The Genocide Musem and Killing Fields

Well today was definitely a bit of a downer but an eye opener none the less. Matt and I went to the Genocide Museum and the Killing Fields.

The Genocide Museum is essentially the prison where the Cambodian people who lived in Phnom Penh were taken by the Khmer Rouge. These poor people thought they were being liberated by the K. Rouge after years of war, but instead were immediately evacuated from their city, and many of them brought to this prison. It was a very graphic experience, as in the first few cells, each had a picture of the last prisoner found in that room who had been tortured and killed. The more you explored this prison the more pictures you saw. The K. Rouge were very detailed and documented every prisoner who came through. So many rooms showed many of the thousands of prisoners captured - all of them with a mugshot photo taken with their prison ID. The look of fear in their eyes was palpable, and a lot of them had been "roughed up" already. The K. Rouge also took pictures of the tortured who died and sent them to prominent leaders of the opposition to show them they had succeeded in killing them.

Women and children were also captured, photos taken, then tortured and killed. There were 17 thousand prisoners in all and only 7 survived.

Many of the rooms had photo essays as well as paintings that one of the inmate survivors had done. These revealed many of the atrocities that occurred there. The methods of torture were horrible: fingernails pulled out then doused with alcohol, fingers amputated, water boarding, the list just goes on and on.

But the most horrid picture depicted the babies who were either tossed in the air to be shot, like a target, or tossed in the air to be lanced with a bayonet. Other babies were simply grabbed by the legs and their heads smashed against a tree. Ugh, it was just hideous.

After these poor people were tortured, then confessed to something they did not do, they were then taken to the Killing Fields to be "liquidated". Mass graves were everywhere, and the actual monument has 17 stories of the skulls and bones of some of the killed. Even the children and babies.

It was such a horrid reminder, much like the Jewish Death Camps, of how humans can be so cruel to each other. It also reminds you how fortunate you are and really just lucky in the end, to be born in Canada. Seeing those poor mugshots, makes you think how if the tables were turned, and you were in the that very same position, how scared, lost and hopeless you would be.

Even our guide had been touched by this cruelty. She had lost her brother and father to the K. Rouge, and was 13 when she finally got to return to Phnom Phen. She saw many die on her journey and was visibly shaken when she had finished our tour. As a result of this mass genocide Phnom Phen has only truly been back on their feet for 30 years. All of this took place only a few years ago - 1975-1979. That is truly the most unbelievable part of all of this - it happened so recently.

Matt and I feel so fortunate and grateful to have had this opportunity. But I must say, it makes us miss home, our friends and our family just that much more.

Hope you are well, and happy.
xxoo

Kanchanaburi (2 of 2)

The first photo here is from the veranda of our very rustic wooden bungalow which overlooked the River Kwai. Cheap place, but a nice view nonetheless.
The other three photos are of Erawan National Park, and the waterfall of the same name specifically. The waterfall has seven levels, and it takes roughly 1 hour to hike to the top. We did this with a young German named Marko who was all on his own. You can swim in all the pools though some are certainly better than others. We swam in the pool shown in the second photo (the first of the park) and actually went into the waterfall (you can see someone there with their arms up). It was a pretty invigorating experience!

Kanchanaburi (1 of 2)

Kanchanaburi was a highlight for us. For those that don't know, the Japanese interred 60,000 POWs (British, Australian and Dutch mostly) and 200,000 Asian workers and forced them to build a rail line to link Bangkok to Burma in order to supply troops trying to move into India (part of their pan-Asian plans). Working conditions were horrendous, and most that died fell to disease and starvation (many were beaten to death or shot too).
The first two shots are of the famous "Bridge over the River Kwai". Funnily enough, the bridge didn't actually cross the river Kwae, but so many tourists wanted to see it after the movie that the government renamed the river! The museum at the so-called "Hellfire Pass" (cutting 8m down into rock by bamboo-torchlight) was easily the best we've seen in Asia. The pass itself is shown in the third photo. We also actually rode the "death railway" (the last two photos), which was the best part for me (I rode half the way standing in the open doorway, even over wooden bridges - which you can see in the last photo). WWII history, trains, and freedom to experience it in a unique way = awesome.

Bangkok snaps (2 of 2)

Not going to explain much here - these are simply some snaps of the wonderful contents of the many temples in Bangkok. The one worth mentioning specifically is the reclining Buddha (in Wat Po) which is 46m long and 16m high. Within its feet are highly-detailed mother-of-pearl carvings, which I have some good up-close photos of too. The one Buddha with dragons behind is one of my favourite shots!

Bangkok Snaps (1 of 2)

Okay. So there were tonnes of photos we could have taken to try and show you the "whole" Bangkok, but that would have included photos of mega-malls, public transport, and girls dressed up in anime costumes. So - instead - we've decided to focus on the more beautiful aspects of the city (although I did get a little misty-eyed over the public transport!)
The first two are in the Grand Palace. The black/gold/orange roofed temple is Wat Phra Kaeo (in which sits the non-photographable emerald Buddha). The next one of the Chao Praya river is from atop Wat Arun. (The river is the easiest way to get between the sights in the old city.) The photo of Vee acting all demonish is also Wat Arun, which actually has the steepest stairs I've ever climbed (almost scary, especially when you're carrying a camera!) The final photo is of Lumphini Park, which a great little park in the middle of the city where we spent a couple hours reading, walking, and hanging out with dozens of monitor lizards.

Bangkok

Hi Everyone!

Well today is our last day in Bangkok. I have enjoyed it but I do miss Chiang Mai. There were so many things I loved about it:

• the many smiling monks.
• our accommodations, a beautiful open air bed and breakfast. It was surrounded by lush vegetation, swing chairs, hammocks, places to meditate, do yoga and get a massage. And the lovely organic breakfasts were to die for.
• the zen like quality of the town itself. It was wistful, old and simply magical.
• the cheap and delicious food!

Bangkok is funny as it is a mix of old Thai ways and new western ways. There are HUGE malls, restaurants and lots of Gucci, Louis Vitton and Coach. It is a huge city and well, when traveling I would prefer to avoid these at all costs.

Yesterday was filled with temple hopping and water taxis. Some of the temples and the Buddhas within were spectacular so I am grateful for that. But yesterday I also encountered another spell of homesickness, so that was tough. GRUMPY - one word used to describe me yesterday, but I am certain Matt has many more adjectives! ;o) We made it through though and today we are just going to mail some books home, go to a park and relax and read and simply just enjoy our last day here without rushing around.

Next stop on our list is Kanchanaburi, our last stop in Thailand. It is famous for the "Bridge over River Kwai" - so we are going to travel on the "Death Railway" and check out this VERY small town in Thailand. Something I know we will both enjoy. I am excited for what is supposed to be a beautiful waterfall and I am just excited to get back to nature!!!!

I am also reading a fantastic Dalai Lama book called "The Art of Happiness", which Matt kindly bought me. Thought I might as well get in some good Buddhist reading while here and I am loving it already! I will be sure to lend it to any interested on my return.

Missing you guys, so so so much! Hope all is well back home!
xxxooo

Chiang Mai - About town

These photos are pretty random.
Surrounding the old city is what could be described as a poor-man's moat, but it's actually one of the nicer places we've had to walk in Asia. The banks are adorned with tonnes of flowers, and the water itself is full of fountains that light up at night. These are especially pleasant when they cast dancing colourful shadows on the spottily excavated old city wall. The moat is unattached to the river, into which the two (of seemingly thousands) monks gaze.
Shopping is also a huge activity in Chiang Mai (probably because everything is SO cheap). The night market is the central hive of activity after the sun sets. It's mostly fake... well, anything, but there are some nice stalls too. Vee and I argued over which photo to post to show this, and we settled on the scarves.
There's no significance to the girl eating the orange - we just thought she was just cute.

Chiang Mai Temples

With Chiang Mai now but a fond memory, here are a couple posts of photos. First up is the temples of Chiang Mai, of which there are many. The city was the capital of the first independent Thai state, and as such became a cultural and religious centre. There are few tall buildings in the city (especially the old city, where we stayed), allowing the temples to stand relatively tall.
I've stayed away from too many "descriptive" photos, as I think Bangkok's temples will be more worthy of cyber space. So instead, I've included a couple shots I think are just kind of cool.

Half-way Point!

This blog marks the beginning of the second half of our journey – six weeks in, six weeks to go.

It’s been an incredible experience thus far, though one not without detour. With so many places to go, it’s hard not making a “mistake” or two, but we’ve stayed sane by being easily adaptable. I can easily sense my own development, which – for what it’s worth – is part of the reason for taking such a trip. This includes the realization that patience and focus are very important, that enjoying the positive little things is just as life-saving as letting the negative little things go, and accepting that nothing can ever be perfect is crucial to being happy. For Veronica, the lessons take the form of goals, including riding more freakin’ elephants! Little PUMPKINS!

It’s amazing to think that many of our best days still lie ahead, but – for those of you who enjoy lists – here are our highlights thus far (in no particular order):

1) Favourite 3 places visited (overall): Udaipur, Chiang Mai, and Langkawi

2) Favourite 3 sights/activities: Elephant training/riding, Taj Mahal, and making new friends/rooftop food in Udaipur

3) Favourite 3 hotels: Banyan Tree (Goa), Pak Chiang Mai (Chiang Mai), and Pondok Keladi (Langkawi)

We know the next six weeks will unfortunately fly by, but we know that when it`s over, we`ll get to see all of our loved (and terribly missed) ones again!

Baan Chang Elephant Park

So - OH MY GOD! This was such a highlight of our entire trip! We spent a most fantastic day hanging with elephants! What was especially rewarding is that this park rescues elephants from "shows", "hard labour" and any other number of poor situations where elephants might find themselves. The owner of this park used to be a tour guide and saw how horrible some elephants were treated. He was also a monk! He finally succeeded in his dream of creating his own refuge for elephants. So they now lead the life that an elephant should! What is also great to know is that Thailand has now made hard labour for elephants illegal (although it still does happen, especially with logging in the jungle.)
So now all day all they do is eat, frolic and spend time with their "mahout" (the caregiver of the elephant). The elephant's only daily chore is to take tourist's for a jungle walk, but it is all bare back, not those horrible box seats that typical "elephant rides" provide. The owner said these are quite uncomfortable and painful for the elephant. Oh what a magical experience!
This park has 9 adults (2 of whom are preggers) and 2 babies! They carry for 24 months! No thanks! We first got to meet all the elephants personally and their mahouts. In this park they are very strict about each mahout having only one elephant. They bond with it and take care of it all day, 7 days a week - no holidays ;o(. To see the relationship each elephant and it's mahout have is just so precious! They goof around together, play together and have such a wonderful connection.
We next got to feed them all bananas and sugar cane. They were so friendly and you would pop like 8 bananas at a time into their mouths or hand them off to their trunk. Those suckers can chew like the dickens!
After we bonded a bit, we then learned all the words to go left, right, stop and straight and how to get on and off. Then it was practice time! It was so much fun, especially when they actually listened to you!
So after a quick once over, we were off! Our elephant was called Mayupie and she was 8 months pregnant! We led the pack with two elephants behind us. We were lucky to have only a small group of 6 in total - 2 girls from Holland and a couple from Germany. They all spoke English and were lovely! We were all happy to get to be so close and intimate with the elephants who followed their mahouts quite happily! There was no need for a lot of instructions on our end. There was only one naughty 5 year old elephant in our group who just wanted to explore. The poor girls from Holland were thrown about like crazy!
After we got back it was straight to the water hole so we could wash them. They LOVED this! We got soaked (as you will see in the video). Matt got the brunt of it - ha ha - but I certainly got my fair share!
Enjoy the pics! And don't fret about the chain around one baby. It is chained to it's mother while it is still feeding and also for protection, as one of the older abused elephants does not like babies. It goes along with it's Mom everywhere and it's grandma also lives in the park too! They are such a happy family. When we got back it charged ahead, dragging it's mummy behind to see it's grandma and then came with us for a swim!
Man - if you ever get the chance to do this DO IT! It is something Matt and I will NEVER forget!
Many hugs!
xxoo

Phuket - Karon Beach and Hotel

So, just to give you a sense of the hotel and beach, here are some photos. The first couple are just of us hanging in the pool. The other two are of Karon beach (one of which we took on a long hike up the side of the hill). Not much to explain here...

Phang Nga Bay

So Phang Nga Bay ("Pang Na") is pretty awesome. We visited four islands on our tour there. First was Panak Island, where you canoe through meter-high tunnels (essentially lying down) into an incredible lagoon filled with mangroves and surrounded by 200 meter-high sheer cliffs that still amazingly support trees! Next was Hong Island (hongs are the actual rocks that seemingly shoot out of the water) - same deal here, just more of it. Third was "James Bond Island" (of Man with the Golden Gun fame) - which is unfortunately overrun with tourists (what's new?) but still pretty beautiful. The name of the fourth escapes me, but it's mainly just for swimming or canoeing on your own - we chose the latter.

Good-bye Phuket, hello Chiang Mai!

Well today is our last full day in Phuket as we leave tomorrow for Chiang Mai. I must say Matt and I will not be sad to leave Phuket. We thought having a week in a nice place and in a more westernized area would be a lovely break - but in all honesty we have liked this period the least in our entire trip!
The throngs of tourists, the package tours - it's just too overwhelming and not a lot of fun. We have certainly had some great moments and enjoyed ourselves for the most part, but we are ready to get back to exploring, trekking and a LOT less tourists. Plus - I know this will sound shocking - but after many weeks of beaches, they don't hold the same appeal as they initially do in the beginning. The new sites, cultures and experiences are what you REALLY crave!
Thailand is stunning though, and Chaing Mai is mainly jungle so we are excited to see what it has in store for us. We have 6 days there and then we move on to Bangkok. To think, in a few days we will already have crossed the halfway mark of our trip! Time flies - but we do feel like we have been away FOREVER!
As always we miss all of you like crazy. We have luckily had the chance to speak with Matt's parents on skype and yesterday we spoke to Paul, Ashley and Willis! It was simply wonderful!
Anyway hope you are well and until the next time!
xxoo

Ko Phi Phi Pics

Yesterday was our first of two day trips while here in Phuket that seemingly came out of a "tour factory".
We went to Ko Phi Phi which, on it's own, is simply magical. The problem is, you're enjoying it with about 600 other people.
You start with a long minibus ride to the speed boat terminal, with each boat carrying up to 50 people (we had 45 other passengers, including four of the fobbiest J-Pop girls I've ever seen). The one-hour ride to the island is bumpy ("the sea was angry that day my friends"...), but actually a lot of fun. The trip included swimming, awesome snorkeling, a decent lunch, and a great boat tour of the islands. Oh and feeding some monkeys too. All in all, not a half bad day.

100% Tourist!

Well we are in Phuket Thailand and we are officially tourists!!! You SO feel like a tourist here, almost immediately after leaving the airport! Not 20 minutes in we were taken to a government tour office where we were suckered into two tours (well they were places to go on our "to do" list here, so....), then we passed through Patong Beach which feels like an explosion of college Spring Breakers.
One of the tour operators was very curious as to how we even managed to get a place to stay here as all the hotels are full here for Chinese New Year. So you can imagine how busy it is. Matt was brilliant in his planning though and secured our stay at a much quieter beach around 5-7 minutes drive from the main one. Thank God - as even this beach is quite busy.
We have also splurged a little and are staying at a nice resort. There is a beautiful roof top pool, spa, restaurant and many more vacationers. It is quite a change of speed for us, and I almost feel like I am breaking some sort of "travelers code" but it is a rather nice luxury, so we are going to really soak it up and enjoy.
Today we just relaxed on the beach and got our bearings. Matt also got a much needed hair cut and I finally had a real pedicure - yay! We then just chilled on the beach.
Tomorrow we are off on our first tour to Ko Phi Phi Island, and a couple of surrounding islands where the movie "The Beach" was filmed. We are going to do some snorkeling, and site seeing, and well perhaps I will run into Leonardo DiCaprio who could perhaps be visiting his old haunting grounds!
Our next tour is two days later where we go to another grouping of islands, with one of them being a back drop for yet another James Bond movie. I must confess between Leo and Daniel Craig, I am REALLY rooting for Daniel to be making a return viz.
Other than that not much news to report! We will fill you in if any scandal should arise.
Missing you all, more than you could possibly know,
xxoo

Farwell Langkawi

So, it's our last morning in Langkawi, and it's half-time in the Superbowl (first one I've missed since I started watching football 18 or 19 years ago!) Not surprisingly, there aren't a lot of sports bars here in Langkawi, in which life goes a little slower than home. (There is an "Irish Pub" that shows the other football.)
Life here has been great. Full of adventures, relaxing, good eats, beautiful scenery, and heat heat heat.
To demonstrate the life in Langkawi, I've cobbled a "daily" story. First photo is as we walk out our room door. Second photo is of the road we take to the main road. Third photo is us on the scoots (albeit on another part of the island). Fourth is of the "busier" Pantai (beach) Cenang. And fifth is of the beach closest to us, Pantai Tengah. (How many Veronicas can you see?)
Next up is Thailand!