I am alive! It has been quite a while since my last diary. But I have been so busy with work, travel, among others.
Well here at last, is my latest diary on my travels around South East Asia. This diary marks the 6th month of my project life while in Singapore. Unfortunately, as all good things must come to a halt, so does this majestic and adventurous journey through the further and farther-most regions of this planet Earth. I say halt because one never knows what life may bring and who knows, I may end up coming back to the area at some point in the future - whether for work or pleasure, but definitely be back.
As with all previous diaries, this one also includes a language class and short excerpt about my travels in the vicinity of Singapore. In the past, you have read about my travels around South East Asia. Who can forget the Pad Pong in Bangkok (Thailand), Nirwana Resorts in Bintan (Indonesia - not that it was a big deal, since it is a Club Med look a like, but not so high quality), the hiking trails and Wan Chai (red-like, if you know what i mean ;-) ) district in Honk Kong ( China, or not, but who knows), the Chinese Market and the cheap VCDs (US$1.30) in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), the huge beach party in Sentosa Island (Singapore), and the Cu Chi tunnels in Saigon (Vietnam). Saigon, Vietnam ? Wait, you never wrote about that - well, I guess this is what this diary will be about - my trip to Saigon, Vietnam. All the places which I have visited, with the exception of Vietnam, did not require any type of Visa (at least not if you have a US passport) - probably because none of them have a Communist government - and no, even though Hong Kong is now part of China (or at least some people still think it is not) one truly does not experience Communism in Hong Kong. Anyway, yes, as one can read from this diary, I did visit the magnificent country of Vietnam (hu humm...Lu Lam - its ok, I know you will be there this year, but I could not wait for you, sorry man - next time). As always, here is our language lesson of the day.
Dat qua - Very expensive.
Tai kwong mua - I don't want to buy.
Em dep lam - You are beautiful.
Tam biet - Good bye.
Cam on - Thank you.
Nac qua - ***BEEP*** (sorry censored!!!)
Vietnam, a country torn down by a merciless war during the 1960s and 1970s, is one that is attempting to slowly recover into a self-sustaining economy and political power. Still control by the Communist government, which held the offensive during the Vietnam War against the United States and its allies, Vietnam is a country in which poverty is at an all time low (or at least that's what the government states) thanks to a government attempt to fulfill the necessities for its citizens. Now, it is important to understand what is meant by poverty - it does not necessarily mean low income or of the sort, poverty level is one in which electricity, water and living conditions are barely if none existing in a dwelling. So in other words, the government set forth an initiative to provide electricity and water to those areas where it did not exist before - provide incentives to build more adequate shelter as well. Amazingly, this country even though unified by its political boundaries is sometimes separated by its vast number of dialects spoken - over 45 of them. It is said that the Vietnamese from the north can abstain someone from the south from understanding what they are speaking and so goes the other way around. (hey, I don't know if this is true , i don't know Vietnamese language enough to certify this information, but it sounds as a possibility).
The city of Ho Chi Minh City named after the President of Vietnam in 1975 - Ho Chi Minh is otherwise known as its pre-1975 name of Saigon. Ho Chi Minh City is a prospering commercial point for Vietnam. For some, it may seem as if prosperity has eluded this country, nevertheless, global institutions are slowly entering the market and establishing themselves as the government promotes stability and opens itself to Westernization ( is that the correct word?). The city is widely surrounded by farms, primarily growing staple crops like rice - widely sold throughout the South East Asia region, however, many are going back to what near-forgotten skills back to work. Tourism is slowly picking up as the government has started to open up tourist visas as well as declaring various sites as Historic Monuments.
Just like any of the previous diaries, our first journey into this continuously attempting to prosper country are the Cu Chi Tunnels, also a historical vestige of the Vietnam revolution . Located about 60 kilometers (37 miles) northwest of the center of Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) the Cu Chi tunnels are a complex web-like network of underground dug-out tunnels spanning over 250 kilometers (156 miles). These tunnels provided many layers and turnings with meeting, living, and fighting quarters for the Vietcong - the Communist movement from the north. The Cu Chi tunnels represent the will, intelligence and pride of the people of Cu Chi and symbolize the revolutionary heroism of Vietnam. It is also reference as the land of steel and bastion of bronze - for its important defensive approach and shelter during the Vietnam War era. (please refer to my web-site for pictures of the tunnels - follow the Vietnam Pics link at:
www.oocities.org/tempena
In these pictures, you will see what the tunnels and surroundings were like. In here you will find a cross section mapping of the various levels, a geographic map of its spanning, traps with bamboo sticks for a slow and painful death, the secret entrances to the tunnels, and a real-life picture in which you will see me inside the actual tunnels. Most of the tunnels were enlarged in order to accommodate for the Western tourists with larger body and built compared to that of Vietnamese - but one picture shows the real sized tunnel, without changes as well as myself with knees on the floor as well as back, head and shoulders bordering the ceiling inside the tunnel. I was able to crawl through what was probably about 60 feet worth of tunnels - and let me tell you, it was not a beautiful feeling. I was there for about 5 minutes and it seemed like an eternity. Imagine what these people had to go through, sometimes hiding for days and weeks underground in the tunnels. Nevertheless, it was these tunnels which provided shelter and hiding from the US allies. As the tour of the tunnels continued, I had the opportunity to taste a local treat - or at least that's what they said. Tapioca dipped in this almond and sugar mix - wow, what a delicacy, at least to my taste buds. As we continued our journey, we left behind the tunnels to continue our tour. Next in line is the famous temple of Cao Dai. Caodaism is a very peculiar religion found in Vietnam. The religion is composed of a mixture of 3 religions - Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. However, it also has some Christian influences as a Crucifix of Jesus Christ can be found in display on or near the altar. The monks who practice this religion, dress up in the respective color to which they profess their faith. The colors are Yellow for Confuscianism, Red for Buddhism and Blue for Taoism. Those dress in white only are considered pure Caodists. The temple, a very colorful one indeed, has an eye as a symbol in many of its displays both inside and outside. The eye is supposed to symbolize the founder of the Cao Dai religion, who only had one eye - he was missing the other, that is. Unfortunately, I do not remember his name. The hierarchy in the religion is based on years of preaching and belonging to the religious organization. Rows of monks can be found every 6 hours performing their rituals in the monastery. Each row, as one gets closer to the altar, is filled with older monks. The visit to the Cao Dai temple concluded the first day of our guided tour.
To continue on our journey, the next day included tours of the War Crimes Museum, Reunification Palace and the American Embassy. The War Crimes Museum is a definite must see, along with the Cu Chi tunnels. To give you a bit of insight into the making of this museum or how the history of the Vietnam War came about - it started with the French-Indo China War. Long after years of rebels fighting against the French occupation of Vietnam, the United States saw that the communist government in Vietnam posed a threat to the spread of democracy. However, little did it know, that it was about to create one of the most marked military disasters for the US. This war provided for one of the largest mobilizations of young people in a military engagement - 6.5 million. Hey, even Bill Clinton fled to the UK to escape this horrible episode of war. Over 7.5 millions of tons of bombs where dropped and over 75 million liters of defoliants where sprayed during the war - 352 billions dollars were spent in the war.
The museum has a wide array of displays of American military equipment confiscated or capture during and after the Vietnam War. These range from M41 tanks to Seismic Bombs to a Huey helicopter. Along with the display of these military equipment is what I believe to be the most breath-taking yet morbose and saddening photo gallery display I have even seen or will probably see - from what I heard is similar to that of the Holocaust Memorial. Photos ranging from the horrible tortures perpetrate among enemies - both American allies and Vietnamese revolutionaries - to the spraying of defoliants (such as Agent Orange) to destroy the forests of the Vietnamese jungles. In these pictures, the tortures both exerted on each side of the war were nothing short of being atrocious. The tortures included: dragging of captured men by tanks until their death, decapitation of captured enemies, throwing off from a flying helicopter a captive refusing to answer interrogations, napalm bombings destroying villages, innocent men, women and children falling to the action of a merciless bullet or bomb. In addition, some pictures capture the after-effects that Agent Orange has had both sides who took part in the war- fighters and innocent.
Here are my two cents on my experience:
One thing can be learned from this history and portrayal of the Vietnam War - it is not to incite hatred or create animosity, rather to learn and understand that we should not allow ourselves, society as a whole, to fall or tolerate such a disaster into happening again, anywhere.
Next in line, is the Reunification Palace. This palace was built and re-built many times. The last of its constructions phases began on July 1, 1962. What stands today, has endured the occupation by foreign military forces and many policies were drafted and enacted here towards the Vietnamese people. On April 30 of 1975 after the US withdrawal from Vietnam, General Ho Chi Minh military campaign entered the palace - thus re-uniting both North and South Vietnam - as Ho Chi Minh had many times wished.
After a short visit to the Reunification Palace, our next stop was the American Embassy. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, depending on how you look at it, the Embassy was restored and is in much better shape than when it was evacuated after the undignified withdrawal of the US from Vietnam in 1975. For years,it was surrounded by barb wire and its pillars and walls were stained from deterioration - all this until recently, when it was handed back to the US, in an effort to improve US-Vietnam relations. I guess the US was quick to make improvements on the building and structures - as it appeared to be a brand-spanking new construction - and yes, the US Flag, flying high, on its mast, within the Embassy grounds.
Last but not least is the visit to the markets. The Cholon market is quite impressive - offering a variety of goods at pretty good prices - ranging from designer clothes (which are probably fake) to kitchen goods, perishables, hand bags and every day toiletries. One can definitely be subject to the persuasive character of the market dwellers/salespeople to sell you anything and everything they can - and all at the lowest price you can imagine. Just beware - like in any other place - just be cautious and understand what you may be purchasing.
Well, my friends, I hope this diary has provided you with an insight of the marvelous journeys in the Far East. For some it may serve as a guide, for others, just as a way to relive the experience from far away - either way, I hope you enjoy reading this excerpt as much as I enjoy taking part of it.
With all regret, I must say, my departure from Singapore was not an easy one. Coming back home and attempting to blend in again has proven to be more difficult than I thought. Nevertheless the long lasting friendships that I had built before leaving for Singapore and the loved ones on this part of the hemisphere have definitely helped to ease my way back to Western civilization. Will I be back to the Far East to work, I don't know, but I do know there are many more things to see than the ones I have written about - many more places to visit - even though we live in a small planet, its boundaries are still without limit. Countries to visit, cultures to interact with, languages to learn, all these drive to better understand how we can learn and know each other in a way we never thought we could. Ok, ok, ok...I may be becoming too philosophical, and that for sure I did not study for - but to say the least, these last 6 months in Singapore and South East Asia have truly being an unforgettable one.
Up next, is back to Western culture. Currently, I am staffed in a project in Mexico - Monterey to be exact. Where is that? Unfortunately, no where close to fun places like Cancun, or the like. Need to take a flight there - but oh well. Anyway, it seems I will be here for about 4-6 months and then - well, I don't know. We will see, one thing at a time. Here, I will be working on a Telecom project - yes another one, in which we are attempting to implement a Siebel-Vitria-Arbor solution - has anyone been able to do it already? As far as I know, none yet - but if you know, please let me know - we will need all the help we can get.
Well, I want to thank all of those that made these last 6 months truly memorable ones - and hope that our paths meet again, sometime in the near future.
Please, don't forget to visit my website to view all the pics - www.oocities.org/tempena
Farewell, until my next series of travels, take care,
-Nicolas