Remembering the unclear morals of the iron fist.

Chris : I'm sitting here under the terrace fans of the foreign correspondents club in Phnom Penh. The leather armchairs are perfect for taking notes while enjoying the war photography on the wall and a grand view of the river. For the first time in weeks I've been able to clear my thoughts because a lot of questions have been filling our heads.

There were sharp contrasts for people on either side of the wall in Germany and today there are many contrasts in consumerist Cambodia.

Touring communist-influenced countries on the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall has given many interesting comparisons of how governments' take hold of peoples lives, past and present. From present day Chinese censorship and Indian corruption, we had already seen a lot. Now we are meeting the people of Indochina who dealt with genocide and countless bloody wars in the not-so-distant past. It was interesting to see what had become of the moral bankrupcy of communism that pope John Paul II did so much to expose, and the West tried so hard to bury during the cold war.

Propaganda posters are still painted on the walls of small towns and large cities.

For me it was very hard to come to terms with a deeper understanding of what the Vietnamese now call the 'American War', the horrors of chemical warfare, and one of the darkest chapters in US history too. Looking over at the latest headlines from Afghanisthan on the New York Times, I don't even want to ask the question of whether America will learn from it's mistakes.

Vietnam has seen so much conflict in the last century that one can not help but being surprised by an amazingly positive people who have certainly moved on. I wished I had asked the few people we talked to in cafes and street stalls.

After a few days in Saigon we headed an hour north yesterday to cross the nearby boarder into Cambodia. We soon realised that nothing could compare to the recent history that Cambodians had to put behind them. We went straight to the 'security centers' (torture prisons) of the Khmer Rouge here in Phnom Penh. We learned what life was like in the 1970s when this city was evacuated under the politics of 'Demicratic' Kampuchea.

It is almost impossible to underatand how these radicals eliminate the capitalist bourgioise influnces into an agrarian hell for three years, and how Pol Pot could pull this off overnight. During the mass evacuations of all 'evil' cities, Cambodians were marched to the fields. They brought only the possesions they could carry and the shirt on theor back to work in a classless system of agriculture and farming. The new class of laborers were given nothing and allowed nothing. They even had to shower in their clothes. All daily conforts were erased. Human institutions of religion, love, marriage were all deleted. Even family was forbidden. The legal system thrown out the window. How were these morals just thrown out the window?

Instead Cambodians were given two things: fear, and a sole purpose to work in the fields for the 'Angkar' (organisation) under the gun of the Khmer Rouge. People with an education, or any other potential for disobedience were eradicated. They say it was better to torture and kill 10 innocent people, if only one turned out to be a dissident. There were no more than a few thousand administrators who were living in this ghost city in order to organise the country and process prisoners.

It sent chills down our spines to creep through cells with no one else around. I won't explain the torture methods but just say that almost everyone who was brought to these security centres were soon sentenced to death.

We drove straight to the killing fields almost an hour outside Phnom Penh where men, women and children were brought for execution. This was an eerie visit for us. We arrived at sunset to find the area empty with no other tourists around just before closing time.

People told us we would be shocked by what we found. But as we followed the paths, we couldn't find any signs of the mass graves. It soon sunk in that the scraps of cloth sticking out of the dirt in the path was clothing that had gradually surfaced as visitors pass day after day - the same clothes they were not allowed to take off for neither sleep, nor shower. Steph soon looked a little closer and found a scattered set of teeth. We then saw a bone sticking out in the middle of the path. Not much was touched here since the days when around 300 people were murdered each day.

When the sun set we drove back to our hostel in the city, just a few hubdred metres from the royal palace. Fireworks were thumping across the sky above to mark independence day from the Vietnamese who left in the 1990s after toppling the DK, while families watch from their picnic blankets.

"To see what is in front of you often takes a constant struggle." George Orwell

It is perplexing to think that most of the Khmer Rouge were never brought to justice. Today there is a large gap in the older generations while the torturers live alongside the tortured.

How to the crowds filling the park feel about their past, their country?? What do all the happy cyclists smiling back choose to remember?

It is just unimaginable to me how each and every Cambodian can live with this only 30 years on.

I think Vietnam is brilliant!

Reflections on Vietnam...

I've had such a great time in Vietnam, I love it and would definitely come back.

The Vietnamese are such happy folk! They wake up incredibly early to indulge in breakfast at street stalls with friends or excercise in the local parks. Tourists are welcomed with open arms and everything is made easy for us, especially compared with China and India. Travelling around the country is made all the easier due to the oh so many private companies offering the same route or tour meaning that competition brings the prices down or at least allows you to bargain. The thriving tourist industry means that everything is set up here: wherever you want to go, it can be arranged without problem and with many smiles! I understand why South East Asia is so popular with younger backpackers and gap year students - everything's just so easy to plan and arrange. For us, we were able to buy an open bus ticket taking us from the North all the way to the South, stopping at as many or as few cities as we wanted on the way. This gave us the flexibility we needed to stay in a place for as long or little time as we could.

We've also found that it's incredibly easy to meet fellow travellers here, not least due to the night bus experiences! It's fun to hop off the bus and seek a hotel with another couple of travellers rather than on your own. We also found that the same people would be on our buses each time, having chosen the same route and itinerary as us. We've met some really great people over the two weeks we've been here.

We've eaten some GREAT food too. While this may be considered a great crime for many, we've really enjoyed that there are so many international food options here. Despite eating mainly Vietnamese food while being here (Chris' favourite being Pho Bo for breakfast: beef, noodle soup), we must admit to sampling a number of excellent burgers and schnitzels along the way too!

I've so much enjoyed the shopping which has been possible even for backpackers on a budget like us. If I came again there's no doubt that my suitcase would be empty upon arrival and overflowing with bargains when I left.

Vietnam is a beautiful country with so much to see - Chris and I have many reasons to return here. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, we haven't been able to deviate at all from the primary tourist route which includes the main cities along the coast where the night bus stops. However, we could have easily spent a good two weeks in and around each city, exploring the local area, visiting smaller villages and rice paddy fields. We would have loved to have rented bikes in each place, something we only did once, as this is a great way to explore and get to know a place better.

Saigon, Ho Chi Minh City

Saigon, or Ho Chi Minh City has impressed travellers for centuries. Chris and I both enjoyed our stay here. There was certainly enough to see and do for a few days. We made sure to visit the Reunification Palace which has remained unchanged since the communist tank flattened the gate in 1975, the same day that Saigon surrendered.

Also on our list of must-sees was the War Remnants Museum. Chris and I found this extremely interesting as it gave the perspective of journalists from both sides of the American War of 1965-73. We were both shocked by a lot of the journalistic photos we saw and mostly by the effects of Agent Orange, the bio-chemical gas used by the American army, which still has effects on babies born today. The museum even housed fetuses of aborted babies, deformed or conjoined because of this. Not for the feint-hearted!

I read an exceptional novel to go hand in hand with my visit to the War Remnants Museum which I would recommend to anyone interested in Vietnam’s recent brutal history: The Quiet American by Graham Greene.

In Saigon we also went out a few times with a Canadian couple we had met on our night bus, Geoff and Madeleine who had just spent a year teaching in South Korea. One night we went for a delicious roof-top barbeque which was cooked at our table. One restaurant we highly recommended for anyone visiting Saigon is the splendid Quan An Ngon.

This place is mainly open-air and is home to so many Vietnamese specialities at great prices. The fancy interior made us think this was too posh for us but the prices were right and the food was delicious! It was filled with local Vietnamese and there are chefs bordering the tables who cook their own speciality in front of your eyes. Quote from Christophe, “You just can’t ask for more!’.

Another thing we indulged in in Saigon was a little DVD shopping! Another recommendation for anyone coming here!

Miss Saigon Wedding!

My favourite and perhaps strangest experience in Saigon was a ‘Seeing Hands Massage’. The Vietnamese Traditional Medical Institute employs blind people to perform massages. As soon as I read about this place I knew I had to try it out - not least to help the blind of Saigon earn their financial independence. We walked into the centre which was filled by blind people and were amazed as we were led with precision down the corridors to the massage rooms. It was a great massage and seriously, who says you need to be able to see to perform one?! You don’t need vision to feel for stress-points and massage peoples’ bodies, I say!

Chris also had his mop chopped here in Saigon

after three months of growth!

Five o'clock follies at the Rex Hotel

Chris > Our last night in Vietnam took us to a Saigon institution, the Rex Hotel. This was where the press corps used to be debriefed each day during the 'American War' for what was also known as the 'five o'clock follies'.

Floods from Hoi An to Nha Trang

Our night bus took on elevated road from Hoi An to Nha Trang during the flooding caused by an incoming typhoon. Apparently a dam had also burst, causing more flooding than this coastal region is normally used to. The driver eventually gave up and parked the bus, turned off the AC and set up a hammock next to Steph's and proceeded to wake up the entire bus with his snores!

Hoi An - before we left on the night bus,

The next day traffic was allowed to resume and we could see what was going on in the light of day. Looking out the window, we may as well have been on a boat with lakes to left and right. It was like what you see on tv when the national guard are called in. The villages were flooded all the way up to road signs in some places. People paddled canoes down the alleys and into the doorways of homes where families have huddled on the 2nd floor balcony, or groups of villagers gathered on one persons roof. The chickens and pigs all struggled to find higher ground in their coops. Luckily for us the detours and road closures just meant we were stuck on the bus for 22 hours.

Chris has gone mad...

Though we are backpacking around the world, I fear Christopher Zimmerman has once and for all proved himself as an ultimate flashpacker! As if travelling with a netbook and iPod touch wasn't enough, Chris has now purchased FOUR tailor-fitted suits!! While unemployed without even a job to return to in which to wear them!

I must at this stage explain that we are currently in Hoi An, the tailor-made-suit capital of Vietnam and perhaps the world! Chris' four suits were bought with absolute bargainosity:

Charcoal grey suit to replace old one

Light grey, summer suit

THICK, woolen winter suit...for The Antartic!

And finally, a linen suit for - according to Chris - the beach!

He even chose a fab stylish autumnal jacket for an additional $28 which is fab fab fab...

I also decided to indulge in a spot of the old flashpacking, purchasing the following:

Two pairs of casual trousers for the trip, plus...

Autumn/Spring fitted and hooded jacket

Fitted but also flared grey Winter coat

A pair of tartan work trousers

Two suits copied from a Hugo Boss advertisement

So, mes petits Amis, though we will indeed be jobless AND homeless upon our return in august 2010, at least we'll look blinkin' smart!!

If you ever find yourself in this wonderous country of bargains and smiles, seriously consider hopping on over to this small (and also, incedentally, currently flooded!!) town with an empty suitcase and stocking up on a gazillion suits andspecial dresses modelled on any picture/designer you fancy!!!

The Infinite Shopping Day in Hoi An

Small-town break - big-time shopping, food and drinks. One could easily fly to Vietnam with the sole purpose of filling an entire suitcase with a new wardrobe from Hoi An. Below is our perfect shopping day in Hoi An after four days of extensive research... Where to stay? The Hoa Binh Hotel has a pool, wifi, HBO and great hotel rooms all for $10. - Hai Bà Trưng, Thị xã Hội An, Quang Nam, Viet Nam +84 510 916 838

You can get almost anything custom made in Hoi An, and it will be absolutely worth it. So wake up with a mission - to shop. You bring in a photo - they create it. Everything can be tailor made except underwear (This might be the only thing to pack).

Start your day Vietnamese style (early) and go for a 'ca phe' and a stroll. Why not explore the UNESCO heritage streets towards the temple bridge, taking in the small colonial houses before all the tourists wake up. Be sure to detour deeper into the central alleys, especially those surrounding the secret garden riverline. Retreat to the hotel before hunger strikes for a swim in the indoor pool and a lite brunch of 'Pho' noodles across from the hotel back entrance. The old woman in charge greets her customers with open arms and a grandma hug.

If you want to learn Vietnamese dishes like pho, add $2 to the order at The Green Moss restaurant and they'll show you the ropes in the kitchen. 155 D Nguyen Duy Hieu, Hoi An, Viet Nam +84 510 863 728

Now lets assume you arrived yesterday and probably already visited one of Hoi An's 400 tailors for measurements and an initial order of suits, winter coats or other large investments. I can recommended Dong Duong Indochine and it's professional, no-fuss saleswomen with little bargaining. Meticulous measurements mean there are few adjustment to make today during the retouch visits.

Buying a suit is like buying a car - it's a serious investment. Some shops are better than others. Be sure to shop around in Hoi An since some are better at formal wear, casual trousers, etc. Start by feeling the fiber of the fabric and bring in a photo of what you want, if possible. Don't pay in full and show you don't settle for less than perfect so the pressure will be on for when you give it a test drive later.

The Cargo Club - Nguyễn Thái Học, Thị xã Hội An, Quang Nam - +84 510 910 489 (photo: flickr)

By 10am you will need to make some appearences at re-fittings. If you like what they have done ask them to whip a few shirts using your measurements in time for the final afternoon appointment. Reward your shopping efforts with lunch on the deck at the Cargo Club. Sandwiches are delicious and in particular the clubs. A few more retouhes later and you might want another break from all this hard work. Deservedly so - why not hit the beach. Shower back at the hotel and get your evening clothes on. Pick up your tailored treasures and head to Tran Phu street. Here you can get a hipster-mod wool tie at number 125. Nga's tie shop (no official name) has the best selection in town for 30-40k ($1-2).

The Tam Tam provides both a hub for nightlife and old-world dining rooms upstairs. Tam Tam Cafe, Nguyễn Thái Học, Thị xã Hội An, Quang Nam, +84 510 862 212 (photo: flickr)

You'll peobaby be ready to kick back and enjoy your evening under the town's glow of red Chinese rice lanterns. Toast your exploits with a drink at The Treat across the street. An large bottle of La Rue beer for 10k (.50$) at this backpacker HQ. There are many other good happy hours in town to drag your bags to. I'd head for 2 for 1 mojitos upstairs at the big colonial house known as Tam Tam. They also serve up Australian steaks in the brasserie style dining rooms.

Otherwise head a few doors down to Red Bridge. They have extreemly charming wine bar feel, big open garden and a mean fish and chips. And why not book a half or full-day cooking course with them for tomorrow if you are hanging around? The chef will take you around by boat and to the local market. Or you could save money and choose your own dish to cook at the Green Moss (see photo above).

Whatever you decide, wind up the day at the kitchy 'Before and After' lounge bar. The crowds here create the best buzz in town between the table football and walls of communist pop art. And somehow all your fellow travelers looks a bit more dressed up and smart than they did yesterday...

Hue

Hue, just south of the DMZ, lies in the area which suffered the heaviest fighting in the American War and was actually the political capital for over one hundred years until 1945.

Here we hired bikes and cycled to the city’s Citadel, previously a huge imperial city. Within this beautiful, moated citadel is the Forbidden Purple City: this was only used for the Emporer’s private life. Both Chris and I agree that this place makes Beijing’s Forbidden City look tiny! Part of it’s charm lies with the fact that until now, this ancient city has remained un-renovated; in fact, it was unfortunately heavily bombed by the Americans.

We spent only one night in Hue and in fact, it was arguably the most authentically Vietnamese we had in our trip. On the night bus down from Hanoi, we met a Swiss couple who were signed up to a site called ‘Couchsurfing’. Through this site, they met a local student from Hue with whom they had arranged to go for a drink in the evening. We were invited along and he took us on a long walk out of the touristy area, filled with backpacker bars, to a small local place where we were the only foreigners.

One by one, more and more of his friends began to turn up and we enjoyed a fantastic few hours sharing a few beers with them and sampling local food (the kind that only a Vietnamese person could know how to order!) and listening to stories and opinions about their country. We were horrified when they began to fill our glasses with ice before pouring beer into them but have found since that this is the thing to do here!

He and most of his friends were either students or teachers of English, either way all keen to practice their English. This was a great opportunity for both them and us - we were able to ask many questions about Vietnam about things that had intrigued us. We found out so many interesting facts, not least that Vietnam apparently has the third highest abortion rate in the world! I am surprised at this for a country with only 85 million people. Hmmm, will have to check that.

CHEERS!

Halong Bay

While planning our trip to Vietnam, Chris and I, due to time constraints, had to make the decision on whether to trek around the much-visited Sapa and its rice paddy fields north east of Hanoi or to go on a cruise around Halong Bay for a few days. It was a tough decision but one which we didn’t regret. Unlike in India where tourists are left to their own devices to arrange ongoing travel or any places of interest they may want to visit, in Vietnam, everything is made incredibly easy for us. Our hostel arranged the three day tour which included transport to and from Halong Bay, all food for the three days and a great guide - Suhzhu. It’s so easy here to travel here - the tourism industry is booming.

Halong Bay is picturesque: there are over 3000 limestone islands emerging from the calm waters, making it one of UNESCO’s world heritage sites. It was fantastic to be cruising amongst these on top deck of our boat.

This was mine and Chris’ first organized tour of our trip so far and we really loved being able to meet new people and spend so much time with more people than just the two of us! In India and China, our travel was very much just the two of us: we’d meet people here and there but there wasn’t the same ‘going-out’ atmosphere or seeing touristy things with other people. However, we must admit that we weren’t used to being given such a set itinerary with only an hour of ‘free time’ per day. This became something of a joke amongst our ship mates as we all constantly sought more ‘free time’ than was allocated!

Our trip included a half day trek on Cat Ba Island, the only populated island in the whole bay. Half of the island is a national park and this is where our trek took us.

We also had time to play some beach volleyball and chill on the beach.

One evening, we went kayaking through a small fishing village where the people live in small floating houses with boats as their only mode of transport, obviously. This was a relaxing end to the day.

We visited some caves in which our guide amused us by pointing out the strange rock formations!

The Captain of our boat (or C squared as we all liked to call him - I’ll let your imaginations work that one out!) was the grumpiest captain ever! The rule on alcohol was that in the dining area we were only allowed to drink beer bought on the boat at extortionate prices but on the upper deck, people could drink their own booze. Needless to say, everyone went for the second option, choosing to buy beer from the ‘floating shops’ (the ladies who would row over to our boat to sell us treats!) which was less than half the price. The captain once expressed his anger at this by throwing full bottles of one floating-shop lady’s beer into the sea before she had chance to sell it to us! Crazy!

The evenings saw us indulging in much fun and laughter with our new friends. We were allowed ‘free-time’ to swim and jump from the boat which was good fun. Even though I was on anti-biotics (my Delhi-belly was almost cured) I was able to share in the frivolities without the need for alcohol. We spent a great two nights on the boat and realized how much we appreciate tours like this and being able to socialise with likeminded people.

One couple, Danielle and Luc, we plan to meet up with again in Australia as they are moving to Melbourne for a few years and will already be settled by the time we get there. It will be great to see them again!