Robyn's Wanderings

Travel bureaucracy

Almost every country has it. It?

In Vietnam, for example, I was told by a guide that if he wanted to leave the country on a holiday he had to have a substantial amount of money in the bank (and proof of it), a good job to return to and apply to his government for a pass.

In India, I was told of a boyfriend trying to go to Canada to visit his girlfriend. Though he applied for a visa, he was denied.

What is this? I am talking about travel bureaucracy. It’s everywhere and it’s not only about leaving a country, but also entering.

For example when I tried to travel between Laos and Cambodia only to be required to pay  an “entry fee” to every man standing along the border in a uniform! Ok, so it was only US $1 per man, but still annoying.

And Bermuda? Well my home country is no different. Seemingly ridiculous procedures surround entering and leaving the country too.

I had always heard some stories, but on my recent trip to Toronto I actually got to be on the receiving end. I’m such a lucky girl!

I will give the Bermuda’s L.F. Wade International Airport customs guy one excuse: it was Christmas Day and I am sure he did not want to work, but lots of people have to work on Christmas. Still, I will give him that small leeway for his response:

“Hi, I need to register my camera,” I said.

“Do you have proof you bought it in Bermuda?” said the small man in a crisp blue uniform as he poked his head out of the barely-wedged-open door.

“Uh, well it was a birthday present, so no I don’t have a receipt.”

“Well, I’m not saying you are lying, but we will not give you a registration. Too many people sneak items into Bermuda.”

Bermuda might be beautiful, but.....

OK, I should explain the policy. Bermudian residents are required to purchase items in Bermuda or be prepared to pay duty of 35% on items acquired abroad.

To avoid the duty, we can register electronic devices (usually the only items we are taking that are the most expensive and hardest to prove you had before you left) before leaving the Island. This registration is delivered in the highly modern form of a yellow slip of paper!

Yes, there is no way you will ever lose that (sarcasm is free).

The yellow paper, however, is not a minor detail. Instead it is a Bermudian resident’s “get-out-of-35% duty” card!!!! Can you imagine?

Why, you ask do we have to pay such a high price? Well, the argument is that if government increase the price of purchasing items abroad, Island residents will be more likely to “Buy Bermuda” (I have my opinion about this economic policy, but that is a different blog entirely).

I have two problems with this checking system:

1. when an item is purchased in Bermuda, no one issues a yellow piece of paper. One might think that is important especially for, I don’t know, a camera which is almost definitely going to leave the island and one that might also be a present that the receiver should never know the price of…..I’m just saying.

2. if I do buy abroad (gasp!) and pay duty on the item, there is no way to show that the payment I make (all 35% of it) directly relates to a camera, etc…. So when I turn-up to customs at a later date there is no way to prove that, if I have not bought my item in Bermuda, that I paid duty on it. (I would show you a picture, but these are such high commodities, an extra form is just not possible to get!)

Instead, the form groups together all goods in a particular category i.e. clothing and footwear, and we pay the duty on the total amount. There is nowhere to actually list the items you are declaring and therefore, no way to reference the duty you paid on them. i.e. the customs’ officer was asking me for something I literally could not produce.

Get-out-of-Jail yellow customs' slips!

Let’s be honest here too, if a traveler manages to outsmart the bureaucratic process that is installed to just put more money in government’s coffers and sneaks their goods into Bermuda…..can we really penalize them at a later date? I don’t think so.

Tourists, you are not exempt! You can also be subject to these problems, especially if you are visiting residents. Travellers are allowed a $30.00 excemption on goods they plan to bring into Bermuda.

Bermudians? Well the first $100 for each household is free and then duty kicks in and so do the yellow slips!

So what happened with my recent trip, you ask….well I had to leave the Island with my camera bought in Bermuda (there was no way to send it home before the flight) and prayed that when I returned to the Island I could outsmart the process.

Did I? Well, you’ll have to come back tomorrow to see what happened…….oh and for some fun travels to Quebec City!

So I have traded airplane seats for office seats for a little while and one thing that comes with an office….a commute. It’s true.

I have nothing against my new job, let me preface. It’s a great place to be and I am working on things that matter – healthcare.

What I could trade? My commute. Yesterday as I sat behind the smog-spewing car that would lead me to Bermuda’s capital, Hamilton and my new seat, I couldn’t help but think of….well all the other ridiculous and crazy commutes I have witnessed.

Like this ridiculous video straight from the capital of Cambodia, Phnom Penh! Honestly, I have never seen such ridiculous traffic in all of my life. Try and cross the road! Near impossible…I had to play “chicken” with the SUV’s!

I mean do you see the motorbike do a U-turn when he is about to be squashed?

Sure Phnom Penh’s traffic was life-endangering, but in Laos it was cow-filled. Witness the scene below with this pink-hewed cow grazing on the side of the road on the way to waterfall! Where do you see that? Certainly not on my commute in Bermuda?

For the next bit of insanity, I bring you to heads as helmets scenario that is all the rage in Cambodia. How about the parents who also stick their toddlers in front of them as pillows? Well, Bermuda often has parents who place their children in front of them, but at least they have helmets on their children; they give them a fighting chance!

This dad below….well…..I crossed my fingers after this photo:

Or what about moving house on a motorbike? I’m not entirely sure what this guy was carrying on his motorbike, but I’m glad that I was not riding beside him! I now feel better riding my own motorbike into work and only having to concern myself with the fuming car!

Moving house?

Or how about how to move your motorbike? Well, in Bermuda we have ferries that will transport motorbikes very comfortably on their bows (front).

In Laos? Oh come on!!!! Who would actually ride their bike? Or put it on the back of the van? A commuter bus, that I had just exited to use the toilet, was far more practical!

How else do you transport you bike?

And when you’re not dragging your bike along with you? Well you have to fill it with gas, of course. But how are going to do that?

Well in Thailand, you ask a woman standing in a shack to start pumping and pour out the blue, red or green gas sitting in tubs!

technical fill-ups

I had never seen this before and I thank my lucky stars, now, when I see my gas gauge going low I can nip into the gas station, whip-out my credit card and head-out on my way…even in rush hour….even with slow attendants (not much in Bermuda moves quickly…I’m Bermudian, I can say that.)

And finally what am I getting at? Well let’s at least, while we sit in the mountains of traffic for Christmas-time commutes remember, we could have been caught in an elephant parade!

elephant parade

“I soon realized that no journey carries one far unless, as it extends into the world around us, it goes an equal distance into the world within.” – Lillian Smith

Bermuda's Halloween with a pumpkin!

There were going to be no carved pumpkins, no candy corns and definitely no costumes. Why?

Because I was in Chile for October 31 and while I might be used to Halloween traditions like trick or treating, South America had a different way of greeting me during my trip around the world: Days of the Dead.

Perhaps holidays are not something you consider when traveling, but it’s amazing how sentimental I could get while on the road. Never one for Halloween (yeah, ok as a kid when candy was the game!), when I arrived in Chile I started pondering how I would spend it.

Well, the first thing to learn is that not everyone celebrates Halloween as Bermudians, American and Canadians traditionally know it. Originating from the ancient Celtic festival of the dead, Samhain, the tradition was/is celebrated as the time when strict boundaries between the worlds of the living and dead became thin. Ghosts of the dead could, therefore return to earth.

When the Romans conquered much of the Celts land in France and England, the Roman day of the dead at the end of October became incorporated. With the spread of Christianity, there was an attempt to subsume this into All Saints Day on November 1 and the festival the night before was Alls-Hallows. Anyone see where this is going?

Well, for the country where these traditions all started, Ireland, parties, bonfires and fireworks spread through the country on October 31; while, Dublin hosts its annual Halloween Festival and parade.

The UK? Well Halloween has taken to the mainstream throughout the UK too. Yep children are asking for candy and adults get lost in outfits and parties. But what is definitely a highlight is the London Zombie Walk where hundreds moan and groan through the capital while visiting twelve pubs.

Head North to the Scandinavian countries of Norway and Sweden and you will find that Halloween is relatively new holiday and there will be a few parties and themed events around the countries.

Let them eat candy for Halloween or.....Julebukk

What they do, do in Norway that is similar to our Bermudian Halloween is run around the neighbourhood between Christmas and New Years to ask for sweets. It’s called Julebukk and it hails back to the Viking era. No dressing-up is really required….well beyond the layers of warm clothes required! I can attest to this having taken part when I visited family friends when I was 13-years-old.

Moving further East to Russia and the rise of Halloween is not welcomed by all. In 2008, in fact, lawmakers here sent a bill to their lower house to consider banning not just Halloween, but also Valentine’s Day. Why? They are worried about protecting their “conservative ways”. So in place of Valentine’s Day, Russians would be able to celebrate the Day of the Family, Love and Fidelity. No word on what Halloween would be called.

While Russia might be turning away from Halloween, other countries have never celebrated Halloween, but have ceremonies that draw from the idea that spirits of their ancestors abound. The Malagasy people of Madagascar have one of the most unique ways to honour their dead. Though Halloween (as we might know it) is little celebrated on this East Coast of African island, they do honour their dead by ‘turning the bones’. This ritual, ancient it is, requires the opening of the tombs of the dead dressing the bones in fresh clothes and passing them around to dance with friends and relatives.

Um….I think I’ll head to Cambodia now, which is my favourite South East Asia country. Here, the whole concept of Halloween does not really exist! Instead the country focuses on the lunar calendar and the tenth month which usually falls in September. During this time the Cambodian Buddhists celebrate the Pak Ben, 14 days during which they wake every morning before dawn to prepare offerings of food and other gifts to monks living in the local pagoda and to their ancestors.

On day 15, Cambodians visit the Pagoda with sweet sticky rice (the best food in the world) and bean treats wrapped in banana leaves and other special foods to mark the P’chum Ben or festival of the dead. P’chum Ben also marks the close of Pak ben.

Do you see how it all comes around? Sweet rice or candy corn? Ok it’s a stretch, but this is why I love traveling: different countries have draw on the same ideas, but it translates for cultural understanding.

Let’s stay in Asia and head to Japan! If we go now, however, we would have completely missed their equivalent to Halloween, the Obon Festival. That’s because Japan does not celebrate Halloween, but they do have this mid-August Festival to honour the deceased and often ends with candle lit paper lanterns floating down a river which symbolize the departure of their ancestors.

Heading further East (from Japan of course) to Mexico and you’re also celebrating the Day of the Dead on November 1 and 2nd. Well, that is now. When it was celebrated during the Aztec years, the festival would last two months! With the introduction of Catholicism, however, the celebrations were whittled down to two days! During these days, it is believed here that lost ones return to the earth to celebrate with their families and friends. Visits to grave sites ensue where offerings of food, photographs and drinks are offered to the dead.

Moving to the South of this world and we hit Peru, which celebrates more than 3000 festivals a year and also finds time to recognize their Day of the Dead on November 1 and All Saints Day on November 2. These are days for Peruvians to honour their dead with Mass, bringing flowers to the cemetery and sharing food with the dead. It’s a tradition that stems back pre-Hispanic years!

All dressed-up to tackle Patagonia for Halloween!

And finally what did I do in Chile? Well let’s just say I looked like one of the scary masks in the Phoenix as I tried to hike for five days through the Torres del Paines National Park without a shower. However, with the natural beauty of glaciers, bright blue lakes and avalanches, I did not miss Halloween one bit.

Which brings me to one last point: yes, our holidays are fun, but use these holidays with days-off from work (yes, even Cup Match) as a chance to see what other places do. You’d be surprised how little you miss home as you become inspired by a new culture. Ok, enough for this week, ciao ciao!

James Bond Island In Thailand

Our wanderer Emily Ross is off to the beaches of Thailand this week! Being a Bermudian means serious critique of beaches all over the world.

So what does Emily find? Well, for one…it’s not as cheap to travel through the beaches of Thailand! So, Emily, tell us how to travel on a budget:

Hello, readers!

Please forgive me a contented sigh. We have reached the fabled Thai islands – having arrived in Phuket, we have nothing to worry about but sand, sun and sea. But hey, here’s a change: we’re hungry! Let’s open a menu and…

…choke.

200 ($7) baht for FRIED RICE?! 150 ($6) baht for ONION RINGS (the menu item in itself is a blasphemy).

Right, so…the islands are expensive apparently.

Extortionate, some might say.

Right, we know, we should have been expecting this. We were, to some extent. I mean, we knew down south would be expensive, we knew it would be a tourist trap but…well, dammit, we just couldn’t believe that it would be like this.

The price was almost as good as the taste!

My friends, I am experiencing what you would call ‘boomerang culture shock.’ I am surrounded by Westerners. Western lifestyle. This is not what I am used to. Or, well, it’s what I was used to. But I’m not used to it anymore.

What do you mean, the toilets flush?

I get a fork and…knife?

There’s a TESCO?!!

Fighting the urge to cower in the foetal position, we decided to accept Phuket’s challenge. Easy and expensive handed to us on a platter? FORGET THAT. We knew, just knew that Phuket could be done on the budget. Beauty will not be denied us because of a lack of funds. So, here are a few tips (which have thusfar brought us great success) for appreciating the Thai islands on a budget:

1) Ask around.

We managed to nab a bungalow for 7 dollars a night each (granted, more than what we normally like to pay but hear me out), equipped with air conditioning, TV AND pool…and all this just across the street from the gorgeous Kata beach. How did we do this? This was not advertised on hostelbookers or hostelworld, which only recommended more expensive options faaar out of our budget. This was not in good ol’ Lonely P. Actually, credit here goes to the Gap Yahs from Chiang Mai. We asked them where they had stayed when they were in Phuket – we were having no luck finding a cheap place ahead of time and our flight landed at 1am, so we couldn’t exactly just rock up anywhere. They described Rico’s Bungalows and its perks. To be honest, I wasn’t really listening, assuming where they had chosen would still be far out of our price range.

Horrible Phuket

Oh, I have turned over a new leaf, readers. I am less quick to judge, more swift to give chances.  Never more will I make assumptions based upon a person’s clothing choices for a nature park trek. Never more will I define a person based upon their uses of ‘jel’ and ‘nervy-b’ instead of jealous and nervous breakdown. For when these Gap Yah girlies named the unbelievably cheap price (I’m still scratching my head as to why it’s really this cheap, considering the super convenient location) I could scarcely believe it. I went to the website (they have a WEBSITE) of the hostel and…well, there it was. We could afford it. Thank you, gap yah girls. You have changed me.

2) Be willing to walk.

That 200 baht fried rice? It’s 40 baht around the corner. Or down the street. Or a few kilometres away. It’s 40 baht somewhere, my friend, and you will find it, come hell or high water.

Go for the less swank places, go for the hole in the wall spilling out of the owner’s house, go for the place juuust that little bit too far out of town. You won’t be disappointed. The thing about South East Asia is that more money does not guarantee better food (unless you’re talking about Western cuisine…but then again, what’re you doing in Cambodia trying to eat a filet mignon? Get that swill back in the country it belongs in!). You’ll probably have a much better foodie experience when you have a local dish, cooked by a local, in a place where other locals are eating.

If the locals like it, they must be doing something right

These tend to scare off the tourists, giving them more backpacker friendly prices. We went to an amazing Pad Thai place – a little shack packed with locals and with limited English, it was one of those great travel foodie moments. We had to walk a good few kilometres from where we were staying, but I can guarantee it’d be ten million times better than anything you’re paying 250 baht for, and it only cost us 50 – more expensive than our usual food budget but this was probably due to the place being mentioned in Lonely P. So walk. Your wallet will thank you for it.

3) Travel in the off season.

Guesthouses, tours and bars aren’t as full. Prices are lower. We were given a deal on a speedboat trip (food and pickup from hostel included) to James Bond Island (where they filmed The Man with the Golden Gun) for 50% of the original price, and still were able to haggle it lower because we were also buying an (also discounted) boat ticket to Koh Phi Phi. It’s much easier to haggle when there’s no business.

4) Travel with friends.

Use the PJ’s Warehouse Philosophy. It’s cheaper to buy in bulk. Travelling with friends to other places can save you loads of money in the long run, as vendors are generally far more generous with haggling when more than one person is buying. Let’s save money together, guys!

This sucks.

5) Go easy on the alcohol there, guys.

Those fruity, tropical cocktails? 150 baht a pop. And that’s cheap. I know, I know – ‘a DRY beach holiday?!! But…but…I’d rather be in SNOW!’

I’m afraid if your wallet is happy, your liver tends to be pretty cheerful as well. Beer is cheap (relatively) and an option if you feel your experience is tainted by sobriety. However, if you don’t drink beer…well, consider being a little more generous with your budget. There is the option of splitting a bottle of rum/vodka/what have you between friends and then mixing that in with street fruit shakes…but you already walked 5k for a meal tonight. Do you really want to stoop thatlow? Not that we’ve ever done such a thing. Cough.

So there you have it, guys! General rules that have kept us pretty much on budget for Phuket. It’s not easy but it CAN be done. Hallelujah! Go forth!

You've got to deserve those beaches!

Our wanderer Emily Ross is coming to the end of her stint living abroad and finds herself flying through Thailand.

What is she going to see? Well that’s why you have to read on:

Apologies. I know it is not Monday. I think my elation at FINALLY finding sun in Thailand has addled my brain and memory somewhat.

Oh, Thailand. I paid you a short visit back in March but oh! How little I did see. Our mission is to rectify that this time around, by moving from the North (for some templing) to the South (for some beaching). Although it wasn’t until our last day in Luang Prabang that we realised…our time in Thailand is preciously short.  We’ve got twenty days to travel cross country before we have to fly back to Hong Kong, collect our belongings and head back home. So, readers, prepare yourselves for Thailand: Express.

Right. So. North of Thailand? We’ve given ourselves a week up here, then we’re flying down to Phuket (because you can’t lounge on a beach unless you DESERVE it. Which means visiting a lot of temples up here).  You can’t (and I mean can’t. There must be an unwritten backpacker law) visit Northern Thailand without stopping by Chiang Mai.

The welcome return of street food

We sampled the Khao Soi (a delicious curried noodle soup) and wandered the weekend markets, taking full advantage of the abundance of street food. That’s one part of Thailand I can’t get enough of – the sheer variety of street snacks. I definitely noticed a shortage of street food in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. Sure, you’d get your occasional skewer of meat or nondescript thing wrapped in a banana leaf, but the Thais LOVE their street food like no other South East Asian country. I’m in foodie heaven. Nom.

Because this is supposed to be the half of the trip where we’re not just enjoying all the hedonistic  pleasures Thailand has to offer, we signed up for a day trip. Yes. I know. We haven’t done anything in a big group since VIETNAM. The Cosmos decided to punish us for this by placing us in a group with five gap yah girls (cue shaking fist at sky). This was gonna be a long day.

Karen girls

We signed up for what you might consider to be the ‘taster platter’ or the ‘ADHD special’ of day trips from Chiang Mai. With a day lasting from 8 to 6, we crammed it with as many different activities you could possibly do. We started in an orchid and butterfly garden, then toured various villages specialising in rice farming, weaving and hemp farming (yes).

I wasn’t sure how I felt about visiting the villages – populated by people of different ethnic minorities (including people of the Karen or ‘long neck’ tribe from Burma, where the women wear heavy neck rings to elongate the neck), it felt a bit like a human zoo. It was slightly uncomfortable. Interesting, but uncomfortable. It reminded me of why we’ve been avoiding tours for so long: it’s awkwardly forced, being pummelled by the constant ‘LOOK AT THIS NOW’ structure of the day.

Hallo you.

We then moved on to an elephant sanctuary, where we rode elephants. Having had a near death experience with charging African elephants back in Botswana, the first thing I noticed was how small Asian elephants are in comparison. A promising start. I managed to get myself on the naughty elephant who kept eating along the road, but hey – I can sympathise. Again, not sure how I felt about this – as someone who dislikes zoos, it’s a bit unnatural to be riding elephants, no? But they were very lively and inquisitive and not displaying symptoms of maltreatment, so I was able to placate my inner discomfort for the time being.

After elephants we got FREE FOOD (tofu fried rice and fruit. Yum!). It was at lunch where another difference between Gap Yahs and University students became apparent. Where we helped ourselves to three (or more) plates of the free bounty, they barely touched their first. Oh, they are so young. One day they too shall be students and respect the glory of free food. Especially if you’re gathering strength for an epic hike through rain and mud. Oh yes we did. Crossed rivers on little logs (I would say they were more akin to branches, myself) too. Felt very Indiana Jones. Or somebody else adventurey.

And then onto…white water rafting. Definitely a feature in my List of Things I Never Planned To Do. After the initial terror…I actually enjoyed it. Enjoyed it enough to have been the highlight of the day. Okay, okay, it probably was not the most challenging stretch of river your average adrenaline junkie may encounter but I was invigorated nonetheless! I may have caught the adrenaline bug…which may potentially change the nature of my daytime excursions. Oh, we shall see. Finish the day lounging on a bamboo raft and then back to town for the Sunday night market. WHEW. Done Chiang Mai.

Now onto Chiang Rai….

Angkor Thom

Today we are traveling to the ancient kingdom of Angkor Wat in Cambodia where our Wanderer, Emily Ross, spent six days here. Doing what? And what should you see? Well let Emily lead the way:

Hola, travellers!

I write from Pakse, Laos – yes, the Cambodian chapter of my journey has regrettably come to an end. After Battambang we moved onto Siem Reap and spent an entire SIX nights there (the longest I think we’ll be anywhere on this trip. We have two rather good reasons for slowing the pace, I promise! Firstly, one of our friends from the Hong Kong exchange is based in Siem Reap volunteering with Rachna Satrei, a local NGO aiming to empower disadvantaged groups in Cambodia (visit http://www.rachnasatrei.webs.com/ for information about the organisation and how to help) and secondly, we’d bought a three day pass to see the incredible ruins of Angkor – where one can find the world’s largest religious monument, the impressive Angkor Wat.

The ruins of Angkor are, as expected, gorgeous – and remarkably well preserved, although unfortunately as we’re travelling during off-peak season (ie rainy season. Very rainy season) one needs to be rather creative with the camera angles in order to avoid the ever present scaffolding and tarpaulins necessary for keeping the ruins so well preserved. In fact, the middle and largest tower of the famous Angkor Wat was rather anticlimactically hidden under a gleaming green tarp, glinting mockingly at you in the sunlight as if to say: ‘Well…you’re here! You HAVE to photograph me, sucker! You can’t NOT take a picture of Angkor Wat, bud. ’

Angkor Wat, be-Tarped

Curse you, Green Tarp. I shall never be avenged, reduced to but a rogue and peasant slave.

Grumble.

Of course, if you go to Angkor Wat you’ve got to watch the sunrise. It’s number one on the Lonely Planet’s Greater Mekong Highlights, although as we noted after the fact they may have slightly romanticised the experience.

‘In the steamy pre-dawn hush we waited, yawning. The glowing orange sun appeared, rising slowly between the graceful stone domes of Angkor Wat – its iconic silhouette mirrored perfectly in the still lake in front of us. With the first soft ray of sun to alight on the water it was as though someone flicked the ‘on’ switch. The quiet filled with a cacophony of buzzing, chirping insects and the day’s throbbing heat was all of a sudden there, where it hadn’t been a moment before.’

Sunrise at Angkor Wat

I suggest a slightly more realistic summary:

The alarm was piercing. Blearily we blinked back our disbelief, our incredulity that we were really willingly getting out of bed at 4 o’clock in the morning. We know how Pyrrhus must have felt. We jumped into the tuk-tuk, shivering (yes, shivering) as we raced through the chilly morning air towards the ruins. We found our way to the lake, and amidst the sound of vendors selling ‘Breakfast, Coffee, Best Price Lady!’, we waited, yawning. A great grey cloud appeared, hovering over the five towers, ominously threatening the day’s afternoon rain. The temple was silhouetted by the few rays of light able to pierce through the cloud – this at least hid The Tarp from view.  The cloud dissipated slightly, we were able to spot speckles of pink in the sky, the silhouette of Angkor Wat reflected in the lake in front of us – but distorted by the skittering of insects, the ripples created when their lives are abruptly ended after being snapped up by…something. You itch a bite. A middle aged Japanese man hits you with his tripod. Repeatedly. Pushing through the crowd of backpackers and tourists, you attempt to get a better angle. The angle is not better. You fight once again through the crowd to reclaim your spot on the waterfront. The sun is higher now, you can’t see it, but can tell by the sweat beads on your brow, suddenly there, where they hadn’t been a moment before. All at once you’re blinded by the glint of The Tarp, now illuminated, ready for the day.

I should write one of these for the Great Wall!

In all seriousness, it WAS worth it. Despite The Tarp, the sweat, the fatigue, the cloud….I still managed to get a good shot and a glimpse at the masochistic lengths we travellers will go to (without question) for ‘the experience.’

Taking a break from the Bamboo train in the Battambang countryside

It’s a little heavy for our wanderer Emily Ross this week, as she leaves Vietnam to visit Cambodia next door. From learning about the after shocks of the Vietnam War to the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge, Cambodia proves to be more than just a backpacking destination.

Luckily, though, the children’s smiles and friendly people help make her trip through this little South East Asian country more pleasurable than it might have been. Here’s Emily’s thoughts:

Happy Monday, bloggers!

I write to you from beautiful, beautiful Cambodia. I’m in Battambang, the second largest city in Cambodia (a surprising fact just learned from Wikipedia…as in my opinion it’s tiny!). Surrounded by thousand year old temples, a beautiful man-made lake and the quirky bamboo train, it’s definitely worth a diversion from the typical Sihanoukville-Phnom Penh-Siem Reap route. I feel like we’ve really been given the opportunity to explore the Cambodian countryside. Make sure you nab a good tuk tuk driver (the only way to get to the sights around Battambang…unless you’re on a bike) – it makes a huge difference in terms of how much you see and learn, and you can make a good buddy in the process!

Smiley school children

What has struck me most about Cambodia is the people. Everywhere we go we feel like celebrities – children literally run to the side of the road to wave and squeal a high pitched ‘Hello!’, old and young alike smile when they see us and seem to smile genuinely…they’re smiling Johnny Barnes type smiles rather than laughing at us. People have been helpful, funny and generous. Which is amazing considering everything they’ve been through.

Khmer Rouge interrogation tactics

I’m ashamed to say I crossed the border of Vietnam and Cambodia knowing very little about the Khmer Rouge and the recent horrors in Cambodian history.  I’d heard of the Khmer Rouge. As in, heard the two words before. I didn’t know what any of it entailed. I believe I wikipedia’d Pol Pot after he was mentioned in a Ricky Gervais stand up routine. And when you read about it, when you visit the chilling Tuol Sleng Genocide Musuem (S-21, t he Tuol Sleng prison near Phnom Penh, formerly a school), when you walk in the Killing Fields…it seems surreal. It was so recent, but it seems like something out of a 1984-esque novel, not reality.

S-21: former school turned Khmer Rouge prison and now a museum

I’ve searched through GCSE to A-Level/IB curricula and there’s just no option to study Cambodia. You can study Vietnam, but I suppose that’s only because the US was involved. I can guarantee that most Westerners have only heard of Cambodia because Angelina Jolie adopted from there. I just find it fascinating that millions of people can die and it not be common knowledge – especially considering it’s very, very modern history.

This isn’t a sermon, I’m guilty of it too. I was standing in front of a memorial stupa filled with over 5,000 skulls, bones and rags and was absolutely shocked at my own ignorance of what had occurred. I had a similar experience at the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City – I knew the basic history of the Vietnam war, but very little about the atrocities committed by the Americans and the after-effects of Agent Orange. Hollywood doesn’t delve too deeply into that aspect of Vietnam – Forrest Gump sure as hell didn’t go anywhere near My Lai.

Just a few things I’ve been thinking about.

Daughter and mom walking through the border between Bolivia and Peru

What does it mean to be a mom? Heck that’s not easy to answer when you live in one culture. What does it mean to be a mom around the world?

Lots of different things. Which is why we celebrate mother’s day (today in Bermuda, hence my post. I know, I know, you celebrate mother’s day on different dates in different places around the world!)

When did it start? Well it actually has it’s calls in feminism and the Women’s Movement in the United States when Julia Ward Howe wrote the “Mother’s Day Proclamation” in 1870.

No, she did not demand chocolates and gift certificates to a spa. No, Julia was reacting to the carnage of the Civil War (in the US) and believed that women could be involved in the political movements of their countries.

We can! Yippeee now some more than 100 years later women are….well women have a long way to go. Sure in Bermuda and the United States we might have “equal rights” under the law (and not entirely…but that’s another post at another time), but what we don’t have is equality in society.

It’s hard to argue with the subtle sexism that still exists when in societies such as Egypt’s there are mass problems of women being disregarded even with the recent upheavals and demands for democratic rights! That’s what Amnesty International is calling for (women being involved), but that’s another vein to this story…..

So off of my soap box and down to the founding of this day. Since Julia the day has been taken by various counties to match it with historical matters or the Church to be dedicated to….who else? Mother Mary.

Mother Mary Statue in Santiago, Chile

Like this statue that overlooks Santiago, Chile! Overlooking the city she is the one who will ensure the world is safe.

And who else could? We call her Mother Earth. We know women are the ones that reproduce! So who else would you think of, but your mother when you see a sight like this one:

Glacier

Mother Earth is an amazing place, which makes moms of all kinds and all places amazing people or….animals?

I couldn’t help but throw this photo (below) into the mix. Especially following the glacier pic! Who else could I have picked for strong moms, but Penguins

These classy chics leave the egg cracking and toddler rearing to their husbands, while they head to sea and fill their bellies! Good women.

Pruning Penguins

Of course they return to their babies! But after months in freezing temps they need a few minutes to themselves to warm up and get their composure before returning to their families.

Unfortunately, motherhood is not always recognized in the happiest of situations and one of the most disturbing was in fact the way it was portrayed in Cambodia.

A country that went through a horrendous genocide left behind photos that would break anyone’s heart, but the worst are the photos of the children before they were to be killed and the mothers who held them.

Where does her strength come from?

This will be their last photo together before the Khmer Rouge disposed of them. How does she sit there? How does she hold on?

I know mother’s day is supposed to be happy, but it is also poignant. It is also a reminder of mothers who have gone through so much for their children.

Gone through so much as women and for those who still struggle with motherhood. Unfortunately in too many places in the world, women will die from child birth.

Healthcare is still not universal and women are probably those who lack the most for it. I hope on this day we can celebrate the women who make it all come true and try and make a difference for those who still try.

Happy Mother’s Day

Traditional Mother in Bolivia

Traveling Solo in Berlin!

The room was barely bigger than the single bed it contained. I could touch each wall with my hands standing in the middle (I’m five feet, six inches tall). The walls were clean and white. A flatscreen TV and the faucets in the attached micro bathroom were the only things that made any noise. Well, besides me.

I was in a strange town (Bangkok, Thailand to be exact) and I was alone. I had been traveling with a boyfriend for the beginning of an around-the-world trip, but things changed.

I’m not going to write here that the decision to travel solo was easy. It wasn’t. I’m not going to begin to try and sell you on the notion that I wasn’t scared. I was.

But as we just celebrated, or tried desperately to ignore, Valentine’s Day on Monday it got me  to thinking for my Rock Fever Column in The Royal Gazette: Why do we fear being solo? Why is being together celebrated? Why do we only celebrate Valentine’s Day for couples (and friends if you are younger than 12)? Why can’t we celebrate independence? Shall we start a day? Anyone got a name? Heroes’s Day? Shoot that’s already taken.

What has this got to do with travel? Well as most people will be writing gushy mush about friends who’ve been friends since they were in the womb and couples who cannot bear to be without each other (and need mounds of chocolate and roses to prove it) I am writing the anti-thesis: Ten Reasons Everyone Should Travel Solo.

I believe that everyone should be traveling alone at some point in their lives (and I don’t mean on business). Everyone should take a trip somewhere unknown without friends, without a boyfriend (or girlfriend) without, even, a tour guide.

But Robyn, why would I travel on my own? I like my boyfriend? Me and my friend do everything together?

You want to know why? Well that leads me to one of the most important and the number one reason on my list: it builds a strength and reliance on yourself you will get from very little else in life. When you sleep through your flight from Dallas, Texas to Santiago, Chile at the gate (not that I ever did that!) it is only you who must convince the American Airlines’ staff you are not an idiot (they booked me on the flight the next day and even comped me a hotel room for my mistake).

Hey statue how you doing? Wanna travel with me?

But even better than learning self-reliance (I think) is learning number two is that you have a choice. If you’re in Chiang Mai, Thailand and meet two travel buddies who are going on a three-day motorbike ride through Northern Thailand, you can! There is no debate (well maybe internally) and there is no request for sacrifice from your partner.

Which means number three and you want to learn a new skill, such as scuba diving while on the Perhentian Islands in Malaysia, you can! Sure, maybe you could do that if you were with a friend from home or a boyfriend, but what if they already knew how to? Would they be happy to sit in a hut with no electricity between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.? And if they were, would you feel guilty?

So four is it gives you a guilt-free travel experience. If you want to go to Laos before visiting Cambodia and the travel buddy you met last week doesn’t want to, well, you find a new travel buddy! Can you do that with a boyfriend? Sure, but it would be a lot harder. Believe me.

And travel buddies are easy to find, which brings me to number five: When you travel as a couple or even as a couple of friends, you’re intimidating! Couples (either romantic or otherwise) are islands and approaching them takes quite a bit of effort for other travelers. Equally when you’re a couple you’re less likely to reach-out to those around you.

When you’re traveling solo and need to find out how to take the bus from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi, you’re going to have to speak to locals. That makes reason six for traveling solo: meeting the people of the country! You’re more likely to talk to them one-on-one if you’re on your own.

Take a bike ride through Northern Thailand? Do it on your own!

Leading to reason seven for traveling solo which is learning to say hello in Cambodian (Sua s’dei) or how are you in Spanish (Cómo estás? or ¿Cómo está?). If you speak only to other travelers or your partner you’re less likely (I think) to actually learn some of the language and even about the culture. Solo? You have to pick-up at least a few words to help yourself.

Sure some couples do, but if you’re single? Well you’re forced to.

You will also be forced to meet other travelers, which is, of course, number eight! A vegan, Israeli who is going to teach English in Cambodia might share veggie rolls with you in Kanchanaburi. A Swedish architect might go hiking with you into the hills of El Calafate, Argentina. Or maybe you’ll go wine-tasting with a college roommate (you haven’t spoken to in a year) in Buenos Aires. Your travel buddies will be a medley exposing you to new experiences while also providing entertainment.

You'll find friends to hike through Patagonia!

But these all lead to number nine and what traveling solo inevitably provides: the ultimate freedom! Sure you might spend all day trying to find an internet cafe in London, England, but at least you didn’t waste anyone else’s day. What if you find that you love Argentina and you want to stay longer to ensure you see “everything”? Well if you’re on your own guess what….. you can stay as long as your little heart desires (see, see the Valentine’s Day connection?).

Which brings me to what I promised to write about last week: Around the World Plane Tickets. I forgot about Valentine’s Day (what does that say?).

But visit here tomorrow….I need help with a name. What’s in a name? Well you’ll find out tomorrow.

Adios!

I dream of India, and my host family in the foothills of the Himalayas

Yes it’s true. Sure you can travel on a plane. You can travel on a train. Hell, why not even a ship (ok rhyming can only go so far)?

But travel is not just about the travel, is it? Come on…..you know a large part of you enjoys detailing your trip to others when you return.

“Yes, yes, I went to Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. It was amazing. You have to go.”

And you do have to go, but before you do, don’t you want to talk to someone who has? Get some ideas? Well Nicola Arnold, our Saturday Columnist knows all too well how this can help.

Have a chat with Nicola today with a coffee (just be careful….one cup could turn into three):

As this is a travel blog… why not start with a travel quote?!

“A walk beyond your front door is travel – the only thing you need for a trip is curiosity.”

For Bermudians, we are lucky to be well-connected with flights to the East Coast of the US, Toronto, London across the Pond, and from there… we have the rest of the world as our playground!

Still… even if you live in Bermuda (or really any city, town or island on the globe), it’s true that travel & adventure can mean talking about your own travels, exploring your area/region, or simply just getting out and meeting people.

For starters, last week I met a friend for a coffee in downtown Guelph – my home away from home! After catching up about the last few months, I was able to quiz my friend on Canada’s west coast (as someone who used to work there)… and in turn, my friend picked my brains on traveling through India and life in Bermuda.

It turns out that what I thought might be a 1 hour chat turned into 3hrs… I left the cafe in a daze, as I has not realized it had been that long (but good!) of a night. I felt like I had traveled to the Canadian Rockies and the across to the Himalayas and back again!

Delicious French macaroons baked fresh in Toronto

Secondly, I have been able to enjoy my return to Canada in knowing that it’s basically a second chance to do things in the Ontario area… and beyond! For example – I want to go to Canada’s Wonderland… so I’m hoping I am around for the reopening in May. Even in Guelph, the blustery winds and snow flurries did not deter me from walking to many places during my house-hunt. I know the city quite well, but this helped me to reconnect with all the different neighborhoods.

Food, also, has been a big hit. My first weekend back when I stayed with friends in Toronto, we had Thai food for dinner, pastries from a French bakery for breakfast, and Chinese food for dinner. Real, authentic ethnic food. I’m a sucker for Greek food… no problem, Toronto has an answer for that – Greektown! Like any major city, Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) have their own pockets of culinary delights, and I hope to try out more as the months go by.

With Greek food, when they say feta... they mean feta!

Lastly, through work, hobbies or general interest, you can travel just through curiosity, as the quote says. Last week, I had a lunch with colleagues and we said farewell to a friend who was embarking on an adventure to teach English in Eastern Europe – in an accommodation that lacks heating during a cold winter! That really had us pondering… hmmm… how would we handle that situation?

Speaking of accommodation, I was chatting with one of my new housemates who turns out to be from a French-speaking part of Ontario, and who had also applied for a semester in India. Right away, we were connected by our ability to parler français, and also by our interest in exploring India. Once again, my mind snapped back to memories of chai, train rides and curry in New Delhi while I was still in my new kitchen – I was traveling and had not even walked beyond the front door!

So, as February continues to blaze right on by, many Canadian universities will be going on reading week, or February break. My friends may be heading home (to actually read/study), or jetting off to Mexico, Florida or Cuba for a week of sun sandcastles… but for now, I am content to be building snow forts in Canada!