Howdy, Again

I just wrote, but I'll be away from Internet access for awhile, so.....

 

The group took a 7 hour slowboat ride up the Mekong River (this section known as Tonle Sap). I sat on top and played a lot of mandolin as the scenery rolled by. It was quite something to see entire communities living on the water, out of old boats, etc. Every family has a boat tied to their porch. Kids as young as 4 years old hop in and paddle around by themselves...again, children here are not coddled, and that is seen in how in their bodies and athletic the children are in SE Asia. The entire delta is flooded right now...dry land is available in small islands....otherwise, all transportation, all food, all comes from the water. And yes, unfortunately, all waste goes into the water as well.

 

We arrived in Siam Reap, home of Angkor Wat. Street peddlers and tuk tuk drivers abound, and are much more tenacious here, as they are used to tourists and competition. Angkor Wat is incredible...the fact that humans built this (or was it aliens?) in the 11th century is nearly impossible to believe. Yet here it stands...still a bit overgrown with vegetation in some areas, as renovation is still occurring. I, for one, prefer the overgrown temples, as this somehow seems more natural and untouched than renovated projects. My favorite part was sitting in a patch of shade from this tree that was growing out of a temple roof. This is a big gum tree...the stones are beginning to sag from the weight. Anyhoo, I pulled out my mandolin (I'm taking it everywhere), took a few breaths, and just started playing. It is always interesting to see what will come out. Sometimes, it is something that I forget and will never play again, other times a song is born. Music has been such an addition to my travels. An example: people who live along the river just stare at the boat as it goes by...no smiles, barely any waves (except for the children). So, I conducted a smile test. Without my mandolin, I could rarely get anyone who looked at me to smile, even though I smiled at them. However, when I was playing my mandolin, grinning of course, nearly every person smiled at me and waved. It feels good to offer something, anything, as one quickly sees that most visitors are taking away experiences, and giving nothing back (except, of course, money for goods). Which segues into another thought: it is difficult to swallow what tourism is doing to these countries. Entire villages are being left behind in order to cater to tourists. People are learning to speak English, usually with the sole intention to serve us, cater to our needs, and hopefully get a slice of the rich tourist pie( of course, few if any are doing anything more than getting by, as living in the city is much more expensive). I'm still organizing my thoughts on this subject...it seems to me that the dignity of the cultures and peoples is being compromised in this exchange, though who am I to say?

 

A very new sight in Siam Reap is the number of amputees begging in the streets. The Eastern border of Cambodia was heavily loaded with land mines by the U.S. during the Vietnam War. To make matters worse, the Khmer Rouge landmined the entire border as a means of keeping any attempts of escape to a minimum (or having these attempts end with disastrous results). So, in the ensuing years, many an agricultural worker, tuk tuk driver, etc. has tripped a landmine and voila....a life forever altered. I had heard about the extraordinary number of amputees, but hadn't seen many. They are all here!! They have come here because Angkor Wat draws hundreds of thousands of tourists every year...this is where the money is! It has been interesting to observe myself adapt to seeing people with no legs, hands, missing a foot, etc. I can't say that I've grown immune or have stopped being shocked, but I do make a point to bow, look them in the eye, and ACKNOWLEDGE THEM!! I capitalize because I have noticed that most tourist choose to look away/ignore these people, which I believes adds insult to injury. Again, I can't decide for others the right or wrong of it, only do what feels right.

 

So, I'm off to Laos tomorrow. The group will be in Vientiane for only 2 days, then off to trek in the Laotian mountains for 7 days, followed by a 2 day slowboat down the Mekong to Xuay Xai, where we will live in tree houses at an endangered primate sanctuary. After that, Chiang Mai for 3 weeks (I'm looking forward to being in one place for a little while).

 

Hoping this finds everyone healthy, happy, and grateful for all that we've been given by simply being born in America.

 

James