My roommate and I recently made a trip to Cambodia and Vietnam. The trip was full of amazement, sorrow and joy. We rode around in a TukTuk - those are FUN (I wish Taiwan had them!). Traffic was somewhat similar to Taiwan's - crazy! I kept trying to speak Chinese to the people there. They don't speak Chinese and Kristin, my roommate, is still laughing at the funny look I got from the hotel guy. My first sentence came out in English and then, without my realizing it, everything else came out in Chinese. The poor guy's facial expression said it all - he had no clue what I was saying. His response? "It's OK, no problem." We walked away with Kristin laughing so hard I thought she was going to wet her pants! I think I turned about 3 shades of red! Oh well...
We visited the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. These places absolutely broke my heart. As I walked around on the very site were horrendous crimes were committed, reading about that time in history, and looking at pictures of innocent people who were tortured and killed - I was truly overwhelmed with grief and with anger. Honestly, I'm still processing it.
We also visited Ankor Wat. This is a massive temple complex built in the early 12th century. Massive is an understatement! The place is unbelievably massive. Man's ability to build, even way back then, amazes me. It also grieves my heart. God blessed us with these talents and so much of the time mankind uses those talents towards anything but glorifying God. The place was an amazing site though. We were going to go up in a hot air balloon over Ankor Wat but it was way TOO HOT! So, we opted to return to the hotel and take a cool shower instead.
A highlight for me was a TukTuk drive through a country area. There we got to see how the average Cambodian lives. Houses built on stilts with ladders or stairs going up to the entrance. Families sitting under their homes or anywhere else where there was shade, trying to hide from the unrelenting rays and heat of the sun. Little bare bottomed toddlers running around playing - I'm assuming this is because it's easier than changing diapers and cheaper. There were even several hammock bars. These were long open buildings with hammock after hammock hanging up and swinging in what little breeze there was. The thought did come to mind to stop and swing in a hammock for a minute or two but we didn't.
We also went on a boat ride to a floating village. There were little old ladies in canoes going from house to house selling daily household necessities. There was also a school, basketball court, a pig pen and anything else a town might need. I was amazed as I saw a little girl, maybe 4 years old maneuvering a canoe all by herself. She couldn't have been more than 4...amazing!
We also visited a village that has been plagued by human trafficking. We were told that at one time 100% of those precious little children were being sold to men coming from all different backgrounds and countries. As I watched the little children playing in the dirt street, I also thought about little TuiTui and my young nieces and I could feel the anger rising up in my heart. They have transformed a former brothel into a church and we were blessed to get to walk through it and meet and pray over the local pastor and his family. Their lives are not easy. They are often threatened by men who blame them for interfering with their livelihood (human trafficking) and yet this man and his family persevere. I was blessed to meet them and see the work they are doing and hear the stories they told us. These stories of the horror that once took place in this little village and that they are still fighting against, grieved my heart so much. Little girls being locked in rooms with snakes to teach them to obey what they are told to do. A small room where a girl of 9 or 10 died at the hands of the repeated abuse she sustained. And the stories of triumph, a grandmother who has given her life to the Lord and is now protecting her young grand-daughter from being sold again by the child's own mother. We got to see a new school they are building. It will open this fall and will give these children a chance to be educated, a chance they did not have before. This was a day full of joy, sorrow and righteous anger. I'm still trying to process through all I saw and heard this day.
Our bus ride to Vietnam took about 8 hours. It was very long. Seeing the countryside was fun. The bus would have to slow down time after time to allow water buffalo or cows to cross the road. The border crossing wasn't too bad and we finally made it to Ho Chi Minh City. Here both of us rested (we were both exhausted), went for walks, visited the local markets and tried to figure out how to cross the chaotic streets without getting hit by a motorcycle, car, bus, pedicab, etc... I learned in Vietnam - that Taiwan's traffic isn't really that bad!
The trip was great and as I said before, there are different aspects of it that I'm still trying to process through. But all in all it was an awesome trip!
We visited the Killing Fields and Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. These places absolutely broke my heart. As I walked around on the very site were horrendous crimes were committed, reading about that time in history, and looking at pictures of innocent people who were tortured and killed - I was truly overwhelmed with grief and with anger. Honestly, I'm still processing it.
We also visited Ankor Wat. This is a massive temple complex built in the early 12th century. Massive is an understatement! The place is unbelievably massive. Man's ability to build, even way back then, amazes me. It also grieves my heart. God blessed us with these talents and so much of the time mankind uses those talents towards anything but glorifying God. The place was an amazing site though. We were going to go up in a hot air balloon over Ankor Wat but it was way TOO HOT! So, we opted to return to the hotel and take a cool shower instead.
A highlight for me was a TukTuk drive through a country area. There we got to see how the average Cambodian lives. Houses built on stilts with ladders or stairs going up to the entrance. Families sitting under their homes or anywhere else where there was shade, trying to hide from the unrelenting rays and heat of the sun. Little bare bottomed toddlers running around playing - I'm assuming this is because it's easier than changing diapers and cheaper. There were even several hammock bars. These were long open buildings with hammock after hammock hanging up and swinging in what little breeze there was. The thought did come to mind to stop and swing in a hammock for a minute or two but we didn't.
We also went on a boat ride to a floating village. There were little old ladies in canoes going from house to house selling daily household necessities. There was also a school, basketball court, a pig pen and anything else a town might need. I was amazed as I saw a little girl, maybe 4 years old maneuvering a canoe all by herself. She couldn't have been more than 4...amazing!
We also visited a village that has been plagued by human trafficking. We were told that at one time 100% of those precious little children were being sold to men coming from all different backgrounds and countries. As I watched the little children playing in the dirt street, I also thought about little TuiTui and my young nieces and I could feel the anger rising up in my heart. They have transformed a former brothel into a church and we were blessed to get to walk through it and meet and pray over the local pastor and his family. Their lives are not easy. They are often threatened by men who blame them for interfering with their livelihood (human trafficking) and yet this man and his family persevere. I was blessed to meet them and see the work they are doing and hear the stories they told us. These stories of the horror that once took place in this little village and that they are still fighting against, grieved my heart so much. Little girls being locked in rooms with snakes to teach them to obey what they are told to do. A small room where a girl of 9 or 10 died at the hands of the repeated abuse she sustained. And the stories of triumph, a grandmother who has given her life to the Lord and is now protecting her young grand-daughter from being sold again by the child's own mother. We got to see a new school they are building. It will open this fall and will give these children a chance to be educated, a chance they did not have before. This was a day full of joy, sorrow and righteous anger. I'm still trying to process through all I saw and heard this day.
Our bus ride to Vietnam took about 8 hours. It was very long. Seeing the countryside was fun. The bus would have to slow down time after time to allow water buffalo or cows to cross the road. The border crossing wasn't too bad and we finally made it to Ho Chi Minh City. Here both of us rested (we were both exhausted), went for walks, visited the local markets and tried to figure out how to cross the chaotic streets without getting hit by a motorcycle, car, bus, pedicab, etc... I learned in Vietnam - that Taiwan's traffic isn't really that bad!
The trip was great and as I said before, there are different aspects of it that I'm still trying to process through. But all in all it was an awesome trip!
Was the basketball court floating, too?
ReplyDeleteyes it was!
ReplyDelete