Thursday, December 28, 2006
Lhasa, Tibet
Having yak butter tea
Linda & Larry climbing the steps of the Potala Palace
Potala Palace
Flying over the Himalayas to Tibet
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Angkor Wat at Sunset
Angkor Bayon
Selling homemade palm sugar
Angkor Bayon
Selling homemade palm sugar
Ox Cart Ride
Living on the River
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
China etal 9/6 - 10/4/2006
China, Tibet, Hong Kong, Bangkok, & Siem Reap
Travel to China Notes:
Overnight in Lafayette, taxi to BART, BART to San Francisco International. Observations on 9-hour flight from SFO to Beijing: Next time we fly we should pack our legs in our luggage. Presume that is why very large people always stand and block the aisles. Beijing’s airport: Met by Stephanie & Leo. The immigration officers have a crew change giving us the first example of Chinese discipline as they line up and file out. Get our first view of eastern toilets: Porcelain holes in the ground.
BEIJING
·Beijing Hotel - Ning Xia Hotel is a large modern building hidden in a hutong, an old neighborhood of small stores and homes someday to be razed and rebuilt in the ‘new’ China form. The hotel is very new, but poorly constructed, cracks in walls. Being a Muslim hotel most of our group are a little nervous. A large Muslim population exists in China from the days of the Silk Road. Difficult to adjust to hard beds and duvet covers. Why thick duvets? Must be some value to using these as opposed to sheets and a blanket. But we have to turn down the a/c to sleep comfortably. Are hard beds better for the body?
·Food & Water: Dinner & Lunch were typically 8-10 delicious dishes of vegetables, pork, chicken, beef and an entire fish starring at us followed by watermelon. Breakfast is a full Chinese dinner - noodles, melon, congee (a mucous-like rice soup). Two glasses of light beer are included with most lunches and dinners. One dinner is Peking duck. Due to parasites locals boil their water or drink bottled; we’ll do the same.
·Government: The economy and government is neither communist nor capitalist; now a Socialist Market Economy Chinese Style.
·Education is compulsory for 9 years, but poorer parents can’t afford the books and supplies. Entry into college is by exam only which is administrated nationally in July. Monthly salary for many teachers is $20. Students must pass an exam to proceed. School vacation is July & August and one month in the winter based on the lunar calendar.
·The Han people make up 92% of the population and are allowed only one child. This policy began in 1973. Cannot even adopt after one child. Minorities are allowed 2 or more children.
·We learn for the first time we will have 2 guides in every city except Xian. This increases our budget for tipping. Part of China’s full employment wishes. Suggested tipping: Driver $3 per person per day/City guide $4 per person per day. Steffi’s code to bring out the tips when she says to us, “Time to say goodbye.” Local restaurants: no tipping or 10% if fancy.
Forbidden City, the walled city of the emperor. The construction of the Forbidden City started in 1406 and took 14 years and an estimated 200,000 men. A huge complex of 9,999 rooms; heaven has 10,000 rooms. Under the plaza there are Walls to prevent tunneling.
Tian an men Square is a huge open space that the Chinese revere, but without our feeling of loyalty to this country it is a disappointment. It may be huge and accommodate many people, but it’s a bit blah and not very inspiring. Hard to imagine the 1989 uprising.
Wild Great Wall and Badaling Wall - Walls were built and/or improved 2,600 years ago by Emperor Qin, who also unified the country, standardized measurements and language. The wall helped protect the Silk Road, kept the Mongols out, and kept the Chinese culture homogeneous. A storm was moving in that day; the weather at the wall was cold and windy. One can barely imagine the hardships that were faced by the quarter of a million peasants who built the 4,000 mile long walls from the sea through the rugged mountains to the Gobi desert.
*An OAT sponsored shopping place. A cloisonne factory - An OAT sponsored shopping place. Larry won chopsticks for his artistic endeavor. *An OAT sponsored shopping place: Carpet Factory
*A Grand Circle Foundation: Kung fu school - the kids put on a great show demonstrating their kung fu prowess.
*Miscellaneous Trivia:
- Minor observations: Traffic is a nightmare; all the cars are new. Construction employees are housed at the projects in large tents. City is being rebuilt for 2008 Olympics. Home to 15-16 million people, growing 2-3 million each year. Water is a big problem; new pipline from south bringing water north. Strange combination of English & Chinese ads.
- We learn the meaning behind ‘chop chop’. A chop is a seal. For communications, especially during war, the emperor and the general would each have identical ones. If the chop on the emperor’s message matched the general’s, the message was deemed accurate and the order should be carried out quickly - so the term chop chop.
-Colors: Yellow - only the royals could wear. Red - happiness and weddings. White - for funerals.
-The groom’s family pays for the wedding. A baby celebrates 100 days alive. A woman celebrates her 60th birthday getting gifts of longevity such as peaches and designs of bats.
-The best time to visit is the fall; the summers are hot and humid; no tours in the winter.
Summer Palace
It’s almost possible to imagine the serenity, the soft flowing silk robes, the smell of sweet incense, the reflection of the ripples and the gentle arching bridges of the empress dowager and her ladies in waiting.
Winter Palace (Beihei Park) a typical Chinese garden (172 acres)
The White Pagoda is on the highest point on Qiong Island is made of white stone. Destroyed in 1679 by an earthquake, it was rebuilt the following year and then again in 1976. Hidden inside the tower are Scriptures, Buddhist monk's mantle and alms bowl, and bones of monks (left after they are burned).
The Nine-Dragon Wall was built in 1756 and is one of three walls of its kind in China. It was made of seven-color glaze bricks. Nine complete dragons playing in the clouds are decorated on both sides of the wall.
The overnight train to Xian - We wait in the huge ‘soft seat’ lounge, but there are no seats left. On the train each couple has their own compartment instead of sharing with another couple. Large flasks of hot water are provided, but no cups. No towels in the washroom. Toilets are both western & eastern types. Wish this 12-hour ride was during the day; so much landscape slips by. Do glimpse corn drying on rooftops, plowing my hand labor or oxen, little farm cemeteries intertwined with growing areas, changing terrain from flat to mountainous. Larry was bothered by the rattling in the compartment. Each bed has a little TV giving us an opportunity to watch Finding Nemo in Chinese.
XIAN, once the world’s largest city
With 7 million people Xian is considered a middle size city and still surrounded by the original 600 year old city walls. This diverse city was the start of the Silk Road.
·Xi’an Garden Hotel - The Xian Garden Hotel is an award winning hotel built in the Tang Dynasty style. The rooms encircle a beautiful garden where we have our tai chi lesson. We also enjoyed a fascinating and filling dumpling dinner in the Tang Theater Restaurant and enjoy the song and dance numbers that originated more than a thousand years ago.
·Shaanxi Museum – Built to reflect the Tang Dynasty architectural style. Xian ranks with Rome, Athens & Cairo as a cradle of civilization, the museum displays historical artifacts from thousands of years.
·Hot Pot Dinner - First you mix your sauce from numerous spices and herbs, then wait for your hot pot to boil, then put various meats & vegetables in and wait for them to cook. Larry’s pot takes forever to boil; he almost goes hungry.
·Muslim Area - Very fascinating street. Wish it didn’t make me feel uncomfortable. What a shame to fear an entire population based on their religion.
·Drum & Bell Towers - Erected in 1380, the Drum Tower is the counterpart of the Bell Tower, which lies to the southeast. Like the Bell Tower, the Drum tower was used to tell time. An enormous drum once declared the hour at dusk, but later it was only used to warn of attack.
·Terra Cotta Warriors - We are truly amazed at the more than 7,000 life-size terracotta figures of warriors and horses arranged in battle formations. Artifacts had been found in the area before, but local peasants thought they were the work of the devil. Then in 1974 a farmer digging a well discovered more and reported it to the officials. For reporting this discovery the farmer received 30 yen, about the price of a new bicycle. In addition he is allowed to sit in the gift shop and autograph Terra Cotta warrior book for a fee. Local farmers can sell souvenirs within the museum compound. (All along the highway in the area, direction signs spell the location as Worriors; just one of many amusing spellings.)
·Emperor Qin tomb – We drove by this still unexcavated tomb. Emperor Qin unified the country, standardized measurements and language. He hated women, because his mother had an affair resulting in Qin’s birth which meant he wasn’t really the emperor’s son. When he discovered she wanted to kill him, he had her banished and killed his own father. He had no wife, but did have 10,000 concubines. Every time he lay with one, a eunuch would be in the room scribing the activities for posterity.
·Noodle-Making demo – I don’t know how they do that.
·Herb Market - Medicines are based on yin/yang principle. Examples of some herbs: Deer and dog penises, dried turtles, snakes, afterbirths, insects and antlers to be ground and made into a tea.
· Stephanie is proud of us and introduces us to her Father & Step-Mother. His life was a mini-epitome of the hard life in China before, during, and after Mao.
·Goose Pagoda - The structure was built in 652 during the Tang Dynasty
·Supermarket – Bought some instant coffee for future use. Wish we had longer to browse. Some items are a total mystery.
*An OAT sponsored shopping place. Lacquer Factory.
*An OAT sponsored shopping place. Jade Factory - did find a very nice jade necklace.
Miscellaneous trivia
-Country people eat corn, northerners are noodle eaters and considered friendlier, southerners eat more rice.
-There are 8 rivers around Xian.
-Emperor Qin’s name is pronounced “Chin” and the people still bear his name.
HUXIAN (Famous Farmers/Painters Village)
·Home stay in a Chinese version of a Bed & Breakfast. This new area replaces the old housing. About 70 of the 200 families operate as a B&B in addition to farming. After dinner, the women of the house take us to a simple plaza for dancing, while their men go drinking. At this time I say to myself: “I want my world back: hot showers, no cigarette smoke, no particulates in the air from coal and cornhusk fires, light meals, sheets and being able to throw toilet paper into the toilet instead of a trash can.” And it’s only day 10; we still have 20 to go.
·Painter’s Studio – Local peasants started painting in the late 1950s. At first they did not even have proper paints, but used soot, lime, and the red soil of the area to make paint. The County Communist Party Committee organized art classes so that professionals could teach these peasants how to paint. During the China's 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution their work was shown abroad to prove to the outside world that common, ordinary workers could produce works of art. The colorful paintings today explore all parts of daily life. And the prices are exceptionally affordable.
*A Grand Circle Foundation: School. One class sang Old McDonald Had a Farm. We returned with Row, Row, Row your Boat.
A LONG DAY’S TRAVEL TO OUR YANGTZE RIVER BOAT
A one-hour flight to Wuhan, a 6-hour Ride to Maoping, and finally board our river boat “Victoria Anna” (a brand new 5-star river boat). And most memorable: Jack, our escort from Wuhan to Maoping - Why doesn’t he just shut up; we’re tired. His best line: You are not fat like most of the American tourists. And we get to tip him too.
Miscellaneous trivia. - All our flights are punctual and professional. Had never heard of the airlines (Dragonair, Hainan), but that’s probably a good sign.
YANGTZE RIVER CRUISE
We enjoyed most of this cruise from our bedroom; we had debilitating head colds. We watched the Yangtze River flow past, the barges, the landscape. Luckily our room has a balcony and a wall consisting of a sliding door.
·Three Gorges Dam – Originally proposed by Sun Yat-sen in 1925, it was begun in 1994. It will be the largest hydroelectric dam in the world, more than five times the size of the Hoover Dam. The construction displaced over 2,000,000 people. The construction has already made the Chinese River Dolphin extinct. Time will tell if this displacement, especially from fertile land, will benefit China and pay the estimated 100 billion dollars (though China says it only costs 25 billion).
·Shore excursion - Ferry boat to Daning River; Sampan ride. - We skip this side trip, staying in bed nursing our colds.
·Fengdu, market tour plus a visit to a family relocated due to rising water levels from dam construction. Another city full of dichotomies: Profuse use of cell phones, but most work is done by hand. The relocated family has a nice store with their residence upstairs, but pigs and chickens in the basement.
·Disembark the boat in Chongqing, a metropolis of 30 million people. As we leave, the band plays. Chongqing, once called Chungking, claims to be the most populated city in China, but I’ve seen specs that put the ranking at 3rd behind Shanghai, Beijing . Provides an excellent example of China’s overnight trip from the 19th to the 21st century: Vibrant wealthy commercial city; Gucci, Feragamo, Louis Vuitton, all of it. Weather here is humid in the summer and chilly in the winter. They have little wind, but suffer an abundance of fog.
·General Stillwell Museum/Flying Tigers. This was the wartime capital after the Japanese attacked Nanking and the east coast. It was bombed during WW2, supposedly the most bombed city of WW2.
· Around this time we hear that Thailand has experienced a military coup! We will be there a week.
· Drive to Chengdu; we will return after our trip to Tibet.
*A Grand Circle Foundation: Hope School
FLY TO LHASA, TIBET
· In 1951 China liberated Tibet from suffering to happiness. They now have new roads and a new high speed train that will bring more and more tourists to Tibet. Will capitalism and greed destroy what’s left of their ancient Buddhist lifestyle?
·China is encouraging Han Chinese to move to Tibet. More cultural obliteration? We verify that the trinkets and souvenirs we buy are from Tibetans.
·I rather expected the movie version of Shangri-La, but Lhasa occupies a flat arid almost treeless valley spread between mountains. The mountains don’t look as high perhaps because we’re already up 11,000 feet. If they didn’t have to burn coal, the vistas would be outstanding. The outside temperature is warmer than expected, but the mountain peaks do receive a dusting of snow before we leave. The tourism industry is 6-months long here, but the growing season allows for 2 harvests.
·The air is dry, so dry that germs don’t grow well here. So dry, that many people drink 40-50 glasses of yak butter tea every day. This oily buttery beverage helps with the dry skin, but increases problems from chlorestoral and heart disease. Since yak butter is burned in temples too, the air is thick with it. We eventually smell like it too. Maybe because it’s in everything; we even have yak burgers. Not bad. Most of the food we eat is simple and rather provincial. Yak is used for transit, skin for boats, food, carpets, etc. Barley is a big product here. Their local beer, Chon, is made from dried barley. Let’s just say that Bud and Coors are popular here.
·High altitude troubles several of our group and most take pills. The ill ones suffer mainly severe headaches and nausea. The hotel supplies oxygen. Larry & I experience no problems even though we opt out pill taking. We make sure to drink plenty of water and no alcohol. Our Tibetan guide, Tashi, informs that Tibetans experience altitude problems when they descend to sea level.
·Colorful prayer flags decorate most buildings keeping away the evil. Blue is for the sky, white is for the clouds, yellow is the earth, red is fire, and green is water. They are replaced every new years which takes place in April.
·In addition to providing new roads, the Chinese brought in crematoriums, but they don’t thrive. Cremation is usually reserved for the Dalai Lama only. Tibetans’ preferred burial is not burial at all. They prefer either water or sky burial. Both of these methods entail being chopped up in little pieces by Buddhist monks and either thrown into the river or left for the vultures. (Surprisingly the Tibetans don’t eat much fish.) The basis is your body is your very last possession. Once you are rid of it, your soul is free. Burial is for criminals; their soul is never free. People don’t usually keep possessions of the deceased except for holy pictures called thangka paintings which are usually covered to keep out evil.
·Because they are a minority, the one child rule doesn’t apply to Tibet; city dwellers are allowed 2; country people may have 3.
·We didn’t experience it, but if a Tibetan sticks his tongue out he’s not being offensive; he’s showing it’s not blue which would mean he was evil.
·Locals say “Hello” to us for 2 reasons: as a greeting and also because they think we are the hello people.
·Since 1989 no pictures or news are allowed about the Dalai Lama. The present Dalai Lama lives in exile in India. There are supposedly 2 Pachi Lama’s on hand to replace the present Dalai Lama, both live in Beijing “learning”, but the one chosen by Tibet hasn’t been seen since 1999.
·Lhasa as a religious center is composed of three circles, inner, middle and outer, which are paths for the religious. People walk these circles swirling their pray wheels while they quote prayers. Another tradition of these highly religious people is the prostration ritual. First they prostrate themselves, stand up and step to the place their fingers reached, then they prostrate themselves again, continuing this until they reach the temple. They may start in their city and continue this ritual all the way.
·Jokhang Temple – Construction started in 639 and was the center of Buddhist pilgrims for centuries. Made up of the 3 circles. Oppressively crowded. Surrounded by such spiritualism, I feel out of place watching devout Buddhist pray, spin pray wheels and insert money in the numerous shrines amid the smell of yak butter candles. Thousand year old wood, buttery fires, absolutely no exit signs, and a mass of people – if this thing burns, we’re all going to die. At least it will be at one of the holiest places on earth.
·Barkhor Bazaar – a combination cultural, commercial, and religious area by Jokhang Temple. One of the sacred paths for pilgrims.
· Potala Palace - Looking up at this impressive grouping of buildings we feel both reverence and apprehension about our 400’ climb up the endless stairs. Will there be enough oxygen? But surprisingly it is quite doable with several rest areas. Originally built in the seventh century, Potala Palace is located on the Red Hill. Destroyed by lightning and war, the Palace was rebuilt by the Fifth Dalai Lama in 1645. Since then, it has become the seat of Dalai Lamas and also the political center of Tibet. The interior living areas are sumptuously decorated as befit a country’s political and religious leader. The large stupas (tombs) for past dalai lamas are lavishly encrusted with gold and gems. The present Dalai Lama will probably not have the privilege of being entombed here.
·Orphanage visit – These children need so much. What will their futures be?
·Home visit - At this clean and colorful home we are entertained with yak butter tea, chon (a local barley beer), and numerous goodies such as dried barley, roasted beans, wheat, broad beans, peas, popped corn, etc.
·Dinner Show at the Crazy Yak Restaurant - a buffet of lamb’s lung, blood sausage, curries, rice and greens. The show is a raucous song and dance story. Too bad we don’t know what the story is.
*A Grand Circle Foundation: Orphanage
RETURN TO CHENGDU, CHINA
·Show tonight - Tea ceremony, Face Changing - Fantastic Face changing got its start 300 years ago, when Sichuan opera actors began changing the color of their faces during performances by blowing into a bowl of red, black or gold powder, which would adhere to their oiled skin. By the 1920's, opera masters began using layers of masks made of oiled paper or dried pig bladders (now silk), which they could peel one after another in the blink of an eye. They can be worn in layers, as much as two dozen thick, and be pulled off one by one.
·Chengdu is also home to the Pandas & Red Pandas Preserve. We saw so many pandas playing, eating and generally hanging around.
FLY TO HONG KONG
Imagine New York (capitalism beyond belief), San Francisco (the sea, the hills, the beauty), Paris (the shopping) and London (the Brits were here for 150 years), rolled into one - you might have Hong Kong. Well thought out and constructed subway system, excellent food, modern, educated disciplined people, lots of cell phones, Ipods, name brand clothing, exciting.
·Tour Hong Kong
*Tin Tau Temple - This temple was built in the early 18th century during the Qing Dynasty, showing the the tradition of Chinese in worship to Tin Hau, goddess of the sea. The temple is a declared monument and still maintains its original architecture largely for more then 200 years.
*Escalator – Not one escalator, but many that traverse the area. They change directions.
·Night Market Tour and Dinner
*Temple Street – More shopping! Opening at dusk with hundreds of little stalls selling everything, named after Tin Hau Temple.
*Light Show – The famous Hong Kong commercial center lights up at night with a spectacular show mainly for the tourists and we love it.
*Star Ferry is a passenger ferry carrying passengers across the Victoria Harbour, between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. The company has been operating since the late 1880s. Supposed to be shown in The World of Suzie Wong. That world is going, going, gone!
*Victoria Peak – This highest peak on Hong Kong Island is one of the main tourist stops on Hong Kong. Viewing Hong Kong below at night is mesmerizing.
*Wan Chai (red light district) - Wan Chai was made famous as the location for The World of Suzie Wong. Still a hangout for prostitutes, but most of them are from the Philippines now.
·Kowloon/New Territories Tour - We paid $70 to visit the new territories and area where the indigenous Haka people live in their cooperative homesteads. A little overpriced.
*Tai Po - A busy town and a busy market.
*Bird & Flower Market - All kinds of beautiful birds can be found here including macaws, songbirds, mynahs, cockatiels and starlings. The adjacent flower market dazzles the senses with its colors and aromas.
·Dim Sum Lunch – I loved dim sum before and I want more. But we’d have to return to Hong Kong.
·Farewell to China Dinner - A lovely tasty dinner starting with sushi, crab legs and ending with cute little desserts.
FLY TO BANGKOK
We arrive in Bangkok on an historic day; after 92 years in operation the old airport is closing down. We will fly out of the new airport.
And the coup that worried us is just the 18th one they’ve had since 1932. But the King whose picture is everywhere packed the new government so the whole affair was non-violent.
·Toured Grand Palace - Arriving earlier than scheduled our guide, Sam, offers to escort us on a tour of the magnificent, totally over-the-top Grand Palace.
For the first time in 21 days we have a marvelously comfortable bed. Too bad we can’t stay in it longer; we have to get out of it at 4:00 a.m. for our flight to Cambodia. The new airport, Suvarnabhumi, officially opens today, though planes have been using it for 3-4 months now. Unknowns include: How long will it take to cross town (traffic in Bangkok can be standstill)? Will the airline computers be up and running? Will we be able to find our gate? Fears are set aside. After all it’s been 46 years in the planning. But tell me, why can’t the restrooms have paper towels? We’ll return in a week; maybe they will take care of this minor item by then.
FLY TO SIEM REAP
The first image we have as we fly into Siem Ream is water. First the Tonle Sap Lake, then the flooded fields, miles & miles of flooded fields and roads. Is this a pontoon plane? This poor country owes much of its identity to the Tonle Sap, Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake. Monsoonal rains flow to the sea overwhelming the Mekong Delta which backs up annually into the Tonle Sap creating a lake 5 times larger. This provides a perfect breeding ground for fish to feed the nation.
Pol Pot, a truly evil man, thought Cambodia’s historic wealth as evidenced by the various ancient temples in the area, came from rice growing. He attempted to create a totally agrarian society to reclaim that wealth. His efforts began in 1975 and only ended in 1979 when Vietnam invaded and uprooted the Khmer Rouge. Strangely the Cambodians hate the Vietnamese and the Vietnamese hate them. But it’s a hate developed over centuries of back & forth land grabs.
Pol Pot’s ignorance costs at least 1,400,000 people their lives. His troops tortured and butchered anyone associated with Lon Nol’s rule, any intellectual, even anyone wearing glasses, leaving a country populated by peasants who are happy just to have food. The country’s present leaders are ineffective and self-centered, leaving the country with dirt roads, a poor education system, and fated people. Most disturbing is the walking evidence of the Khmer Rouge: the land mine injured, arms, legs, hands (1 in every 245 are amputees). There are still uncounted mines (4-6 million); we stay on the path.
Our guide Chantha tells us of his life as a little boy during the murderous Khmer Rouge’s regime. It’s almost unbelievable. Recommended reading: “First they killed my father”. A similar story to his told by a woman who lived the same horror. Adding to the realism, Chantha points out a sharp palm frond that was used to behead.
**I found this on the internet: A group of supporters of the Khmer Rouge, called "Group for the Study of the Theories of Pol Pot" was established in Cambodia in 2002. It now claims to have members in America, Europe and several parts of Asia.
According to the group, the claims of genocide against the Khmer Rouge are false, and were created by enemies of Cambodia. They also argue that Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge was the closest thing to a perfect society in human history.
In May 2006 the Justice Minister announced that Cambodia's highest judicial body approved 30 Cambodian and U.N. judges to preside over the long-awaited genocide tribunal for surviving Khmer Rouge leaders. The judges were sworn in early July, with trials expected to start mid-2007.
·On our orientation walk through town we dodge the numerous motorbikes. People are rich enough to buy a motorized bike, but can’t afford cars yet. Many of the bikes are fitted with a little wagon creating a speedy and cheap taxi. Probably more memorable are the several large trees home to hundreds of fruit bats.
·Many of the locals also think all Caucasians are French (Barangs) since they colonized the area. So who cares about Ugly Americans; French are going to be blamed.
·Wat Bo – A small Buddhist temple with ancient Buddhist murals.
·Dance School – The Kymer Rouge banned dancing; schools have popped up now reviving this graceful tradition.
·Cultural Show – Tonight we travel to a local hotel for a sumptuous buffet and a cultural dance show.
·Angkor Wat - Built for king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city it is the world’s largest religious monument. (Angkor means capital; wat means temple.)
·Temples - Angkor Thom, Bayon, Baphoun, Elephant’s Terrage, Terrace of Leper King, Ta Prohm – Some of most photographed monuments in the world, from the 4 faced towers of Bayon, to the bayon trees encircling the ruins illustrate the capital of the ancient Khymer Empire. Banteay Srei or “Citadel of women” is made of pink stones and is famous for its deep and beautiful carvings which are amongst the best of any Angkorian temple.
·Home Lunch at Srah Srang Village – A tasty lunch in a local’s house. We remove our shoes and climb to the 2nd story where the family lives. Dessert is a tasty sticky rice flour, palm sugar and coconut nugget. I can’t find a recipe for this.
·Sunset at Angkor Wat – We almost missed this. Rain and clouds moved in and covered the sun. But we sat and waited anyway. What a reward for our patience and trust. Not only did the temple turn gold from the setting sun, we were rewarded with a double rainbow.
·Ox Ride – Our tour guide, Chantha, takes us to our ox cart ride. What fun.
·Floating Village – Through a tremendous downpour we boat out onto the Lake passing the residents and businesses of people living along the water. Cambodians on one side; Vietnamese on the other. They do not mingle.
·Killing Fields Memorial – A somber reminder of the past horrors. We are horrified by a young Japanese woman who sits on the memorial’s steps and giggles. Not appropriate.
*A Grand Circle Foundation: Krovan Primary School
Miscellaneous trivia – The U.S. Dollar is the preferred currency.
RETURN TO BANGKOK
·Dinner and show aboard rice barge – not as much fun as anticipated. Long hot wait to get on the barge, trip lasted longer than anticipated, but food and sights up the Chao Phraya river were memorable.
·Shuttle to Central Market, Subway/Sky train to Chao Phraya River – The hotel’s shuttle bus takes us to the Bangkok modern shopping center. Looks like home, right down to its Pizza Hut and a rejuvenating coffee ice cream.
·Wat Pho & Reclining Buddha - is famous for the huge Reclining Buddha statue it houses and its number of Buddha images. The Buddha illustrates his passing into nirvana. The gold plated Buddha is 151 feet long and 49 feet high. The feet and the eyes are engraved with mother-of-pearl decoration, and the feet also show the 108 characteristics of the true Buddha.
RETURNING HOME
Miscellaneous trivia: Still no paper towels at the Bangkok airport. And we are patted down before boarding.
·Shuttle to Airport at 3:00 a.m., for a 6:00 a.m. flight to Narita Airport in Tokyo, then another flight from Tokyo to SFO. Then BART backtrack trip to our car in Lafayette, a drive home. HOME!
Travel to China Notes:
Overnight in Lafayette, taxi to BART, BART to San Francisco International. Observations on 9-hour flight from SFO to Beijing: Next time we fly we should pack our legs in our luggage. Presume that is why very large people always stand and block the aisles. Beijing’s airport: Met by Stephanie & Leo. The immigration officers have a crew change giving us the first example of Chinese discipline as they line up and file out. Get our first view of eastern toilets: Porcelain holes in the ground.
BEIJING
·Beijing Hotel - Ning Xia Hotel is a large modern building hidden in a hutong, an old neighborhood of small stores and homes someday to be razed and rebuilt in the ‘new’ China form. The hotel is very new, but poorly constructed, cracks in walls. Being a Muslim hotel most of our group are a little nervous. A large Muslim population exists in China from the days of the Silk Road. Difficult to adjust to hard beds and duvet covers. Why thick duvets? Must be some value to using these as opposed to sheets and a blanket. But we have to turn down the a/c to sleep comfortably. Are hard beds better for the body?
·Food & Water: Dinner & Lunch were typically 8-10 delicious dishes of vegetables, pork, chicken, beef and an entire fish starring at us followed by watermelon. Breakfast is a full Chinese dinner - noodles, melon, congee (a mucous-like rice soup). Two glasses of light beer are included with most lunches and dinners. One dinner is Peking duck. Due to parasites locals boil their water or drink bottled; we’ll do the same.
·Government: The economy and government is neither communist nor capitalist; now a Socialist Market Economy Chinese Style.
·Education is compulsory for 9 years, but poorer parents can’t afford the books and supplies. Entry into college is by exam only which is administrated nationally in July. Monthly salary for many teachers is $20. Students must pass an exam to proceed. School vacation is July & August and one month in the winter based on the lunar calendar.
·The Han people make up 92% of the population and are allowed only one child. This policy began in 1973. Cannot even adopt after one child. Minorities are allowed 2 or more children.
·We learn for the first time we will have 2 guides in every city except Xian. This increases our budget for tipping. Part of China’s full employment wishes. Suggested tipping: Driver $3 per person per day/City guide $4 per person per day. Steffi’s code to bring out the tips when she says to us, “Time to say goodbye.” Local restaurants: no tipping or 10% if fancy.
Forbidden City, the walled city of the emperor. The construction of the Forbidden City started in 1406 and took 14 years and an estimated 200,000 men. A huge complex of 9,999 rooms; heaven has 10,000 rooms. Under the plaza there are Walls to prevent tunneling.
Tian an men Square is a huge open space that the Chinese revere, but without our feeling of loyalty to this country it is a disappointment. It may be huge and accommodate many people, but it’s a bit blah and not very inspiring. Hard to imagine the 1989 uprising.
Wild Great Wall and Badaling Wall - Walls were built and/or improved 2,600 years ago by Emperor Qin, who also unified the country, standardized measurements and language. The wall helped protect the Silk Road, kept the Mongols out, and kept the Chinese culture homogeneous. A storm was moving in that day; the weather at the wall was cold and windy. One can barely imagine the hardships that were faced by the quarter of a million peasants who built the 4,000 mile long walls from the sea through the rugged mountains to the Gobi desert.
*An OAT sponsored shopping place. A cloisonne factory - An OAT sponsored shopping place. Larry won chopsticks for his artistic endeavor. *An OAT sponsored shopping place: Carpet Factory
*A Grand Circle Foundation: Kung fu school - the kids put on a great show demonstrating their kung fu prowess.
*Miscellaneous Trivia:
- Minor observations: Traffic is a nightmare; all the cars are new. Construction employees are housed at the projects in large tents. City is being rebuilt for 2008 Olympics. Home to 15-16 million people, growing 2-3 million each year. Water is a big problem; new pipline from south bringing water north. Strange combination of English & Chinese ads.
- We learn the meaning behind ‘chop chop’. A chop is a seal. For communications, especially during war, the emperor and the general would each have identical ones. If the chop on the emperor’s message matched the general’s, the message was deemed accurate and the order should be carried out quickly - so the term chop chop.
-Colors: Yellow - only the royals could wear. Red - happiness and weddings. White - for funerals.
-The groom’s family pays for the wedding. A baby celebrates 100 days alive. A woman celebrates her 60th birthday getting gifts of longevity such as peaches and designs of bats.
-The best time to visit is the fall; the summers are hot and humid; no tours in the winter.
Summer Palace
It’s almost possible to imagine the serenity, the soft flowing silk robes, the smell of sweet incense, the reflection of the ripples and the gentle arching bridges of the empress dowager and her ladies in waiting.
Winter Palace (Beihei Park) a typical Chinese garden (172 acres)
The White Pagoda is on the highest point on Qiong Island is made of white stone. Destroyed in 1679 by an earthquake, it was rebuilt the following year and then again in 1976. Hidden inside the tower are Scriptures, Buddhist monk's mantle and alms bowl, and bones of monks (left after they are burned).
The Nine-Dragon Wall was built in 1756 and is one of three walls of its kind in China. It was made of seven-color glaze bricks. Nine complete dragons playing in the clouds are decorated on both sides of the wall.
The overnight train to Xian - We wait in the huge ‘soft seat’ lounge, but there are no seats left. On the train each couple has their own compartment instead of sharing with another couple. Large flasks of hot water are provided, but no cups. No towels in the washroom. Toilets are both western & eastern types. Wish this 12-hour ride was during the day; so much landscape slips by. Do glimpse corn drying on rooftops, plowing my hand labor or oxen, little farm cemeteries intertwined with growing areas, changing terrain from flat to mountainous. Larry was bothered by the rattling in the compartment. Each bed has a little TV giving us an opportunity to watch Finding Nemo in Chinese.
XIAN, once the world’s largest city
With 7 million people Xian is considered a middle size city and still surrounded by the original 600 year old city walls. This diverse city was the start of the Silk Road.
·Xi’an Garden Hotel - The Xian Garden Hotel is an award winning hotel built in the Tang Dynasty style. The rooms encircle a beautiful garden where we have our tai chi lesson. We also enjoyed a fascinating and filling dumpling dinner in the Tang Theater Restaurant and enjoy the song and dance numbers that originated more than a thousand years ago.
·Shaanxi Museum – Built to reflect the Tang Dynasty architectural style. Xian ranks with Rome, Athens & Cairo as a cradle of civilization, the museum displays historical artifacts from thousands of years.
·Hot Pot Dinner - First you mix your sauce from numerous spices and herbs, then wait for your hot pot to boil, then put various meats & vegetables in and wait for them to cook. Larry’s pot takes forever to boil; he almost goes hungry.
·Muslim Area - Very fascinating street. Wish it didn’t make me feel uncomfortable. What a shame to fear an entire population based on their religion.
·Drum & Bell Towers - Erected in 1380, the Drum Tower is the counterpart of the Bell Tower, which lies to the southeast. Like the Bell Tower, the Drum tower was used to tell time. An enormous drum once declared the hour at dusk, but later it was only used to warn of attack.
·Terra Cotta Warriors - We are truly amazed at the more than 7,000 life-size terracotta figures of warriors and horses arranged in battle formations. Artifacts had been found in the area before, but local peasants thought they were the work of the devil. Then in 1974 a farmer digging a well discovered more and reported it to the officials. For reporting this discovery the farmer received 30 yen, about the price of a new bicycle. In addition he is allowed to sit in the gift shop and autograph Terra Cotta warrior book for a fee. Local farmers can sell souvenirs within the museum compound. (All along the highway in the area, direction signs spell the location as Worriors; just one of many amusing spellings.)
·Emperor Qin tomb – We drove by this still unexcavated tomb. Emperor Qin unified the country, standardized measurements and language. He hated women, because his mother had an affair resulting in Qin’s birth which meant he wasn’t really the emperor’s son. When he discovered she wanted to kill him, he had her banished and killed his own father. He had no wife, but did have 10,000 concubines. Every time he lay with one, a eunuch would be in the room scribing the activities for posterity.
·Noodle-Making demo – I don’t know how they do that.
·Herb Market - Medicines are based on yin/yang principle. Examples of some herbs: Deer and dog penises, dried turtles, snakes, afterbirths, insects and antlers to be ground and made into a tea.
· Stephanie is proud of us and introduces us to her Father & Step-Mother. His life was a mini-epitome of the hard life in China before, during, and after Mao.
·Goose Pagoda - The structure was built in 652 during the Tang Dynasty
·Supermarket – Bought some instant coffee for future use. Wish we had longer to browse. Some items are a total mystery.
*An OAT sponsored shopping place. Lacquer Factory.
*An OAT sponsored shopping place. Jade Factory - did find a very nice jade necklace.
Miscellaneous trivia
-Country people eat corn, northerners are noodle eaters and considered friendlier, southerners eat more rice.
-There are 8 rivers around Xian.
-Emperor Qin’s name is pronounced “Chin” and the people still bear his name.
HUXIAN (Famous Farmers/Painters Village)
·Home stay in a Chinese version of a Bed & Breakfast. This new area replaces the old housing. About 70 of the 200 families operate as a B&B in addition to farming. After dinner, the women of the house take us to a simple plaza for dancing, while their men go drinking. At this time I say to myself: “I want my world back: hot showers, no cigarette smoke, no particulates in the air from coal and cornhusk fires, light meals, sheets and being able to throw toilet paper into the toilet instead of a trash can.” And it’s only day 10; we still have 20 to go.
·Painter’s Studio – Local peasants started painting in the late 1950s. At first they did not even have proper paints, but used soot, lime, and the red soil of the area to make paint. The County Communist Party Committee organized art classes so that professionals could teach these peasants how to paint. During the China's 1966-1976 Cultural Revolution their work was shown abroad to prove to the outside world that common, ordinary workers could produce works of art. The colorful paintings today explore all parts of daily life. And the prices are exceptionally affordable.
*A Grand Circle Foundation: School. One class sang Old McDonald Had a Farm. We returned with Row, Row, Row your Boat.
A LONG DAY’S TRAVEL TO OUR YANGTZE RIVER BOAT
A one-hour flight to Wuhan, a 6-hour Ride to Maoping, and finally board our river boat “Victoria Anna” (a brand new 5-star river boat). And most memorable: Jack, our escort from Wuhan to Maoping - Why doesn’t he just shut up; we’re tired. His best line: You are not fat like most of the American tourists. And we get to tip him too.
Miscellaneous trivia. - All our flights are punctual and professional. Had never heard of the airlines (Dragonair, Hainan), but that’s probably a good sign.
YANGTZE RIVER CRUISE
We enjoyed most of this cruise from our bedroom; we had debilitating head colds. We watched the Yangtze River flow past, the barges, the landscape. Luckily our room has a balcony and a wall consisting of a sliding door.
·Three Gorges Dam – Originally proposed by Sun Yat-sen in 1925, it was begun in 1994. It will be the largest hydroelectric dam in the world, more than five times the size of the Hoover Dam. The construction displaced over 2,000,000 people. The construction has already made the Chinese River Dolphin extinct. Time will tell if this displacement, especially from fertile land, will benefit China and pay the estimated 100 billion dollars (though China says it only costs 25 billion).
·Shore excursion - Ferry boat to Daning River; Sampan ride. - We skip this side trip, staying in bed nursing our colds.
·Fengdu, market tour plus a visit to a family relocated due to rising water levels from dam construction. Another city full of dichotomies: Profuse use of cell phones, but most work is done by hand. The relocated family has a nice store with their residence upstairs, but pigs and chickens in the basement.
·Disembark the boat in Chongqing, a metropolis of 30 million people. As we leave, the band plays. Chongqing, once called Chungking, claims to be the most populated city in China, but I’ve seen specs that put the ranking at 3rd behind Shanghai, Beijing . Provides an excellent example of China’s overnight trip from the 19th to the 21st century: Vibrant wealthy commercial city; Gucci, Feragamo, Louis Vuitton, all of it. Weather here is humid in the summer and chilly in the winter. They have little wind, but suffer an abundance of fog.
·General Stillwell Museum/Flying Tigers. This was the wartime capital after the Japanese attacked Nanking and the east coast. It was bombed during WW2, supposedly the most bombed city of WW2.
· Around this time we hear that Thailand has experienced a military coup! We will be there a week.
· Drive to Chengdu; we will return after our trip to Tibet.
*A Grand Circle Foundation: Hope School
FLY TO LHASA, TIBET
· In 1951 China liberated Tibet from suffering to happiness. They now have new roads and a new high speed train that will bring more and more tourists to Tibet. Will capitalism and greed destroy what’s left of their ancient Buddhist lifestyle?
·China is encouraging Han Chinese to move to Tibet. More cultural obliteration? We verify that the trinkets and souvenirs we buy are from Tibetans.
·I rather expected the movie version of Shangri-La, but Lhasa occupies a flat arid almost treeless valley spread between mountains. The mountains don’t look as high perhaps because we’re already up 11,000 feet. If they didn’t have to burn coal, the vistas would be outstanding. The outside temperature is warmer than expected, but the mountain peaks do receive a dusting of snow before we leave. The tourism industry is 6-months long here, but the growing season allows for 2 harvests.
·The air is dry, so dry that germs don’t grow well here. So dry, that many people drink 40-50 glasses of yak butter tea every day. This oily buttery beverage helps with the dry skin, but increases problems from chlorestoral and heart disease. Since yak butter is burned in temples too, the air is thick with it. We eventually smell like it too. Maybe because it’s in everything; we even have yak burgers. Not bad. Most of the food we eat is simple and rather provincial. Yak is used for transit, skin for boats, food, carpets, etc. Barley is a big product here. Their local beer, Chon, is made from dried barley. Let’s just say that Bud and Coors are popular here.
·High altitude troubles several of our group and most take pills. The ill ones suffer mainly severe headaches and nausea. The hotel supplies oxygen. Larry & I experience no problems even though we opt out pill taking. We make sure to drink plenty of water and no alcohol. Our Tibetan guide, Tashi, informs that Tibetans experience altitude problems when they descend to sea level.
·Colorful prayer flags decorate most buildings keeping away the evil. Blue is for the sky, white is for the clouds, yellow is the earth, red is fire, and green is water. They are replaced every new years which takes place in April.
·In addition to providing new roads, the Chinese brought in crematoriums, but they don’t thrive. Cremation is usually reserved for the Dalai Lama only. Tibetans’ preferred burial is not burial at all. They prefer either water or sky burial. Both of these methods entail being chopped up in little pieces by Buddhist monks and either thrown into the river or left for the vultures. (Surprisingly the Tibetans don’t eat much fish.) The basis is your body is your very last possession. Once you are rid of it, your soul is free. Burial is for criminals; their soul is never free. People don’t usually keep possessions of the deceased except for holy pictures called thangka paintings which are usually covered to keep out evil.
·Because they are a minority, the one child rule doesn’t apply to Tibet; city dwellers are allowed 2; country people may have 3.
·We didn’t experience it, but if a Tibetan sticks his tongue out he’s not being offensive; he’s showing it’s not blue which would mean he was evil.
·Locals say “Hello” to us for 2 reasons: as a greeting and also because they think we are the hello people.
·Since 1989 no pictures or news are allowed about the Dalai Lama. The present Dalai Lama lives in exile in India. There are supposedly 2 Pachi Lama’s on hand to replace the present Dalai Lama, both live in Beijing “learning”, but the one chosen by Tibet hasn’t been seen since 1999.
·Lhasa as a religious center is composed of three circles, inner, middle and outer, which are paths for the religious. People walk these circles swirling their pray wheels while they quote prayers. Another tradition of these highly religious people is the prostration ritual. First they prostrate themselves, stand up and step to the place their fingers reached, then they prostrate themselves again, continuing this until they reach the temple. They may start in their city and continue this ritual all the way.
·Jokhang Temple – Construction started in 639 and was the center of Buddhist pilgrims for centuries. Made up of the 3 circles. Oppressively crowded. Surrounded by such spiritualism, I feel out of place watching devout Buddhist pray, spin pray wheels and insert money in the numerous shrines amid the smell of yak butter candles. Thousand year old wood, buttery fires, absolutely no exit signs, and a mass of people – if this thing burns, we’re all going to die. At least it will be at one of the holiest places on earth.
·Barkhor Bazaar – a combination cultural, commercial, and religious area by Jokhang Temple. One of the sacred paths for pilgrims.
· Potala Palace - Looking up at this impressive grouping of buildings we feel both reverence and apprehension about our 400’ climb up the endless stairs. Will there be enough oxygen? But surprisingly it is quite doable with several rest areas. Originally built in the seventh century, Potala Palace is located on the Red Hill. Destroyed by lightning and war, the Palace was rebuilt by the Fifth Dalai Lama in 1645. Since then, it has become the seat of Dalai Lamas and also the political center of Tibet. The interior living areas are sumptuously decorated as befit a country’s political and religious leader. The large stupas (tombs) for past dalai lamas are lavishly encrusted with gold and gems. The present Dalai Lama will probably not have the privilege of being entombed here.
·Orphanage visit – These children need so much. What will their futures be?
·Home visit - At this clean and colorful home we are entertained with yak butter tea, chon (a local barley beer), and numerous goodies such as dried barley, roasted beans, wheat, broad beans, peas, popped corn, etc.
·Dinner Show at the Crazy Yak Restaurant - a buffet of lamb’s lung, blood sausage, curries, rice and greens. The show is a raucous song and dance story. Too bad we don’t know what the story is.
*A Grand Circle Foundation: Orphanage
RETURN TO CHENGDU, CHINA
·Show tonight - Tea ceremony, Face Changing - Fantastic Face changing got its start 300 years ago, when Sichuan opera actors began changing the color of their faces during performances by blowing into a bowl of red, black or gold powder, which would adhere to their oiled skin. By the 1920's, opera masters began using layers of masks made of oiled paper or dried pig bladders (now silk), which they could peel one after another in the blink of an eye. They can be worn in layers, as much as two dozen thick, and be pulled off one by one.
·Chengdu is also home to the Pandas & Red Pandas Preserve. We saw so many pandas playing, eating and generally hanging around.
FLY TO HONG KONG
Imagine New York (capitalism beyond belief), San Francisco (the sea, the hills, the beauty), Paris (the shopping) and London (the Brits were here for 150 years), rolled into one - you might have Hong Kong. Well thought out and constructed subway system, excellent food, modern, educated disciplined people, lots of cell phones, Ipods, name brand clothing, exciting.
·Tour Hong Kong
*Tin Tau Temple - This temple was built in the early 18th century during the Qing Dynasty, showing the the tradition of Chinese in worship to Tin Hau, goddess of the sea. The temple is a declared monument and still maintains its original architecture largely for more then 200 years.
*Escalator – Not one escalator, but many that traverse the area. They change directions.
·Night Market Tour and Dinner
*Temple Street – More shopping! Opening at dusk with hundreds of little stalls selling everything, named after Tin Hau Temple.
*Light Show – The famous Hong Kong commercial center lights up at night with a spectacular show mainly for the tourists and we love it.
*Star Ferry is a passenger ferry carrying passengers across the Victoria Harbour, between Hong Kong Island and Kowloon. The company has been operating since the late 1880s. Supposed to be shown in The World of Suzie Wong. That world is going, going, gone!
*Victoria Peak – This highest peak on Hong Kong Island is one of the main tourist stops on Hong Kong. Viewing Hong Kong below at night is mesmerizing.
*Wan Chai (red light district) - Wan Chai was made famous as the location for The World of Suzie Wong. Still a hangout for prostitutes, but most of them are from the Philippines now.
·Kowloon/New Territories Tour - We paid $70 to visit the new territories and area where the indigenous Haka people live in their cooperative homesteads. A little overpriced.
*Tai Po - A busy town and a busy market.
*Bird & Flower Market - All kinds of beautiful birds can be found here including macaws, songbirds, mynahs, cockatiels and starlings. The adjacent flower market dazzles the senses with its colors and aromas.
·Dim Sum Lunch – I loved dim sum before and I want more. But we’d have to return to Hong Kong.
·Farewell to China Dinner - A lovely tasty dinner starting with sushi, crab legs and ending with cute little desserts.
FLY TO BANGKOK
We arrive in Bangkok on an historic day; after 92 years in operation the old airport is closing down. We will fly out of the new airport.
And the coup that worried us is just the 18th one they’ve had since 1932. But the King whose picture is everywhere packed the new government so the whole affair was non-violent.
·Toured Grand Palace - Arriving earlier than scheduled our guide, Sam, offers to escort us on a tour of the magnificent, totally over-the-top Grand Palace.
For the first time in 21 days we have a marvelously comfortable bed. Too bad we can’t stay in it longer; we have to get out of it at 4:00 a.m. for our flight to Cambodia. The new airport, Suvarnabhumi, officially opens today, though planes have been using it for 3-4 months now. Unknowns include: How long will it take to cross town (traffic in Bangkok can be standstill)? Will the airline computers be up and running? Will we be able to find our gate? Fears are set aside. After all it’s been 46 years in the planning. But tell me, why can’t the restrooms have paper towels? We’ll return in a week; maybe they will take care of this minor item by then.
FLY TO SIEM REAP
The first image we have as we fly into Siem Ream is water. First the Tonle Sap Lake, then the flooded fields, miles & miles of flooded fields and roads. Is this a pontoon plane? This poor country owes much of its identity to the Tonle Sap, Southeast Asia’s largest freshwater lake. Monsoonal rains flow to the sea overwhelming the Mekong Delta which backs up annually into the Tonle Sap creating a lake 5 times larger. This provides a perfect breeding ground for fish to feed the nation.
Pol Pot, a truly evil man, thought Cambodia’s historic wealth as evidenced by the various ancient temples in the area, came from rice growing. He attempted to create a totally agrarian society to reclaim that wealth. His efforts began in 1975 and only ended in 1979 when Vietnam invaded and uprooted the Khmer Rouge. Strangely the Cambodians hate the Vietnamese and the Vietnamese hate them. But it’s a hate developed over centuries of back & forth land grabs.
Pol Pot’s ignorance costs at least 1,400,000 people their lives. His troops tortured and butchered anyone associated with Lon Nol’s rule, any intellectual, even anyone wearing glasses, leaving a country populated by peasants who are happy just to have food. The country’s present leaders are ineffective and self-centered, leaving the country with dirt roads, a poor education system, and fated people. Most disturbing is the walking evidence of the Khmer Rouge: the land mine injured, arms, legs, hands (1 in every 245 are amputees). There are still uncounted mines (4-6 million); we stay on the path.
Our guide Chantha tells us of his life as a little boy during the murderous Khmer Rouge’s regime. It’s almost unbelievable. Recommended reading: “First they killed my father”. A similar story to his told by a woman who lived the same horror. Adding to the realism, Chantha points out a sharp palm frond that was used to behead.
**I found this on the internet: A group of supporters of the Khmer Rouge, called "Group for the Study of the Theories of Pol Pot" was established in Cambodia in 2002. It now claims to have members in America, Europe and several parts of Asia.
According to the group, the claims of genocide against the Khmer Rouge are false, and were created by enemies of Cambodia. They also argue that Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge was the closest thing to a perfect society in human history.
In May 2006 the Justice Minister announced that Cambodia's highest judicial body approved 30 Cambodian and U.N. judges to preside over the long-awaited genocide tribunal for surviving Khmer Rouge leaders. The judges were sworn in early July, with trials expected to start mid-2007.
·On our orientation walk through town we dodge the numerous motorbikes. People are rich enough to buy a motorized bike, but can’t afford cars yet. Many of the bikes are fitted with a little wagon creating a speedy and cheap taxi. Probably more memorable are the several large trees home to hundreds of fruit bats.
·Many of the locals also think all Caucasians are French (Barangs) since they colonized the area. So who cares about Ugly Americans; French are going to be blamed.
·Wat Bo – A small Buddhist temple with ancient Buddhist murals.
·Dance School – The Kymer Rouge banned dancing; schools have popped up now reviving this graceful tradition.
·Cultural Show – Tonight we travel to a local hotel for a sumptuous buffet and a cultural dance show.
·Angkor Wat - Built for king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city it is the world’s largest religious monument. (Angkor means capital; wat means temple.)
·Temples - Angkor Thom, Bayon, Baphoun, Elephant’s Terrage, Terrace of Leper King, Ta Prohm – Some of most photographed monuments in the world, from the 4 faced towers of Bayon, to the bayon trees encircling the ruins illustrate the capital of the ancient Khymer Empire. Banteay Srei or “Citadel of women” is made of pink stones and is famous for its deep and beautiful carvings which are amongst the best of any Angkorian temple.
·Home Lunch at Srah Srang Village – A tasty lunch in a local’s house. We remove our shoes and climb to the 2nd story where the family lives. Dessert is a tasty sticky rice flour, palm sugar and coconut nugget. I can’t find a recipe for this.
·Sunset at Angkor Wat – We almost missed this. Rain and clouds moved in and covered the sun. But we sat and waited anyway. What a reward for our patience and trust. Not only did the temple turn gold from the setting sun, we were rewarded with a double rainbow.
·Ox Ride – Our tour guide, Chantha, takes us to our ox cart ride. What fun.
·Floating Village – Through a tremendous downpour we boat out onto the Lake passing the residents and businesses of people living along the water. Cambodians on one side; Vietnamese on the other. They do not mingle.
·Killing Fields Memorial – A somber reminder of the past horrors. We are horrified by a young Japanese woman who sits on the memorial’s steps and giggles. Not appropriate.
*A Grand Circle Foundation: Krovan Primary School
Miscellaneous trivia – The U.S. Dollar is the preferred currency.
RETURN TO BANGKOK
·Dinner and show aboard rice barge – not as much fun as anticipated. Long hot wait to get on the barge, trip lasted longer than anticipated, but food and sights up the Chao Phraya river were memorable.
·Shuttle to Central Market, Subway/Sky train to Chao Phraya River – The hotel’s shuttle bus takes us to the Bangkok modern shopping center. Looks like home, right down to its Pizza Hut and a rejuvenating coffee ice cream.
·Wat Pho & Reclining Buddha - is famous for the huge Reclining Buddha statue it houses and its number of Buddha images. The Buddha illustrates his passing into nirvana. The gold plated Buddha is 151 feet long and 49 feet high. The feet and the eyes are engraved with mother-of-pearl decoration, and the feet also show the 108 characteristics of the true Buddha.
RETURNING HOME
Miscellaneous trivia: Still no paper towels at the Bangkok airport. And we are patted down before boarding.
·Shuttle to Airport at 3:00 a.m., for a 6:00 a.m. flight to Narita Airport in Tokyo, then another flight from Tokyo to SFO. Then BART backtrack trip to our car in Lafayette, a drive home. HOME!
Chinese Horoscope
Chinese Horoscope
1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996
Rat - Rat people are very popular. They like to invent things and are good artists.
1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997
Ox - Ox people are dependable and calm. They are good listeners and have very strong ideas.
1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998
Tiger- Tiger people are brave. Other people respect them for their deep thoughts and courageous actions.
1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999
Rabbit - Rabbit people are nice to be around. They like to talk, and many people trust them.
1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000
Dragon - Dragon people have good health and lots of energy. They are good friends because they listen carefully to others.
1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001
Snake - Snake people love good books, food, music, and plays. They will have good luck with money.
1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002
Horse - Horse people are popular, cheerful and are quick to compliment others
1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003
Goat - Goat people are good artists. They ask many questions, like nice things and are very wise.
1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004
Monkey, Monkey people are very funny. They can always make people laugh. They are also very good problem solvers.
1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005
Rooster - Roosters are hard workers. They have many talents and think deep thoughts
1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006
Dog - Dog people are loyal and can always keep a secret. Sometimes dog people worry too much.
1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007
Pig - Pig people are very good students. They are honest and brave. They always finish a project of assignments.
1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996
Rat - Rat people are very popular. They like to invent things and are good artists.
1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997
Ox - Ox people are dependable and calm. They are good listeners and have very strong ideas.
1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998
Tiger- Tiger people are brave. Other people respect them for their deep thoughts and courageous actions.
1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999
Rabbit - Rabbit people are nice to be around. They like to talk, and many people trust them.
1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000
Dragon - Dragon people have good health and lots of energy. They are good friends because they listen carefully to others.
1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001
Snake - Snake people love good books, food, music, and plays. They will have good luck with money.
1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002
Horse - Horse people are popular, cheerful and are quick to compliment others
1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003
Goat - Goat people are good artists. They ask many questions, like nice things and are very wise.
1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004
Monkey, Monkey people are very funny. They can always make people laugh. They are also very good problem solvers.
1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005
Rooster - Roosters are hard workers. They have many talents and think deep thoughts
1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006
Dog - Dog people are loyal and can always keep a secret. Sometimes dog people worry too much.
1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007
Pig - Pig people are very good students. They are honest and brave. They always finish a project of assignments.
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