Interesting People Along the Way...

Kun, the Comedian in Cambodia. Our local guide for our tour through Angkor Wat was Kun, who had fleeting aspirations of being an amateur comedian and pop star (karaoke trained, of course). Unfortunately, most of his jokes involved a farm animal and his delivery was dampened by the fact that he was killing himself laughing before the punch line. Throughout the day, several of us tried to help him out by giving him new material but he just couldn’t seem to get the timing thing down. Despite his lighthearted demeanor, Kun had a difficult life. His parents were victims of the Pol Pot regime. They were forced to marry, not by their parents, but by the government. During the regime, people were randomly “assigned” spouses, almost like a random lottery. Kun’s family was displaced several times and fled from village to village avoiding the Khmer Rouge. Kun told us about the history of the Siem Reap area as it was a major point of conflict during the regime.

Me and our comedian tour guide, Kun.

Leing, A Life of Hardship. Leing was our guide through Phnom Penh. She was a woman in her late 50’s who although carried herself in a stiff, upright stance, had a large and warm smile. Leing’s family had suffered a great deal during the Pol Pot regime. In 1975, her family fled to the countryside and spent 7 months making their way to the refugee camps on the border of Vietnam and Cambodia. They spent years with 8,000 of their fellow Cambodians at these camps. Three of her children were born in these camps and it wasn’t until 1991 that they dared return. The hardship of these decades took a toll on her family and her husband, broken and depressed, died just five months earlier. Leing fought back tears as she told us of her plight, but the fact that she was still so committed to telling her people’s story demonstrated the strength and spirit visible in many of her people.

Leing helping translate Lucy's "fortune" at a temple in Phnom Penh.

Paul, Another Aussie from Melbourne. After traveling through this part of the world for the past three weeks, I discovered that the entire population of Melbourne, Australia had just got up and left to go on holiday. I met at least one person from this city in just about every place I visited – from airport in Saigon, a restaurant in Hanoi, to an internet café in Hoi An. Paul was a really nice fellow who was killing time before he had to face the real world. He had been in real estate in Australia and decided that a life change was in order. His plan was to spend three months in SEAsia before going to London to find a paying job. He was recently abandoned by his English traveling companion and was eager to meet up with some new friends. It was a bonus that he was also staying in the same Hoi An hotel and me and Lucy. For the 12 hours that we knew him, Lucy and I agreed that he would be a kick to travel with and were bummed out that we missed the opportunity to know him better before we went our separate ways.

Lucy, JP, Bonnie, and Paul. Friends at Treats Bar - Hoi An, Vietnam.

A Cast of Characters in Hanoi. At the charming 69 Café and Bar, I made many new friends. I must have been considered a novelty at the café because slowly but surely, I met everyone who worked there, even the wait staff from upstairs! I met Phong, a girl who had come to Hanoi from the countryside to seek opportunity. Her dream was to open up her own restaurant someday. She enjoyed practicing her English with me and was very open and articulate in sharing her ideas for her future. I learned that my friendly French-speaking waiter was named Toi (means Stop). All his co-workers joked that after him, his parents didn’t want any more kids. When they heard that I was leaving Hanoi the next day, they all asked me when I was coming back to Vietnam and got me to promise them to come back again. I’ve never had such a warm reception among perfect strangers before. I think that in the spirit of traveling, one must open up to others if they wish to be embraced.

I met Michelle Kelly one day while enjoying dessert at Fanny’s Ice Cream. She was a 23-year-old from San Francisco who had spent a year teaching English in Osaka, Japan. After a brief trip home to settle relationship problems, she was embarking on a four month adventure through Southeast Asia. We compared travel notes and decided to meet for dinner at Brother’s Café, an old converted Buddhist monastery.

After dinner, Michelle and I visited the Red Mask, JP’s bar. Yelling “Oî Troi Oî” as I walked in, I was immediately greeted with enthusiasm by Hien and others at the bar. The spirit of JP truly lives here. It’s a small, dark bar was located at the end of Ta Hien – a narrow alley in the middle of the Old Quarter. Its atmosphere was quaint and drew a friendly crowd of locals and foreigners. After three Tiger beers, one of which was on the house, I found myself conversing with an older gent from Australia who after discovering I was Canadian, spent moments bragging about his run-in with a young Wayne Gretzky.

A few nights later I went back to the Red Mask and met up with Shane, an Aussie (from Melbourne, Australia, where else?) whom Lucy and I had first met in Hoi An. I also met Martin, a 22-year-old guy from Czech Republic who was studying in Switzerland. He was having relationship issues with a local girl (also a drug addict) and was drowning his pathetic sorrows in Tiger beer. Just past midnight, I decided it was time to go and as I walked out of the bar I was surprised by the empty streets that greeted me. Hanoi may have been a frenzied city in the daytime, but at this time of morning it was dead asleep. I guess that’s because markets will be open for business in four hours. Needless to say, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to find way back to my hotel. Fortunately, one of the "friendly" bartenders at the Red Mask offered to give me a ride. I was grateful for the ride but about five minutes into it I realized we were going the wrong way. Even in my blurry state, I could tell that the hotel was not in the direction we were headed. I learned from my driver that he was giving me a private night tour of Hanoi’s highlights. He showed me the Mausoleum, the night market, and the temples. After some urging, he finally dropped me off at my hotel and had the gall to ask me for money! Well damn. So much for hospitality!

Hoang, our bartender at Treats Bar. Hoi An, Vietnam.