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24 October 2008

Nuptual Queries

I have already rec'd several common questions re.: this wedding.

1. Bride looks awfully young!?
Yes - brides can be as young as 12 and average 14/15.

2. How many wives?
Being a muslin country - men are allowed as many wives as they can afford up to 30. Most Indonesian men have 2 wifes.

3. Where is groom in pics?
The groom is not "carried" like the bride. He is at the end of procession, walking, hitting a bong with the rythm of whatever the "band" is playing.

23 October 2008

Weddings, Circumcisions, & Mountains

This is the beginning of a wedding procession we ran into in the mountains. The men in costumes leading are really a "band" comprised of incredibly loud flutist and symbol players playing tunes sounding middle-eastern.

Myself and a Dutch couple. split the cost for a driver and guide (total = $70) to take us on a 300 kilometer (about 175 mi) tour of the mountains on Lombok Island, Indonesia. The 9+ hour drive was interesting with a few surprises.

The girl in white is the bride being carried - she is positioned in the middle of the procession. There are 2 others being carried on hoisted chairs behind her. These are young boys who are going to be circumcized (sp?) - in a separate ceremony. Odd combination of events - combining the ceremonies allows the families involved to save money on the band which is evidently a must for both ceremonies!



Another pic of the wedding/circumcision procession.



#173 - Me at a mountain waterfall - after a 1+ hour trek down which was followed by a much longer trek back up!



Left: A view of the terraced rice patties found in the mountain areas of Lombok.

Right: The view from the mountain pass we crossed over during trip. Very cool at this elevation - 70 vs 90+ at sea level.

21 October 2008

Lombok, Indonesia - Asian Critter Must and "Cidemos"


Of course I had to get a pic with my main Asian critters. Note the dry, dry conditions!


The lesast expensive and most common mode of public transportation is called a Cidemos - carts drawn by tiny (and not very friendly) horses.

Lombok, Indonesia - Hindu Temple Critters

This temple is dedicated to a Hindu monkey god - and is populated by hundreds of some type of large monkies. They were all very friendly and gentle with all who visit and, off course, feed them. This was obviously the alpha male.




This was the alpha female - all very gentle - NOT grab and run types.

Sasak Village, Lombok, Indonesia

On the way to Kuta Beach we stopped at a traditional Sasak Village which is a candidate to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site - because the population is dwindling. They are incredibly proud people and cling to all of their traditions.



Me strolling through village comprised of 350 structures and a population of around 800 - all on this single little hill top.


Several villagers allowed us to enter their homes. Inside each there is a platform made of clay and polished with cow dung. The men sleep on this platform. There are 3 steps (that I am sitting on) that led to a small upstairs room where all the women sleep - each step represents 1 of the 3 religions they follow (Hindu, Islam and Animism). Also note the dried water buffalo head to the left in the pic - evidently this is some sort of "house blessing" that they do to commemorate an important family event such as a birth or death.

At Kuta Beach in Lombok, Indonesia

Many people both locals and what few tourist are around spoke about "the perfect beach" called Kuta located in sountern Lombok - about a 2 hour drive from Senggigi Beach where I was staying. So I teamed up with a German couple and we split the cost of a driver and car for a day ($40) and we were off to Kuta Beach.


in terms of snow white sand and pristine waters and occupied by only a few locals - Kuta was indeed perfect. But this time of year it is incredibly dry in southern Lombok! The surrounding area was parched - like central Mexico AND there was. Only one vendor in the entire area selling young green coconuts.


There were some beautiful young girls around - almost all Sasak whose religion is a mixture of Hindu, Islam, and Animanisn. They were very friendly - this is a pic of me with a girl named Sante - "Nancy" in English. Her striking hazel eyes made her stand out - she was gorgeous - we talked and played in the water for a couple of hours.

19 October 2008

Indonesian Diving & Food

Photo: A typical Indonesian beef sata with wrapped and unwrapped sticky rice.

Today's diving trip was kind of a bust: visibility was restricted to about 25-30 feet (I prefer Belize's 100'), most of the coral was dead, and like snorkeling yesterday, few critters to be seen and those that were present were predominately small with a few medium size here and there. There were a considerable number of turtles that I was happy to see weren't being eaten by locals. Exhausting day because of the considerable time spent commuting between dive sites in choppy seas in a small, dugout with bamboo outrigger pontoons - like the one in the background of pic 160 below. Anyway - that's about all there is to report re dives - so on to something more interesting.

The people of Lombok Island are known as Sasakss. They even have their own dialect which is unique to this island (as do the people of Ball).

One of the common foods eaten here are "sata" - pronounced satay. Like Thailand, these are beef or chicken pieces skewered on bamboo sticks and grilled on small charcoal grills. Unlike Thailand, pork sata's are not available - because Indonesian is an Islamic country.
Satas are served on the bamboo sticks with this incredibly good sauce. made of shredded young coconut meat mixed with a little chicken fat and cooked for 4-5 hours - it has a distinctive meaty taste. This is totally different from Thailand,'s satay sauce which is peanut based.. The Indonesian sata sauce is not thick like the Thai satay sauce. Instead it has the viscousity of a cream-based soup or bisque. It's delicious!

Also, unlike Thailand, Indonesian satas are served with sticky rice rolled up & intricantly tied in coconut palm leaves, and then boiled. The skewered satas are cooked on tiny charcoal grills. When served, you unwrap the rice which holds its shape (bc it's sticky rice) and dip it in the sata sauce. Satas are available on the beach - sold by vendors in fixed locations. Once and sometimes twice a day I go to my favorite beach sata vendor.

Photo: me and 2 of my beautiful beach buddies I befriended (with my "boyish charm") enjoying our lunch satas at my favorite vendor's site on the beach. When eating, you sit on straw mats laid on an elevated platform in a very communal atmosphere. Great way to meet and interact with locals - few tourists frequent these places. I hope that you can see and note the beautiful smiles of my beach buddies - Indonesian women are dark-skined, have silky/long/straight black hair, most have gorgeous white teeth, and their predominantly almond shaped dark eyes make them stunningly beautiful women. Again - I hope the attached pic brings out these striking qualities.

The Picture Says it all

Well almost all - doesn't really capture the bright reds of last night's sunset - but I thought I would pass it along anyway.

By tthe way - here sunrise occurs around 6AM and sunset about 6:30PM.

18 October 2008

Lombok to Gili Islands, Indonesia

I spent the day going from Lombok to Gili Islands. Gili means island and there are 3 small islands off Lombok called Gili Air (smallest), Gili Meno (the middle and in-between in size), and Gili Trawangan (largest of the 3 Gilis). This pic was taken along the Lombok coastline as we road a powered dugout with pontoon outriggers on both sides! Note the dramatic coastline - that's an isolated thatched hut fishing village on the beach and volcanic mounts in the background. Incredibly picturesque - well it is in person!

We stopped in several places around the Gili's to snorkle. Reef was in sad shape - but fishes were plentiful in the medium/small size range. Strange was the fact that there were sea urchins!?! This pic was taken on Gili Meno where we ate lunch at a beach side restaurant. I had BBQ snapper with a sweet/sour sauce - fresh and delicious especially for just $2.50!

The Gili Islands have terrific white sand beaches and small accommodations - some but few with AC. They have no wells or cistern systems. Therefore, there is not source of fresh water for bathrooms and showers - they all use saltwater. for these purposes. If this had not been the case, I would have stayed there - but showering in saltwater bothers me too much. One benefit of not having any fresh water is because of its absence, there are no mosquitos!

Tomorrow I am doing 3 dives - and will be leaving the Blackberry at the hotel.

16 October 2008

Lombok Island, Indonesia

I am staying at the Senggigi Beach Hotel on Lombok Island. It is located just 123 kilometer (about 72 mi) south of the equator and is really hot - but a constant trade winds makes it comfortable. Technically Lombok and Bali. Islands are the Java Sea. I have been here less than 24 hrs and am still getting settled. I will be staying here for a week.

1st photo: Me on the front porch of my Lombok Island's lodging - I say first bc I intend to move around while here. Bungalow has great AC, indoor and outdoor showers, nice front porch, very comfortable KS bed, refrigerator, and TV. Breakfast included.. Cost = $68/day including outrageous taxes of about 24%! And YES they have bacon! Not in the open at the breakfast bar - but you can order it and ham!

2nd Photo - the crib's landscaping is incredible - that's my bungalow to the right. That "mountain" in the background is a volcano - dormant for just 30 years!







The hotel beach - note perfect surfing waves - 2'-3', breaking perfectly from left to right, about 30 yds from shore. Many surfer dudes around – mostly Indonesians, but have also met some Aussies and South Africans.



me at the beach bar. I can't tell on BB if this pic is legible or not - I hope that it is ok!?

Arrived Safely in Lombok

Ends up that Lombok Island is in a different time zone - so the flight was only 1 hour 20 mins AND it was non-stop!Btw - I was wrong about smoking being allowed ANYplace in airports.

It turns out that you are allowed to smoke in any restaurant/coffee shop in the airport terminal - but NO where else! When I left the coffee shop with a lit cig in my hand I was descended upon by 3 heavily armed "policemen". Scared the s__t out of me! But they recognized I was yet another crazy westerner and let me go immediately after they took my cigarette away from me.

The incident was unnerving because Indonesians strictly enforce all their laws. For example - in bold, all upper case letters on their custom's form it states "Drug trafficing is punishable by death!" It's a little strange being in a muslim country again - it's been 15+ years since I was last in one for any length of time - and that was Turkey which is a very moderate Islamic country. For some reason being in one still makes me a little uneasy. I am looking forward to Lombok and Bali areas which are the only predominantly Hindu areas in Indonesia! I may even be able to get bacon here!?!?

Will get in touch again sometime tomorrow after I getting settled in at my hotel.

15 October 2008

I've Made It To Jakarta!

I am now comfortably entrenched in my Air Conditioned hotel room near the airport in Jakarta AND data services appears to be working!

It was a long trip! I was told my flight was "non-stop" from HCM City to Jakarta - it was NOT! Instead it was a "direct flight" with a 1+ hour stop in Singapore!!!! At least I can add another country to my list of "been there done thats"!?
It's hot as blazes here - much more so than Vietnam. But my journey did cross the equator and I am now in the southern hemisphere! And technically I am on the island of Java.Jakarta is incredibly built-up. I am staying in a 3 star hotel because most hotels in the airport area are booked by 6PM every weekday! They drive on the left here - it was a little unnerving for a few minutes when we left the airport because Indonesia is primarily muslim - it will be a while before I'm able to get my bacon fix.

Maybe the black market will be a source!? I'm off to Lombok Island tomorrow!

14 October 2008

A Big Mistake

At 10AM this morning, I decided I needed to confirm my flights to Indonesia. When I looked at the ticket I realized my flight left TODAY not tomorrow! I had less than 4 hours to pack, check out of the hotel, and catch a cab to the airport. And it takes 1 hour to get to the airport from my hotel!? AND you are supposed to check in for international flights at least 3 hours before departure!?!

I had also planned to meet with Linh and her father this evening to exchange gifts and say goodbye! I was NOT going to leave without seeing her! So, the first thing I did was call Linh who said that she and her father would meet me at the hotel before I left - which they did. Linh had made a wonderful gift, beautifully wrapped, for me she called "the bottle of luck and hope". It contains "lucky stars" and "hopeful birds" - stars for luck and safe journeys, and "hope" that all dreams will come true. She also included a beautifully written note. I shall always cherish both the "talisman" and her note.

Details re today's trip: I depart HCM City at 1:50PM on Garuda Indonesia flight GA869 arriving in Jakarta, Indonesia at 6:10PM. - a long flight! Because it was impossible to make connections to Lombok, I will have to spend the night in Jakarta
I depart Jakarta at 10:50AM tomorrow, Oct 15, for Lombok Island (Mataram Airport) arriving there at 1:40PM - another long flight!

I got things totally confused because my hotel reservation in Lombok didn't begin until Oct 15th! Stupid me!

Anyway, I thank God that I was able to meet with Linh before I left.
I made it to the airport on time and I am now waiting to board my plane.
I am assuming that I will have no data services connection problems in Jakarta and will check in with you then!

Saigon Hair Salon

I received several emails lamenting the fact that my haircut dispatch did not include a pic. So, today at considerable expense of time, effort, and VND (Vietnamese Dong), I re-created and captured the scene in a picture.

Regrettably, the pic is sans the attractive masseuse - who was taking a 3-day holiday. When the barber explained this - he also told me that she was his sister AND single.

Note that the pic includes the co-located restaurant in the background which is really located street-front. So, the barber is located deeper in the alleyway. Also note the tarps - the typical and only roofing for such establishments.
Btw - it was VERY difficult trying to explain to the barber what I was trying to do and why! I was his first and only "European" customer - so I guess he assumed that all the stories he had heard about "us" being a little nuts was true.
I. Hope you all appreciate the time and effort that went into re-creating and capturing this event in a pic!? Enjoy!

12 October 2008

Vietnamese Haircut

The past few days have been "slow news" days. But I did have a "first time experience" today that albeit may not be truly news worthy - it was an interesting first.The last haircut I got just before I left the US - which was over 6 weeks ago. Needless to say I was getting a little shaggy around the ears. I couldn't find any fellow sojourners who had any Vietnamese haircut experience. There were several salons around my hotel that I checked - average costs around $6 - quite reasonable. I then asked my motorbike driver Hoang if he had any suggestions. I ended up going to his barber.

Found throughout most Vietnam, many barbers just set-up chairs and a stand with a tarp covering right on the street. The one Hoang took me to was in an alley and the space was shared with a pig intestine and ear street "restaurant" which had a surprising pleasant waffling aroma.Anyway - there was no electricity - everything was done with hand clippers. The barber had an attractive female assistant. While the barber cut my hair, the female assistant gave me a manicure and foot massage. He also gave me a straight razor shave which was followed by his attractive female assistant wrapping my face in a hot towel for several minutes and then her attending to the black heads on my temples.

The finale and biggest surprise/shock was an ear cleaning that the assistant did with a tiny, alcohol sterilized spoon! Duration = 90 minutes. Quality of haircut = not excellent but certainly Very Good. Total Cost = $1.50 but I also gave them a 30 cent tip - hey that's 20% by the way; the assistant commented on my clear, minimal black head complexion and clean ears! She and the barber really liked my mustache - many Vietnamese appear to be fascinated by it and comment on it. Although both the barber and his assistant wanted to trim my mustache - I made it very clear that only I did that!

Sorry I didn't get a pic - rain was threatening so I left the Blackberry in my hotel room - and yes it did rain.Well hey - what did you expect - I said it wasn't much of a news day!

11 October 2008

Saigon Update

Hey everybody -
Some time has passed since my last dispatch and some of you have wondered if I had "disappeared"!? Rest assured - I have not.


Aside from the days I spent planning my Indonesian itinerary - I have spent most of my time hanging with friends here - primarily Linh's family (primarily her father bc she is back in school) and Hoang (and his friends) the motorbike driver.

Great news about Linh's internship paper (for which I provided minimal English editorial assistance) - she got the highest grade in her class! She was so worried about her grade. I hope to be able to celebrate her grade with her and her family this evening.

Vinh (Linh's father) works from 3PM to 3AM 6 days a week. He gets a 2+ hour dinner break each day - normally between 5PM and 7PM. During the past week, he has picked me up to spend this time together, sometimes with his family, eating and drinking coffee. Yesterday he picked me up early and had a surprise for me!

He treated me (and himself) to an elaborate 3-hr massage. It was quite an involved affair: 1) sauna; 2) hot feet soak (heated stones in ankle deep water - soak feet while sitting on benches); 3) steam bath; 4) soak in hot tub; 5) cold shower; 6) face massage; 7) cold green tea and fruit while sitting in massage chairs and; 8) topped off with a 1 hour full body massage by very attractive and friendly masseuses = total time just over 3 hours. I have had several of the classic 1-2 hour massages here - but they were nothing as involved as this experience. Total costs was about $22 each including tips. I picked up the tip tab for both of us - which represented only a small portion of the total costs - maybe 15%. Anyway - it was a terrific experience and I am very grateful for his generosity and thoughtfullness.

That's about it from this side of the world. I hope all is going well with you folks!

08 October 2008

Gili/Lombok/Bali Islands Itinerary

It has been an incredible hassle trying to execute the next leg of my journey. It is far more complicated than anyone would believe - biggest problem being to get into these countries (visas) when you arrive, you must have an airline ticket in your possession to leave the country! Difficult to nail down dates and next country I want to visit while at the same time avoiding outrageous airfares charged in VN for international flights!?

Adding to the problems and confusion are 2 other factors: 1) the Indonesian "high season" begins Oct 1st combined with the fact; 2) the 2008 Asian Ocean Games will be happening while I am there. Combined, these 2 factors has resulted in over booked and clogged airlines and hotels!!
Good news is that evidently I am going at a good time of year - high season. Bad news is the consequential clutter that must be dealt with combined with visa hassles!


Anyway, after 4 major hassling days, I have finally gotten everything locked-in as follows:

1 - I purchased a round trip ticket HCM city to Jakarta to Lombok and return. Least expensive (but still costly) option to overcome visa problems.

2 - Oct 14 - I will depart HCM City to Jakarta where I must spend the night bc I will not be able to make the connection from Jakarta to Lombok.

3 - Oct 15 - fly from Jakarta to Lombok Island. Check an atlas to get a perspective of the distances involved and vast geographical dispersion of the Indonesian islands! I will probably be staying/spending time on the Gili, Lombok and Bali Islands all of which are close to one another and linked by "unscheduled" ferries.

4 - Nov 13 - my Indonesian visa will expire on Nov 14 so I will be leaving Lombok on Nov 13 returning to HCM city - the reverse of the itinerary of 2 and 3 above with 1 major difference - I WILL be able to make the Jakarta connection so only 1 full day of travel will be required.

It is indeed strange that Vietnam has the least restrictive visa requirements, i.e., I do NOT have to have a valid airline ticket exiting the country when I arrive!?!?I will be spending some more time in HCM City when I return - minimally enough time to plan my next itinerary which will probably be HCM City to Bangkok to Phuket to Bangkok to Katmandu (high season there!) In Nepal. Of course this leg will require considerable juggling as well bc of the valid airline ticket exiting the country requirements <-- problem because although I will probably be going to India from Nepal - I cannot get into India without a valid airline ticket exiting country!?!? This has become a persistent "rock and a hard spot" problem! Any suggestions!? Ugh! Wish I could do something like the ole Euro Rail Pass deal!That's all from here for now. Hope all is well with you!

David

PS - all flights will be on Garuda Indonesia airlines (GA) - anyone out there ever heard of them or of their flight safety record!?

I will provide specific flight info just before my departure on Oct 14.

05 October 2008

Cambodia FAQs

As one might expect, I have received many questions about Cambodia. So - I decided once again to use the FAQ format to respond;

Cambodian Government? Technically, Cambodia is a Constitutional Monarchy with almost all of the elected officials either being part of or closely affiliated with members of the royal family. What exists today is the result of what evidently a very bloody coup that occurred in 1999. In reality, the government is evidently a very oppressive, strong-armed dictatorship. This was corroborated by what few Cambodians would speak openly about it and 2 Europeans I met who are ex pats working in Phnom Penh.

Cambodia vs Kampuchea? My official world pocket atlas says that "Cambodia" is the English word for the country and that "kampuchea" is its "official local name". With no exceptions, the Cambodians I spoke to referred to it as Cambodia - of course this may have been because I was a westerner!? However, interestingly all Vietnamese and Thai refer to it as Kampuchea. When the Khmer Rouge were in power they referred to it only as Kampuchea. Btw - the Vietnamese, Thais and Lao all consider Cambodians almost "sub humans" probably because many believe that are "black Indians" (as in India)!? And of course, for centuries, there have been many wars between Indochinese countries and Cambodia.

Mixture of Tourist? 98% of the tourists I saw were Asians - about an equal mixture of Koreans and Japanese with some obvious presence of Chinese (mainland). The remainder for the most part were Aussies and Kiwis _ only a very few Europeans. I met no Americans!?

Money = "Reils" not "reals" as previously reported!

Angkor sites and restorations? The entire, massive Angkor area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Many parts of it have been "restored" and many more areas are constantly being restored. Each of these multi-year, multi-million-$ restoration projects are undertaken by various countries funded by both the sponsoring countries and UNESCO. As you tour the sites, guides note both the country involved and years of restoration activities of past, current and future projects.

Bacon? Yes - the perfect food was available daily on the breakfast buffet. Of course everyday it was served almost raw. But no problem - I just took it to the omelet cook who properly fried it up in his omelet skillet - giving me weird looks while doing so!?

Stupas are mausoleums where Buddhist deposit bone or cremation remains of their dead. Monks actually "live" or "reside" in many of these stupas and say/recite daily prayers for the souls of the stupa residents. Note the pagoda's 7-headed serpents' interlocking curled tail to the right whose bodies surrounds the pagoda!

Vietnam - Communism & the Intellectual

During the past 6 weeks - I have had the pleasure of befriending a half dozen Vietnamese intellectuals who are fluent in English or associated with fluent English interpreters. These include students, journalist, and 2 US college educated individuals who have duel (albeit dubious) Vietnamese/American citizenships and chose to live in Vietnam. All have asked that I share their perspectives as Vietnamese intellectuals with all of my American friends - all of whom they feel qualify as "intellectuals" - I have chosen not to inform them any differently - but don't let your egos inflate too much!? This email is my attempt to honor their request as I said I would. First some important facts:

Vietnam Facts: government = Socialist Republic - Communism (comprised of president, party chief, "prime minister, 7 regional governors, 50 provincial chiefs and numerous regional reps, 3 primary city gov'ts), population = 85 million, area = 330 sq km (about the size of Italy), 1 of only 4 communist nations in the world - others are China, Cuba, and N. Korea

Below are summaries of the 10 most salient perspectives my friends wanted conveyed:
1. The entire Vietnamese communist government infrastructure is comprised of less than 2 million individuals or about 2% of the entire population all of whom are members of and have strong ties to high ranking party officials. This includes all gov't officials and employees as well as the military and police. It is also interesting to note that almost without exception, these government officials have very little education - most having completed only the 6th grade.

2. .Most "federal monies" end up in the pockets of the 2% of the population running the government. This is why the Vietnamese people do NOT want the US government to pay any war retributions to the Vietnamese government.

3. The vast majority of the Vietnamese population are NOT official members of the Communist Party.

4. The general population has never personally met or even seen any of their "representatives" at any level!

5. Given the aforementioned, most Vietnamese govt officials truly fear the general population and for their personal futures. For these reasons, most stash vast sums of monies in overseas bank accounts in any countries that will accept them - not surprisingly China is at the top of the list with Taiwan (who. Is not Communist but has very close ties with Vietnamese govt official) running a close 2nd. Many Vietnamese govt officials own "palaces" in China.

6. The vast majority of the general Vietnamese population is well aware of all the above.

7. Vietnamese professionals such as teachers, doctors, and journalists are primarily employed by the govt and paid very low wages - averaging $200-$300 per month. It is believed this is because the govt realizes they are the intellectuals and suppressing their wages will keep them in line, e.g..., low salaries limit their ability to travel - even within Vietnam.

8. The Vietnamese intellectuals are severely oppressed by the government when it comes to expressing ANY anti-government sentiments - in any form including discussions with friends. Many "intellectuals" still disappear on a daily basis.

9. The intellectuals recognize and for the most part accept (albeit grudgingly) being government "monkeys" on the outside - but ALL know what they believe in their hearts.
10. The Vietnamese people (minimally the intellectuals) know the government is aware of and truly fears their democratic aspirations, e.g., the overseas bank accounts and investments in China. What is most disturbing is that the people (most of whom are very poor by any standards) are becoming very impatient with communism - they want equal rights and justice YESTERDAY not tomorrow. Coupled with their very long fiercely and not that distant revolutionary history, the government should fear their there own population.
It is because of the above and perhaps the proliferation of US TV on Vietnamese airwaves and their love of such programs, that all Vietnamese love and welcome all Americans! It is too bad that their are so few of us here and those of us who are here do not take the time to get to know more about the Vietnamese people.

Ho Chi Minh City - A Day With a Wonderful Family

Me, Linh, her father and brother at one of the many interior gates located inside the park. This gate leaded to a huge pagoda dedicated to Ho Chi Minh and Budda - honored with golden efigies of each inside the pagoda/temple!?


Linh's father (Phuc Vinh) and little (8 years old) brother (Hoang Long) picked me up at my hotel promptly @ 10AM. The 3 of us (on 1 motorbike) drove to the other side of HCM City where we met Linh and best friend (Nguyen Thi Van Anh) met us at a busy intersection. Turns out that Linh's mother was not joining us - she was staying at home to prepare our evening meal!
After meeting at the intersection, Hoang decided to ride with Linh and her girlfriend on their motorbike and I and Linh's father on his motorbike. We were off to destinations unknown to me!? On the way, Linh's father's motorbike had a rear flat tire. We walked his bike to one of the many flat-tire/bike repair shops found near any road throughout Vietnam. Ended up that the tire damaged was extensie enough to require both a new tube AND tire - a costly (for any Vietnamese) and unexpected $25 repair job! The bike shop owner/worker had never met an American before and wanted to buy a US $1 bill from me to mark the occassion. Unfortunately, I had no US dollar bills with me - which I felt terrible about.

I felt terrible about the unexpected tire/tube replacement expense. It no doubt was at least partially attributabe to my weighty US ass which probqbly was > or = the total combined weight of my 4 traveling companions!? Linh's father repeatedly turned down my numerous offers to pay for the repairs. At least they, Linh's father and the repair guy, did accept the bottled, cold green teas I had bought them at a nearby stand! It was a sweltering hot day.

Tired repaired - we were once again off to, for me anyway, still unknown destinations! After a litlle more than an hour, we arrived at what looked like a very new 20+ foot high replica of the great wall of China - that seemed endless as we followed it (at least 2-4 kilometers) to what appeared to be the main entrance of something like a major themed amusement park - which it was - the largest in Vietnam! Started in 1999 with building to continue through 2011, it a Vietnamese/Taiwanese themed park being built by a Taiwanese magnate - allegedly with "dirty money" which is always OK with and welcomed by the Vietnamese gov't. The interior of this huge complex is loosely modeled after the forbidden city with huge brightly colored and "gold leaf" decorated interiors/exteriors of replica forbidden city structures. There was a multitude of Taiwan-manufactured goods (from simple foods to watches to major electronics) "booths" throughout this huge complex. There were only a few rides (offered @ additional expense to a fairly stiff entrance fee - and very few "riders"). Being a Saturday, the park was fairly crowded - but many well maintained, AC buses efficiently shuttled everyone around. I appeared to be the only US tourist in the place!?

This is me, Linh's father and brother in front of what I thought looked like a replica of Vietnam's famed Marble Mountain - remember pic - located between DaNang and Hoi An!? You could walk through the mountain "caves" containing still-being-constructed stalagtites and stalagmites!

The 5 of us had lunch in one of the many cafe's located throughout the park. Fortunately, after repeated, aggressive attempts, I was allowed to pay for lunch. But not until after a heated argument (lead by Linh and her best friend w/all the men sitting silently) with the wait staff. Ends up that we were overcharged more than. 30%! Thanks to the ladies' persistence, the bill was appropriately adjusted!

Linh and her best friend departed immediately after lunch - Linh was going to return home to help her mother prepare dinner and her friend had a family commitment to attend. Btw - it turns out that Linh's friend's family just wrapped-up a deal for the sole Blackberry distributorship rights in Vietnam (they are currently not available here). She certainly knew all about mine! That's why there are no pics of her - she took all the one's contained in this email chain!

After Linh and friend departed, little brother father and I spent another couple of hours touring the parks rather extensive zoo. We then journeyed about an hour and arrived (just before dark) at what appeared to be some sort of very nice swimming/billiards/restaurant resort. The 3 of us spent 1+ hours showering and swimming in the cool, relaxing pool - discussing Vietnamese politics at length (subject of upcoming emails). We then left the pool resort and 30 mins later the 3 of us arrived at Linh's house for dinner.

Linh and her mother had gone to considerable effort to prepare this incredibly delicious, multi-course meal for us. Evidently great thought had gone into its preparation ensuring the dishes represented the cuisines of Northern, Central and Southern Vietnam. There were so many dishes - shrimp, pork, fish, a very fresh western style salad, delicious dipping sauces, rice, a soft-spun "angel hair" type of rice noodle, a crispy, fried type of bread upon which you put a mushroom/bean mixture that was out of this world! All this was followed by a fresh fruit dish of cold lychee nuts and those wonderful, intensely flavorful minature bananas (that I still remember from my early, early days in Vietnam).
Dinner conversation covered many topics - serious and humorous. Age differences came up often with me repeatedly pointing out that although I was older than Linh - I was half the age of her 53 yo father <-- this is an ongoing joke between me and Linh's father which he accepts in his good natured way. Btw - he is always pointing out to me how much "stronger" and "younger" I am than he - I'm not quite sure what that means - but I'll assume it's true! Of course - the Bruce Willis theme continued <-- many Vietnamese have said I look like him!?!

I intend to spend more time with Linh and the Phams before leaving Vietnam. I am having work-break coffee with her father @ 5PM this evening and hope to take Linh and possibly her family out to a western style dinner.

Linh has had a dramatic impact on my life - I would do anything for her but can only wish I had the chance to do so, and spend the rest of my days showing her the world and feeding her ravinous intellectual appetite. Perhaps someday I will be able to at least show her Ravens' Rock Cabin and introduce her to snow for the first time!

Yesterday was indeed a wonderful day made so and possible by the incredibly generous, gracious, intelligent, good-natured, open-hearted hospitality of a beautiful family that I cannot help but love. Yesterday's as well as my previous interactions with them certainly will be one of the fondest memories of my entire life.

04 October 2008

First Night Back in Saigon

About 5PM this afternoon, I was sitting at the hotel's internet computers and Linh's father suddenly appeared! He was on his dinner work break and invited me to join him for coffee and then pho. Having no previous commitments and being pleasently surprised, I immediately accepted his gracious invitation!

We first went for coffees at a very Vietnamese coffee house - I have grown quite fond of Vietnamese iced coffees. For a while we talked about buying property and how difficult it was for even Vietnamese professionals to purchase properties.

Then, Mr. Pham had yet another surprise for me - his wife (Linh's mother) suddenly showed up and joined us! She is also a journalist and for some time was a photo-journalist. I had my BB with me and, of course, I showed them some of my Siem Reap pics. She had been there before, he had not. She spoke no English, but pics and jestures go a long way when people are sincere and his limited English contributed significantly! She could only stay a short period but before leaving she explained through him that she had many beautiful lady friends to whom she would like to introduce me. A bit awkward - but all was fun and interesting. She was a very gracious and beautiful lady.

Mr. Pham then took me to a pho restaurant. Great pho too. He spoke at length about "not being free" like Americans and how professionally and personally frustrating it was that neither he nor his wife could express their true thoughts and feelings in the press. He also spoke at length about the fact that he has rarely spoken to any Americans and how he wants to talk about many things. I look forward to doing just that - and must and will learn some Vietnqmese to facilitate that process!

He then drove me back to my hotel on his motorbike and confirmed our plans to spend tomorrow together at the beach with his family. Before he left, I gave him a present I had bought for Linh which he very reluctantly agreed to do.
.His and his wife's graciousness, intellect, and generousity are really overwhelming. I am really looking foward to spending my day with them tomorrow!

03 October 2008

Back in Ho Chi Minh City

All -

I made it back to Saigon in one piece! I have just checked into my ole stand-by hotel and am waiting for AC to kick in! I missed seeing Thom this AM to feed her her daily ration of 10+ pineapples. I am sure that she misses them too... not me but the pineapples!

All take care!

What is a Tuk-Tuk!?


Now you know!

Around Siem Reap & FAQs

Costs - although food/drink are incredibly inexpensive (tonight I ate "western" food = ceaser salad, pork loin w/great onion/peppercorn sauce,, FF, iced tea for $4) like Saigon, Angkor has proved much more costly than Vietnam. It's the little things that add up, e.g.: $50 for entry visa/$25 for exit "processing" when leaving country, $40 for 4-day Angkor pass, $75/night hotel (includes bkfst), pineapples 2 for $1 with no break for buying in bulk <- they will NOT sell 1 for 50 cents and I bought at least 12 a day - at least the bananas for the macaques were cheap!

Currency - the Cambodian Real at about 4000/$1. But what I found incredible was prices in all Siem Reap stores (including grocery stores and street vendors), temple admittence fees, etc are all in US $s! And you see more US greenbacks in circulation than Cambodian Reals!? And - there are no coin currency (fyi for my US Mint colleagues).

Weather - higher temps and humidity than Saigon, short showers in the evenings <- but I guess you could tell this from my sopping wet t-shirts in the pics!?

People - are as friendly and sincere as other Indochinese. Their skin color is noticably darker than that of the Vietnamese. The woman are beautiful but in a different way from the Vietnamese. I fell in love at least a dozen times each day No hassles and no one attempting to rip you off. Very kind and gentle folks.

Prostitution - evidently much more expensive here in Siwm Reap than Vietnamese cities I've been in. Even the massages are more. I believe it is illegal here - no prostitutes walking or hussling the streets - they sell their services in discreet bordellos here.

Pagodas - Buddists' places of worship here are called pagodas - not temples. I visited many but went to one in particular several times whose monks are all dedicated to meditation and chanting ohlms. I joined them several times inside - very relaxing and I even cooled off while inside!

The preceding two pictures show the pagoda I visited several times. Its exterior is entirely masonary - mostly casted cement all of which is painted - much of it in gold paint! This is the way they may have painted the Angkor temples and the way they may have looked way back when!? It is really awe-inspiring when seen in the bright sunlight! Also note the fresco painted walls!

This picture shows 2 of the common pagoda icons - the 7-headed serpant (no doubt a cobra whose scally green body surrounds the entire exterior of the pagoda) and the lion - not an Asian tiger but lion that are not found in Indochina!? It is said that the early Khmer kings imported exotic animal from all over the world - so maybe that is the source of this icon found in most Angkor temples and present day pagodas!? Also note the incredibly bold colors of EVERYTHING on the exterior. And the gold paint really shines bright gold! Indeed the Angkor temples could have looked similar!

this is one of the monks I befriended. He's the one that invited me inside to meditate to the chants of the big-cheese or head monk. Through sign language and demonstrations he taught me how to sit and breath. I was his adopted student. Btw he made it perfectly clear that I did not have to believe in Budda to partake of meditation inside their pagoda.


Giving alms: The white-robed-lay-monk to my right is introducing me to the head monk. I have no idea what he was saying!? I had placed some money in the silver bowl and handed it to the head monk - but was not allowed to approach him until the lay monk had "introduced me". It was interesting that the head monk stop leading tje chants when we approach him - on our knees of course.

Again note that entire exterior is brightly painted - and the ever-present 7iheaded-serpant and lion, ornate bright gold roof, and brightly colored frescos !



really neat classically constructed Cambodian house. Owners were home and gave me permission to take pic - but were insistent that they Not be in pic! They then invited me and my tuk-tuk driver onto their porch for tea - but still no pics!?


another girlfriend owned by the people who invited us for tea!

02 October 2008

From Siem Reap Back to Ho Chi Minh City

So all know what I am up to - I leave Siem Reap, Cambodia returning to Saigon tomorrow, Oct 3rd, at 1:30PM, on Vietnam Airline's flight VN826.

Roluos Group Temple

It seems appropriate that the last temple I explored was the first built in the Angkor Wat area.



The Roluos Group main temple was built during the period 877 to 889AD. Constructed entirely of mortarless brick it is comprised of 6 towers - one each dedicated to the king's parents, paternal and maternal grandparents.



This is not only the only the first major temple built in the Angkor area - but the only one built of brick.

The mortarless brick construction is very similar to that I saw in My Son temples in Vietnam and both date about the same time by Hindus! Small, small world. And it appears that I have now covered most of the Champa empire.


It is said that the interior deep cut, well preserved bas-reliefs (Vishnu) were carved into the brick, i.e., the brick was not molded - leaving no room for any mistakes!

01 October 2008

Wat Critters

I love all critters - all those found on the surface and under the sea. In Cambodia I was happy to see many dogs - but no cats were in sight Cambodia - perhaps because of its Buddist/Hindu underpinnings, provided several critter interaction opportunities for me. I paid a tuk-tuk to take me around late this afternoon to say good bye to all the critter friends I had made.

One of the many small horses I would meet/greet around the temples. They are used primarily to pull carts. Most were stallions and not very friendly. The one in this pic was also a stallion but I was able to befriend him and others with a soft voice and scratching in the right places. Note small temples in background.



A few of the Rhesus Macaque monkeys (fairly large monkeys) that I fed banana's to most mornings. We became pretty close and well known to one another.






this is the alpha male of the macaque troop. Very nice fellow and calm in my presence - he didn't snatch and run - but like most of them gentlly broke off pieces of banana and consumed them while calmy sitting beside me. Sitting on the ground at their level helps belay their fears.




this is a mother and youngster. I believe the mother was the alpha male's favorite bc he always allowed her to eat after he was full. That's pretty thick jungle in background.





mom and baby chilling with me.







this is another mum with a really young baby. She was kinda skiddish about approaching me - probably bc the baby was so young. But with a soft coaxing voice at her eye level she eventually came around.



my absolute favorite creature in the world - the Asian elephant - and this is my best bub Thom (remember "large" as in Angkor Tom). I met her on my first day out to the temples. They have about a dozen or so elephants that carry tourists from parking areas to the temple entrances. I brought Thom pineapples (4-8/day) at least once a day for 4 days. The mahuts appreciate you feeding their elephants and, as long as your doing so, will allow you to "pet them and take pics. Note the black skin color which is common to Indochinese asian elephants.

Thom loved to have the area around her left eye massaged - and I obliged as long as she wanted me to do so. I truely believe that she eventually began to recognize me and appeared to cheer up when I appeared! Btw - that's a pineapple that I gave her that she's grasping in her trunk.

Thom grabbing a pineapple from me - which she always did from behind with her trunk kinda hanging over my shoulder.





she also liked to have the foremost upper portion of her mouth scratched. I had reservations about doing this when the mahut told me to try it but, in the end both Thom and I thoroughly enjoyed it.





when I scratched a certain spot behind her ear or another spot under her chin - she would vigorously flap her ear ...







Fanning and caressing my head with her ear - not only cooling me but keeping the flys away too. A very nice symbiotic relationship - that I could do for hours.

the pineapples always assured my bond with Thom!

Thom liked getting almost eyeball to eyeball with me - literally only a few inches separating us. I can't remember if elephants are near- or far-sighted, but for some reason she was eager for and made every attempt to gain that physically close eye contact. Her eyes appeared to be remarkably small for her body mass(iveness)! Her eyes were beautiful and, when eyeball-to-eyeball with her, I sensed that we were seeing into one another's soul. Thankfully, her soul was telling me that she was happy - especially for the pineapples I brought to her daily. A really moving experience.

again - the symbiotic ear flapping and chin scratching. A truely wonderful coexistence - at least for me anyway. I will miss her.