Best of Friends

Jules comments:
Playing host to our best friends was a job that we really relished. Franzman & I have done so many things together, had so many adventures, that we had to make sure this trip would be worthy of that history. I am happy to say that I think we succeeded. We did a great variety of beautiful & exciting things; elephants, tigers, monkeys, bats, orchids, The Grand Palace, waterfalls, beaches, islands & ... The cherry on top was provided by having the Goldmans and Urana join us for the last few days.
I encourage everyone to seek out some good friends and plan a little "outside the box" adventure together.
With this as a backdrop, we can't wait to see what the future has in store.

Eleanor's comments: We had waited and waited--the day was finally here--our dear friends, Steve and Diane, came to visit for three weeks and we were to be their guides to see Thailand, north and south. For us, it was a darn good excuse to see all of the sights again and to lay on the beach for ten days--what could be bad? During the final weekend of their trip, Dickie and Susan Goldman from Woodstock, and Urana coming in from Bangkok, would join us in Chiang Mai.
Seeing everybody brought home how much we missed our dear friends and family. Seven months is a long time to be on the road. We have enjoyed it thoroughly and have had a great time. We have discovered that this life-style can be repeated anywhere in the world so our horizons have been expanded considerably. We learned that Jules misses his teaching a lot--it is part of who he is--and he wishes to continue to teach. We learned that I can find a million and one things to keep me busy and happy, as long as the list doesn't include the practice of law. But that doesn't mean that I won't enjoy doing something legally-related to help the elderly or disadvantaged.
We have learned that life is unpredictable. So we are truly going with the flow. Surprised to hear that from me? Well, I guess I've mellowed with age. But, we know our air ticket gets us home on May 1--we will be in Saugerties house-sitting for six weeks--and we have air tickets to visit our West Coast friends and family from July 17 to Sept 5. The rest is unknown--the right path for us will reveal itself in due time.
But back to the fun time that was had by all. Tigers and monkeys, oh my. Stephen especially enjoyed the sign at Erawan Falls, which said: "Beware: A monkey steal your belonging." A metaphor for life, perhaps?
Diane and I stayed out of Tiger Canyon, located outside of Kanchanaburi, but the guys made the trip down. Diane and I had valid excuses, but, to tell you the truth, I was not enthused about being in the presence of unchained wild animals--think Siegfried and Roy. The guys loved every minute of it and have the pictures to prove it.
Phang-Nha lived up to its reputation. We took an all day boat trip there from Phuket. It was billed as a "canoe trip". Its real name should have been: "trip where young thai men paddled the inflatable canoes"-- the Minskys and Franzmans laid back and enjoyed the ride. It was really something--one of the highlights of the trip.
But the beach towns of Phuket left something to be desired. I thought of the old saying: Be careful you don't kill the goose that laid the golden egg. That is exactly what has happened. Thai people serve the tourists but, other than that, there is no evidence of Thais--the beach towns are devoid of the rich cultural texture of Thai life--it's just not there and the beach towns are charmless to me. However, that doesn't mean we didn't enjoy reading on the beach and swimming in the warm water--just the right temperature.
The current smoke in the atmosphere of Chiang Mai presented a real problem to us. Should we go there or change our plans? Those darn "slash and burn" farmers. For centuries they have burned their fields every March. I wonder if it is the same every year--complaints until the first rains wash away the particles from the air--then everyone forgets the problem until next year. Well, everyone says that this year it is especially bad. We saw the pictures on TV and started the canceling process. We thought we would go to Hua Hin instead. But we called our friends in Chiang Mai one more time and were assured that the situation, while not perfect, had improved enough to warrant coming there. So we reinstated our flights and came home to Chiang Mai. We were glad we did. We had a great time as shown by the pictures at Mae Sa Elephant Camp. We took a tour up the Ping River, saw a lot of Thai dancing and shopped til we dropped. We had some great meals, one of which at the "Bake and Bite" prompted Dickie to say: "this is the best roast vegetable sandwich I've ever eaten"--this is very high praise! I was busy eating the "hash browns" which tasted like the best potato pancakes I'd ever had.
We said our goodbyes--we were happy that we would see everyone again soon--Urana at Songkran, the traditional Thai New Year, from April 13 to April 17, and the Franzmans and Goldmans on May 1. This is the official end of our blog. Any comments are appreciated. We hope you've come along on our travels by way of this blog and have enjoyed it as much as we have enjoyed writing it.

The Best of Friends

Good Luck, Cambodia

Jules:
Vietnam is prosperous, healthy & growing. Cambodia is hanging on by the skin of its teeth. Why are these 2 countries, right next to each other, so completely different. Here are some obvious answers: Cambodia was bombed by the US during the war as part of the expansion even though it was not really involved. It was devastated and then as a result of the horrible conditions created by the bombing it allowed a world class homicidal maniac like Pol Pot, which is not a real name but stands for political potential, to come to power and kill several million fellow Cambodians. To this day I do not think that the Cambodians themselves really know why Pol Pot was able to convince so many Cambodians to kill their fellow countrymen. The Pol Pot regime was ended, not by the UN or the US but by Vietnam. So Vietnam, having resisted the colonial aspirations of China, France & the USA, was able to see that what was going on in Cambodia was a threat to its own security and was able to put a stop to Pol Pot and the Cambodian genocide. The Vietnamese people know they are winners, they were able to resist and throw out 3 major world powers.
Cambodia is a small country that has 2 major assets, Angkor Wat in a town called Siem Reap and Lake Tonle Sap which is a very large lake full of fish. Ankgor Wat is an amazing collection of beautiful temples, built about a thousand years ago, originally Hindu but converted to Buddhism by King Jayavarmann VII (the big J), the first Buddhist King of Cambodia. Whereas the temples in Thailand are covered with colored pottery, glass & stones, Angkor Wat is covered in carvings and bas relief figures & designs with very little color.
I do not know if these 2 assets are enough to support the country. The major problem faced by Cambodia is corruption, at every level of society.
Another asset that Cambodia has is Dr. Beat Richner, who has built 2 world class children's hospitals in Cambodia. He is also a cellist who gives free concerts to raise donations to support these hospitals, which treat all children for free. If ever there was a guy who deserves a Nobel Prize in Medicine, Dr. Richner is it.

Eleanor's comments

Cambodia was very difficult for me. I have never experienced such utter poverty and despair. On the one hand, there are the exquisite temples of Angkor Wat, and the five star hotels nearby; on the other hand there are people who try every day to cope with rampant corruption at every level of their society (Even the teachers are on the take). No one is paid a living wage, so everyone rips off everyone else to eke out a living. Seeing tiny children under 5 years old working on the streets selling postcards for one American dollar is very hard to take. We went to Dr. Richner's cello concert and learned that 75% of the children tested positive for pediatric tuberculosis. Dr. Richner runs the only hospitals for children in Cambodia. They are supported by donations. The big funders do not want to provide him with funding because the care in his hospital is above the standard of living of the population. He translates this as the powers that be want him to provide substandard care to the children and he will not do it. His personnel are forbidden to take bribes and are dismissed if they do. Dr. Richner is one of the unsung heroes.
At the memorial, skulls from the killing fields are on display, as are the names of some of the victims. But the more telling thing is the lack of understanding displayed by our guide and anyone around the site. It happened--either they know and aren't saying or they don't have a clue about what really happened. We see the result but not what led up to it--we are supposed to accept that it occurred without further explanation.
Juxtapose this information against the luxury found in the five star hotels. Tourists from all over the world come to Cambodia to view its treasures, which, in all candor, should not be missed--the temples are glorious. They stay in their hotels and probably never see the poverty right outside the door.
Our pictures reflect this dichotomy. The beautiful temples and the sad poverty. Remnants of a glorious past and the uncertain future. Should it keep you from going to Cambodia? I say "no." Angkor Wat should not be missed--it is truly a wonder of the world. The Cambodian people have little else. Their economy depends on tourism. Enjoy our pictures of the beautiful temples but they are tinged with sadness.

Good Luck, Cambodia