Vietnam 2013

What an incredible day: mixing the old and crumbling but spectacular temples at angkor, where khmer people still live in squalor and tourism is now alive and very much well, with a local restaurant where the owners are truly just running a business without being exploited by rich american or french backers. We wandered after dinner to 'pub street' which is the backpackers new bangkok- its truly everything bad about westerners rolled into one street. Little children street hawking dance in the street tothe club music, waving around their wares to help their families in hopes of earning enough to eventually buy a tuk tuk or something similar. Men with missing limbs and maimed faces play in string bands, and women lurk in drak corners for men on their own..
And yet hope shows through as well: we found 'jimmys school'- a few picnic tables infront of a whiteboard in fromt of a house (jimmys mother). Jimmy teaches english to orphans from 5-9 ( the hours outside of the peak hawking hours) for free, and has volunteers stop by to converse. He also teacges basic literacy and cambodian culture, and is hoping to expand the house to fit the number of kids who come but he doesnt have room for. Hugo and i were both a bit choked up by it- and the kids of all ages were so pleased to meet usand just say hello. The people here are truly beautiful, though the harsh survival instinct which manifests in cruelty seems to lurk just underneath- but generally they are so sweet. We were horrified by how unfriendly and demanding the other tourists here are- no smiles, or thank yous, just wanting more more more and not really considering where they are. Sure things arent perfect, maybe the bathroom
Smells a bit, but when you see the eyes of these people and just how much they are trying to move on and move up, there must be room to just appreciate how much they are giving-
Every person smiles back in the street, and when thy realise you genuinely care and want to be nice, they joke, they smile, they make the conmection. They could choose to loathe the wealth they see in comparison to their averag e$30/month wage, but they certainly dont show it, so i feel that somewhere in that we must show humanity, even if its just a smile. We had a tuk tuk driver for the day, Manil, who was lovely. He took us everywhere and was always there with cold water and lots of history for us- he is newly married and was so wonderful. We kept seeing him later at the market and he remembered all of our names. He has worked his way from the countryside to siem reap, finally able to earn a living with his tuk tuk, and hopes to start a family soon.

We also returned for foot massages, with te same girls as yesterday, they were so excited to see us, and we had to tip them secretly to ensure they could keep it as their female boss was watching very closely.

Its been another incredible day: and i feel so fortunate to be able to see the things we are seeing. I dont think i have ever been so much in the present moment as i have being here.