Hi All,
These last two days we’ve been exploring the Angkor Wat complex in NW Cambodia near Siem Reap (BTW, Dith Pran of The Killing Fields was born here); I think there are over 40 temples, but we saw about 4-5. This am saw the sun rise over the main temple, which was pretty awesome. Other temples included Ta Prohm (the “Tomb Raider temple”, which was gorgeous), Bantey Srei (sandstone has carvings from diamonds), and Preah Khan (“sacred Sword”). The temples were started under King Jayanarama; The initial religion here in Cambodia was Hinduism, but temples had ëvolved” to reflect Buddhist influence. Got some great shots.
Have enjoyed trying Khmer food, which is influenced by Indian and Thai, but not nearly as spicy or flavorful. However, I did try a dish that featured Cambodian ants (yes, ants)(crunchy, but tasty). Have enjoyed drinking juice right from a young coconut, as well as a fish curry. Last night we had dinner at a Cambodian family’s home, and enjoyed the home cooked feast of potato curry, chicken with lemongrass, tom yum soup, stir fried veggies, and pork with noodles. We were entertained by the kids, who are the same everywhere. 25% of Cambodia’s population is under 10.
Tonight we are going to have dinner and watch traditional Apsara dancing, then are oof to Phnom Pehn in the am. I’m going to shower, swim, and do laundry first.
Things I’m glad I brought: Ultrathon 12 hour sweat-proof insect cream, (no insect has even tried a nibble!), respiratory masks (for polluted/dusty streets), DEET spray (yes, it’s nasty but a great precaution against creepy crawlies),TP roll.
Things I wish I had brought: a functional hand held fan, a journal, a toothbrush (fortunately the hotel had one).
Take care and more later–Aimee
The Idea Place Posts
I am travelling with a group of 11 other people on my journey through Cambodia and Vietnam. Most are in their 20-30s, and are from Australia, though one woman is from Ireland and a young couple are from Sweden. I am the “token”American. There are two other nurses, two MDs, a paramedic, a nursing assistant, a journalist, a child care worker, a shopkeeper are among those in our group. They are nice people and quite a few of them are much more well traveled than I am or probably will be. Not surprisingly, most are very well-informed on the history/politics of the region, though I am holding my own, thank you. I’ve noticed on this trip and others I encounter far more Europeans and Australians than Americans. Some of that I think is that Americans generally have less vacation time, but we are also spoiled with a beautiful, diverse country. There are more than a few that feel it is unnecessary to venture beyond our borders. But travelling to other places is important–it opens your eyes into how others live in a way no book or TV show can explain. Although the ügly American” (don’t know how an umlaut was substituted for a parens) does exist (I’ve seen it in person), travellers from other countries are just as guilty of being ignorant or disrespectful of local customs and traditions. If you do travel, you are essentially an ambassador for your country, and should conduct yourself accordingly.
Enough of the speeches–I’m off for breakfast, then Angkor Wat.
Aimee
Ok, I will fire off more hoping the connection will stay stable.
As I mentioned earlier, it’s tough to take pictures of all you see when you are basically off roading in some places. Cambodia is basically flat, and as it’s the end of the wet season parts are flooded. About half the population is under 30, and half of those are aged 10 and under. The Khmer Rouge killed off the intellectuals and anyone with an education, so in that respect Cambodia was brought back to “Year Zero”. Education is not compulsory, so if family needs the child for work s/he does not go to school. When school is held, it’s a half-day session. Poverty is huge here–lots of heaps of garbage and broken down items. Also saw some lovely things, too: Patches of beautiful lotuses, kids frolicking in streams, a temple peeping out of green fields, people going about their daily lives, bridges and other structures being built. Saw some scarier things too: A family of four riding on a motorcycle; dad (who wore a helmet) holding an infant on his shoulders while the motorbike was in motion. Bottles of gasoline are stored in glass liter bottles at roadside stands–in the hot sun, no less.
More later–Aimee
Today we took a bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap, Cambodia. Journey took about 10 hours, with about two hours for immigration and breaks. We entered at Poipet, which is apparently the last border to close after the Khmer Roughe took over–if you were going to get out, that was the place for it. I think it should be renamed “Poi-pit” or, rhythmically, “Toilet”. Dusty, hot, muggy, with piles of garbage and a road pockmarked with potholes the size of small ponds. Lots of kids working. The road to SR is pretty bumpy, so is difficult to take pictures. And the internet connection here in SR is pretty spotty, so my description will have to stay short for now.
Aimee
Sawadee ka!
Here I am in Bangkok. The total flight time was over 17 hours, and I got here at 11:30 p.m. Bangkok is 14 hours ahead of Seattle time. It was 80 + degrees with 90% humidity–totally different from 54 degrees and damp in Seattle! On the way to the hotel I saw roadside food stalls, and it looks like Chinatown was hopping in places late at night. I’m not terribly jetlagged, but am taking it easy this afternoon as I acclimate to time and climate changes. The hotel I’m at is in Chinatown and I took a stroll for a couple hours. All sorts of goods, from military gear, including a cheap rifle, to batiks, were offered. I was one of the few western faces around, and no one bothered me at all. Alleyways with smells of rice, frying bananas, fish, fruit, pollution, and some unidentified smells as well. Saw a dried up Khlong (canal) that looked like it doubled as a toilet. Poverty is here too but haven’t seen many beggars. Traffic is a big here, and my asthma is feeling it to a degree, though I’m glad I wore a mask outside.
Weirdest thing I saw on my way yesterday was a toilet in Narita International that in addition to having a functioning flush mechanism, gave options that included making a flushing sound…
Tomorrow I’ll try to see a few sights before hooking up with the tour group. Take care. Let’s hope the market crash halts quickly!
Aimee
As some blog readers know, Aimee is embarking on a five-week journey throughout Southeast Asia. I’ll post her travel dispatches on the blog as they are available.
This trip involves tours from two travel companies. She’s touring with Intrepid Travel and Myths & Mountains. Intrepid will take Aimee through Cambodia and Vietnam while Myths will take her through Nepal.
Photos and any audio/video will have to wait until Aimee’s return. Maybe I’ll convince her to travel with a computer on the next adventure.
Leave a CommentThe Associated Press ran a story talking about a librarian in Utah trying to catalog many of the animal sounds found in the western U.S. At first browse, The Western Soundscape Archive seems quite intriguing and as a nice touch, the Flash used on the site seems to be of the accessible variety.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Rattlesnakes aren’t to be trifled with, but if you’re trying to collect the sound of every creature in the West that slithers, hops, flies or flops, distance isn’t a luxury you can afford.
Leave a Comment”You get yourself in some strange situations,” said Jeff Rice, a soft-spoken University of Utah research librarian who’s trying to create the first comprehensive — and free to the public — archive of natural sounds in the West.
Obviously this is not, in the grand scheme of things, a huge deal. That said, for the curious try the following:
- Navigate to http://www.house.gov.
- Enter the zip 98052 in the box for locating a representative by zip.
- Note the resulting page which indicates that 98052 is not enough info.
The 5 digit ZIP code 98052 was not enough information to determine your Representative. There are muiltiple Representatives who share this 5 digit ZIP code.
With the billions we all pay in taxes, you’d think our government could correctly spell the word multiple. I left feedback today to ask that this be corrected so we’ll see how long any correction takes.
Leave a CommentToday’s Seattle times has an article talking about how Amazon has created a map illustrating the political leaning of a state based on book book purchases from this state. I mention this heare because after trying the page, it could serve as a model of how to make an inaccessible web page. It seems like every rule about basic web accessibility was ignored.
Unable to see pictures, well you are out of luck. Need info conveyed with something other than color. To bad, so sad.
On Tuesday, the Seattle-based retailer introduced an interactive map of the U.S. showing which states are “red” or “blue” based on their online book purchases.
For now, 36 states are pink or red. Six are blue. And eight, including Washington and Oregon, are purple, meaning residents are virtually split in their political book purchases between Republican and Democratic viewpoints.
The map, available at http://www.amazon.com/election2008, and updated daily, is based on sales of books with a political perspective, as identified in promotional material and customer classifications.
Take a browse and try and determine anything meaningful from this page if you are using a screen reader. Even the book titles from the most popular categories seem to be missing meaningful text. You can read fun links named things like I/518RvzD1MOL._AA110_.
I’ve sent feedback to Amazon but if anyone has real contacts beyond feedback links on web pages it would be good to let Amazon know.
Leave a CommentAnyone who’s a football fan knows all to well the saga that’s played out over these past many months with Brett Favre and his retirement/unretirement. With the 2008 NFL season now underway, it definitely feels strange to see Favre playing for the Jets and tossing his 443rd touchdown for a team other than the Packers. Only time will tell how it all works out for everyone involved and I guess it keeps things interesting.
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