back home

I'm back in Vancouver, now: unpacking, going through mail, getting over jet-lag, etc. It was a great trip. I saw everything I wanted and there were no real problems. I hope the blog gave some feel for it.
It's nice arriving back in Vancouver at this time of year. Suddenly landing in the middle of fall colours and leaves on the ground and the crisp air - my favourite season.
I got back just in time to see the U.S. election result, and Obama's victory speech. I can't help thinking of all those people who got up at 4:30 in the morning and stood in line for hours so they could vote. The best I've seen of democracy in the U.S. in a long time. I thank them.

sketch

here's the sketch I did of the big buddha

tourist in Hong Kong

I'm doing the tourist thing these days. I went to the Hong Kong History museum, the Peak Tram, walked around the little streets in the Central area, took the cable car to the Po Lin Monastery and the big buddha statue, took the bus to the Tai-O fishing village, and went to Ocean Park to see the pandas, etc. All that in 3 days. This is my last day and for the rest of the afternoon I am just going to chill out. Tomorrow morning I head to the airport for the flight to Vancouver.
The history museum was excellent, with great displays on everything to do with the Hong Kong area: geology, ecology, prehistoric peoples, dynasties, ethnic groups, British rule, Japanese occupation, and modern times.
The big buddha statue was just amazing. So big and sitting on a hilltop, you can see it from quite far away. I did a sketch of it, and while I was there many people stopped to watch and talk. There were a lot of Mandarin speaking tourists.
The best part of Ocean Park is the pandas. There's something about their relaxed way of moving and just sitting munching on bamboo. Totally chilled out and adorable.
It's interesting that Hong Kong has a totally different feel as a tourist, a different 'tourist culture' from Vietnam. Probably because of the cost of things here. Gone are the backbackers and young people travelling on a shoestring, replaced by business travellers, families, and seniors tour groups.

Hong Kong

Maybe I'm just a city kid who's homesick for a real urban center, but clean, organized Hong Kong was a welcome sight. And it's so easy to get around with the great subway system. The  sheer number and density of super-high skyscrapers is unbelievable - and not just in the center but all over and in the 'residential' areas too. It seems the only way to build is up and up and up.
I arrived last night and I've spent one day here with my friend Janet showing me around. We went out of the center to see some temples, markets, and a cemetery. Tonight Janet and Vincent and I are going for dinner.

more Cambodia

I've got a long layover in Bangkok airport on my way to Hong Kong so I thought I'd post a bit.
I was interesting talking to the Cambodian people that I met: my guide, driver, someone at an internet place, even a monk at a local temple in town. They want to learn and practice English. I got the impression of pride in their country and they encouraged me to see more of it.
Something on everyones mind is the border dispute with Thailand. This is very important to them. Cambodians really feel like the underdog, and its easy to sympathize.
They are aware of the horrors of the past, but they did not dwell on it. They spoke of it matter-of-factly, but seemed more interested in moving on.
This biggest problem is corruption. I met a young American guy who is a teacher with an NGO, helping poor school kids. He told me that the Cambodian teachers make so little money that they require bribes from students to learn the full curriculum, so if you are poor you don't get an education. That's one example. Hopefully the NGOs work will result in better lives for the next generation.

more Angkor ruins

Tonight is my last in Cambodia. Tomorrow I travel to Hong Kong via a connecting flight in Bangkok.

Yesterday I hired a driver to see more of the ruins in the outlying areas. First thing in the morning, we drove 50 km in the Tuk-Tuk ( a 2-wheeled cart pulled by a motorcycle). This was great for seeing the countryside and the people outside the city. The road was mostly good, but it was muddy in some stretches and at one point I jumped out of the Tuk-Tuk and started pushing.



It was another hot day. So far it was very, very hot and humid during the day, with a thundershower in the early evening.

We drove to the start of a trail. I hiked 1.5 km up to a stream in which the riverbed is carved in Hindu symbols. The carvings cover about 100m to 200m of the stream. It was good to do this first thing in the morning, as by the time I was hiking down I was getting really overheated. The ride on the Tuk-Tuk was nice afterward, with the breeze. The next stop was a temple about 35km north of Angkor Wat, which is made of pink stone and very intricately carved. Afterward we drove back to the main Angkor temple area, where I saw 3 more small temples.

On the way back I stopped at the Cambodia Landmine Museum, which is sponsored by a Canadian organization. There are displays on the founder of the museum, a Cambodian who used to be a soldier but has since destroyed over 50000 landmines. There are also displays on the war in Cambodia, landmines, and the landmine treaty, all in several languages.

The last stop for the day was a hill near Angkor Wat which gives great views. It's about a 20 min. walk up. And many, many tourists do this in hopes of seeing Angkor Wat at sunset. There are heavy clouds, so there is no real sunset. In fact, expecting another thundershower, I hurry down and get back to the Tuk-Tuk just in time.


Today when I woke up it was pouring rain. I'm glad I saw the temples that I did in two full days, even though that was tiring. By afternoon it clears up and I rent a bicycle to ride around town and even make it back to Angkor Wat again. I don't cycle long, as it is threatening rain again.

I like Cambodia, and I'd like to see more of it, not just this really touristy part. The Cambodians seem reserved at first but when you stop to really talk to them they are very friendly.

Angkor Wat

Today was my first day touring the ruins. I hired a guide and driver. Once we got started, however, a group of Australians noticed me and asked if they could split the cost of the guide. They were really nice and it was great to have people in a group with the guide.
The sheer size of the complex is mind boggling. The scale of the grounds of just one temple is measured in kilometers. It would take a long time in the heat to walk from one to the other. Even walking around the inside of one was very tiring.
We started with Angkor Thom, which is actually a large walled area containing many temples and other structures. We then drove to Ta Phrom, a temple that has not been cleared of vegetation so it has trees growing out of it. It was made famous when the movie "Tomb Raider" was filmed here. After lunch we go to Angkor Wat, a large temple surrounded by a moat, containing the distinctive 5 towers.
That was a full day. In the evening I went to the "culture show" of traditional Cambodian dancing.