Old Friends and New Jobs

Heya Folks,

Apologies for a late posting to the blog this week. My computer is having a few issues just lately and could, I fear, be on its last legs. However, I know of a few techies here who could help, so all is not lost yet.
Also this week, I have had an old friend staying, Jill, from Australia. She was a fellow i-to-i volunteer here back in 2007, and was tempted back on hearing that I, and fellow i-to-i-ers Paul and Paschal, were all in Hanoi. What a strange and pleasing mix of circumstance and co-incidence that led us back together. I have had a fantastic week catching up with her and the others, and do rather miss her now that she is on her way back to Australia.


On returning from Cambodia, I set myself to the task of actually earning some money here, to replenish my rapidly-depleting stocks. I had a few job leads to chase up, of varying qualities and seriousness. Since then, I have begun some private tutoring with the son of a neighbour here on Quan Thanh street, which has been FAB fun. The student, Hung, is very intelligent and enthusiastic, so the lessons hardly feel like work at all! I am also picking up random paid lessons at various places around Hanoi, which means I spend quite alot of time travelling here and there around the city. This can be tedious and time-consuming (and expensive), but necessary!

Thats All from Me!
take care

SarahHeadsEast xx

Kuala Lumpur Monday

Hey Folks,
Tour-of-Asian-Megacities #1...In between budget flights back to Hanoi from Cambodia I happened upon an afternoon exploring the city of Kuala Lumpur, capital of Malaysia. And what a fantastic afternoon it was. Scarceley have I spent a happier few hours than playing about on the KL metro system (which is a breeze by the way) and zipping between the sights of this megacity.
First off I wandered along Petaling Street, home of cheap T-shirts of the 'Adihash' and 'Nikked' persuasion. Although it was nice for a wander, I wasnt tempted to part with any Riel to prop up the sweatshop trade, so instead I ducked into a cafe for a drink when the afternoon monsoon rains hit.

Next up was the biggie and Kuala Lumpur's star centrepiece - the Petronas Twin Towers, formerly the world's highest buildings, and still I believe the world's highest pair of buildings. They are simply so huge that its almost impossible to get them all in one photograph, and I saw many tourists lying on the ground of the plaza outside the towers trying to acheive this feat. There is a skydeck halfway up, from which it is possible to view the whole city. Did you also know that it is closed on a Monday? No, me neither. Not usually one for being impressed by architecture, it was still just fantastic to see something so iconic in flesh and steel! Another one of those 'How did I get here?' moments.
At the base of the towers sits the Suria KL shopping centre, and stepping inside, I could have been in Meadowhall or the Metrocentre, anywhere, in any city. A completely non-country-specific collection of familiar brands and shops, including this....
...a Harrods outlet in the middle of Kuala Lumpur. How perfectly incongruous.

Not normally a fan of these places at home ("Its not just shopping, its a shopping experience!"), I must admit it was not an unpleasant diversion to wander around for an hour or so and not be out of place, to imagine that I 'could' be in the UK; although I was very pleased when I stepped out into the courtyard with my cheap pizza slice and found that I was in Asia after all.

The only disappointment of the day was finding that I couldnt go up to the observation deck of the Menara KL tower, which a promised a cracking cityscape better even than that from the Petronas towers. I raced around there during the late afternoon so I would catch sunset over the city, but found that they would only let me in if I paid 38RM (about £8) for a tower 'experience', including a pony ride, zoo and F1 simulator. Not having the funds or patience for a such a circus, I declined and went back to the airport to wait for my Hanoi flight the next morning.

Must take a moment to thank the lovely and forever anonmyous Indian lady who woke me up after I fell asleep in the departure gate and very very nearly missed my flight!
All in all a lovely city and a lovely day.

Until Next Time

SarahHeadsEast xx


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Siem Reap

Heya Folks,

We had an easy, comfortable journey by bus from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, passing rural villages and giving a brief glimpse into the Cambodian countryside. Siem Reap was a real gem of a place, and one of the nicest cities I have ever been to. Although there is not much to see 'in town' (with most people heading straight to Angkor), it still had a lovely relaxed feel, and provided a good respite to 'temple fatigue', which undoubtedly set in after a few days at Angkor.

Are there enough adjectives to describe the Angkor temple complex? Immense, Awesome, Beautiful, Stunning, Mega, Mindblowing, Incredible, none of these even come close to describe the experience of Angkor Wat. It is quite simply, the mother of all temples, the worlds largest religious building that in its heyday was the city at the centre of the Khmer Empire. Each king that came and went tried to outdo each other with grandeur, which means that exploring the temples just gets better and better.

We started off on day one by hiring bicycles and cycling up in the pitch dark to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat. Having not previously seen it, to catch our first glimpse of Angkor as the sun slowly lit it up in the morning air was just immense, overwhelming at first view and awe-inspiring at every corner and view.

I really enjoyed the DIY-feel of cycling around the Angkor temples, not having the rigidness of a tour or a tuktuk driver wating for me gave me a great opportunity to tour the temples at my own pace, even getting off the beaten track to explore some of the lesser-visited ones away from the crowds. Including the temple at Bat Chum, which isnt even on the maps but anyhow down an unlikely-looking track, which I shared for a while with a young boy cycling to school.

The last temple I visited on the first day was Pre Rup, a tough and hot but worthwhile cycle. As I arrived and began to climb the steep temple steps, a young Cambodian girl walked up dragging behind her an enormous bag, and immediately accosted me with her only two words of English......'postcard' and 'one dollar'. Another child told me she was only four years old. There was something so sad about the innoncence of it all and the normalness of the poverty out here. I couldn't help but question, what crazy twists of the universe lead some of us to be walking around Angkor Wat on expensive holidays taking photographs with expensive digital cameras, and others to be following behind us, begging and selling drinks and postcards? What makes some of us rich and some of us poor?

On our other days touring at Angkor, we admitted defeat with the bikes and hired a tuktuk with a driver, Malai, to take us around the temples. He turned out to be a cracking guide, so friendly and so patient with us while we took our time touring the temples. There are the famous ones of course, such as Ta Prohm, with its giant tree roots growing over around the temple ruins which are slowly being reclaimed by the jungle. This was the setting for a Tomb Raider film I believe, though you could have fooled me.

Our favourite temple of the whole trip was definitely Banteay Kdei, visiting here just after sunrise when it was deserted and still very cool. Lots of caverns and tunnels and hidden corners to stumble over, and beautiful intricate carvings that honestly looked like they had been done yesterday.

Sunrises We Have Known: The famous one of course at Angkor Wat, but we also managed to catch a wonderful and very peaceful sunrise over the moat that surrounds Angkor. We shared it with only a handful of other tourists, and a dog that was clearly a permanent resident at the temples.

Sunsets We Have Known: Again we joined the crowds to catch the sunset at Phnom Bakheng, which is perched on top of a hill giving great 4 way views of the whole Angkor site. On our last evening, we treated ourselves to an elephant ride up to the top of the hill, so now I've completed the triptic of SouthEastAsian elephant rides. However, we also discovered a great sunset spot behind Angkor Wat itself, which was totally deserted and very peaceful. We stayed until the security guard told us the site was closing, and then walked around the Eastern elevation of the temple to see the most stunning orange sun just disappearing behind the entrance gate and library temples. Beautiful.

A perfect way to end our Cambodian experience :)

SarahHeadsEast xx

Phnom Penh

Heya folks,

We arrived early into Phnom Penh, which had a lovely feel about it. Despite being the capital city, it was amazingly chilled out, with much less of the crazy traffic of Hanoi. The other thing of note was the oppressive heat which didn't let up during our whole stay. I'll remember that as much as anything else. The main reason for our being in Phnom Penh was to visit the Killing Fields at Choeng Ek, and the Tuol Sleng prison, which were the main sites for the genocide commited by the Khmer Rouge during the late 1970s. We both felt that it would be unfair to come to Cambodia only to see the temples at Angkor, without recognising the many layers of this country, not least of course its tragic past.

The trip was a hard one to make, and I have to admit I knew almost nothing about the Khmer Rouge before I went, other than 'something bad' having happened. Its hard to believe that something so tragic and awful could happen to a country so beautiful, and so recently too. Mass graves are still being discovered at Choeng Ek, infact a section of the footpath was roped off while we were there for just this reason.

The Tuol Sleng Prison, nicknamed 'S21', was formerly the site of a primary school, but taken over in April 1975 for the detention and execution of innocent Cambodians, all of whom were photographed on arrival and their photographs are displayed inside. It was an extremely sobering visit, yet the Tuol Sleng Genocide museum was one of the best museums I have ever been to. The peaceful atmosphere is so at odds with the violent history and yet so fitting as a memorial to the victims of the Khmer Rouge.

Next we visited the Killing Fields at Choeng Ek, a 20min tuk-tuk ride away from Phnom Penh. There's a huge, towering monument which is the first thing you see in what seems to be a deserted park. When we got closer we realised that it was full of 14 tiers of skulls arranged by age and sex. Used to seeing ancient prehistoric skeletons in museums, it was really tough to see skulls just over 30years old. All around the park were shallow pits that were the remains of mass graves. Again the peacefulness of the park was so ironic and yet so fitting, giving the victimes the eternal peace denied to them at the end.

I have thought and thought and thought about whether it is right to take photographs at these two sites, and still more, whether I should post any of them on here. I dont believe for a minute in any kind of war-tourism, but the trip has really opened my eyes to the importance of being AWARE of what is happening in our world. By taking photographs and writing blogs, this is the way that we can tell people what happened and make them aware that it is STILL happening today. And in my opinion, especially after the visit to Cambodia, there is no excuse not to know what is going on and not to take notice. Sometimes standing by and saying or doing nothing is the biggest crime of all...




SarahHeadsEast xx

Poverty. Brutality. Beauty. Cambodia.

...are the three words that have stuck in my head since I arrived in Cambodia on monday. This country has blown me away, shocked me and overwhelmed me in equal measures. I am only now beginning to formulate my thoughts on this country into a comprehensible blog post. My apologies for not updating the blog for a while, but I shall be back in Hanoi on tuesday, and shall prepare a bloggy delight for you then.

xx SarahHeadsEast xx

P.S. Google Cambodia. Now.