So far, I have shared my video blogs of India with you, in my last two blog posts. The history that each building embodies, the beauty of the vistas, and the depth of the relationships is something I hope I could convey through my photos.
In this post, I share with out my travels outside India. Excited?! I know I am!
Vietnam
Fact#1 - I landed in Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh, a city of many glittering highrises, wide clean roads, well groomed local parks, and late night Sepak Takraw and badminton sessions played by youth. The city is also lined with tangled thick and thin telephone wires hanging above houses on all streets. These two pictures presented a city which still has a ways to go, yet much that other countries could learn from.
Fact#2 - In all my travels so far through Asia, I felt safest walking at night in Ho Chi Minh, close to the tourist hub of the city. It was surprising and refreshing to me as a female foreigner that no one glanced at me once leave alone twice.
Fact#3 - There are massage parlours every few feet in the tourist part of town of Ho Chi Minh. I can only hope that they truly offer massages. But, I did witness a tourist sexually harassing one of the staff distributing flyers outside their parlour. This once again highlighted my and our responsibility as tourists to foreign countries.
Fact#3 - The number of motorcycles on the roads of Ho Chi Minh city is unbelievable. Watching throngs of them line up at each intersection for at least a mile, stretching the entire width of the road, is a sight to be seen. But because of these motorcycles, the pollution in Ho Chi Minh has been measured to be deadly. I met and spoke to a researcher who will be publishing a research paper about air quality in Ho Chi Minh within the next year. Do read about it.
Fact#4 - Cat Tien National Park is a UNESCO world heritage site. Taking a tour bus to the National Park is confusing, maybe because the tourism infrastructure of Vietnam is still being developed. Along the way, I saw many tall, thin rubber trees which are associated with local ghost stories, of raped women who haunt men and women at night, calling them into the forest and leading them to suicide. A disturbing history connected with natural beauty.
Fact#5 - Walking amongst the trees at Cat Tien National Park, I could hear sounds, maybe of birds. I did not see any animals, and only 1 crocodile at the park's crocodile lake. Upon asking the staff there, I was told that large mammals are now extinct and only a few birds and monkeys still remain. The Cat Tien National Park suffered extensively during the Vietnam War and even after the war ended. I live in the hopes that the staff will maintain what remains in the Park.
Cambodia
Fact#1 - The road from the airport to the city is lined with beautiful resorts, separated by wide open spaces. The presence of these resorts was striking to me, compared to the city and its humble lifestyle. When I called for a tuktuk as a foreign tourist, I once again realized how easily fares can skyrocket for the shortest of distances if you are not local.
Fact#2 - The "Old Market" and "New Market" in Siem Reap seem to cater to tourists, while the local market, scattered with fishes, fruits, and vegetables, is visited by locals. I would recommend buying sugarcane juice from a street vendor in the local market; no flies, so clean, and yummm!
Fact# 3 - There are many historical killing fields across Cambodia. One of the locations where Cambodians were slaughtered by the Khmer Rouge regime, I read, was at Angkor Wat and its neighbouring temple complexes.
Fact#4 - Angkor Wat is adjacent to other temple cities such as Angkor Thom, which all exist in one large complex. The best way to visit these temples is by following a path (small circuit which takes 2 days, and large circuit which takes longer). These temples show carvings from both Hindu and Buddhist religions. One of the temples was reconstructed in a way to represent a sleeping Buddha across the 2nd floor length of the temple; another depicted faces of Buddhas on each of its tower.
Myanmar
Fact#1 - There are pagodas across Myanmar dedicated to the Buddha. From what I have seen, worship of the Buddha varies in different countries around the world. The faces of the Buddha in Rangoon's pagodas, and the adornment of these temples with gold, is something that I have not yet seen in other parts of the world. How each country adopted Buddhism would be an interesting read.
Fact#2 - There are female Buddhist monks in Myanmar! Think about how significant this is.
Fact#3 - Tourists generally spend half a day visiting Inle Lake, which means they only visit the first of three lake villages along the corridor of Inle Lake. I was told by (trustworthy) local tour guides that the most beautiful lake and village is located at the end of the Inle Lake corridor. To visit it requires a full day's boat tour, starting early in the morning and ending in the evening. Don't forget a good hat, sunglasses, and tons of water to keep you hydrated and cool.
Fact#4 - As I rode along the Lake, I was able to witness floating farms of chickens and cows, a stilted nursery school, and many shops for tourists and local houses. There are also stilted hotel rooms along Inle Lake, and you can stay there at a reasonable price! But, the beauty of the Lake, I think, has been preserved because of the minimal number of tourists there, which I hope will not change.
Please stay tuned for my next post. I myself do not know where that will be!
Thank you for continuing to follow my travels; I eagerly wait for your comments after every post! Please do not forget to Like my facebook page, One Woman Empowered, which also contains my podcast, photos, and articles. Do share my blog with others who may be interested as well!
P.S. The music used in these videos was found on bensound.com. And some of these photos were taken by my new friend and travelling companion to parts of India and Asia, also an outdoor enthusiast and brilliant photographer!
In this post, I share with out my travels outside India. Excited?! I know I am!
Vietnam
Fact#1 - I landed in Vietnam in Ho Chi Minh, a city of many glittering highrises, wide clean roads, well groomed local parks, and late night Sepak Takraw and badminton sessions played by youth. The city is also lined with tangled thick and thin telephone wires hanging above houses on all streets. These two pictures presented a city which still has a ways to go, yet much that other countries could learn from.
Fact#2 - In all my travels so far through Asia, I felt safest walking at night in Ho Chi Minh, close to the tourist hub of the city. It was surprising and refreshing to me as a female foreigner that no one glanced at me once leave alone twice.
Fact#3 - There are massage parlours every few feet in the tourist part of town of Ho Chi Minh. I can only hope that they truly offer massages. But, I did witness a tourist sexually harassing one of the staff distributing flyers outside their parlour. This once again highlighted my and our responsibility as tourists to foreign countries.
Fact#3 - The number of motorcycles on the roads of Ho Chi Minh city is unbelievable. Watching throngs of them line up at each intersection for at least a mile, stretching the entire width of the road, is a sight to be seen. But because of these motorcycles, the pollution in Ho Chi Minh has been measured to be deadly. I met and spoke to a researcher who will be publishing a research paper about air quality in Ho Chi Minh within the next year. Do read about it.
Fact#4 - Cat Tien National Park is a UNESCO world heritage site. Taking a tour bus to the National Park is confusing, maybe because the tourism infrastructure of Vietnam is still being developed. Along the way, I saw many tall, thin rubber trees which are associated with local ghost stories, of raped women who haunt men and women at night, calling them into the forest and leading them to suicide. A disturbing history connected with natural beauty.
Fact#5 - Walking amongst the trees at Cat Tien National Park, I could hear sounds, maybe of birds. I did not see any animals, and only 1 crocodile at the park's crocodile lake. Upon asking the staff there, I was told that large mammals are now extinct and only a few birds and monkeys still remain. The Cat Tien National Park suffered extensively during the Vietnam War and even after the war ended. I live in the hopes that the staff will maintain what remains in the Park.
Cambodia
Fact#1 - The road from the airport to the city is lined with beautiful resorts, separated by wide open spaces. The presence of these resorts was striking to me, compared to the city and its humble lifestyle. When I called for a tuktuk as a foreign tourist, I once again realized how easily fares can skyrocket for the shortest of distances if you are not local.
Fact#2 - The "Old Market" and "New Market" in Siem Reap seem to cater to tourists, while the local market, scattered with fishes, fruits, and vegetables, is visited by locals. I would recommend buying sugarcane juice from a street vendor in the local market; no flies, so clean, and yummm!
Fact# 3 - There are many historical killing fields across Cambodia. One of the locations where Cambodians were slaughtered by the Khmer Rouge regime, I read, was at Angkor Wat and its neighbouring temple complexes.
Fact#4 - Angkor Wat is adjacent to other temple cities such as Angkor Thom, which all exist in one large complex. The best way to visit these temples is by following a path (small circuit which takes 2 days, and large circuit which takes longer). These temples show carvings from both Hindu and Buddhist religions. One of the temples was reconstructed in a way to represent a sleeping Buddha across the 2nd floor length of the temple; another depicted faces of Buddhas on each of its tower.
Myanmar
Fact#1 - There are pagodas across Myanmar dedicated to the Buddha. From what I have seen, worship of the Buddha varies in different countries around the world. The faces of the Buddha in Rangoon's pagodas, and the adornment of these temples with gold, is something that I have not yet seen in other parts of the world. How each country adopted Buddhism would be an interesting read.
Fact#2 - There are female Buddhist monks in Myanmar! Think about how significant this is.
Fact#3 - Tourists generally spend half a day visiting Inle Lake, which means they only visit the first of three lake villages along the corridor of Inle Lake. I was told by (trustworthy) local tour guides that the most beautiful lake and village is located at the end of the Inle Lake corridor. To visit it requires a full day's boat tour, starting early in the morning and ending in the evening. Don't forget a good hat, sunglasses, and tons of water to keep you hydrated and cool.
Fact#4 - As I rode along the Lake, I was able to witness floating farms of chickens and cows, a stilted nursery school, and many shops for tourists and local houses. There are also stilted hotel rooms along Inle Lake, and you can stay there at a reasonable price! But, the beauty of the Lake, I think, has been preserved because of the minimal number of tourists there, which I hope will not change.
Please stay tuned for my next post. I myself do not know where that will be!
Thank you for continuing to follow my travels; I eagerly wait for your comments after every post! Please do not forget to Like my facebook page, One Woman Empowered, which also contains my podcast, photos, and articles. Do share my blog with others who may be interested as well!
P.S. The music used in these videos was found on bensound.com. And some of these photos were taken by my new friend and travelling companion to parts of India and Asia, also an outdoor enthusiast and brilliant photographer!
