Today we say good bye to Vietnam

 

The lotus flower seen everywhere in Vietnam.

We took an over night flight from Vietnam to Australia.  It took 9 hours but the good news is we slept most of the way.  We’ll leave for New Zealand tomorrow.

Just one more comment about visiting a communist country; there is NO free press in Vietnam.  All news is censored.  You are told what the communist party wants you to hear.  If the party doesn’t agree with what journalists write, the news outlet will be closed for good.  I wouldn’t have even felt comfortable making these comments while in Vietnam but since I’m thousands of miles away I can say what I want.  

Freedom is good!  

The Vietnam War

 

If you want to feel hugely conflicted visit the Vietnam War Museum here in Vietnam.  In the 1960’s South Vietnam was fighting communism in the North.  The US entered the war to help them push communism out.  After 8 long years of limited success, over 58,000 American lives lost (& over 3,000,000 Vietnamese) the US had had enough. We then packed up and left and soon after Vietnam became 100% communist.  

Even though Vietnam is still a communist country they have some limited, economic freedoms. They are now just happy there is no war going on….at the moment.

Mekong Delta

 

We spent the day on the Mekong Delta, which is on the southern tip of Vietnam.  This area is just above sea level and consists of rice paddy’s, rivers and small waterways.  Poor farmers and fishermen live here.  They sell rice, fish and fruit to floating markets on the main rivers.  We asked our guide if there were dangerous snakes in the waterways.  He said; “no, the people here eat the snakes.”  I said; “don’t they need the snakes to eat the rats?”  He said; “no, they eat the rats too.”  

The 2nd picture is Alan holding a bottle of their rice wine (with snake inside).  They believe the snake is for medical purposes and also makes you stronger. 

Asia is fascinating, the people are wonderful but…..

 

This is the 5th time I have traveled to Asia.  This area of the world is a wonderful, fascinating place.  But in my travel blog l like to share the good and the bad.  Pollution is a major issue here, as a person who cares deeply about the environment it’s troubling. The air quality in the major cities is very poor and I wouldn’t think of drinking the tap water.  60% of the worlds population lives in Asia so it’s a challenging issue.  When I respectfully ask people about it here in Saigon they seem indifferent. It’s hard to blame the ones who are poor and living day to day.  But…you have to have hope that their countries leaders will find the right path.

Family beliefs and traditions

 

Many people here put miniature pagodas in front of their homes.  They put small gifts in them (a piece of fruit or a flower) to invite good spirits and welcome their positive karma.  This little girl is adding incense to her family’s pagoda.

Vietnam / USA / China

 

Vietnam is bordered by China to the north.  There has been a trend lately of large communist countries attempting to take over smaller near by countries.  The Vietnamese are concerned that China may try to invade their country at some point.

The Vietnamese like America and they like Americans.  They also think it is wise to maintain a close friendship with the USA.  They believe (hope) that if China attempts to take over their country the US will step up and come to their aid.

If only we could all just live in peace ☮️ 

Lan Ha Bay

 

We took a boat to Lan Ha Bay which is a World Heritage Site.  It’s a place I have wanted to visit for a long time.  The rock formations are spectacular and the boats can weave through them.

The 2nd photo is of a Giant Asian Macaw.

Hanoi, Vietnam

 

We arrived in Hanoi last night.  Hanoi is a busy city with 6 million motorbikes but less than a million cars.  It’s not unusual to see a family of four on one bike.  There seems to be no rules when it comes to traffic flow.  They say if you can make it through rush hour in Hanoi and you can make it anywhere.

More helpful bathroom info from Asia ?!?!

 

Killing Fields

 

1975 to 1979 was one of the worst genocides in modern history when the dictator Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge murdered over 3,000,000 Cambodians which was about 1/3 of the total population.  First they killed anyone who disagreed with this extreme communist group.  Next they murdered the highly educated, religious leaders and foreigners.   This was to cover up the reporting of the genocide outside of Cambodia.  Next they murdered teachers.  They replaced the teachers with educators that would support and promote the groups propaganda.  The remaining citizens were made to march from cities to farm work camps.  The old or weak were shot along the way.  The rest were forced to work 10 to 12 hour days with little food and water.  Many died of exhaustion, starvation and disease.  

Now a memorial site is built in their honor with photos and information for visitors.  The hope is we will all learn from the past and this will never happen again.

What is the best thing about Cambodia?

 

What’s the best thing about Cambodia?  The People.

Cambodians smile…a lot.  They are also kind, humble, reserve and soft spoken.  They are curious about people from outside their country but happy to have us visiting.  They are resilient, which makes sense with horrific regime changes they have endured. They live simple, uncluttered lives.  Their diet is mainly rice, beans, fish and vegetables with very little processed food.  The average American is much larger than the average Cambodian.  We feel VERY tall here.  

And Cambodian children are absolutely adorable!

Hero Rats

 

Millions of land mines were placed in Cambodia during the civil war by the Vietnamese and the brutal Khmer Rouge with a devastating impact on the people of Cambodia.  There have been over 65,000 deaths and 25,000 amputees since 1979.  Many of the dead are farmers working the land and children out playing.

These African Giant Pouch Rats are trained to sniff out the mines so they can be removed.   The rats are too light to set off the mine so they can continue working for years.  Since 2017 they have located over 4,500 mines and 36,000 bombs.

When in Cambodia always obey the rules

 

I used a bathroom in a local restaurant and observed this sign.  Not once have I ever considered washing my feet in a toilet?!?!

Cambodia Temples

We took a TukTuk at sunrise to see the Angkor Wat Temple.  This is the largest religious temple in the world.  To Cambodians its a powerful landmark and a source of great pride.

The Ta Prohm Temple is located in the dense Cambodian jungle.  There are giant spunt trees with roots that seem to engulf the temple giving it a mysterious feel.
 

About Cambodia…

 

We flew to Siem Reap, Cambodia after a very long travel day.  Cambodia is one of the poorer countries in Asia but it has a rich history.  It’s hot and humid here most of the year.  97% of the population are Buddhists.  We will have a guide while traveling in Cambodia which is probably a good idea.  Crime is mostly petty theft done by people who just need to find a way to eat.  Being an optimist, I think tourism ultimately helps the economy and the people here.

Leaving for Cambodia on Singapore Airlines

 

I’ve always wanted to fly on Singapore Airlines, they are rated the best Airline in the world (but not the most expensive).  We will be enjoying this flight for the next 16 hours to Singapore (I’m hoping to be sleeping for half of it!) and then we’ll have a short flight to Cambodia.  

The adventure continues 💟