And unfortunately Judy and I have decided to head home early to get my Atrial Fibrillation under control. The erratic heart beat isn’t strong enough for my body to clear the fluids and as a result my legs and feet are swollen.
Right now I’m imprisoned in the ICU of the Royal Angkor Internstional Hijhospital in Siem Reap, Cambodia. We flew here this morning with the OAT group. Our insurance, Rebecca and common sense said I should get checked out before flying again. Sure enough, after ECG, blood work and chest X-ray the doc said I should check in overnight, get some Lasix to get the swelling down. So that’s the plan: overnight in the hospital, Lasix tablets tomorrow and fly home Monday. “Just stay overnight,” doesn’t make me comfortable. “One more test, one more night,” is my fear.
The hospital is a marvelously modern, clean and professional building and the staff are modern, clean and professional too. They inspire confidence and their approach is entirely Western.
Western except for one thing: dress. Nurses wear starched caps and thigh-length uniform skirts. No blue jeans and scrubs, no siree.
Western big time when it comes to fees. So far:
Table stakes to see a doc: $110
Lab tests and X-ray: $550
One night in the ICU: $800 down payment
No wonder the doc wanted to book me overnight!
The ICU is surreal. Eight beds in a ward plus six or so private rooms. I was solo in the ward until they moved me to a room (“So you can sleep”). No sound beyond the low hum of the ventilation system. A nurse and an aide. No talking, no phones ringing, no beeps, tiptoes only. Oh, and no TV. Everyone is supposed to bring their phone I guess.
I arrived in the ICU at 26% on my iPhone. Judy’s supposed to bring my charger sometime after dinner (8?). It’s 7:52 and I’m at 5%. My only other form of entertainment is my bedside urinal, which is a man’s best friend when he’s on Lasix. I wonder how much a psych consult runs in this swanky joint.
At any rate, I’ll be fine and home soon. We’ll keep you posted as we go.
If you had asked me last night what I thought of our Cambodian guide Long I would have said, “Nice guy, funny, lots of jokes (‘In Cambodia we have freedom of silence’ and ‘In Cambodia we solved the problem of which side of the road to drive. We drive on both’) but not enough substance. Why did we have to see a shopping mall just like what we have back home, and the amusement park full of kids on rides on a Thursday night? How about some factual detail, Long?”
This afternoon after visiting the Killing Fields here in Phnom Penh my opinion has changed 180 degrees. He gave the best tourist guide presentation I’ve ever experienced.
In case you, like me, never did quite catch on to the key players in this horrific period of genocide, here’s a quick synopsis.
– Norodom Sihanouk set up independent Cambodia at the end of WWII.
– In 1965 Sihanouk broke off relationship with the U.S. at the beginning of the Vietnam War and continued to suppress dissidents in Cambodia, including the Communists.
– In 1970 U.S.-backed Lon Nol kicked out Sihanouk and established the Khmer Republic. The U.S. continued to carpet bomb the Ho Chi Minh trail in Cambodia.
– In 1975 the Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot kicked out Lon Nol. Mass killings begin of dissidents opposed to Pol Pot’s Democratic Kampuchea government. Starvation is rampant.
– In 1979 Vietnam (now united North and South) invades Cambodia and evicts Pol Pot. Vietnam retained troops in Cambodia until 1989 when Soviet support for Vietnam disappears.
– The U.N. tries to broker elections and peace but Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge continue to fight a guerilla civil war until Pol Pot dies in 1998.
The Killing Fields were active during the 1975-1979 period. More than one million Cambodians were executed; up to three million died in all. “Dissidents” included anyone loyal to the previous Lon Nol government and those supporting “CIA and KGB” operations in Cambodia. In the end anyone with any kind of professional education was swept up in the purge. As I mentioned earlier only two physicians survived execution by 1979.
Families were uprooted from cities and sent to work on farms in the countryside (see the book and movie “First They Killed My Father” by Loung Ung). As dissidents were uncovered they were sent to Special Administrative unit for recording, photographs and torture. They were then sent by truck in shackles to the Killing Fields. There they were executed upon arrival in the most brutal manner imaginable.
The most moving story that captured the horror of the Killing Fields was that of Long’s father. Long’s father was a schoolteacher. His mother, three sisters and two brothers were swept up and immediately sent to the Killing Fields, the same place we visited today. Long’s father happened to be away that day. When he was eventually apprehended he was not wearing his eyeglasses or his school uniform and denied being a teacher. He was interrogated for days, the Khmer Rouge insisting he must be an educated professional of some sort. Admission would have meant death. He claimed, instead, that he was a simple hairdresser. To test him his captors ordered him to cut the hair of 10 Khmer Rouge men with exactly the same cut. Somehow he survived and went on to marry and have his son Long.
The Killing Fields have been made into a public memorial. The central 200-foot-tall pagoda is stacked with hundreds of skulls and bones found nearby. The rest of the mass gravesites have not been disturbed. The government believes that disturbing the remains would set the spirits free in search of their families. Better to let them lie in peace and go on to a better life per Buddhist beliefs.
Long and his father did go to the site and took home a few small remains (teeth) of some unknown person and placed them in the family stupa, which is the resting place for their family members’ ashes. They believe in this way the spirit of Long’s grandparents, uncles and aunties are with the family.
How Long could tell that story without breaking down is beyond me. He’s 36 years old so this is something that he has lived his entire life personally and through his father’s first-hand accounts.
After lunch we went to Special Unit S-21 where “dissidents” were brought for processing. Again, the Cambodian government, much to its credit, has created a public display so that these events will not be lost on humanity.
While there, our group had the special privilege to meet Bou Meng, one of two remaining survivors (out of seven) of S-21. He escaped execution because, as an artist, he painted a picture of Pol Pot that the subject liked and so was spared. He gave a moving description of the torture he endured, including pictures.
The thing I can never wrap my mind around is a how mass murderer like Pol Pot (and Mao, Hitler, Stalin and the rest) can recruit men and women to carry out the physical torture and murder that goes on. It’s not hard to understand that Pol Pot was an evil human being. We saw graphic photographs and pictures of Cambodians maiming and killing Cambodians today. The Devil is surely at work in humankind’s soul.
Earlier in the day we visited the Royal Palace. Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy and has a perfectly serviceable king, King Norodom Sihamoni who has about as much power as Queen Elizabeth. The only knock on the king is that he’s 65 and unmarried and hence has no heir. His brother’s son will have to do when the time comes. The brother’s son has spent 17 years in the U.S. and is a graduate of the West Point Academy so Cambodians have great hope for him.
The current government is indeed an elected body headed by Prime Minister Hun Sen. Strangely, many members of the government, including Hun Sen, were previously members of the Khmer Rouge. Only five Khmer Rouge leaders have ever been tried and convicted for their role in the genocide. How can a government with such ties rule? And how can a country heal without a “truth and reconciliation” process as has been done in, for instance, South Africa?
Interestingly, Long’s father and mother are very much supportive of the government. The current government did, despite its makeup, bring an end to Pol Pot’s rule. And today the country is one of the six fastest growing economies in the world. Everyone expects Cambodia will match Singapore and Thailand and Vietnam in a few years. Bou Meng responded to my question on this subject by saying that he is very optimistic. “Education is the key. I tell my children and grandchildren to get their education.”
Long is not so sure. While open with us while on the bus he admits to being cautious in his views when in public. “Disappearance” is a real threat for those who practice Freedom of Expression as well as Freedom of Silence.
The question is how the 60% of Cambodians under the age of 30 will react – the ones at the mall and with their kids at the amusement park. Based on what we’ve seen so far in Phnom Penh the answer is: “Grow! Consume! Suck up the foreign investment!” Whether that approach is sustainable remains to be seen.
Before dinner Long treated us to a drink and a Cambodian delicacy, one that he said had saved thousands of lives during the Khmer Rouge period: deep fried tarantula. A few of our number gave it a try but I, usually one to try anything once, gave it a pass. I’ve had enough problems right now without adding another. These tarantulas were netted in rice paddies in his home village.
Four of us went down the street to a noodle shop suggested by our guides. The menu didn’t excite and the restaurant was open so hot and muggy. So we walked back to the hotel where the number one rated restaurant in Phnom Penh is located. A terrific meal for the two of us at Yisang Restaurant (Chinese) came to $24.
Wake up call tomorrow is at 6 AM and we’re off to Siem Reap for three days including Angkor Wat.
The Communist government is in full control. Its plan to become the “Battery of Asia” is well under way. Will a few people get displaced and inconvenienced by the hydro projects? For sure. Will the government fulfill its promises to these people? Do governments ever fulfill their promises? Is funding available? No problem. Can one detect a groundswell of popular dissent that will derail the train? No.
And then there are the Chinese and behind them the Vietnamese and even the Thais. They’re pumping billions of $US into major construction projects that they say will turn Vientiane into the Paris of Southeast Asia (or at least the Mall of Laosota including a few Mystic Lakes). The Chinese are even giving Toui’s brother and sister university educations. Who’s going to derail that train.
As we left Toui at the airport I asked him, “What do you see for the future of Laos?” With 10 seconds to answer he said, “Oh boy, big question. I have no idea.”
It seems to me that the near-term the die is cast. But then again, who would have thought 40 years ago that we’d be flying Vietnam Air from Laos to Cambodia? Hang on tight Griffin, Esme, Carter and Reagan! (Darn, I miss those kids something terrible.)
So now we’re in the Royal Kingdom of Cambodia (yes, a real kingdom, one of fifty odd in the world). Here In Phnom Penh it’s yet a different world. I won’t get into the details tonight but in a country of 16 million people 60% are under the age of 30. Phnom Penh is a happening place – skyscrapers everywhere you look, one high rise condominium after another and huge hotels with no end. The money for all this? China, natch, but also Japan, Singapore and even some U.S. money but only for branded hotels and their self-contained restaurants.
Our first stop: the Champey Academy of the Arts. To quote its website:
Our mission at the CAA is to introduce Phnom Penh’s children to the wonders of their nation’s rich arts culture while helping them to experience the pride and self confidence which come from mastering difficult skills.
The kids (6 – teenager?) dance, play traditional musical instruments and create artwork. They put on a great show and of course had a bit of an audience participation opportunity.
Then from the bus we saw more of Phnom Penh and our local guide, Long, told us a little bit about the city and country but there is much more to come. He did say that Unexploded Ordinances (UXOs) are a big problem here. Another is Cambodia’s mortality rate is high: lack of medical professionals at a reasonable price means that one or two women die each day in childbirth. After the period of genocide only two physicians remained alive in Cambodia. Factoids like those give a hint of the problems facing this country.
We walked through a Mall-of-America sized shopping center, just as modern and bustling as it could be. Long says it’s his four-year-old son’s favorite place to visit and throws a tizzy-fit when it’s time to leave.
After check-in we traveled by Cambodia’s version of the Tuk-Tuk and Jumbo, the Motodop, to dinner on the river. On the way we stopped at a big amusement park on an island in the Mekong River. It’s huge, with one kiddie and adult ride after another; more flashing neon lights than you can imagine. We all had a chance to drive an electric motorcycle or car around a loop. It was fun but I was terribly frightened when Judy drove her car at full speed into three other cars while holding my iPhone out at arm’s length video taping the action behind her.
So we have lots of questions to answer in the next few days, trying to reconcile extravagant spending with poverty. Stay tuned.
I decided this morning to stay in the hotel room all day with my feet up, taking naps and giving my afib a fighting chance to cure itself. If it doesn’t, well, too bad, it’ll just have to come along for the ride for the final 10 days of this 30-day trip. I feel fine; just get winded easily when climbing up to the top of pagodas and whatnot.
Today they visited three major monuments in central Vientiane. Rather than watching soaps from India or CNN or whatever other depressing daytime shows air on Lao TV I’m doing some googling to find out what I’m missing. Don’t worry; I’ll keep it brief.
Sethathirath V built Wat Sisaket in 1818 while Vientiane was a vassal state to Rama I in Siam (Thailand). Remember Rama I? He’s the guy who founded Bangkok and made it the capital of Siam. Wat Sisaket’s architecture followed Siamese styling, and a good thing it was. Because when Sethathirath revolted Rama I sent the boys over to destroy Vientiane. They did a good job. But because it was Siamese in style the invaders took it as their headquarters and it survived. The French rebuilt it in 1924 (botched job) and again in 1930. Today it holds 2,000-odd Buddha statues. Wat Sisaket is thought to be the oldest temple in Vientiane.
That Luang Stupa is thought to have been built as a Hindu temple in the 1st century; later Buddhist monks set it up their way including what is said to be the breastbone of Lord Buddha. It was rebuilt as a Khmer temple in the 13th century but fell into ruin. In the mid-16th century, King Setthathirat built a new structure but that in turn was badly damaged by Chinese, Burmese and Thai invasions, including the 1828 event noted above. The French rebuilt it but an air raid during the Thai-French War did it in again. It’s had a tough life. But now, after reconstruction after WWII, it is back in business. The main stupa and the surrounding 11 smaller stupas contain a total of almost 200 pounds of solid gold. And everyone assumes that Lord Buddha’s breastbone must be in there somewhere but no one’s looking real hard to be certain.
Patuxay, or the Victory Gate monument, has served as a victory monument for several causes. It looks something like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris but with a Laotian twist. It was built between 1957 and 1968 to commemorate those who died fighting for independence from, whom else, the French. It was built using money and cement furnished by the U.S. government, which were intended to build a new runway at Vientiane International Airport. The Communists repurposed Patuxay in May 1975 after their victory. There’s a lot of irony in there somewhere.
A monk gave the group instructions on proper methods of wrapping a Buddhist robe around oneself. He also led them in a five-minute meditation exercise. Good thing I wasn’t there; I would have become tangled in the robe and coughed for the entire five minutes. The group asked many questions of the monks about meditation, their lives and goals for the future.
Finally, the five of the group went to the COPE Center, an organization set up to provide prosthetic devices and services for people harmed by unexploded ordinance devices (most dropped from U.S. war planes during the Vietnam War). There was a movie showing the process of disarming the explosives and how they are training their people to do this. As I mentioned a day or two ago, UXOs, as their called, are a major problem in Laos today, especially along the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
One somewhat worrisome item I failed to mention yesterday: Everywhere you go in Vientiane you see new shopping malls, casinos and condo complexes. The second language on the signs in front of the condo buildings is Chinese, because the Chinese are making a major investment (more that $6 billion dollars this year) in Laos. I read an article today announcing a new $US 1.6 billion toll highway that will eventually link Vientiane, Luang Prabang and beyond. Did I mention the rail line to China? The project will be 95% owned by the Chinese, reverting to Laos after some unspecified period of years. Xi and his buddies will own this place before too long.
Judy’s back, taking her nap and soon I’ll have to decide how far I dare wander for grub tonight. Tomorrow we’re off to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
We wandered around the corner to a nice little restaurant. They feature steak, American style. The beef mostly comes from New Zealand and Australia although the waiter apologetically noted that hers was from Thailand. She liked it though. Perfect medium rare. I had a lamb stir fry (from New Zealand) with sticky rice. It too was great until I bit into a big red pepper – spicy, not sweet as I’d assumed. I downed my water, grabbed Judy’s and said, “Emergency!” Thought I was gonna die.
Afterward we went around the other corner from the hotel to buy some bug spray. Unfortunately they sell our favorite: Magnum ice cream bars on a stick. It soothed my still-burning tongue and we’re pretty stuffed but hey, we’re on vacation!
Keep on reading after Judy’s pictures to read Judy’s information on Laos.
It has taken me days to figure out how the government in Laos cares for its citizens. It turns out that the government does not do much for the people and I was expecting that certain services would be provided.
Medical Care:
People are totally on their own for their medical care. Toui told us today that a few years ago he was bleeding in his stomach, his local hospital could not take care of his problem so his mother brought him the largest hospital in Vientiane. Doctors there come from China, France, and Thailand. It took him seven days in the hospital and it cost him $3,000. This was for everything; the stay, medication, treatment. This is very expensive for Lao people. No matter whether they are in the rural or urban area, they all have to pay daily for their care. When we questioned him about what would happen if he could not pay he said that would be his problem. The first day they will not kick you out but they will talk to family about finding someone to pay; otherwise they kick you out. They can buy insurance but the people make so little and need it for living. He now has insurance.
Schooling:
They do not have free education but it is required. They have to pay for it along with books, uniforms etc. If they cannot pay they will let the child go for one year in the early years but not once they are in junior high. The option is to put the child in the monastery to receive their schooling. School is 2 years preschool and kindergarten, 5 years primary, 3 years junior high and 4 years high school. University is again paid for by the student. He said there are 600 scholarships for at least 1600 applicants. There is testing score required before they can even consider applying for the scholarship. Because there are so few scholarships available many of the student go to China and use their offer for education. Toui has two siblings who are getting their education in China.
Religion:
In 2005 the government opened the country up to other religions. Before that Buddhism was the only religion allowed.
Elderly:
There is no program for the elderly in Laos. The family is expected to care for their parents. The parent either moves in with one of the children or a child moves in with the parent.
So I ask Toui what the government does for its people if there is not free education, medical, or elderly care. He said, “we don’t pay anything”. So I said “no taxes?” He said, “yes only the company pays the tax. “ So if you work for a company you are paying a tax through the company but if you do not work for a company you do not pay anything.
He also says the government is building all these new shopping malls, and the Trade Center. But it turns out that China is funding a lot of the projects. In Laos no foreigner can purchase property so what happens is they marry a local and can then purchase property. I have the impression that there may also be some money exchange in order to purchase property. So with all this money China is pumping into Laos what are they expecting in return? And what about all the young people being educated in China?
