Cambodia is a country I knew very little about... in fact other than the genocide of the Pol Pot regime and something about a big old temple called Angkor Wat I knew nothing. From the second we crossed the boarder from Vietnam into Cambodia I loved it. The difference was so apparent, the people look different, the food is different (and amazing by the way), the houses are different and the poverty is unbelievable - yet the people are so friendly and so open to talk.
Our week was a real mix of emotions, the day spent at Angkor Wat began at 4:30am to ensure we made it in time for sunrise; it was amazing to arrive in pitch black and gradually watch the temple appear before our eyes, and boy is it spectacular! We here so much and see so many films and pictures of Rome and the pyramids, yet Angkor Wat is probably even more amazing, the scale and richness of the Angkorian period is in such contrast to the way Cambodians live today - the main temple (the one you will have seen if you've ever seen a picture) was stunning and our guide gave us huge amounts of information concerning the history and development of this old capital, however for me it was the temple used as the backdrop for the Lara Croft Tomb Raider movie that was the most impressive - the trees left to grow through the walls of the buildings and the faded green colour give it a mysterious feel which transports you back in time to the 12th century, to a time when Cambodia was the dominant force in south east Asia and London was a mere 50,000 population town still in the dark ages!
It was the visit to Tual Sleng and the killing fields though which has left the biggest impact for me - Toul Sleng, now the genocide museum, once the Khmer Rouge S21prison and before that a school, and the killing fields are still very much kept how they were, nothing fake here. The blood is still on the walls of the classrooms come prison cells and when you walk through the killing fields there are still bones poking through the ground beneath your feet and clothes of the dead still scattered on the ground. To say it was moving is an understatement. This is such recent history, its my lifetime and everyone alive in Cambodia today is and has been affected. Half the Cambodian population died at the hands of Pol Pot. Liang, our guide for the day spent 12 years living in a refugee camp - it was amazing to hear her speak first hand about when and why they escaped the regime and how people like her were only allowed back in the country in 1993 for the elections. There is a monument at the killing fields which holds the skulls and bones of the people excavated from the mass graves, its so awkward looking at layers and layers of skulls and realising that each was an ordinary Cambodian killed at the hands of another Cambodian. There is a tree at the killing fields which was used by the Khmer Rouge to beat young children to death in order to save bullets - the scale of the evil is just unreal and you come away with so many questions: What would bring a man to the point where he could do this to his own people? Who was Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge and why were they ever allowed to get into such a position of power? Why did the world not intervene sooner? At Toul Sleng as well the cruelty was just pure evil - I walked upstairs to the top floor and being in the stairwell reminded me of our stairwell at school and all I could hear in my head was the voices of happy children running up and down to their lessons and at home time - suddenly and abruptly stopped by the sounds of toture and pure evil. The scale of the evil is overwhelming and at both places you can physically feel it in the air, yet our guide Liang through all her personal suffering seems to have moved on and when you meet Cambodians there seems to be a real peace and hope about them. Their resilience is amazing The impression you get of the people is that they are very calm and peaceful - even with the immense poverty there are a lot of smiling faces - Its a very humbling experience.
Leaving Cambodia was hard, I desperately wanted to stay longer, see more and learn more, the only consolation was our method of transport from Siem Reap to the Thai boarder... the back of a 4x4 sitting on top of our rucksacks being thrown about by the pot holes and covered in dust from the road. But what an amazing way to see the countryside and the way of life for so many Cambodians today - Every second felt like an adventure, a truly amazing journey!
Thursday, 10 January 2008
Wednesday, 2 January 2008
The motorcycle diaries
Vietnam, Vietnam, Vietnam Ho Chi Minh.... for a country that has been through so much pain and suffering both in its recent past and since time began, Vietnam is on first appearance and after 3 weeks and numerous cities, towns and villages a wonderfully forward looking, hopeful and friendly society. Before arriving I wondered whether there would be bitterness towards the western world and indeed western travellers, whether the museums and historic sites would be full of anti-Americanism and the same (or more) levels of propaganda which filled the text books I once studied (although of course on the other side of the fence) but nothing could be further from the truth. From Hanoi to Ho Chi Mihn we have experienced amazing hospitality, smiling faces and people desperate to talk.
We arrived in Hanoi 3 weeks ago and to cut a long story short have been slowly (or speedily, depending on your view of the world!) been meandering our way south. Hanoi grabs and you and wacks the senses from the moment you get off the bus, and if your not careful one of the 3 million motorbikes on the road at any given time might also whack you! Carrying on my new tradition of visiting the embalmed bodies of dead communist leaders, our first stop was the Ho Chi Minh morssaleum - the complex is massive and although it didn't feel half as weird as Lenin in Moscow the level of beurcarcy involved in seeing him was high! Leaving the city behind the next 3 days were spent trekking through the mountains to the north in Hoah Binh province. The scenery was fantastic, so relaxing to walk through the paddy fields and experience village life first hand, staying with two different families. Next stop was Halong Bay, over 3,00 islands are a feast for the eye and probably the best way to enjoy it was an afternoon of kayaking - in a slight change to my usual way of travelling the boat we were staying on was luxurious... shelley and I had a twin en-suite cabin and sea food was served at each meal in the restaurant - um...so far Vietnam really hasn't been much about backpacking :-) Next stop was Hue, which used to be the capital, but all that remains now of the once impressive Citadel is a few towers and temples, it deserves its UNESCO status, but is just one more reminder of the damage done by war. One of the most difficult yet memorable days was spent visiting the DMZ - the so called no-mans-land at the 17th parallel, we visited various museums and places of military significance during the American war. The countryside is exactly how you imagine it to be; jungle, green and rich with villages of wooden houses dotted around. We walked along the Ho Chi Minh trail and walked through the Vinh Moe tunnels where countless men, women and children had survived for up to 18 months and more cooped up in the smallest of spaces with such little air and only allowed out on days when the bombing was lighter to collect food and supplies - being down there for just 10mins was hard enough, seeing it brought home the truths of war and the suffering to ordinary people and the cruelty of human beings - several days and several more cities later, the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City is the ultimate reminder of the effects of war, not just at the time but for years to come. Over a quarter of the Vietnamese population lost their lives or were injured during the American war and still today babies are born with deformities caused by the use of agent Orange and other chemical weapons and 300 people a year are inured by land mines. Yet to end where I started, through all the pain and suffering, Vietnam is developing at a fast pace - its now the worlds second largest exporter of rice and has a flourishing tourist infrastructure, this surely is a country which has grabbed its freedom with both hands and wont let it go in a hurry.
A few highlights:Beer corner in Hanoi - The beer was really tasty and only 9p (yes 9p) a glass!
Treking through the mountains of Hoah Binh province
Hoi An - What a chilled out town
Whale Island - Except for the weather was absolute paradise
New Years Eve in the big street party which was Ho Chi Minh city
Chartering a dragon boat up the perfume river
The DMZ...
Current reading material - So dull I can't even remember the title!
Current iPod tunes - Anything related to Vietnam...
We arrived in Hanoi 3 weeks ago and to cut a long story short have been slowly (or speedily, depending on your view of the world!) been meandering our way south. Hanoi grabs and you and wacks the senses from the moment you get off the bus, and if your not careful one of the 3 million motorbikes on the road at any given time might also whack you! Carrying on my new tradition of visiting the embalmed bodies of dead communist leaders, our first stop was the Ho Chi Minh morssaleum - the complex is massive and although it didn't feel half as weird as Lenin in Moscow the level of beurcarcy involved in seeing him was high! Leaving the city behind the next 3 days were spent trekking through the mountains to the north in Hoah Binh province. The scenery was fantastic, so relaxing to walk through the paddy fields and experience village life first hand, staying with two different families. Next stop was Halong Bay, over 3,00 islands are a feast for the eye and probably the best way to enjoy it was an afternoon of kayaking - in a slight change to my usual way of travelling the boat we were staying on was luxurious... shelley and I had a twin en-suite cabin and sea food was served at each meal in the restaurant - um...so far Vietnam really hasn't been much about backpacking :-) Next stop was Hue, which used to be the capital, but all that remains now of the once impressive Citadel is a few towers and temples, it deserves its UNESCO status, but is just one more reminder of the damage done by war. One of the most difficult yet memorable days was spent visiting the DMZ - the so called no-mans-land at the 17th parallel, we visited various museums and places of military significance during the American war. The countryside is exactly how you imagine it to be; jungle, green and rich with villages of wooden houses dotted around. We walked along the Ho Chi Minh trail and walked through the Vinh Moe tunnels where countless men, women and children had survived for up to 18 months and more cooped up in the smallest of spaces with such little air and only allowed out on days when the bombing was lighter to collect food and supplies - being down there for just 10mins was hard enough, seeing it brought home the truths of war and the suffering to ordinary people and the cruelty of human beings - several days and several more cities later, the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City is the ultimate reminder of the effects of war, not just at the time but for years to come. Over a quarter of the Vietnamese population lost their lives or were injured during the American war and still today babies are born with deformities caused by the use of agent Orange and other chemical weapons and 300 people a year are inured by land mines. Yet to end where I started, through all the pain and suffering, Vietnam is developing at a fast pace - its now the worlds second largest exporter of rice and has a flourishing tourist infrastructure, this surely is a country which has grabbed its freedom with both hands and wont let it go in a hurry.
A few highlights:Beer corner in Hanoi - The beer was really tasty and only 9p (yes 9p) a glass!
Treking through the mountains of Hoah Binh province
Hoi An - What a chilled out town
Whale Island - Except for the weather was absolute paradise
New Years Eve in the big street party which was Ho Chi Minh city
Chartering a dragon boat up the perfume river
The DMZ...
Current reading material - So dull I can't even remember the title!
Current iPod tunes - Anything related to Vietnam...
Sunday, 16 December 2007
Censorsed!
Its five weeks since the last blog update and no this hasn't been down to laziness, lack of internet cafes or that I've fallen off the face of the earth..... but China, for all its glitz, Olympic aspirations and high rise cities, is still not totally part of the free world... however, it is quite fun to know that my little blog with tales of travel poses such a threat that its worthy of censorship!! :-)
China in brief then: The first two weeks I spent at a language school a stones throw away from the IBM building in the business district (I never did go and check that IBM really was that close but my tutors insisted on reminding me often and it featured in many a lesson from "directions" to "occupations") it was a great challenge, especially for someone who's never tried to learn a language before...and chinese certainly isn't easy, with 4 tones plus neutral the syllable "ma" can mean either 1) Mother 2) Hemp 3) Horse 4) To get angry with 5) a yes or no question... its very easy to make some quiet funny mistakes! Equipped with the my new language skills, able to order 2 beers, ask where the toilets are and buy train and bus tickets, travel buddy Shelley arrived 2 weeks later and we began our journey zig zagging our way through China.
What stands out most looking back is just how different the culture was from anywhere I've been before. On the one hand it was easy to label the people rude with the constant spitting on the street (and in restaurants, on trains and pretty much everywhere else) letting small children wee in public places and the constant pushing and shoving rather than queuing. Other bizarre traits include individually rapping pieces of fruit, but happily walking along the street carrying a dead chicken! and the women who never close the door in public toilets! However, in every city we visited we met some of the most friendly and helpful people in the world.... the girl in the yellow jacket who spoke no English yet offered to help us and spent over 15 mins ensuring we got to the train station on time. The train guard who sat with us for over an hour trying to make conversation using my Chinese text book (fine until he reached the "relationships" section!!) a second train guard who has ensured Shelley and I have become minor celebrities on the Chinese rail network and Mr Cheng of Tankou who we would probably have never survived without. In short a unique place, not a culture I particularly gel with but an amazing experience and some amazing people.
A few highlights for those who like that kinda thing:
- The Great Wall
- Terracotta Warriors (nope their not all in London)
- Summer Palace
- Temple of Heaven
- Forbidden City
- S'Silk restaurant in Beijing (possibly the best Lamb dish in the world)
- Huang Shan mountain
- Wine in Wuhan (there really isn't much wine!)
- Cycling through rice paddies
Reading material - Various economics books from my flat mate in Beijing (thanks Jake)
iPod tunes - Morrissey, Buddha Bar, Tree 63
China in brief then: The first two weeks I spent at a language school a stones throw away from the IBM building in the business district (I never did go and check that IBM really was that close but my tutors insisted on reminding me often and it featured in many a lesson from "directions" to "occupations") it was a great challenge, especially for someone who's never tried to learn a language before...and chinese certainly isn't easy, with 4 tones plus neutral the syllable "ma" can mean either 1) Mother 2) Hemp 3) Horse 4) To get angry with 5) a yes or no question... its very easy to make some quiet funny mistakes! Equipped with the my new language skills, able to order 2 beers, ask where the toilets are and buy train and bus tickets, travel buddy Shelley arrived 2 weeks later and we began our journey zig zagging our way through China.
What stands out most looking back is just how different the culture was from anywhere I've been before. On the one hand it was easy to label the people rude with the constant spitting on the street (and in restaurants, on trains and pretty much everywhere else) letting small children wee in public places and the constant pushing and shoving rather than queuing. Other bizarre traits include individually rapping pieces of fruit, but happily walking along the street carrying a dead chicken! and the women who never close the door in public toilets! However, in every city we visited we met some of the most friendly and helpful people in the world.... the girl in the yellow jacket who spoke no English yet offered to help us and spent over 15 mins ensuring we got to the train station on time. The train guard who sat with us for over an hour trying to make conversation using my Chinese text book (fine until he reached the "relationships" section!!) a second train guard who has ensured Shelley and I have become minor celebrities on the Chinese rail network and Mr Cheng of Tankou who we would probably have never survived without. In short a unique place, not a culture I particularly gel with but an amazing experience and some amazing people.
A few highlights for those who like that kinda thing:
- The Great Wall
- Terracotta Warriors (nope their not all in London)
- Summer Palace
- Temple of Heaven
- Forbidden City
- S'Silk restaurant in Beijing (possibly the best Lamb dish in the world)
- Huang Shan mountain
- Wine in Wuhan (there really isn't much wine!)
- Cycling through rice paddies
Reading material - Various economics books from my flat mate in Beijing (thanks Jake)
iPod tunes - Morrissey, Buddha Bar, Tree 63
Tuesday, 6 November 2007
Wot no Yak attack?
After 5 days on a train crossing Siberia on a diet of cuppa soup and instant noodles reaching Ulaan Baatar was utterly delightful...and for those who have been to UB, you will realise I am referring to being able to shower at last and not the city itself which pretty much lives up to the guide books comment "a scar on the Mongolian countryside"..... however that said, Mongolia has far than exceeded my expectations, especially the countryside miles away from UB. I arrived during the day time and it was already -16 degrees (yes minus 16) and has kinda just got colder ever since....really pleased for the last minute purchase of M&S thermals before I left London!!! It was all OK until I decided to go horse riding yesterday afternoon, which was a fantastic way to experience the Mongolian countryside, I even managed to have some fresh cows milk yogurt with a real live nomad family in their ger! But, by the time I got off the horse my feet were even more icy than the ground we had been riding on... an experience, but probably not one I would recommend at this time of year. In fact, speaking with a local guide it sounds like there are only about 100 tourists in the country at the moment, most (and its not many even in high season) pick the summer months to experience the amazing countryside which is Mongolia.
If the food in Russia was a disappointment, then Mongolia again has far exceeded my expectations.... hearty fish soups, Mongolian BBQ, dumplings and lots of fresh eggs. After 5 days of artificial, far too salty junk food on the train its been a welcome relief; and very cheap... beer only 25p a can (oh dear...) and a decent evening meal for 2 pounds. Also a welcome relief after the ridiculous prices in Russia.
A few facts for you: Chinggis Khan ruled Mongolia from 1162-1227 he could be described as the man of his millennium, at that time Mongolia was MASSIVE..... from Lake Baikal to the Great Wall, the entire of SE Asia, much of modern day Russia & central Europe, as far as Turkey and Bulgaria... he even had his sights sets on Egypt, asking the french of all people to help him, and a letter was found not so long ago in the vaults of the Vatican telling the Pope that he was to become a Mongolian subject!! Today Mongolia is still pretty massive really, although suffers from lack of population, there are only 2.5 million Mongolians, half live in Ulaan Baatar, about half a million live abroad and the rest still live the traditional nomadic lifestyle, living in Ger tents. Hum, maybe I was paying attention in the National History Museum :-)
Mongolia is definitely a country I want to come back to.... a fascinating past and definitely an interesting future ahead and with so much to explore, including the Gobi desert which place deserves more than a few days.
Next stop - Back on the train tomorrow, only one night this time and next stop Beijing.
Current ipod tunes: 10,000 Maniacs / Juliet Turner
Current reading Material: Oops.. ran out of books!
If the food in Russia was a disappointment, then Mongolia again has far exceeded my expectations.... hearty fish soups, Mongolian BBQ, dumplings and lots of fresh eggs. After 5 days of artificial, far too salty junk food on the train its been a welcome relief; and very cheap... beer only 25p a can (oh dear...) and a decent evening meal for 2 pounds. Also a welcome relief after the ridiculous prices in Russia.
A few facts for you: Chinggis Khan ruled Mongolia from 1162-1227 he could be described as the man of his millennium, at that time Mongolia was MASSIVE..... from Lake Baikal to the Great Wall, the entire of SE Asia, much of modern day Russia & central Europe, as far as Turkey and Bulgaria... he even had his sights sets on Egypt, asking the french of all people to help him, and a letter was found not so long ago in the vaults of the Vatican telling the Pope that he was to become a Mongolian subject!! Today Mongolia is still pretty massive really, although suffers from lack of population, there are only 2.5 million Mongolians, half live in Ulaan Baatar, about half a million live abroad and the rest still live the traditional nomadic lifestyle, living in Ger tents. Hum, maybe I was paying attention in the National History Museum :-)
Mongolia is definitely a country I want to come back to.... a fascinating past and definitely an interesting future ahead and with so much to explore, including the Gobi desert which place deserves more than a few days.
Next stop - Back on the train tomorrow, only one night this time and next stop Beijing.
Current ipod tunes: 10,000 Maniacs / Juliet Turner
Current reading Material: Oops.. ran out of books!
Tuesday, 30 October 2007
Dragons in Moscow...
So, final post before its all a board the trans Siberian railway tomorrow for 14 days of cold weather, train food and thousands of miles of watching the world go by from the window. Moscow is BIG. About half an hour outside of Moscow train station the tower blocks started....and its nothing like coming through Clapham Junction on the way to Waterloo; these tower blocks are massive and there are thousands of them. Its a weird sight, makes you feel very small and must give the inhabitants the feeling that they are part of something big but maybe not very individual - or was that the point?
I am not one for pointless bureaucracy so I knew there would be things about Moscow that would annoy me, and there has been, but the overwhelming feeling is that this is a city and a country in transition, trying to find its way post communism without loosing its culture and identity. Today I saw the dead body of Lenin, there are plans to bury him sometime soon but there are mixed feelings amongst the Russian people so it wont be without a fight I'm sure... it felt like the Russian version of the pyramids, their way of creating a "god" out of their dead leader....actually the whole experience has left a rather bad taste in the mouth. Dragons in Russian culture are a symbol of evil and in Victory Park late last night with the moon and the mist hovering over the top of the WW2 memorial the dragon was enough not just to remind of the horrific nature of war and mans evil but still had the ability to scare anyone who walked close by (there are photos..) Moscow is a living muesem, with every building, square and street name telling a story and its one BIG story!
How to make your own St Basils Cathedral blue peter style...... all you need is a shoe box, 8 toilet rolls, 8 onions and some bright coloured paint.... get your mum to help you cut the 8 toilet rolls into different sizes, glue an onion on the top of each, stick the toilet roll onions towers onto the shoe box in a random order then paint the whole thing with bright colours and swirly patterns.... and there you have it! Alternatively go to Red Square where there is one they made earlier. Crazy place but kinda cool in its own unique way.
Books/Ipod - No time, serious site seeing to be done!!
I am not one for pointless bureaucracy so I knew there would be things about Moscow that would annoy me, and there has been, but the overwhelming feeling is that this is a city and a country in transition, trying to find its way post communism without loosing its culture and identity. Today I saw the dead body of Lenin, there are plans to bury him sometime soon but there are mixed feelings amongst the Russian people so it wont be without a fight I'm sure... it felt like the Russian version of the pyramids, their way of creating a "god" out of their dead leader....actually the whole experience has left a rather bad taste in the mouth. Dragons in Russian culture are a symbol of evil and in Victory Park late last night with the moon and the mist hovering over the top of the WW2 memorial the dragon was enough not just to remind of the horrific nature of war and mans evil but still had the ability to scare anyone who walked close by (there are photos..) Moscow is a living muesem, with every building, square and street name telling a story and its one BIG story!
How to make your own St Basils Cathedral blue peter style...... all you need is a shoe box, 8 toilet rolls, 8 onions and some bright coloured paint.... get your mum to help you cut the 8 toilet rolls into different sizes, glue an onion on the top of each, stick the toilet roll onions towers onto the shoe box in a random order then paint the whole thing with bright colours and swirly patterns.... and there you have it! Alternatively go to Red Square where there is one they made earlier. Crazy place but kinda cool in its own unique way.
Books/Ipod - No time, serious site seeing to be done!!
Friday, 26 October 2007
The "new" europe...
Having totally enjoyed Vilnius, Riga (Latvia) was just not such a pleasant experience, the old town itself is beautiful, cobbled streets and amazing archetecture dating from all periods of Latvia's diverse history...however the place as maybe predictable, was full of english/irish yobs and the whole town seemed to cater for them, with large american fast food restaurants and theme bars in abundance - To be honnest they might as well paint the town orange and change its name to EasyRiga....
Next stop Tallinn (Estonia) where I still am... for a few hours at least. A superb town, possibly one of the least unspoilt medieval towns I have ever been to... and a great bunch of people in the hostel (bunch of ex-pompey Uni students!!) which made for some long and entertaining evenings! In Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn I spent time in the Museums of Occupation which in each case tells the story of their fight for independance from both the Germans and the Russians... It provided a fascinating insight, infact I think I learnt more from the 3 museums than I had in years of school history lessons - for the first time I feel I have an appreciation for what the Iron curtain meant in reality to the people living behind it and a better understanding of the day to day reality of communism - happy to share further thoughts for anyone interested!!
Current reading material: The Celestine Prophecy, James Redfield (thanks shelley!!)
Current ipod tunes: Alison Krauss & Union Station / Killers
Next stop Tallinn (Estonia) where I still am... for a few hours at least. A superb town, possibly one of the least unspoilt medieval towns I have ever been to... and a great bunch of people in the hostel (bunch of ex-pompey Uni students!!) which made for some long and entertaining evenings! In Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn I spent time in the Museums of Occupation which in each case tells the story of their fight for independance from both the Germans and the Russians... It provided a fascinating insight, infact I think I learnt more from the 3 museums than I had in years of school history lessons - for the first time I feel I have an appreciation for what the Iron curtain meant in reality to the people living behind it and a better understanding of the day to day reality of communism - happy to share further thoughts for anyone interested!!
Current reading material: The Celestine Prophecy, James Redfield (thanks shelley!!)
Current ipod tunes: Alison Krauss & Union Station / Killers
Friday, 19 October 2007
One week in.
Weirdly (and this was totally unplanned) it is exactly a week to the minute (18:11) since I left London Waterloo..... 7 days, 5 trains, 3 hostels, several (!) beers, 1 new facebook friend and so many Ausies I've lost count already.... and here I am in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Expectations are strange things - For those in the UK, I don't know whether Michael Pailin has reached eastern Europe yet, and if he has maybe your expectations would be different from mine. Having read very little about Polish & Lithuanian history/politics my assumption was of a ex-soviet outpost with large concrete and rusting green buildings, nothing but stew and dumplings to eat and slightly scary looking women..... how wrong can a girl be!! This place is fantastic - bright and vibrant, full of colour and stunning architecture, flavoursome food. incredibly friendly hospitable people and an energetic nightlife.
Challenges - The biggest so far have been 1) trying to find my way out of Warsaw train station which although only has 6 platforms has eight million exits all of which seem to lead you to McDonalds.... 2) trying not to get dragged into political conversations with Americans.....3) Spending at least some time on my own (hostels are friendly places.... and 4) Remembering to take plenty of photos, there is always the delete button!
Thought for the day - Why is it that wherever you go in the world outside the UK people talk to you on trains? It was wedsnesday afternoon and I was a little confused as to why the train had stopped, a bunch of cleaners jumped on and scrubbed the whole thing down whilst an engine was attached to the back of the train, the cleaners jumped off and the car I was in promptly headed off with the new engine in the direction we had just come from.... noticing my suprise Lithuanian Mark suggested he come and sit with me as "its much more fun to have someone to talk with".... fine by me as not only did he help me get off at the right point and change onto the correct train, but also spent the following four hours in conversation ranging from his views of Russia to the global monetary system to sharing a bag of dill flavour crisps (v.good they are too!).... so next time you see a lost soul on a train....well, I leave you to decide!
Current reading material - The Gum Thief, Douglas Coupland.
Current ipod tunes - Bruce Springsteen / Medieval Babes / Killers
Expectations are strange things - For those in the UK, I don't know whether Michael Pailin has reached eastern Europe yet, and if he has maybe your expectations would be different from mine. Having read very little about Polish & Lithuanian history/politics my assumption was of a ex-soviet outpost with large concrete and rusting green buildings, nothing but stew and dumplings to eat and slightly scary looking women..... how wrong can a girl be!! This place is fantastic - bright and vibrant, full of colour and stunning architecture, flavoursome food. incredibly friendly hospitable people and an energetic nightlife.
Challenges - The biggest so far have been 1) trying to find my way out of Warsaw train station which although only has 6 platforms has eight million exits all of which seem to lead you to McDonalds.... 2) trying not to get dragged into political conversations with Americans.....3) Spending at least some time on my own (hostels are friendly places.... and 4) Remembering to take plenty of photos, there is always the delete button!
Thought for the day - Why is it that wherever you go in the world outside the UK people talk to you on trains? It was wedsnesday afternoon and I was a little confused as to why the train had stopped, a bunch of cleaners jumped on and scrubbed the whole thing down whilst an engine was attached to the back of the train, the cleaners jumped off and the car I was in promptly headed off with the new engine in the direction we had just come from.... noticing my suprise Lithuanian Mark suggested he come and sit with me as "its much more fun to have someone to talk with".... fine by me as not only did he help me get off at the right point and change onto the correct train, but also spent the following four hours in conversation ranging from his views of Russia to the global monetary system to sharing a bag of dill flavour crisps (v.good they are too!).... so next time you see a lost soul on a train....well, I leave you to decide!
Current reading material - The Gum Thief, Douglas Coupland.
Current ipod tunes - Bruce Springsteen / Medieval Babes / Killers
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