At six am on a beautiful and sunny Saigon morning, we ordered up a batch of strong coffee and hopped a mini-bus to the Vietnam-Cambodia border. Saigon had been a fun few days, but we were excited to move on to a new country, people, and language. Now Cambodia is notorious for its terrible road conditions; with this knowledge we booked a cheap, yet air-conditioned bus for the alleged 6-hour ride to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.
Crossing the border after bribing a health official (a whole other story), 20 of us were corralled onto a bus... actually more of an over-sized van. I sat in the fourth row on a fold-down seat. As we progressed, the luggage in the back seat began falling on me, particularly a guitar case which banged into the back of my head with every bump on the terrible road. Topher had a broken fold-down seat in front of me which with every bump flew back and nailed me in the knees... right in the soft painful spot. Big shoulders, no air-conditioning, bumpy roads, falling luggage... it sounds like a recipe for disaster. Strangely, we loved it! Flipping on the I-pod to a good song, a light rain falling as we crossed the Mekong River, small half-naked children selling mangoes, it was quite a trip. It was the most enjoyable 6-hour bus ride I have ever taken!
Upon arrival in Cambodia you could see the higher level of poverty compared with Vietnam. Nonetheless, it was quite the land of contrasts. The capital city, Phnom Penh was punctured by brand new Lexus SUVs, decrepit motorbikes, the recent arrival of ATMs, and a complete absence of Western restaurants or stores. We found a hostel on a lake that was straight out of the 60s. The first thing they said when we arrived was, "Don't worry; it is okay to do drugs here." Clearly we were not worried, but it was a bit strange to see "happy pizzas" on the menu as you sit down for dinner beside a group of European travelers puffing away on a joint.
The following day we visited the infamous Killing Fields and S-21 Museum made known by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. It is always a bit strange making travel plans with full knowledge
that you'll be completely depressed and shocked at humanity by the time you complete the day. The Killing Fields were shocking to say the least, although strangely, seeing 8,000 skulls of victims collected together in a large stupa feels more like an Indiana Jones movie that actual reality. If you too want to dampen your day, check out the uploaded photos through the "My Photos" link on the right.
The entire region has such a tragic and vivid history; a number of pawns in the great ideological chess game of the 20th century. It is tragic how many people had to pay with their lives: 2-3 million in Vietnam, 2-3 million in Cambodia, and many more in Laos. It is a can of worms for sure, but I wonder if 20 years from now we'll be looking back upon the so-called "War on Terror" and wondering if it was worth the costs in lives for both sides, similar to how many of us in this generation view the rather barbaric Cold War of our parent's generation. A life is equally sacred, whether it is the life of an American, a communist, a terrorist, an Iraqi...
Crossing the border after bribing a health official (a whole other story), 20 of us were corralled onto a bus... actually more of an over-sized van. I sat in the fourth row on a fold-down seat. As we progressed, the luggage in the back seat began falling on me, particularly a guitar case which banged into the back of my head with every bump on the terrible road. Topher had a broken fold-down seat in front of me which with every bump flew back and nailed me in the knees... right in the soft painful spot. Big shoulders, no air-conditioning, bumpy roads, falling luggage... it sounds like a recipe for disaster. Strangely, we loved it! Flipping on the I-pod to a good song, a light rain falling as we crossed the Mekong River, small half-naked children selling mangoes, it was quite a trip. It was the most enjoyable 6-hour bus ride I have ever taken!
Upon arrival in Cambodia you could see the higher level of poverty compared with Vietnam. Nonetheless, it was quite the land of contrasts. The capital city, Phnom Penh was punctured by brand new Lexus SUVs, decrepit motorbikes, the recent arrival of ATMs, and a complete absence of Western restaurants or stores. We found a hostel on a lake that was straight out of the 60s. The first thing they said when we arrived was, "Don't worry; it is okay to do drugs here." Clearly we were not worried, but it was a bit strange to see "happy pizzas" on the menu as you sit down for dinner beside a group of European travelers puffing away on a joint.
The following day we visited the infamous Killing Fields and S-21 Museum made known by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. It is always a bit strange making travel plans with full knowledge
that you'll be completely depressed and shocked at humanity by the time you complete the day. The Killing Fields were shocking to say the least, although strangely, seeing 8,000 skulls of victims collected together in a large stupa feels more like an Indiana Jones movie that actual reality. If you too want to dampen your day, check out the uploaded photos through the "My Photos" link on the right.The entire region has such a tragic and vivid history; a number of pawns in the great ideological chess game of the 20th century. It is tragic how many people had to pay with their lives: 2-3 million in Vietnam, 2-3 million in Cambodia, and many more in Laos. It is a can of worms for sure, but I wonder if 20 years from now we'll be looking back upon the so-called "War on Terror" and wondering if it was worth the costs in lives for both sides, similar to how many of us in this generation view the rather barbaric Cold War of our parent's generation. A life is equally sacred, whether it is the life of an American, a communist, a terrorist, an Iraqi...
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