Southeast Asia Trip

It all started on a Friday night after a full day of work. We began our trip with our spirits high and our backpacks stuffed with the essentials. We had been waiting for this day for oh so long, and it finally came. We took our high expectations to the airport and boarded the plane for Bangkok, Thailand. We reached Bangkok in the wee early morning hour of two o’clock. We decided to begin our trip like a true traveler by sleeping in the airport on metal benches. A few hours later, the airport police banging on the metal benches requesting us to leave awakened us.

It was time to attempt to get Cambodia. We studied the Lonely Planet and formed a plan of action. We were going to take a four-hour bus to the border. Then we were going to take a tut-tut to the actual border crossing. After going through customs, we were going to attempt to hire a taxi/car to take us to Siem Reap. This journey would be on a road known all over Asia as one of the worst roads, and we would be on this road for four hours dodging holes and cars. As we read the planet, it was a little daunting, but we decided to take one step at a time to accomplish the task that was set before us.

Yes, we did manage to get to Siem Reap, and yes, we did have some hiccups, but nothing that set us back too much. We had no difficulty in Thailand, but as soon as our feet stepped out of Thailand we encountered some shady characters. We will all remember our first entry into Cambodia as the entry into Scambodia. They tried to charge us more than the normal fee for our visa, and they somewhat succeeded. They tried to charge us more for the taxi ride into Siem Reap, and they did succeed. We were at their mercy, and they knew we were. We fought for a price we could all agree on. Then we began the journey. The road was bad, but it wasn’t as bad as my imagination. The dust flew everywhere. The people that lived by the road were covered with red dust. Green spots peeked out from the trees, but primarily the trees’ leaves were rust colored. The road was one hole after another. We took two cars, and each car had at least one flat tire apiece. We were in the middle of nowhere with flat tires swatting mosquitoes and hoping that one day we would reach civilization. We did! It was the beginning of a true adventure, and this was just 24 hours into the trip.

Siem Reap is known for Angkor Watt. Angkor Watt is an amazing group to temples. They were built between AD802-1432. This is also where Tomb Raider was filmed. The temples were amazing. I usually do not really enjoy looking at temples, but these temples kept me intrigued. Some were like labyrinths. Some had trees’ roots draping over them. Some had huge steep steps that the monks would climb to enjoy an amazing view. They also had some of the most beautiful children peddling postcards inside of them. We enjoyed talking to the kids, and trying to bring them some joy as they were working.

After spending two days in Siem Reap, we headed to Phnom Penh. We wanted to see the genocide museum and the killing fields. We only spent the evening in Phnom Penh before heading out to Saigon, Vietnam.

We reached Vietnam by a bus. In Saigon, we were met with lots and lots of motorcycles. When we crossed the street, it was like walking between seas of motorcycles. Vietnam is one of the most challenging places to cross the street, and this is really saying something coming from me. I live in China! In Saigon, we headed to the Cu Chi tunnels. The Vietnamese government reconstructed the tunnels that the VC used during the war. It was very educational, and I got to learn a little bit about jungle warfare. The tunnels they constructed were quite ingenious, and the traps they used were brutal. In Phnom Penh and Vietnam I was made aware of just what people can do to other people. What humans are capable of is the scariest thing in the world to me.

In Vietnam, we ran into the problem of there being no tickets. We wanted to go to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. However, Hanoi is in the north, and we were in the south. Vietnam is a long country. Unfortunately, we were unable to get tickets that made our journey easy. We had to take a bus for about 48 hours or so. We would stop in various cities for a couple hours, but we were on the bus for two whole nights. We did get to see a lot of Vietnam’s countryside. It is a beautiful country with lots of rice paddies, mountains, and a blue-green ocean shore.

After some long hours, we arrived in Hanoi. Our bodies were tired, and they screamed for no more buses. We were able to tour around Hanoi for some time, but even after our long journey we didn’t stay that long. We went to a water puppet show, which was really cool. We sneaked in with a bunch of Communist leaders to see Ho Chi Min’s body. We took a day trip to Halong Bay, and we prepared for the rest of our journey.

The next place we visited was the much-anticipated Luang Prabang in Laos. We were anxiously waiting for this city. We heard that it was wonderful. We heard that it was relaxing and beautiful. It met our expectations. After so many days of hard traveling, we were ready for this laid back atmosphere. We were fortunate enough to get a room where we could all stay together. We were in our oasis. Well, we were there for at least awhile, but every place is bound to have its adventure. We decided to go on a two-day trek out to villages. We began our journey with an elephant ride. Then we trekked, we trekked, and we trekked some more. The views were breathtaking. I truly felt like I was in a jungle. We also got to stop and play with the kids along the way. That night we spent the night in the village. We went around the village exploring another way of life. We raced with the kids, made faces with them, and talked with them. It was wonderful. The stars were even shining brightly for us like they had never done before in Shanghai. Everyone was happy and enjoying this new lifestyle.

And then it happened, the thing that left a little bad memory in our minds from our trip. After we all snuggled into our blankets on our bamboo bed under our mosquito nets, one of us began one of the most horrible nights. Unfortunately, one of my travel companions got food poison, and he had a bad case. He was throwing up all night long, and his body became very weak. We were in the middle of nowhere. There were no phones. There was no medicine. In the morning, we were supposed to take a 1.5-hour trek, and then we were to go kayaking for 4 hours. There was no way he could finish the trek so the village called a “tractor” to come and get him and take him back to our hotel. We tried our best to help him out, and the whole village was involved. Village life really is an involved lifestyle. Everyone cares about one another. Fortunately, Jeff, my travel companion, made it back safely, and after some days of rest he recovered from the ordeal.

After our experience in Luang Prabang, we headed to Vietiene, the capital of Laos. In Vietiene we met with some friends and fellowshipped with them. It was great to see them and to visit a family. After our short visit, we went back to Bangkok. We wandered around Bangkok for a day or two before coming back to Shanghai. We just looked for Thai tea, pad thai, and mangoes and sticky rice!

I had a wonderful time exploring Southeast Asia. I feel so blessed to have been able to travel with friends and to develop deeper relationships with them. I feel so blessed to have been able to see another part of the world that goes on day by day like I saw it. I feel blessed to have been able to open my mind to what the world is made of. I feel blessed to have learned what I have learned. I feel blessed to have been able to search, explore, and question what life is about. I feel blessed to have the roots and upbringing that I have, and I hope I will not forget the faces of Southeast Asia. The faces that reveal to me what life is like in another part of the world.