Southeast Asia Style
That time, I do it in English. Well, I am always so proud of France (Cock-a-doodle-do! as would say the English) but Bab-El-Oued is international now. I am back in HK after having visited a few countries in the south. Have a look!
Just for you to have an idea of the poverty in that countries look at the rate of the population living under the poverty level (under 2 US$ per day):
- Romania: 22%
- Vietnam: 52%
- Laos: 46%
- Cambodia: 36%
Anyway, more than a month in Southeast Asia eating rice, smelling rice, and shitting rice but thanks to the French colonization, bread is everywhere! Real sandwich (without camembert, can we say “real”?), real breakfast with ham and butter, real souvenirs from Paris... What else thanks to the French colonization? War, destruction and architecture. Let’s start by Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City if you are a member of the Red Evil.
“Motorbikes, motorbikes?” Colorful city full of life, I loved it! European style, ex-capital of the French colony of Cochinchina until 1954, it became HCMC in 1975 at the end of the war and during the reunification of that beautiful communist country…
Moving so much, this is how I describe HCMC. A fast-moving city full of colors.
Wassup all around? Basically, the Cu Chi Tunnels, a tunnel network used by the Viet Cong to control Saigon and to kill American soldiers by using booby traps and the Mekong Delta full of floating markets, exotic fruits and gentle people.
War and Peace
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Business is business in the floating markets…
What about going north? Dunes, beaches and relaxing swimming in the China Sea?
Smilling children so surprised to see white people on motorbikes.
I am moving to Dalat alone now. My roommate prefers Canada! I am gonna loose myself deep into the jungle to forget that treason.
Just before the storm! I had to join the village in the background…
Charming Hoi An
The Cham Ruins of My Son. But please, wait for Angkor Wat!!!
SO tourist in the rice-field, am I not? Blue sky, yellow sun and green fields.
Boring Hué, political capital of Vietnam from 1802 to 1945
After a long train trip in the mountains (40 km/h on average), welcome to Sapat, a lovely and romantic village with rice-fields; poor tribes and beautiful treks.
Local caterpillar-tractor. Think about it when you’ll eat rice next time.
A poor child in a village. No running water, no electricity, just like 200 years ago.
Time to move to Laos! It was just to cross the border to go to Cambodia but what an exiting country!
Nude village. Nude children. What else can I say? On the right picture, it was supposed to be a school. How can you manage to teach anything without pens or paper?
Local taxi and local transport I used to enter Cambodia. Lonely French guy! Can you see my blue backpack? It was also my seat…
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In 1975, the Khmer Rouge entered Phnom Penh and started one of the biggest genocide of the world’s History. 2 million of Cambodian died in only 4 years.
Destruction, construction and reconstruction, this is how it works here.
Hopefully, the Kingdom of Cambodia is full of resources, notably the famous Temples of Angkor, some of the most incredible monuments built by human. Angkor was the capital of Cambodia’s ancient Khmer empire between the 9th and the 13th centuries.
Here is the Bayon Temple with 216 faces of Avalokiteshvara watching at you while you try to understand the incredible bas-reliefs of vivid scenes.
Cockfighting, kick boxing, cocking, going to war, making friends, these are the bas-reliefs.
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To finish my trip, I spent a few days in Bangkok. Buddhist Wats, no-ending nights and sexual tourists are the main attributes of that decadent city.
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And now, ladies and gentlemen, here is the picture of the business area in HK. “Hong Kong, live it, love it.”