Cambodia-A past of darkness but a country of hope

The tragic recent history of Cambodia that many people are unaware of still has a big impact on modern Cambodians

Phnom Penh
Bar street in Siem Reip
The site of the killing fields

Holding cells at S21 Museum

s21 museum, many people had to become soldiers or help Khmer Regime in fear of being killed

These kids get by and help thier families by selling scarves and trinkets
Infront of Angkor Watt
The main form of transformation


One of many temples of Angkor have these remarkable trees that grow directly ontop of them

Angkor Temple
Buddhism and Hinduism have spread from India and have a big influence on Khmer Culture
Angkor Temple Carving
spiders snack for sale at a bus stop on the way to Phnom Penh
Khmer Dancers in Seim Reip

Before arriving to Cambodia I had heard so many mixed reviews about people traveling along the Vietnam/ Cambodia/ Thailand/Laos route. Many said that were disturbed and annoyed by the children and people that sell goods to tourists. They said it was a difficult place to be for a number of reasons. I knew that the difference between Thailand and Cambodia would be able to seen immediately on a developmental scale, but I had no idea what exactly to expect. I had known of the past history of Khmer Rouge and US involvement in the matter. I knew that the history of genocide and evidence of it's impact could still be seen. I never realized exactly to what degree. I loved Cambodia. Yes it was more difficult, and yes as a foreigner you do experience many uncomfortable scenarios but on the same note there is so many small miracles and sooo much strength seen by the people of Cambodia. I knew little about Khmer people or their culture. The Angkorian kingdom leaves centuries old rich history which Cambodians are very proud of.

Driving into Cambodia I was warned I might have a problem at the border. Sometimes people are charged extra entry fees by border police. The bus I took from Bangkok to Siem Riep was about 12 hours, one hell of a journey but quite an experience. At the border you have to change buses. You go from an air conditioned , padded seats tourist bus to something that looks like a school bus with no ac and a hell of allot of dust. When you get the border you have to carry all of your belongings from border to the other checkpoint. The road to Siem Riep from the border is not paved and extremmmmely bumpy. You have to bring toilet paper with you to use at the one bathroom stop your given. On the bus there were a number of Cambodians going from a small town to Siem Riep. My seat neighbor offerred me some peculiar sausage wrapped in plastic. She was very intent on me trying the sausage and I dare not decline. She didn't speak any English but she was really lovely. She offered me water and for awhile she passed out on my shoulder which I ofcourse didn't mind.

Arriving in Siem Riep I was transferred to a tuk tuk (mini motorcycle taxi) to take me to my hostel which was really lovely. The "Siem Riep" hostel which I booked for 10$ a night was reallly lovely. There was internet, wifi, restaurant/bar, pool, pool table , dvd area, as well as a yoga room and chill out room. My female 6 bed dorm was full with 5 other girls all traveling alone, all from different countries. It was really inspiring and motivational talking to all of them and what they were doing all by themselves. I felt really comfortable and empowered knowing that I could find brave women from around the world taking the initiative to travel alone.

At the hostel I met Rachel , Rachel was English and 35 years old recently divorced. Rachel sold her house and was traveling around the world for more than a year. We shared a tuk tuk around the Angkor temples the first day. Awwing at all the amazing architecture and cultural heritage it was no wonder why Cambodia's tourism was booming. The world heritage site of Angkorian temples are simply magnificent wonders. I learned that many of the temples were being restored because of damage received by the Khmer Rouge regime that ordered the distruction of the temples as well as the chopping off of many heads of the Buddha statues.

When you visit the temples you are bombarded by many children trying to sell you things. They are beautiful and they appeal to your heart by asking you to buy whatever they are selling so they can make money to go to school. Their parents are usually close by directing them on who to target and then taking the money from them. This is the other side of the sad dynamic on dependent informal sector economies that rely on tourism. I was not annoyed by it at all. The sadder thing that I learned is that all the money that is made by tourism for the sites since you have to buy a pass to see the temples is not put back into the economy. The money goes to the different nation-states and firms that have sponsored the restoration of many of the temples. Of them include China, India, Vietnam, The US among other countries. This is heart breaking to know that one of the biggest economies is privatized. Trying to recover from a tragic history of genocide in which 1/5 of the countries population was killed less than a few decades ago, you can correlate the impact this has on people.

Siem Riep was easy. Equipped with a bar street near by popular guest houses and hotels fill with trendy cafes and restaurants serving everything from Mexican to pizza to Khmer food. Here you can mingle with all the backpackers and travelers. Actually i was shocked at the amount of luxury hostels catering to luxury travelers. Huge 5 star hostels going for 1000$ a night seemed so ridiculous.

Another thing which i noticed is that Cambodia is addressing the punishment for supporting the child sex industry. Another one of the sad realities is that many children are sold by their parents into the sex trade. A Australian man that was staying in my guest house stated that despite the efforts to crack down, he was offered a small girl for $ on the street. I was absolutely mortified.

Among the various issues that plague Cambodia and Cambodian people I found Cambodians to be very friendly and hopeful. Many of them speak English which is contrasted to Thailand where much fewer speak English , even in the Cities. They have to know English because the dependency on tourism is part of many of their livelihoods.

After going to a landmine museum which was created as an NGO hoping to rid Cambodia of it's excess of mines which have killed many innocent civilians after the civil war. After visiting the killing fields and going to the s21 museum which was a highschool converted into holding prison where many where killed . I was absolutely astonished by how recent and to what extent this history had been a reality to soo many Cambodians. My tour guide of the s21 museum had lost her whole family during the war and yet everyday she talks about he horrors done by the government and men that carried out the torture and executions. It was important for me to understand how this history effects a collective consciousness. Cambodians remember, but they persevere and on many of them you can see the light in their eyes, pushing them through.

I was really touched by the all the strength I saw in Cambodia, it was a very difficult place to be, but exactly why I am glad I went and glad to understand a very complex and beautiful place.

Akoon

Thailand- the jump off point in South East Asia

Susan at the airport
My Bungalow in Ko Chang
Ko Chang Pier
Visiting a bar in Ko Chang
Ko Chang Sunset

BTS Skytrain took me everywhere
Wat Arun
The Floating Market
Ko-San Road
Ganesh



Canals are still used for transport

Sukhimvit- The area my hostel was in is mostly a business and residential area for the uppermiddle class

Emerald Buddha Wat
Lotus
My Lunch- Noodle Soup from a boat


On the way to Thailand I was on a flight to transfer planes in Bahrain. On my flight coincidentally I was seated next to an American girl, Susan. It was quite funny that we sat next together since we were 2 out of 3 foreign women on the whole plane. Susan had been working for a Christian group in Egypt and was on her way to India. We exchanged stories and experiences. She told me how hard it was for her to make the decision to travel and how she left her job and everything. Previously she had spent time in Ethiopia as well doing work with her Uncle and Aunt who lived there. It was so refreshing meeting an American that had the same desire to be in the world . To feel as if she was a part of it. We got to spend 6 or 7 hours chatting until our planes boarded. Susan if you are reading this I hope the rest of your trip and time in India at the orphanage was great. Please keep in touch and give me an update.

Arriving in Bangkok I was determined to make the most out of my independence and use my skills to do the most I could alone. I took an airport bus to my hostel for about 5$ which saved me 10$. My hostel was clean and organized and the food in the neighborhood was cheap and delicious.

Thailand is an extremely easy place to travel because it receives sooo much tourism. Most people start in Bangkok and then head off from there. It's a convenient starting point because you don't need a visa but you can obtain your visa for the bordering countries if your going to Laos and Cambodia and then Vietnam quiet easily. Bangkok is a verrrry developed city. Among all it's fancy stores and high rises, there is still rich history of Thai culture. Thailand is a kingdom. You are reminded of this like in any other Kingdom when you see pictures of the king everywhere. I didn't do enough research or interviewing to find out what Thai's think about the king, but it's also a bit of a touchy subject. Most Thai's like him. He seemed to help make some legislation's for the working people so I can't argue with that. The new BTS skytrain boasts flat screens, and there are about a dozen HUGE MEGA malls where you can find bootlegs to brand names. People love to shop in Bangkok because the exchange of the Euro/ dollar, etc.. is still very high.

If you are a backpacker and you get to Bangkok, most people are swayed to staying on Ko-San road or Rice Ave. Ko- San road is the meeting ground for travelers and backpackers starting their travels. From their they go North to Chang Mai or Loas , East to Cambodia or South to the tropical islands.

I got to my hostel on Sukhimvit by taking an express bus. It was close to the airport by far from all the Bangkok sites and Ko-San scene. In the hostel i met a few travel buddies. One which was from my stomping grounds Queens, NYC. We spent a few days hanging out checking out the Ko-San scene and booked a few budget tours. I checked out a war museum, went to Tiger Temple, a few Watts or temples , saw the Royal Palace, the usual stuff. I also met a travel buddy that I met up with in Cambodia and which i will probably meet again in Hong Kong. Hill is Chinese but has spent allot of time in Australia. She is a little spunky rebel that likes to travel alone and learn and grow and challenger herself like me. Hill if you read this I will never forget that you biked that really hot day in Siem Riep to see all the Angkor Watt sites and ate steamed beef heart. LOL Can't wait to hang out in Hong Kong.

After being in Bangkok for a few days, I wanted to get away from the fast pace. Too much sensory stimulation and I wasn't feeling the party scene. I did want to go to Chang Mai where all the more traditional and cultural sites of Thailand as well as organizations are, but I didn't have that long in Thailand and I was feeling very drained. I took a bus and ferry for about 16$ round trip to Ko-Chang Island. There I stayed in a bungalow where I had the privacy i needed to get some R and R. The bungalow was in Lonely Beach. Which is the south side of the Island and less developed than the other beaches. There is only one paved road and you take pick up trucks that act as taxi's or motorcycles to get around. The little town that I was in had a bunch of bungalow/restaurants , cooking school, clothing shops, a 7/11 type place with an Atm, a convenience store , some thai massage spots and Thai tattoo shops. For the most part, that was it and for most people that was all you needed. I loved this town. I met allot of people that had ended up falling in love with this place and learning thai. At night there are parties, but if you are not into the party scene you can just go for a short walk to the beach, get a thai massage, a meal for about 3$ and watch movies in the communal spot of many outdoor bungalow houses.
I am sad to report that there was still allot of prostitution in Ko Chang. I didn't go to the red-light district in Thailand and didn't want to. I met a few people that wanted to check it out for observation purposes. The thought of it was uncomfortable so i decided against it.

I had many interesting conversations with different travelers from all over the world here in Ko Chang . One was an Israeli couple . They said they seldom saw Americans traveling, as tourists or as backpackers or volunteers. My theory was that American media is very fear based and Americans are too afraid to leave the security of their monotonous lives. The Military industrial complex needs to promote fear and war to get money for arms and military so we watch only disasters and sensationalism. I think that people are attracted to the thought of visiting certain destinations for very particular reasons. People go to Thailand to relax and sit on the beach , get a tan , have a drink and party for a very little sum of money. Many go to Phuket and many do very little to make any intimate connections with Thai people. I found that many Thai people if you tried to talk to them were warm and friendly, but their immediate reaction to you was skeptical. I also noticed allot fewer people spoke English. They really didn't need to. They can get by without it, as in Cambodia which was allllot less developed everyone that worked with people spoke English because their pay depended on it. They were dependent on tourism

I met another man from Cyprus that was also very surprised as to why he never saw Americans traveling. He had been to 50 countries, most of them in Europe and Asia.

I met one English guy who had a friend that was living in Thailand for 7 years and had a Thai girlfriend said Thai people lived for the day. They do not overplan and worry about the future but they live for the moment and get by but also know how to relax , eat and enjoy their time with family.

I was given a few contacts to organizations in Thailand. None of them gave me any response so i made the most out of my time their, still had a ball and soaked up as much as I could. I would go back , but it wasn't the highlight of my trip. It was almost too easy. I didn't feel myself being challenged and I was sick of being around tourists and people that were not accustomed to try to be cultural sensitive.

Thailand's beauty and splendor is quite vast, but you can't understand it right away. It's definitely a place you have to take your time in and really try to learn to language and get over barriers to form connections. When you do, its very rewarding.

Egypt- Pharaonic Egypt To Islam

Karim
The hotel room in Cairo
Old Cairo
Traditional Egyptian food- My favorite dish- and only 1$!
Giza
Luxor
Dancer in Motion
Giza
Luxor Temple
The train ride from Aswan back to Cairo- she was adorable

Muhamed Ali Mosque in Cairo
Mom infront of the Sphinx

My mother and I were in Egypt for only 10 days.

I have always wanted to go to Egypt. Partly because i wanted to see Pharaonoiac Egypt and partly because I knew it was the center of New Islamic culture. It is the Islamic country where most of the music and movies come from that go to the rest of the Arab world. I had stayed in Morocco in January of 2007 with a host family for 4 weeks. This was my first introduction and intimate encounter with Islam. This was also my introduction to understand the role of Egypt. Egypt has had a very complex history from The legacy of Pharaonic Egypt and also their strategic role in Middle East relations and past of Socialism.

Going to Egypt it was mind blowing to see the complexity to Paranoiac civilization. Growing up learning a very Euro centric history like most people, I realized not all histories are acknowledged or given their rightful amount of noteworthiness.

It was also interesting seeing the influence of different cultures and periods in one place - Coptic Egypt, Islam, as well as Pharaonic sites all in the same place.

I have always had a respect for Islam. I think it is a very misinterpreted religion and it is full of compassion and peace. Being in Islamic state reminds me of that.

I met up with my Mom on March 1st in Cairo. We stayed there for two days, exploring , eating food, went to the Pyramids of Giza and then we went to Luxor and Aswan. Our train to Luxor took 9 hrs and then to Aswan and then to Luxor I think it was another 6 hrs. The further you go South on the Nile it truly is breathtaking. The more south you go the more Nubian influence you see as well.

Being with my mom I realized how different our expectations were. After traveling for awhile I had been accustomed to never expect everything to go smoothly. I learned how to try to pack light and be realistic about what you will get from a place. Being able to afford a budget hotel which was two stars she expected to get hot water. She was very angry that we did not have hot water when she wanted to shower. In the second hotel , the experience was the same. She got very angry and proceeded to call the front desk angry that she was not able to take a hot shower. I explained to her that it wasn't any one's fault. It is the dynamic. Maybe most of the people don't have the luxury of having hot water themselves I told her. How can you demand it for yourself just because you are a foreigner. Being around her made me realize I was becoming much more cultured and patient than her with her American standards.

In Egypt when you walk the streets, you are pretty much spotted for being a foreigner. You will be hassled to by souvenirs and trinkets. The vendors are VERRRRY aggressive and it turns allot of people off to their experience in the country. We also have to remember, we are going into a country where tourism is both an evil and a blessing. Tourists think of it as a necessary evil that promotes development. At the same time it makes economies dependent and how can you complain about the informal sector that is trying to capitalize on your wealth as a tourist. It is their livelihoods. Its very draining at times to constantly fend off vendors or argue with people because you know they are overcharging you for something. But hey, they have that right. For us, what is another 50 cents or a dollar. I would get mad at times because of the principal, but then again, they assume I have money and yes I did make it all the way there, so I would bargain or walk away when i was unhappy with a cost quote but many times I saw people lower their prices or almost seem to have more respect for you if you do bargain then if you just give up at the first quote. It's definitely a learning experience.

In Luxor I came across this site where the city was knocking down many buildings to widen a Paranoiac site in which many people visit. Paranoiac sites bring all kinds of people to Egypt, but many people don't want to realize and understand the costs on Modern Egypt that their stay has.

I was lucky to meet up with Karim whom I met on the travelbuddy website. My conversation with Karim helped me to learn allot about how everyday life is for Egyptians. I wanted to ask Karim about his perceptions of Americans. He said that many of his friends find it hard to separate Americans from American Foreign Policy which they see as imperialistic. I did not blame him. He talked to be about the struggle to make it through college. Karim wants to get his masters in the US in computer science. He is doing very well in Egypt but he also wants to travel. He explained to me the importance of Egyptian Cinema for the youth in Egypt. Karim, if you are reading this , I wish you the best of luck and hope to see you in NYC one day where I owe you a milkshake. Inshallah! ha!

To all the people that want to go to Egypt and see the pyramids, please stay their awhile to get to know Islam, to understand what it means and please acknowledge your own role as tourist. You should not go for luxury. Go their with an open mind and be willing to shrug of a bad experience. You can't stay bitter over one interaction.

To try to understand Africa

Market
Kumasi
Ashanti Museum- Ashanti King

Kumasi


Last day in Kumasi

Ante Victoria and I
Making Banku






Girls school for Peace where Sister Constance Works


After a few days in Ghana with Lamont and friends , I stayed with Eva. Eva whom I met on Couchsurfing let me stay with her. Eva works for FARA which is the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa. Eva works at administrative level for FARA. She explained that FARA is an umbrella organization bringing different organizations working with a variety of issues on agricultural issues including sustainable development.

Please Check out the website: http://www.fara-africa.org

Staying with Eva, even though it was only for 1 night was very humbling to say the least. Ghana like many developing countries in the world is having a water crisis. About half of the country is without running water. I heard this statistic on the radio in Ghana.
When you are walking around, a very common scene you will see is people transporting water from whatever water pump to various houses, on-top of their heads, usually in plastic oil containers that are probably a few gallons. This water is used for everything, cooking, washing dishes, bathing- everything you need water for. So people just remember, your direct access to water is not the given you think it is. For many people it is a luxary to have hot running water at disposable. I will touch on this latter at some point. There are many reasons that have factored into this lack of water issue. Privitization, drought caused by climate change, lack of developlent infrastructure due to curruption and greedy incentives by corporations. THE WATER CRISIS IS JUST BEGINNING!

Eva happily shared her water with me and for that I am so greatful to you Eva. Thank you so much if you ever read this. Talking to Eva I found out her interests in international relations as well and her desire to travel. I understand that for so many people to move to travel is a luxary and allot harder for those that have to go through leaps and bounds to get documents, funding, accommodations etc. Being in Ghana I realized how difficult it was for people to get sponsored. Us in the West have no idea how hard it is. We want to travel, we get a passport and a visa if need and that’s it. It is not that simple for those in developing countries. They have to prove that they have enough money and wealth to the point that the government where they want to go to does not think they will try to immigrate illegally.

After one night at Eva’s I stayed with a family in Kumasi. I took a 5 hour STA bus for 10$ 5 hours away to Kumasi which is the home of the Ashanti kingdom and tribe. Matt , whom I met on myspace who has done a similar “Round the World Trip” writes on issues of participatory democracy. Please check out his blog at

http://www.democracybythepeople.blogspot.com/

Matt had a friend Odenke who’s family lived in Kumasi. I am so thankful to have met Odenke’s family and Ante Victoria, All of Odenke’s siblings and nephews and nieces really made me feel at home. Kumasi is smaller than Accra. While I was there I saw a handful of tourists all of whom where traveling in groups. I never saw one traveling alone. There was a point I was on the bus looking around on the way to meet this family where I was a bit nervous that it would all work out. I seemed to attract allot of attention. Even more so in Kumasi. It reminds you of who you are and what your purpose is in a place. To most people I am the strange one. I would constantly see little kids pointing at me. At first they seemed curious about my presence and after awhile, they would try to speak to me in English to practice their English skills but shy when I answered them. Odenke’s Mother works at a fabric workshop and makes traditional Ashanti clothing for Ashanti funerals. They took me to their lovely home, gave me my own room, my own key and told me to make myself at home.

Ghanain hospitality reminds me allot of Indian hospitality. There is allot of respect for elders but they love to talk to you as well. There was a moment where I had been in the house for a few hours and it started to rain very heavily. I sat outside on their large porch watching the rain beat down on the dry Ghanian soil. The house was quiet and I could hear the occasional chatter of someone inside. I was releaved to be in a big family setting. They made me feel like I was a part of the family and that I had every right to be there, even though I had never met them and only been in Kumasi for a few hours. I felt an extremely powerful wave of emotion come over me and it felt really right to be there. The next two days Kwame and Joe took me to a number of key places I wanted to visit to learn more about Ashanti culture. I went to the cultural museum, the market, and schools where I got the opportunity to learn allot about Ghanain history and culture. To anyone going to Ghana I would highly recommend a visit to Kumasi. Thank you again to Matt and Odeke for making my stay in Kumasi and Ghana life changing.

I was so touched by the experience. I felt like even though it was difficult at times, it was definitely the most life changing. It is sooo important for us in the West to understand some of the key issues of sub-saharan African development. I am so sick of people looking at Africa as only needing charity. It comes from a racist sentiment where people doubt the efforts of people of color to transform their own lives. They are quit aware of what their needs are and I am sick of hearing people say they want to work for some charity in Africa and help poor people. The intentions might be good. Africans can help themselves. What we need to do is be in solidarity with what their needs are and not dictate to them what we think they should do like we have it all figured out when most people are lacking the basic knowledge of African history and the post-colonial experience of many countries is very different. Maybe I was attracted to Kwame’s legacy. His idea of Pan-Africanism and creating a unified Africa that could oppose Western Neo-Colonialism. Never-the-less I am sooo happy I went to Ghana. I met so many ignorant tourists that would always ask me why Ghana? WHY NOT????! Most travelers go to South Africa because it is easy, maybe Tanzania for some nice beaches, but how many consider other places that have more cultural heritage?

Before I left Ghana, the boy that works as a driver whos name is not coming back to me kidnapped me for awhile. He wanted me to take pictures of his friends and him. He explained to me how he wanted to marry an American and get of Ghana. At first he was shy to the camera but latter he was walking around showing me and my camera off to all of his friends that worked in this car lot repairing different things. It seemed to be at times it was the first time they where thinking of themselves as someone to be acknowledged in the world. Here I was, with a camera and they wanted me to click away, asked me if I was married a few times and I thought to myself what was my role here. If anything I am the guest, the stranger, have an open mind. You cannot be in a place like Kumasi and judge. It is not your right to impose your own cultural values on someone else in a different country that has a verrrry different life and history than you. At the same time it is essential that we see our similarities as people. We all want the same things for our future. Strong communities, education for our children, governments that are responsive to our needs, running water, sustainable development, clean air, uncontaminated food.

In Ghana I also learned to smile more… that is something anyone can understand in any language. To all those that opened their hearts and homes to me in Ghana. MIDASI!! You are in my heart =)