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| From Jan '09 |
We took the 30 minute ride to our nice downtown touristy hotel, complete with 24 hour electricity, clean running water, and a mini-fridge. Choking was our first reaction to the city. On our way through town, we witnessed the most unbelievable density of smog. If you think that LA, Bangkok, or even Mexico City have anything on this place, think again! It is by far the thickest smog we have ever encountered. You feel just as though you are sticking your mouth over the end of a VW bug tailpipe running solely on dirty motor oil while breathing as shallow as possible.
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| From Jan '09 |
The nation is so impoverished by endless war, and is very apparent everywhere you look. We see leftover war metal being used as a drying apparatus for herbs or whatever else needs to get some sun. People on motorcycles are using old army helmets for their riding protection. The military walks around with big guns to exert their appearance of power, and spies follow everyone, keeping track of everyone's coming and going.
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| From Jan '09 |
Even our hotel rooms are tapped, any phone calls or internet traffic is tracked and recorded. It seems to us that their strangle hold is coming straight from the depths of their paranoia.
We hit the streets to find some local flavors. After wandering down the street a couple of minutes some street kids found us.
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| From Jan '09 |
They were not like any other street kids we have met anywhere else before. They weren’t begging us for anything, but were simply overjoyed to have someone paying attention to them. We decided to take the 4 boys out to lunch with us. They, of course, had some great recommendations so we all sat down to a full lunch with noodles, chicken, vegetables, rice, spring rolls, and fruit for a total of $2.50 for all 6 appetites!
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| From Jan '09 |
We found out they are only able to attend school “sometimes” but must spend most time downtown selling postcards to support their families. Amazingly, none of the boys ever begged for anything from us, even though in their minds they must have thought we were rich. We also came to find there are approximately 3500 street kids in this city alone, doing pretty much the same thing, trying to sell something. Many of these children of the street sleep in the train station, for a price. For about $1.40 they are given a paper bag to sleep on and another bag as a blanket. The floor is scattered with families and children struggling on their own. Even 12 month old babies are sleeping by themselves.
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| From Jan '09 |
The police despise the street kids and for some reason seem to think that this is one of their nation’s greatest problems, as if this is what keeps tourists away! But we suppose it may be because the kids all speak English very well (and have learned on their own, might we add) and as everyone knows- kids are honest! As we sat for that short meal, we saw a few undercover spies who were yelling at the kids. We kindly told them the kids were our amigos and to leave us alone.
But in the midst of all the oppression and dirty air, the gentle and amazing people make it all worth while. Even admist all the chaos, the people still greet with the sweetest smile. While wandering the streets, we felt as though we were taking in a culture unlike any other we have ever witnessed. We have seen photos from the web and heard countless stories from those who have gone before. But now we were in the midst of these dark alleys, walking these streets and gazing on the beautiful and singing faces, trying desperately to take all this in. We have entered “B”, the land that screams in silence.
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| From Jan '09 |
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