Well I have to say not only did we make it out of the country, but in a FAR more preferable manner than we arrived; in that it didn't so much involve violence this time, but boats, drinks, firemen and dancing!! All in all a good day, and night, spent arriving in Cambodia!
I didn't really do Vietnam much justice in my last garbled attempt at an email, I missed SOO much out, but then it is a country of many wonders and a lot of beauty so it would be impossible to describe it all to you, or even hope to do it justice. One thing though I can not neglect to mention, but I didn't feel went very well with accounts of glitter encrusted nights out, was our trip to the war museum that day.
What a poignant and symbolic way to end the year. This was one of the most harrowing places I have ever been to and I highly implore ANYONE who gets the opportunity to go. It is the Vietnamese account of the War of Reunification, as they refer to it now. Divided into 8 sections detailing everything from examples of weaponry used to photos of their effects, photographer's accounts of the war and their photos, anti-war campaigner's views and how the peoples have gone from strength to strength since. The only problem was we just didn't have the time to take it all in properly and do it justice. There were a lot of incredibly moving imagery and stories, from both sides.
But, in ignorance I have to ask, how and why it was allowed to happen. If anyone does have any information about the war I am so interested to research it properly. It wasn't warfare in my mind it was sick, depraved calculated genocide. Churches, schools and hospitals were specifically targeted, and not by bombs, by devastating chemicals which still have mammoth effects today. How could hatred for this country, which up until this point USA had had little to do with, have grown so deep that its citizen's were no longer human beings, but insects and rodents to be stamped out. Their homes and lively hoods and very environments attacked on as basic a level as they themselves were. Children and heir grandparents found cowering were not killed, but dragged out of their hiding places and gutted, there are images which look almost jungle like in the animalistic nature with which the GI, in all his armour and weapons was chasing down a small frail, barely clothed man, like a hungry lion and a starved gazelle. As was pointed out by a US soldier, many of his colleagues seemed to relish the job of tracking down and eradicating the "problem," as opposed to relishing t6he prospect of getting the job done and home to their families.
Why is it that even now, those soldiers who had a hand in loading and using the chemicals are being compensated, whilst there has not even been any official recognition, never mid apology/compensation to the Vietnamese of the heinous crimes that were done against them. Why was such weaponry allowed to be developed in the first place, and what sick person, or organisation could possibly have devised it all?
And why, oh why is this not taught in schools. Why is Hitler, who had, having seen this place, no where near on the same scale of cold hearted, malicious, calculated and devastating methodologies or ideas so vilified (obviously I am not disparaging the hideous things the Jews etc went through at all), while there is film after film made about "Nam" absolutely glorifying it?
I can not even being to describe the things we saw, but I have never been so touched or so moved by a museum, and so deter mind to see in a new year with out there ever being the possibilities of such monstrosities reoccurring. I fear though in this terror/hate state we live in, that maybe wishful thinking.
Anyway, please excuse my little outburst there, atop my soap box. But if you have any thoughts or pearls of wisdom on the matter, do impart them, please.
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