Kate's in Korea: Adventures in Asia

As you know during the past month I have been exploring China, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. I just returned to Hwacheon today and am still reeling from my trip.

I first went to Beijing and Shanghai with my family. It was unbelievably nice to all be together again, with the exception of Wes, who we missed! I really missed my family and home while I've been in South Korea so I was thrilled that I was able to explore China with my dad, mom and Chris at my side. The week went by incredibly fast but we were able to see all the major sights in both cities including The Great Wall, Summer Palace, the Bundt, and more.

My dad and I in Suzhuo

Pedicab ride

Chris and I at the Great Wall

After China I met my friend Rachel in Thailand and the two of us traveled together through Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. In Thailand we visited Chiang Mai and Bangkok. I absolutely loved Chiang Mai because it was much more relaxed then Bangkok and we had the chance to ride elephants. The two of us also took a Thai cooking class, which I'm hoping I can put to some use.

My Cashew Chicken Dish

Fun with the elephants

We saw SO MANY beautiful wats

After Thailand we traveled to Cambodia. First we visited Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. Being able to see Angkor Wat in person was amazing and is a memory I will treasure for the rest of my life. We also spent some time in Phnom Penh. Cambodia was a much more difficult country to visit than Thailand for several reasons. Firstly, the country is much poorer and therefore we were exposed to many beggars. Sadly, most of the beggars were also children. Seeing such poverty day in and day out proved to be very trying and exhausting. Additionally, due to the poverty in the country the country was a little scammier and we occasionally felt like we were being taken advantage of or had to avoid things such as being sold fake visas. Lastly, the Cambodian genocide, in which over one quarter of the population was killed in less than 3 years, still lingered in the air of the country. The Cambodians were joyful and welcoming but there was also a deep sadness present in many of them and in Phnom Penh. Rachel and I also visited several memorials, including the Killing Fields, which made the terror of the Khmer Rouge extremely apparent. I continually questioned how the world allowed Pol Pot's regime to massacre his people so brutally. It is amazing to think that the Western world continued to back Pol Pot, even after the Vietnamese saved the Cambodians from his wrath. I was really inspired to learn more about Cambodia from my trip.

Angkor Wat

We saw a floating village by boat

Angkor Thom

The last stop on my whirlwind trip was Vietnam. Rachel and I first spent a few days in Ho Chi Minh City and then made Hanoi our base camp while we explored Halong Bay and Mai Chau. Vietnam was spectacular. We were both stunned by the development of Ho Chi Minh city, given it's utter destruction at the end of the Vietnam War. There were many high rises, shopping malls and high end shops. While in Ho Chi Minh we learned more about the Vietnam War (or the American War as they call it) and even had the chance to visit the Cu Chi Tunnels. There we were able to crawl through the tunnels that the people of Cu Chi lived in for three years in order to hide from the South and orchestrate guerrilla attacks on the South. Rachel and I then relished the beauty of Northern Vietnam. We spent a night aboard a ship in Halong Bay and were stunned by the numerous islands, limestone caves and blue-green water. We then witnessed what life is like in the hills for some of Vietnam's ethnic minorities. Mai Chau was a beautiful rural town and I loved biking through the rice paddies even though avoiding the buffalos, cattle and motobikes was sometimes daunting.