I'm feeling frustrated with the sexism in New York City. Having just returned from five weeks in Southeast Asia, one would think I'd be glad to be back in an environment where women are supposed to be equal to men, qualified for the same jobs, empowered as thinkers and doers, independent, able to feel comfortable living and traveling alone... Then why is it that I'm feeling more objectified and more paranoid for my safety than I did anywhere in Southeast Asia? Why is it that I am the person labeled "out of control" when I respond in like manner to the man in the street who made an inappropriate comment to me? Why am I the one who is causing trouble? Why should I "know better"?
The hypocrisy of America is no different from the hypocrisy in the rest of the world.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
And, I'm back...
Yep, I've arrived in NYC and am back in my East Village apartment. The next few weeks look like they will be filled with more joy, excitement, and reflection. But first- I'd like to fill in the details of the rest of my journey... Rewind your mind to the second week of July.
So, back in Kratie- one of the main things that made me uncomfortable was the sight of a man beating a puppy to death on the sidewalk. I know this isn't a usual occurrence, but the shock of it was tremendous. I was walking home from the internet cafe when i heard this yelping. At first I thought it was a child whining, but as I identified the location of the sound, I saw in the darkness, a man banging something limp against the pavement. From where I was it looked like a rag doll. As I put the sound and shape together I realized it was a puppy. From that moment I wanted to get out of Kratie. I rushed to where I was meeting a fellow traveler for dinner and told her about it. It was at that point that I decided to change my plans to go trekking in Laos instead of Cambodia.
The next day Laura and myself (she's a Finnish woman that works for Unesco and has been traveling for about 8 months) got on the back of some motorbikes and took a tour of the sites around Kratie. We went to Phnom Sombok, a small hill with an active Wat. The views from the top were pretty great. A number of elderly nuns still live there and seem to look after the cackle of cats, dogs and monkeys that hand out around their temple. It was really a sight to see the monkeys chasing after the dogs and pulling their legs! I have some good pictures. The wat in Phnom Sombok was the first i had scene that incorporated a Christian kind of pictorial narration of the life of Buddha. Brightly painted panels adorned the walls and ceiling of the temple in a serial manner. Kind of like Giotto's Arena Chapel in Padua. I wonder when it became the norm for monks and nuns to decorate their Wats like this. I wonder if it was learned from an interaction with Christian missionaries. Of course Wats were decorated before this. Wats from the 19th century portray painted walls in the manner of Chinese and Indian wall paintings. a continuous scene that shows repeating characters and does not demarcate space according to rules of western perspective. It does make sense that the artistic traditions would follow from the dominant Chinese and Indian type to the more Christian western type. This region of the world was called Indochina and did evolve into a predominantly Buddhist region through the influences of India and China. Once Western powers invaded the area they brought with them the idioms of western culture and representation.
Anyway- after climbing the hill we went a bit more north to Kampi to try to see some Irrawaddy river dolphins. We were successful!!! Really! Although there are only 70 left out of the 1000 that once made the area of the Tonle Sap lake in the Mekong River their home- we saw a good amount of them! They have long round noses rather than the typical pointy snout you think of when remembering the dolphin show at Sea World. They are a dark blue/gray color and have large flippers and small dorsal fins. I got a few good pictures of their fins and a nice splashing tail shot!! Mostly- I chose to watch the dolphins with my eyes, rather than through the lens of my camera. That was how I operated through most of my trip...
After that we went Sambo and saw the largest Wat in Cambodia with 108 columns. Again, the interior was brightly painted with scenes from Buddha's life. This wat is also famous for the story of the Crocodile and the Princess. I couldn't tell you what that story is now- But I did see a painting of it in an adjacent pavilion. Within the main Wat there were a number of old men who spoke French. They handed me a book that was published by a Cambodian student who investigated the paintings of the crocodile and princess story. Very interesting- well, what i remember of it anyway.
I think that was it for my stay in Kratie. We drove by the requisite rice paddies and farmers. Wooden houses built up on stakes, poor children and families selling sugarcane on the side of the road- and I booked a ticket for Phnom Penh.
So, back in Kratie- one of the main things that made me uncomfortable was the sight of a man beating a puppy to death on the sidewalk. I know this isn't a usual occurrence, but the shock of it was tremendous. I was walking home from the internet cafe when i heard this yelping. At first I thought it was a child whining, but as I identified the location of the sound, I saw in the darkness, a man banging something limp against the pavement. From where I was it looked like a rag doll. As I put the sound and shape together I realized it was a puppy. From that moment I wanted to get out of Kratie. I rushed to where I was meeting a fellow traveler for dinner and told her about it. It was at that point that I decided to change my plans to go trekking in Laos instead of Cambodia.
The next day Laura and myself (she's a Finnish woman that works for Unesco and has been traveling for about 8 months) got on the back of some motorbikes and took a tour of the sites around Kratie. We went to Phnom Sombok, a small hill with an active Wat. The views from the top were pretty great. A number of elderly nuns still live there and seem to look after the cackle of cats, dogs and monkeys that hand out around their temple. It was really a sight to see the monkeys chasing after the dogs and pulling their legs! I have some good pictures. The wat in Phnom Sombok was the first i had scene that incorporated a Christian kind of pictorial narration of the life of Buddha. Brightly painted panels adorned the walls and ceiling of the temple in a serial manner. Kind of like Giotto's Arena Chapel in Padua. I wonder when it became the norm for monks and nuns to decorate their Wats like this. I wonder if it was learned from an interaction with Christian missionaries. Of course Wats were decorated before this. Wats from the 19th century portray painted walls in the manner of Chinese and Indian wall paintings. a continuous scene that shows repeating characters and does not demarcate space according to rules of western perspective. It does make sense that the artistic traditions would follow from the dominant Chinese and Indian type to the more Christian western type. This region of the world was called Indochina and did evolve into a predominantly Buddhist region through the influences of India and China. Once Western powers invaded the area they brought with them the idioms of western culture and representation.
Anyway- after climbing the hill we went a bit more north to Kampi to try to see some Irrawaddy river dolphins. We were successful!!! Really! Although there are only 70 left out of the 1000 that once made the area of the Tonle Sap lake in the Mekong River their home- we saw a good amount of them! They have long round noses rather than the typical pointy snout you think of when remembering the dolphin show at Sea World. They are a dark blue/gray color and have large flippers and small dorsal fins. I got a few good pictures of their fins and a nice splashing tail shot!! Mostly- I chose to watch the dolphins with my eyes, rather than through the lens of my camera. That was how I operated through most of my trip...
After that we went Sambo and saw the largest Wat in Cambodia with 108 columns. Again, the interior was brightly painted with scenes from Buddha's life. This wat is also famous for the story of the Crocodile and the Princess. I couldn't tell you what that story is now- But I did see a painting of it in an adjacent pavilion. Within the main Wat there were a number of old men who spoke French. They handed me a book that was published by a Cambodian student who investigated the paintings of the crocodile and princess story. Very interesting- well, what i remember of it anyway.
I think that was it for my stay in Kratie. We drove by the requisite rice paddies and farmers. Wooden houses built up on stakes, poor children and families selling sugarcane on the side of the road- and I booked a ticket for Phnom Penh.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Change of Plans
So I was in Kratie thinking about going to the Ratana Kiri province in Cambodia but then decided to scrap that, go down south to Phnom Penh and get a Visa for Laos. Tomorrow morning I will take a 10 hour bus ride to the Cambodian border, stay over night, and then enter Laos in the morning of July 12th. I plan to spend two days relaxing on an Island in the Mekong River. From there I have to get to Pakse because I booked a flight to Luang Prabang in the north where I will once again attempt to book a trek into the forest. Cambodia is an interesting place. Although they maintain the facade of having a democratic government since 1999, they most certainly do not. I'm looking forward to Lao and curious as to how its government will enter into my experience there.
Monday, July 7, 2008
Kratie
I've just arrived in Kratie, a town on the east bank of the cambodian mekong river. The conditions here are the most shocking I have seen yet. The main street looks normal with the usual motorbikes and fruit sellers, but turn down one side street and your path is hindered by heaps of trash, rotting food, and people sitting and eating in it. The smell is quite bad. My initial instinct was to immediately turn back, but I think it's good to get used to this and see the reality of cambodia. I've seen people living on the side of the road surrounded by rice fields, but this is the city and people are just piled ontop of each other. Its really humid here and makes me think its about time i started taking my malarone. I took it one day but it made me feel sick to my stomach. i'll try again tomorrow and hope it goes better. So far, no mosquito problems (knock on wood).
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Bangkok to Siem Reap and beyond...
Greetings for Siem Reap, Cambodia. My third full day here is coming to a close and I plan on heading to Northeast Cambodia tomorrow. The trek here was lengthy and full of memorable events. It began in the early hours of July 2nd upon my arrival in Bangkok. I got in at 2am and promptly headed towards the River Guest House near Chinatown. After a few hours of sleep I decided to check out my surroundings and came upon many colorful sights. Thailand is a Buddhist country and you can hardly walk ten feet without coming upon a Wat. Buddha is everywhere. I spent some time sitting in front of the laughing Buddha with his rotund belly and happy smile. I ventured through Chinatown trying to avoid the smell of dried squid, sea horses, and pigs. I found a number of really cute cellphone ornaments that I just had to purchase.
The city is really cramped and crowded. THere are parts that are more spacious and less dirty, but for the most part, its forever bustling. I was trying to go to a Wat outside the royal palace when a civil officer stopped me to offer some advice. He told me the temple was closing early because of a ceremony and suggested I head else where. He set me up with a tuk tuk driver that agreed to take me all around for 40 baht total. THa'ts about $1.05. Well, I thought I was getting a good deal at the time, but my wallet soon began to lose weight as I came to realize I had made a big mistake about the location of my guesthouse. My driver dropped me off in a location that was on the complete other side of town! I realized that the civil servant told the tuk tuk driver to drop me at a guest house with a very similar name, but not the one I was staying at! So- I had find another driver to take me back accross town. that was probably a four dollar ride. From there, I had to meet David and Laura at their hotel, where I would spent the next night, and had to flag down yet another tuk tuk to take me back accross town! In all, I got to see A Lot of Bangkok and in a very short while. Seeing aerobics in the park was certainly worth the extra four dollars!
Meeting up with Dov and Laura was so wonderful. IT was like a respit from my crazy day. I settled in to the room (we shared a large bed for the three of us, very cozy) and swapped stories. That night we went to a VIP screening of the movie Wanted. OMG! Reclining seats, a bar, surround sound, blanket, pillow! Yeah, they provide it all- but don't try to snap pictures or fit three in a double chair, they will catch you.
The next morning we began our 8 hour trek to Siem Reap. We first caught a bus from Bangkok to the Thai border which took about 4 hours. From there, we had to hire a tuk tuk to the Cambodian border and buy our visas on the way. Crossing over the border was quite easy, but it was very hot. It was interesting to see the workers that pass through everyday carring plastic bags, styrofoam containers and produce. They have a great hat and face mask combo that works wonders for keeping the flying dust out of your face. From the Cambodian border we took at 3 1/2 hour taxi to siem reap. The road is so bumpy and you pass rural families living in palm houses. There is a 6 dollar bus that you can take along the same route, but it takes so much longer and is way bumpier. We were happy with the taxi. SPlit three ways...
Siemp Reap is the portal to the ruins of Angkor Wat. There are an incredible amount of Hindu and Buddhist temples errected between the 10th and 13th centuries. We spent three days touring them with our tuk tuk driver "Flake." He is called that because he is "very fast."The temples themselves are incredibely well crafted. Carvings of the Ramayana and Buddha adorn every possilbe surface. The Cambodian government has done a pretty good job of joining forces with the governments of Japan, france, Canada, etc. to restore the temples. I have some epic pictures.
We have had a great time learning from Flake. We've asked him about the poverty here, the life of a monk, the struggle to get an education. He's been a tremendous friend. The people here are so small because of malnutrition. Children we thought were eight years old are actually 14. Eight year olds look 4. Its really hard to stop your mind from lingering on their poverty. That being said, the people here are beautiful. Such exquisite faces and delicate features.
Dov and Laura are heading to the south of Thailand tomorrow and I'm going to try and figure out how to get to the jungles in the northeast. Communication will probably be less accesible there, but i'll be in touch when i can. I've decided to spend the rest of my time in Cambodia and Laos instead of returning to Thailand. I plan on following the Mekong river north and hopefully finding the Chabad house in Luang Prabang, Laos. I''ve heard you can meet some cool ISraelis there!
OK- I better get cracking on my travel plans.
lia suhn hao-y
Rebecca
The city is really cramped and crowded. THere are parts that are more spacious and less dirty, but for the most part, its forever bustling. I was trying to go to a Wat outside the royal palace when a civil officer stopped me to offer some advice. He told me the temple was closing early because of a ceremony and suggested I head else where. He set me up with a tuk tuk driver that agreed to take me all around for 40 baht total. THa'ts about $1.05. Well, I thought I was getting a good deal at the time, but my wallet soon began to lose weight as I came to realize I had made a big mistake about the location of my guesthouse. My driver dropped me off in a location that was on the complete other side of town! I realized that the civil servant told the tuk tuk driver to drop me at a guest house with a very similar name, but not the one I was staying at! So- I had find another driver to take me back accross town. that was probably a four dollar ride. From there, I had to meet David and Laura at their hotel, where I would spent the next night, and had to flag down yet another tuk tuk to take me back accross town! In all, I got to see A Lot of Bangkok and in a very short while. Seeing aerobics in the park was certainly worth the extra four dollars!
Meeting up with Dov and Laura was so wonderful. IT was like a respit from my crazy day. I settled in to the room (we shared a large bed for the three of us, very cozy) and swapped stories. That night we went to a VIP screening of the movie Wanted. OMG! Reclining seats, a bar, surround sound, blanket, pillow! Yeah, they provide it all- but don't try to snap pictures or fit three in a double chair, they will catch you.
The next morning we began our 8 hour trek to Siem Reap. We first caught a bus from Bangkok to the Thai border which took about 4 hours. From there, we had to hire a tuk tuk to the Cambodian border and buy our visas on the way. Crossing over the border was quite easy, but it was very hot. It was interesting to see the workers that pass through everyday carring plastic bags, styrofoam containers and produce. They have a great hat and face mask combo that works wonders for keeping the flying dust out of your face. From the Cambodian border we took at 3 1/2 hour taxi to siem reap. The road is so bumpy and you pass rural families living in palm houses. There is a 6 dollar bus that you can take along the same route, but it takes so much longer and is way bumpier. We were happy with the taxi. SPlit three ways...
Siemp Reap is the portal to the ruins of Angkor Wat. There are an incredible amount of Hindu and Buddhist temples errected between the 10th and 13th centuries. We spent three days touring them with our tuk tuk driver "Flake." He is called that because he is "very fast."The temples themselves are incredibely well crafted. Carvings of the Ramayana and Buddha adorn every possilbe surface. The Cambodian government has done a pretty good job of joining forces with the governments of Japan, france, Canada, etc. to restore the temples. I have some epic pictures.
We have had a great time learning from Flake. We've asked him about the poverty here, the life of a monk, the struggle to get an education. He's been a tremendous friend. The people here are so small because of malnutrition. Children we thought were eight years old are actually 14. Eight year olds look 4. Its really hard to stop your mind from lingering on their poverty. That being said, the people here are beautiful. Such exquisite faces and delicate features.
Dov and Laura are heading to the south of Thailand tomorrow and I'm going to try and figure out how to get to the jungles in the northeast. Communication will probably be less accesible there, but i'll be in touch when i can. I've decided to spend the rest of my time in Cambodia and Laos instead of returning to Thailand. I plan on following the Mekong river north and hopefully finding the Chabad house in Luang Prabang, Laos. I''ve heard you can meet some cool ISraelis there!
OK- I better get cracking on my travel plans.
lia suhn hao-y
Rebecca
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