Museum Musing

12/23/15

   
    
   
   
    
 If you have been reading this blog for a while (thanks! Merry Christmas and i hope you have not been too bored by me), you would know I am a big fan of museum (not object. But someone who supports museums). I think it is a great way to allow visitors to gain more in-depth knowledge, and hopefully pass those on. I have been to many awe inspiring museums (the Smithsonian, for example), and also some not so impressive but still educational ones. Even when I was in The revolution museum in Cuba, I learned a great deal and appreciated the ezperience. It is therefore a surprise to me when I found out that, on this trip, there is one museum that I actually feel sorry for- the Laos National Museum in Vientiane.

As always, let’s backtrack a little. Today was the day for me to leave Cambodia and get into Laos. When I started my trip, I was not too sure about heading into Laos: for one, it has a US $35  visa fee (visa on arrival). I am not sure why, but everyone wants to collect US dollars for their visa fees. The other reason: a lot of travelers told me that Laos, while beautiful, is not really as exciting as Vietnam. I am not sure if I subconsciously changed my schedule, but I realized my Vietnamese visa will only start on 1/1/2016, and Vietnam is notorious for their rigid rules on visa dates. So in the end. I decided an adventure could be fun, and purchased a ticket to Vientiane, the capital of Laos. With my flight at 10:45am, I sought to arrive at the airport by 9am. It proved to be a mistake, for I arrived at 8:45am and the counter did not open until 9:15am. The airport of Phnom Penh is pretty small, and there really is not a lot to do (well, I did browse the duty free shops and found Starbucks, which reminded me of Seattle and how I am not earning an income but also not shivering while waiting for buses. Hmm). 

The flight was a short and empty one . For some reason, while I managed to get an isle seat, I also say at the only row where all three seats were filled (I really want to know the algorithm of filling in seats. Was it because I look skinnier than others? More likely not to make complaints? Random luck (or lack thereof)? I pondered it while eating the shrimp salad they served for lunch (on a hour long flight). The immigration was pretty straightforward and easy, and I was soon at my new hostel. With them overbooked, I was relegated to a 6 persons room (I booked a 4), with vague promises of moving me tomorrow. That done, I walked off to explore and soon found the National museum. 

It was a sad experience. The exhibits were more like science projects from high school students; the ceiling fan and lights were 50% operational; the exhibits were not protected. Ironically, they actually mentioned an event where gold Buddah statues were stolen and luckily recovered at the border. The solution? A cage with metal bars so thick that obscure the view of the exhibits. Another kick: at least 50% of the museum has to do with propaganda. They showcased photos of ministers, monos try achievements, and how Laos were exploited by western powers, especially th imperialistic America (which is quite the irony since I had to pay US dollars for visa fees to enter Laos…).

I decided to go for a quick run, and headed back to the hostel room. When I was getting my shoes, the for opened and 2 Thai gals walked in. As often with the case of female travelers finding they have a new male roommate, they stared at me in shock for a full minutes. I did my usual introduction but got little response (they did ask me to move my things to another bed, since they have friends). While I don’t mind the look (which is surprisingly like someone finding a dead body in the room), I would like to publicly say: it is as awkward for me as for the ladies. After all, I am a modest person (well, mostly. Did we talk about my small shoe size in the previous post?), and am still not quite comfortable changing in front of strangers, especially ladies. Also, ladies tend to have long hair, which, while pretty and looks good, is quite the drain clogger. They also have a tendency to drift into every surfaces and tangle up my bag zipper (but never my pants zipper. Unless, of course….ah never mind that). With that in my mind, I went for a longer run than expected.

As I sat eating dinner and typing this, I realize why I am sad about the museum. A museum m, especially a national museum, is supposed to be a showcase of the country’s history and appreciation of spreading this knowledge. A poorly kept museum not only reflect badly on the government, but also on the society as a whole. If one does not respect and give thanks to their tradition and upbringing, how will they move forward together to build a better future? A rundown museum shows how little support it receives from the public, and tells a lot about the public mentality. A good nation should take care of its citizens, and the people should care about its heritage and be proud to display it. 

(If you are waiting for a tie in to female roommate in the conclusion….good thinking!)

Speaking of heritage, I do realize one thing: it is often Asian ladies who have adverse reaction to a male on the dorm room, and this also usually happens when a lady is with another lady friend. I have to wonder: is this a cultural upbringing issue? Are ladies in Asian culture brought up to fear living in the same room with another man? I guess while I want everyone to be proud of their ciltures, I much prefer to also be respected as a human being. Being stare at like a freak is really not that fun (unless it is Halloween!).

A Little Prick

12/22/15

   

  

    
    
    
    
   
There are a lot of way to be charitable, and donations are usually the easiest and most popular. Whether it is to drop money into the charity boxes during Christmas shopping (which, I really wish they have an option for me to drop money and stop those volunteers from ringing the annoying bell all the time) to actually physical donation of goods and services; we all like to give during the holiday seasons. However, there is one donation that is extremely personal and requires a large prick (well, multiple if you have someone inexperience), a few sharp pains, a lot of laying down and a short recovery time (I guess that depends on individual fitness level), and best of all, the service is free. Giving blood is often consider a noble act: one that saves other lives. We are all encouraged to donate blood, and most of us give it up freely. However, and ale what unfortunately, these donated plasmas, blood and cells are often sold for a profit by the very agency that asked for donations.

The last day in Phnom Penh was a headache inducing one: I did all of the activities I had planned for Phnom Penh, and thus had no plan for today. In the end, I woke up late and wandered over to a cafe for lunch. Soon realizing I was actually near the Cambodian blood center, I decided to stop by once again to attempt another blood donation. I am actually not quite sure if Cambodia has a shortage on blood (that sounds a little glory; and a little like a vampire…), but I thought it would be a good idea to do something good before Christmas. Plus, it just sound like a cool thing to do while traveling. (I am leaving blood behind!) Walking into the center, I was processed within 5 minutes, and soon tested for iron level and blood type with a small prick to my finger. Another 2 minutes later, I was laying on a reclining chair along with some locals (who looked at me with some amusement), waiting for the big prick. I faced the tv, which was running a loop on some Cambodian ktv. It was surprisingly formal affair: no one said much to me, and with a sharp poke, my blood was being collected in a bag. I read my kindle for a while, squeezed the ball (an actual ball, not the human part) to pump the blood faster. Done within 15 minutes, I was told to visit the snack room, where they gave me a huge snack box (4 pastries), a soda (really? No juice??), and a bottled water, and a free tshirt. The snack lady was very friendly, and was happily watching some sort of drama in a palace with a lot of half naked men and scantily dressed ladies (I watched the scene where a female servant was being beaten by a man with huge stick, while the noble ladies snickered. She was eventually rescued by a noble male. I sense a very telenovela moment…). 

I continued my way back to the river front to see Wat Phnom, one of the oldest temple in Cambodia. The site was uphill with lots of stairs, and I soon felt a little sweaty and woozy. I managed to take some photos, wandered around the area, but eventually had to retreat to another cafe for a coffee and a cup cake. Unfortunately, the weather also turned pretty nasty with sudden downpour, and I hostile retreated back to my hostel for the rest of the afternoon. 

As I was sitting at dinner, I wondered a little about where my blood will go. In the United States, blood is a big business. While we donate blood, the supply is then controlled by a blood bank. When a hospital needs blood supply, they asked the blood bank for it, but also have to pay a price for these blood. If there is a shortage in the area, the hospitals will ask blood banks outside their area for supply: and may have to pay a higher price for it. It is actually a huge business that involves a lot of logistics, and is an international industry. Plus, blood is separated into plasma and platelets, which can be kept longer and does not cross match of blood types. When I donate blood in Seattle, part of it could end up on Ohio, the other in storage, or maybe another part of the country. The donors get free cookies and juices, but the blood bank actually gets payment from hospitals and even turn a profit. A industry built literally on blood, and the money from blood of everyday, altruistic people. 

(Welcome to capitalism!)

A Visit to the Palace

12/21/15

   
    
   

  

  

  

   
    
    
    
   
I am not a religious person (well, I do invoke Jesus and Christ’s name a lot daily though), but I do appreciate religion. The world is a confusing place and we all need some comfort. Personally, I actually quite envy those with strong religious conviction: knowing you will be saved probably allow you to sleep much better. I, on the other hand, occasionally act like Charlie Brown and ask stupid questions to the ceiling. It is also interesting than monarchy and religion always seem to combine with one another. The Chinese believe the emperor to be the son of heaven. King Henry started his own religion to obtain a divorce (that is quite the egoistic thing to do…). Both sectors are equally powerful, especially on controling and persuading masses. In Cambodia, it is about the same. The citizens used to treat royalty as deities, which partly led to the eventual mess.

I was trapped by my own plan. When I started, I assumed I would spend more time in Cambodia, and so I applied for a Vietnam tourist visa to start on 1/1/16. This, combined with my ever lessening bank account, made me realized: I can schedule a short visit to Laos before I travel to Vietnam. With this in mind. I booked my ticket today to fly into Vientiane for Chirstmas and Luang Prabang for new year. With the morning spent on planning (a tuktuk driver actually got mad that I refused his service all day, saying that I have been doing nothing everyday…), I decided to take it easy the rest of the afternoon: a short visit to the central market, and a longer visit to the palace. 

The central market is actually around a newly developed building designed by the French (I have noticed a lot of joint ventures in Cambodia. My tour yesterday was also a joint venture with China, with the Chinese lady in charge complaining quite a lot about the problem with local labor), and it actually looks really good: except it is also covered around the sides by stores and stands. Nonetheless, it is impressive on the inside (as a nerd, I have to say: that is what counts!) and I spent some time admiring the structure and the layout, much to the confusion of the sellers. I think, like the tuk tuk driver, they were confused on why someone is looking up all the time at the beams and down at the columns, while ignoring the items on display. This is not to say I did not buy anyhong: I did buy a coconut juice while looking at all the fresh seafood. It made me hungry for some good sushi. 

In the afternoon. I visited the royal palace very bear by hotel (to the aggravation of the tuk tuk driver once again). The entrance fee was $6.50, abd by now I am more or less used to their use of local currency mixed with US. (This is the irony I noticed a lot: everyone say they do not like US, but adopt the currency for simplicity and stability). The palace of Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia, is impressive and beautiful. It contains a lot of Buddhist statues and relics (which I isually expect from a museum), with auperior architecture and style. There are also quite a few tombs of the past emperors (known as stupa). These towers are a few stories high with immaculate etchings and decorations. I guess being a royalty does allow one to have a nice tombs within a palace, allowing your ghost to sneak a peek at your descendents, while seeing tourists snapping selfies everyday. 

I ended the day drinking $0.50 draft beers at the waterfront (again near my hotel. I think that tuk tuk driver must be boiling with rage when I turned down his service once again). As I was typing this up while somewhat inebriated, my mind wanders (yeah, it does that a lot) about religion and monarchy. People like power, and so it makes sense on why people in power always try to consolidate their power (repeat that statement 5 times fast!). I am a big fan of money and luxury, but power is not quite my turn on. After all, one of my superheroes once famously said “with great power comes great responsibility”.  Most tend to forget: it is dissociate to grab power, it is even more problematic to hold onto it. After all, it is not something you can carry it to the afterlife (well, you may be able to, I have no idea what happens after death. I do really want to float around and scare my friends though…). Maybe you could gain a nice tomb acting like a monument for tourist. Me, I much prefer to end up in the drinking water supply so everyone can ingest me (ah, old joke. You may need to read early entries to know what I am talking about. I have this weird desire on where to spread my ashes….and several good friends have agreed to try to carry that out. I suggest a good filter for your drinking water once I die). M

Power of Politics

12/20/15

   
    
    
    
    
   

   
    
    
   
Politics, defined as the practice and theory of influencing people, is something we seem to experience everyday. From office to school (ah, the student government) to sports, politics is everywhere. After all, we all need to convince people to do what we want them to do to achieve our goals. Most of us use a mixture of persuasion and threats, within our capability and power. Well, as they say, with power comes corruption, and i went to visit 2 sites that showcase some of the worst of humanity. (I’d like to reference the Stanford prison experiment, but I am not quite sure if that applies here.)

Cambodia has a terrible recent history. I think most would recognize the words “Pol Pot” and “Khmer Rouge”.  Also known as the Community Party of Kampuchea, Khmer Rouge was formed in 1968 and ruled Cambodia from 1975-1979. It is said that almost 3 million (out of 8 million) people died under the regime. Taking a page out of Mao’s social engineering, Pol Pot sure nationally tortured and killed intellectuals and moved citizens to country side. Families were separated, thousands were murdered at various killing fields. It is a chapter of Cambodia history that is both scary and almost unfathomable. The most notorious places were Choeung Ek killing field and Tuol Seung (S21 Prison) genocide museum. Being in Phnom Penh, there is almost no reason not to visit these places. They are a reminder on how cruel we all can be, under different circumstances. 

We arrived at the Tuol Seung Prison first. This former school is divided into 4 buildings, with building A deemed the “VIP” area. It is rumored that 17,000 prisoner passed through this facility. Of those, only 7 were ever rescued on the way to killing field. The classrooms were divided into small cells using bricks. Excrements were to be deposited into a small box, with part thrown away and part used for drowning torture. In order to prevent suicide, the front of the balconies were covered with barbed wires. Most were beaten to death, or have the stomach or throat slit- to preserve bullets. When the Vietnamese came to liberate the school, the guards murdered everyone inside except 2 kids who hid under a pile of clothing, and 2 babies. The rest of the survivor were rescued from a truck going to the killing field. With these information, we wandered around the former prison camp, looking at skulls of victims, photographs, drawings and many other exhibits. The mood was somber, and we even met two of the only loving survivors (who were selling their books). One thing that set this apart: there is a surprising lack of videos and interactive exhibits. Having been to the holocaust museum in DC and Warsaw (which have a lot of recordings, videos and interactive displays), the level violence still shocked me. 

We drove another 40 mins to the Choeung Ek killing field, where mass graves were discovered. A former Chinese burial ground, it was a site of mass murder. The soldiers would play loud music over the PA system, and this, coupled with the sound of Diesel engine running, would be the last sounds victims hear. There ate mass graves of bodies without head, women, men, children and babies (who were smashed repeatedly against trees). As we walked around, bits o clothing a can still be seen on the ground, along with bone fragments. The government only collect the skulls (they said there are just too many bones to be collected efficiently), which are displayed in a huge tower in the center of the site. We were told this is not because the government did not want to return the bodies to the families; instead, it is because there are no names or identification associated with these bones. This I actually found to be sad: with the technology these days, I think there are ways to let the stillsurviving   families members undergo DNA testing for identification. Of course, with so many killed, there may simply not be any living relatives. A whole bloodline could have been simply wiped from this earth. 

Returning from the trip, I read a little more on the circumstances and history. These all happened in the period of Cold War, and Cambodia was being used as a pawn in the game. USA lost the Vietnam war, and so decided to use  another country to try to block communist influence. Along with the Chinese government, most of the western world actually supported the Khmer Rouge regime (because he was suspicious and fighting the Vietnamese). Pol Pot eventually died of natural causes in his own home, never stood trial or faced any punishment. It is a great reminder that politics matters: not only to our own country, but also to the world. As human beings, we have to help our fellow people, and stop genocides from happening. People who think the isolation policy works are delusional, especially in this date and age. The world is more connected than ever. Hiding on an island hoping for the best is not a way of survival- it is a cowardly way of avoiding responsibility. 

Mosquitos and Me

12/19/15

   
    
    
   
   
   
There are some who asked: why don’t you do volunteer traveling? You can be assisting the local population instead of just spending money on sights and sounds. That is one question I had asked myself quite a lot of times. On one hand, I think it is a marvelous idea: I get to help people while traveling. On another hand, I worry a lot about money ( poor upbringing and all): I always want to leave some cushions (not literally. Although they are super comfortable on sofas) just in case. It is hard to balance my conflicting wishes. (I know, first world problem.)

I woke up groggy and, for a moment, lost. I could not remember where I am until I looked around me with my glasses on (no, no one night stand here). Dragging myself out of bed, I washed up and went downstairs for breakfast. The table in front of me consisted of a guy and a gal travelers,  who were getting to know one another. The guy decides to impress the gal by buying her a scarf and a bracelet from a little gal. It gave me a mixed feeling: while pretty charming, I wonder if this encourage more gals to sell trinkets on the street? My musing was disrupted by the arrival of breakfast and I was soon busy ingesting eggs and toast. With a full stomach, I ventured to see the National Museum, which houses many statues and etchings found in Cambodia. 

Paying $5 for entry, I walked into the museum and realized: it is an open air museum with a central courtyard filled with vegetarians and several ponds. This made me worried, and my fear was soon realized: mosquitos. Being a magnet for them, I was brutally attacked all over.  I fidgeted and walked all over the space, leaving a trail of mosquitos after me. I tried very hard to concentrate on reading the exhibits, but the constant buzzing and itching soon proved too much. I eventually escaped outside after a quick tour of the museum. It was a pity, the museum has lots of good information on Khmer history.

Reading up on things to do on Phnom Penh, I noticed blood donation listed as a good activity. Apparently, there are not a lot of donors in Cambodia, and they welcome walk-in. Thinking I could do something good (albeit small), I walked over to the National Blood Center. The building was easy to find, and I waited at the reception for registration. Unfortunately, the front desk person left with a donor and disappeared for an extended period of time. Some of the locals saw me waiting, and wanted to help find the person. However, it was a lost cause as he was not to be found for another 20 minutes. With the crowd size in the reception area growing (some even left after a brief wait), and more importantly, with me under attack of mosquitos again, I finally decided to leave after 30 minutes. It was disappointing, especially since I apparently fed 7 mosquitos within that time. Foiled twice by mosquitos, I finally made a stand at the Central Market, where there were lots of people to share the attention of mosquitos. While things are pretty cheap, I did not find anything that interest me. However, I did notice lots of seeing machines around, and was told I can get my clothes altered there. There are also lots of suits for sale at very reasonable prices. 

As I was eating dinner, my thoughts return to doing good while traveling. As more and more global citizens become more aware of foreign countries, volunteer traveling is becoming more popular. I am a big fan, and would love to do it in the future. However, I also realize I need to do a lot of research to ensure what I will be doing will actually be of help to the place of visit. After all, it is easy to spend money on a cause only to realize it has been misused. Like the guy trying to impress his date by buying brackets and scarf from a little girl on the street, what we think that may help could cause harm instead. 

Mini-van and finance

12/18/15

   

  

    
    
    
    
   
(I spent 6 hours traveling from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, so there is relatively little to update. Sorry!)

I will try to break they dual style of writing today (mostly because I did nothing except sit in a hot van all day). When I started this leg of trip, I knew my finance will take a huge hit: not because I spend a lot of money traveling, but because I always want to do a lot of things, go a lot of places that cost money. For example, while Angkor is relatively cheap ($40 for 3 days pass), I spent way more on renting bicycles and taking tuk tuk rides to far away temples. While I was in Ko Chang, I wanted to ride elephants and do island tours. All these come at a heavy price (literally). I have been busting my budget and must now cut back. (Yup, you will soon see short post on my day spent on the beach while reading a book). What truly make me feel bad is when I see so many younger travelers partying all night long and yet managed to spend less on party than me on sightseeing. When I got excited (no, not that way) about visiting Angkor for 3 whole days, people I met in the hostel thought I was crazy. I think this is part of the problem so far: while I found some cool like minded travelers in South America, I have not met many in south east Asia. 

All I have to do today was easy: take the minivan from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh (what a cool name). I waited from 8-9am, while trying to settle atm issues (the hostel has an atm. I tried to draw money, but it failed…yet it deducted money from my bank). I was eventually picked up around 9am and took to the van, filled with locals and surprisingly, a lot of children too. I think everyone was amused to see me on the van, but mostly left me alone. The road to Phnom Pehn was pretty terrible, and we bumped and grinder our way there. The driver was pretty aggressive, which made me happy since that means we would get to the destination early; but bad for some passengers who became cat sick. With children wailing and people retching, it was a cacophony that i would not soon forget. I am amazed I was not sick, but in fact manages to nap a little here and there. I arrived safe and sound in the new city around 3.45pm. Seeing I am in a place near the river (which helped a lot with the heat!), I went for a quick run around the area. 

Seeing how beers are mostly $0.50 to $1 here, and that I now love above a really run down pub, I decided to eat a quick dinner nearby, spending $5 for noodles and $1 on beer. Thankfully, my lunch was only $4, so that fit into my daily budget. As I start planning for things to do, I realize that I will likely break my budget to see everything I want to see. I guess that’s the dilemma of a traveler: see more or save money? And where are all my like-minded travelers at?!!