Its Been Real

Like everything in life, my time here has come to an end. Its amazing how fast a month goes by. Time flies when you have no responsibilities. Here is a little summation of the places I’ve been.

Bangkok -- If I “had” to live somewhere, it’d would be Bangkok. You name it, they have it here. There’s good food, sporting events, things to see, discount shopping, friendly people, and its pretty easy to get around. Everything you could want in a large city. The only downside I can think of is that its hot as hell, but so is Texas. That’s not true, Texas is hotter than hell.

Siem Reap -- It is hard to believe that this is the second largest city in Cambodia. If you blink you can literally drive through it. Angkor Wat was impressive but other than that there isn’t really much else to see. You can get a 4 star hotel all to yourself for a great price during the rainy season.

Phnom Penh -- This place is not the most clean. Its like Berlin, a little dirty and run down with a lot of history that's not really the most pleasant. It is a must to go see the Killing Fields and S-21.

Sihanoukville -- If things in the United States get too crazy and I need to go someplace and live off of the grid, this is the place I’m going to do it. Even though this is the third largest city in Cambodia it would barely qualify as a town in the States. There are no high-rise condos, the beach is almost untouched by development, and the accommodations are cheap. I shall return!!!

Saigon -- This place reminded me of Paris, just replace cars with scooters. There is a lot of gourmet food, everybody smokes wherever they want to, its a little expensive and the people are not the most friendly. Add a few museums, old churches and Japanese tourists and voila!!! Paris.

That’s the story so far. I’ve met a lot of cool people, managed to not get arrested, yet (I still have to go through customs), one case of food poisoning, two motorcycle accidents, and a partridge in a pear tree. To all of you who’ve followed my progress, thanks for reading and I’ll catch you on the flip side. Signing off from Bangkok.

Friday Night Fights

If you’re ever in this part of the world, one of the must see things is a real Muay Thai fight. Its the national sport of Thailand and there are matches going on everyday of the week. You have not lived until you watch two little Asian dudes try and beat the crap out of each other using their feet, knees, elbows, and hands. There’s even a live band. If you see it and don’t think its the coolest thing ever, you want the terrorists to win.

Good Luck Everybody!!!

I’m back in Bangkok and one of the best things about this place is that it has a pretty good public transportation system. You can get pretty much anywhere using either the skytrain, or the subway. Both systems are very clean, modern and well run. Probably the second best subway/mass transit system I’ve been on, Vienna (of course) being the best. Granted, taking mass transit is not as exciting as renting a scooter but its a lot less stressful. The rules of the road in Southeast Asia are a lot different, almost like its completely different part of the world or something.

Rule #1 -- Traffic signals are suggestions.
Rule #2 -- Whether you’re supposed to drive on the right side of the road (Cambodia and Vietnam) or the left (Thailand), it is okay, and somewhat encouraged, to go the wrong way on a street to get to where you must.
Rule #3 -- Whatever the owner’s manual says about how much weight your scooter can hold, double it.
Rule #4 -- Whatever the owner’s manual says about how many people you can fit on your scooter, double it.
Rule #5 -- The best way for someone to learn how to drive later in life is for them to steer when they’re 3.
Rule #6 -- Right turns from the left hand lane are perfectly legal.
Rule #7 -- The horn is the most effective means of communication. When used it can mean:

a. Do you need a ride?
b. Would you like to partake in either female company or illicit drugs?
c. Please be aware that I’m approaching on your left.
d. Please be aware that I’m approaching on your right.
e. Please be aware I’m cutting across traffic because I may have missed my turn.
f. Please be aware I’m cutting across traffic because it is my prerogative.
g. Please be aware I’m going the wrong way on this street because it may save me time.
h. Please be aware I’m driving on the side walk because it may save me time.

If you ever plan on driving here,whether scooter or car, study these rules. I’ve learned these the hard way but that is another story.

Goodbye, Old Friend

I said that I was going to try and stay away from the depressing posts but circumstances have betrayed me. Like Walter from “The Big Lebowski”, I too have lost a friend here in Vietnam. My friend has been with me since the summer of 2007, through thick and thin. San Diego, Yuma, Frankfurt, Baghdad, Qatar, Fallujah, Bangkok, and a lot of places in between. You made documenting things so easy, yet you did with so with a clarity that I could only admire. So goodbye my Canon PowerShot SD750 Digital Elph, I would bury you but I don’t think the authorities here would like that. Plus, I might be able to have you fixed back in the States.

On a lighter note, tomorrow I head back to Thailand but instead of taking a long ass bus trip, I’m flying from Saigon to Bangkok. Wish me luck, I’ve heard some crazy things about Bangkok Air.

The Killing Fields Pt. 2

Here are some pictures of S-21

The Killing Fields

Today I decided to do something cultural and see a little history. The first place I went to, and if you're ever here I do recommend doing this in the following order, is the Genocide Museum Tuol Sleng, formerly known as Khmer Rouge S-21 Prison. Then I took a trip outside Phnom Penh to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek.

Just a little background on both places. In 1975, the Khmer Rouge, an extremely communist organization, took over the government of Cambodia and proceeded to try and turn the country into an agrarian utopia by forcing the urban residents to migrate to the countryside to work on the farms. All education, religion, arts, and industry were eliminated and to be associated with such meant that you had no civil or human rights and were in danger of being summarily executed.

S-21 was often the first stop after being arbitrarily arrested by the Khmer Rouge. The former classrooms were turned into torture chambers and equipped with said instruments. Now its a museum that not only displays the torture devices but has hundreds of pictures, biographies, and personal stories of those who worked there and also survived. Like most murderous regimes, the Khmer Rouge kept good records.

The next stop was the Killing Fields, where most of the detainees of S-21 were executed, about 10 miles outside of Phnom Penh. Now, its a sleepy pasture with a few buildings and large stupa, or monument. Its hard to imagine what happened there until you see the 8000 stacked skulls and bones of men, women, and children. Its a sobering thing to see.

For those of you thinking, "Well at least this was exposed and people were brought to justice". Not really. War crimes tribunals have only started as recently as 2007 (the regime was toppled by the Vietnamese in 1979) and the mastermind behind the whole thing, Pol Pot, died while under house arrest in Thailand in 1998. Most of the ageing bigwigs have denied any knowledge of the activities at S-21 or the Killing Fields. The director of S-21, Comrade Duch, has acknowledged his role in the atrocities and has made a full confession.

On a lighter note, I'm heading to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City is the official name) tomorrow morning. I don't anticipate any other depressing posts for the remainder of this trip. Of course I could be wrong.

The Great Kiwi Cock-block

Maybe my finest hour. I can’t even begin to tell this story, just reference the title when you see me and be prepared for the hilariousness. This night involved everything that you could ever want. There was romance, international intrigue, motorcycles, women (plural), lies, money, Israelis. You name it, it happened. Seriously, I could not make this up. The best part... I wasn’t even drunk.

Quantity vs. Quality

There has been some criticism from people who read this blog that the posts are too infrequent. You try finding a wifi connection in a third world country. Plus, if I posted more often then I wouldn’t have any stories to tell when I get back to the States.

Can I Get An Angkor What What

I've moved on from Siem Reap and I'm now in Shinaoukville, a small little town on the south coast where there isn't much to do besides chill. It is raining, again, but that what you get for coming during the rainy season.

While in Siem Reap, I went to see Angkor Wat and some of the surronding temples, including one that the guide said was in the movie "Tomb Raider" but I couldn't tell. It would probably help if I'd seen the movie. I don't have much to say about it other than I'm glad I did see it. One of the suprises was trying to speak my high school french with a really old Cambodian dude and us acutally being able to understand each other. I'll let the pictures below speak for themselves.

Tuesday, I'm heading to the capital Phnom Penh.

Siem Reap

Right now I'm sitting in a bar in Siem Reap, Cambodia, drinking 75 cent beers (that is not a typo), sweating my balls off because this place doesn't have a/c, but does have wifi. I guess you don't need a/c to get customers when your beer is only 75 cents.

A little history on Siem Reap, feel free to go to the link on wikipedia here, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siem_Reap, and I'm just going to cut and paste my favorite part.

The name Siem Reap means the 'Defeat of Siam' —today’s Thailand —and refers to a centuries-old bloodbath, commemorated in stone in the celebrated bas relief carvings of the monuments.

Now that his how you gloat over a victory. Imagine if General Sherman had burned Atlanta, and then decided to name it "You Suck Confederacy" and then put a bunch of monuments to the the Union triumph all over Georgia.

So next time I beat your ass in apples-to-apples or any other game, and I start doing my victory dance and you call me a bad winner, just think of whoever named this city and be glad that I'm not going to burn your house down and name it "Aaron is the Man". I wish I could though. Not really, but seriously, I would if I could.

Now I'm really leaving

Due to events out of my control (some bad seafood), I'm just now leaving for Cambodia. Updates will be coming.

It Tastes So Good When It Hits Your Lips

I was at a bar on Saturday night when I met a guy and his sister that were vacationing from Manchester. Despite this I still struck up a conversation about life and other things. Right in front of the bar there was a stall that was selling some weird looking fruit (see below). My new friend Ed was practically begging me to try it, saying that it would change my life. I was skeptical considering that it looked like a giant spore. Of course what sealed the deal was his offer to buy and I can’t pass up free food, especially now that I’m going to be jobless in 10 days. So fruit was bought, skin was peeled off to reveal a soft egg looking thing underneath (see more pictures below). I did take the first bite and I can say that it was life changing. It was like a cross between a watermelon and a strawberry, but it was all natural. Oh so succulent also. The juice was running down my chin. The next thought I had was, why do we not have this in the States? Maybe the look is the problem?

The Ugly American?

The Ugly American?

When you’re growing up and you hear people talk about traveling eventually the topic comes to the “Ugly American”. Everyone knows what I’m talking about. The person or couple from the States who are loud and want to know why nobody in whatever country they’re in doesn’t speak English while at the same time violating every cultural taboo they can. You hear about these stereotypes and you see them in movies the like “A Good Year” (under appreciated movie by the way), “Live and Let Die” (Roger Moore’s James Bond) and countless others.

My question is, where is this person? In all the countries I have been to, I have never found one. In fact the most obnoxious and loud people I have had the pleasure of meeting while overseas have been Australian. For instance I’m in the Skytrain station on Friday night and this dude is stumbling down the platform like its a ship at sea. Good on him for being drunk by 8 o’clock at night, I’ve got nothing against that, in fact I encourage it. What I do disapprove of is yelling at the Pepsi billboards because you think Cesc Fabregas (soccer player) can “suck my dick, you fuckin pussy”. You sir are a disgrace to your country. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

Thailand vs. America

Here are my ten reasons why Thailand is better than America. If you don't think this is true, I will fight you, and that's no lie.

10. Its amazing what kind of hotel you can get for $50 a night.
9. Soccer is on 24-7.
8. $10 for an hour long massage...enough said.
7. You can't go 5 feet without passing a street stall that sells meat on a stick.
6. July and August is the rainy season.
5. There is a 7-11 on every corner.
4. Seat belts and child car seats are for pessimists.
3. Stop signs...what are those?
2. You can buy hard liquor at 7-11 (for further clarification refer back to reason #5)
1. 5'8" is considered tall.

Finally

After 20 hours on a plane I've finally made it to the first part of my trip... Bangkok. Check back on this blog soon because there will be pictures and analyses to follow.