Dress in Islam

Rather than give you a play by play of my time in Malaysia, I’d like to let you read experts from a pamphlet I picked up at the Malaysian National Mosque. I’m not posting this here to laugh at or make fun of what they have to say. I just think it’s really interesting to take a minute to think about things from the “other side.” It’s rare that one is able to see things through another’s eyes, so I’d thought I’d share this opportunity with you. Furthermore, though I clearly don’t agree with everything they write, some of their points are actually valid.

Dress in Islam

“The very same headscarf revered as a sign of ‘holiness’ when worn by Catholic Nuns, is reviled as a sign of ‘oppression’ when worn by Muslim women.”

Western politicians and media criticize Islam as anti-women. … Just about everything that feminists in the West strived for in the ‘70s was already available to Muslim women 1400 years ago. Woman enjoy more protection and respect within Islam compared to any other faith. … In the spiritual realm, women are equal to men as the only distinction amongst the Believers is the level of their piety. Western politicians and media portray Islam as anti-women’s rights by highlighting cultural and political practices in Muslim lands that have nothing to do with Islam. …Muslims regard the West’s attacks on Islam as nothing by hypocrisy as reflected in their backing of groups that suppress human rights in Muslim lands. The hegemonic control of the oil and natural gas reserves in Muslim lands is the primary goal of the Western powers. … Every aspect of Islam is now under a magnifying glass – to search for subjects to distort and misrepresent Islam as backward and violent. They do not spare even the hijab, the dress of the Muslim women. They highlight it as ‘proof’ of women’s servitude in Islam. … The Muslim woman seeks spiritual beauty. Her hijab is an external expression of her inner commitment to lead a way of life that pleases Allah The Most Merciful. Rather than make rules of dress styles, Islam teaches both men and women how to be modest and humble in their dressing. The dress of the Muslims must be loose enough to hide the shape of the body. … Islam does not require a person to dress totally in black, blue, or green. Only saffron, the color associated with polytheists, is prohibited as dress color for Muslims. … Most hijab wearing women do not cover their face and hands. A small though highly visible minority wear a face veil (niqab). They have been harassed and discriminated in the ‘liberal’ West. … Cultural practices and personal choices are constantly highlighted to portray Islam as a backward religion that needs modernization. .. Islam redirects humankind from the false worship of created things to the true worship of The Lord of all created things.

Angkor What?

Before I started any serious planning for my Winterbreak trip to Southeast Asia, the one place I knew that I wanted to visit was Siem Reap, Cambodia, which is home to the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Angkor. Angkor is a complex of Hindu and Buddhist temples, the most well-known being Angkor Wat. I first learned about Angkor a few years ago while watching 1,000 Places to See Before You Die on my beloved TravelChannel. The Ulle's spent an entire episode in Cambodia, the majority featuring Angkor. At the time I thought the temples were amazingly beautiful and that it would be incredible to visit the site, but at the time I never imagined I too would get the chance only a few years later.
Though the visit had a rocky start, Caroline and I had a most enjoyable time. We were both overwhelmed by the size and complexity of the temples. We spent the first day visiting some of the outlying temples with the help of a tuk-tuk driver and the next day woke at 4:00 am in order to see the sun rise over Angkor Wat. We rode bikes in the pitch-dark to Angkor, praying the enitre time that we wouldn't be killed by the tuk-tuks and tour buses that were whizzing past. Everything ended up just fine and Caroline and I lived to see the sun rise another day, this day over one of the most beautiful temples in the world. By the end of the day, we had ridden over 45 miles to visit 6 temples! Our final day in Angkor was spent visiting Angkor Wat itself. While it wasn't what I expected, it was magnificent and I'm so happy I was able to see it during my lifetime.
All of this, though, might not be what I remember most about my time in Cambodia. During the afternoon on the third day, Caroline and I decided to visit a "floating" village. The village is not actually floating, rather built on high stilts. To get there, we had to take a tuk-tuk, ride motorcycles, and then take two boats. The village is built in a area that is severly affected by the change in water levels during the rainy season. From the water marks that we saw, it appears the water rises over 8 feet during wet season. While it was fascinating to see the changes these people have made to their lives to allow for the changing water levels, the most interesting part of this visit was that it wasn't all touristed up. We did see some other tourists in the area, but for the most part, I felt like I was getting an authentic glimpse into the lives of the villagers here. There weren't really many people who spoke English, there weren't small children trying to sell me bracelets, guide books, and postcards, and there weren't women calling out "Lady, lady you want cold drink?" It was very refreshing and nice to be able to travel in a place that wasn't catering to my every need, as weird as that sounds. Although everything was set up for me, it felt a tiny bit like I was forging my own path and meeting the locals where they were, rather then having them come to me all the time. Because of this, I will remember Cambodia as a place where I was able to see real people, in their traditional and "natural" environment.

Gong Xi Fa Cai - Hong Bao Na Lai!

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

2009, the Year of the Bull!

Make New Friends

Traveling throughout Southeast Asia has allowed me to see things I never dreamed I would. I remember watching “1,000 Places to See Before You Die” on the TravelChannel a few years ago and thinking that I would never in my life see those things. And now here I am! Every morning I wake up and am shocked to remember that I’m in Laos.
What’s almost more exciting than riding elephants, swimming in waterfalls, and visiting Buddhist temples is meeting other travel junkies like myself. A few days ago my travel companion, Caroline, and I had the “pleasure” of taking a slow-boat down the Mekong River to Luang Prabang, Laos. For two straight days we were squished into a small boat with 124 fellow travelers for at least nine hours each day. Each person had only a small wooden bench where they could make themselves “comfortable” during the journey.
This could have been a terrible, terrible experience. And while it wasn’t the most relaxing trip, it was a fun one. Caroline and I were able to meet some very interesting people from all over the world. We meet an older British couple who are on their fourth trip to the area, a middle aged American traveling alone, as well as a young Canadian couple who are on their fourth month of a year long trip around the world. These people had fascinating stories to tell of their travels in Southeast Asia and other places. The boat trip could have been deathly boring, but instead became fun and interesting with the help of the other tourists.
As this is my first time “backpacking,” I didn’t expect me meet so many interesting people. It has been a most welcomed addition to my travel experiences. These people have really left a mark on my trip, as I hope I have on theirs.

King Good, Government Bad

The Chinese love Mao. He's on the money, he's on posters in peoples' homes (even I have a painting in my apartment), and his statue stands in various places all over the country. He is looked up to by children and adults alike. There is no question that his name lives on in the hearts and minds of his people.

This all is nothing compared to the love the Thai people have for their king, King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The kind taxi driver that drove Caroline and I from the airport to our hostel in Bangkok said, "King good, Government bad," only 5 minutes after we got in his taxi. Apparently he likes the king. The king's picture is proudly displayed all over the town. Large portraits and small pictures can be seen at almost every turn. In fact, the Internet cafe I'm sitting in has several photos of the king on the wall next to pictures of the Buddha. Let's just say that after 5 days in the country I could pick him out of a line up.

At first I was a little confused as to why the Thai people love their king so much. The UK and Denmark have royalty, but they don't seem to revere hi as much as the Thai people. Then it occurred to me. Thailand has had so many coups and governments over the past years. Leaders have come and gone. Politics has changed drastically many times. One such example was in the news only a few weeks ago when protesters closed the Bangkok airport for several days. The one consistent during these troubled times has been the king. He has seen much during his 81 years. According to this article by the BBC, the king's reign has seen 17 military coups and 29 prime ministers. I'm not sure that we've seen that much change in the 230 years that the US has been a country. It's good to know that the Thai people have something they can hold on to during times of upheaval. I hope he is able to see them through the times of crisis that are certain to visit this beautiful country in the future.

I <3 HK

Someone once said that Hong Kong is where East meets West. I disagree. I would argue that Hong Kong is a transplant of the West in the East, which happens to be populated by Chinese people. Hong Kong was everything and had everything that Zhuzhou does not. Hong Kong is a place where people are not likely to push an elderly woman out of their way to get on the bus. People don't spit in the bus and on the street, don't encourage their children to use public trash cans as toilets, and didn't stare at my every move. Everything that I missed about living in a western country was wrapped up by the British many years ago and brought to Asia. Including food. I can't express how wonderful it was to increase my meal options 100 fold by traveling a mere 9 hours from Zhuzhou by train. I didn't know a place like this exsisted in China! (Whether or not Hong Kong is actually China is another topic, but we'll go with the official PRC stance for now.)
Don't worry, Hong Kong, I will be back!

Taking a Break from China

In about 2 hours, I will be getting on a train bound for Shenzhen, the gateway city for Hong Kong. This is only the first leg of my four week vacation from China. The current itinerary has me visiting Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam with my dear friend and travel companion, Caroline. We have a pretty ambitious schedule mapped out, so we’ll just have to see how things pan out during the coming weeks. I’ll do my best to update while I’m on the road, but please understand if my posts are not up to their usual standard for a while. One good aspect to the trip for you, however, is that you can expect a multitude of pretty awesome photos when I return. See you then!