Journal 28 May - 7 June 2008

7 June 2008 - Day 107, Siem Reap

View south to Tonle Sap Lake from Phnom Krom

Disused floating school

Tonle Sap 'Great Lake'

Chong Khnies floating village, Tonle Sap Lake

Butterfly Gardens, Siem Reap

Notes: trip with Roland postponed, tuk-tuk to Tonle Sap, corrupt government tourism, tourism authority on the way demanded we pay for boat trip - $25, bargained down to $20, Phnom Krom demanded Angkor passes see we took in the view, two young guys take us out to fishing village, guide has an infected wound on his foot from football, Vietnamese, Malaysian ('Muslims' as he said), and Cambodians, catfish farm & crocodile farm, floating schools, floating police, high school and university in Siem Reap, one hour bike ride on changing road, village moves inland with rising level of Tonle Sap, Butterfly Garden for lunch

Today cost = hotel (12.50) + tuk-tuk (5) + boat on Tonle Sap (20) + drinks (1) + donation (3.50) + Butterfly Garden banana pancakes & watermelon juice (6)

6 June 2008 - Day 106, Siem Reap

Notes: swimming, Adri website, drinks with Roland

Today cost = hotel (12.50) + tuk-tuks (2) + lunch & coffee (5) + dinner (5)

$24.50 - moderate

5 June 2008 - Day 105, Siem Reap

Notes: hangover, browsing flights home - HCMC cheapest, Burgers Without Borders - blue cheese beef burger and rasberry banana smoothie, cable TV, first swim in the pool, EOE - eat out elbows, Wi-fi stops mid-day like everything else

Today cost = hotel (12.50) + rice porridge breakfast with fruit and coffee (3) + tuk-tuks (1) + blue cheese burger with smoothie (6) + ibuprofen (2) + drinks and snacks for mini-bar (4) + 10 blank CDs with cases (5)

$33.50 - moderate

4 June 2008 - Day 104, Siem Reap

Security for the Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia at the opening of the Robert Christie Research Centre, Siem Reap

Notes: black tie event - no suit, Ralf Lauren shirt, work t-shirts, prospect of exploring Angkor, on the job, Cambodian tradition with the number of people in photos (even numbers only), tight security at opening of RCRC for Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, diplomatic politeness, black out while having a look around, flee the scene, I also fled the scene having felt my job was done.

Today cost = hotel (12.5) + tuk-tuks (3) + four work t-shirts (8) + one dress shirt (12) + lunch (4) + coffee (2) + talcum powder (1.50) + book (3) + laundry (1.5) + dinner (4) + 2 beers (3)

$54.50 - expensive

3 June 2008 - Day 103, Siem Reap

Adriane on the windowsill of room 202 as a storm strolls over The Angkoriana Hotel

Its been a while since I've written, and the last time I did I stopped halfway. I guess the lack of motivation to regularly publish my thoughts and movements reflects a diminished exhilaration of being 'away'. Since Adriane's family went home and the two of us returned to Cambodia there has been a definite shift in tone. No longer a holiday. No longer the first time. No longer traveling. We barely took a glance out the window of our two bus trips from Saigon - a stop at 'Spider Village' reminded us of our cultural ignorance. A month to settle in Siem Reap and face the crossroads of what to do. Do we sip on our days like a Parisian espresso, we are on holiday, or should we grasp onto a slice of Siem Reap and mould it into professional experience?

There once was an old Khmer father who stole an egg from an eagle's nest. He was known for his hunting skills, able to kill a tiger with a spear. He took the eagle egg home and slipped it under the warmth of one of his chickens. When the eagle eventually hatched it saw itself as how we see poultry. It chirped and pecked around just like its brothers and sisters, and ofcourse could not fly. But the hunter was not done with his experiment, he wanted to teach the young eagle to spread its wings and soar the skies with all the grace of its victimized parents. He would lift the small creature up to his chest and propel it towards the clouds. The small bird would plumet to the soil and drag its legs up under its beaten chest only to be tossed again. The old man did this many times for many days until finally the eagle rose above its chicken infancy and took flight with the wind.

Yesterday we met Mercy. Mercy arranged a very good rate for us to stay in this hotel for three weeks. Born in 1980 he looks twice his age. His eyes are permanently red from welding without safety goggles. Although Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge fell in 1979 Cambodia remained violent and unstable until 1998. Due to fighting Mercy was missing from his biological parents until he was 12 years old. He didn't want to tell us about growing up in a monastery. His family was found in Spider Village where he then learnt the art of hunting from his father and caught spiders to sell as food. Our bus to Siem Reap stopped at his village for 20 minutes. Platters amassed large and small eight legged creatures fried in chilli and garlic. Underneath the platters were often buckets crawling with hundreds of the live arachnids. I didn't fully understand why little girls would creep up and tickle me under the arms saying "spider hehehe" until an older girl approached me with a live one on the tips of her fingers.

Mercy grew accustomed to life in the country. He shared with Adriane and I how they captured elephants and were able to keep the grown ones under control. They would only capture the baby elephants and would do so with an elaborate rope made from hide about 200 metres long. One of the importances of capturing them when they are young is to accustom them to chains. A chain is placed around a leg to keep them at bay. When the young elephant tugs and pulls it eventually hurts itself into knowing that it will not break. Having learnt this lesson when the same elephant is older and much larger it will never attempt to break the chain even though it could so easily be snapped under the power of its giant girth. It fails to realise its own potential.

Mercy's father used to tell him he was like the elephant and the baby eagle. Heeding his father's words at 17 years of age Mercy begun to learn the ABC. At 21 he took a 6 month intensive course in English and then a 3 month intensive course in Mandarin. At 28 he is now very happy with his job and makes it home to see his family twice a year. He told us he wished he could go to university but even if he had the money they won't let him in because he doesn't hold official primary education. He hangs his head when we speak about politics, previous kings, the future of his country.

I hope we can speak again.

On the Bill Henson controversy in Australia John McDonald wrote "It appears that we Aussies find the suburbs so congenial that nothing will induce us to act like citizens of the world". I recommend his article 'Snapshot of a small-minded people' (http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/05/30/1211654290099.html).

Notes: cold A/C night, good breakfast, sim card

Today cost = hotel (12.50) + papaya shake (2) + 8 AA batteries (4) + 10 blank DVDs (3.5) + tuk-tuks (2) + khmer dinner (4) + internet (2)

$30 - moderate

2 June 2008 - Day 102, Phnom Penh to Siem Reap

Notes: bus ride to SR - stop at spider village, durian not allowed, tuk-tuk scam, Angkoriana hotel - discount rate, Mercy - upbringing, hunting, Cambodia, education, honesty, analogies (eagle chicken and elephant training), 3-4 weeks here

Today cost = omelette & coffee (4) + bus to SR (9) + hotel (20) + snack (1) + stewed pork with rice & coffee (6) + tuk-tuks (2)

$42 - expensive

1 June 2008 - Day 101, Saigon to Phnom Penh

Beer, french fries, and an elephant, La Croissette café, Phnom Penh

Notes: Elephant dining at our café, Adriane sad, feeling like the end of holiday - time to work, returning to Cambodia, border crossing - immigration comedy, FCC pizza

Today cost = hotel (7.5) + bus to PP (12) + snack (2) + beer and fries (6) + FCC pizza & drinks (15)

$42.50 - expensive

31 May 2008 - Day 100, Saigon

1 litre of juice, Saigon

Last day of Hayward family holiday in Vietnam, room 26

Notes:

30 May 2008 - Day 99, Saigon

Cu Chi Tunnels

Fish Trap used to kill American soldiers, one of many devices made out of recycled American military steel

Firing an AK-47, Cu Chi Tunnels

Moments before she dropped a bowl, Saigon

My bed in room 26

Notes:

29 May 2008 - Day 98, Saigon

After three days of wholistic relaxation at Mui Ne the motorbikes and neon billboards of Saigon vibrate through my spine. Mr. Bean is moping over the flattening of his Mini-Cooper by a tank. This is the third or fourth tank I've seen today. We spent the morning walking around town. First we went to a nearby market, then to some boutique fashion shops, a delightful stop at Fanny Ice Cream before making our way to the War Remnants Museum. We passed on the Reunification Palace for today and instead Adriane,Verity, and Andrea are being groomed by Toni & Guy while Doug and I retire to our hotel rooms. A heavy 10 minute downpour just sighed relief from a straining daytime sun. Seventeen mosquito bites have been driving me mad all day, so itchy. Mui Ne mosquitos.

War Remnants Museum, Saigon

View from room 26 in the rain, Bee Bi Hotel

In our search for a suitable beachside escape we first went 90km north of Nha Trang to Doc Let. The crystal clear still waters of Doc Let (once you wade five meters from the plague of plastic bag jellyfish by the shore) didn't compensate our group's desire for civilised eating and typical resort comfort. Although we were staying in a 'resort' Doc Let Resort felt akin to distant primary school camps. We were even priviledged to dining next to a rowdy joint birthday party for a pair of overjoyed Vietnamese school girls, emphasising the camp like ambience. Failed expectations spilt bitterness through our posse. Local activities proved a challenge to embrace. Seafood appeal was diminished by the piles of fish heads and emptied clam shells strewn aside by Vietnamese dining etiquette. Crossing the sands was too similar to crossing Hang Bong, you still needed to watch out for motorbikes. By 9 pm we had booked a private car to drive us to Mui Ne the following morning, 200km south. Nevertheless I took the opportunity at 5:30 the following morning to share my enjoyment of Doc Let beach and its clear salty water with hundreds of local Vietnamese before the open sun rapidly dispersed their activites at 6:45. Three hours later we were dodging buses, keeping our driver Mr. Doc awake while anxiously estimating the distance from our destination on a fold out map.

Mui Ne was more in line with what we were seeking. The Full Moon Resort was surprisingly comfortable, the Beach Front and Sea View rooms we booked were equally impressive. Large beds, large baths, large rooms, large windows, high ceilings and plenty of furnished character. Club sandwich with fries for lunch.

Notes: 17 itchy mosquito bites, Fanny ice cream, War Remnants Museum - Requiem exhibit, 10 minute downpour

28 May 2008 - Day 97, Mui Ne to Saigon

Uncomfortable bus to Saigon

Notes: Sweaty bus, French boy and Vietnamese girl on bus, Vietnamese man and French woman on bus, 2pm - 7pm ride, Margherita's for pizza

14 February - 6 March 2008 (Phuket)

7 March - 16 March 2008 (Phuket/Phi Phi Island)

17 March - 28 March 2008 (Phuket)

29 March - 7 April 2008 (Phuket/Bangkok/Chiang Mai/Pai)

8 April - 18 April 2008 (Chiang Mai/Bangkok)

19 April - 28 April 2008 (Siem Reap/Phnom Penh)

29 April - 5 May 2008 (Phnom Penh/Saigon)

6 May - 15 May 2008 (Hanoi/Ninh Binh/Sapa)

16 May - 27 May 2008 (Sapa/Hanoi/Ha Long Bay/Hué/Hoi An/Doc Let/Mui Ne)

28 May - 7 June 2008 (Saigon/Phnom Penh/Siem Reap)

8 June - 15 June 2008 (Siem Reap)

16 June - 24 June (Siem Reap/KL/Austinmer)