Fleeing the Khmer Rouge, Sophal Ear

Compeling story about a family who escaped the Khmer Rouge.

Another Storm Brewing in Singapore

We have had electrical storms every day since my arrival. We are in the Southwest Monsoon season which is from June to September. Southeast/southwest winds prevail. Showers occur late morning and early afternoon. Early morning "Sumatra" squall lines (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squall_line) are common.

You can barely see the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in the cloud formation, www.marinabaysands.com. I wonder what it feels like on that roof, the boat.

Fact Sheet

Thailand

Area: 513,120 sq km (slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming)

Population: 65,998,436

Government: Constitutional monarchy

Cambodia

Area: 181,035 sq km (slightly smaller than Oklahoma)

Population: 14,494,293

Government: Multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy

Vietnam

Area: 331,210 sq km (slightly larger than New Mexico)

Population: 88,576,758

Government: Communist state

Slideshow of Robin's Vietnam Pictures

Traffic in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

There are no traffic rules in Ho Chi Minh City, absolutely none. It is frightening and mesmerizing to watch bicycles, cars, motorbikes and trishaws dance around each other and pedestrians. We successfully navigated two or three crossings on foot before we decided it was a teeth clenching exercise.

Robin and I lost our presence of mind and decided to take a trishaw to our shopping destination in the city. I chattered none stop during the excursion; it is the sound of fear.

This video is seven minutes long. It may not as be as scary for you as it was for me.

Rex Hotel:

The Rex Hotel was made famous by American troops during the Vietnam War when its conference room hosted a daily press conference, by the MACV, derisively named The Five O'Clock Follies by cynical journalists who found the optimism of leading US military officers to be misguided. The rooftop bar was a well known hangout spot for military officials and war correspondents (wikipedia).

Mekong Delta

Cuu Long (Mekong Delta)

The Mekong Delta is the bottom half of Vietnam's two rice baskets, the other being the Red River Delta in the North. This delta is created by the deposition of the tributaries of the Mekong River. The Mekong River originates in the Tibetan highland plateau 2,800 miles away. From Tibet, the river makes its way through China, Myanmar (Burma), Laos, Cambodia and South Vietnam before flowing out into the South China Sea. The Mekong's Vietnamese name, Cuu Long, means Nine Dragons for the nine mouths that terminate the flow of this river as it is absorbed by the sea.

The people of south Vietnam are proud of the richness and vastness of this land. Today, the region is one of Vietnam's highest producer of rice crops, vegetables and fruits. (www.vietscape.com/travel/mekong/index.html)

Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City

Countryside around Siem Reap, Cambodia

The countryside is very lush. Unfortunately and sadly, farmers cannot farm their fields because there are landmines in Siem Reap and several other areas of Cambodia. There are between six and ten million unexploded landmines in the ground in Cambodia. This forces farmers to seek other ways to make a living...if they are able to do so. Hence, there is extreme poverty.

Sugar

Market in Siem Reap

Here is a market in Siem Reap.

Temple Video

Angkor Thom

Ta Prohm (Tomb Raider Temple)

Bayon

Walking through a Minefield

The field was clear of land mines now, but it was still eerie walking where landmines had once dotted the field. I kept saying to myself, "What if they forgot one?", "What if one rises up from the mud?"

Storm brewing

There was a storm brewing downtown today. Here are a few pictures.

A Perfect Soldier-Teaser

Khmer Rouge Child Soldiers, landmines and Aki Ra.

Select this link:

A Perfect Soldier-Teaser on YouTube

A supporter's video of Aki Ra, his museum and a child victim of a landmine incident.

Select this link:

A supporter's video

Landmines in Cambodia-A Short Film

Select this link:

Landmines in Cambodia-A Short Film

War Museum

Select the links below:

PBS Frontline: Cambodia - Pol Pot's Shadow 1/3

PBS Frontline: Cambodia - Pol Pot's Shadow 2/3

PBS Frontline: Cambodia - Pol Pot's Shadow 3/3

Landmine Museum

There is a landmine museum in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It is run by Aki Ra, once a boy soldier of the Khmer Rouge. Both his parents were killed by the Khmer Rouge.

As a boy soldier he layed landmines, but today he dedicates his life to removing them. The museum is home to several children who have lost limbs as a result of landmines. Aki Ra takes care of children using donations from visitors and patrons.