Max D - No Money No Honey: A Travel Memoir

First published 2019

2019 Max D

The right of Max D to be identified as the author of this book has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Contents

A Brief History

Honolulu International Airport

Incheon International Airport

Phnom Penh International Airport

Sihanoukville

The Ten-Year-Old History Teacher in Sihanoukville

The Well-Rounded Facts

Kids and Poverty: Phnom Penh and Siem Reap

Area 51

Soul

Cutting the Branches

Kids and Education

Me and Them

Drugs and Prostitution

Could it Have Been War?

A Brief History

A civilization of people. A unique culture. A culture that once dominated the lands of what is known today as Vietnam, Thai and Laos. These people emulated the powers of the Roman Empire in the territories of Southeast Asia. The reign of power by King Suryavarman II in the early twelfth century led to the construction of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, known as the largest Hindu temple complex in the world. Angkor Wats outer wall encloses a 203-acre city, with the main temple outer gallery at 187 x 215 meters. The second part consists of two galleries joined together, at 100 x 115 meters. Finally, the inner gallery is a 60 x 60-meter square. A climb to the main shrine overlooks the complex at a height of 65 meters. The city was built in 34 years. This nation of people is known today as Cambodia, whose success can be seen in the representation of Angkor Wat on the Cambodian national flag.

In 1953, Cambodia regained its independence from the French colonists through King Norodom Sihanouk and the first national administration, after King Sihanouks negotiations at the Geneva Conference. At that time, Vietnam had invaded Cambodia and was trying to establish territorial control; King Sihanouk knew that Cambodia would suffer if territorial boundaries were not discussed. Together with the French, he created territorial boundaries and regained the nations independence without having to exchange bullets. The rebuilding of the nation after French colonialism seemed to be right around the corner.

From 1970 to 1975, Lon Nol was Prime Minister of Cambodia, with support from the US Government in the Nixon administrations battle against communist influence. Lon Nol overthrow King Sihanouk but eventually lost the war after the Nixon administration cut off all supplies to Cambodia, leading to a communist takeover by Pol Pot. Lon Nol escaped to California and finally to Hawaii.

From November 1, 1955 to April 30, 1975, the US Government had been involved in the Vietnam War against communist North Vietnam, which threatened to engulf the region of Cambodia. King Sihanouk at the time had tried to play a neutral role, siding with neither the USA nor the communists. However, Vietnamese communists began using the port of Sihanoukville to ship military supplies, in a supply link that became known as the Ho Chi Minh trail. Wanting the communists out of Cambodia, King Sihanouk took steps to improve relations with the USA; as a result, Sihanouk had to turn a blind eye when the Nixon administration undertook a secret bombing campaign against the communist enemy on the borders of Cambodia. This led to a coup that ousted Sihanouk the following year.

Convinced that the USA was behind his overthrow, Sihanouk allied himself with the Khmer Rouge. From 1975 to 1979, the era of the communist Khmer Rouge regime, about 3 million Cambodians were killed. The Cambodia of 1979 was like the Wild West, only instead of six-shooters and horses, Cambodia had AK47s and motorbikes.

Thirty-three years after the mass genocide, Cambodia is still recovering and reestablishing itself as a democracy. At long last, the future seems a little brighter.

Honolulu International Airport

One item of check-in luggage and a school backpack were all I was bringing with me on my trip. I had scheduled my flight two weeks before I had to start class in Cambodia. The taxi driver put my luggage in the trunk and headed to Honolulu International Airport. I remember thinking that this trip was the worst idea of my life. Things would be so different there. I remember thinking about my rights, but then I realized that the US Constitution does not apply in Cambodia. I felt vulnerable to victimization from a strange and unfamiliar legal system. It is not like I was planning to do mischief it is just reassuring to know that in the USA the authorities cannot take advantage of me. The cab pulled up to the Korean Air terminal. It was 8:00 am and my flight was scheduled to take off at 10:30 am. Upon collecting my boarding card, I was asked whether the aisle seat would be fine. It was; I took it knowing that it would be easier for me to get in and out to use the bathroom, with the flight from Honolulu International Airport to Incheon International Airport being roughly an 11-hour flight.

I thought about how light I had packed to be living in Cambodia for two-and-a-half months. I had only brought 18 pounds worth of clothing and toiletries. Walking along the glistening, polished floors, I made my way to security. I had a lanyard with keys and a miniature flashlight. While one TSA officer was yelling no more than four ounces of liquids allowed for carry on! I locked eyes with another officer strolling by. She looked at my lanyard and saw the miniature flashlight. I smiled at her. She took a step back with knees slightly bent, right hand on her hips, looking like she was about to draw out a gun.

Sir, what is that? said the TSA officer.

Oh, this is a flashlight.

Oh okay, sorry about that, I didnt realize what it was, she said.

Oh okay [laughing]! You can never be too cautious nowadays.

I realized that it would be best if I left the lanyard in the bag. I did not want to be pinned down to the ground in Korea or something, just because I would have not been able to tell them that it was a flashlight. By now I was in line for the usual check of my ticket, my face and the image on my passport. I took off my shoes, my belt, emptied my pockets, put my laptop in a separate container to my backpack and it all went through the X-ray machine for scanning. Then I went through the body scanner, getting patted down and scanned again by the handheld metal detector.

Eventually, after so many security checks, all I had to do was wait for my plane. Soon, I was boarding. The flight attendants greeted everyone on behalf of Korean Air. The captain introduced himself, and we were soon on the runway ready for takeoff. The two Rolls-Royce engines were winding up and became more streamlined as the plane picked up speed. The plane took off at 186 miles per hour. The engines pushed harder and harder as the plane went from a nearly vertical to a horizontal position at 36,000 feet. The stewardesses made their way down both aisles of the planes, serving snacks and beverages.

I had just finished watching Avengers and Ghost Rider and we had not even covered half of the distance to Incheon. I could not sleep, and had not even slept at bedtime, when everyone was told to close their blinds. All of a sudden, my monitor moved closer to my face and my knees were jammed; I cannot imagine how much more excoriating this plane ride would have been for a taller person.

All could think about was what I was going to study in Cambodia. The prime ministerial elections in Cambodia were right around the corner, on June 3, 2012. The elections were between the Cambodian Peoples Party of Hun Sen, which had been in power for 27 years, and Sam Rainsys rival party. Hun Sen had been presented as a savior of the country from the Khmer Rouge, evening having lost his left eye. Ironically, though, Hun Sen had once been part of the Khmer Rouge.