Debriefing (Harper's Index style)

August 7th.

September 20th.

We are home. Happy to be back but noting the bittersweet absence of places of great peace, people with full hearts and a slower, more contemplative embrace of the human experience.

Here are the details (how Western am I for even doing this?):

Miles traveled: 22, 522

Airlines Flown: 5 (Continental, Viva Macau, Air Asia, Berjaya Air, Lao Airlines)

Modes of transportation taken: 17 (Airplane, Taxi, Monorail, Train, Tuk-tuk, 4x4, Sea Kayak, Motorbike, Speedboat, Hydrofoil, Subway, Incline Tram, Longtail Klong boat, Riverboat, Songthaew, Sidecar)

Days Worked: 11

Cities Visited: 15 (Hong Kong, Macau, Jakarta, Bandung, Kuala Lumpur, Kuala Selangor, Chaweng (Ko Samui), Surat Thani, Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Luang Prabang, Vang Vieng, Vientiane, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh)

Best Bargain: One hour massage in Laos - $3

Worst Bargain: Book on Angkor Wat bought from Hawker - $7 (I was later offered the book for $1)

Best Food: Laotian Dried Sweet and Spicy Beef (Victor's Choice) + Thai Green Curry (JJ)

Worst Food: Durian fruit popsicles (Unanimous)

Best Drink: Beerlao

Worst Drink: House red wine at an Italian restaurant in the club district of Kuala Lumpur. Nas-tay.

Top Accomodations: 1. The Jungle Club, Ko Samui ($35/night), 2. The Red Palm Hostel, Kuala Lumpur ($6/dorm bed) 3. Le Gardin Organique, Vang Vieng ($12/night)

Worst Accomodation: Mirador Mansion, Hong Kong - good lord the hallways were gross.

Scariest Moment: Waking up in Jakarta to the sound of rustling through our baggage.

Most Relieving Moment: Realizing that the rustling was caused by a fearless and rotund mouse.

Pictures taken: 2,730

Videos shot: 76

JJ's favorite photo:

Check out the monks in the reflection.

Victor's favorite photo:

Buddhas seen: 23,000 (estimate)

Engagement rings purchased: 1

Other jewelry purchased by JJ: Statistically incalculable

Combined Weight Loss: 12 lbs.

Number of Possessions Stolen: 0

Amount We Were Defrauded: $15

Amount We Were Overcharged for Being Westerners: Plenty

Rationalization by Us Regarding the Overcharges: We need it less than they do

Most Poignant Moment: Realizing that Luang Prabang was so small and so contented, and that our presence was not requested. After the UN designated it a World Heritage site in 1995, travelers have been coming here in ever greater numbers, but you can sense that the town hasn't fully embraced that change. We could feel that our presence and our dollars were changing this place in a way that you don't sense in more developed destinations. Because the beauty of Luang Prabang is its languorous out-of-time-and-place charm, we travelers with our Western pace and passive but relentless demand for efficiency and convenience, we change this place by coming here. We both felt conflicted about that realization, and tried to answer the dilemma through attempting to adopt the Lao pace and philosophy as best we could.

So that's our trip. It's already slowly fading from memory, but the experience will continue to shape us and we appreciate the opportunity to share it with you. Thank you for reading and peace be with you!
-Victor and JJ

Cambodia's Problem From Hell

"To keep you is no benefit. To destroy you is no loss."

-Pol Pot

The Khmer Rouge controlled Cambodia from 1975-1979. The regime murdered 2 million of its own citizens (out of a population of 8 million) for being dissidents or failing to demonstrate sufficient loyalty in a campaign of extreme social engineering.

One of the reasons they killed people was for wearing glasses.

This is S-21, the central interrogation prison and torture chambers.

We watched "The Killing Fields," the 1984 Oscar-winning film which portrays a friendship during the Khmer Rouge's reign of terror. It's one of the best human rights films we've seen, right up there with "Hotel Rwanda" and "Schindler's List."

It's a little morbid that the Genocide Museum is the top tourist attraction in Phnom Penh, but on reflection I'm happy that it is because there is something deeply human in contemplating such atrocities. It's been easier for us to care strongly about the current situation in Burma and tune out the superficial news since we returned, and I think Cambodia's past tells a story that helps align our hearts with larger truths.

If you are interested in this issue, we recommend "A Problem From Hell: America in the Age of Genocide" by Samantha Power.

The Temples of Angkor in Cambodia

Even the hordes of tourists can't significantly detract from the awesome (using that word's original definition) experience of Angkor. I know it's not easy to get here from America, but if you have the means, this place is up there with the Grand Canyon and New York City as one of the places to see before you die.

These temples spread out over an area larger than Manhattan. They were built by the Khmer civilization between 1100 and 700 years ago. The Khmer abandoned them in the 14th century to move to a more defensible location. The jungle reclaimed them, and while the Cambodians always knew what lay under the vines, Angkor was "discovered" by a Frenchman in the 19th century. It is now a UN World Heritage site.

Vang Vieng and Vientiane

Sorry for the picture-heavy post, but we live in a visual world. After Luang Prabang,we visited Vang Vieng and Vientiane, Laos.

The karst mountains flanking Vang Vieng.

Note the sign about our feet. There is a reason for this sign. For Laos, Vang Vieng is pretty Jamaican.

Sunset in VV.

This guy lives a Surge commercial.

Pretty.

Ominous.

That's my girl.

Isn't this like the beginning of one of Grandpa Simpson's Halloween stories?

Instead of brake pads, this tuk-tuk driver had installed ornery cats over the wheels. They did not appreciate his requests to stop, made their discontent apparent and cooperated sparingly.

That Louang, Laos' national symbol.

Vientiane's Arc d'Triomphe. Made with concrete intended for the airport. "The Vertical Runway."

What? Sunset again? Alright, fine.

Luang Prabang, Laos

Luang Prabang is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Here are some of the reasons why:

Sunsets are beautiful here.

Id.

Laotian style dried beef - like jerky but with a spicy sweet sauce. Supergood.

The morning collection. Monks receive their daily food from the townspeople just after dawn.

A girl knits a purse as the sun dips over the Mekong.

Lao boats.

This sleepy town fuses Laotian and French colonial architecture.

The town straddles the mighty Mekong River.

Which we traversed in a longboat.

But then the sky grew darker.

And it began to rain.

A lot.

We ended up climbing the rushing mud banks of the Mekong into this village.

But the downpour turned the waterfall we visited into this torrent.

Another day, we watched boat racing along with the rest of Luang Prabang.

Boats, racing.

Our new Lao friends, who accepted our offer of beer. This made us popular.

Wat Xiang Thong.

Buddhas in the Wat.

The monk in the bottom right is carrying an umbrella. It is hot in Laos.

We met some monks who love to practice their English.

Talking to monks is the best nightcap.

This Wat specialized in traditional Lao art, and specifically in Buddhist drawing and carving.

On the downside: Lao bugs. I don't care how big your monitor is, this photo is LIFE SIZE.

One last sunset.

The other side of the sunset.