the imperial junk.

it's so much fun to be able to shout out, "hey, how's it going?" when you see someone on the street. we've met quite a few people throughout our few months on the road, quite a few who are travelling a similar route. and so we have random run-ins throughout the towns and cities as we catch up and leave behind. familiar faces are quite the commodity around here..

we've just got back from a 2 day 1 night boat trip in ha long bay. the sky was looking rather grey heading out, but we had nothing but clear skies and sunshine! boarding the "imperial junk" (junk being the type of boat, not just a humorous name) we had a blast.. they fed us well (around 10 dishes per meal..) went to the biggest cave of the islands for a tour.. swam on the beach.. relaxed on the upper deck.. checked out the beautiful scenery, and the clear starry night.. boats anchored all around us, lights in the windows, a bottle of wine.. celebrating with a couple who had just got engaged that evening! (yes, we probably rained on their parade.. we like to think they cherished our company, however).. woke up, some taking a quick dip before breakfast.. kayaked around the islands.. (there are almost 2000 in ha long bay alone, another 1000 in the surrounding area..) christine and i were paired up, and had quite a time getting away from the dock itself.. never mind maneuvering around islands and rocks.. although, we surprised ourselves as well as everyone else with the skills that followed.. (we're thinking of going pro). and poor stacy, having lost a competitive rock-paper-scissors match, found herself paired up with a french-man who didn't speak english, and as it happens, didn't like to paddle either! he was just there for the ride.. we came back to shore for lunch before returning to ha noi..

so here we are. an unfortunate series of events has me sitting here with a bum foot.. i neglected to see the rather steep gutter on the road as i was stepping to get into our bus, and rolled my ankle.. little difficult to get around at present, but i'm hoping that with a good days rest i'll be back to 100%! the girls have just left to pick up some supper (they are so good to me) and we have 2 more days here in the vietnam capital. on friday evening we board a 55 hour train to beijing!

vietnam.

so after checking out some local markets and getting our fill of cheap clothing, (or at least our backpacks' fill..) taking a cyclo-tour, (a non-profit organization which provides jobs for men who would otherwise be living on the streets) and a night out for supper and dancing with eileen davidson and kim foster, we said goodbye to phnom penh..

from there we crossed the border into vietnam and got into ho chi minh city (previously known as saigon). checking it out in the afternoon we realised it was quite like any big city, expensive accomodations (more than $2 a night..) and full of cute stores that inevitably mean spending money we don't have.. so after buying an open-ended bus ticket up the coast, we decided to enjoy the evening and continue on in the morning. in order to do so, we felt a spa would be most appropriate. (we had a tough day.. the bus trip was agonizing on our delicate bodies..) much to our surprise, on arrival we found a naked asian man in the jacuzzi.. and another in the steam room.. (quite the asian experience..) with a deal like that, we should only have assumed it was co-ed! for $10 including tip, we indulged in the jacuzzi, steam room, sauna, 1 hour body massage, and a 1/2 hour foot massage.. not too shabby.

heading the next morning, we reached mui ne. we found a very cute hostel right on the coast, accented with palm trees and a pool.. to our disappointment, the beach was covered in broken shells and the water was littered.. we copped out and went for the pool. at 7:30 the next morning we got our own motos and drivers to take us out to the sand dunes.. the white sand dunes were the most beautiful.. we pulled up right besides a lake filled with huge pink lilly flowers and pads, reflecting the desert landscape behind. i couldn't believe how hot the sand was at just 8 o'clock.. we walked about 15 minutes into and up the sand dunes, and then.. we crazy-carpeted down! yeah, we did.. :) on the way back we visited the red sand dunes then lounged poolside before zipping off again on our sleeper bus, only to settle in nha trang!

so here we are. another day, another beach..

phnom penh.

alas, here we are in phnom penh. we arrived last night and have spent the day checking out a few of the historical sites.. pretty heavy morning. i decided that what i'm about to write just doesn't look proper next to talk of friends and beaches, so i put this in a seperate post.

this morning we went to the S-21 museum which was originally a high school, but after being taken over by the khmer rouge, it became a prison. there were thousands of pictures, mug shots (of innocent people) torture instruments, blood stains still somewhat visible on the cell floors.. of the thousands captured, i think there were 7 survivors from that prison. during the 'pol pot regime' they estimated anywhere from 500,000 - 3 million deaths.

this was displayed on the prison wall, regulations for prisoners to abide by:
1. you must answer according to my questions. do not turn them away.
2. do not try to hide the facts by making pretexts of this and that. you are strictly prohibited to contest me.
3. do not be a fool for you are a chap who dares to thwart the revolution.
4. you must immediately answer my questions without wasting time to reflect.
5. do not tell me either about your immoralities or the revolution.
6. while getting lashes or electrification you must not cry at all.
7. do nothing. sit still and wait for my orders. if there is no order, keep quiet. when i ask you to do something, you must do it right away without protesting.
8. do not make pretexts about kampuchea krom in order to hide your jaw of traitor.
9. if you do not follow all the above rules, you shall get many lashes of electric wire.
10. if you disobey any point of my regulations you shall get either ten lashes or five shocks of electric discharge.

imagine? it's pretty hard to. even seeing it 'firsthand' is surreal.. they had barbwired all the balconies off so those desperate couldn't even commit suicide. and this happened in the 70's!

from there we went to see the killing fields, where everyone was blindfolded and trucked out silently to die in a mass grave. they used chemicals to hide the smell of the bodies to avoid suspicion from people living nearby, and to kill those buried alive. there is now a huge monument paying respect to those who lost their lives, lots of skulls and bones.

so yes. heavy morning. extremely eye-opening. i realise just how unlearned i am when it comes to history, and recent history at that. and how grateful i am to be a canadian woman with all the opportunities i have. there are few doors closed for me, when many of these people never had one to begin with.

goodbye paradise.

our last days in sihanoukville were bitter-sweet! we made a wonderful group of friends and basically merged ourselves into the community.. making plans with the locals, or tourists who have found themselves kicking around for more than a few days (as we can fully understand isn't hard to do) going out, meeting for supper, boat trips, the works.. johny, a local who owns a bar on the beach, and his friend danny who works a few bars over threw a going away party in our honor.. we're all so comfortable in such a short time, i was actually behind the bar this weekend, helping pour pints or just hanging out (to everyone's amusement.. they found me there after i'd been gone a while, feeling quite at home) a job offered ensued, i politely (sadly) refused.. so as can be imagined, it was hard to say goodbye..

sihanoukville..

having been about a week on the beautiful beaches of sihanoukville we decided on a change of scenery. the four of us, feeling somewhat inadequate in numbers (having said goodbye to our party gal, jess) piled into the backseat of a small car after having learned that there will be 7 people attempting this 2 hour "shared-taxi" ride to kempot..

we were slightly distraught by this, but they assured us that this is how it's done here, so take it or leave it. (we attempted to argue, but realised they meant it and had no remorse what-so-ever dropping our bags and driving away,) so we grudgingly continued.. stopped downtown to pick up the other passengers, (presumably 2 more, as we are already a party of 4, plus driver).. and to our surprise, it was actually a couple that got in the front seat, along with a toddler and a breast-feeding infant.. (as has been stated many times on this trip: safety has also taken a vacation..) after about 5 minutes of driving, we stop yet again. to our horror/amusement, another woman gets into the auto.. gets in, to the left of the driver, sharing his seat! now really. how is one supposed to maneuver oneself and make logical driving decisions when there's a woman sharing your seat, and a breast-feeding infant plus family on your right? and four petrified canadians in the back voicing their opinions on the situation..? regardless, we made it alive. (makes a good story though, doesn't it?)

arriving in kempot, we found a quaint little hostel and settled right in. walked along the river and witnessed a beautiful sunset.. the next morning waking to set out to "bokor hill station".. now: to make a long story short, i will try to summarize the 'experience'--scroll down, and re-read the blog in which i described our drive from laos into cambodia, to siem reap--with all the lakes and gravel ditches and whatnot.. now: this was quite the trek, and yet it was under completely 'reasonable' conditions.. bokor hill station involved going 1000+ meters up a mountain-side, in a truck with 7 people piled in the back and 5 in the cab, during rainy season, in a road highly under construction.. i will leave it at that. use your imagination, you might get close..

bokor palace, as it's rightfully named was built around the 1940's (forgive me if i'm wrong).. by the french who were colonizing the area. they made this beautiful building as a casino/hotel, filling it with only the best of the best.. in the 1970's it was overtaken by the corrupt 'khmer rouge' who used it as a military base and was host to many deaths, including 15 american commanders.. (the mountainside was a good way to dispose of bodies..) pretty dramatic building for such a fall from grace.. it has an eerie feel, compelling.. we were allowed to go inside and roam at will.. crazy to imagine the stories within those walls..

the next day we took a tuk tuk into kep to see some bat caves, the beach, and a pepper plantation, which cambodia is famous for.. we got to try some green peppers straight off the plants.. spicy deliciousness. unfortunately, the green peppers do not last more than a 3 days so we couldn't take any home.. but i do have a bag of dried black pepper with mom's name on it.

now we find ourselves back in sihanoukville! after such adventures we need the tranquility of a nice familiar beach.. four more days, and we'll be ready for what's next.