is safe where I am but there is a determination to shut down this current government and closing of travel for tourists seems to be one of the tactics. This country cannot survive without tourism, its number one industry. We are in a delightful lodge complete with tropical gardens, swimming pool and all in all a delightful place full of travellers from all over the world. Waterfalls provide the soothing gurgling backdrop to this oasis just 100 yards from a main road. It is very near the school where I will be teaching and I will stay here until I can find something closer so that I can walk to school. If all goes well and the airports open, Greg flies to Chiang Mai on Sunday to attend the Language Arts School at the University for a month.
Love to all. Please send me a line now and then. I will catch up on Chiang Mai next time.
Geraldine
Monday, July 21, 2008
A Few Cultural Notes
Just thought I would add a few more cultural notes. During my stay in Cambodia , the national elections had begun. For 30 days before the election (which is July 28) the parties begin their campaigns. Trucks, taxis, cars, and tuk tuks are decorated with the banners and photos of the leaders for the political parties and loaded with volunteers sporting the colors by wearing the appropriate T shirts and hats. The loudspeakers carry music and messages of the party. The volunteers are the cheering squads which wave flags and also pass out literature during stops. The current party is expected to win but one needs to be wary as Election Day nears and then on Election Night after the results are in. It is not unknown to have brawls and shootings among the competitors. It does not matter that between 14,000 and 16,000 election observers are in the country.
Asian women think being white is great or the paler the better. All kinds of lotions for the body have whitener in them if you want it: bath gel, soap, moisturizers, and even deodorant. A lot of skin cream is made which carries the label with whitener. Those who use it swear it works; those who don’t say too many of the products have bleach in them which they believe only gives a grey pallor. Beauty is whatever, wherever.
So far the Thai women that I have met can really drink and they love to eat. I cannot believe how much food they order and eat during the day. I got to observe this on our recent excursion to Koh Chang, a beautiful island off the coast of Thailand about 5 hours south of Pattaya and mayb e 6 or 7 hours from Bangkok . Thais seem to like to travel in groups and really do have a great deal of fun. It is really okay to have fun. Even though the trip was for the Language Corps participants friends and others of the staff were also invited. The more the merrier and that made it a lot of fun.
After our five hour drive and food stops we took a 30 minute ferry drive and were extremely grateful to get to our hotel which was right on a lovely white sand beach. I was in the water in no time flat and just fully enjoyed the warm waters and easy body surfing waves. After a good while, I jumped into the hotel pool and luxuriated some more in what could have been cooler water. Then, of course, a beer at the poolside bar. Pretty much everyone was doing the same. Dinner of lots of seafood was farther up the beach, another postcard site, and everything was delicious.
The next day after enjoying the morning and early afternoon just swimming and exploring around the hotel, we all went to a village on the water built on stilts. It was great walking the narrow walkway with all the usual souvenir shops, food shops, bake shops, and so on all the way to the end of the pier with a very cool lighthouse. Small but with the decorative look of the various temples and wats on a much simpler scale, but nonetheless unique. After exploring this place, we backtracked and found our restaurant on one of the arms off the pier. What a beautiful site with mist hanging over the nearby jungle mountains, lovely pagoda houses hugging the shore and the hillside, Asian boats moving around in the water, some for fishing, some for recreation. Believe it or not, the fishing boats are wildly decorated with great splashes of color and designs that are from the sea, from myth, and from religion. And they are indeed kept immaculate. Most, of course, are made of teak. Needless to say we spent a long afternoon eating steamed crabs and washing them down with some great beer. One of our crew kept looking longingly at one of the neat looking pagoda houses, complete with guest house, and speculating that he would own that in about ten years.
We capped the weekend off by visiting a pounding, spray-shooting waterfall but only after more food ( the most fantastic spit roasted chicken and sticky rice). Only a few of us walked through the jungle path to get to the waterfall. Because it had been raining, the way was slick in a lot of places and only muddy in a few. I guess we trekked in about 40 minutes and just stood in awe at the water and spray thundering down the rock side in front of us. We followed a rope line to cross from one side of the water flow to the other and was that ever refreshing. We were able to swim around at the pool just past the falling water by holding onto ropes. The current was way too fast to allow for swimming freely. I did a little more rock climbing than I am used to do all this, but it was worth the trip.
Back to school and teaching the next day along with some more Thai language lessons. I am not doing all that well learning Thai, to tell the truth, but I am trying. It is really hard. Talk to you all soon.
Asian women think being white is great or the paler the better. All kinds of lotions for the body have whitener in them if you want it: bath gel, soap, moisturizers, and even deodorant. A lot of skin cream is made which carries the label with whitener. Those who use it swear it works; those who don’t say too many of the products have bleach in them which they believe only gives a grey pallor. Beauty is whatever, wherever.
So far the Thai women that I have met can really drink and they love to eat. I cannot believe how much food they order and eat during the day. I got to observe this on our recent excursion to Koh Chang, a beautiful island off the coast of Thailand about 5 hours south of Pattaya and mayb e 6 or 7 hours from Bangkok . Thais seem to like to travel in groups and really do have a great deal of fun. It is really okay to have fun. Even though the trip was for the Language Corps participants friends and others of the staff were also invited. The more the merrier and that made it a lot of fun.
After our five hour drive and food stops we took a 30 minute ferry drive and were extremely grateful to get to our hotel which was right on a lovely white sand beach. I was in the water in no time flat and just fully enjoyed the warm waters and easy body surfing waves. After a good while, I jumped into the hotel pool and luxuriated some more in what could have been cooler water. Then, of course, a beer at the poolside bar. Pretty much everyone was doing the same. Dinner of lots of seafood was farther up the beach, another postcard site, and everything was delicious.
The next day after enjoying the morning and early afternoon just swimming and exploring around the hotel, we all went to a village on the water built on stilts. It was great walking the narrow walkway with all the usual souvenir shops, food shops, bake shops, and so on all the way to the end of the pier with a very cool lighthouse. Small but with the decorative look of the various temples and wats on a much simpler scale, but nonetheless unique. After exploring this place, we backtracked and found our restaurant on one of the arms off the pier. What a beautiful site with mist hanging over the nearby jungle mountains, lovely pagoda houses hugging the shore and the hillside, Asian boats moving around in the water, some for fishing, some for recreation. Believe it or not, the fishing boats are wildly decorated with great splashes of color and designs that are from the sea, from myth, and from religion. And they are indeed kept immaculate. Most, of course, are made of teak. Needless to say we spent a long afternoon eating steamed crabs and washing them down with some great beer. One of our crew kept looking longingly at one of the neat looking pagoda houses, complete with guest house, and speculating that he would own that in about ten years.
We capped the weekend off by visiting a pounding, spray-shooting waterfall but only after more food ( the most fantastic spit roasted chicken and sticky rice). Only a few of us walked through the jungle path to get to the waterfall. Because it had been raining, the way was slick in a lot of places and only muddy in a few. I guess we trekked in about 40 minutes and just stood in awe at the water and spray thundering down the rock side in front of us. We followed a rope line to cross from one side of the water flow to the other and was that ever refreshing. We were able to swim around at the pool just past the falling water by holding onto ropes. The current was way too fast to allow for swimming freely. I did a little more rock climbing than I am used to do all this, but it was worth the trip.
Back to school and teaching the next day along with some more Thai language lessons. I am not doing all that well learning Thai, to tell the truth, but I am trying. It is really hard. Talk to you all soon.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Cambodia
When I last left off, I was on my way to Cambodia. The family and I left Phnom Penh and travelled by bus and ferry and fortunately the bus was air conditioned and comfortable. Our first glimpse into Cambodia included a huge casino and there are many in Cambodia even though Cambodians are not allowed to gamble. The Thais and other Asians travel here to do so. Hot and exhausted we arrived and found our Tuk Tuks waiting for us. Another new experience. Tuk Tuks are motorbike driven carriages which hold anywhere from 1 to 6 people depending on how tightly everyone wants to squeeze in. I was to ride them many times in Cambodia as it is the only way to travel other than motorbike. Now I was to hear everywhere, "Tuk Tuk, Madame."
Language Corps rents a villa for its students - not as fancy as it sounds but quite large with six bedrooms with just about all having a private bath. Kitchen facilities are available but nobody really cooks - it is just as cheap and maybe cheaper to eat out. Other than making coffee in the morning with my one cup dripper, I did no cooking at all. My bedroom was very large, air conditioned and bright. We actually had our first evening's dinner at a downtown mall which had a food court. There were hamburgers and pizza, fried chicken and french fries along with many Asian fast food stalls. Pnomh Penh (PP) is one of those cities with great anomalies; air conditioned malls around the corner with tropical, steaming local markets two streets over. Most restaurants do not have air conditioning and those that do charge quite a bit more for the pleasure; most have ceiling fans.
PP is much smaller than Vietnam, just as hot, but has some truly beautiful buildings with both French and Indian influence. It has its areas of lovely homes but every house, big and small, is gated with high fences topped with spikes and barbed wire. Talk about your gated communities. The same was true in many areas of Ho Chi Minh City. There was an incredible amount of new housing developments in HCMH and in PP there are some major commercial projects going up downtown and in the river area.
Our language instruction was pretty intensive and we had lots of work to do every night both during the TESOL and Khmer language training. I must admit after all that I still do not know very much Khmer but have a pretty good basic book. We were taught phonetics more than anything as the Khmer language is similar to a sanskrit so there is absolutely no similariity to English whereas the Vietnamese language shares the same alphabet. But I am finding it interesting that one can really teach without knowing the native language.
Although there is a "democracy" in Cambodia, there is a King who is very popular and revered and who does have a lot of influence in the Country. The Royal Palace preserves a treasure of art and artifacts and is full of Buddhas and figures of the Buddhist tradition. The Palace grounds, where the King actually lives, are covered with buildings that display Wats, Stupas, royal rooms and gardens. One Buddha is covered with diamonds and gold and one Stupa is made of silver, naturally called the Silver Stupa. Wat Pnomh is the City's centerpiece for pilgrims and devotees who continually visit the Buddha, make offerings, and pray. This temple is on a city hilltop in the midst of PP and houses a park for recreation for all. ELephant rides are a source of entertainment for kids and tourists, although I felt sorry for the elephant, and wild monkeys add another delight for the kids as they are pretty tame and and fearless and are happy to get treats all day long. Their favorite treats are the lotus seeds - we all liked them, too. The City itself has all the old marks of what once was considered one of the most beautiful in Asia but has suffered with all the setbacks that had taken place in the 70's. Many still talk about the "killing times" and almost everyone lost someone to the savage genocide of the Pol Pot regime.
It is amazing to me that in 1975, Pol Pot announced that everyone had to vacate the City of Phnom Penh as the United States was going to attack any time with bombs and, therefore, all should be moved to the country for safety. The safety for many meant imprisonment, torture, and death. Millions were killed in what was designated as the "killing fields." One can now visit a couple of these places which are all around the country and whose graves are still being excavated. I visited one just outside PP and was so stunned to see the stupa made of human skulls as a tribute to those who died. Huge depressions in the area indicated places where bodies had been found and dirt mounds were piled up in areas where excavating was still going on. There is also a museum where prisoners were kept before being killed with pictures of many who had been incarcerated and tortured there and then brought out to be killed in the surrounding countryside. It is really an agonizing and horrifiying site. Visitors to both the fields and museums were so incredibly silent and respectful and awestruck at the photos of horrors. Those who had been in charge were very careful to document everyone and just about everything. During the Pol Pot regime, only 50,000 people remained in PP, all military and supporters of the dictator. Although he has died, there are still a few, very aged men awaiting trials - the process of which has gone for a long time and they may all die before completion.
PP evoked a much more sense of culture than I felt in HCMC. The people were very friendly and outgoing, interested in foreigners, industrious, and obviously steeped in Buddhism. The Museum of Art has a major sculpture collection of artifacts taken from Angkor Wat which we visited as part of our cultural education. Busy markets are everywhere, and the streets are full of shops, food stalls, which are all basically sidewalk businesses. The city is full of small businesses which spread out to the sidewalk so a lot of buying, selling, making is done outside or almost outside. The city boasts a lively riverside area patronized by tourists, Cambodians, and lots of ex pats. It is becoming very popular with British and Australians who are discovering and prefer its pace to HCMH or to Bangkok. The major problem is a lace of sanitation infrastructure and unfortunately a lot of stuff goes into the river. Although city streets are cleaned up every night and there is garbage pickup in the city every nights, there are still remnants of litter and garbage almost everywhere. So many apartment buildings have restaurants or shops on the bottom floor and I can tell you I would never live above one. There are, of course, sections where there is enough wealth to keep help for cleaning the streets and areas surrounding the houses swept and picked up, but most areas need some work. At night the streets are filled with trash in small plastic bags which are mostly picked up during the night, so early morning produces many cleaned up areas. But it all goes to naught by the time evening and the meals are served outside, the shopping is done, the repair work has left its litter, etc. The worst part is, of course, the smells around the markets and restaurants. Alleys entrances to many apartments are pretty messy. I have no doubt that all this will change within 20 years. There is just too much investment and interest and movement in what is now a reasonably cheap City and recognized as a growth area by developers from all over.
There were four students in my class and we really had a wonderful time. Brent, our family man and father of three with one on the way, was a pretty hilarious fellow who lightened up our class. We took our daily Tuk Tuks back and forth to Pannasastra University (panyasat is common pronounciation), and where I can most likely teach in October. We usually stopped for lunch in the downtown area. We sampled a lot of restaurants and most were very good and pretty cheap. Lots of noodles and rice along with whatever. There are supermarkets here as well where we bought stuff to take home, but anything again not local was expensive.
I must tell you that I am called Queen by our Director and by my classmates. At the beginning of our first class a "warmer" as it is called had us elicit nicknames for each other based on a very superficial and cursory introduction to one another. I got the title of Queen only because I was the only woman in the group. Aside from Brent, the dad, who is about 36, the other two men are in their 60s. One is changing a lifestyle and moving to Cambodia and the other wanted to renew his TESOL course - he has been teaching in various countries for over 25 years.
A major highlight of our stay there was a visit to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat, the early capitol of Cambodia...... The site is more than impressive consisting of temples, water ways, small lakes, large bath areas. It covers a huge area in Angkor Thom and is a major historical site. One could spend a week there easily as there are so many temples both close to Angkor Wat the main one and many outliers. The beauty to the early visitor must have been startling. Four sided towers with the giant carved faces of The Buddha are really awesome and the historical carvings on the walls which depict history and myth truly fascinate. Rather than using stylistic images, one can really see the differences between the Chinese and Khmer armies doing battle so long ago. Lots of pictorials of daily life, religious ceremonies, and battles really intrigue, but best to bring a guide book or go with a guide. Monks still live in the main buildings and maintain the preserved Buddha statues and pilgrims brings offerings of all kinds.
We all visited another unrestored site several miles from Angkor and this was a treat. I was reminded of visiting uncovered sites in Mexico. It was quite a trick to climb the various stairs and fallen stone formations, but we managed. There was one place where stone fallings were tumbled all over the place and the guards decided to help me rather than let me go on my own. It was quite a site, with two guards holding one arm each in front of me and literally almost pulling me down over the jumbled array. I would have been better off on my own, but they would not let go. Especially nice about this area is that it is pretty untouched and unvisited so there is lots of time and room to explore.
Siem Reap itself is a lovely small city that has benefitted greatly from the tourism for Angkor. It is really clean, lots of restaurants and good markets. Construction has included a really wonderful new Museum housing a lot of the artifacts from Angkor - the statuary is really incredible. Lots of new apartment buildings and condos along with some pretty commercial areas. It would be a great place to live if it just were not so off the beaten path.
Back to school for the final leg of the course and our practice teaching. I had a great time teaching English for a couple of weeks in the afternoon at an orphanage outside the main Phnom Penh. The kids were great and I was really enjoying teaching them. So well behaved and anxious to learn. The orphanage was really a great place and did a lot more than warehouse kids - it also has a lot of support from the varong (foreigners.) The students are taught painting and there are quite a few accomplished artists doing the traditional tourist painting; also silversmithing; beauty salon activities for hair and face care. During one of our lessons, the word doughnut was part of the dialogue and, of course, the students had never heard or seen a doughnut. So the next morning I went to the local bakery and bought a variety of doughnuts to bring to them. They absolutely loved the treat and kept saying that they never had these before. A little cultural exchange. Turned out this was also the last day before we were shipped off to Thailand.
I am continuing my language study of Thai in Pattaya. Pattaya is a pretty unique place and a destination for a lot of horny old men from around the world. I have never seen so many men of a "certain age" in one place at a time, all with beautifuly young Thai women hanging on their arms. Pattaya is pretty much a "sin free" zone and I can't for the life of me figure out why the school is here. One thing is for sure, I am absolutely safe here. The beach area is lovely but nobody swims because the water is not particularly as clean as it could be but there is lots of diving, parasailing, and water skiing going on so it cannot be too bad. I have yet to go swimming as I have been busy and need to go farther down the coast for cleaner, more pristine water. Because Pattaya is on the Bay of Thailand and set in its own bay, it catches a lot of waste from wherever. Lots of places in Asia use the seas and oceans as waste depositories. It is changing, but not fast enough.
I was really lucky and got to go visit my friend Tony Milton in Chiang Mai which is a really beautiful, liveable city. It is situated in the Northwest of Thailand. It was wonderful to see beautiful Wats, Buddhist Temple compounds throughout the City. Gleaming gold in the sunlight, covered with lots of filials and holding the stylized umbrella tower on top, they are an awesome sight. The temples inside are full of ancient artifacts and statuary and dazzle with the beautiful offerings and colorings so associated with Thailand.
I loved being there and could imagine living there for awhile. Tony's house is really a delight and for those of you who know Tony, of course, he is rehabbing it. He and Nuna, his girlfriend, took me around and one of our visits included going to the hot springs about an hour outside of the City. The countryside was just so green and lush and the springs were sedating.
Too soon I had to get back to Pattaya. Here I am also teaching in a church school. Again the students are truly anxious to learn English and they range from about 20 to 48. My Thai classes will go on for another week. And I am committed to teach until July 30 and then who knows? To break the worktime, our Director gets back Thursday and we are going on an excursion to an Island right near here where the beaches are touted to be very swimmable with lots of white sandy beaches, waterfalls, trails, birds, and good fun. I am looking forward to it.
Yesterday, I had to walk all around Pattaya and around the Beach Road and various shopping centers. I can see now how Pattay can grow on one despite the hedonistic nighttime activities. The food which is to be expected in Thailand is great no matter where you go and there are just so many street and sidwalk vendors that it is pretty cheap to taste an incredible variety of dishes. I have had a lot of chicken and rice, fruit, and wonderful noodle soups. Bread is not really a Thai food so there is not too much of that except that, of course, you can get a great variety of it in a supermarket. The supermarkets have just about everything but foreign food is again expensive. Lots of canned food if you have a desire, but pretty pricey. Beer and water is cheap as are local offerings.
Hope you are enjoying all of this. I may stay longer than expected. I have started to send my resumes to various places for teaching English. It might happen or might not, does not matter, but it would be great to be in one place for awhile and really be part of the community. And yes it is true, monks are everywhwere in their saffron robes and still go begging early in the morning. In Cambodia, they all carried umbrellas to protect from the sun which is why one sees so many souveniers and paintings carrying the umbrella covered monks.
Asia is such a contrast. Smack dab in the middle of one of Pattaya's main streets is an really beautiful Wat complex, a side building which houses many massage therapists and on checking it out, I saw what seemd to be 50 or so people on the floor getting their daily therapy. Thais get a lot of massages. I decided this was a bit too communal for me and found a really meditative type massage shop. I went in and had the greatest foot and shoulder massage of all times. The women who run the shop were delightful and my particular therapist was so strong. I literally was jelly afterwards. When finished, we all sat and had jasmine tea, chatted as much as we could, and for sure I am going back.
Keep in touch. I would love to hear about all of you and what is happening. Is it really as bad at home as the news makes it out to be?
Love,
Geraldine
Ignore any typos, please, seems so many keyboards are pretty sticky.
Language Corps rents a villa for its students - not as fancy as it sounds but quite large with six bedrooms with just about all having a private bath. Kitchen facilities are available but nobody really cooks - it is just as cheap and maybe cheaper to eat out. Other than making coffee in the morning with my one cup dripper, I did no cooking at all. My bedroom was very large, air conditioned and bright. We actually had our first evening's dinner at a downtown mall which had a food court. There were hamburgers and pizza, fried chicken and french fries along with many Asian fast food stalls. Pnomh Penh (PP) is one of those cities with great anomalies; air conditioned malls around the corner with tropical, steaming local markets two streets over. Most restaurants do not have air conditioning and those that do charge quite a bit more for the pleasure; most have ceiling fans.
PP is much smaller than Vietnam, just as hot, but has some truly beautiful buildings with both French and Indian influence. It has its areas of lovely homes but every house, big and small, is gated with high fences topped with spikes and barbed wire. Talk about your gated communities. The same was true in many areas of Ho Chi Minh City. There was an incredible amount of new housing developments in HCMH and in PP there are some major commercial projects going up downtown and in the river area.
Our language instruction was pretty intensive and we had lots of work to do every night both during the TESOL and Khmer language training. I must admit after all that I still do not know very much Khmer but have a pretty good basic book. We were taught phonetics more than anything as the Khmer language is similar to a sanskrit so there is absolutely no similariity to English whereas the Vietnamese language shares the same alphabet. But I am finding it interesting that one can really teach without knowing the native language.
Although there is a "democracy" in Cambodia, there is a King who is very popular and revered and who does have a lot of influence in the Country. The Royal Palace preserves a treasure of art and artifacts and is full of Buddhas and figures of the Buddhist tradition. The Palace grounds, where the King actually lives, are covered with buildings that display Wats, Stupas, royal rooms and gardens. One Buddha is covered with diamonds and gold and one Stupa is made of silver, naturally called the Silver Stupa. Wat Pnomh is the City's centerpiece for pilgrims and devotees who continually visit the Buddha, make offerings, and pray. This temple is on a city hilltop in the midst of PP and houses a park for recreation for all. ELephant rides are a source of entertainment for kids and tourists, although I felt sorry for the elephant, and wild monkeys add another delight for the kids as they are pretty tame and and fearless and are happy to get treats all day long. Their favorite treats are the lotus seeds - we all liked them, too. The City itself has all the old marks of what once was considered one of the most beautiful in Asia but has suffered with all the setbacks that had taken place in the 70's. Many still talk about the "killing times" and almost everyone lost someone to the savage genocide of the Pol Pot regime.
It is amazing to me that in 1975, Pol Pot announced that everyone had to vacate the City of Phnom Penh as the United States was going to attack any time with bombs and, therefore, all should be moved to the country for safety. The safety for many meant imprisonment, torture, and death. Millions were killed in what was designated as the "killing fields." One can now visit a couple of these places which are all around the country and whose graves are still being excavated. I visited one just outside PP and was so stunned to see the stupa made of human skulls as a tribute to those who died. Huge depressions in the area indicated places where bodies had been found and dirt mounds were piled up in areas where excavating was still going on. There is also a museum where prisoners were kept before being killed with pictures of many who had been incarcerated and tortured there and then brought out to be killed in the surrounding countryside. It is really an agonizing and horrifiying site. Visitors to both the fields and museums were so incredibly silent and respectful and awestruck at the photos of horrors. Those who had been in charge were very careful to document everyone and just about everything. During the Pol Pot regime, only 50,000 people remained in PP, all military and supporters of the dictator. Although he has died, there are still a few, very aged men awaiting trials - the process of which has gone for a long time and they may all die before completion.
PP evoked a much more sense of culture than I felt in HCMC. The people were very friendly and outgoing, interested in foreigners, industrious, and obviously steeped in Buddhism. The Museum of Art has a major sculpture collection of artifacts taken from Angkor Wat which we visited as part of our cultural education. Busy markets are everywhere, and the streets are full of shops, food stalls, which are all basically sidewalk businesses. The city is full of small businesses which spread out to the sidewalk so a lot of buying, selling, making is done outside or almost outside. The city boasts a lively riverside area patronized by tourists, Cambodians, and lots of ex pats. It is becoming very popular with British and Australians who are discovering and prefer its pace to HCMH or to Bangkok. The major problem is a lace of sanitation infrastructure and unfortunately a lot of stuff goes into the river. Although city streets are cleaned up every night and there is garbage pickup in the city every nights, there are still remnants of litter and garbage almost everywhere. So many apartment buildings have restaurants or shops on the bottom floor and I can tell you I would never live above one. There are, of course, sections where there is enough wealth to keep help for cleaning the streets and areas surrounding the houses swept and picked up, but most areas need some work. At night the streets are filled with trash in small plastic bags which are mostly picked up during the night, so early morning produces many cleaned up areas. But it all goes to naught by the time evening and the meals are served outside, the shopping is done, the repair work has left its litter, etc. The worst part is, of course, the smells around the markets and restaurants. Alleys entrances to many apartments are pretty messy. I have no doubt that all this will change within 20 years. There is just too much investment and interest and movement in what is now a reasonably cheap City and recognized as a growth area by developers from all over.
There were four students in my class and we really had a wonderful time. Brent, our family man and father of three with one on the way, was a pretty hilarious fellow who lightened up our class. We took our daily Tuk Tuks back and forth to Pannasastra University (panyasat is common pronounciation), and where I can most likely teach in October. We usually stopped for lunch in the downtown area. We sampled a lot of restaurants and most were very good and pretty cheap. Lots of noodles and rice along with whatever. There are supermarkets here as well where we bought stuff to take home, but anything again not local was expensive.
I must tell you that I am called Queen by our Director and by my classmates. At the beginning of our first class a "warmer" as it is called had us elicit nicknames for each other based on a very superficial and cursory introduction to one another. I got the title of Queen only because I was the only woman in the group. Aside from Brent, the dad, who is about 36, the other two men are in their 60s. One is changing a lifestyle and moving to Cambodia and the other wanted to renew his TESOL course - he has been teaching in various countries for over 25 years.
A major highlight of our stay there was a visit to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat, the early capitol of Cambodia...... The site is more than impressive consisting of temples, water ways, small lakes, large bath areas. It covers a huge area in Angkor Thom and is a major historical site. One could spend a week there easily as there are so many temples both close to Angkor Wat the main one and many outliers. The beauty to the early visitor must have been startling. Four sided towers with the giant carved faces of The Buddha are really awesome and the historical carvings on the walls which depict history and myth truly fascinate. Rather than using stylistic images, one can really see the differences between the Chinese and Khmer armies doing battle so long ago. Lots of pictorials of daily life, religious ceremonies, and battles really intrigue, but best to bring a guide book or go with a guide. Monks still live in the main buildings and maintain the preserved Buddha statues and pilgrims brings offerings of all kinds.
We all visited another unrestored site several miles from Angkor and this was a treat. I was reminded of visiting uncovered sites in Mexico. It was quite a trick to climb the various stairs and fallen stone formations, but we managed. There was one place where stone fallings were tumbled all over the place and the guards decided to help me rather than let me go on my own. It was quite a site, with two guards holding one arm each in front of me and literally almost pulling me down over the jumbled array. I would have been better off on my own, but they would not let go. Especially nice about this area is that it is pretty untouched and unvisited so there is lots of time and room to explore.
Siem Reap itself is a lovely small city that has benefitted greatly from the tourism for Angkor. It is really clean, lots of restaurants and good markets. Construction has included a really wonderful new Museum housing a lot of the artifacts from Angkor - the statuary is really incredible. Lots of new apartment buildings and condos along with some pretty commercial areas. It would be a great place to live if it just were not so off the beaten path.
Back to school for the final leg of the course and our practice teaching. I had a great time teaching English for a couple of weeks in the afternoon at an orphanage outside the main Phnom Penh. The kids were great and I was really enjoying teaching them. So well behaved and anxious to learn. The orphanage was really a great place and did a lot more than warehouse kids - it also has a lot of support from the varong (foreigners.) The students are taught painting and there are quite a few accomplished artists doing the traditional tourist painting; also silversmithing; beauty salon activities for hair and face care. During one of our lessons, the word doughnut was part of the dialogue and, of course, the students had never heard or seen a doughnut. So the next morning I went to the local bakery and bought a variety of doughnuts to bring to them. They absolutely loved the treat and kept saying that they never had these before. A little cultural exchange. Turned out this was also the last day before we were shipped off to Thailand.
I am continuing my language study of Thai in Pattaya. Pattaya is a pretty unique place and a destination for a lot of horny old men from around the world. I have never seen so many men of a "certain age" in one place at a time, all with beautifuly young Thai women hanging on their arms. Pattaya is pretty much a "sin free" zone and I can't for the life of me figure out why the school is here. One thing is for sure, I am absolutely safe here. The beach area is lovely but nobody swims because the water is not particularly as clean as it could be but there is lots of diving, parasailing, and water skiing going on so it cannot be too bad. I have yet to go swimming as I have been busy and need to go farther down the coast for cleaner, more pristine water. Because Pattaya is on the Bay of Thailand and set in its own bay, it catches a lot of waste from wherever. Lots of places in Asia use the seas and oceans as waste depositories. It is changing, but not fast enough.
I was really lucky and got to go visit my friend Tony Milton in Chiang Mai which is a really beautiful, liveable city. It is situated in the Northwest of Thailand. It was wonderful to see beautiful Wats, Buddhist Temple compounds throughout the City. Gleaming gold in the sunlight, covered with lots of filials and holding the stylized umbrella tower on top, they are an awesome sight. The temples inside are full of ancient artifacts and statuary and dazzle with the beautiful offerings and colorings so associated with Thailand.
I loved being there and could imagine living there for awhile. Tony's house is really a delight and for those of you who know Tony, of course, he is rehabbing it. He and Nuna, his girlfriend, took me around and one of our visits included going to the hot springs about an hour outside of the City. The countryside was just so green and lush and the springs were sedating.
Too soon I had to get back to Pattaya. Here I am also teaching in a church school. Again the students are truly anxious to learn English and they range from about 20 to 48. My Thai classes will go on for another week. And I am committed to teach until July 30 and then who knows? To break the worktime, our Director gets back Thursday and we are going on an excursion to an Island right near here where the beaches are touted to be very swimmable with lots of white sandy beaches, waterfalls, trails, birds, and good fun. I am looking forward to it.
Yesterday, I had to walk all around Pattaya and around the Beach Road and various shopping centers. I can see now how Pattay can grow on one despite the hedonistic nighttime activities. The food which is to be expected in Thailand is great no matter where you go and there are just so many street and sidwalk vendors that it is pretty cheap to taste an incredible variety of dishes. I have had a lot of chicken and rice, fruit, and wonderful noodle soups. Bread is not really a Thai food so there is not too much of that except that, of course, you can get a great variety of it in a supermarket. The supermarkets have just about everything but foreign food is again expensive. Lots of canned food if you have a desire, but pretty pricey. Beer and water is cheap as are local offerings.
Hope you are enjoying all of this. I may stay longer than expected. I have started to send my resumes to various places for teaching English. It might happen or might not, does not matter, but it would be great to be in one place for awhile and really be part of the community. And yes it is true, monks are everywhwere in their saffron robes and still go begging early in the morning. In Cambodia, they all carried umbrellas to protect from the sun which is why one sees so many souveniers and paintings carrying the umbrella covered monks.
Asia is such a contrast. Smack dab in the middle of one of Pattaya's main streets is an really beautiful Wat complex, a side building which houses many massage therapists and on checking it out, I saw what seemd to be 50 or so people on the floor getting their daily therapy. Thais get a lot of massages. I decided this was a bit too communal for me and found a really meditative type massage shop. I went in and had the greatest foot and shoulder massage of all times. The women who run the shop were delightful and my particular therapist was so strong. I literally was jelly afterwards. When finished, we all sat and had jasmine tea, chatted as much as we could, and for sure I am going back.
Keep in touch. I would love to hear about all of you and what is happening. Is it really as bad at home as the news makes it out to be?
Love,
Geraldine
Ignore any typos, please, seems so many keyboards are pretty sticky.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Asia for the first time
I have been in SE Asia now for almost four weeks. It seems a lifetime ago that I left Santa Fe. When I arrived in Vietnam, it was midnight and all I wanted to do was get through the visa process and get to my hotel. Fortunately for me, I was the only one in line at that hour and all went smoothly. I did have my authorization letter from Language Arts so there were no problems. The entrance reminded me alittle bit of the Mexican process. Twoguys who actually processed the visas and about four runners who just passed everything along and then back to the front desk. I now have a very fancy visa stuck in my passport.
I had expected everything to go smoothly and it did; my school contact was waiting outside with my name waving in the air. Hien was there with a friend and they hustled me off to a taxi and within 15 minutes I was at my hotel. At 1:30 a.m. Heine was showing me a map of the city and directions to walk to the school the next day. I was barely awake and just wanted a shower and some sleep. I hardly noticed much on the drive from the airport but Hiene and her friend were giggling a lot and I found out later that because they knew my age they were expecting someone quite a bit different. Since I was carrying a backpack and a small carry on backpack, they thought I was amazingly strong.
My room was neat, clean, two beds, hot water and TV. But my first impression of Vietnam was to come the next morning when I left the hotel. Vietnamese seem to live outdoors: sidewalks are crowded with outdoor restaurants where lots of street cooking offers the hungry just about everything from noodles to crab to rice and lots of pho or soup stands. Most startlingly were the motor bikes that zipped everywhere, in and out, side to side, forward and back totally unmindful of pedestrians. I have decided that Vietnam drivers have a motto: whoever is the biggest, honks the loudest and stares straight decided gets there first and wins. After several hesitant starts across the streets, I just learned just to plow forward, walk slowly and play dodgem with the oncoming traffic. There are a few areas where there are actually lights with countdown seconds for the pedestrian but even then one cannot be assured that motor bikes will keep still for even those seconds. There is always a quick turn to be sneaked in. There are laws but who cares.
I did not manage to find the school that first day. I was on the right street and in the area and asked several people where #47 was and believe it or not, each one had a different opinion. Finally one motorbike driver told me to hop on: a passerby spoke English, read my map and told him of my plight. I was hesitant both because it seemed like a scarey proposition and because I did not yet have any dong (money) and had only twenties in US. So I told her and she told him I did not have any money: no problem, the ride is frree, he motioned. That was an incredible gesture - nobody gives free rides in Vietnam. I think half the population makes some kind of living driving taxi bikes and bicycle chairs. Anyhow, I got on and we drove round and round the ame few blocks for at least a half an hour. Even he who could ask directions in Vietnamese could not find the right building. It was kind of amazing to be behind this skinny young man and holding on - I was afraid I would crush him. However, I discovered that they are not gdriving as fast as it seems when you are trying to avoid them. After all this frustration on his part and mine, I finally indicated in sigh language that I would just try to walk some more and find it. I felt really bad that he was using his petrol for me but I was not going to give him a $20.00 bill; I am on a tight budget, naturally.
That first day I sure spent a lot of time walking but I find it is always fun to walk around a new city. I had been told there was not much to see in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMH) and discovered that was the truth. I stopped and had lunch somewhere, noodles, I am sure and iced tea. Yes you can get cold tea - usually green and often some tasty local herbal tea. As I walked around I discovered quite a few lovely parks between my hotel and the school so found lots of places to sit for awhile in the shade. When I finally got back to my hotel, I called Hien and she had forgotten to tell me that the school's building was, in fact, down an alley. But it was a good day and one stop for tea was in a gem shop where three of the young waittresses crowded around my table to speak in English and ask as many questions as they could. The young women were all dressed in native Vietnamese dresses with pants and long, silk embroidered overdresses. They were quite beautiful. I found that striking up a conversation happened whenever I stopped and somene had the opportunity to talk with me. They always asked my age.
Several of my fun days involved talking with students in this particular park near the university. They would approach and ask if I spoke English and the proceed to talk. It was sometimes difficult to understand but often they would have questions about an English sound or format. Generally we would talk for about an hour. After all, I had no real agenda; my time in HCMH was pretty free as this was my prelude before beginning school in Cambodia.
I made an effort to see what there was to see in HCMC: a pagoda with lots of jade, the Art Museum, the Market, the high end tourist area, the Opera house, the Post Office, the People's Cultural Center and really just get a feel for the City. The latter was an incredible rectangle of a low, white, modern building filled with rooms used for official purposes: lots of red and gold. Overall I did not get a real sense of culture surrounding me and when I checked with others, they felt the same way. Not sure why this is but the Vietnam has been occupied for so long by so many; it all felt rather bland to me, but not unexciting. Lots of noise, vendors, and motion. Like any third world city, there was lots of trash and when the street kitchens and restaurants in the highly populous or lower rent districts had served all day and into the evening, the smell of garbage permeated many streets. Remember I was not in the truly low rent district, but certainly not in the high.
The staff at my small hotel were friendly, very servicing, and kept watch over me. After spending a couple of days alone, however, one of my classmates and his family showed up. I could not believe this couple. They brought their three children and one on the way to Vietnam. They planned on staying for at least a year after he finished the TESOL course and wanted to be in Vietnam as they had a three year old Vietnamese daughter whom they had adopted. Being from Texas they were certainly outgoing and friendly and it turns out Brent (my classmate) was truly a comic relief blessing in our future classes. I found out later they were deeply Christian and were planning on doing some missionary work in Vietnam. Kind of a scarey thing to do there, as it is indeed a Communist country and Christianity is not someting the government wants spread around as it is so associated with "western." I was to travel and live with a whole family for the first two weeks in Cambodia.
I spent a couple of days in the Mekong Delta. Taking a bus with hotels and breakfast was $30 for three days and two nights. Lunch and dinners were not included. Amazing. Of course, the hotels were pretty basic, but totally liveable. I was joined by several women who were sisters and in-laws from Singapore, a few young couples from Malaysia and a couple of young women from England and, finally of course, a couple of Australians. I met Australians everywhere as travel to and from SE Asia is pretty reasonable for them. The Singapore women were completely taken aback that I was travelling alone, but I assured them that I had friends back at the hotel and was meeting more people later in my trip. They did not all speak English, but the older sister did and we had some interesting conversations. Again, my age became a question and they were interested because one of the sisters travelling with the group was 65 and had bad legs. I feel so fortunate for my health. The English young women had been travelling for six months beginning in South America. They were quite adventurous.
The Mekong is a big river for sure and I would not want to fall into it. To get there the bus took about 5 hours and we made stops along the way. Our guides spoke pretty good English. We took lots of boats from one place to another; had a lovely tour through the canals and jungle of the delta; lunch in a local outdoor restaurant which consisted of mystery meat, rice, and vegetable with some really incredible spring rolls. Earlier we had stopped at another place where local folks entertained us with music and folk songs while we were served with an incredible array of tropical fruits. There are some whose name I still don't know but all were delicious. And, of course, lots of tea. We also visited a floating market - an area where farmers come down the river with their produce to sell in a wholesale market as they drift and make their way around the market area. Each boat sticks their wares on a stick so you make your way to that particular - our group wanted the watermelons and pineapples. The latter were all carved so we could eat them there like an ice cream. The center root portion was used like an ice ceam stick. As we travelled from boat to land, there were of course the souveiner shops which included lots of silks and the usual paraphernalia, etc. but also lots of crocodile wallets, purses, belts, etc. Crocodiles are raised for the their skins. In fact we saw a crocodile raising area in Cambodia later on.
Another side trip that I took was to Cu Chi, one of the sites in what is now a National Park and open to tourists and is a viewing place for a sampling of the miles and miles of tunnels built by the Viet Cong. They used them for travel. living and hiding during bombing attacks. And they were a good way to travel to a destination cited for attack on outside forces. Various tiger traps (used for men during the was, but orignally they were animal traps) and booby traps were displayed throughout the area. There was even a small area where women and men were still making the "guerilla sandals" from used tires. They were for sale. Our guide was an American Vietnamese who had served with the U.S. Navy and stayed after the Independence. Naturally, he was treated as a traitor and spent four years in prison - a standard time for those who had helped Amercians spend being "re-educated" in the new ways. He did tell us that the Park was run by Viet Cong who were still around.
All this whetted my interest to read about the history of Vietnam. Of course, I lived through the war but still wanted to get caught up in my memory of it. First I read Robert McNamara's book. It is hard to believe how really stupid and avoiding of questions the staffs of Kennedy and Johnson seemed to be. It is hard now to believe that they had no idea there were major issues of nationalism involved in the non pro French or American forces in Vietnam. What a waste of time, money and lives. I read another called "A long History of Vietnam" which traces not only earlier times but also the many times Vietnam was occupied by one foreign or another. Without going into all that, suffice it to say that this book, although pretty socialist/communist in its view seems to pretty much follow the pattern of the war and the efforts that confounded Americans for so many years. The friendliness and interest of Vietnamese in America pretty much surprised me as I had no idea what to expect even though I knew the country has been open to tourists for quite a few years. I never did get up to Hanoi in the north, but Iam told that China Beach which was a rest and recreation for American GIs is fast becoming an expensive resort area with lots of condos and high end resorts. In many spots travellers cannot get to the beaches unless they go through the hotels and I am not sure if they have to be staying in them or not.
Other than those two trips, I spent my days walking in HCMC; stopping in some of the fancy malls to cool off; buying goods in the supermarket that I could eat in my hotel. Yes peanut butter and water crackers. For the most part, however, if one sticks to buying local products, the prices will be much lower. Anything Western is expensive. It has been quite an experience and I have been really enjoying meetng the Vietnamese people. They have all been incredibly friendly; it amazes me that they are so open to Americans and everyone else, but I am sure if one is aiming to cause trouble they will be taken care of pretty quickly. (an outsider that is). Those more experienced say that an eye is kept on a lot of foreigners. I am delighted to be having this opportunity. I am in Cambodia now and so far I can say there is nothing like Southeast Asia.
Before leaving Vietnam, I had the most incredible massage, pedicure and manicure for just under $10.00. I felt so spoiled and renewed. The place was almost next door to my hotel and I was glad I stumbled upon it as it was in the direction that I usually did not take.
I might be getting used to the heat; not sure. I do take a lot of showers and have to wash my clothes every night. Well, I don't "have to;"but it seems the right thing to do.
By the way, I think the Vietnamese are very beautiful people - the young women are just lovely and so.......tiny.
Oh another thing, just call me Madame. All over the City, I heard: "Madame, you want motor bike?" "Madame, you want bicycle;" "Madame, where you go, I take you;" "Madame, how you?," "Madame, you want something;" "Madame, where you from?" "Madame, you want buy something? "Madame, you want me help you?"So just call me
MADAM.
I had expected everything to go smoothly and it did; my school contact was waiting outside with my name waving in the air. Hien was there with a friend and they hustled me off to a taxi and within 15 minutes I was at my hotel. At 1:30 a.m. Heine was showing me a map of the city and directions to walk to the school the next day. I was barely awake and just wanted a shower and some sleep. I hardly noticed much on the drive from the airport but Hiene and her friend were giggling a lot and I found out later that because they knew my age they were expecting someone quite a bit different. Since I was carrying a backpack and a small carry on backpack, they thought I was amazingly strong.
My room was neat, clean, two beds, hot water and TV. But my first impression of Vietnam was to come the next morning when I left the hotel. Vietnamese seem to live outdoors: sidewalks are crowded with outdoor restaurants where lots of street cooking offers the hungry just about everything from noodles to crab to rice and lots of pho or soup stands. Most startlingly were the motor bikes that zipped everywhere, in and out, side to side, forward and back totally unmindful of pedestrians. I have decided that Vietnam drivers have a motto: whoever is the biggest, honks the loudest and stares straight decided gets there first and wins. After several hesitant starts across the streets, I just learned just to plow forward, walk slowly and play dodgem with the oncoming traffic. There are a few areas where there are actually lights with countdown seconds for the pedestrian but even then one cannot be assured that motor bikes will keep still for even those seconds. There is always a quick turn to be sneaked in. There are laws but who cares.
I did not manage to find the school that first day. I was on the right street and in the area and asked several people where #47 was and believe it or not, each one had a different opinion. Finally one motorbike driver told me to hop on: a passerby spoke English, read my map and told him of my plight. I was hesitant both because it seemed like a scarey proposition and because I did not yet have any dong (money) and had only twenties in US. So I told her and she told him I did not have any money: no problem, the ride is frree, he motioned. That was an incredible gesture - nobody gives free rides in Vietnam. I think half the population makes some kind of living driving taxi bikes and bicycle chairs. Anyhow, I got on and we drove round and round the ame few blocks for at least a half an hour. Even he who could ask directions in Vietnamese could not find the right building. It was kind of amazing to be behind this skinny young man and holding on - I was afraid I would crush him. However, I discovered that they are not gdriving as fast as it seems when you are trying to avoid them. After all this frustration on his part and mine, I finally indicated in sigh language that I would just try to walk some more and find it. I felt really bad that he was using his petrol for me but I was not going to give him a $20.00 bill; I am on a tight budget, naturally.
That first day I sure spent a lot of time walking but I find it is always fun to walk around a new city. I had been told there was not much to see in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMH) and discovered that was the truth. I stopped and had lunch somewhere, noodles, I am sure and iced tea. Yes you can get cold tea - usually green and often some tasty local herbal tea. As I walked around I discovered quite a few lovely parks between my hotel and the school so found lots of places to sit for awhile in the shade. When I finally got back to my hotel, I called Hien and she had forgotten to tell me that the school's building was, in fact, down an alley. But it was a good day and one stop for tea was in a gem shop where three of the young waittresses crowded around my table to speak in English and ask as many questions as they could. The young women were all dressed in native Vietnamese dresses with pants and long, silk embroidered overdresses. They were quite beautiful. I found that striking up a conversation happened whenever I stopped and somene had the opportunity to talk with me. They always asked my age.
Several of my fun days involved talking with students in this particular park near the university. They would approach and ask if I spoke English and the proceed to talk. It was sometimes difficult to understand but often they would have questions about an English sound or format. Generally we would talk for about an hour. After all, I had no real agenda; my time in HCMH was pretty free as this was my prelude before beginning school in Cambodia.
I made an effort to see what there was to see in HCMC: a pagoda with lots of jade, the Art Museum, the Market, the high end tourist area, the Opera house, the Post Office, the People's Cultural Center and really just get a feel for the City. The latter was an incredible rectangle of a low, white, modern building filled with rooms used for official purposes: lots of red and gold. Overall I did not get a real sense of culture surrounding me and when I checked with others, they felt the same way. Not sure why this is but the Vietnam has been occupied for so long by so many; it all felt rather bland to me, but not unexciting. Lots of noise, vendors, and motion. Like any third world city, there was lots of trash and when the street kitchens and restaurants in the highly populous or lower rent districts had served all day and into the evening, the smell of garbage permeated many streets. Remember I was not in the truly low rent district, but certainly not in the high.
The staff at my small hotel were friendly, very servicing, and kept watch over me. After spending a couple of days alone, however, one of my classmates and his family showed up. I could not believe this couple. They brought their three children and one on the way to Vietnam. They planned on staying for at least a year after he finished the TESOL course and wanted to be in Vietnam as they had a three year old Vietnamese daughter whom they had adopted. Being from Texas they were certainly outgoing and friendly and it turns out Brent (my classmate) was truly a comic relief blessing in our future classes. I found out later they were deeply Christian and were planning on doing some missionary work in Vietnam. Kind of a scarey thing to do there, as it is indeed a Communist country and Christianity is not someting the government wants spread around as it is so associated with "western." I was to travel and live with a whole family for the first two weeks in Cambodia.
I spent a couple of days in the Mekong Delta. Taking a bus with hotels and breakfast was $30 for three days and two nights. Lunch and dinners were not included. Amazing. Of course, the hotels were pretty basic, but totally liveable. I was joined by several women who were sisters and in-laws from Singapore, a few young couples from Malaysia and a couple of young women from England and, finally of course, a couple of Australians. I met Australians everywhere as travel to and from SE Asia is pretty reasonable for them. The Singapore women were completely taken aback that I was travelling alone, but I assured them that I had friends back at the hotel and was meeting more people later in my trip. They did not all speak English, but the older sister did and we had some interesting conversations. Again, my age became a question and they were interested because one of the sisters travelling with the group was 65 and had bad legs. I feel so fortunate for my health. The English young women had been travelling for six months beginning in South America. They were quite adventurous.
The Mekong is a big river for sure and I would not want to fall into it. To get there the bus took about 5 hours and we made stops along the way. Our guides spoke pretty good English. We took lots of boats from one place to another; had a lovely tour through the canals and jungle of the delta; lunch in a local outdoor restaurant which consisted of mystery meat, rice, and vegetable with some really incredible spring rolls. Earlier we had stopped at another place where local folks entertained us with music and folk songs while we were served with an incredible array of tropical fruits. There are some whose name I still don't know but all were delicious. And, of course, lots of tea. We also visited a floating market - an area where farmers come down the river with their produce to sell in a wholesale market as they drift and make their way around the market area. Each boat sticks their wares on a stick so you make your way to that particular - our group wanted the watermelons and pineapples. The latter were all carved so we could eat them there like an ice cream. The center root portion was used like an ice ceam stick. As we travelled from boat to land, there were of course the souveiner shops which included lots of silks and the usual paraphernalia, etc. but also lots of crocodile wallets, purses, belts, etc. Crocodiles are raised for the their skins. In fact we saw a crocodile raising area in Cambodia later on.
Another side trip that I took was to Cu Chi, one of the sites in what is now a National Park and open to tourists and is a viewing place for a sampling of the miles and miles of tunnels built by the Viet Cong. They used them for travel. living and hiding during bombing attacks. And they were a good way to travel to a destination cited for attack on outside forces. Various tiger traps (used for men during the was, but orignally they were animal traps) and booby traps were displayed throughout the area. There was even a small area where women and men were still making the "guerilla sandals" from used tires. They were for sale. Our guide was an American Vietnamese who had served with the U.S. Navy and stayed after the Independence. Naturally, he was treated as a traitor and spent four years in prison - a standard time for those who had helped Amercians spend being "re-educated" in the new ways. He did tell us that the Park was run by Viet Cong who were still around.
All this whetted my interest to read about the history of Vietnam. Of course, I lived through the war but still wanted to get caught up in my memory of it. First I read Robert McNamara's book. It is hard to believe how really stupid and avoiding of questions the staffs of Kennedy and Johnson seemed to be. It is hard now to believe that they had no idea there were major issues of nationalism involved in the non pro French or American forces in Vietnam. What a waste of time, money and lives. I read another called "A long History of Vietnam" which traces not only earlier times but also the many times Vietnam was occupied by one foreign or another. Without going into all that, suffice it to say that this book, although pretty socialist/communist in its view seems to pretty much follow the pattern of the war and the efforts that confounded Americans for so many years. The friendliness and interest of Vietnamese in America pretty much surprised me as I had no idea what to expect even though I knew the country has been open to tourists for quite a few years. I never did get up to Hanoi in the north, but Iam told that China Beach which was a rest and recreation for American GIs is fast becoming an expensive resort area with lots of condos and high end resorts. In many spots travellers cannot get to the beaches unless they go through the hotels and I am not sure if they have to be staying in them or not.
Other than those two trips, I spent my days walking in HCMC; stopping in some of the fancy malls to cool off; buying goods in the supermarket that I could eat in my hotel. Yes peanut butter and water crackers. For the most part, however, if one sticks to buying local products, the prices will be much lower. Anything Western is expensive. It has been quite an experience and I have been really enjoying meetng the Vietnamese people. They have all been incredibly friendly; it amazes me that they are so open to Americans and everyone else, but I am sure if one is aiming to cause trouble they will be taken care of pretty quickly. (an outsider that is). Those more experienced say that an eye is kept on a lot of foreigners. I am delighted to be having this opportunity. I am in Cambodia now and so far I can say there is nothing like Southeast Asia.
Before leaving Vietnam, I had the most incredible massage, pedicure and manicure for just under $10.00. I felt so spoiled and renewed. The place was almost next door to my hotel and I was glad I stumbled upon it as it was in the direction that I usually did not take.
I might be getting used to the heat; not sure. I do take a lot of showers and have to wash my clothes every night. Well, I don't "have to;"but it seems the right thing to do.
By the way, I think the Vietnamese are very beautiful people - the young women are just lovely and so.......tiny.
Oh another thing, just call me Madame. All over the City, I heard: "Madame, you want motor bike?" "Madame, you want bicycle;" "Madame, where you go, I take you;" "Madame, how you?," "Madame, you want something;" "Madame, where you from?" "Madame, you want buy something? "Madame, you want me help you?"So just call me
MADAM.
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