Hanoi Notes and Final Thoughts on Vietnam - Hanoi, June 5th to 8th
If you have been reading the progress of this digital journal for the past two months you will have noticed that my notes during my time in Vietnam are a bit different. Some of the entries on Vietnam have been rushed or not heavily focused on recounting historical events prior to the 20th century. This is especially true for the time I spent in Nha Trang, Hoi An, and Hue.
As a backpacker I think that I am going through a two month burn out cycle. I think it takes about two months before a back packer begins to burn out on interesting cultural sites of the countries he or she is traveling through. If and when this happens the best thing to do is to stay put in one place for several days, build up a routine, rest, and clear the head. Once you have done this it is time to move on with eager interest to discover more.
Since I was spending no more than a day in Nha Trang, Hoi An, and Hue I was pushing the limits of my genuine interest in discovering as much as I can in these places. To put it plainly I was burnt out and really had no desire to take notes or discover the historical significance of these places. I was a numb traveler simply trying to get from point A to B. As a result of all that I decided to take a little break from the internet.
And here I am. I have been in Hanoi for three full days. I am feeling better now. And tomorrow I will be flying to Hong Kong where I will stay for three solid days. So Im begining to rejuice and get ready for my travels through China!
Before I get into Hanoi I would like to talk about Vietnam as a whole.
This is the first country I have come across in this journey where the people have exhausted me completely. It is a beautiful country but, to be honest, the people here ruin it for the tourist. Vietnam is cheap, extremely cheap! And as a result any traveler who walks into this country is seen as the richest person alive by the Vietnamese. They see you only as a money machine and they try their darnest to squeeze whatever cash they can from you.
One kid that literally begged me to buy one of his post cards or books finally said it best by explaining, "Look, just give me 10,000 dong. It is nothing for you. You are rich. You come from a rich country. I have nothing. Give me some money so that I can go to school and learn more English. So that I can buy some food and have a place to sleep."
I replied angrily, "Look! I have heard that story every day from 100 different people. I am not rich. And I wont give you 10,000 dong because I dont want to! You expect me to give you money. Everyone in this country expects me to give them money. Yes, 10,000 dong may be nothing to me but I cant give it to everyone so Im sorry - LEAVE ME ALONE!"
And he left me alone. But what he said pretty much sums up how Vietnamese people see foreigners traveling through their country. They dont really care why you are here or what country you came from or what you do or what you think of Vietnam. All they want is your money. And they will follow you, bother you, ask you "friendly" questions and God knows what else just to skim a buck off you.
Every freaking day there are men on scooters who keep calling to me, "Moto?" They want to take me on a ride around town for a fee. They are like an unofficial taxi service. But they are everywhere and they never leave you alone. Every 10 seconds you here, "Moto - Where you go? - Go to Museum? - I take you - 5,000 dong cheap for you," etc. This has driven me mad. I have considered buying a gun and slaughtering the next Moto driver that asked me, "Moto?"
I have tried various ways to be kind to them and to say no to them. In the end though I have become bitter and simply look past them with an angry look while shouting "NO!" At times when I feel like Im loosing my sanity I have fun with them and tell them all sorts of lies.
A coversation may appear like this:
MOTO DRIVER: MOTO?
DOMENICO: NO!
M.D.: Where you go.
DOM: Alaska!
M.D.: You come.
DOM: How much?
M.D.: 10,000 dong.
DOM: Really! That is amazing. You take me to Alaska for 10,000 dong.
M.D.: Where you from?
DOM: Uzbekistan.
M.D.: Uz - Uz - Uz -
DOM: Uzbekistan. South of Russia.
M.D. (pointing to my ring): How much?
DOM: 100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Turkish Dollars.
M.D.: Come, you come. I take you.
DOM: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO - FOR THE LOVE OF GOD and BUDDHA AND WHOEVER ELSE - NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! *((*%#$(%*$53$#%#$!!!!!
Due to my anthropological expertise I have been able to translate the true meaning of the same questions you will hear asked from every single Moto driver in all of Vietnam.
"Where are you from?" - When translated means - "I need to figure out how much money you have and by learning which country you are from I will know how much I can rip you off."
If you say you are from the U.S. or Japan or England its simply over for you. You are one of the richest people in the world for the Vietnamese. I recommend that you say you are from Uzbekistan or one of the -stan countries between Iran and Russia.
If they point to your jewelry and ask, "How much is that?" - it translates into - "By learning how much you spend on jewelry I can figure out how rich you are."
"Which hotel are you staying at?" - translates into - "Be learning how much you spent on one night in a hotel I can figure out how rich you are."
"Where are you going?" - translates into - "If I can find out if you are going to an area of the city where people shop I can figure out what you want to buy and take you to a place that sells it for cheaper so that I can get a kick back for your purchase."
"Moto?" - translates into - "I am just a regular person who has no taxi license but since I have a scooter I can take you anywhere you want in the city for a price that is 4 times local taxi prices."
"What's your name?" - translates into "I want to learn your name so that I can call you by your name and pretend that we are buddy buddy and fool you into thinking that I actually care about you when all I really want is your money."
I think that just about covers the basics what the Vietnamese will ask you and what it really means.
Although Vietnam is beautiful and enchanting I dont like being constantly reminded by every Vietnamese I see on the street that I am a foreigner. I guess they are more direct about that fact though, that I am a foreigner that they can make money off of. Im sure the people I met and came across in Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand also see me only as a foreigner that they can make money off of but they hid their intent a hell of a lot better than the Vietnamese.
I got to run and grab some dinner so that I can watch about 100 pirated DVD's tonight in my hotel room :)
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
www.banromsai.gr.jp
P.S. I will write about Hanoi in a day or two.
Monday, June 07, 2004
June 3rd - Morning bus from Hoi An to Hue, Vietnam
I took a morning bus from Hoi An to Hue. The ride was about 6 hours or so. On this bus ride several boxes were piled in the alley between the seats making it impassable for the passengers who sat in the back.
I sat in the back of the bus with a Vietnamese family. There was a young Vietnamese girl who was apart of the family. She was about 8 years old or so and sat just one seat away from me. Behind us there were back-packer back packs piled so high that they completely covered the rear window.
The view that we saw along this journey was spectacular. We drove high up a series of small mountains and down below we could see deserted beaches and turquoise waters. Most of the tourists within the bus were quick to pull out their cameras to take photos of the scenery. As for me I decided against it. By this part of the journey the little Vietnamese girl was sitting right beside me. About an hour before I had pulled out my M.D. player to listen to a bit of music - BIG MISTAKE!
The little girl wanted to listen to what I was listening to. Being nice I let her listen to the music by giving her my headphones. She kept pointing to the M.D. protective case signaling that she would like to open it. I constantly told her no. But, she did not give up. When I was not looking she took the liberty to open up the case and look through the three other M.D.'s I had in there. I then turned my head and saw what she was doing but instead of taking it away from her I let her investigate while keeping a close eye on her. She then pulled out the M.D. player from within a protective cloth and began pressing its buttons. She found the eject button and then decided to take out the M.D. and put in another one. From that point forth she would listen to one M.D. for about 12 seconds and then eject it and put in another one. She did this for about 30 minutes without getting bored. When it became apparent to me that she could go on forever like that I finally took the M.D. away from her.
I pulled out a book to read. She wanted to read it too. Never mind that she cant read English, she wanted to read it. I said no to her and she got upset. I then pulled out a mechanical pencil - I always read with a writing utensil in my hand to make notes - she then began grabbing at my pencil. I had to fought her off . . . nearly beat her off. All the while her mother simply ignored her and the torture she was putting me through.
So, by the time we arrived at the gorgeous view of the beaches from high up in the mountains I decided that it would be a horrible idea to pull out my digital camera for the Vietnamese girl would surely attack me to get her hands on it.
Sometime in the early afternoon we arrived in Hue and as apart of the whole "Get as much money out of the Foreigner" scheme that exists in the tourism industry here in Vietnam the bus took us to a hotel for us to have a look at. Too tired to go on a hotel hunt I decided to simply stay at the hotel and leave it at that.
After showering up it was time to eat. With an English couple who I had met way back in Cambodia we set out for food. We ended up at a cafe where we ran into Aaron Brumo. I first met Aaron in Saigon. He is an architect and is now traveling around the world on a University Fellowship from Berkley in California. He is maintaining a website at http://www.arch.ced.berkeley.edu/people/students/branner
I strongly recommend that you check out Aaron's website for you will find pictures of many of the places I have been to in Southeast Asia.
After eating we all made our way to the Forbidden Purple City. In order to do so we had to cross the Tran Tien Bridge. The Song Huong river cuts through Hue. It is an old and extremely large river and as a result as I crossed it via the Tran Tien Bridge I felt like I was crossing the Charles River back in Boston.
The Forbidden Purple City sits within a moated citadel. Construction began on the citadel in 1804 by Emperor Gia Long. The Forbidden Purple City served as the private residence of the emperor. In front of the southern gate of the citadel you will see a tall but unimpressive flagpole. This is the tallest flagpole in Vietnam. Most of the construction and design of the Forbidden Purple City seems to be heavily influenced by Chinese style and architecture. I must confess though that I was not heavily impressed with the royal buildings within the citadel. Most of it had been destroyed in warfare (but I do nopt know whether or not it was bombed during the Vietnam War or American War as the Vietnamese know it as).
After exploring the Forbidden Purple City we - the English couple and I; Aaron decided to stay a bit - decided to take two cyclo's back to our hotel.
In the evening we met up with Aaron in his hotel and then crossed the river again to have dinner at a place called Lac Thanh Restaurant where a big sign out front said that, "The Food is Awesome!" We sat on a small balcony on the second floor overlooking the river and the corner street night activity of scooters and people speeding and crossing according to the rules and laws of Chaos.
After dinner we walked south to the Phu Xuan Bridge and crossed it to return to our hotels.
June 4th - The Boat Tour of the Royal Tombs
To be totally honest by this time in the trip I was burnt out on temples, tombs, and tours. Whether or not it was a good idea for me to go on this tour - I dont know. But, I did it. The tour was a basic toursit trap of "You Buy, You Buy," every time we stopped to look at temples or tombs. I was growing more and more annoyed and pissed off.
To quickly sum this up for Im eager to dig into my final Hanoi and Vietnam opinions and rants on the tour I saw the Tombs of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). When I return to the U.S. I will read up on these tombs, but for now . . . Im burnt out on taking notes on the history of another Southeast Asian country.
Yet again,
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
www.banromsai.gr.jp
I took a morning bus from Hoi An to Hue. The ride was about 6 hours or so. On this bus ride several boxes were piled in the alley between the seats making it impassable for the passengers who sat in the back.
I sat in the back of the bus with a Vietnamese family. There was a young Vietnamese girl who was apart of the family. She was about 8 years old or so and sat just one seat away from me. Behind us there were back-packer back packs piled so high that they completely covered the rear window.
The view that we saw along this journey was spectacular. We drove high up a series of small mountains and down below we could see deserted beaches and turquoise waters. Most of the tourists within the bus were quick to pull out their cameras to take photos of the scenery. As for me I decided against it. By this part of the journey the little Vietnamese girl was sitting right beside me. About an hour before I had pulled out my M.D. player to listen to a bit of music - BIG MISTAKE!
The little girl wanted to listen to what I was listening to. Being nice I let her listen to the music by giving her my headphones. She kept pointing to the M.D. protective case signaling that she would like to open it. I constantly told her no. But, she did not give up. When I was not looking she took the liberty to open up the case and look through the three other M.D.'s I had in there. I then turned my head and saw what she was doing but instead of taking it away from her I let her investigate while keeping a close eye on her. She then pulled out the M.D. player from within a protective cloth and began pressing its buttons. She found the eject button and then decided to take out the M.D. and put in another one. From that point forth she would listen to one M.D. for about 12 seconds and then eject it and put in another one. She did this for about 30 minutes without getting bored. When it became apparent to me that she could go on forever like that I finally took the M.D. away from her.
I pulled out a book to read. She wanted to read it too. Never mind that she cant read English, she wanted to read it. I said no to her and she got upset. I then pulled out a mechanical pencil - I always read with a writing utensil in my hand to make notes - she then began grabbing at my pencil. I had to fought her off . . . nearly beat her off. All the while her mother simply ignored her and the torture she was putting me through.
So, by the time we arrived at the gorgeous view of the beaches from high up in the mountains I decided that it would be a horrible idea to pull out my digital camera for the Vietnamese girl would surely attack me to get her hands on it.
Sometime in the early afternoon we arrived in Hue and as apart of the whole "Get as much money out of the Foreigner" scheme that exists in the tourism industry here in Vietnam the bus took us to a hotel for us to have a look at. Too tired to go on a hotel hunt I decided to simply stay at the hotel and leave it at that.
After showering up it was time to eat. With an English couple who I had met way back in Cambodia we set out for food. We ended up at a cafe where we ran into Aaron Brumo. I first met Aaron in Saigon. He is an architect and is now traveling around the world on a University Fellowship from Berkley in California. He is maintaining a website at http://www.arch.ced.berkeley.edu/people/students/branner
I strongly recommend that you check out Aaron's website for you will find pictures of many of the places I have been to in Southeast Asia.
After eating we all made our way to the Forbidden Purple City. In order to do so we had to cross the Tran Tien Bridge. The Song Huong river cuts through Hue. It is an old and extremely large river and as a result as I crossed it via the Tran Tien Bridge I felt like I was crossing the Charles River back in Boston.
The Forbidden Purple City sits within a moated citadel. Construction began on the citadel in 1804 by Emperor Gia Long. The Forbidden Purple City served as the private residence of the emperor. In front of the southern gate of the citadel you will see a tall but unimpressive flagpole. This is the tallest flagpole in Vietnam. Most of the construction and design of the Forbidden Purple City seems to be heavily influenced by Chinese style and architecture. I must confess though that I was not heavily impressed with the royal buildings within the citadel. Most of it had been destroyed in warfare (but I do nopt know whether or not it was bombed during the Vietnam War or American War as the Vietnamese know it as).
After exploring the Forbidden Purple City we - the English couple and I; Aaron decided to stay a bit - decided to take two cyclo's back to our hotel.
In the evening we met up with Aaron in his hotel and then crossed the river again to have dinner at a place called Lac Thanh Restaurant where a big sign out front said that, "The Food is Awesome!" We sat on a small balcony on the second floor overlooking the river and the corner street night activity of scooters and people speeding and crossing according to the rules and laws of Chaos.
After dinner we walked south to the Phu Xuan Bridge and crossed it to return to our hotels.
June 4th - The Boat Tour of the Royal Tombs
To be totally honest by this time in the trip I was burnt out on temples, tombs, and tours. Whether or not it was a good idea for me to go on this tour - I dont know. But, I did it. The tour was a basic toursit trap of "You Buy, You Buy," every time we stopped to look at temples or tombs. I was growing more and more annoyed and pissed off.
To quickly sum this up for Im eager to dig into my final Hanoi and Vietnam opinions and rants on the tour I saw the Tombs of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945). When I return to the U.S. I will read up on these tombs, but for now . . . Im burnt out on taking notes on the history of another Southeast Asian country.
Yet again,
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
www.banromsai.gr.jp
June 2nd - Hoi An
Hoi An is a pleasant little town. It is quiet and a break from the insane number of scooters running around Saigon. It is situated along the Thu Bon river. It is small enough to cover the entire town by foot in a few hours. From my hotel I walked down Phan Dung Phung street and found myself swatting away requests from the locals to walk with them to their tailor shop.
Hoi An is a popular stop for many tourist to get a tailored - and well made - suit or dress or whatever clothing needs you may have.
I did not have enough time to get a tailored made suit - I was only going to be in Hoi An for about 24 hours - but this did not keep anyone from telling me that yes indeed they could make and fit a suit for me in that small amount of time. Regardless the last thing I wanted was a suit. I dont find suits comfortable and for as long as I can remember I have always hated wearing a uniform - I went to Catholic school when I was a kid - and for me a "corporate" business suit is a uniform. No thank you, dont need a suit, or want one.
I turned right along Le Loi street and began heading down toward the river. Along Le Loi I discovered a unique display of old - and I believe French colonial - buildings. The paint was fading on many of the buildings and years of grim had accumulated on parts of their walls. This all gave these buildings their charm. Most of the buildings served as homes and shops. The shops located on the ground floor and the homes located on the second.
The road that run along the river is Bach Dang. It has some cute little Vietnamese restaurants that caters to foreign travelers. As I walked east along the river I kept turning my head from the river to the street before me to the buildings to my left. The river has various floating vessels: semi-large wooden ships, to small boats that can hold 15 people, to a round water proof basket that can hold one person. Men can be seen fishing in the river and as I walked further and further east I happened upon the Central Market of Hoi An.
After two months of traveling I think I am nearly exhausted of seeing markets. I nearly veered away from the market but I finally decided to enter it and see what I would find. The portion of the market located right next to the river was where all the fish was bought and sold; which makes sense since the boats along the river would park there and unload all their fish into the market.
The market runs from north to south so after seeing and smelling the fish portion of the market I walked north and found the products of the market swift from meats to vegetables to lettuce to roots to herbs and spices to products for the home such as tools and appliances. Again within the market I was constantly approached by locals to go into a tailor shop and get a suit. From that point forth I believe all I said in Hoi An was, "No . . . No thank you . . . I dont need a suit . . . because I dont need a suit . . . because Im a musician and I dont need a suit . . . no I dont need a rock and roll sort of suit . . . please leave me alone . . . For the love of God - LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Seeking to escape the constant want of the locals to sell me something I decided to cross the Cam Nam bridge to get to the Cam Nam village. To get to the bridge I had to go to Hoang Dieu street. The portion of the street near the bridge is dedicated to shoe shops. Every kind of show you can imagine is sold on this street. Shoes, shoes, and more shoes. Again all I said here was, "No . . . you see those . . . they are shoes . . . no I dont need another pair of shoes . . . yes my shoes are ugly but Im traveling so I dont care . . . please go away . . . Please - for the sake of my sanity - leave me alone!"
I spent about two to three hours walking around Cam Nam village. There really wasnt much to see there but it was quiet and no one bothered me verbally. They would stare though. But the kids were cute and at times I would hear a tiny sweet little voice say, "hello."
I would turn to face the voice and find a cute little Vietnamese girl or boy. Amazing how young these kids are taught to learn English . . . so that when they group up they too can charge the streets of Hoi An and bother the tourists to buy something.
In the afternoon I returned to my hotel and rested and in the evening I went out and had a small meal in a very darkly lit coffee shop. As I waited for my food a woman whose husband owned the coffee shop approached me and befriended me . . . soon enough though she passed her tailor shop card to me. I told her I was leaving the next morning and that there was no possible way for her to make me a suit in such a short amount of time. She insisted that I stop by her shop after I eat. I agreed just to entertain her and myself. She also insisted that I stop by the next morning before I leave for Hue to have breakfast. I agreed as well.
After I finished my meal I stopped by the tailor shop just to take a look. The woman I had spoken to in the coffee shop was no where to be seen. But, as soon as I walked in there was a commotion of activity. Two men came up to me and I asked for the woman. One of them then ran up to the second floor to get her. She then came down - I could see that she had been washing her hair - she greeted me and then began showing me all the clothing in their shop. I agreed that it was all very nice. She then pointed to some robes and said that I should buy one. Although they were nice I didnt want to buy one . . . I didnt want to carry it. I explained over and over that I didnt want to buy. Soon enough I was out of there.
I then walked a bit around town to get a feel of the night life there. I came across an interesting Chinese temple that was having some sort of festival celebration. So many people of all ages were walking into and out of the temple. There was a stage set up, and high above it was a buddha child that had neon lights flashing all around it. There was traditional music blasting from speakers and an announcer who announced the different dancing and singing acts. I stood and watched a couple of acts. The acts that I saw were of young Vietnamese women in traditional dress dancing in an ancient style. I, as long with nearly everyone in the audience - except for the young children who could have cared less - were enchanted by these young dancing women. For me there is nothing more peaceful or more beautiful than the sight of a woman dancing with slow ease and grace.
Many around me stared at me. I was the only foreigner within the crowd of people within the temple. I smiled to the young kids who would shy away by hiding their faces behind their parents legs.
When I had seen enough I left and walked back to my hotel.
Along the way I looked into the homes of families who all kept their front doors way open. I would often see children or adults watching television. And it all the homes I always saw a Chinese shrine right in front of the main entrance. The size of the shrines would vary from small to extremely large, some were so large that they would reach from the floor to the ceiling.
It was here in Hoi An that I was beginning to feel the strong cultural influences of China.
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
www.banromsai.gr.jp
Hoi An is a pleasant little town. It is quiet and a break from the insane number of scooters running around Saigon. It is situated along the Thu Bon river. It is small enough to cover the entire town by foot in a few hours. From my hotel I walked down Phan Dung Phung street and found myself swatting away requests from the locals to walk with them to their tailor shop.
Hoi An is a popular stop for many tourist to get a tailored - and well made - suit or dress or whatever clothing needs you may have.
I did not have enough time to get a tailored made suit - I was only going to be in Hoi An for about 24 hours - but this did not keep anyone from telling me that yes indeed they could make and fit a suit for me in that small amount of time. Regardless the last thing I wanted was a suit. I dont find suits comfortable and for as long as I can remember I have always hated wearing a uniform - I went to Catholic school when I was a kid - and for me a "corporate" business suit is a uniform. No thank you, dont need a suit, or want one.
I turned right along Le Loi street and began heading down toward the river. Along Le Loi I discovered a unique display of old - and I believe French colonial - buildings. The paint was fading on many of the buildings and years of grim had accumulated on parts of their walls. This all gave these buildings their charm. Most of the buildings served as homes and shops. The shops located on the ground floor and the homes located on the second.
The road that run along the river is Bach Dang. It has some cute little Vietnamese restaurants that caters to foreign travelers. As I walked east along the river I kept turning my head from the river to the street before me to the buildings to my left. The river has various floating vessels: semi-large wooden ships, to small boats that can hold 15 people, to a round water proof basket that can hold one person. Men can be seen fishing in the river and as I walked further and further east I happened upon the Central Market of Hoi An.
After two months of traveling I think I am nearly exhausted of seeing markets. I nearly veered away from the market but I finally decided to enter it and see what I would find. The portion of the market located right next to the river was where all the fish was bought and sold; which makes sense since the boats along the river would park there and unload all their fish into the market.
The market runs from north to south so after seeing and smelling the fish portion of the market I walked north and found the products of the market swift from meats to vegetables to lettuce to roots to herbs and spices to products for the home such as tools and appliances. Again within the market I was constantly approached by locals to go into a tailor shop and get a suit. From that point forth I believe all I said in Hoi An was, "No . . . No thank you . . . I dont need a suit . . . because I dont need a suit . . . because Im a musician and I dont need a suit . . . no I dont need a rock and roll sort of suit . . . please leave me alone . . . For the love of God - LEAVE ME ALONE!"
Seeking to escape the constant want of the locals to sell me something I decided to cross the Cam Nam bridge to get to the Cam Nam village. To get to the bridge I had to go to Hoang Dieu street. The portion of the street near the bridge is dedicated to shoe shops. Every kind of show you can imagine is sold on this street. Shoes, shoes, and more shoes. Again all I said here was, "No . . . you see those . . . they are shoes . . . no I dont need another pair of shoes . . . yes my shoes are ugly but Im traveling so I dont care . . . please go away . . . Please - for the sake of my sanity - leave me alone!"
I spent about two to three hours walking around Cam Nam village. There really wasnt much to see there but it was quiet and no one bothered me verbally. They would stare though. But the kids were cute and at times I would hear a tiny sweet little voice say, "hello."
I would turn to face the voice and find a cute little Vietnamese girl or boy. Amazing how young these kids are taught to learn English . . . so that when they group up they too can charge the streets of Hoi An and bother the tourists to buy something.
In the afternoon I returned to my hotel and rested and in the evening I went out and had a small meal in a very darkly lit coffee shop. As I waited for my food a woman whose husband owned the coffee shop approached me and befriended me . . . soon enough though she passed her tailor shop card to me. I told her I was leaving the next morning and that there was no possible way for her to make me a suit in such a short amount of time. She insisted that I stop by her shop after I eat. I agreed just to entertain her and myself. She also insisted that I stop by the next morning before I leave for Hue to have breakfast. I agreed as well.
After I finished my meal I stopped by the tailor shop just to take a look. The woman I had spoken to in the coffee shop was no where to be seen. But, as soon as I walked in there was a commotion of activity. Two men came up to me and I asked for the woman. One of them then ran up to the second floor to get her. She then came down - I could see that she had been washing her hair - she greeted me and then began showing me all the clothing in their shop. I agreed that it was all very nice. She then pointed to some robes and said that I should buy one. Although they were nice I didnt want to buy one . . . I didnt want to carry it. I explained over and over that I didnt want to buy. Soon enough I was out of there.
I then walked a bit around town to get a feel of the night life there. I came across an interesting Chinese temple that was having some sort of festival celebration. So many people of all ages were walking into and out of the temple. There was a stage set up, and high above it was a buddha child that had neon lights flashing all around it. There was traditional music blasting from speakers and an announcer who announced the different dancing and singing acts. I stood and watched a couple of acts. The acts that I saw were of young Vietnamese women in traditional dress dancing in an ancient style. I, as long with nearly everyone in the audience - except for the young children who could have cared less - were enchanted by these young dancing women. For me there is nothing more peaceful or more beautiful than the sight of a woman dancing with slow ease and grace.
Many around me stared at me. I was the only foreigner within the crowd of people within the temple. I smiled to the young kids who would shy away by hiding their faces behind their parents legs.
When I had seen enough I left and walked back to my hotel.
Along the way I looked into the homes of families who all kept their front doors way open. I would often see children or adults watching television. And it all the homes I always saw a Chinese shrine right in front of the main entrance. The size of the shrines would vary from small to extremely large, some were so large that they would reach from the floor to the ceiling.
It was here in Hoi An that I was beginning to feel the strong cultural influences of China.
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
www.banromsai.gr.jp
June 1st to 2nd - Overnight bus from Nha Trang to Hoi An
I had some time to kill on the 1st of June. My bus for Hoi An was not going to pick me up from my hotel until about 5 o'clock or so. I had to check out of my hotel at 12 and so I wanted to keep my cool - or stay cool - until my bus picked me up. So I decided against staying out in the sun for too long. I didnt want to sweat and be all sticky for the 12 hour bus ride to Hoi An.
I woke up early and decided that the intensity of the sun wasnt too bad, or not bad enough for me to keep from taking a stroll along the long beaches of Nha Trang. Close to noon I went into an Indian restaurant that had a decent curry but a crappy nan bread. After that I returned to my hotel, washed up, and checked out. I still had many hours to kill and so I went to the internet cafe and cleaned out my hotmail account and I believe I worked a bit more on my digital journal.
Other than all this it was a pretty relaxed and uneventful day. The bus ride as well to Hoi An was uneventful.
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
www.banromsai.gr.jp
I had some time to kill on the 1st of June. My bus for Hoi An was not going to pick me up from my hotel until about 5 o'clock or so. I had to check out of my hotel at 12 and so I wanted to keep my cool - or stay cool - until my bus picked me up. So I decided against staying out in the sun for too long. I didnt want to sweat and be all sticky for the 12 hour bus ride to Hoi An.
I woke up early and decided that the intensity of the sun wasnt too bad, or not bad enough for me to keep from taking a stroll along the long beaches of Nha Trang. Close to noon I went into an Indian restaurant that had a decent curry but a crappy nan bread. After that I returned to my hotel, washed up, and checked out. I still had many hours to kill and so I went to the internet cafe and cleaned out my hotmail account and I believe I worked a bit more on my digital journal.
Other than all this it was a pretty relaxed and uneventful day. The bus ride as well to Hoi An was uneventful.
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
www.banromsai.gr.jp
Final Thoughts on Saigon
What I forgot to mention in regards to my earlier descriptions of Saigon are the women and what they consider to be beautiful. Beauty is purity, or in other words purity of skin. The whiter the skin the more desirable the woman is to a Vietnamese man. I wish I could speak a bit of Vietnamese so that I could find out for myself whether or not men in Vietnam are really obsessed with white skin or if it is just a myth that all women here seem to believe. One indication though that "whiteness of skin" is beautiful are the advertisements here. Just as in the West (1st World Nations) the use of models who have extremely white skin are often, if not always, used for advertisements, commercials - and it seems that all pop-stars and actresses here also have extremely white skin. About every advertisement I have seen in Vietnam has always included a Vietnamese woman with perfect white skin.
This obsession for white skin has lead to nearly every woman, of ages beginning in the early teens to the late 50's and 60's, to cover up as much of their body as possible before venturing out into public and the glare of the sun. The heat in Vietnam is intense. I find that I need to take two to three showers a day; and Im walking around in shorts and a T-shirt. The women here though wear long pants and if they wear a short-sleeved shirt they put on thin and very long gloves that goes all the way up their biceps so that their entire arm is covered. Then to keep their face out of the sun they wear a hat, sunglasses, and a cloth that they use to cover everything below their eyes - which they tie behind their heads. You will see thousands of woman on scooters driving around the streets of Saigon completely covered up. It is nearly rare to see the face of a Vietnamese woman. It often makes me wonder if these women would rather prefer to live in Iran. They would feel at home there with all the other Muslim women who have to cover up every inch of their body.
This obsession for covering up to avoid being tanned by the sun is something that I find ridiculous. But it happens in all societies. Those of us who have a low self-esteem are quick to do anything a commercial tells us inorder to look more attractive of beautiful to the public eye.
Then there are all the skin whitening creams that are all the rave in Vietnam. Women buying and trying all assortments of creams to apply to their skin to maintain their whiteness or to whiten their skin.
So, the question remains. What do you find beautiful? What is beauty? What is beauty as defined by your culture, your society? There are all sorts of beautiful aspects of one's self. There is physical beauty, the beauty of one's character, of one's abilities, of one's thoughts and perspectives.
The women of Vietnam, and Thai women, look at Western Caucasian women perplexed as to why they want to ruin their beautiful white skin by laying out in the sun for hours on the beautiful beaches of either Vietnam or Thailand. Here we may understand the difference in what these cultures - East and West - regard as beautiful and its connection with wealth.
A woman I met from Holland was on her way to Indonesia. She expressed to me, "There is no way I can go back to my country after such a long vacation without a tan. I am going to Indonesia to relax after all these months of backpacking and to get a nice tan before returning home."
In the West (1st World Nations) it can be argued to an extent that getting a tan is a sort of status symbol. That you as a Western individual could afford the expensive trip to some exotic beach to tan and have fun in the sun. Here a tan is beautiful because for a few weeks it is apparent to all back home that you have traveled, relaxed on an exotic beach, and could afford it. Here a tan is beautiful because in some respects it can be equated with wealth.
In Thailand and Vietnam it is believed that only the poor are found working out in the heat of the sun. They are the farmers breaking their backs in rice fields and so forth. The rich are those who work within the comforts of an office. They are rarely out in the sun and thus have white skin. So here we can see that again beauty in Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and Vietnam are equated in some respects with wealth.
The Slums of Saigon
One thing that I was very shocked to find in Saigon were the slums. My initial image of Saigon was simply that of a city no different from the one's I had seen in Thailand or Malaysia. Of course all cities have their ghettos and so forth but the slums I found in Saigon were the worst I have ever seen in Southeast Asia. I have never been to Manila in the Philippines but the slums I found in Saigon looked like the pictures I have seen of the slums in Manila.
The slums are located at the corner of district 5, 8, 1, 4, and 7. It is there where the Kinh Doi, Rach Ben Nghe, Kinh Te, and the Rach Ong Lon rivers meet. At this intersection the rivers are black. It is so polluted that it is nearly beyond belief to realize and see with your very own eyes that the river is black, black, black. And along the sides of the river you will see the most decrepit homes made from pieced together pieces of wood and metal. Thousands of these shack homes are all piled on top of each other, stretching from the streets of Saigon to all the way down to the black polluted waters of the rivers. It is a horrible sight but one that you should see if you find yourself in Saigon.
May 30th to 31st - Bus Trip to Saigon to Nha Trang, May 31st - Nha Trang
This was to be the first of several interesting bus trips that I would take from the south of Vietnam to the north. My bus departed from Saigon around 8. But it was not just a bus transporting only people and their luggage. Oh no. It also doubled as a cargo bus transporting goods and so forth. On this bus giant wind surfer board was places between all the seats. It was clearly a hazard for it made it nearly impossible for the passengers to get from one end of the bus to the other. But, there doesnt seem to be many lawsuits in Vietnam so this "hazard" was of no real concern to the bus company.
The ride to Nha Trang took about 10 hours or so. We arrived bright an early in Nha Trang. Still waking up I decided to use the services of a tout to take me on his scooter to a hotel that he recommended and would get a "kick back" from. The hotel he took me to was just in front of the beach and was cheap and clean and so I took it. I took a shower and went to bed with the air-conditioner on. I woke up around noon and decided to simply take it easy in Nha Trang. There were no major sights that I had to see. Nha Trang is a beach resort sort of town. The beaches are beautiful and pleasant and most of the city near the beach caters to the Vietnamese and foreign tourists that flock there. Although I did not go to Mui Ne I heard from many that the town of Mui Ne and its beaches are simply the best and far superior to the feel and commercialism of Nha Trang.
So for the 31st of May I simply took it easy by eating and catching up on some emails and my digital journal. I was also trying to rest a bit since I was a little sick with a cold.
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
www.banromsai.gr.jp
What I forgot to mention in regards to my earlier descriptions of Saigon are the women and what they consider to be beautiful. Beauty is purity, or in other words purity of skin. The whiter the skin the more desirable the woman is to a Vietnamese man. I wish I could speak a bit of Vietnamese so that I could find out for myself whether or not men in Vietnam are really obsessed with white skin or if it is just a myth that all women here seem to believe. One indication though that "whiteness of skin" is beautiful are the advertisements here. Just as in the West (1st World Nations) the use of models who have extremely white skin are often, if not always, used for advertisements, commercials - and it seems that all pop-stars and actresses here also have extremely white skin. About every advertisement I have seen in Vietnam has always included a Vietnamese woman with perfect white skin.
This obsession for white skin has lead to nearly every woman, of ages beginning in the early teens to the late 50's and 60's, to cover up as much of their body as possible before venturing out into public and the glare of the sun. The heat in Vietnam is intense. I find that I need to take two to three showers a day; and Im walking around in shorts and a T-shirt. The women here though wear long pants and if they wear a short-sleeved shirt they put on thin and very long gloves that goes all the way up their biceps so that their entire arm is covered. Then to keep their face out of the sun they wear a hat, sunglasses, and a cloth that they use to cover everything below their eyes - which they tie behind their heads. You will see thousands of woman on scooters driving around the streets of Saigon completely covered up. It is nearly rare to see the face of a Vietnamese woman. It often makes me wonder if these women would rather prefer to live in Iran. They would feel at home there with all the other Muslim women who have to cover up every inch of their body.
This obsession for covering up to avoid being tanned by the sun is something that I find ridiculous. But it happens in all societies. Those of us who have a low self-esteem are quick to do anything a commercial tells us inorder to look more attractive of beautiful to the public eye.
Then there are all the skin whitening creams that are all the rave in Vietnam. Women buying and trying all assortments of creams to apply to their skin to maintain their whiteness or to whiten their skin.
So, the question remains. What do you find beautiful? What is beauty? What is beauty as defined by your culture, your society? There are all sorts of beautiful aspects of one's self. There is physical beauty, the beauty of one's character, of one's abilities, of one's thoughts and perspectives.
The women of Vietnam, and Thai women, look at Western Caucasian women perplexed as to why they want to ruin their beautiful white skin by laying out in the sun for hours on the beautiful beaches of either Vietnam or Thailand. Here we may understand the difference in what these cultures - East and West - regard as beautiful and its connection with wealth.
A woman I met from Holland was on her way to Indonesia. She expressed to me, "There is no way I can go back to my country after such a long vacation without a tan. I am going to Indonesia to relax after all these months of backpacking and to get a nice tan before returning home."
In the West (1st World Nations) it can be argued to an extent that getting a tan is a sort of status symbol. That you as a Western individual could afford the expensive trip to some exotic beach to tan and have fun in the sun. Here a tan is beautiful because for a few weeks it is apparent to all back home that you have traveled, relaxed on an exotic beach, and could afford it. Here a tan is beautiful because in some respects it can be equated with wealth.
In Thailand and Vietnam it is believed that only the poor are found working out in the heat of the sun. They are the farmers breaking their backs in rice fields and so forth. The rich are those who work within the comforts of an office. They are rarely out in the sun and thus have white skin. So here we can see that again beauty in Southeast Asian countries such as Thailand and Vietnam are equated in some respects with wealth.
The Slums of Saigon
One thing that I was very shocked to find in Saigon were the slums. My initial image of Saigon was simply that of a city no different from the one's I had seen in Thailand or Malaysia. Of course all cities have their ghettos and so forth but the slums I found in Saigon were the worst I have ever seen in Southeast Asia. I have never been to Manila in the Philippines but the slums I found in Saigon looked like the pictures I have seen of the slums in Manila.
The slums are located at the corner of district 5, 8, 1, 4, and 7. It is there where the Kinh Doi, Rach Ben Nghe, Kinh Te, and the Rach Ong Lon rivers meet. At this intersection the rivers are black. It is so polluted that it is nearly beyond belief to realize and see with your very own eyes that the river is black, black, black. And along the sides of the river you will see the most decrepit homes made from pieced together pieces of wood and metal. Thousands of these shack homes are all piled on top of each other, stretching from the streets of Saigon to all the way down to the black polluted waters of the rivers. It is a horrible sight but one that you should see if you find yourself in Saigon.
May 30th to 31st - Bus Trip to Saigon to Nha Trang, May 31st - Nha Trang
This was to be the first of several interesting bus trips that I would take from the south of Vietnam to the north. My bus departed from Saigon around 8. But it was not just a bus transporting only people and their luggage. Oh no. It also doubled as a cargo bus transporting goods and so forth. On this bus giant wind surfer board was places between all the seats. It was clearly a hazard for it made it nearly impossible for the passengers to get from one end of the bus to the other. But, there doesnt seem to be many lawsuits in Vietnam so this "hazard" was of no real concern to the bus company.
The ride to Nha Trang took about 10 hours or so. We arrived bright an early in Nha Trang. Still waking up I decided to use the services of a tout to take me on his scooter to a hotel that he recommended and would get a "kick back" from. The hotel he took me to was just in front of the beach and was cheap and clean and so I took it. I took a shower and went to bed with the air-conditioner on. I woke up around noon and decided to simply take it easy in Nha Trang. There were no major sights that I had to see. Nha Trang is a beach resort sort of town. The beaches are beautiful and pleasant and most of the city near the beach caters to the Vietnamese and foreign tourists that flock there. Although I did not go to Mui Ne I heard from many that the town of Mui Ne and its beaches are simply the best and far superior to the feel and commercialism of Nha Trang.
So for the 31st of May I simply took it easy by eating and catching up on some emails and my digital journal. I was also trying to rest a bit since I was a little sick with a cold.
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
www.banromsai.gr.jp
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
A Day at the Table
A work of fiction by Domenico Italo Composto
The first thing to hit Nicholas upon his arrival to Saigon was the heat. It was nearly the end of May and Vietnam was bracing itself for the monsoon rains that had yet to come. Saigon seemed to him to be a city of streets filled with an unbelievable number of scooters; none of which paid any attention to him as tried to cross from one block to the next.
He had been in Saigon for five days. He didnt want to leave. He had found refuge in his guest house room. It was clean, pleasant, and most important of all it had an air conditioner. He paid $6 a night for his room.
A door adjacent to his bathroom opened up to a tiny balcony; it was so small that one could only stand on it, to sit in a chair was simply impossible. Although he never used the balcony he loved the fact that he had one. And when given the chance he would brag to fellow travelers that his room did indeed have a balcony, of course he would never mention just how small it was.
He got home most nights just past midnight. The family that ran his small guest house were usually in bed, asleep, at that hour. He would have to ring the door bell. Moments later a head with tired eyes would pop out a window just to see who was rining the bell at such an hour. Moments after that a side door to the guest house would open and Nicholas would enter taking off his shoes while apologizing to the father of the household.
Since he had a TV in his room Nicholas would watch a bit of the Discovery Channel. A program he found interesting to watch every night was about forensic crime scenes. He would have prefered to watch the BBC or CNN but his guest house did not subscribe to those channels.
On the morning of the 30th Nicholas woke up at around 6:10. He had a breakfast date; two in fact. He had to meet Estelle, a beautiful French woman of Lao and Vietnamese mix, at 7 and then he had to meet Jacky, who was from South Africa, and Carmen and Zaira, who were both from Barcelona, at 10 in the a.m.
Struggling to get out of bed and regretful that that morning was to be his last in Saigon Nicholas finally got up. He noticed that his throat was a bit raw. The air conditioner had dried it. He prayed that it would not develop into a soar throat.
After showering and getting dressed and checking the locks on his bag for the third or fourth time Nicholas left his room and descended three floors. He passed the living room of the guest house saying hello to the Vietnamese family that ran it and took his shoes out of a cupboard before stepping out into an alley just off from Bui Vien street. He quickly put on his shoes while looking at the children just a meter or two away in another home watching TV while eating their breakfast.
The cafe he was to meet Estelle in was just a few seconds from his guest house. He walked out onto Bui Vien street and saw Estelle rushing to be on time. He saw that she did not see him. She crossed the street and he called out to her. She looked back, smiled, and waved hello.
"I'm sorry I'm late," Estelle greeted Nicholas.
"No, no don't worry. As you can see the Cafe is not even properly open yet."
Estelle and Nicholas then walked into the French Cafe. Nicholas was disappointed though to see that there were barely any pastries in the counter windows. He wanted Estelle to have a fine selection of pastries to choose from but it appeared that the day's pastries had yet to be delivered to the Cafe. But, Estelle explained that she wasnt feeling well and that all she wanted was yoghurt. She ordered as Nicholas went over what few pastries were left from the previous day.
After ordering both Estelle and Nicholas walked up the steps leading to the second floor of the Cafe. They sat at a table that overlooked the early morning activity of Bui Vien street.
The first and last time these two travelers had met each other was in Luang Prabang in Laos.
Then, more than two weeks later and by shear coincidence, the two ran into each other while on a separate tour of the Mekong Delta. They agreed to meet for breakfast and thus this is how they now found themselves enjoying an early morning coffee drink in Saigon.
They asked each other questions of details and facts that they had remembered from their previous meeting in Laos. The conversation was quiet and pleasant. Anything more than that would have been too much for such an early hour.
After breakfast Estelle explained that she was going to go to the Reunification Palace. Nicholas knew the way and had more than an hour to kill before his second breakfast meeting. He decided to walk with Estelle to her destination. He enjoyed her company, particularly her sweet English accent. The curiosities of Saigon appeared from corners and cracks catching both of their eyes and attention. Soon enough though they had reached the Reunification Palace and it was time to say goodbye. If and when they will ever see each other again . . . the gods only know.
Nicholas returned to Bui Vien street with a slight skip in his walk. He was happy. He had about 20 minutes more to kill before 10 a.m. and so he decided to check his email. 25 minutes in the internet cafe went by and Nicholas had not succeeded in opening a single email. His computer's connection was too painfully slow. He paid the bill for the internet service which did not serve him and met up with Jacky, Zaira, and Carmen outside the Southern Hotel.
He apologized for his tardiness and led the group back to the same French Cafe he had breakfast in with Estelle. They all ordered; Nicholas happily ordered more pastries for his belly.
And there they were: an American gent, a South African lady, and two Princess of Spain. The hours passed as if they were minutes. Nicholas loved the animated gestures of Zaira and Carmen. He most especially loved their relationship. Zaira and Carmen were friends. But, they behaved as if they were a couple. They knew eachother's mind, heart, and spirit. They could read each other. They understood one another. They possessed between them what many married couples dream of, strive for, fight for but never achieve or find. They were free within their relationship to simply be who they were without bending or changing too far out of shape. They had found a pleasant nest to lay in within their relationship. So pleasant that they were free to act and feel like spirited children again; joking with each other and the world they found themselves in and interacted with. Through them Nicholas and Jacky found hope that yes indeed there are two individual souls that can find each other, fall into one another, support the other, and interdepend. They were hope. Yes, indeed. They were hope.
The afternoon sun rose high into the sky and hunger began to pelt their stomachs. They called the waitress over and ordered their mid-afternoon meal. The conversation between the four travelers continued as did the laughter they shared. And all the while Nicholas thought of his past and what his future would bring.
He could feel it. A part of himself beginning to die. Making room for something new, something he had never known before. And he welcomed this death with sadness and a smile. He, at 27, felt old and tired. Solitude so often his friend. So much had he done only to come home to the quiet of night and dark. He could sense that this long journey through the heart of the Old World would be his last alone. Somewhere over the Ocean that would send him back to his home would he begin to find his new life with his future wife . . . whoever she may be.
A work of fiction by Domenico Italo Composto
The first thing to hit Nicholas upon his arrival to Saigon was the heat. It was nearly the end of May and Vietnam was bracing itself for the monsoon rains that had yet to come. Saigon seemed to him to be a city of streets filled with an unbelievable number of scooters; none of which paid any attention to him as tried to cross from one block to the next.
He had been in Saigon for five days. He didnt want to leave. He had found refuge in his guest house room. It was clean, pleasant, and most important of all it had an air conditioner. He paid $6 a night for his room.
A door adjacent to his bathroom opened up to a tiny balcony; it was so small that one could only stand on it, to sit in a chair was simply impossible. Although he never used the balcony he loved the fact that he had one. And when given the chance he would brag to fellow travelers that his room did indeed have a balcony, of course he would never mention just how small it was.
He got home most nights just past midnight. The family that ran his small guest house were usually in bed, asleep, at that hour. He would have to ring the door bell. Moments later a head with tired eyes would pop out a window just to see who was rining the bell at such an hour. Moments after that a side door to the guest house would open and Nicholas would enter taking off his shoes while apologizing to the father of the household.
Since he had a TV in his room Nicholas would watch a bit of the Discovery Channel. A program he found interesting to watch every night was about forensic crime scenes. He would have prefered to watch the BBC or CNN but his guest house did not subscribe to those channels.
On the morning of the 30th Nicholas woke up at around 6:10. He had a breakfast date; two in fact. He had to meet Estelle, a beautiful French woman of Lao and Vietnamese mix, at 7 and then he had to meet Jacky, who was from South Africa, and Carmen and Zaira, who were both from Barcelona, at 10 in the a.m.
Struggling to get out of bed and regretful that that morning was to be his last in Saigon Nicholas finally got up. He noticed that his throat was a bit raw. The air conditioner had dried it. He prayed that it would not develop into a soar throat.
After showering and getting dressed and checking the locks on his bag for the third or fourth time Nicholas left his room and descended three floors. He passed the living room of the guest house saying hello to the Vietnamese family that ran it and took his shoes out of a cupboard before stepping out into an alley just off from Bui Vien street. He quickly put on his shoes while looking at the children just a meter or two away in another home watching TV while eating their breakfast.
The cafe he was to meet Estelle in was just a few seconds from his guest house. He walked out onto Bui Vien street and saw Estelle rushing to be on time. He saw that she did not see him. She crossed the street and he called out to her. She looked back, smiled, and waved hello.
"I'm sorry I'm late," Estelle greeted Nicholas.
"No, no don't worry. As you can see the Cafe is not even properly open yet."
Estelle and Nicholas then walked into the French Cafe. Nicholas was disappointed though to see that there were barely any pastries in the counter windows. He wanted Estelle to have a fine selection of pastries to choose from but it appeared that the day's pastries had yet to be delivered to the Cafe. But, Estelle explained that she wasnt feeling well and that all she wanted was yoghurt. She ordered as Nicholas went over what few pastries were left from the previous day.
After ordering both Estelle and Nicholas walked up the steps leading to the second floor of the Cafe. They sat at a table that overlooked the early morning activity of Bui Vien street.
The first and last time these two travelers had met each other was in Luang Prabang in Laos.
Then, more than two weeks later and by shear coincidence, the two ran into each other while on a separate tour of the Mekong Delta. They agreed to meet for breakfast and thus this is how they now found themselves enjoying an early morning coffee drink in Saigon.
They asked each other questions of details and facts that they had remembered from their previous meeting in Laos. The conversation was quiet and pleasant. Anything more than that would have been too much for such an early hour.
After breakfast Estelle explained that she was going to go to the Reunification Palace. Nicholas knew the way and had more than an hour to kill before his second breakfast meeting. He decided to walk with Estelle to her destination. He enjoyed her company, particularly her sweet English accent. The curiosities of Saigon appeared from corners and cracks catching both of their eyes and attention. Soon enough though they had reached the Reunification Palace and it was time to say goodbye. If and when they will ever see each other again . . . the gods only know.
Nicholas returned to Bui Vien street with a slight skip in his walk. He was happy. He had about 20 minutes more to kill before 10 a.m. and so he decided to check his email. 25 minutes in the internet cafe went by and Nicholas had not succeeded in opening a single email. His computer's connection was too painfully slow. He paid the bill for the internet service which did not serve him and met up with Jacky, Zaira, and Carmen outside the Southern Hotel.
He apologized for his tardiness and led the group back to the same French Cafe he had breakfast in with Estelle. They all ordered; Nicholas happily ordered more pastries for his belly.
And there they were: an American gent, a South African lady, and two Princess of Spain. The hours passed as if they were minutes. Nicholas loved the animated gestures of Zaira and Carmen. He most especially loved their relationship. Zaira and Carmen were friends. But, they behaved as if they were a couple. They knew eachother's mind, heart, and spirit. They could read each other. They understood one another. They possessed between them what many married couples dream of, strive for, fight for but never achieve or find. They were free within their relationship to simply be who they were without bending or changing too far out of shape. They had found a pleasant nest to lay in within their relationship. So pleasant that they were free to act and feel like spirited children again; joking with each other and the world they found themselves in and interacted with. Through them Nicholas and Jacky found hope that yes indeed there are two individual souls that can find each other, fall into one another, support the other, and interdepend. They were hope. Yes, indeed. They were hope.
The afternoon sun rose high into the sky and hunger began to pelt their stomachs. They called the waitress over and ordered their mid-afternoon meal. The conversation between the four travelers continued as did the laughter they shared. And all the while Nicholas thought of his past and what his future would bring.
He could feel it. A part of himself beginning to die. Making room for something new, something he had never known before. And he welcomed this death with sadness and a smile. He, at 27, felt old and tired. Solitude so often his friend. So much had he done only to come home to the quiet of night and dark. He could sense that this long journey through the heart of the Old World would be his last alone. Somewhere over the Ocean that would send him back to his home would he begin to find his new life with his future wife . . . whoever she may be.
Monday, May 31, 2004
Saigon Notes from May 27th to May 30th
Im behind on my journal. To make things a bit easier for me Im going to combine all my thoughts and observations on Saigon from May 27th to May 30th into one entry. As a result this will be a long entry. But I will divide it with appropriate headings.
The "Same, Same, But Different" Philosophy of Saigon
My Guest House is on Bui Vien road which as I have mentioned in a previous journal entry is the Khao San Road of Vietnam. Khao San is the most famous - or infamous depending on how you want to perceive it - back packers Guest House road in Bangkok. Bui Vien is a colorful street. If you take a good look at the thin but extremely high (5 to 6 to 7 storey) Guest Houses you will notice that they are painted in attractive colors of light green, pink, or blue. All the shops are located on the ground floor. The majority of the shops are Mom and Pop shops and also double as the entrance into the homes of the families that run these shops. The Vietnamese are opposite to the Japanese in this sense. The Japanese are very private about their surroundings. Their businesses, shops, restaurants, bars, hostess clubs, and homes are all hidden behind walls, tinted windows, and doorways. The Japanese take the necessary precautions to ensure that no "outsider" can see within their establishments or homes. The Vietnamese on the other hand could honestly care less who looks into their places of work or homes.
My Guest House is in an alley filled with apartment homes for Vietnamese families. The ground floor of their homes has a metallic gate that they open and close in the morning and at night. During the day they simply leave this metallic gate completely home. Look and see beyond this gate and you will find that you are looking directly into their living room which for some doubles as a shop selling drinks, food, or some other goods. Every morning I walk through the living area of my Guest House and sit outside taking the time to put on my shoes. As I do so I look around at the activity in the alley and into the living rooms of the homes all around my Guest House. I can see children just a meter or two away from me watching TV, or teenagers playing pirated video games. There is always a small shrine - the shrine looks to be Chinese in origin - used and devoted to the ancestors of the family. No one can care less about who is looking into their home. They are not embarrassed to blow or pick their nose out in public. They, in a sense, are apathetic to what others may think of them and for that I love them all the more.
All along Bui Vien there are Travel Agencies catering to all the back packers living in one of the Guest Houses on the street. There are Italian restaurants and French Cafe's. There was one French Cafe in particular that I spent every morning in. I sort of became a regular breakfast patron who sat in the same chair and table every morning on the second floor looking down below at all the activity on the street.
You will notice on Bui Vien that there are C.D. shops. Walk in and you will find pirated C.D.'s of every musical genre. And you will find pirated computer software and video games for Play Station 2 as well. The prices for these C.D.'s are ridiculously cheap. So cheap that Happy Tours - a travel agency - will give all its customers a voucher after they have bought a tour to pick up a free C.D. at one of these C.D. shops. The tours that they offer cost no more than 5 to 6 U.S. dollars. I should also mention that DVD's abound in these C.D. shops. I met a group from New Zealand who had bought 36 DVD's for under $40 U.S.
This is simply one example of the "Same, Same, but Different" capitalist philosophy in Vietnam that I am finding - funny that Vietname is technically a Communist country. Vietnam is the cheapest country to travel through in Southeast Asia - in my opinion at least. For me it is cheaper than Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar. You can stay in a beautiful hotel here for under $10 a night - complete with a TV in your room, Air-Con, even a fridge. You can buy a canned Coke for less than 40 cents U.S. You can have a large delicious pizza for less than 2 to 3 dollars. You can drink a pitcher of beer for about a dollar. And these are the prices for foreigners. The local prices are even lower than that. And today I learned from my waitress at a restaurant that she makes about $1 a day. As a result of the fact that the Vietnamese make so little they simply can not afford genuine 1st World articles such as a DVD, or CD, or scooter. The original brand is way beyond what they can afford. But they want these products nonetheless. So they improvise. They make products that are the "Same, Same, but Different." You can buy a pirated DVD. The quality of the DVD looks no different from the unpirated one. It is the same . . . yet different. And books. There are millions of books that you can buy that have been photocopied perfectly page for page from an original. I have bought a few books here that are the "same, same, but different" from the original. I am sure that 1st World companies such as Penguin Books, Sony, and North Face back packs are up in arms with the fact that Southeast Asia is a breeding ground for entrepreneurs copying and pirating their products for a massize buying market. I am sure that they are loosing billions of dollars as a result of all of this. Do I care . . . honestly do I have any freaking sympathy for these massive conglomerate 1st World Nation corporations??? HELL NO!!!
Countries like Vietnam and Cambodia and Lao and Myanmar are POOR COUNTRIES. They are countries that have been bombed and torn apart by 1st World nations such as the U.S., Japan (W.W. II), and France. And these poor Southeast Asian countries are still suffering from the messy wars countries like France, England, and the U.S. had waged in this part of the world. Rural families in Cambodia, Lao, and Vietnam still run into unexploded ordinances (UXO) that the U.S. or France had littered all over their country. You will see people in Vietnam who have lost their hands and arms or legs to bombs, and you will see babies born with the most horrific mutations imaginable as a result of the chemical warfare the U.S. waged in Vietnam.
I will later discuss what effects "Agent Orange" has had and continues to have on the children of Vietnam.
Since the U.S. never bothered to clean up the mess that the left behind after tearing up a country like Vietnam apart do you honestly think that the people of Vietnam or individual back packers like myself give two s$#ts that big media corporations like VIACOM are loosing millions of dollars to pirated goods in Southeast Asia??? No, I dont give a f**k!!! Let the pirating industry continue to flourish in countries like Vietnam. The Vietnamese today can not afford the high prices of genuine western goods. But everyone wants them due the wonders of western marketing and advertising. Let the Vietnamese buy pirated C.D.'s, DVD's, books, and clothing. They deserve to have them and enjoy them at the cost of the money lost by 1st World corporations. It is the least we can do for them after the fact that we from 1st World Nations (the U.S., Japan, France, and so forth) have ripped their countries apart - killing millions of civilians - and left without botherig to clean up our mess.
Other examples of this "Same, Same, But Different" capitalist philosophy in Vietnam are paintings and scooters. You will find gallery shops filled with hand painted copies of master pieces from your favorite artists - from Dali to Leonardo Da Vinci to Picasso.
I have learned that 5 years ago Vietnam was not as littered with scooters as it is today. There are barely any traffic lights in Saigon and if you find one you will see that the Vietnamese pay little attention to these traffic lights. Cars are few and far between. It is nearly impossible to afford even thinking about buying a car in Vietnam. The next best solution is a scooter. Cheap scooters from China that have been designed to look like its expensive Japanese counterparts have been flooding into Myanmar, Lao, Cambodia, and Vietnam by the tens of thousands. You will see an entire family riding and balancing themselves on these small scooters. You will see men driving on their scooter with a refrigerator strapped to the back. And you will see couples parading their scooters around the round-about where Tran Hung Dao steet meets Le Loi steet. You will also see couples resting near a park near this round-about at night. They are all simply sitting on their small scooter holding each other, talking to each other, and so forth. It is a common joke among Vietnamese young men that they can never pick up a girl unless they have a good looking scooter.
This is an example of the type of materialism that is stereotyped about the people who live in Saigon.
The Cu Chi Tunnels and the Vietnam War
3.5 million Vietnamese were killed in the war that began with the French and ended with the American withdrawal from Saigon. Can you guess how many U.S. soldiers were killed in the war? Do you think the number of U.S. deaths even came close to a million? No. 58,000 U.S. soldiers lost their lives in combat in Vietnam. How many U.S. lives will be lost in Iraq when we finally depart from the country? Why did we go to war with Iraq again? Can someone remind me? Weapons of Mass Destruction . . . yes that's it. Wait a minute . . . there never were Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. So can someone - George W. Bush in particular - please explain to me in extreme detail why the U.S. - my country - went to war with another poor nation such as Iraq? Please, someone. I invite anyone out their to send me an email at thedragonbone@hotmail.com to email me and to tell me exactly why the hell we went to war in Iraq.
My sarcasm is a result of the fact that the last three countries I have been to - Lao, Cambodia, and Vietnam - are all poor nations that felt the effects both indirect and direct of U.S. warfare. After seeing how the people in these countries continue to suffer to this day as a result of the Vietnam War I find it difficult to find any reason to ever support any war beyond the one we fought during World War II.
Getting back to the facts. 3.5 million Vietnamese lost their lives in the Vietnam War compared to 58,000 U.S. deaths. From 3.5 million Vietnamese deaths 200,000 were babies and children. 2.5 million were civilians. 1 million were Viet Khong soldiers. Australia sent 7,000 troops of that 500 died. You may not know this but South Korea, New Zealand, Thailand, and the Philippines also sent troops to Vietnam to fight alongside with the Americans.
The US government sent 6.5 million soldiers to Vietnam and spent 352 billion dollars on the war.
The U.S. killed so many Vietnamese civilians because they simply did not know who was who. A South Vietnamese friend by day could be a Viet Khong fighter at night. This confusion of who the enemy was resulted in the destruction of villages with very little discrimination.
The U.S. dropped 5,382,000 million tons of bombs on Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam making this the historical record for the most amount of bombs ever dropped during any war. The target of these bombs was along the Ho Chi Minh trail which was 16,000 kilometers long and swerved in and out of Vietnam into Laos and Cambodia.
937,300 tons of bombs were dropped in the Northern areas of Vietnam and 4,444,700 tons were dropped on the Southern regions.
A chemical agent called "Agent Orange" was used by the U.S. to detroy all forms of vegetation on mountains and targetted landscapes in Vietnam. This chemical agent poisoned the land and seeped into the ground water and natural food supply of the people living along the Ho Chi Minh trail and other targeted areas. This agent caused severe mutations in adult Vietnamese and their children and newborn babies. These mutations are horrific. At The War Remnants Musuem I saw many pictures and video footage of these mutations that have left the faces of men and women twisted, melted, blind, enlarged, and beyond the ability for anyone to look at for more than a few seconds.
Today ultra-sound is used to detect whether or not a Vietnamese baby has been deformed due to the lingering effect of Agent Orange. If a baby is detected with serious deformities it is aborted.
For more information please click on this link - The Agent Orange Victims Fund @ http://www.vnrc.org.vn/orange_fund/
On the 27th of May I went to the Cu Chi Tunnels which is located about an hour I believe from Saigon, or more specifically 65 kilometers from Saigon. The Cu Chi area was nearly in the backyard of the former U.S. military base - this particular base had 10,000 U.S. soldiers stationed there - during the Vietnam war. It was here that some of the most sophisticated tunnel systems was developed by Viet Khong fighters.
Cu Chi covers 165 square kilometers and had about 300,000 Vietnamese living within it. By the end of the war about 44,145 Vietnamese were killed in Cu Chi. The tunnels built underground in Cu Chi in total were 250 kilometers long.
Getting into the logistics of the Vietnam War. To begin with the Viet Khong soldier was better equipped than his U.S. counterpart simply by the fact that the AK-47 was their weapon of choice whereas U.S. soldiers carried the M-16. The AK-47 I believe was a Chinese - or Russian - weapon supplied to the Viet Khong by China. It can hold 50 bullets and can also fire M-16 bullets. The M-16 can only hold 20 bullets. Just by the choice of firearm the U.S. soldier was out-matched.
The fighters in Cu Chi were supplied their weapons from the North. They got their supplies at the southern end of the Ho Chi Minh trail.
These rebels in the south of Vietnam were all volunteers. They were never paid. They were poor but extremely determined soldiers. Their shoes were made from car tires. The U.S. soldier and the South Vietnamese army were well-payed for their service.
The irony is that during the war many U.S. bases in South Vietnam hired South Vietnamese women to work in the base to cook and clean for them. These women worked from 8 to 4 making about $300 U.S. a month. After work many of these women would return to their villages supplying information about the layout of the base to rebel fighters, or they worked as rebel fighters themselves. At night many rebels would sneek into the U.S. bases with small amounts of TNT explosives and blow up buildings and so forth within the base.
Since it was feared that individuals within the South Vietnamese army were Viet Khong a camera was attached to the planes flown by South Vietnamese army pilots. If upon return it was discovered that the South Vietnamese army pilot bombed U.S. troops instead of the Viet Khong he was immediately shot without trial.
Many dud bombs were dropped over Vietnam. These dud's were then picked up by the Viet Khong and then inserted into a car that would be used to ram itself into a U.S. base or government building set to explode.
Many of the fighters in Cu Chi decided to fight against the U.S. simply because members of their families were accidentally killed by bombs dropped by B-52 air planes. They were simply seeking revenge.
The Viet Khong awarded medals to Vietnamese girls and recognized them as "American Killer Hero" to encourage more women to help in the cause of fighting against the U.S.
Because the majority of the Cu Chi fighters were farmers they resorted to using old farming techniques against the Americans. They used traps that they had once set against animals against U.S. soldiers. They dug elaborate bamboo traps into the ground. The most basic was a pit filled with sharp bamboo sticks that if you fell into it your feet and legs would by spiked by them.
The tunnels of Cu Chi were divided into three levels. The first and second level were used for fighting. The first level was 3 meters deep. The second level was 6 meters deep and the third level - used for living in and sleeping in - was 10 meters deep. The Cu Chi fighters living within the tunnels slept in hammocks so that they could sleep pleasantly during bombing raids that would rock the tunnels back and forth. Smoke from the kitchen chambers would flow into several compartments and then release above ground at a location far from the kitchen itself. The 2nd level was usually used for moving from one area of the tunnel to the other. This level was also full of traps set for any U.S. troops that broke into and invaded the tunnels.
The tunnels were all made by hand with the use of a basket to collect the dirt and a small shovel to dig into the dirt. There were plenty of wells reaching down into the ground water and there was enough available water within the tunnels for rebel fighters to take a bath 3 times a day.
Air holes were made by digging into the ground and placing a hallow bamboo stick into the ground. Over time the bamboo stick would decay but the long shaft of the air hole would remain.
I went with a group to see these tunnels and to be very honest I must say that I was incredibly impressed. We walked into the tunnels and traveled through them. I couldnt imagine living within this underground network but after seeing these tunnels I could not help but feel the strong determination the Vietnamese had in fighting off the U.S. and ruling their own country. Their determination is clearly present in these tunnels and after seeing these tunnels I can only have the upmost respect fot the people of Vietnam who fought to never be ruled by a western colony or nation. With barely anything they fought hard against the French and the against the U.S. to finally win their independence.
The War Remnants Museum
It is a must for anyone traveling to Saigon to go to this Museum. It can be argued - and I will completely agree with this arguement - that the Museum has its own agenda, that is has a propaganda edge to it, but it is completely interesting to see how the Vietnamese themselves portray the war, the French, and the U.S. What you will see here is the other side of the story. We in the U.S. have our movies and history books laced with our own perspectives and propaganda. It is also important for us to see the other side and find the truth somewhere between.
President Ho Chi Minh delivered the Declaration of Independence on September 2nd, 1945. From July 1946 to Jul 1948 the U.S. financed France with 1.2 billion dollars. U.S. aid increased by a billion dollars in 1954. The "Domino Doctrine" explained that Burma, India, and Indonesia would fall to communism thus began the U.S.'s concern for the fate of Vietnam if it fell to communism.
A good portion of the museum was dedicated to the victims of Agent Orange. The toxic chemicals of this herbacide spread that destroyed trees and vegetaion cased deformities in the hands, arms, legs, and feet of the Vietnamese. Children born from parents who had been affected by Agent Orange had facial deformities such as unusual growths around their bodies or overgrown heads. Many were born blind. Some were born with no eyes or flesh completely covering their eye sockets.
The Coconut Camp
From 1953 to 1954 the French built a prison that was later nick named the Coconut Prison. It was built on the Phu Quoc which is the largest island in Vietnam and it was meant to keep no more than 14,000 prisoners. It was 600 square kilometers in size. During its use it housed 30 to 40,000 prisoners.
The torture techniques used by the French varied: pins were stuck into fingertips, snakes placed into women's trousers, electric shock used, beatings from clubs and hammers, etc. Some prisoners were beaten so heavily that they left with arms or legs that were completely paralyzed.
They ate only small portions of food which usually was composed of decayed fish, vegetables, and meat. Only half a can of drinking water was giving to prisoners a day. Very little water was given to female prisoners during their menstrual cycle.
"Tiger Cages" were used for political prisoners. During the hot season 5 to 14 prisoners were placed within one of these "cages". The prisoners ankles were shackled to a long iron bar limiting their movement within the cell.
O.k. I think I have typed as much as I can about all of this. If you are interested in learning more then simply search the internet for more information or visit your local library or go to your nearest book store.
May the Force be With You . . . Always,
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
www.banromsai.gr.jp
Im behind on my journal. To make things a bit easier for me Im going to combine all my thoughts and observations on Saigon from May 27th to May 30th into one entry. As a result this will be a long entry. But I will divide it with appropriate headings.
The "Same, Same, But Different" Philosophy of Saigon
My Guest House is on Bui Vien road which as I have mentioned in a previous journal entry is the Khao San Road of Vietnam. Khao San is the most famous - or infamous depending on how you want to perceive it - back packers Guest House road in Bangkok. Bui Vien is a colorful street. If you take a good look at the thin but extremely high (5 to 6 to 7 storey) Guest Houses you will notice that they are painted in attractive colors of light green, pink, or blue. All the shops are located on the ground floor. The majority of the shops are Mom and Pop shops and also double as the entrance into the homes of the families that run these shops. The Vietnamese are opposite to the Japanese in this sense. The Japanese are very private about their surroundings. Their businesses, shops, restaurants, bars, hostess clubs, and homes are all hidden behind walls, tinted windows, and doorways. The Japanese take the necessary precautions to ensure that no "outsider" can see within their establishments or homes. The Vietnamese on the other hand could honestly care less who looks into their places of work or homes.
My Guest House is in an alley filled with apartment homes for Vietnamese families. The ground floor of their homes has a metallic gate that they open and close in the morning and at night. During the day they simply leave this metallic gate completely home. Look and see beyond this gate and you will find that you are looking directly into their living room which for some doubles as a shop selling drinks, food, or some other goods. Every morning I walk through the living area of my Guest House and sit outside taking the time to put on my shoes. As I do so I look around at the activity in the alley and into the living rooms of the homes all around my Guest House. I can see children just a meter or two away from me watching TV, or teenagers playing pirated video games. There is always a small shrine - the shrine looks to be Chinese in origin - used and devoted to the ancestors of the family. No one can care less about who is looking into their home. They are not embarrassed to blow or pick their nose out in public. They, in a sense, are apathetic to what others may think of them and for that I love them all the more.
All along Bui Vien there are Travel Agencies catering to all the back packers living in one of the Guest Houses on the street. There are Italian restaurants and French Cafe's. There was one French Cafe in particular that I spent every morning in. I sort of became a regular breakfast patron who sat in the same chair and table every morning on the second floor looking down below at all the activity on the street.
You will notice on Bui Vien that there are C.D. shops. Walk in and you will find pirated C.D.'s of every musical genre. And you will find pirated computer software and video games for Play Station 2 as well. The prices for these C.D.'s are ridiculously cheap. So cheap that Happy Tours - a travel agency - will give all its customers a voucher after they have bought a tour to pick up a free C.D. at one of these C.D. shops. The tours that they offer cost no more than 5 to 6 U.S. dollars. I should also mention that DVD's abound in these C.D. shops. I met a group from New Zealand who had bought 36 DVD's for under $40 U.S.
This is simply one example of the "Same, Same, but Different" capitalist philosophy in Vietnam that I am finding - funny that Vietname is technically a Communist country. Vietnam is the cheapest country to travel through in Southeast Asia - in my opinion at least. For me it is cheaper than Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar. You can stay in a beautiful hotel here for under $10 a night - complete with a TV in your room, Air-Con, even a fridge. You can buy a canned Coke for less than 40 cents U.S. You can have a large delicious pizza for less than 2 to 3 dollars. You can drink a pitcher of beer for about a dollar. And these are the prices for foreigners. The local prices are even lower than that. And today I learned from my waitress at a restaurant that she makes about $1 a day. As a result of the fact that the Vietnamese make so little they simply can not afford genuine 1st World articles such as a DVD, or CD, or scooter. The original brand is way beyond what they can afford. But they want these products nonetheless. So they improvise. They make products that are the "Same, Same, but Different." You can buy a pirated DVD. The quality of the DVD looks no different from the unpirated one. It is the same . . . yet different. And books. There are millions of books that you can buy that have been photocopied perfectly page for page from an original. I have bought a few books here that are the "same, same, but different" from the original. I am sure that 1st World companies such as Penguin Books, Sony, and North Face back packs are up in arms with the fact that Southeast Asia is a breeding ground for entrepreneurs copying and pirating their products for a massize buying market. I am sure that they are loosing billions of dollars as a result of all of this. Do I care . . . honestly do I have any freaking sympathy for these massive conglomerate 1st World Nation corporations??? HELL NO!!!
Countries like Vietnam and Cambodia and Lao and Myanmar are POOR COUNTRIES. They are countries that have been bombed and torn apart by 1st World nations such as the U.S., Japan (W.W. II), and France. And these poor Southeast Asian countries are still suffering from the messy wars countries like France, England, and the U.S. had waged in this part of the world. Rural families in Cambodia, Lao, and Vietnam still run into unexploded ordinances (UXO) that the U.S. or France had littered all over their country. You will see people in Vietnam who have lost their hands and arms or legs to bombs, and you will see babies born with the most horrific mutations imaginable as a result of the chemical warfare the U.S. waged in Vietnam.
I will later discuss what effects "Agent Orange" has had and continues to have on the children of Vietnam.
Since the U.S. never bothered to clean up the mess that the left behind after tearing up a country like Vietnam apart do you honestly think that the people of Vietnam or individual back packers like myself give two s$#ts that big media corporations like VIACOM are loosing millions of dollars to pirated goods in Southeast Asia??? No, I dont give a f**k!!! Let the pirating industry continue to flourish in countries like Vietnam. The Vietnamese today can not afford the high prices of genuine western goods. But everyone wants them due the wonders of western marketing and advertising. Let the Vietnamese buy pirated C.D.'s, DVD's, books, and clothing. They deserve to have them and enjoy them at the cost of the money lost by 1st World corporations. It is the least we can do for them after the fact that we from 1st World Nations (the U.S., Japan, France, and so forth) have ripped their countries apart - killing millions of civilians - and left without botherig to clean up our mess.
Other examples of this "Same, Same, But Different" capitalist philosophy in Vietnam are paintings and scooters. You will find gallery shops filled with hand painted copies of master pieces from your favorite artists - from Dali to Leonardo Da Vinci to Picasso.
I have learned that 5 years ago Vietnam was not as littered with scooters as it is today. There are barely any traffic lights in Saigon and if you find one you will see that the Vietnamese pay little attention to these traffic lights. Cars are few and far between. It is nearly impossible to afford even thinking about buying a car in Vietnam. The next best solution is a scooter. Cheap scooters from China that have been designed to look like its expensive Japanese counterparts have been flooding into Myanmar, Lao, Cambodia, and Vietnam by the tens of thousands. You will see an entire family riding and balancing themselves on these small scooters. You will see men driving on their scooter with a refrigerator strapped to the back. And you will see couples parading their scooters around the round-about where Tran Hung Dao steet meets Le Loi steet. You will also see couples resting near a park near this round-about at night. They are all simply sitting on their small scooter holding each other, talking to each other, and so forth. It is a common joke among Vietnamese young men that they can never pick up a girl unless they have a good looking scooter.
This is an example of the type of materialism that is stereotyped about the people who live in Saigon.
The Cu Chi Tunnels and the Vietnam War
3.5 million Vietnamese were killed in the war that began with the French and ended with the American withdrawal from Saigon. Can you guess how many U.S. soldiers were killed in the war? Do you think the number of U.S. deaths even came close to a million? No. 58,000 U.S. soldiers lost their lives in combat in Vietnam. How many U.S. lives will be lost in Iraq when we finally depart from the country? Why did we go to war with Iraq again? Can someone remind me? Weapons of Mass Destruction . . . yes that's it. Wait a minute . . . there never were Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq. So can someone - George W. Bush in particular - please explain to me in extreme detail why the U.S. - my country - went to war with another poor nation such as Iraq? Please, someone. I invite anyone out their to send me an email at thedragonbone@hotmail.com to email me and to tell me exactly why the hell we went to war in Iraq.
My sarcasm is a result of the fact that the last three countries I have been to - Lao, Cambodia, and Vietnam - are all poor nations that felt the effects both indirect and direct of U.S. warfare. After seeing how the people in these countries continue to suffer to this day as a result of the Vietnam War I find it difficult to find any reason to ever support any war beyond the one we fought during World War II.
Getting back to the facts. 3.5 million Vietnamese lost their lives in the Vietnam War compared to 58,000 U.S. deaths. From 3.5 million Vietnamese deaths 200,000 were babies and children. 2.5 million were civilians. 1 million were Viet Khong soldiers. Australia sent 7,000 troops of that 500 died. You may not know this but South Korea, New Zealand, Thailand, and the Philippines also sent troops to Vietnam to fight alongside with the Americans.
The US government sent 6.5 million soldiers to Vietnam and spent 352 billion dollars on the war.
The U.S. killed so many Vietnamese civilians because they simply did not know who was who. A South Vietnamese friend by day could be a Viet Khong fighter at night. This confusion of who the enemy was resulted in the destruction of villages with very little discrimination.
The U.S. dropped 5,382,000 million tons of bombs on Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam making this the historical record for the most amount of bombs ever dropped during any war. The target of these bombs was along the Ho Chi Minh trail which was 16,000 kilometers long and swerved in and out of Vietnam into Laos and Cambodia.
937,300 tons of bombs were dropped in the Northern areas of Vietnam and 4,444,700 tons were dropped on the Southern regions.
A chemical agent called "Agent Orange" was used by the U.S. to detroy all forms of vegetation on mountains and targetted landscapes in Vietnam. This chemical agent poisoned the land and seeped into the ground water and natural food supply of the people living along the Ho Chi Minh trail and other targeted areas. This agent caused severe mutations in adult Vietnamese and their children and newborn babies. These mutations are horrific. At The War Remnants Musuem I saw many pictures and video footage of these mutations that have left the faces of men and women twisted, melted, blind, enlarged, and beyond the ability for anyone to look at for more than a few seconds.
Today ultra-sound is used to detect whether or not a Vietnamese baby has been deformed due to the lingering effect of Agent Orange. If a baby is detected with serious deformities it is aborted.
For more information please click on this link - The Agent Orange Victims Fund @ http://www.vnrc.org.vn/orange_fund/
On the 27th of May I went to the Cu Chi Tunnels which is located about an hour I believe from Saigon, or more specifically 65 kilometers from Saigon. The Cu Chi area was nearly in the backyard of the former U.S. military base - this particular base had 10,000 U.S. soldiers stationed there - during the Vietnam war. It was here that some of the most sophisticated tunnel systems was developed by Viet Khong fighters.
Cu Chi covers 165 square kilometers and had about 300,000 Vietnamese living within it. By the end of the war about 44,145 Vietnamese were killed in Cu Chi. The tunnels built underground in Cu Chi in total were 250 kilometers long.
Getting into the logistics of the Vietnam War. To begin with the Viet Khong soldier was better equipped than his U.S. counterpart simply by the fact that the AK-47 was their weapon of choice whereas U.S. soldiers carried the M-16. The AK-47 I believe was a Chinese - or Russian - weapon supplied to the Viet Khong by China. It can hold 50 bullets and can also fire M-16 bullets. The M-16 can only hold 20 bullets. Just by the choice of firearm the U.S. soldier was out-matched.
The fighters in Cu Chi were supplied their weapons from the North. They got their supplies at the southern end of the Ho Chi Minh trail.
These rebels in the south of Vietnam were all volunteers. They were never paid. They were poor but extremely determined soldiers. Their shoes were made from car tires. The U.S. soldier and the South Vietnamese army were well-payed for their service.
The irony is that during the war many U.S. bases in South Vietnam hired South Vietnamese women to work in the base to cook and clean for them. These women worked from 8 to 4 making about $300 U.S. a month. After work many of these women would return to their villages supplying information about the layout of the base to rebel fighters, or they worked as rebel fighters themselves. At night many rebels would sneek into the U.S. bases with small amounts of TNT explosives and blow up buildings and so forth within the base.
Since it was feared that individuals within the South Vietnamese army were Viet Khong a camera was attached to the planes flown by South Vietnamese army pilots. If upon return it was discovered that the South Vietnamese army pilot bombed U.S. troops instead of the Viet Khong he was immediately shot without trial.
Many dud bombs were dropped over Vietnam. These dud's were then picked up by the Viet Khong and then inserted into a car that would be used to ram itself into a U.S. base or government building set to explode.
Many of the fighters in Cu Chi decided to fight against the U.S. simply because members of their families were accidentally killed by bombs dropped by B-52 air planes. They were simply seeking revenge.
The Viet Khong awarded medals to Vietnamese girls and recognized them as "American Killer Hero" to encourage more women to help in the cause of fighting against the U.S.
Because the majority of the Cu Chi fighters were farmers they resorted to using old farming techniques against the Americans. They used traps that they had once set against animals against U.S. soldiers. They dug elaborate bamboo traps into the ground. The most basic was a pit filled with sharp bamboo sticks that if you fell into it your feet and legs would by spiked by them.
The tunnels of Cu Chi were divided into three levels. The first and second level were used for fighting. The first level was 3 meters deep. The second level was 6 meters deep and the third level - used for living in and sleeping in - was 10 meters deep. The Cu Chi fighters living within the tunnels slept in hammocks so that they could sleep pleasantly during bombing raids that would rock the tunnels back and forth. Smoke from the kitchen chambers would flow into several compartments and then release above ground at a location far from the kitchen itself. The 2nd level was usually used for moving from one area of the tunnel to the other. This level was also full of traps set for any U.S. troops that broke into and invaded the tunnels.
The tunnels were all made by hand with the use of a basket to collect the dirt and a small shovel to dig into the dirt. There were plenty of wells reaching down into the ground water and there was enough available water within the tunnels for rebel fighters to take a bath 3 times a day.
Air holes were made by digging into the ground and placing a hallow bamboo stick into the ground. Over time the bamboo stick would decay but the long shaft of the air hole would remain.
I went with a group to see these tunnels and to be very honest I must say that I was incredibly impressed. We walked into the tunnels and traveled through them. I couldnt imagine living within this underground network but after seeing these tunnels I could not help but feel the strong determination the Vietnamese had in fighting off the U.S. and ruling their own country. Their determination is clearly present in these tunnels and after seeing these tunnels I can only have the upmost respect fot the people of Vietnam who fought to never be ruled by a western colony or nation. With barely anything they fought hard against the French and the against the U.S. to finally win their independence.
The War Remnants Museum
It is a must for anyone traveling to Saigon to go to this Museum. It can be argued - and I will completely agree with this arguement - that the Museum has its own agenda, that is has a propaganda edge to it, but it is completely interesting to see how the Vietnamese themselves portray the war, the French, and the U.S. What you will see here is the other side of the story. We in the U.S. have our movies and history books laced with our own perspectives and propaganda. It is also important for us to see the other side and find the truth somewhere between.
President Ho Chi Minh delivered the Declaration of Independence on September 2nd, 1945. From July 1946 to Jul 1948 the U.S. financed France with 1.2 billion dollars. U.S. aid increased by a billion dollars in 1954. The "Domino Doctrine" explained that Burma, India, and Indonesia would fall to communism thus began the U.S.'s concern for the fate of Vietnam if it fell to communism.
A good portion of the museum was dedicated to the victims of Agent Orange. The toxic chemicals of this herbacide spread that destroyed trees and vegetaion cased deformities in the hands, arms, legs, and feet of the Vietnamese. Children born from parents who had been affected by Agent Orange had facial deformities such as unusual growths around their bodies or overgrown heads. Many were born blind. Some were born with no eyes or flesh completely covering their eye sockets.
The Coconut Camp
From 1953 to 1954 the French built a prison that was later nick named the Coconut Prison. It was built on the Phu Quoc which is the largest island in Vietnam and it was meant to keep no more than 14,000 prisoners. It was 600 square kilometers in size. During its use it housed 30 to 40,000 prisoners.
The torture techniques used by the French varied: pins were stuck into fingertips, snakes placed into women's trousers, electric shock used, beatings from clubs and hammers, etc. Some prisoners were beaten so heavily that they left with arms or legs that were completely paralyzed.
They ate only small portions of food which usually was composed of decayed fish, vegetables, and meat. Only half a can of drinking water was giving to prisoners a day. Very little water was given to female prisoners during their menstrual cycle.
"Tiger Cages" were used for political prisoners. During the hot season 5 to 14 prisoners were placed within one of these "cages". The prisoners ankles were shackled to a long iron bar limiting their movement within the cell.
O.k. I think I have typed as much as I can about all of this. If you are interested in learning more then simply search the internet for more information or visit your local library or go to your nearest book store.
May the Force be With You . . . Always,
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
www.banromsai.gr.jp
Thursday, May 27, 2004
May 26th, 2004 - Journey from Phnom Penh, Cambodia to Saigon, Vietnam
The bus journey was pleasant. There were no flat tires or rebel pirates attacking our bus to steal our backpacks full of dirty clothes. On the journey with me were a couple from England and a fellow American who I had met in my Guest House back in Phnom Penh. We chatted away about a certain individual that we were happy to leave behind and hopefully never seen again. I wont go into details but to give you an idea - this individual backpacker did not even know where the hell Saigon was.
That is all I will say about that.
The border crossing of Moc Bai looked like a bomb had destroyed the area. I felt as if the Vietnam War had never ended. There were muddy roads and scattered shack buildings. We got our exit stamps on our Cambodian visa's and then walked over into Vietnam to get our passport stamped for entry. The entire process took nearly 2 hours. And the afternoon sun and the humid heat did not add to our enthusiasm to go through this tiring immigration process.
In Lao and Cambodia I had heard from fellow backpackers of how ruthless and pushy the Vietnamese were. I had heard horror story after horror story of how backpackers had been cheated in many elaborate ways out of their money. As a result I was not looking forward to arriving into Saigon.
But before I get talking about Saigon I should mention that I had my money changed at the border. Since I was not careful at all at counting my Vietnamese dong I latter realized that the lady who changed my U.S. dollars had shorted me about $5 worth of dong.
Ohh well . . .
The first two thing that will shock you upon your entrance into Saigon are: One, the unbelievable number of scooters overcrowding all the roads crisscrossing this way and that with little regard for traffic lights or simple road rules.
Two, the size of the city. Saigon seems to stretch in all direction forever. There are no skyscrapers tearing apart the sky though. Most building are usually no more than 5 or 6 storeys.
Our bus dropped us all off on Bui Vien road which is also like the Khao San Road of Bangkok. It is a road full of back packer Guest Houses, travel agencies, and restaurants. No touts attacked us when we got off the bus. I was surprised. And as I went on my search for a Guest House with the friends I had traveled with in my bus we all found the Vietnamese to be very pleasant and apathetic of trying to sell us anything. As a result I immediately began to like Saigon. All through out Thailand and Cambodia I was harrassed to get into a Tuk Tuk or buy some illegally copied book, or T-shirt, or whatever. In Saigon there is far less of that.
After showering up in my immaculately clean single room I decided to walk around Saigon to see what I would happen upon. I found millions more scooters parading around all the streets, beautiful Vietnamese school girls wearing their traditional Vietnamese uniforms, Vietnamese food vendors - with their thatched cone hats - walking around and carrying two large steel pots that hung from the opposite ends of a long stick they placed on their shoulders. I also found two unusual buildings that I believe served as brothels. The buildings were extremely dark within but there was a neon sign on the outside advertising it as an Ice Cream store. But it was an uninviting place to get ice cream. As I stood watching the activity around these two buildings I realized that for its size (4 storeys), layout, and the men and women working outside of it that it was an up-scale brothel of some sort.
I walked a bit more and soon enough I ended up in a French Cafe eating a baguet sandwich and drinking some ice tea. I then retired to my room for the night.
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
www.banromsai.gr.jp
The bus journey was pleasant. There were no flat tires or rebel pirates attacking our bus to steal our backpacks full of dirty clothes. On the journey with me were a couple from England and a fellow American who I had met in my Guest House back in Phnom Penh. We chatted away about a certain individual that we were happy to leave behind and hopefully never seen again. I wont go into details but to give you an idea - this individual backpacker did not even know where the hell Saigon was.
That is all I will say about that.
The border crossing of Moc Bai looked like a bomb had destroyed the area. I felt as if the Vietnam War had never ended. There were muddy roads and scattered shack buildings. We got our exit stamps on our Cambodian visa's and then walked over into Vietnam to get our passport stamped for entry. The entire process took nearly 2 hours. And the afternoon sun and the humid heat did not add to our enthusiasm to go through this tiring immigration process.
In Lao and Cambodia I had heard from fellow backpackers of how ruthless and pushy the Vietnamese were. I had heard horror story after horror story of how backpackers had been cheated in many elaborate ways out of their money. As a result I was not looking forward to arriving into Saigon.
But before I get talking about Saigon I should mention that I had my money changed at the border. Since I was not careful at all at counting my Vietnamese dong I latter realized that the lady who changed my U.S. dollars had shorted me about $5 worth of dong.
Ohh well . . .
The first two thing that will shock you upon your entrance into Saigon are: One, the unbelievable number of scooters overcrowding all the roads crisscrossing this way and that with little regard for traffic lights or simple road rules.
Two, the size of the city. Saigon seems to stretch in all direction forever. There are no skyscrapers tearing apart the sky though. Most building are usually no more than 5 or 6 storeys.
Our bus dropped us all off on Bui Vien road which is also like the Khao San Road of Bangkok. It is a road full of back packer Guest Houses, travel agencies, and restaurants. No touts attacked us when we got off the bus. I was surprised. And as I went on my search for a Guest House with the friends I had traveled with in my bus we all found the Vietnamese to be very pleasant and apathetic of trying to sell us anything. As a result I immediately began to like Saigon. All through out Thailand and Cambodia I was harrassed to get into a Tuk Tuk or buy some illegally copied book, or T-shirt, or whatever. In Saigon there is far less of that.
After showering up in my immaculately clean single room I decided to walk around Saigon to see what I would happen upon. I found millions more scooters parading around all the streets, beautiful Vietnamese school girls wearing their traditional Vietnamese uniforms, Vietnamese food vendors - with their thatched cone hats - walking around and carrying two large steel pots that hung from the opposite ends of a long stick they placed on their shoulders. I also found two unusual buildings that I believe served as brothels. The buildings were extremely dark within but there was a neon sign on the outside advertising it as an Ice Cream store. But it was an uninviting place to get ice cream. As I stood watching the activity around these two buildings I realized that for its size (4 storeys), layout, and the men and women working outside of it that it was an up-scale brothel of some sort.
I walked a bit more and soon enough I ended up in a French Cafe eating a baguet sandwich and drinking some ice tea. I then retired to my room for the night.
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
www.banromsai.gr.jp
May 25th, 2004 - Happy Pizza Relaxing Day
Today was uneventful and restful. The Happy Pizza I had had the night before had made me extremely tired and sluggish. I was in no mood to do anything today. I just wanted to rest and attempt catching up on my digital journal.
After breakfast at Tara's Guest House - Tara is a Canadian girl I had met back in Siem Reap - I went to the internet cafe. I typed and typed but found my ability to focus a bit off and slow. After that I returned to Tara's Guest House and simply took a nap on a hammock on a porch terrace over looking Boeng Kak Lake.
After that it was more pleasant sleeping.
And that was simply my day.
I should mention that Tara's Guest House is at the end of a ruined street. On my walks to her Guest House at night I was always approached by a Cambodian teenager who wanted to sell me either Marijuana or Cocaine.
Don't worry, I didnt buy anything :)
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
www.banromsai.gr.jp
P.S. I will never have another Happy Pizza again.
Today was uneventful and restful. The Happy Pizza I had had the night before had made me extremely tired and sluggish. I was in no mood to do anything today. I just wanted to rest and attempt catching up on my digital journal.
After breakfast at Tara's Guest House - Tara is a Canadian girl I had met back in Siem Reap - I went to the internet cafe. I typed and typed but found my ability to focus a bit off and slow. After that I returned to Tara's Guest House and simply took a nap on a hammock on a porch terrace over looking Boeng Kak Lake.
After that it was more pleasant sleeping.
And that was simply my day.
I should mention that Tara's Guest House is at the end of a ruined street. On my walks to her Guest House at night I was always approached by a Cambodian teenager who wanted to sell me either Marijuana or Cocaine.
Don't worry, I didnt buy anything :)
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
www.banromsai.gr.jp
P.S. I will never have another Happy Pizza again.
May 24th, 2004 - The Shooting Range, The Killing Fields, S-21, and Happy Pizza
I arrived at a shooting range far outside the city of Phnom Penh in a group of three - Shane, Annie, and I - upon scooters navigated by Cambodian men.
I had first heard about this shooting range while I was living in Japan; and now there I was in the middle of an open field sitting at a table looking over a menu of firearms that I could rent and shoot.
The Menu of Fire-arms read as follows:
RIFLES:
AK-47 - 30 bullets - $20 U.S.
M16 - 30 bullets - $30 U.S.
UZI - 30 bullets - $30 U.S.
K50 - 30 bullets - $30 U.S.
Shotgun - 5 bullets - $20 U.S.
HANDGUNS:
CZ75 - 13 bullets - $26 U.S.
K59 - 8 bullets - $16 U.S.
K54 - 8 bullets - $10 U.S.
45ACP - 7 bullets - $10 U.S.
Revolver 38 - 6 bullets - $12 U.S.
Rager 22 - 10 bullets - $12 U.S.
Hand grenade - 1 grenage - $20.00
MACHINE GUNS:
M60 - 100 bullets - $100.00
RPD (Russian) - 150 bullets - $100.00
Rocket Launcher - 1 missle - $200.00
I had heard from backpackers in my Guest House that for an extra hunderd dollars - on top of the $200 for the rocket launcher - you can attempt to blow up a live cow.
Sitting at the table I asked one of the men working at the Firing Range if I could attempt to incinerate a cow if I rented the rocket launcher. He nodded his head yes. A man from Holland then asked, "Can we keep the meat?" The man said no but that they would cook the cow and I could eat it after I blew it up.
I could not believe it. Still now I dont believe it. But the next day I heard from other backpackers explain that they saw other travelers shooting ducks and chickens at the same Firing Range.
So, as a perk to traveling to Phnom Penh you can rent guns and rocket launchers and kill innocent animals ???
I was not going to kill any animals but I did want to experience firing an automatic weapon, so for $20 U.S. I rented an AK-47 loaded with 30 rounds of bullets. I was escorted into an enclosed brick building with an extremely long hall. At the end of the hall was my target. One of the Cambodian men working at the firing range prepared my gun and after I put on my headphones to protect my ears I shot my first round. I turned to Shane who accompanied me into the building with a face filled with shock. Firing this weapon was one of the scariest experiences I have ever had. The gun kicked back with extreme speed and the bullet was invisibe . . . it is simply amazing to see with your own eyes how incredibly fast a bullet is. I could never imagine being shot by a bullet - feeling it tear through your skin, throwing you back by its force and speed. I then looked into the gun's sight and fired again and again trying to hit my target. My sight was no good. I missed and missed. I then changed my aim by interpreting where I had seen the bullet hit the target on the mounds of dirt behind it. Then the Cambodian man changed my AK47 setting to automatic. From then on it was chaos - simply holding down the trigger and feeling the weapon spit out the rest of my bullets in less than a few seconds.
It was then Shane's turn to shoot a Colt Revolver. For his first shot I didnt have my headphones on and as a result my right ear went slightly deaf with a constant ringing within it.
Guns are incredibly loud. After firing a weapon you will find that all Hollywood movies are a load of crap. By the time you fire your weapon three times you will be completely deaf in both ears. They are that loud! Just imagine sitting in a fox hole during a war with three other soldiers all firing their weapons. You will be completely deaf by the end of it. And you will need to scream at the top of your lungs to communicate with the man just next to you.
Shane and I both found that the sights on or guns were useless. We found that we eventually hit our targets by adjusting our aims based on seeing where our bullets hit. Im sure over time your aim improves.
It was an interesting experience to fire a weapon. It is something that I hope to never do again. I will use the experience in my future fiction writings for my Dark Legacy books.
From there Annie, Shane, and I headed to the Killing Fields - Choeung Ek. In 1980 - a year after the fall of the demonic Pol Pot regime - 86 mass graves were opened and 8,985 bodies found. These bodies were found blind-folded, beheaded, and bound and beaten to death - in an effort to save bullets. There are still 43 mass graves that have yet to be opened. The majority of those brought to these killing fields were brought from the S-21 prison which I will discuss in just a moment.
When you enter the fields you will first see a Memorial Stupa filled with human skulls organized and separated by age and sex. You will notice that many skulls have a sizable hole at the side of it. This was caused by a hammer or a farm tool such as a plow. Cambodian prisoners were forced to sit on their knees blindfolded. A Khmer Rouge soldier would then execute them by slamming a hammer into their skull and then throwing them into a giant mass grave pit 4-6 meters deep. Other prisoners were beheaded not with a sword or with a sharp man-made implement but with the sharp edges of palm tree branches - I have pictures of these palm tree branches for I cant really describe it appropriately. These palm tree branches found near the top of a palm tree have very course but sharp edges. The Khmer Rouge used these to slice and cut and slice and cut into the necks of live prisoners.
There is also a hanging tree where many prisoners were hanged. And there is another tree and a mass grave pit just next to it. It was here that the Khmer Rouge grabbed the legs of babies, lifted them, and slammed their heads straight into the trunk of the tree to kill them, and then throw them into the mass grave pit like a piece of garbage.
As you walk amoung these mass graves you will find just below your feet fragments of bones, teeth, and clothing still seeping up from out of the ground. And you will see these bones, and teeth and bits of clothing from the victims exterminated here nearly 25 years ago in all directions. You are literally walking over the decayed remains of corpses. So many people were killed here that it was not possible for all their bodies to be excavated from the ground. Many were simply left in the ground. And there you are walking over this place that was once filled with the horrific cries of mother's who saw their own infant children smashed against a tree, husbands beheaded, daughters gang raped, grandfathers poisoned, and gandmother's electricuted to death. It is a tortured place. And in the night locals say that they hear the screams and cries of the ghosts that haunt this wicked place.
This is my understanding of events in the early 1970's- for more information please investigate for yourself:
In the early 1970's the Nixon/Kissinger administration launched a "secret war" in which they decided to begin bombing Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. They were targetting the Ho Chi Minh trail which swerved in and out of Laos and Cambodia from Vietnam. As a result 2/5th of Cambodia was heavily bombed. This left unexploded ordinances (UXO) all over the country. As a result Cambodian farmers and members of their families fell victims to land mines or bombs that shreded them to pieces.
2 million refugee Cambodian running from the carpet bombings of the U.S. fled to Phnom Penh. Many, in their attempt to reach Phnom Penh, came across landmines and bombs and were either killed by them or lost limbs to them. These 2 million refugees lived in refugee camps all around the capital city. As a result of the horrible and unsanitary conditions they were living in TB (tuberculousis) began to spread.
During this time (1970) there was a Coup d'etat against Cambodian Prince Sihanouk. In an effort to reclaim his "kingdom" the Cambodian Prince formed a guerrila army later known as the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge was backed by Communist China but once they had sacked the capital of Cambodia - Phnom Penh - they told the Prince to F$%K Off and then began the reign of Pol Pot from 1975 to 1979. In 1979 the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia and freed millions of Cambodians who had been working in concentration camps at near starvation levels from the brutality of the Khmer Rouge.
From The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek I went with Annie and Shane to the Genocide Musuem of Tuol Sleng (which was the former Khmer Rouge S-21 Prison). This prison was formerly a high school. It was here that Cambodian intellectuals were brought after the fall of Phnom Penh to be interrogated, tortured, imprisoned, and executed. From 1977 to 1978 it was estimated that the prison held on average about 1,200 to 1,500 prisoners at any one time. Prisoners were kept there any where from 2 to 4 months. Some political prisoners were kept there from 6 to 7 months.
"The prisoners were kept in their respective cells and shackled with chains fixed to walls or the concrete floors. Prisoners held in large mass cells had one or both of their legs shackled to short or long pieces of iron bar. The short bar was designed for 4 prisoners and the longer bar was designed for 20 to 30 prisoners. Prisoners were fixed to the iron bar on altering sides, so they had to sleep with their heads in opposite directions.
"Before the prisoners were placed in the cells they were photographed, and detailed biographies of their childhood up to the dates of their arrests were recorded. Then they were stripped to their underwear. Everything was taken away from them. The prisoners slept directly on the floors without any mats, mosquito nets or blankets.
"Every morning at 4:30 a.m., all prisoners were told to remove their shorts, down to their ankles, for inspection by prison staff. Then they were told to do some physical exercise just by moving their hands and legs up and down for half an hour, even though their legs remained restrained by iron bars.
"The prisoners had to defecate into small iron buckets and urinate into small plastic buckets kept in their cells. They were required to ask for permission from the prison guards in advance of relieving themselves; otherwise, they were beaten or they received 20 to 60 strokes with a whip as punishment.
"Unhygienic living conditions caused the prisoners to become infected with diseases like skin rashes and various other diseases. There was no medicine for treatment.
" . . . The number of workers in S-21 complex totaled 1,720 . . . within each unit, there were several sub-units composed of male and female children ranging from 10 to 15 years of age. These young children were trained and selected by the Khmer Rouge regime to work as guards at S-21. Most of them started out as normal before growing increasingly evil. They were exceptionally cruel and disrespectful toward prisoners and their elders."
Although the vast majority of prisoners at S-21 were Cambodians there were foreigners imprisoned and later executed there or at the "Killing Fields". These foreigners came from Vietnam, Lao, Thailand, India, Pakistan, England, the U.S.A., Canada, New Zeealand, and Australia.
If you would like to learn more a good place to start is at this website:
http://www.dccam.org/
This day ended among backpacker friends at a Happy Pizza restaurant. Yes, I ate a Happy Pizza. A Happy Pizza is a pizza with bits of marijuana within it. While we were all waiting for our pizza'a the waiters gave us two "joints". We passed it around smoking - "yes, I inhaled" - and ate our pizza's as we watched a couple of pirated DVD's on the restaurant's TV screen.
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
www.banromsai.gr.jp
I arrived at a shooting range far outside the city of Phnom Penh in a group of three - Shane, Annie, and I - upon scooters navigated by Cambodian men.
I had first heard about this shooting range while I was living in Japan; and now there I was in the middle of an open field sitting at a table looking over a menu of firearms that I could rent and shoot.
The Menu of Fire-arms read as follows:
RIFLES:
AK-47 - 30 bullets - $20 U.S.
M16 - 30 bullets - $30 U.S.
UZI - 30 bullets - $30 U.S.
K50 - 30 bullets - $30 U.S.
Shotgun - 5 bullets - $20 U.S.
HANDGUNS:
CZ75 - 13 bullets - $26 U.S.
K59 - 8 bullets - $16 U.S.
K54 - 8 bullets - $10 U.S.
45ACP - 7 bullets - $10 U.S.
Revolver 38 - 6 bullets - $12 U.S.
Rager 22 - 10 bullets - $12 U.S.
Hand grenade - 1 grenage - $20.00
MACHINE GUNS:
M60 - 100 bullets - $100.00
RPD (Russian) - 150 bullets - $100.00
Rocket Launcher - 1 missle - $200.00
I had heard from backpackers in my Guest House that for an extra hunderd dollars - on top of the $200 for the rocket launcher - you can attempt to blow up a live cow.
Sitting at the table I asked one of the men working at the Firing Range if I could attempt to incinerate a cow if I rented the rocket launcher. He nodded his head yes. A man from Holland then asked, "Can we keep the meat?" The man said no but that they would cook the cow and I could eat it after I blew it up.
I could not believe it. Still now I dont believe it. But the next day I heard from other backpackers explain that they saw other travelers shooting ducks and chickens at the same Firing Range.
So, as a perk to traveling to Phnom Penh you can rent guns and rocket launchers and kill innocent animals ???
I was not going to kill any animals but I did want to experience firing an automatic weapon, so for $20 U.S. I rented an AK-47 loaded with 30 rounds of bullets. I was escorted into an enclosed brick building with an extremely long hall. At the end of the hall was my target. One of the Cambodian men working at the firing range prepared my gun and after I put on my headphones to protect my ears I shot my first round. I turned to Shane who accompanied me into the building with a face filled with shock. Firing this weapon was one of the scariest experiences I have ever had. The gun kicked back with extreme speed and the bullet was invisibe . . . it is simply amazing to see with your own eyes how incredibly fast a bullet is. I could never imagine being shot by a bullet - feeling it tear through your skin, throwing you back by its force and speed. I then looked into the gun's sight and fired again and again trying to hit my target. My sight was no good. I missed and missed. I then changed my aim by interpreting where I had seen the bullet hit the target on the mounds of dirt behind it. Then the Cambodian man changed my AK47 setting to automatic. From then on it was chaos - simply holding down the trigger and feeling the weapon spit out the rest of my bullets in less than a few seconds.
It was then Shane's turn to shoot a Colt Revolver. For his first shot I didnt have my headphones on and as a result my right ear went slightly deaf with a constant ringing within it.
Guns are incredibly loud. After firing a weapon you will find that all Hollywood movies are a load of crap. By the time you fire your weapon three times you will be completely deaf in both ears. They are that loud! Just imagine sitting in a fox hole during a war with three other soldiers all firing their weapons. You will be completely deaf by the end of it. And you will need to scream at the top of your lungs to communicate with the man just next to you.
Shane and I both found that the sights on or guns were useless. We found that we eventually hit our targets by adjusting our aims based on seeing where our bullets hit. Im sure over time your aim improves.
It was an interesting experience to fire a weapon. It is something that I hope to never do again. I will use the experience in my future fiction writings for my Dark Legacy books.
From there Annie, Shane, and I headed to the Killing Fields - Choeung Ek. In 1980 - a year after the fall of the demonic Pol Pot regime - 86 mass graves were opened and 8,985 bodies found. These bodies were found blind-folded, beheaded, and bound and beaten to death - in an effort to save bullets. There are still 43 mass graves that have yet to be opened. The majority of those brought to these killing fields were brought from the S-21 prison which I will discuss in just a moment.
When you enter the fields you will first see a Memorial Stupa filled with human skulls organized and separated by age and sex. You will notice that many skulls have a sizable hole at the side of it. This was caused by a hammer or a farm tool such as a plow. Cambodian prisoners were forced to sit on their knees blindfolded. A Khmer Rouge soldier would then execute them by slamming a hammer into their skull and then throwing them into a giant mass grave pit 4-6 meters deep. Other prisoners were beheaded not with a sword or with a sharp man-made implement but with the sharp edges of palm tree branches - I have pictures of these palm tree branches for I cant really describe it appropriately. These palm tree branches found near the top of a palm tree have very course but sharp edges. The Khmer Rouge used these to slice and cut and slice and cut into the necks of live prisoners.
There is also a hanging tree where many prisoners were hanged. And there is another tree and a mass grave pit just next to it. It was here that the Khmer Rouge grabbed the legs of babies, lifted them, and slammed their heads straight into the trunk of the tree to kill them, and then throw them into the mass grave pit like a piece of garbage.
As you walk amoung these mass graves you will find just below your feet fragments of bones, teeth, and clothing still seeping up from out of the ground. And you will see these bones, and teeth and bits of clothing from the victims exterminated here nearly 25 years ago in all directions. You are literally walking over the decayed remains of corpses. So many people were killed here that it was not possible for all their bodies to be excavated from the ground. Many were simply left in the ground. And there you are walking over this place that was once filled with the horrific cries of mother's who saw their own infant children smashed against a tree, husbands beheaded, daughters gang raped, grandfathers poisoned, and gandmother's electricuted to death. It is a tortured place. And in the night locals say that they hear the screams and cries of the ghosts that haunt this wicked place.
This is my understanding of events in the early 1970's- for more information please investigate for yourself:
In the early 1970's the Nixon/Kissinger administration launched a "secret war" in which they decided to begin bombing Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. They were targetting the Ho Chi Minh trail which swerved in and out of Laos and Cambodia from Vietnam. As a result 2/5th of Cambodia was heavily bombed. This left unexploded ordinances (UXO) all over the country. As a result Cambodian farmers and members of their families fell victims to land mines or bombs that shreded them to pieces.
2 million refugee Cambodian running from the carpet bombings of the U.S. fled to Phnom Penh. Many, in their attempt to reach Phnom Penh, came across landmines and bombs and were either killed by them or lost limbs to them. These 2 million refugees lived in refugee camps all around the capital city. As a result of the horrible and unsanitary conditions they were living in TB (tuberculousis) began to spread.
During this time (1970) there was a Coup d'etat against Cambodian Prince Sihanouk. In an effort to reclaim his "kingdom" the Cambodian Prince formed a guerrila army later known as the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge was backed by Communist China but once they had sacked the capital of Cambodia - Phnom Penh - they told the Prince to F$%K Off and then began the reign of Pol Pot from 1975 to 1979. In 1979 the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia and freed millions of Cambodians who had been working in concentration camps at near starvation levels from the brutality of the Khmer Rouge.
From The Killing Fields of Choeung Ek I went with Annie and Shane to the Genocide Musuem of Tuol Sleng (which was the former Khmer Rouge S-21 Prison). This prison was formerly a high school. It was here that Cambodian intellectuals were brought after the fall of Phnom Penh to be interrogated, tortured, imprisoned, and executed. From 1977 to 1978 it was estimated that the prison held on average about 1,200 to 1,500 prisoners at any one time. Prisoners were kept there any where from 2 to 4 months. Some political prisoners were kept there from 6 to 7 months.
"The prisoners were kept in their respective cells and shackled with chains fixed to walls or the concrete floors. Prisoners held in large mass cells had one or both of their legs shackled to short or long pieces of iron bar. The short bar was designed for 4 prisoners and the longer bar was designed for 20 to 30 prisoners. Prisoners were fixed to the iron bar on altering sides, so they had to sleep with their heads in opposite directions.
"Before the prisoners were placed in the cells they were photographed, and detailed biographies of their childhood up to the dates of their arrests were recorded. Then they were stripped to their underwear. Everything was taken away from them. The prisoners slept directly on the floors without any mats, mosquito nets or blankets.
"Every morning at 4:30 a.m., all prisoners were told to remove their shorts, down to their ankles, for inspection by prison staff. Then they were told to do some physical exercise just by moving their hands and legs up and down for half an hour, even though their legs remained restrained by iron bars.
"The prisoners had to defecate into small iron buckets and urinate into small plastic buckets kept in their cells. They were required to ask for permission from the prison guards in advance of relieving themselves; otherwise, they were beaten or they received 20 to 60 strokes with a whip as punishment.
"Unhygienic living conditions caused the prisoners to become infected with diseases like skin rashes and various other diseases. There was no medicine for treatment.
" . . . The number of workers in S-21 complex totaled 1,720 . . . within each unit, there were several sub-units composed of male and female children ranging from 10 to 15 years of age. These young children were trained and selected by the Khmer Rouge regime to work as guards at S-21. Most of them started out as normal before growing increasingly evil. They were exceptionally cruel and disrespectful toward prisoners and their elders."
Although the vast majority of prisoners at S-21 were Cambodians there were foreigners imprisoned and later executed there or at the "Killing Fields". These foreigners came from Vietnam, Lao, Thailand, India, Pakistan, England, the U.S.A., Canada, New Zeealand, and Australia.
If you would like to learn more a good place to start is at this website:
http://www.dccam.org/
This day ended among backpacker friends at a Happy Pizza restaurant. Yes, I ate a Happy Pizza. A Happy Pizza is a pizza with bits of marijuana within it. While we were all waiting for our pizza'a the waiters gave us two "joints". We passed it around smoking - "yes, I inhaled" - and ate our pizza's as we watched a couple of pirated DVD's on the restaurant's TV screen.
Domenico
www.thedragonbone.com
www.banromsai.gr.jp
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