War Remnant Museum - Ho Chi Minh City, former Saigon (Click)

I'm not going to go into details about this distressing compendium of the horrors of war.  It is very biaised and the Americans are blamed for their cruelty. But it is a one-sided exhibition, because Viet Congs - the northern Vietnamese who defeated the Americans - committed a lot of cruelty towards the southern Vietnamese and their enemies as well .  But this is propaganda.

The War Remnants Museum was opened to the public on September 4, 1975 – less than 5 months after the fall of South Vietnam… The museum was formerly known as the “Museum of American War Crimes”, but with the normalization of relations with the United States, the name was changed to its current name in 1993. The museum is a major tourist attraction and has more than 400000 visitors per year.

The museum contains exhibitions related to the American phase of the Vietnam War. The exhibitions are housed in several buildings and the themes are: “Historical Truths”, “Requiem” - (a photo collection taken by war reporters killed during the Vietnam War), “Vestiges of War Crimes”, “Imprisonment System” - (including a model of the Tiger Cages), “Vietnam – War and Peace” - (a photo collection), “International Support”, “War and Peace” - (a collection of children's paintings) and in the museum yard you’ll find an exhibition of weapon used in the Vietnam War (tanks, planes, missiles, helicopters and more).

It is not a museum for everyone – gruesome photos of the My Lai massacre and of victims of napalm bombs and Agent Orange…
 
 

The "Requiem" photo exhibition was really very interesting and moving.  Some 135 photographers - Americans, French, Japane, Australians among others - were killed.

http://www.eastmanhouse.org/inc/exhibitions/traveling-requiem.php

Happily back

Yes, I'm back home after 5 days grounded in Bangkok because of the volcanic eruption.


The first two days, our airline told us not to come to the airport, since all flights to Europe had been cancelled. We were told to regularly check our airline's website. They offered us one night in a 5* hotel. On the third day, regular flights had resumed. A wake-up call at 6 a.m. and we - about 1000 people - went to the airport as early as 8 a.m. to start queuing to get on a waiting list for the first flight to leave at noon. However, priority was given to regular passengers, then to first class, business class, Gold and Silver card holders and eventually, about half a dozen were randomly called to board the plane. There was no logic as to whom would board the plane. The procedure was repeated three times until past midnight, when we all went back to the hotel - for those who could still afford a hotel, a lot of people slept at the airport on the floor. After this first day of hope, a lot of people got angry because of lack of information.

The next day, the whole procedure was repeated. A significant number of people managed to leave on various flights that day. Around midnight, we were told that on Wednesdays, the airline did not fly to/from Bangkok, but that they would exceptionally send an empty aircraft to come and get those stranded people who had not managed to find a seat on a regular flight. So, this is how I managed to come back home.

In the meantime, the Red Shirts have demonstrated and people were killed. Travellers are advised not to come to Thailand for the time being.

I did not have time to blog nor to read much, so what a surprise when I checked my blog and discovered I had 25 followers! Wow! I'm feeling proud that people are actually interested in what I write. A big welcome to you and thank you for having left comments. There is more to come about my travels, with pictures I took, I hope you will continue enjoying my posts.

A special mention to those who chatted with me while I was feeling lonely, thank you so much for your warm words and your concern.

Consequences of a Volcanic Eruption

Back in Bangkok, where I’m stuck for I don’t know how long. I cannot complain, the airlines hosted us in a 5* hotel for the night, I’m kind of getting blasé, can you believe it? Apart from not getting used to be “perched” on the 21st floor, overlooking the city and feeling dizzy lol! I am nevertheless anxious to know when we’ll be able to fly as the airline will not pay for an additional day.

Money is getting short, so instead of going for a 5* treat last night, I went to the fish market next door, where a group of Japanese stewardesses were already having dinner. Japanese beauties, very elegant and graceful, and in control. I was the only European. My waitress was a transvestite, also a beauty, very dignified and serene. Funny! I always pictured fishermen and men handling big fish as very masculine, but I had to revise my judgment, there were a bunch of cuties with oxygenated hair - resulting in brownish/yellowish hair - handling these fish with style. This made me realise that there are quite a number of gay people in Thailand, which seems to be a rather liberal country in this regard.

Some of the male cooks/waiters came around to have a look at the Japanese beauties, and were seemingly appreciative. My attention focused on the waitress, she was tall and slender, moved gracefully, her miniskirt revealed very nice legs, she had a lovely enigmatic smile, she seemed happy. I am not sure customers realised who she was. The other waitresses, shorter, plumper, and less elegant shared a joke here and there when bumping into her, even the cooks/waiters took a few minutes to come over and exchange a few words, there seemed to be a lot of friendliness.

When she presented the bill, her voice was unmistakably that of a man, I paid, a huge smile on my face, she graced me with a lot of kindness in her eyes and the smile of the Buddha on her lips. Savatika!

Angkor Women

Cambodia - Ankor Wat

Siem Reap - Angkor Thom, the Bayon - 113 degrees at 10 a.m. Feeling like some kind of a slug, sweaty, oozing, dripping, yukky, red, but oh boy, what beauty!  Classified  as World Heritage Site by UNESCO, there are a series of incredible temples built in the 12 - 13th centuries.  One of my dreams come true.  I have taken so many pictures, here are a few.  Enjoy!

Sadly known through Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge regime who took power in 1975.  They immediately evacuated the cities and sent the entire population on forced marches to rural work projects. They attempted to rebuild the country's agriculture on the model of the 11th century, discarded Western medicine, and destroyed temples, libraries, and anything considered Western. Over a million Cambodians, out of a total population of 8 million, died from executions, overwork, starvation and disease. 

Peace efforts began in Paris in 1989 under the State of Cambodia, culminating two years later in October 1991 in a comprehensive peace settlement. The United Nations was given a mandate to enforce a ceasefire, and deal with refugees and disarmament known as the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC). In recent years, reconstruction efforts have progressed and led to some political stability under the form of a multiparty democracy under a constitutional monarchy. The stability established following the conflict was shaken in 1997 by a coup d'état, but has otherwise remained in place. Cambodia has been aided by a number of more developed nations like Japan, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.

80% of the population are farmers, producing rice, the exportation of which is the country's major source of income, the second one being tourism.  50% of the people are under 22.  Cambodia is the Asian country the most affected by Aids. 

UNESCO and several other organisations are now restoring the temples.

Angkor Thom - The setting of Tomb Raider

Here is a site of extraordinary photographies of Angkor: http://www.mcdermottgallery.com/

Emergency VIP Treatment

If you read the international news, you may know that the Red Shirts have been trying to get the former exiled Prime Minister of Thailand, expelled from the Government on charges of corruption, back since 2008. Every week-end, demonstrations are organised, and this week-end, some 60,000 people invaded the commercial and tourist centre of the city, stopping all traffic. The police have blocked the area to avoid accidents, and the demonstrators have been singing and talking since early this Saturday morning. All major shopping centres have been closed. Tourists are advised not to leave their hotels.


We were working in the Conference Centre within a huge shopping mall for 14 days, crossing the road every day from our hotel opposite the Conference Centre to get to work. At noon, today, the organisers of the conference evacuated us from our hotel by bus, getting out through the backside door and driving us around the area for 20 minutes to be transferred to the 5 star hotel above the Conference Centre, just opposite from where we stayed. Our rooms are paid by the organisers. I am located on the 36th floor with a superb view on the tennis court and the swimming pool on the 12th floor terrace, the surrounding buildings and a temple. The mass of demonstrators is impressive, they look like ants from my window, and the square is dark with thousands of people dressed in red. After dinner at the very chic restaurant, we went for a drink to the 55th floor, which is the top of the tower with a breathtaking 360 degrees view of Bangkok. The wind was blowing, it was cool, and I am convinced the building was “moving”. I could not help but feel dizzy. I am from a small European city with no high-rise buildings, the highest tower must have maximum 12 floors. This was a treat, my pictures are unfortunately blurred because I did not have a tripod for long exposures. I still have butterflies in my stomach and my hair looks like I had some electric shocks from putting my fingers in the plug! It is late, we will be driven early tomorrow morning to the airport. I hope we will manage to get there in time. Most of my colleagues are flying back home, some of us are going on holidays in Cambodia or Vietnam.

Chaud Lapin

Chaud lapin – A very raunchy person

One late spring Sunday, my love took me on his motorbike to the country side for a pic-nic. We found a nice sunny meadow with a little barn. After the pic-nic and a few glasses of wine, we felt sleepy and horny. We managed to get into the barn full of freshly cut hay. The only smell of it made me completely horny. I started getting up the ladder, when he pulled my leg and came up under my dress. "I love the smell of your pussy mixed to the smell of the hay" and he licked me. My legs were shacking and I started moaning. After a while, he put his fingers inside me and made me cum intensely. I barely made it up the ladder. There was an open window at the top. The view was peaceful and rabbits were happily hopping around. I was flat on my stomach, my dress still up above my buttocks and my love laid on top of me to glance at the rabbits. "I bet you won’t be able to count them!" He was licking me again from behind. I then heard him unzip his jeans and soon felt his bulging cock making its way up my slippery pussy. "One rabbit, two rabbits, three rabbits, Oh my God, four rabbits, Oh, oh, oh, six rabbits…. Hhmm, 10 rabbits, 11, 12, 13, 14…oh,oh oh, that’s is so good!!! 30, 45, 70, Faster! Faster!! 90, 110, 200, 573, deeper, deeper, this is so…. Oh my God, I love you, I love youuuuuuu!!!!!!!". "I love you too, my horny little rabbit!!! So, how many did you count?" Oh, fuck the rabbits, about a million!"

HAPPY EASTER!

Tiger Temple (click)

Loving cats, especially big cats, I went to see the tigers of Tiger Temple. It was very warm and humid, the tigers were dozy. I was not sure if it was a good cause or something weird. I think it is quite risky to go near tigers, they are wild animals. However, it seemed like an industry, there were loads of tourists who were herded towards the tigers. It seemed strange. I did nevertheless touch them. Coming back, I searched the internet about these tigers and found this wikepedia article. If it is true, than it is utterly sad, but I did not manage to make my own opinion. These animals are really beautiful. I am glad I saw them.