Sydney is AWESOME!
Its downtown core feels a bit like New York; the city as a whole feels a bit like London. You take that, shrink it down to the size of Toronto and add a zest of Northern California and you get Sydney.
The city has it all: great architecture, green spaces, big businesses (while keeping a laid-back atmosphere), history, beaches, a cosmopolitan population, ...
Physically, it's a very beautiful place. The streets are lively and the quality of life here has to be one of the best on the planet.
2008-11-30
2008-11-28
Australia
I landed in Brisbane a few days ago. Although the temperature does go up to 30 C during the day, I find it temperate, almost cold (compared to South East Asia). Finally, I'm not sweating all the time anymore. I still drink lots of slurpees and slushes, though.
I was almost shocked when I landed in Australia: people are white! I'm the norm, not the exception anymore. I'm sure when I get to Sydney and Melbourne, I'll just be one of the many ethnies again (just like in Canada). However, as soon as I open my mouth, people know I'm a foreigner. Sometimes, I don't quite get what people are telling me.
Australia feels just like the UK, except with nice weather. The people look British and dress like the British. They also drive on the left side and speak with a similar accent.
Brisbane is comparable in size and vibrancy to Vancouver. It's pretty small and one day of that city was enough for me. After a while, seeing another new city doesn't really makes much a difference to me. I still enjoy my stroll around town and walking under fragrant fig trees.
I went to a koala sanctuary where I saw a bunch of these creatures. I also saw wombats, lizards, a Tasmanian devil, cassowaries and many other beasts. Of course, there were loads of kangaroos. I got to play with a few of them. They do jump fast when they want to get around.
Now, I'm in Surfers Paradise, a beach city a few kilometers south of Brisbane. It feels like Honolulu, only a bit more hardcore on the partying. Right now, it's "Schoolies Week". Australians have their summer vacation in December and January. They also graduate in December. When Australians graduate from high school, they go on a week-long trip (many of them to Surfers Paradise) and go mental.
Basically, the streets and buses are filled with drunken 17 year-olds being rowdy, merry and noisy. It's an interesting phenomenon to witness. In the past, the drunken kids would just be up to no good at night, so the city now organizes parties to keep an eye on them. I can't count the number of times young people hugged me and told me that "Your my brother, mate. Cheers. We're all together" and so on. Most of it is peaceful. I haven't really seen anyone breaking stuff or starting fights. I did see a drunken girl get naked right next to me on the beach, though. This whole thing is similar to the US' spring break deal.
Tonight, I'm flying to Sydney.
I was almost shocked when I landed in Australia: people are white! I'm the norm, not the exception anymore. I'm sure when I get to Sydney and Melbourne, I'll just be one of the many ethnies again (just like in Canada). However, as soon as I open my mouth, people know I'm a foreigner. Sometimes, I don't quite get what people are telling me.
Australia feels just like the UK, except with nice weather. The people look British and dress like the British. They also drive on the left side and speak with a similar accent.
Brisbane is comparable in size and vibrancy to Vancouver. It's pretty small and one day of that city was enough for me. After a while, seeing another new city doesn't really makes much a difference to me. I still enjoy my stroll around town and walking under fragrant fig trees.
I went to a koala sanctuary where I saw a bunch of these creatures. I also saw wombats, lizards, a Tasmanian devil, cassowaries and many other beasts. Of course, there were loads of kangaroos. I got to play with a few of them. They do jump fast when they want to get around.
Now, I'm in Surfers Paradise, a beach city a few kilometers south of Brisbane. It feels like Honolulu, only a bit more hardcore on the partying. Right now, it's "Schoolies Week". Australians have their summer vacation in December and January. They also graduate in December. When Australians graduate from high school, they go on a week-long trip (many of them to Surfers Paradise) and go mental.
Basically, the streets and buses are filled with drunken 17 year-olds being rowdy, merry and noisy. It's an interesting phenomenon to witness. In the past, the drunken kids would just be up to no good at night, so the city now organizes parties to keep an eye on them. I can't count the number of times young people hugged me and told me that "Your my brother, mate. Cheers. We're all together" and so on. Most of it is peaceful. I haven't really seen anyone breaking stuff or starting fights. I did see a drunken girl get naked right next to me on the beach, though. This whole thing is similar to the US' spring break deal.
Tonight, I'm flying to Sydney.
2008-11-26
Singapore
I've just spent a week in Singapore. I love the place. It's a breath of fresh air; an oasis of civilization in South East Asia. It's reminiscent of Britain at least as much as Hong Kong is.
It's the first time I'm in a First World country that is so hot (in terms of temperature). At least, I can drink tap water now and I don't have to worry about what I eat. And speaking of food, Singapore is a gastronome's paradise. It has Chinese food, Malaysian food, Indian food, its own kind of food and food from all over the world. For two or three dollars, you can get tasty noodles with minced beef, pieces of pork and vegetables. Everyday, I try some new food and I'm always satisfied with what I get.
The variety in foods can be explained by the variety of the people of Singapore. About 75% are of Chinese descent; then there are many Malays and Indians. This mix has a strong British influence binding the parts together.
I haven't seen abjectly poor people in Singapore, which was a refreshing change from the previous countries I visited on this trip.
There are so many shopping centers in Singapore, it feels like one big mall.
The women here are very pretty. Ranging from the sophisticated, well-dressed business women (my ex-girlfriend, from Singapore, is true to her roots) to the casual girls wearing very short shorts or skirts. Singapore presents Shanghai with some serious competition with regards to fashion and beauty.
But, not all is perfect in Singapore. Housing is expensive and some weird laws are in effect in this city-nation.
As a visitor, the expensive housing mainly means that I have to pay a lot to get a decent place to sleep here. I spent my first night in what I read on the Net was a cheap hotel. It cost me 159 S$ (about 106$ US). The room wasn't great and I don't feel I got value for my money. Also, I was getting used to get decent rooms for 10$ because of Vietnam and Cambodia!
The second night, I paid 73 S$ (about 49$ US) for a decent room in a indecent neighborhood. The room was clean and functional, but the hotel was located smack in the middle of Singapore's red-light district. I thought that with Singapore's stringent rules, I wouldn't be bothered too much by the "action" going around, but I was wrong.
Singapore has legalized prostitution. To practice that profession, a woman needs to have a special work permit and undergo bi-weekly medical exams to make sure she isn't carrying any diseases. Pimping is illegal and so is street prostitution. So far, everything is fine, commendable, even. However, a bunch of illegals flock around the legal working places and bother people on the street to provide their services. The problem isn't with the legal workers, who are discreet and controlled, but with the illegals, who are in your face and probably full of diseases.
I think both the Singapore government and the legal prostitution establishments should work harder to get rid of the illegal workers (who are often in Singapore only for a few months on a tourist visa from Thailand, Burma, China, ...). For the government, they represent an image and health problem. For the businesses, they represent competition that drives the prices down.
The way I'd fix the problem is by having "find-an-illegal" prizes. Customers finding a prostitute working without a permit would be entitled to a cash prize. Illegals would be scared to work as their next customer could simply turn them in. Customers would find a way to make money while having fun. Finally, the legal prostitution businesses would get more customers and could charge higher prices (part of which would be used to finance the whole scheme). I need to find out where I can register to be on the ballot to be the next mayor!
The third night, I decided to go to a hostel instead of paying for crap. The hostel was the worst place. It had no private bathroom. And, before I got into the bed, I noticed the place was full of bedbugs. I freaked out, got a refund and went to another hotel (this time in the middle of nowhere - not accessible by metro). I paid 85 S$ (about 57$ US) for a room so noisy I had to request a change. The new room had footsteps printed with dust on the sheets and had breaker problems and no hot water.
Finally, the fourth night, I found something "acceptable" for 90$ S$ (about 60$ US) in Chinatown. The hot water wasn't really hot in the shower, but I was just tired of running around to save a few bucks. I hope I'll have better luck with accommodations in Australia and New Zealand.
Other than high housing costs, Singapore also has weird laws or ways of making sure they are followed. For instance, chewing gum is illegal in Singapore. So are Malaysian newspapers and publications by the Jehovah's Witnesses. Despite legalized prostitution, porn (even soft-core) is illegal in Singapore. Despite hosting a gay parade, homosexual behavior is illegal. Also, oral sex which does not lead to intercourse is punishable by law (that law has been upheld in a 1997 ruling). Media are subject to censorship. I saw a park with a speaker's corner in the center of the city. If you want to speak publicly in that park to a crowd (even without amplifiers or sound equipment), you have to request permission to the government first! Drug trafficking carries a mandatory death penalty. Many offenses are punishable by caning.
Honestly, I must admit that none of these laws affected me personally. But, by principle, I have to object to them.
Nonetheless, Singapore is overall a great place and I wouldn't mind living here for a while. It is one of my favorite places in Asia. Maybe I'll be back here one day.
It's the first time I'm in a First World country that is so hot (in terms of temperature). At least, I can drink tap water now and I don't have to worry about what I eat. And speaking of food, Singapore is a gastronome's paradise. It has Chinese food, Malaysian food, Indian food, its own kind of food and food from all over the world. For two or three dollars, you can get tasty noodles with minced beef, pieces of pork and vegetables. Everyday, I try some new food and I'm always satisfied with what I get.
The variety in foods can be explained by the variety of the people of Singapore. About 75% are of Chinese descent; then there are many Malays and Indians. This mix has a strong British influence binding the parts together.
I haven't seen abjectly poor people in Singapore, which was a refreshing change from the previous countries I visited on this trip.
There are so many shopping centers in Singapore, it feels like one big mall.
The women here are very pretty. Ranging from the sophisticated, well-dressed business women (my ex-girlfriend, from Singapore, is true to her roots) to the casual girls wearing very short shorts or skirts. Singapore presents Shanghai with some serious competition with regards to fashion and beauty.
But, not all is perfect in Singapore. Housing is expensive and some weird laws are in effect in this city-nation.
As a visitor, the expensive housing mainly means that I have to pay a lot to get a decent place to sleep here. I spent my first night in what I read on the Net was a cheap hotel. It cost me 159 S$ (about 106$ US). The room wasn't great and I don't feel I got value for my money. Also, I was getting used to get decent rooms for 10$ because of Vietnam and Cambodia!
The second night, I paid 73 S$ (about 49$ US) for a decent room in a indecent neighborhood. The room was clean and functional, but the hotel was located smack in the middle of Singapore's red-light district. I thought that with Singapore's stringent rules, I wouldn't be bothered too much by the "action" going around, but I was wrong.
Singapore has legalized prostitution. To practice that profession, a woman needs to have a special work permit and undergo bi-weekly medical exams to make sure she isn't carrying any diseases. Pimping is illegal and so is street prostitution. So far, everything is fine, commendable, even. However, a bunch of illegals flock around the legal working places and bother people on the street to provide their services. The problem isn't with the legal workers, who are discreet and controlled, but with the illegals, who are in your face and probably full of diseases.
I think both the Singapore government and the legal prostitution establishments should work harder to get rid of the illegal workers (who are often in Singapore only for a few months on a tourist visa from Thailand, Burma, China, ...). For the government, they represent an image and health problem. For the businesses, they represent competition that drives the prices down.
The way I'd fix the problem is by having "find-an-illegal" prizes. Customers finding a prostitute working without a permit would be entitled to a cash prize. Illegals would be scared to work as their next customer could simply turn them in. Customers would find a way to make money while having fun. Finally, the legal prostitution businesses would get more customers and could charge higher prices (part of which would be used to finance the whole scheme). I need to find out where I can register to be on the ballot to be the next mayor!
The third night, I decided to go to a hostel instead of paying for crap. The hostel was the worst place. It had no private bathroom. And, before I got into the bed, I noticed the place was full of bedbugs. I freaked out, got a refund and went to another hotel (this time in the middle of nowhere - not accessible by metro). I paid 85 S$ (about 57$ US) for a room so noisy I had to request a change. The new room had footsteps printed with dust on the sheets and had breaker problems and no hot water.
Finally, the fourth night, I found something "acceptable" for 90$ S$ (about 60$ US) in Chinatown. The hot water wasn't really hot in the shower, but I was just tired of running around to save a few bucks. I hope I'll have better luck with accommodations in Australia and New Zealand.
Other than high housing costs, Singapore also has weird laws or ways of making sure they are followed. For instance, chewing gum is illegal in Singapore. So are Malaysian newspapers and publications by the Jehovah's Witnesses. Despite legalized prostitution, porn (even soft-core) is illegal in Singapore. Despite hosting a gay parade, homosexual behavior is illegal. Also, oral sex which does not lead to intercourse is punishable by law (that law has been upheld in a 1997 ruling). Media are subject to censorship. I saw a park with a speaker's corner in the center of the city. If you want to speak publicly in that park to a crowd (even without amplifiers or sound equipment), you have to request permission to the government first! Drug trafficking carries a mandatory death penalty. Many offenses are punishable by caning.
Honestly, I must admit that none of these laws affected me personally. But, by principle, I have to object to them.
Nonetheless, Singapore is overall a great place and I wouldn't mind living here for a while. It is one of my favorite places in Asia. Maybe I'll be back here one day.
2008-11-19
Malaysia
After trying with a third plane, I finally was able to fly from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur. Shit happens and one can conceive that a two hour flight ends up taking 8 or 9 instead. But, the attitude of the Air Asia people throughout was less than commendable. Never fly Air Asia unless the price difference REALLY justifies it.
Malaysia is a mix of Malay, Indian and Chinese people with a strong Islamic influence which is reflected in the architecture and the values of the locals. Many times a day, you actually hear the imams calling from their minarets. I find it eery.
I don't like religions. Islam has to be one the religions I dislike the most. Hence, I didn't feel at home in a country where Islam takes on an importance such as in Malaysia. Also, the cab drivers (yes, them again) insist on not using the meter when they pick up Westerners.
Malaysia is not as developped as its Petronas towers might lead one to believe. It's a country with a GDP per capita almost twice as high as Thailand's. However, it doesn't look as developped as Thailand. Go figure. Anyway, it's not a country I like.
One thing came to brighten my stay in Kuala Lumpur, though. I went to the tour desk at my hotel to enquire about day-trips to Putrajaya (the country's new, built-from-scratch model capital). The girl at the desk then asked me why I wanted to go there. I thought her reaction was strange for someone who's supposed to try to sell me trips. It turns out she didn't work there and just came to visit some friends who did. Then, we struck up a conversation; ended up eating with each other and then basically being a couple for the day.
Malaysia is a mix of Malay, Indian and Chinese people with a strong Islamic influence which is reflected in the architecture and the values of the locals. Many times a day, you actually hear the imams calling from their minarets. I find it eery.
I don't like religions. Islam has to be one the religions I dislike the most. Hence, I didn't feel at home in a country where Islam takes on an importance such as in Malaysia. Also, the cab drivers (yes, them again) insist on not using the meter when they pick up Westerners.
Malaysia is not as developped as its Petronas towers might lead one to believe. It's a country with a GDP per capita almost twice as high as Thailand's. However, it doesn't look as developped as Thailand. Go figure. Anyway, it's not a country I like.
One thing came to brighten my stay in Kuala Lumpur, though. I went to the tour desk at my hotel to enquire about day-trips to Putrajaya (the country's new, built-from-scratch model capital). The girl at the desk then asked me why I wanted to go there. I thought her reaction was strange for someone who's supposed to try to sell me trips. It turns out she didn't work there and just came to visit some friends who did. Then, we struck up a conversation; ended up eating with each other and then basically being a couple for the day.
2008-11-13
Got Super Sick in Bangkok
I guess I truly was in a weakened state lately: yesterday, I got so sick. I don't remember the last time I go this sick. Being weakened and eating something that didn't agree with me made me gush everything that was in my gastro-intestinal tract from both of its ends.
Thankfully, I brought some Cipro (an anti-biotic) and took it to help my body fight any bacteria that might have been causing my sickness. Still, by the time I got better, I was so de-hydrated I could barely function. I had to drink liters and liters of drinks with electrolytes (Gatorade, Powerade, ...) to re-balance myself.
It's the first time I ever get sick on a trip, but it was a solid bout of sickness. I think tomorrow I'm moving on to Kuala Lumpur. I've had enough of Bangkok.
Thankfully, I brought some Cipro (an anti-biotic) and took it to help my body fight any bacteria that might have been causing my sickness. Still, by the time I got better, I was so de-hydrated I could barely function. I had to drink liters and liters of drinks with electrolytes (Gatorade, Powerade, ...) to re-balance myself.
It's the first time I ever get sick on a trip, but it was a solid bout of sickness. I think tomorrow I'm moving on to Kuala Lumpur. I've had enough of Bangkok.
2008-11-12
Calming Down and Getting Out of Cambodia
I don't know what got into me when I had the incident with the tuk-tuk driver in Siem Reap the other day. I had the right to be irritated and angry, but I should have settled things in a more rational and logical manner. Because I didn't, everybody involved lost time. Thankfully, everything ended up all right.
I think the weeks of constant irritation by the hawkers and drivers; the humid heat; my long days of walking and my skipping meals got me tired and that, in such a state, having a few unpleasant events happen in a row made me snap.
At any rate, I'm now in Bangkok where I'm just taking it easy for a few days and taking some time to figure out what's next (both in my trip and in my life).
I think the weeks of constant irritation by the hawkers and drivers; the humid heat; my long days of walking and my skipping meals got me tired and that, in such a state, having a few unpleasant events happen in a row made me snap.
At any rate, I'm now in Bangkok where I'm just taking it easy for a few days and taking some time to figure out what's next (both in my trip and in my life).
2008-11-09
Blood, Money and Action in Cambodia
Up until yesterday, I pitied the Cambodian people. Having gone through so much hardships and having to live in such poor conditions...
Then, I visited the Angkor region (including Angkor Wat and countless other temples in the jungle). The Angkor archaeological site is awe-inspiring. Just Angkor Wat (the most famous of the Angkor temples) is enough to keep you busy for many hours. But then there are so many other marvels including a walled inner city; artificial lakes; pond systems; temples overrun by jungle, etc.
One problem is all the hawkers. They are REALLY annoying. One tactic used is to send the children after the tourists. They look more vulnerable and many people will feel pity or compassion for them and buy some of their stuff. Some of the children are pretty clever. They speak better English than most mainland Chinese people in the tourist industry and many speak another language or two as well (French, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, ...). They'll often ask you where you come from and then name half a dozen cities in that country and ask you from which city you are. Others will give you free items that they crafted from simple material and ask you to consider buying from them (say, a soft drink) on your way back from the temple you are about to visit.
So far, everything is all right. But, others will use deceitful tactics to extort some money from you. It can be children saying they'd like you to take a picture of them and then ask you for some money for having had the privilege to photograph them. Other people will look happy to explain features of the temple and then demand to be paid for their services. Even the police officers do that! Did I mention the police can't be trusted in Cambodia? Never trust anyone here.
Two kids around 5 years of age wanted me to take pictures of them. Of course, I declined. Seeing I wasn't going to pay them for a picture, they asked me if I wanted to "boom boom". I was caught off guard; a 5 year old was trying to pimp a fuck to me!!! I smiled (because the situation was funny in a twisted way) and just walked away. Then, I starting thinking... Was the little boy trying to pimp a woman he knows to me or was he trying to pimp himself out? Cambodia is well known as a destination of predilection for pedophiles since it has so many homeless or piss-poor children that will do anything they need to in order to survive. The smile was gone from my face.
The whole day was spent enjoying the ruins and fending off hawkers. A couple of hours before the archaeological park closed, my tuk-tuk driver was trying to convince me that the day was over and that we should go back to my hotel. I had to threaten to pay only half the agreed sum of money to stay until the end of the park closure. Angkor is so huge, I didn't feel like losing precious hours. Anyway, at the last temple I visited that day, a 11 or 12 year old deaf and dumb boy wearing large woman's hearings and trying to be feminine started following me and insisted to be under my umbrella (it was raining by then). He was trying to beg some money from me and/or sell his ass to me. I wanted nothing to do with a dirty transvestite child, so I walked faster from him. Still, he'd follow me. I didn't have the heart to push him away forcefully just yet, so I started running away from him, figuring he'd get the message. However, the temple's stones had become quite slippery because of the rain and, trying to circumvent the kid, I slipped and badly hurt both my hands. That was the final straw.
At that point, I didn't care that he was poor as can be and that he had to beg and sell his body to disgusting old men to survive. I just had enough of all this. Feeling the pain in my hands and looking at the blood dripping from them made me snap. I looked at him and I told him that I would beat the fuck out of him if he stayed. He was paralyzed by fear. I took a step towards him and told him again to get away fast or face a serious beating. This time, he fled. After that event, I became a lot firmer with touts and hawkers. I'm usually quite good at making them go away (by ignoring them), but some of the kids I saw that day were kind of fun and made me warm up a bit too much.
Today, I hired a car to explore the sites. I went to Angkor Wat again as it is quite a wonderful piece of architecture. I just wanted to take a few more snapshots before moving on to temples and palaces I had not seen yet. When I came back, I couldn't find my car and driver. The cars are all Toyota Camri's (go figure why) and all the drivers look similar (same shade of skin, same hair color, same approximate build, same kind of crappy clothing). I was greatly annoyed and, since I was to pay AFTER the day was over, I figured just leaving him to rot there without any revenue for his day was punishment enough for him and I hired a tuk-tuk to complete the rest of my day.
Things went on pretty well that day up until I was done will the last temple that I wanted to see on the main site. My plan was to get back to town where there is plenty of drivers competing against each other to get another driver to take me to another group of temples. So, I tell the driver we're done and we can go back to town. "So, you'll pay me 20$ when we get there?", the driver asked. We had agreed on 10$. I was already pretty close to the edge because of the events of the previous day and because of the fact that my original driver for the day had disappeared, so I busted a fuse. I got so angry. And, remember, I still have this fantasy of making a dishonest taxi driver pay dearly for his ways.
So, I just walked out from the tuk-tuk and told him to get lost. I wanted to hire another driver without paying the first one. I figured that would make him and his family starve for a few days and that's precisely what I wanted at that point. I was really and the driver saw it and saw that I was serious about leaving without paying so he agreed on the original 10$. But, I was so angry at him that I didn't care at that point. I just wanted him to lose the 10$ to make him suffer. None of the other drivers would take me since I looked like I was about to kill someone and they knew I was leaving the first one without a penny. I know the rational thing to do would have been to go with the original plan and hop on his tuk-tuk and pay the agreed price. But, all the irritation I had accumulated during my week in Cambodia was exploding out of me at that moment. During all this time, a police officer was sitting on a log with his shirt off and was smiling at the scene with no intention whatsoever to do anything about it.
So, I just walked away with a big stick with nails stuck into it (in case things got nasty). The driver then alerted other people and I was starting to feel that I might soon need the stick. When I felt that too many people were closing in on me from the road, I dashed into the jungle. That was a pretty intense adrenaline rush. It's not everyday that you are on the run from a group of starving tuk-tuk drivers with an account to settle in the middle of the Cambodian jungle. I felt like I was in a movie. I saw many weird things in the jungle: strange bugs; millions of termites running along paths; people living in shacks in the middle of nowhere, ...
On a few occasions, I saw the road, but I also saw some of the driver's acolytes waiting for me (in case I'd find another driver). This was getting way out of hand for a mere 10$. What kept me going in the jungle on muddy paths for over an hour was that it wasn't about the 10$ anymore, but rather about saving my pretty face.
Then, things got fucked up.
I was intercepted by two officers with machine guns. 10$ is a lot of money for the average Cambodian, so the driver contacted the authorities and many armed Cambodians were looking for me! At that point, I was really nervous. The Cambodian police is known for being corrupt and they could use this whole story to extort a lot more than 10$ from me. I was taken to the tourist police where I gave my version of the story. The tuk-tuk driver was called in. The man at the tourist police office (I never got to know his name or title) eventually told me to just give the driver the 10$ and everything would be over. A man with the police would take me back to my hotel. I was very unhappy: I was trapped and the driver would not starve this week.
I was then forced to sign a document written in Khmer only. It was some kind of police report. I was told it was just a formality and that the line or two of notes written in the explanation field were just a statement in which I agreed to give 10$ to the driver. I said I would sign the statement after it was translated in English. The officers then all came around me and told me to sign it WITHOUT translation. Furthermore, I had to "sign" not in the usual way, but rather by applying my thumb's print on the document. I was feeling trouble closing in on me. I protested. For all I know, I was asked to sign a "confession" that would give them all the leverage they need to put me in deeper mud. In the end, a guy told me I could just sign with a pen if I preferred. Which I did, but not before writing a one-liner saying that I was settling the matter by paying 10$.
I'm worried now. The police knows where I'm staying, has my passport number and has no one to answer to. I won't have complete peace of mind until I have left the country. I won't stick around too long...
Then, I visited the Angkor region (including Angkor Wat and countless other temples in the jungle). The Angkor archaeological site is awe-inspiring. Just Angkor Wat (the most famous of the Angkor temples) is enough to keep you busy for many hours. But then there are so many other marvels including a walled inner city; artificial lakes; pond systems; temples overrun by jungle, etc.
One problem is all the hawkers. They are REALLY annoying. One tactic used is to send the children after the tourists. They look more vulnerable and many people will feel pity or compassion for them and buy some of their stuff. Some of the children are pretty clever. They speak better English than most mainland Chinese people in the tourist industry and many speak another language or two as well (French, Spanish, Japanese, Korean, ...). They'll often ask you where you come from and then name half a dozen cities in that country and ask you from which city you are. Others will give you free items that they crafted from simple material and ask you to consider buying from them (say, a soft drink) on your way back from the temple you are about to visit.
So far, everything is all right. But, others will use deceitful tactics to extort some money from you. It can be children saying they'd like you to take a picture of them and then ask you for some money for having had the privilege to photograph them. Other people will look happy to explain features of the temple and then demand to be paid for their services. Even the police officers do that! Did I mention the police can't be trusted in Cambodia? Never trust anyone here.
Two kids around 5 years of age wanted me to take pictures of them. Of course, I declined. Seeing I wasn't going to pay them for a picture, they asked me if I wanted to "boom boom". I was caught off guard; a 5 year old was trying to pimp a fuck to me!!! I smiled (because the situation was funny in a twisted way) and just walked away. Then, I starting thinking... Was the little boy trying to pimp a woman he knows to me or was he trying to pimp himself out? Cambodia is well known as a destination of predilection for pedophiles since it has so many homeless or piss-poor children that will do anything they need to in order to survive. The smile was gone from my face.
The whole day was spent enjoying the ruins and fending off hawkers. A couple of hours before the archaeological park closed, my tuk-tuk driver was trying to convince me that the day was over and that we should go back to my hotel. I had to threaten to pay only half the agreed sum of money to stay until the end of the park closure. Angkor is so huge, I didn't feel like losing precious hours. Anyway, at the last temple I visited that day, a 11 or 12 year old deaf and dumb boy wearing large woman's hearings and trying to be feminine started following me and insisted to be under my umbrella (it was raining by then). He was trying to beg some money from me and/or sell his ass to me. I wanted nothing to do with a dirty transvestite child, so I walked faster from him. Still, he'd follow me. I didn't have the heart to push him away forcefully just yet, so I started running away from him, figuring he'd get the message. However, the temple's stones had become quite slippery because of the rain and, trying to circumvent the kid, I slipped and badly hurt both my hands. That was the final straw.
At that point, I didn't care that he was poor as can be and that he had to beg and sell his body to disgusting old men to survive. I just had enough of all this. Feeling the pain in my hands and looking at the blood dripping from them made me snap. I looked at him and I told him that I would beat the fuck out of him if he stayed. He was paralyzed by fear. I took a step towards him and told him again to get away fast or face a serious beating. This time, he fled. After that event, I became a lot firmer with touts and hawkers. I'm usually quite good at making them go away (by ignoring them), but some of the kids I saw that day were kind of fun and made me warm up a bit too much.
Today, I hired a car to explore the sites. I went to Angkor Wat again as it is quite a wonderful piece of architecture. I just wanted to take a few more snapshots before moving on to temples and palaces I had not seen yet. When I came back, I couldn't find my car and driver. The cars are all Toyota Camri's (go figure why) and all the drivers look similar (same shade of skin, same hair color, same approximate build, same kind of crappy clothing). I was greatly annoyed and, since I was to pay AFTER the day was over, I figured just leaving him to rot there without any revenue for his day was punishment enough for him and I hired a tuk-tuk to complete the rest of my day.
Things went on pretty well that day up until I was done will the last temple that I wanted to see on the main site. My plan was to get back to town where there is plenty of drivers competing against each other to get another driver to take me to another group of temples. So, I tell the driver we're done and we can go back to town. "So, you'll pay me 20$ when we get there?", the driver asked. We had agreed on 10$. I was already pretty close to the edge because of the events of the previous day and because of the fact that my original driver for the day had disappeared, so I busted a fuse. I got so angry. And, remember, I still have this fantasy of making a dishonest taxi driver pay dearly for his ways.
So, I just walked out from the tuk-tuk and told him to get lost. I wanted to hire another driver without paying the first one. I figured that would make him and his family starve for a few days and that's precisely what I wanted at that point. I was really and the driver saw it and saw that I was serious about leaving without paying so he agreed on the original 10$. But, I was so angry at him that I didn't care at that point. I just wanted him to lose the 10$ to make him suffer. None of the other drivers would take me since I looked like I was about to kill someone and they knew I was leaving the first one without a penny. I know the rational thing to do would have been to go with the original plan and hop on his tuk-tuk and pay the agreed price. But, all the irritation I had accumulated during my week in Cambodia was exploding out of me at that moment. During all this time, a police officer was sitting on a log with his shirt off and was smiling at the scene with no intention whatsoever to do anything about it.
So, I just walked away with a big stick with nails stuck into it (in case things got nasty). The driver then alerted other people and I was starting to feel that I might soon need the stick. When I felt that too many people were closing in on me from the road, I dashed into the jungle. That was a pretty intense adrenaline rush. It's not everyday that you are on the run from a group of starving tuk-tuk drivers with an account to settle in the middle of the Cambodian jungle. I felt like I was in a movie. I saw many weird things in the jungle: strange bugs; millions of termites running along paths; people living in shacks in the middle of nowhere, ...
On a few occasions, I saw the road, but I also saw some of the driver's acolytes waiting for me (in case I'd find another driver). This was getting way out of hand for a mere 10$. What kept me going in the jungle on muddy paths for over an hour was that it wasn't about the 10$ anymore, but rather about saving my pretty face.
Then, things got fucked up.
I was intercepted by two officers with machine guns. 10$ is a lot of money for the average Cambodian, so the driver contacted the authorities and many armed Cambodians were looking for me! At that point, I was really nervous. The Cambodian police is known for being corrupt and they could use this whole story to extort a lot more than 10$ from me. I was taken to the tourist police where I gave my version of the story. The tuk-tuk driver was called in. The man at the tourist police office (I never got to know his name or title) eventually told me to just give the driver the 10$ and everything would be over. A man with the police would take me back to my hotel. I was very unhappy: I was trapped and the driver would not starve this week.
I was then forced to sign a document written in Khmer only. It was some kind of police report. I was told it was just a formality and that the line or two of notes written in the explanation field were just a statement in which I agreed to give 10$ to the driver. I said I would sign the statement after it was translated in English. The officers then all came around me and told me to sign it WITHOUT translation. Furthermore, I had to "sign" not in the usual way, but rather by applying my thumb's print on the document. I was feeling trouble closing in on me. I protested. For all I know, I was asked to sign a "confession" that would give them all the leverage they need to put me in deeper mud. In the end, a guy told me I could just sign with a pen if I preferred. Which I did, but not before writing a one-liner saying that I was settling the matter by paying 10$.
I'm worried now. The police knows where I'm staying, has my passport number and has no one to answer to. I won't have complete peace of mind until I have left the country. I won't stick around too long...
2008-11-06
Phnom Penh
I got in Phnom Penh last night. The Vietnam/Cambodia border crossing is the most amateurish one I ever saw.
Phnom Penh is about as developed as Saigon. Some things are different though. In Saigon, there are some fast food chains (KFC, Lotteria and Pho 24), but not in PP. In PP, buildings seem more sturdy, but more people live on the streets. Also, although Saigon doesn't have decent convenience stores (such as 7-Eleven), PP does.
Today, I visited all there is to see in Phnom Penh in about three hours. Then, I proceeded to a high school that was converted into an interrogation/torture camp during the Pol Pot regime. Walking in the rooms where such events took place gave me a chill, even though the weather was really hot. In some of the rooms, thousands of victim mugshots taken by the Khmer Rouge are displayed. Half of them are of women and children since when a "traitor" was convicted (without trial) of not being in favor of the regime, he and his whole family were processed and then executed. Looking at all these faces staring at you from the past in the very place where they suffered before being taken to the killing fields was a very moving experience.
During wartime, Asians have historically been a lot more cruel than Westerners. Cambodians are no exception. If you thought the Nazis were bad; there was worst. The last place I visited today was the Phnom Penh killing field. Thousands of people perished there. Many mass graves were unearthed there. One of them was filled with headless bodies. Another one only with women and children. There is a stand where some bones that couldn't be matched with particular bodies are displayed. If you wish, you can touch them. If you have a twisted urge to bring some back home as a souvenir, no one seems to be there to prevent you from doing so.
Phnom Penh is about as developed as Saigon. Some things are different though. In Saigon, there are some fast food chains (KFC, Lotteria and Pho 24), but not in PP. In PP, buildings seem more sturdy, but more people live on the streets. Also, although Saigon doesn't have decent convenience stores (such as 7-Eleven), PP does.
Today, I visited all there is to see in Phnom Penh in about three hours. Then, I proceeded to a high school that was converted into an interrogation/torture camp during the Pol Pot regime. Walking in the rooms where such events took place gave me a chill, even though the weather was really hot. In some of the rooms, thousands of victim mugshots taken by the Khmer Rouge are displayed. Half of them are of women and children since when a "traitor" was convicted (without trial) of not being in favor of the regime, he and his whole family were processed and then executed. Looking at all these faces staring at you from the past in the very place where they suffered before being taken to the killing fields was a very moving experience.
During wartime, Asians have historically been a lot more cruel than Westerners. Cambodians are no exception. If you thought the Nazis were bad; there was worst. The last place I visited today was the Phnom Penh killing field. Thousands of people perished there. Many mass graves were unearthed there. One of them was filled with headless bodies. Another one only with women and children. There is a stand where some bones that couldn't be matched with particular bodies are displayed. If you wish, you can touch them. If you have a twisted urge to bring some back home as a souvenir, no one seems to be there to prevent you from doing so.
2008-11-04
Around and Out of Saigon
I still think Saigon is rather crappy, but I did see one supermarket (way out there) and ads for new exciting developments. It will take some time (say, 20 years) before it gets to where Bangkok is now, though.
I am told it was WAY worst just ten years ago when muggings were very frequent and there was a practical curfew imposed every night and people worked only to barely survive. Even though the Vietnamese aren't exactly jetsetters, at least they can afford cell phones and even computers now.
Anyway, if urban excitement is what you are looking for, avoid Vietnam. However, outside Saigon, the nature is pretty cool (especially when thinking about how all the Vietnam war movies).
I went to the Cu Chi tunnels. That place is pretty hardcore. During the war of independence against the French and the war against the Americans, the Vietnamese dug about 250km of tunnels underground to lead a (literally) underground resistance against the invaders. The tunnel network had secret entrances all over the place. Most of the tunnels are only large enough for the average Vietnamese man to crawl in. This has two advantages: less work is required to dig a given length of tunnel and it prevents many Westerners from entering the tunnels.
I am told it was WAY worst just ten years ago when muggings were very frequent and there was a practical curfew imposed every night and people worked only to barely survive. Even though the Vietnamese aren't exactly jetsetters, at least they can afford cell phones and even computers now.
Anyway, if urban excitement is what you are looking for, avoid Vietnam. However, outside Saigon, the nature is pretty cool (especially when thinking about how all the Vietnam war movies).
I went to the Cu Chi tunnels. That place is pretty hardcore. During the war of independence against the French and the war against the Americans, the Vietnamese dug about 250km of tunnels underground to lead a (literally) underground resistance against the invaders. The tunnel network had secret entrances all over the place. Most of the tunnels are only large enough for the average Vietnamese man to crawl in. This has two advantages: less work is required to dig a given length of tunnel and it prevents many Westerners from entering the tunnels.
The tunnels are dug in a way to make it hard for unauthorized people to navigate through them as they have many dead ends, booby traps and secrets junctions. I crawled through one that has been enlarged to three or four times its normal width and I was REALLY happy to get out of there after just 20 meters of crawling. The air is heavy and you see nothing (it's pitch dark in there). I can't even start to imagine what it must have been to live in there knowing people were out to get you.
The whole place is incredible. It's in a jungle setting complete with mean-looking bugs and fleeting reptiles. The jungle is pretty new (~30 years old), though, as the whole area has been pummeled with bombs, defoliant (Agent Orange) and napalm during the war with the Americans. Also, people visiting the area can now shoot AK-47's and other guns at a shooting range. So, one always hears gunshots in the distance. This combined with all the bomb craters and the war remnants around makes for a pretty intense experience.
The Cu Chi tunnels are what left the deepest impression in my mind while I was in Vietnam.
I also went on a short cruise on the Mekong River.
These day trips were cheap, but they were probably subsidized in part by kickbacks from the places the tour buses stopped at on the way to the desired destinations. Asking to go to one place and being taken to three or four is common in this part of the world. One of the places I was taken to was a factory where Agent Orange victims craft stuff to sell to tourists.
During my last night in Saigon, I met a few Aussies from Sydney and we shared our stories. One of theirs consisted in them being intimidated by 7 or 8 taxi drivers to pay more than double the agreed-upon price to their cab driver once they arrived at their destination.
On a totally different note, everyone I spoke to here is very happy that Obama won the election.
The Cu Chi tunnels are what left the deepest impression in my mind while I was in Vietnam.
I also went on a short cruise on the Mekong River.
These day trips were cheap, but they were probably subsidized in part by kickbacks from the places the tour buses stopped at on the way to the desired destinations. Asking to go to one place and being taken to three or four is common in this part of the world. One of the places I was taken to was a factory where Agent Orange victims craft stuff to sell to tourists.
During my last night in Saigon, I met a few Aussies from Sydney and we shared our stories. One of theirs consisted in them being intimidated by 7 or 8 taxi drivers to pay more than double the agreed-upon price to their cab driver once they arrived at their destination.
On a totally different note, everyone I spoke to here is very happy that Obama won the election.
2008-11-02
Saigon
Vietnam sucks.
No subway system, no supermarkets, no skyscrapers, no decent convenience stores, no advanced medical facilities. I think that so far, this is the crappiest country I've ever been in. It's on the lower end of the second world countries or the higher end of the third world countries.
I managed to see all that is worth seeing in Saigon (also know as Ho Chi Minh City) in about three hours. I'm not sticking around here too long. Tomorrow, I'll go in the tunnels the Viet Congs used to combat the Americans from. The day after that, I'll explore the Mekong river and a few of its swamps. That should satisfy my craving for Vietnam that was acquired through watching all these war movies as a child. Then, I'll move on to Cambodia.
I saw a certain amount of mutants of the streets. It turns out they are actual mutants who got birth defects due to the Americans' use of Agent Orange. I can't help but feel that the crappy state in which the country finds itself is due to the Americans. The communist government doesn't help either. Vietnam is decades behind Thailand or China.
Because of the poor state of development, everything is cheap here. I paid 20 cents to grab the bus from the airport to my downtown hotel. I got a haircut for 2$. I'm told I got screwed at that price as I could have gotten one for 1$. But, for me, 1$ or 2$ for a haircut makes no difference. I paid 5$ for my day tour tomorrow which includes round-trip air-conditioned bus ride, entry to the Viet Cong tunnels, lunch and service. Again, I could have gotten this for a dollar cheaper. But, in Vietnam, everything is so cheap that you simply don't even feel like bargaining. It would just be a waste of time.
No subway system, no supermarkets, no skyscrapers, no decent convenience stores, no advanced medical facilities. I think that so far, this is the crappiest country I've ever been in. It's on the lower end of the second world countries or the higher end of the third world countries.
I managed to see all that is worth seeing in Saigon (also know as Ho Chi Minh City) in about three hours. I'm not sticking around here too long. Tomorrow, I'll go in the tunnels the Viet Congs used to combat the Americans from. The day after that, I'll explore the Mekong river and a few of its swamps. That should satisfy my craving for Vietnam that was acquired through watching all these war movies as a child. Then, I'll move on to Cambodia.
I saw a certain amount of mutants of the streets. It turns out they are actual mutants who got birth defects due to the Americans' use of Agent Orange. I can't help but feel that the crappy state in which the country finds itself is due to the Americans. The communist government doesn't help either. Vietnam is decades behind Thailand or China.
Because of the poor state of development, everything is cheap here. I paid 20 cents to grab the bus from the airport to my downtown hotel. I got a haircut for 2$. I'm told I got screwed at that price as I could have gotten one for 1$. But, for me, 1$ or 2$ for a haircut makes no difference. I paid 5$ for my day tour tomorrow which includes round-trip air-conditioned bus ride, entry to the Viet Cong tunnels, lunch and service. Again, I could have gotten this for a dollar cheaper. But, in Vietnam, everything is so cheap that you simply don't even feel like bargaining. It would just be a waste of time.
Halloween in Hong Kong
I spent Halloween in Hong Kong, as planned.
I wanted to test my costume out before the actual Halloween night party in Lan Kwai Fong. So, I put my skeleton costume on in the night from the 30th to the 31st and just walked around Kowloon. I got quite the reactions! Some people were amused, other scared or just weirded out.
Then came the party night itself. When I got to Lan Kwai Fong (LKF for short), I got photographed hundreds and hundreds of times. It was crazy. The big thing to do for Halloween in Hong Kong (if you are a local) is to go to LKF and watch/take pictures of the costumed foreigners. Rarely have I got so much attention in my life. I think the costume was a pretty good one.
Some people were scared of me because of my costume, even though they were in LKF. I managed to make some kids shout and cry simply by looking in their direction. There even was one adult that couldn't look at me (and her friends laughed at her and kept insisting that I bug her).
I took pictures of other people with fun or cute costumes. Many girls went for sexy costumes like French maid outfits, latex nurse outfits, Playboy bunny outfits... I didn't feel like leaving, but I finally did at 5am.
But, before I went back to my room, I walked around Kowloon a bit where I scared shitless a few people who weren't expecting to see a skeleton walking in their neighborhood. Amongst them were two prostitutes and a potential costumer of theirs. It's funny how after the initial shock, one of them asked me if I wanted a "massage". Gotta love that entrepreneurial spirit!
I didn't sleep much as I was flying to Saigon in the afternoon.
I wanted to test my costume out before the actual Halloween night party in Lan Kwai Fong. So, I put my skeleton costume on in the night from the 30th to the 31st and just walked around Kowloon. I got quite the reactions! Some people were amused, other scared or just weirded out.
Then came the party night itself. When I got to Lan Kwai Fong (LKF for short), I got photographed hundreds and hundreds of times. It was crazy. The big thing to do for Halloween in Hong Kong (if you are a local) is to go to LKF and watch/take pictures of the costumed foreigners. Rarely have I got so much attention in my life. I think the costume was a pretty good one.
Some people were scared of me because of my costume, even though they were in LKF. I managed to make some kids shout and cry simply by looking in their direction. There even was one adult that couldn't look at me (and her friends laughed at her and kept insisting that I bug her).
I took pictures of other people with fun or cute costumes. Many girls went for sexy costumes like French maid outfits, latex nurse outfits, Playboy bunny outfits... I didn't feel like leaving, but I finally did at 5am.
But, before I went back to my room, I walked around Kowloon a bit where I scared shitless a few people who weren't expecting to see a skeleton walking in their neighborhood. Amongst them were two prostitutes and a potential costumer of theirs. It's funny how after the initial shock, one of them asked me if I wanted a "massage". Gotta love that entrepreneurial spirit!
I didn't sleep much as I was flying to Saigon in the afternoon.
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