Submitted by Kerry Snyder on the 2013 winter session program in Cambodia and Vietnam sponsored by the Department of Entomology & Wildlife Ecology…
The last few days have been a whirlwind of excitement and new experiences. Our trip to Southeast Asia began by flying out of New York on January 2nd. We landed in Ho Chi Minh City on January 4th. The first thing we noticed about our surroundings was the incredible number of motorbikes that fill the streets. In a city of 9 million people, there are about 5 million of these bikes. Traffic rules appear to be virtually absent, and crossing the street involved weaving between bikes and cars. Our first day in the city was spent onEntomology & Wildlife a tour on which we visited the Vietnam War Museum. This was an intense experience including displays of photographs depicting the war environment. The museum highlighted the negative actions of American soldiers toward the Vietnamese in the conflict. For dinner, we visited a local family in their home. They taught us how to make spring rolls and discussed the local culture as we ate.
Much of the next day was spent on the Mekong River. We sampled coconut candy and were shown the process used to create it. We were able to buy the candy for 30,000 Vietnamese Dong (about 1.5 U.S. dollars). Our taste buds were treated later when local fruit was served to us at a nearby farm. Authentic music accompanied this snack, which, like all meals in Vietnam, included tea. Boat rides on the Mekong provided the opportunity for us to observe wildlife and talk more with our guides. After returning to Ho Chi Minh City, we were split up into groups and given a challenge. We had to use the money we were given to buy a particular item in a local market to give to an orphanage in town. My group was instructed to purchase rice, and we managed to come out with 28 kilograms! Going to the orphanage afterwards was an experience that none of us will forget any time soon. The children were highly interested in us and enjoyed the candy that we handed to them after our tour.
Our third full day in Asia was largely spent travelling into Cambodia and to Phnom Penh. After visiting the Cu Chi tunnels used in the Vietnam War, our bus took us to Bavet, a station on the Vietnam-Cambodia border. After getting our passports stamped, we carried our luggage to another checkpoint where we filled out a form for our Visa. Finally, we filled out an arrival card, handed it to one of the employees, and stepped forth into a new world. After eating lunch, the four hour bus ride to Phnom Penh began. Houses in Cambodia are built on stilts due to their proximity to the Mekong River. Water buffalo can be seen roaming around the fields, and sometimes cattle are found right next to the house. It was hard to tear my eyes away from the window as we passed fascinating people and landscapes.
The first order of business in Phnom Penh was to learn about the Cambodian Genocide and the Killing Fields. We watched a film on Pol Pot, the leader of the communist Khmer Rouge party that was responsible for about 1.7 million deaths during its regime. It was purely coincidence that we had this lesson on January 7, the anniversary of Cambodia’s liberation from the Khmer Rouge. It is a national holiday here. After class, we were free to explore the city. We befriended many children and had the opportunity of taking a ride in a tuk-tuk, a cart pulled by a motorbike.
