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Archive for March, 2007

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To June

Thursday, March 29th, 2007

You inspired me with your love of life, clothes shopping, dear abby manners, and tea time. From an early age, you also inspired me to travel around the world. But most importantly, you’ve taught me to keep in touch with the people that are important to me as you did for your entire life.

You will be sorely missed.

Where you from?

Sunday, March 25th, 2007

Floating Market

This should come as no surprise. Internationally, George W. Bush is not a popular character, but despite our concerns everyone we’ve met is able to distinguish between Americans and the American government, at least long enough to extract our tourist dollars.

We have been in Vietnam for a week. It is here, like everywhere, that anyone who knows any English will ask “Where you from?” It is here, unlike most countries, where we are actually worried about the response. No one mentions Bush.

The cafe owner gushes to us about his doctor son living in the United States. The cyclo driver reminisces about his time as a U.S. airforce mechanic before becoming an illegal alien in his own country for the past 30 years. The successful refugee living in America comes back to visit his extended family and chats with us about how much safer Vietnam is now than 5 years ago for us and for him. We haven’t met the North Vietnamese soldier who killed American citizens. We haven’t met the amputee whose village was bombed by us. Everytime we hear “Where you from?” in Vietnam, we worry that we might.

The excessively biased propaganda that the “American War” was an “imperialistic scheme to occupy Vietnam” makes us believe that an unwelcome response is not far off.

Although we are not always happy with the choices our government has made and seeing the results of war is never easy, we still and will always say we are from the United States. Not only do we feel we’re lucky to have been born in the United States, we feel proud of the ideals our country stands on and the good we’ve managed to accomplish in the world.

Roads Less Travelled

Thursday, March 22nd, 2007
Lunch with Pirom Us with Newlyweds Cara was bitter. She was sick, stranded in the hotel room. Adam met Pirom, a ... [Continue reading this entry]

Dim Lights, Big City

Sunday, March 18th, 2007
We're in Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia, recovering from being in the dirty but welcoming countryside. With any luck our visas and passports will come through this evening for Vietnam and we'll be on a boat down the ... [Continue reading this entry]

4 Showers a Day

Sunday, March 18th, 2007
dry season view Fisherman on Kompong Poy Green Rice Paddies We are here ... [Continue reading this entry]

What is in these bottles? Answer: Gasoline

Wednesday, March 7th, 2007
Took us a bit to figure this one out, but they are frequent sites in Cambodia. quiz

Angkor Away

Sunday, March 4th, 2007
Us at Angkor Wat Faces of Bayon Monkeys steal our  ... <a href=[Continue reading this entry]

Cash is King

Thursday, March 1st, 2007
No Man's Land Bargaining with police men over the clearly posted cost of your visa is a new low. After 1 broken down bus, 10 hours overnight in a cockroach infested border town ... [Continue reading this entry]