Phnom Penh, Cambodia

I rented a bike to ride around in Phnom Penh, but it was much easier than it looked! The traffice was crazy, and there are no sidewalks to ride on, so I had to ride in the streets with the motorbikes and obey all traffic laws as if I were a car or motorbike! By the time I returned the bike after two days it was definitely time!

This is the street that runs along the river; sunsets were beautiful and everyone was out walking, eating ice cream, chatting; it was really nice.

Here is a small example of the crazy traffic I'm talking about. There are hardly any stop signs or street lights, so if you want to cross a street, you just have to go for it! If you hesitate you're a goner, so you just have to go and everyone else will adjust to you.

This is a typical Cambodian snack: bugs. Considering that I am not exactly a good friend to insects, these have yet to enter my mouth.

Some Cambodian monks by the waterfront at sunset.

The Ancient Temples of Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Angkor Wat temple is one of the largest. You can see all the tourists walking in and out; it was definitely a hot spot for tourism, but still beautiful.

Another temple...
Here I am, hot and tired, but still happy to be at these amazing temples. There were so many temples that you could easily spend a week there and see all of them just once. I spent three days and say the most important ones.

Another temple...
This was my moto driver. He was nice, but was definitely trying to rip me off at every turn. Maybe not rip me off as much as he wanted me to spend my money on his services and those of his friends, which were often not the cheapest available. His name is La and he's 26 like me.

This is at Angkor Wat. You could climb up these very narrow stairs and look down on the temple. It was really beautiful, but the stairs are REALLY steep and it's hard not to get dizzy when you're coming down.

Mui Ne, Vietnam

I know that it has been awhile since I updated my blog, but I've been busy, I promise. I am in Vietnam right now, in a little beach town called Mui Ne. I am leaving in about an hour to head up north to a traditional village called Hoi An. Mui Ne is a beautiful little fishing village with a great beach and many people who have come to windsurf or kite surf, due to the heavy winds at this time of year. I arrived in Cambodia on the 20th of January, where I saw the ancient Khmer temples, which were really very spectacular, but there were a lot of tourists, so I only stayed 2 nights. I moved on to Phnom Penh where I stayed for 3 nights, and really enjoyed that city. I rented a bicycle and attempted to ride the streets of the city; however, it is much easier said than done, as traffic rules seem to be non-existent. I was in Saigon for 3 nights and met up with another American and a girl from Finland. We had fun seeing the sights and visited the Cu Chi tunnels, which are the underground tunnels where the Vietnamese hid out during the Vietnamese War, which is referred to as the "American War" in this country. These tunnels played a huge part in their ability to sustain themselves against U.S. troops, and they were really very intricate. If there's something I've observed about the Vietnamese, it's that they seem to be determined, efficient and quite clever (generally speaking of course). These tunnels were over 10 meters deep at places, they had different levels and trap doors, etc. to fool the U.S. troops. They were also very small so the U.S. soldiers had trouble getting around in them. After Saigon (also referred to as Ho Chi Minh City) I came here to Mui Ne and have been enjoying the sand dunes and the beach. I met a woman from the UK who I shared a room with, and some young French people who have been really great, so not to worry! There are so many foreigners traveling this beaten path that I rarely feel like I am on my own, at least not completely. I found that there were a significant fewer number of travelers in the Philippines, but both are nice experiences, just different. I will post some pictures as soon as I gain access to a better computer, as this one does not have the outlet that I need.

Where I'm headed next...

I realize that I've made exactly three blog entries in one day, after not writing for a week, and there are no guarantees as to when I will write again, due to the crazy schedule that I'm currently keeping, but if three entries is too much to read in one day, just read one, come back in a few days and keep plugging away at it until you manage to catch yourself up. In the meantime, it is very likely that I will not have written a new one so please, take your time. I just wanted to give a very general outline as to where I am headed next... I am flying back to Manila tomorrow morning for one night, then I will fly to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for one night, and onto Siem Reap, Cambodia on Saturday, January 20th. I will spend two nights, maybe three in Siem Reap looking at the ancient temples of Angkor Wat... I will then head to Phnom Penh on a bus and stay there for a few days before entering Vietnam. For those of you who were paying attention to what I might have told you when I was home for Christmas, yes... I did say that I was going to Thailand and Laos and I did not mention Kuala Lumpur. Thailand has been post-poned to a future date that could be anywhere from 6 months to 30 years from now and so has Laos...there just isn't enough time, and The Philippines sort of sucked me into it, in fact I could have stayed here the entire 5 weeks, but I am trying to strike a balance, by cutting out some, while still keeping other essentials. Anyways, I plan to be in Vietnam for two weeks from the 25th through the 8th, when I will fly back to Manila via Kuala Lumpur (don't ask; it was the cheapest flight available) and on February 10th I am off to Hong Kong for 5 days before landing in Seoul on the 15th and flying home to Jeju Island. My mother wrote me an e.mail and she had obviously been looking up some of the places that I have been visiting and she asked a very good question: "How do you choose the places that you are going to?" I am not sure I have an answer to that question... it ends up being a combination between amount of intrigue combined with feasability and speculation as to the amount of other tourists that will be there. The level of intrigue comes from what I read in my travel book and on the internet, as well as what I hear from other travelers, the feasability is in regard to amount of time it will take me to arrive and whether I can afford it, which in these countries I usually can, and I can only speculate as to how many other travelers will be there through what I read in the tourist book (Lonely Planet's Southeast Asia on a Shoestring). All of these work together also, because if there will be a lot of tourists, I may still go, but will try not to stay as long (this is the case with Angkor Wat) and usually the harder it is to get to a place, the less tourists that will be there. I also try to get as much geographical variety in a country as is possible in the amount of time that I have, in order to expand the scope of my overall experience. I know that this sounds very scientific and in fact it is (I use an excel sheet, to plug in the figures and determine my next destination, just kidding). It is a good question, and it's funny, because usually what happens is that I think I know where I'm going and then I speak with someone who says it's raining there, or there are tons of people, etc., so I change courses, but once I decide for sure, there is nothing stopping me from getting there. It becomes a mission and no matter how many hours on the top of a jeepney or a winding rough mountain road, there is NOTHING that can stop me from getting there. I do have moments when I sort of have these slight out of body experiences, (an exaggeration, but the best I can explain it) and I'm sort of looking down at myself laughing... because I'm not sure it's worth it... the sunburn, the strenuous transportation, not being able to stop and urinate for hours, the smells, the sickness, whatever it may be...all to see some rice terraces and an underground river that I could've looked up on the internet, but it is the journey itself, the adventure, that I find the most intriguing and maybe the most rewarding, so I just keep on moving and each destination that I arrive at only makes me hungry for more.

My fellow Korean Residents

It's interesting, because no matter how long you live in a foreign country, you're still never "from" there, especially when your physical appearance or accent so blatantly gives you away. You live your life as a "foreigner" or a "westerner" (in Asia) in the culture, even after you've learned the language! That is all relative to the fact that you were not born there and the natives/locals were; however, when you find yourself in a country that is neither theirs nor yours, suddenly you are brothers, or at least you find yourself with a sort of kinship that had never been previously tested. For example, I have run into many Koreans (this is a hot travel spot for Koreans I'm learning) and when I meet them, I feel close to them in a way that I do not in Korea and I think they feel the same. Suddenly it becomes very apparent that although I will never be "Korean" I am still much more "Korean" than someone who has never been there, and especially someone who has never lived there. It goes beyond the fact that I know what Koreans eat and some of their language, in the past few months I have been immersed in their culture and they know as well as I do that I understand them better than the average person. In fact many Koreans come off as sort of abrasive, egotistical and even a little annoying (I've found this out through talking with some of the Philippinos that I've met.) It's funny, because I can see how an outsider might think that; however, it takes the kind of cultural experience that I've had to look past those things and see how it all fits together, how you can't have the good without the bad and they are all inter-connected to a history that is very different from my own or the Philippines. I can sympathize with Koreans in more way than one, because I'm constantly encountering the same experience as an American. Most of the people I meet have never been to the United States and don't want to (almost out of pride); the people to which I refer are mainly Europeans. The other night I had dinner with an Austrian couple that I had been scuba diving with and I provoked a political discussion, by asking many questions about Austria's government, which in turn led to a discussion about the USA. The woman in particular had a lot of animosity towards the USA and I sat and listened patiently while she basically preached every stereotype in the book as if it were the gospel... and as she went on about the fat Americans who only eat junk food and live in a society that is NOT diverse OR free...I mean you can't drink until you're 21~ and in order to get a VISA to visit the USA you have to tell them how many times you go to the bathroom everyday...etc., etc. She went on and on...and on... and I let her, but I definitely realized that this woman was in fact an outsider. If she had lived in the USA, yes she probably still would've held many of those views; however, I can only hope that she would have at least understood a little better that what makes us bad also makes us great, that it's all inter-connected and there is not country that is perfect, not even Austria. America has become a sort of international punching bag and although I don't think that it is totally un-deserved, I also wish that people would acknowledge that there is an America which they fail to see, in fact refuse to see. The night before that encounter I had dinner with a Korean couple who I had gone scuba diving with. The man lives in Pusan and he was a Korean physical education teacher in a middle school. We were able to talk and joke and compare notes on the customs and culture of Korea and they were both amazed at what I knew in the way of customs (thank you Fulbright). I felt very close to both of them, and grateful that I'd run into them and they seemed to feel the same. When you realize that you don't think like an outsider, you realize that you are in fact an insider, almost by default, because I certainly don't feel like one in Korea, but relative to everyone else I think I qualify.

Palawan Island, The Philippines

Here is a typical beachtown, this one is called Roxas on Palawan Island, and it was where I caught the boat to Coco Loco Island Resort, where I spent the last four days.

Here is a picture of Coco Loco Island; it's takes about 15 minutes to walk around the entire perimeter of the island... and the resort and the dive shop are the only things on the island. I spent the days lying in my hammock reading, scuba diving every morning, and eating delicious food!

I took this picture sitting at one of the dining tables on the beach! It was such a great place to stay. The meals and the lodging (a sort of cabana with a mosquito netted bed, bathroon, and a porch with a hammock right on the beach.) The resort has about 20 cabanas, and there were probably about 15 other people there with me while I was there and about as many staff members not including the scuba diving guides. Every day you just had to tell them what you want for breakfast, lunch and dinner (dishes ranged from vegetable curry with rice, to fish steaks or chicken in a spicy coconut sauce) and what time you would like to eat... it was REALLY relaxing. There was no internet and no phones! Your only responsibility was to relax and enjoy yourself, which I definitely did!

Here I am outside of the Underground River in Sabang... it was pretty amazing! I've never seen that many bats in my life; the cave was pitch black and we were in a paddle boat (5 of us and a guide)... it was thrilling to say the least. I was at the front of the boat holding the flashlight which was connected to a sort of car battery through jumper cables, and I tried not to think about what would happen to us all if we turned over and were in the water with that battery. Anyways, because I was holding the flashlight all the bugs and the bats were sort of dive bombing me...good thing I was wearing a helmet...

Here is a picture of the four Philippinos from Manila on vacation. I went with them in the boat, etc, because you paid per boat. Afterwards they bought me lunch and gave me a ride to my next stop... very, very nice, and I hope to return the hospitality if and when they make it to the USA!

Here I am in the nifty hard hat that kept me from being grabbed by little bat feet, and kept me from the other various droppings that fell from the ceiling of the cave, not limited to condensation if you know what I mean...

Here I am on my first day in Puerto Princesa (the capital of Palawan). I rode on the top of a Jeepney (you can sort of see one in the bag right corner of the photo) piled high with luggage and boxes, along with 15-30 Philippino men (it ranged because people kept getting on and off.) The road was hideous and the ride took about 3.5 hours, many times we were not traveling at much more than 20 miles per hour. The men were all really nice to me; they seemed to get a big kick out of having a foreigner traveling on the roof with them... they gave me the best seat: a bag of rice to sit on... I was traveling in style and luckily the sun was behind the cloud most of the ride, otherwise I would've ended up bright red, instead I was just slightly pink by the time we arrived in Sabang (this is the town where the Underground River mentioned above is located.)

"What are you waiting for?"

The bus ride from Baguio to Sagada was an 8 hour field trip through the Cordillera Mountains. I did nothing but peer from my window at the outside world resembling nothing I have seen before. The highway we were on was the only road that serviced these tiny mountain communities which at first look seemed to be self-sustaining. In reality self-sustainable is relative to the level of poverty that exists here; they aren't anywhere near having all of their needs met, but I there is nothing other than farming creating wealth in these communities, aside from the occasional bus that may or may not stop at the little stands on the side of the road where they sell crackers and other convenient store products for 10-20 pesos each (20-40 cents). As we rolled through town, heads would turn and people would shake their arm to get a ride (or maybe they were doing this for the entertainment value); if they were lucky our driver would stop, but most of the time he moved on, because we were too crowded, or maybe just because he felt like it, I'm not sure. Our bus also seemed to function as a sort of postal service. We took one large package from an old woman and 3 hours later the bus boy stopped at a little store that was not opened and leaned the package up against the wall before jumping right back on the bus, no payment ever changed hands on either end. (the bus boy acts as the driver's assistant, jumping out of the bus to tell him when to stop when he's backing up, and to put the make-shift emergency brake under the back wheel, something that looks like a hammer with a huge rock head.) As we traveled through these towns, what really struck me was the amount of people whose faces peered back at mine. These people were just sitting by the side of the road, or walking or just standing, or just looking. Basically, these people were not doing anything. What struck me as ironic is the amount of time that they have. I mean they don't have a job to be at, they don't have a school to go to, they don't have money to spend, food to eat, and heaven forbid they go jogging or do anything that might expend extra calories that they don't have the food to replenish. So it's best that they just sit there, chat with friends, watch for buses to wave at, toss stones at the ground, sit around a pile of burning trash to keep warm. What I find ironic, is that although they have no money, they have time. And in America, where money is plentiful, time is something that has become invaluable. In America there are beautiful houses with flat screen T.V.'s and plenty of other entertainment equipment, computers, and beautiful kitchens, left empty all day and part of the night while Americans are out doing what they do: being productive. I tried to picture one of the Philippino families let loose in a house like that just for the day, perhaps they would still just sit around and chat out of habit. Today my tour guide, Derrick said to me: "You're lucky that you can travel." His words were different than if they had come from another American, but at first my reaction was the same as if an American had said it, because I immediately thought about how lucky I was to get the time off to travel for two full months in the middle of the year, but what he meant was that I have the money to travel. Derrick told me he would like to travel to the United States. And hearing Derrick say that was different than if another American had said it, because it's not like when you hear a co-worker or a friend say something like: "I've always wanted to go to Greece or I've always wanted to learn how to cook". The most appropriate response is: "What are you waiting for?", and although we often say this to our friend or co-worker, we both know that time is what is lacking, but when Derrick told me that he really wanted to go to America, to Houston to be exact, I did not respond with "What are you waiting for." Because we both know what Derrick doesn't have: the means.

Rice Terraces, Banaue, Philippines

My guide (the mountain bike driver) took this picture. He waited for me at the bottom while I hiked for 4 hours! Tomorrow he will show me some hot springs and more rice terraces before I head back to Manila on the night bus (a ten hour ride on bumpy roads). Part of the reason I took this picture was to give my family back home proof that I am still alive!

I hiked to these rice terraces, tucked deep in the mountains. My journey began in the side car of a "motorcycle" which is much more like a mountain dirt bike (the wheels are that size). I spent an hour in the side car, then my guide, Derrick, parked it and I hiked up over a saddle and down into a small town called Batad, where I had a great view of these rice terraces, the tallest in the region.

Here is a little town called Baranguay (at least I'm pretty sure that was the name, give or take an "r".) The people in the small town farm the surrounding rice fields. Each one is owned privately; a family may own 3 or 4, but they work together to farm them. The amount of rice that they farm only make up a portion of the amount of rice it takes to feed the village annually; the rest they buy from neighboring provinces. I thought they produced rice to sell, but I was wrong.

An upclose look at the Batad rice terraces... they're really quite exquisite.

Another view of the town where I am staying: Banaue.

This is a side view of the town of Banaue. My hotel resembles these concrete structures from the outside, but is quite cozy and warm inside.

The view from the balcony of my room! The fog in the morning was so thick that I could see nothing but clouds from my window.

UPDATE...

I know that it has been over two weeks, maybe even longer since my last blog... a lot has happened since then. I went to the United States to visit my family and friends over Christmas and New Year's, which is part of the reason I didn't write at all... I have A LOT of family and friends... (just kidding, I don't have that many of either, but it still felt like an insufficient amount of time to spend with the people that I have missed since being in Korea.) On January 4th I returned to Korea for about 12 hours, before boarding a plane for the Philippines, where I am presently. I arrived on Friday, and it has been quite an adventure. This is the first decent internet cafe that I have encountered, and it could very well be the last, so I'm not promising anything after this entry, but I'm going to try very hard to update on where I am and what I am up to. At this moment I am sitting in a town called Banaue, which is tucked very high in the Cordillera mountains and it was quite a journey getting here, but it was well worth it. My days begin at 6am and I'm asleep by 9pm, sort of like camping. I have time to read, write, and attempt to plan out where I'm headed next. I have a hotel room that overlooks the Ifuago rice terraces, which are exactly what I came to see. Tomorrow, weather permitting, I will hike further into the mountains to get a better look at these spectacular rice terraces (sort of like shelves in the side of the mountain, carved 2000 years ago). I am very excited to take some pictures and post them! I arrived here this afternoon after a 3.5 hour journey in a vehicle that is referred to as a "Jeepney". As I have been told, Jeepeys only exist in the Philippines, in fact they are made here, and they are these long covered jeeps where they stuff about 12-20 passengers (the more the merrier seems to be the opinion of the drivers). It cost me around 3 dollars to get here from the town where I stayed last night called Sagada. In Sagada I saw hanging coffins, which are exactly what comes to mind: hanging coffins. These coffins are attached to the side of a mountain, rather than buried beneath the earth; this was the practice before Christianity came to the Philippines. The dead bodies were bond in the fetal position before putting them in a somewhat small wood coffin (representing the cycle from birth to death). In order to free the spirit they hang the coffins on the side of a cliff wall, or put them in the light, because light represents goodness, whereas criminals and other "evil" persons were buried on the dark side of the mountain or deep in a cave. These coffins really were worth the 8 hour bus ride on the windiest, steepest road I have ever driven on, in a bus crammed 5 people to a row. The bus ride to which I refer was from a town called Baguio, which is not where I originated... I came from Manila the day before on a 7 hour bus ride which wasn't that bad; however, I arrived here with some sort of stomache sickness which has yet to be diagnosed, which made that bus ride seem a little more hairy than it was. I even had an unfortunate experience in the ladies "restroom" at the bus station in Manila before departure. Luckily, I awoke this morning feeling much better, and I am happy to report that I am able to hold down solid foods, although my appetite is not exactly what it used to be. Now, I know that I have probably thoroughly confused you by telling my story backwards, and I promise to do a better job on my next post. I will give a few overall comments about the Philippines. It reminds me much more of South America than it does of Asia, and I am sure that is mostly due to the fact that it was colonized by the Spanish. The people here have been very very kind and they speak incredible English! The local dialect is an intresting fusion of Spanish, English, and Philipino. Tomorrow I will attempt a hike to the rice terraces and perhaps a waterfall. On Thursday I plan to head down to the islands and experience the tropical islands and scuba diving that I have read a lot about!