Liliana’s South East Asia Adventure

Ok so I’m at an internet place that seems to have faster computers.  First I’d like to say that I’ve had problem uploading photo’s do to speed and not having USB ports.  Ok I’m working on it right now though it still slow.  Second I don’t know when graduation is because I hadn’t thought about attending.  If I went it would be most likely in May.  But to expiensive for robs etc.  When LA comes up for easter etc we can celebrate everything at once.  Gifts are excepted.  He He He. Ok back to Siem Reap.  Its a nice small city that is very touristy because of the ruins which are called Angor wat.  They were built at different periods some during th e11 century and others during th e12 century by different kings/rulers.  As some of you know ie dad probably India had a huge influence on south east asia and the religions etc from there spread out.  Many of these temples are dedicated to the Hindu gods such as Visnu, brama etc.  They combined their beliefs which were animalistic etc with India.  The story of Ramayana and Maha? are themes found at these temples.  They are huge and grand.  The main one Angor wat is huge like the temples in Mexico.  Reliefs are everywhere on the stones.  You can see carvings of people going to battle with elephants. Killings animls, prying etc.  The girl from england and I decided to pay for the 3 day pass instead of a one day.  A 2 day pass id the same as a three $40.  Anyway  we went yesterday and saw the major temples and them some minor ones today.  It’s supper hot around 90-94 degress  ferenhite.  Sorry no spell check.  So we hired a tuk tuk driver to take us there and around each day.  That seems the way you get there unless you bike or rent a moto which I think is just an electricle bike.

This mourning we left at five to see the sunrise at Angor Wat.  It was still dark but you could see other tourist heading in the same direction on tuk tuks also.  When we got there we had about 1 1/2 hours to wait.  Let me tell you it stareted getting supper crowded it was crazy.  Everyone was there.  Camaras going off and everything.  When the sun finally rose it wasn’t that great.  Now the Sunset is even more touristy and we might attempt to do that tomorrow.  We shall see.  I’m just now loading Vietnam pictures I’m hoping to get the rest uploaded tonight.  We shall see.  We are planning to go to this dinner / traditional cambodian dance performance tonight.  I have about and hour left before our driver comes to pick us up to take us.

So the touristy section with the restaurant/cafes  is nice although the sidewalk is being worked on.  In the evening it gets jumping and looks so different from the day.  So today I go to order a healthy pizza as they called it with vegetables and I say no Mozzarella cheese. No cheese.  Something like anyway 15 minutes later or more I get my pizza and it has cheese on it.  I say excuse me is this cheese and she says no mozzarella cheese right?  I say yes but that looks like cheese.  She then says yes its Whatever cheese.  I say well I didn’t want cheese as I don’t eat it. She goes to talk to the other people and they start to argue It seems like the others felt she made a mistake.  I think.  Anyway I say what ever I’ll pay and go somewhere else.  So I paid $4 and left.  She didn’t even offer to make another pizza.  Even though I might of said no Mozzarella (SP) cheese I didn’t say add another kind.  I think I did say no cheese to but what ever.  I was mad.  Oh well.  So the cafe and restaurants are nice and have good food the people are friendly who serve you and they speak not bad English.  So after here I will head back to Bangkok and then to India.  I have a few extra days so I may try and go to the River Kwai.  We shall see.  I still have another day in Siem Reap.  I need to get my massage before I leave.  It seems as I’ve been circling around SEA the massages have been getting better.  So Cambodia is bound to be better then Vietnam.  At $5 or 6 an hour hey you have to try it.  Well I’ve blabbed enouggh.  I will write more soon when something exciting happens take care.

So I’m in Siem Riep at a different computer. Ok the one full day I spent in the capital I went to teh killing fields at S-21. The killings fields are part of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge which I’m sure you’ve heard of. The massacres occured from 1975 to 1979.  Four years Pol Pot was still active later on in the 80’s and 90’s.  He came into town to liberate teh people from a country that was following apart.  The economy etc was not great.  People cheared at first.  He said I want the teachers, Professors, business people etc to come help rebuild cambodia.  Well they came and they believed him but he lied.  These people were then killed, mamed what ever in mass quantities.  At the killing fields you can see these dug up graves where hundreds of people were buried.  Some were buried with heads chopped off others were graves of women and children.  I was walking around and I only had on flip flops.  Underneath me in some parts clothing could be seen in the dirt.  One guide pointed to something on the ground and so I looked and it was a thooth.  Probably other bodies etc are still there below the tourist walking around.  The first major thing you see when you arrive is this pagoda like structure with probably a thousands skulls.  Four or five levels of skulls looking out at you in this glassed in thing.  It was sad to look at but I controlled myself and didn’t cry. 

I then went to the S-21 which was an enfoumous school turned prison that housed people that pol pot and his regime thought were bad.  Pretty much everyone was considered an enemy of the Khmer Rouge.  People wearing glasses were considered smart so they were killed.  Workers were killed everyone practically was killed over a million people.  At this school now turned museum you could see the make shift cells that were used for tourture or to house the prisoners.  They had to ask the officers to do anything and everything such as moving positions while sleeping etc.  When I upload the pictures you will see in on eof the photos’a copy of the rules that they had for prisoners.  Sad part of history but the cambodians have moved on and are trying to heal a wound that is deep.  Many of the cambodians now are supper nice and friendly.  They speak some english if they are in the tourist industry which most that I incounter are.  I met a girl from England or as she says Britain and we are sharing a room while in Siem Riep.  We went to the famous Angor Wat ruins today and I will talk about it more tomorrow.  She got frustrated with the computer and is waiting for me.  Tomorrow at 5am we will leave to go to the ruins and see the sunrise.  Sorry can’t get to the kodak site.  Computer is taking a long time to load site will try later as I have many photos to show you.  ciao.

Ok this makes it the fifth time that my computer has lost what I've written so this is going to be brief.  I will tell you my tales of getting to Cambodia via Vietnam later when I'm at a different ... [Continue reading this entry]

So take a guess at whats happening in Nha Trang?  Thats right folks it's raining.  It's not just raining its a complete monsoon.  Luckely I have a cheap poncho that is keeping me some what dry.  Anyway this city is ... [Continue reading this entry]

Ok so I arrived in Hie which is another Unesco Site.  When it got this status i don't know.  Ok So I took a bus from Hanoi to Hue left at 9pm and arrived around 9:30 the next day.  I ... [Continue reading this entry]

So I'm back in Hanoi. Can I vent here? Well yes I can! So if you read my other blog you know that Ha Long Bay was foggy. I had a choice to go back to ... [Continue reading this entry]

So I had a blog about hanoi but somehow it got deleated.  I think the computer was slow and I kept uploading that blog and then I had 5 of the same blog so I deleated them but somehow all ... [Continue reading this entry]

Ok so I will try and give more detail about my trip so far.  Every place that I've been to either in Thailand or laos is touristy.  Thai so far is the most touristy.  It was good to get away ... [Continue reading this entry]

Hello folks, sorry haven't written in a while.  Was not near internet.  From Chiang Mai I took a mini bus to Chiang Kong which is the border town over into Laos.  It was a 2 day trip down the mekong ... [Continue reading this entry]

So the other night I went to see the night bazzar which was fun and crazy in its own way.  Lots of crafts etc to buy if you want.  It'ts not as big as the Sunday fair but big enough.  ... [Continue reading this entry]