Thailand Post-Tsunami

When I arrived in Phuket, Thailand I was lucky to meet John Moretti. He overheard me asking for directions to Khao Lak and offered me a ride, which turned into a two-day tour of the area hardest hit by the tsunami.

John is one of those rare, inspiring people who says "I should do something" and follows through beyond expectations. He has been working in Thailand for the past three months on his own project www.operationplayground.org as well as with www.airlineamb.org. Both efforts are impressive and make me wonder if I should spend time volunteering in addition to writing checks.

I can see that by coming to Thailand and working here on the ground, John's personal involvement and relationships with the Thai people are almost as important as the playgrounds he builds. He introduced me to a number of tsunami survivors, both Thai and international, and I heard their stories first-hand. I saw that much of the devastation has been cleaned up but there is still much more to be done. Above all, the thing that broke my heart was the refugee camp for orphaned Thai children (www.tsunamirefugees.org).

Laos

The relaxed pace in Laos is such a contrast to its go-getter neighbors (China, Vietnam, and Thailand). The country has no coastline, but its lovely mountain scenery is punctuated by numerous rivers including the Mekong. I rode as many boats as buses (four each) as the rivers provide the only means of transportation to remote villages such as Muang Ngoi Neua.

I spent three days there trekking after stops in Luang Prabang (quaint former capital packed with dozens of Buddhist temples), Vang Vieng (biking and kayaking backpacker hangout), and Vientiane (possibly the slowest national capital on Earth).

Laos is the place in SE Asia to mellow out, with lots of outdoor activities, spiritual places, and colorful villages. Now I'm back in Thailand (Chiang Rai) deciding where to go next before meeting Amber in Jakarta in two weeks.

Cambodia

Cambodia was tough. The magnificence of Angkor is overshadowed in my mind by recent tragedies.

The feeling first started with my arrival in Bangkok at the same time as the one-year anniversary of the tsunami.

Next I got my first glimpse of the poverty and desperation of Cambodia at the overland border crossing with Thailand. The flow of men, women, and children -- the majority working but some begging -- mostly toward wealthier Thailand was unlike anything I had ever seen.

The "major highway" to Siem Reap (the town near Angkor) was unpaved, dusty, and riddled with potholes. The country feels very undeveloped. As much as I loved Angkor, I disliked Siem Reap and the people in it who were constantly hassling me to try to get my business or begging (especially kids but also some land mine victims) -- much more intense than Shanghai and Hanoi put together.

After seeing the Toul Sleng Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh (site of the former Khmer Rouge S-21 prison) I know I should be more sympathetic. I haven't been to Auschwitz but I imagine the experience is similar. It is hard to believe what horrors took place in Cambodia during the 1970s and 1980s. Cambodia also suffered from US bombings during the Vietnam War. The people have endured a lot of trauma very recently.

On a positive note, I am glad I saw more of Cambodia than Siem Reap. I liked the people much better in the less touristed parts of the country. Phnom Penh was great and the beach at Sihanoukville was quiet and relaxed. Cambodia also serves up the best seafood in Asia.