Cambodia - Phnom Penh

After our boat trip over the border, we settled into Phnom Penh for 2 days.
The first day of the trip we went to see the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum in the city. It is an old high school that was turned into a prison by the Khmer Rouge from 1975-1979. It was a very open building with a pretty green courtyard, so at first I could imagine it as a normal high school. But the rooms held remnants and pictures of life in the prison, including photos of many of the prisoners. They think up to 20,000 people passed through the prison, and the Khmer Rouge did a thorough job of documenting them all. They also had many of the rooms split up into tiny solitary cells and had examples of the devices used for torture.

After the prisoners were tortured and interrogated in the prison, they were taken to the nearby Killing Fields, where as the name suggests they were killed and buried in mass graves. The Khmer Rouge were communists who wanted this perfect agrarian society. They abolished money, sent people out of the cities to the country and into forced labor camps. They targeted anyone suspected of having a connection with the old government and intellectuals. It is thought that they executed over 200,000 people, but that over 2million died from disease and starvation. It's a very tragic and VERY recent past, so it's a hard thing to see.

This is a stupa that was built to memorialize those killed here. Inside are many of the bone remains and clothing from the prisoners.
After seeing the sad sites of Phnom Penh, we went for a more cheerful trip to the Grand Palace. It was a lot like the Grand Palace in Thailand, but also had some interesting French influences.
The river front was very pretty. We ate along here and had some drinks at night.
I found out just before leaving for my trip that I have a cousin who lives in Phnom Penh. My dad and her dad are cousins so I have no idea what that technically makes us...second cousins? They took me and Pam to this great restaurant that trains street kids how to work in restaurants. It was a really cool place with delicious food. It's amazing how small the world is sometimes!

Crossing the Border on the Mekong River

After spending our time in Ho Chi Minh, it was time to head west to Cambodia. I had heard bad things about buses in Veitnam, and was advised to instead take boats as much as possible. We also wanted to explore the Mekong Delta, so we signed up for a 2 day trip ending in Phnom Penh. The backpacker areas in these big cities come equipped with all things a traveler needs, including about a billion travel agents. It took about 10 minutes and 40 dollars to book our entire 2 day trip, and we were on our way! The whole trip was a strange combination of buses and boats where we were shuffled from one tour guide to the next. We had to be very trusting in these people because we had no idea where we were going or what was going on most of the time, but it turned out very well and was a relaxing trip. When we had to cross the border we simply had to get off the boat, wait about 30 minutes for our passports to be processed and sailed happily into Cambodia.

Pam on the very first boat.

One of our first stops was the floating markets. I was afraid it was going to be over touristy, but I think it was actually pretty legit. This is a place where farmers come to sell their produce in bulk. They pack up their boats, come to the market, and stay until they have nothing left. To show people what each boat has for sale, they hang a sample of their produce from a pole, and shoppers go from boat to boat checking prices. It's a really cool system!

A woman selling lychees in the market.

We were also taken to a market where people were making very traditional Vietnamese foods like coconut candy and rice paper. This guy is making popped rice (just like pop corn!).

We went to a fish farm. It was like a house boat floating on the water with a giant fish tank underneath and a VERY strong smell. The fish were pretty packed inside, and when the guide put this food in the water they flopped around like crazy.

Both me and Pam celebrated our birthdays on these boats. Not a horrible way to celebrate.

Our lunch - elephant ear fish

Old woman making coconut cakes on the street

We visited a Muslim minority village on the river. We walked past this really cute school where they were practicing for some sort of show. The kids just stood there and waved at us looking adorable.

Vietnam - Cu Chi Tunnels and Cao Dai Temple

I took a day trip from Saigon (or should I say Ho Chi Minh? I never know and people there call it both) to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels and the Cao Dai Temple. The Cu Chi Tunnels are a series of underground tunnels that were used by the Viet Minh to fight against the French during the push for independence, and then were expanded and used by the Viet Cong to fight the US during the Vietnam war. There are a few series of tunnels farther north that were used as living quarters, but the ones I visited were used mostly for fighting. There were several layers of tiny little tunnels, and they were definitely built for people much smaller than I am.

There were some big entrances and went slowly into the ground, but there were also hidden entrances all over so that if they were being attacked they could flee quickly into the ground. They were very clever in all their planning, and thought of all the little things. For example, they used a kind of wood to make the doors to the entrances that would expand when wet. This sealed the entrances in rain and prevented the tunnels from being flooded.
They also obviously needed air holes, but having these directly in the ground would make the tunnels very obvious for enemy soldiers. So smartly they hide the air holes under fake ant hills like this one.
We were able to enter one of the tunnels and crawl for about 100meters. It was pretty claustrophobic and I barely fit. This is only the first layer of tunnels. They let us go down into the second but it would have involved crawling on my belly through the dark and I chickened out. The first one was enough for me.
You could also pay to shoot an AK47, which pretty much just freaked me out.
They also showed us all sorts of morbid traps used by the Viet Cong. This was one example, where it looked like grass but when you stepped on it it would rotate you and flip you down to the metal spikes below.

The same day I also went to see the nearby Cao Dai temple. Cao Dai is a religion founded in 1926 in Vietnam and it brings together a mix of Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, and Catholicism (they even have a pope!). It's a pretty small religion and this colorful temple is the world headquarters and we were able to watch part of a prayer service.

Ho Chi Minh

Ho Chi Minh, or Saigon City, is a crazy crazy crazy place. They say there are 11million people in the city, and 4million scooters. I thought that I was used to scooters after living in Taiwan, but I was in for quite a lesson trying to cross the streets of Ho Chi Minh. There are very few traffic lights in the city, so most of the time you have to brave your way across a busy street with no help. Every time I had the initial rush of fear as I stepped of the curb, playing frogger to avoid the massive wave of scooters parting around me. And then I had a rush or relief and satisfaction when I made it safely across. A few times after staring at the street and looking terrified, a stranger would grab my hand and lead my safely across the street. I think they could sense my fear and took pity on me.
Along with the hoards of scooters there are people approaching you every second to try to sell drinks, food, sunglasses, and rides. I was impressed with both the entrepreneurship and persistence of these people, along with how well many of them spoke English.

I bought dried bananas and waffle cookies from this woman. She had a grill and was cooking them right on the street.

This guy drove me around and gave me a tour of the city. I met him because I was staring at a super scary street and attempting to cross. He made his way out in front and blocked traffic for me, so I felt obliged to take a ride. In Vietnam I was a little nervous to tell people I was American because I thought there may be some resentment, but I found everyone to be insanely friendly. Most of the drivers would tell me they fought for the US in the war, and a few even had pictures of themselves with American soldiers.

Guys were all around offering rides, and would sometimes just take naps on their scooters.

I loved these contraptions they had to carry drinks and food.You could also buy knock offs of any brand you can dream of. By accident I even got this water thinking it was Aquafina. Clever...

There is a lot of old French architecture left in the city. Here are some examples:

The Opera House

The Old Post Office

Notre Dame Cathedral

This is the old palace. When the French ruled Vietnam this was the governers palace. When Vietnam was liberated from the french, it became the home for the president of South Vietnam. In 1975 a northern Vietnam tank crashed into the front gate of the palace forcing the South to officially surrender.

There was a childrens' day thing going on and there was a dragon dance. This little kid was part of the show and was the cutest thing ever.

Just north of the palace was a war museum. It used to be called the "US Army Crime Exhibition house", and was definitely very anti-America. It was a pretty intense museum and was hard to take, especially the section of the consequences of agent orange.

Peaking into North Korea

While is Seoul I took a half day trip up to the DMZ, the area between North and South Korea. The DMZ is about a 30 minute drive from Seoul, and to enter you have to go on a guided tour. The whole DMZ is a 2km zone around the border that the armies on either side guard. There was a lot of propaganda stating that North and South Korea are still one country separated by a civil war, and the whole tour was focused on how much South Korea wants to unify with the North. For example, things were named 'unification bridge' or 'unification village'.

This was called the stones of peace wall. It had stones from 64 different war zones around the world. I think it's a really cool idea for a monument.

This is a train that was caught in the DMZ during the Korean war. You can see all the bullet holes in the train.

South Korean guard post on the DMZ

I had heard it was built up in a very touristy way, but was not quite ready for what I saw. There was actually an amusement park at the entrance.
Me with the DMZ in the background
Train tracks now run from South to North, but there are obviously no trains running currently. The South built a train station in the middle of the DMZ. It is newly built but has never been used, and has a very eerie feeling. There were big signs talking about how someday when there is peace between the North and the South you will be able to take a train from South Korea all the way to Europe. They even have fake tickets you can get to go to Pyeongyang.

This is the platform where you can see into North Korea. The day was VERY hazy, so I was unable to see more than a little pond and a road across the border. There is a big yellow line you have to stand behind to take pictures, because for security reasons they don't want people to be able to capture any of the South Korean base in their shots. This guy took one across the line and was quickly approached by a guard to delete it. It also happened to be the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean war, and so the government had invited all these war vets to come visit. There were flocks of these vets on site, each with a young Korean guide next to him.
We were also able to go into a tunnel that the North Koreans dug under the DMZ. There are 4 such tunnels that the South has discovered, and probably even more that are still unknown. The North attempted to disguise the tunnels as coal mines by smearing black on the walls, but they were actually part of a plan to sneak soldiers into the South. At the end of the tunnel you are allowed to walk down you are 170m from the border, the closest any civilian is allowed to go.

Solo in Seoul

After visiting my dad in Wonju, I took a bus back into Seoul to spend a few days. Getting off the bus I did not have a reservation at a hostel but I had one in mind, so I took the subway to the right area. Seoul is an ENORMOUS city, and this became apparent as soon as I entered the metro station. The map seemed to go on forever, and to confuse things even more the stop I wanted was on a circular line with no end. I managed to find the right train and made my way to what turned out to be a great hostel (Namu Guesthouse if you are ever in Seoul I recommend it!). It's more like a converted apartement with just a few rooms, and the woman even made me a fried egg for breakfast.

Once I settled in, I got a map of the city and set out to explore. I am a very social creature, and although I am ok being by myself I prefer to surround myself with as many people as possible. So luckily as soon as I climbed back on the subway I made two new friends, two Americans who are teaching Enlgish in Wonju for a year. We ended up spending the whole day together visitng an old palace, Seoul tower, and Itaewon (the army base area) for some much appreciated Taco Bell.

This is Gyeongbukgung Palace from the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1897). This is the time when the Korean writing system Hangul was developed by King Sejong the Great. It's a super scientific language that seems very well thought out and logical. It's all phonetic and is supposed to be very easy to learn.

Me in front of the main entrance to the palace
There was a procession going on with guards dressed up in traditional robes playing instruments and marching in line.
The palace grounds were really pretty. Here is a pagoda in the middle.
My new friends Tim and Shirley
King Sejon
This is where the president of South Korea lives

Here are some views from the top of Namsan Park, the hill that houses Seoul Tower. It is actually a pretty ugly tower and the day was hazy so we stop after taking the cable car to the top of the hill. It had a great view of Seoul, and I was amazed by how the city never seemed to end.

At the top there were sculptures in the shape of trees. You could buy locks and charms to write on and hang on the trees. I obviously had to take part.

The cable car to get to the top of the hill

On my second day I decide to roam freely throughout the city and see what I discovered. At times I had a little direction, but most of the time I just picked whatever street looked most interesting and turned that way. It was a great way to see the many sides of Seoul. I started in the Bukchon Hanok Village that housed traditional Korean homes and a million museums including one devoted only to chicken art. Unfortunately it was closed but peaking through the door I was able to see my share of chicken statues and drawings. Walking from there I saw it all - the huge skyscrapers in the business district, the shopping district, college campuses (where I became part of a student film), and even a nice stream running through the city.

Houses in the traditional village
There was a nice walking path along the stream in the city. A lot of people were sitting along the water resting and dipping their feet in the water.
This waterfall was supposed to block the smell of sewage from entering the stream. It did not work.

At night I made another friend and we ventured out into HongDae, which is an area full of a million and one restaurants and bars. We had Korean bbq for dinner, where you cook the meat on a grill at your table, and then ventured to a bar to sample my very first soju, a Korea rice liquor. I thought I was ordering a shot and ended up with a beer sized bottle of 20% alcohol. It tasted like watered down vodka, so unfortuantely I didn't make it through my whole bottle.

SOJU!

My new friend Bradley being a chef at dinner