The Beginning of Another Chapter

Sometimes in life there comes a point where you have to decide between two things you really want. You know you cannot have both, no matter how much you want both, and each have pros and cons that equal each other, but you know you have to chose one. I have been feeling like that about travelling for the last few weeks. I really love travelling and seeing places, but I have been away from home for 8 months, and I suddenly started to feel every day in those 8 months. I was missing home, and no matter how much you try to ignore that feeling, it never really leaves you alone.

It was 11.13am, and I was standing on a corner of another noisy traffic filled street in Ho Chi Minh last Thursday. I had been looking for the War Remnants Museum for about 2 hours, and every map said a different place, and every local (well the ones that would help) pointed me in a wrong direction and laughed as I set off. My head hurt from all the pointless beeping of traffic, I nearly lost my life crossing the road at least three times, and I couldnt get a decent bit of Vietnamese food if my life depended on it. Suddenly, standing there, I was done. I had hit the point of no return, and the result was in fact return. I went back to my hostel, got in touch with my travel agency in Dublin, and changed my flight home from the 6th of June to ..... well ... today. I am writing this from a completely overpriced restaurant in Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. I arrived here on a flight from Ho Chi Minh yesterday.

Now those of you who read this blog pretty regularly are probably thinking 'why go home. Travelling is amazing'. You are right. Travelling is amazing. But family and home is also amazing, and sometimes you want that more than to see a temple or sit on a beach or visit a museum. Sometimes you have feel you have been away so long that all you want is to give your sister a hug. So, I am doing what I want more, and I am going home.

My time in SE Asia, particularly Thailand, has been without a doubt the greatest time of my life. I have learnt so much about myself, and about other cultures and ways of living.I have the most amazing memories, and I have seen the most incredible things. I will return to Asia. I know that without a doubt, as there is sooooo much more I want to do that my budget and my homesickness just couldn't handle this time around.

I intend to continue writing on this blog, as I have many more TEFL experiences and travelling planned, and I hope you will continue to enjoy reading this blog as much as I enjoy writing it.,

This is not the end. Its only the beginning of another chapter.

Go raibh míle maith agat.

Slán.

Change of Plan; Visiting the Lighthouse Orphanage, Phnom Penh

Intent on being a true tourist, I set out the day before yesterday to explore the royal palace and a temple or two in Phnom Penh. As usual in Asia, things didnt go as planned.

I arrived just outside the royal palace to find it closed for the next hour and 45 minutes for lunch (who needs two hours for lunch??) and I also was shocked to discover that all tourist places in the area were the same. Standing at the side of the road clutching my map of the city and looking completely lost, a tuk tuk driver sees an opportunity and comes over. He offers to take me for a tour of the city where he will explain all the historical buildings and show me all aspects of the city outside of the tourist areas. Intrigued but slightly cautious, I got on. Driving on, I was thinking about how much damage I would do to myself if, in case of kidnapping, I needed to throw myself from a moving tuk tuk (which doesnt actually move that fast), and whether I would bring or leave the slightly bulky handbag. Truly though, I had no need to worry. The driver was lovely and showed me parliament buildings and the street of embassies and then went on to show me the slums of the city and the local market areas where absolutely no tourists were about.

As we were driving along, I commented on his great level on English, and he told me that he teaches English on a Friday and Saturday to children in an orphanage in the city. He talked about them for a while, and about how he himself was a orphan and he was taught English in his orphanage with his siblings. He asked me whether I would like to visit the orphanage and see how it all works. I knew myself that the hope was that I would volunteer my services as an English teacher. I was a little wary at first, as I suppose being western you have these images of Asian orphanages as dreary awful places. I was threatened oe or twice as a kid with being put in an orphanage if I was really bold, and from simply watching 'Annie' my idea of orphanages was not a pleasant one.

Still, I figured life should be seen from all angles as much as possible, and what's the point in ignoring the reality of a city just because of my high western ideals. So, off I went. I knew that a donation would be expected, but when I asked the driver he said that a donation of a bag of rice would be a good idea as the 89 children in the orphanage can eat 50 kilos of rice a day over their three meals. Armed with my bag of rice, I arrived. I am glad to say it was nothing like what I expected. The buildings could do with some extensions, but they have a good playground donated by the Israeli Embassy, and a few good sized classrooms and a music room. They have a large dining area, and a vegetable patch (that is unfortunately a little sparse in vegetables) The bedrooms were pretty cramped I have to say, but the children overall were really friendly and full of smiles.

The man who showed me around told me about how the orphanage is run on donations and volunteers. They get no help from the government, but are in need of new rooms for sleeping, and some money to get some seeds for planting and clothes for the children. They cater for children between the ages of 5 and 18, and teach them two subjects; English and IT. He says these are the best subjects for the children to get jobs from after leaving the orphanage at 18. He explained about how some get scholarships and some manage to find jobs, but I saw myself that things do not look too hopeful for the children as they enter the adult world. Its easy to notice the drug problems in Cambodia, with I myself getting approached three times with offers of every drug going for about 10 dollars a bag. Apparently its a popular western pastime here.It wouldn't take much to push children into this sort of life.

I left feeling not depressed or sad, but I did feel lucky and privileged. I ended up not seeing the Royal Palace in the end as I spent the following day pretty sick from a bout of dehydration (all my own fault I know). Being sick in any way in this heat is a killer, let alone being sick because of the heat. So I have now arrived in Ho Ci Minh city in south Vietnam, but I will leave all that madness for another blog.

Sawatdiikha.

ps. If anyone wants to know any more about the orphanage I visited, the name is Lighthouse Orphanage in Phnom Penh.

Phnom Penh; Pot and Potatoes

Being in Thailand for so long, I had become used to the views, the language, the food and the overall culture. I suppose you could say that I got a bit bored of it all. It lost its magic. By the time I was travelling after my teaching, I continued to feel a sense of boredom. Don't get me wrong, I loved seeing Thailand and I had a lot of fun, but the WOW factor was gone. I had forgotten that feeling of discovery. That feeling that you have experienced something new and alive.

I arrived in Cambodia expecting the WOW factor from Angkor Wat, and I did get that, but I came to Phnom Penh for one thing, and that was my visa to Vietnam. My plan was to see a bit of the city, but I suppose you could say I didnt really plan on enjoying it too much. Again, as with Chiang Rai, I was proven wrong. This city just has the greatest charm to it. It suffers great poverty, that is clear, and there does seem to be a bit of a problem with drugs in places, but I cant help but love the place. Just off the main roads with its mad traffic and noisy horns are little narrow streets filled with nice houses, offices, coffee shops and little businesses, all who keep their land full of green trees and bushes. Its such a contrast to the brown scorched earth of the poor village areas outside the city.

Yes you get slightly harassed by tuk tuk drivers, and the food is a good bit more expensive than other less populated areas of Cambodia, but the drivers are friendly and understand the word no, and the food is delicious no matter where you go.

But this city wasn't always a bustling centre of coffee cafe's and brilliant food. This city has suffered greatly. Today myself and a fellow traveller rented a scooter and took off to visit the infamous Killing Fields just outside the city. To make it short and quite brutally simple,in the 1970s a man named Pol Pot had an image of a 'pure' Cambodian society, so he took his brutal army of men and slaughtered a quarter of the population who didn't fit his image of a simple agricultural society. This involved anyone who was highly educated, who could speak a different language, any city dwellers who didnt know anything about farming, and anyone who didnt agree with him. His army of killers; The Khmer Rouge, took the thousands of people to many locations around Cambodia, bludgeoned and hacked them to death in the most horrible ways imaginable , and buried them in mass graves. How this was left out of my history degree I will never know. But I went today to see one of these places. I have to say, it was a very peaceful place for the atrocities that occurred there. I didnt take any pictures. I for some reason lost my appetite to capture everything around me. I don't think a picture would do this place justice anyway. Its one of those places where you have to feel it. Its the knowledge of what happened here thats harrowing more than the place itself. It does contain a massive memorial which holds the skulls of hundreds of dead who were never identified, and that is shocking. Also it holds examples of the clothes which were discovered with the people, and the childrens' clothes really make reality the horror and complete inhumane actions that people are capable of. What is worse is that Pol Pot was never punished for this actions, and lived in wealth and comfort until his dying day in 1998. It is a hard thing to visit, but I think it is appropriate, respectful, and I think it is important for people to know about these things.

Following this, we tottered back to reality and dodged our way through Phnom Penh's slightly scary traffic and found a nice Irish pub. We settled down to an early dinner of western goodiness; I myself choosing a cottage pie filled with lovely and highly missed mashed potato. The simple things that make us backpackers happy. We managed to make it back to the hostel before the heavens opened to let a thunder storm through. It seems that the rains are coming a few weeks earlier than expected. I thought that I could partly avoid the rainy season by finishing my travelling in June, but it doesnt look like nature likes my plan.

Tomorrow, a walk around the city to visit the Royal Palace, a silver pagoda (kind of like a temple) and a museum or two. There will be more pictures next time. I felt a little shaky taking pictures from the back of a scooter driven by an over enthusiastic Brit.

Sawatdiikha.

The Amazement of Angkor Wat

After spending a day lounging in the hostel and wandering around Siem Reap city, I started out early on Thursday morning with my tuk tuk driver to discover the Wonder of the World that is the Angkor Wat temple complex. At his advice, we decided to leave the actual Angkor Wat temple until last, and took off to a few of the smaller ones to begin with. I have to say, with the help of a guide book borrowed from the hostel, its not hard to be wowed by these amazing structures.

Just a fews tip for anyone who is reading this and planning to go to Angkor Wat. Bring water, nab a guide book from somewhere, or even better an actual guide. Also wear comfortable shoes (the Khmer's didnt think ahead to flip flips when building their steps), and don't wear skimpy clothes. These are temples in Asia, and respect is a big thing, so cover your shoulders and wear clothes that go below your knee. If you go in your short shorts and strap top, expect to get nasty comments from passing by locals and be refused entry to some temples.

First, a slight bit of history to just get the idea of what Angkor Wat is. The city of temples were built in the 12th century, and spanned a number of Kings before they were completed. Angkor Wat itself is built on an island surrounded by a moat, and represents the structure of the universe as they believed it to be at the time. The temples were originally Hindu, but as Buddhism grew in the country, the temples were altered to the Buddhist religion. It was captured by the jungle after it was abandoned and was reconstructed and rebuilt in the 2000s.

Now that speedy gonzales history lesson is done,onto the temples. The first stop was Bayon, which is a maze of stone columns with faces on all four sides. From the outside it looks absolutely amazing and so impressive. On this temple, as with majority of temples in the complex, there are magnificent carvings showing old Indian stories and legends. The detail on these are incredible, although can be pretty repetitive. There is a LOT of wars between armies that all look exactly the same. Still though, the sheer scale and detail of the carvings are incredible.

Next I asked the driver to take a little detour from the main road and head off the the little visited Ta Nei. The book I had recommended a visit, but I didnt realise how little visited it was. Ten minutes of rickety driving down a dirt track led us to this tiny ruined temple in the middle of the forest, and I was the only person there! It was amazing. Bar a few props on the remaining walls, the temple remained as it was found, and is clearly a part of the nature of the jungle now. There was no sound of cars or people, only birds and lizards. Amazing. 

After this we were back to the crowds and what seems like millions of Asian tourists with millions of cameras. We headed off to one of the most famous temples; Ta Phrom. This temple was purposely left covered in jungle trees and in ruins to show people how the temples were found. It was made famous by the Tomb Raider series where Lara Croft fights her way through a temple overgrown with trees. It was stunning I have to say. I managed to escape the tour groups for a while as I looked around the outer area of the temple while the tours focus inside the maze of fallen walls and trees within the temple. 

Finally, we headed to the world famous Angkor Wat. This place is incredible. Its fully restored and the carvings are so clear, and with a guide book its easy enough to follow them and the stories that go with them. The thought alone that such a massive structure was built with no mechanical help. It was built with the sheer physical power of thousands of workers. Its high arched roofs give it a really elegant look compared to many of the temples before it, and the sheer length of the front building creates a 'wow' from everyone who sees it. Many of the statues are still in a ruin from the Khmer sack of the temples during the 1970s, but the feel of the place is still there. I went back this morning to view the sun rise behind the temple, and it was stunning (sorry no pics of that yet. I am too lazy to leave my hammock and climb down two flights of stairs to get the camera lead). 

So tonight I say goodbye to Siem Reap and take a 6.5 hour overnight bus to the capital Phnom Penh. Here I plan on seeing a good bit about the terror of the Khmer Rouge era, and also get my visa for Vietnam sorted to I can head off across another border next week. 

Sawatdiikha.

Siem Reap; First Impressions

I have to admit, leaving Thailand this morning was a little bit harder than I expected. I arrived back in my local town of Surin after a 15 hour bus journey from Chiang Mai to find the familiar again. I know this city so well from living nearby for the past 6 months, and even the bus drivers in the station knew me and helped me find my bus. Sitting there at 5am eating chicken on a stick and sticky rice (one of my favourites) I realised how comfortable I had become, and suddenly I was struck with fear at leaving and heading somewhere new. But before I thought about simple things like ordering food and getting around, I had to get over the border. I have to say, the thought alone terrified me. I have heard some really bad horror stories about the guards holding your passport until you pay them a bribe of a colossal amount of money to get it back. Not to mention the scamming taxi drivers who grab your bags from you to get you to pay them huge fares. I was trying to mentally prepare myself for all of these possibilities, but I still found the nerves creeping in as I approached the border this morning.

I need not have feared. A lovely man who works in a resort just beside the border gate was on hand to help me figure out what booth I was to go to to fill out my forms and he translated everything for me. He even organised for a shared taxi for me with other locals so I wouldn't have to pay a lot of money to get to Siem Reap. So there I was, happy to be through the visa ordeal, and sitting in a taxi with a local business man. Little did I know that taxis here like to make the most of the space in the car. About 10 minutes later I found myself squished in the back seat with the business man, a local 50 something mammy who kept smiling at me, and a young smartly dressed man with a briefcase in one hand and a live clucking chicken in a box in the other hand.

Driving the two hours to Siem Reap, I instantly saw the difference between Thailand and Cambodia. This country is noticeably poorer. The people in Thailand live in basic accommodation, but majority have a concrete house and a car. In Cambodia, outside the city everything is communities of wooden shacks, bicycles and old motorbikes as the mode of transport, and near naked children running around with stray dogs. It is clear from the amount of people sitting outside their houses that employment is quite low here, and many are disfigured as a result of land mines left over from the war in this country only a few decades ago. Like Thailand, people with a disability don't seem to get much help, and many rely on begging to survive. In Thailand his has improved slightly compared to Cambodia, as many blind people have found jobs in the massage business, and people with physical disabilities find work on stalls in markets or selling bus tickets. Although I have noticed one thing about Cambodia that has surprised me. Their English is really good compared to Thailand. Thailand's education is questionable I have to say after working in the sector, but the difference between Thailand and Cambodia's standard of English is shocking. I want to know their secret!! My classes would be such a success.

I am heading off to the world famous Angkor Wat temple complex tomorrow, so there will be pictures galore in tomorrow's blog along with a bit of a history lesson, and maybe a reference to 'Tomb Raider' once or twice (google it if I sound mad).

Sawatdiikha.

Ticking Tigers off the Bucket List

When I arrived in Thailand 6.5 months ago, I had no idea what was awaiting me. I never could have imagined the amazing places I would see, or the food I would eat (some dishes I would happily forget) or the things I would do. When I arrived in Bangkok all scared and thinking I had lost my mind coming here, the teaching agency I was with asked me to write down three things that I wanted to do in Thailand. Other than eat and teach, I only had one other major one, and that was see tigers. Since I was a child toddling around Dublin zoo holding onto the buggy, I was in love with the tigers. To me they are so beautiful and elegant, and jut their sheer size amazed me. So when I arrived in Chiang Mai, I couldnt pass up the opportunity to go to the Tiger Kingdom.

Personally I am quite fussy about animals and places like this, and I have to say in Thailand there are very little laws regarding animal treatment and prevention of cruelty. I saw a lot of disturbing situations at the elephant festival in Surin last November, and I was cautious going to the tiger kingdom despite all the great reviews I had heard. I need not have feared. The enclosures were quite large and equipped with pools for the tigers, and the keepers were really gentle and allowed the tigers to basically do as they pleased. There was none of this training them to stay in certain positions for photos or stopping them from moving around. I was worried about the tigers being drugged to keep them tame, but it was clear from the caution of the keepers and the constant movement of the tigers that they were not drugged at all, and therefore a very dangerous animal if not approached with caution. There were signs everywhere urging people to report any action by the keepers that they consider to be even like animal cruelty (another thing I have never seen in Thailand).

So I chose to meet and greet the smallest baby tigers (2-3 months), the medium ones (5 months) and the large ones (too big to care about their age. Just tried to not shake with fear). The little ones were soooooo cute. They were curious about everything and wandered around looking at everything and taking the odd swipe at each other. I also got to feed them a bottle of hot milk as I happened to arrive at their feeding time, and upon putting the bottle in the cub's mouth, he dropped to the floor on his back and wrapped his paws around my hand and the bottle like a baby.

Next was the medium ones who were the most active. Getting a picture with them was quite difficult as they were intent on swimming together and squabbling over a piece of log that one had claimed and another wanted. It was great to see them acting so natural though. They pawed at each other and crept up at each other like they would in the wild. 

Finally, I went into the enclosure with the big daddys. These are fully grown male tigers, and I have to say they are a little nerve wrecking. They seemed quite tired when I went in, but they just randomly got up and moved around, and seeing them do this only reminded me how massive they are and how small I am. These really are capable of ripping me apart into little pieces, and knowing that made me a little nervous. But, despite that, I got to touch them and give them a scratch, and feel how strong they are. It really was incredible.

Overall, it was the most incredible way to end my time in Thailand, and knowing that I am leaving this beautiful country with all my hopes ticked off on my list only reminds me of how fantastic my time here has been. I have learnt so much about myself and so much about alternative ways of living and I really think that I am coming out of my 6 months here a more well rounded, calm and wise person. Thailand has taught me to not take life so seriously, and to always apply a bit of Mai Pen Rai to everything life throws at you. In short, I have learnt how to be as chilled as these tigers.

Next stop, Siem Reap Cambodia.

Sawatdiikha.

Soaking for Songkran; Chiang Mai.

We left Chiang Rai yesterday full of anticipation as to what was to come in Chiang Mai. The Songkran New Year Water Festival in the Northern Thai city of Chiang Mai is internationally famous and we were really eager to get there and see all that Chiang Mai has to offer. For some reason, we didnt seem to click the slight problem of arriving off a bus with bags in the middle of a city of festivities. After getting on a taxi after the bus arrived, we found ourselves at the walls of the old city where the taxi said he could go no further and we had to walk from here. We lugged our bags off and took in our surroundings and found our jaws on the floor. The place was insane. Everywhere people were throwing buckets of water, traffic was at a standstill, people were running around with huge water pistols and everyone was dripping wet. Not the most ideal place to find yourself with a suitcase that holds all of your worldly belongings and another bag full of your valuable electronics. Putting all the electronics into the case, we ploughed on through, with comments being thrown at us from passers by such as 'you arrived at the wrong time' and 'you are walking into the belly of the beast'. But, three buckets of water over our heads and a sympathetic tuk tuk driver later we arrived in our hostel.

We soon came to realise that if we spent an hour dry in this city for the next three days we would be doing well. All of last night and all of today we have been drenched, and you cannot walk ten feet without a bucket of water on your head or a hose pointed in your direction. We soon armed ourselves with pathetic little pistols and a water proof bag for our money and phone, though I havent been brave enough to bring my camera out, so no pics so far I am afraid. We are hoping to go and see the tiger sanctuary while we are here, but we are doubtful how good it will be since the entire city is packed out and I imagine the tourist attractions will be the same.

But despite that, the atmosphere is incredible. Thai families are all sitting with picnics enjoying the party and water, people are happy and rediscovering their inner child soaking everyone around them, and since most of the city is an alcohol free zone in line with Thai morals, its not a drunken brawl. Its definitely one of the greatest experiences I have had in Thailand, and I genuinely think its one of the greatest festivals in the world.

Sawatdiikha.