“name, get up. Let’s go.” said, the guards. Although she has already accepted the fate, her body reacted with a chill running down her spine. Her name, was the most vile word she has ever heard. So with her sleeping baby in her arms, she walked silently amongst the devils, down the dark and ghostly hallway, passing by the empty cells.

“The Room” was much brighter than she imagined. And the chair was warmer than she expected. Despite the surprises, she knew exactly where she was. She made no resistance as the guards fidgeted around her to adjust the drill’s height that would soon kill her. But she did resist the urge to cry.

“Click” They took a picture of her from the front.

And she took pictures of her own in her mind. Banana trees, her baby’s first word, reflection of her old wrinkled face on a mirror, grandchildren…  When her eyes blinked like a camera shutter, tear rolled down her cheek.

“Click” They took a picture of her from the side.

Whirling sound of a drill starting began to vibrate her ears.
And she covered her baby’s ears firmly so as not to wake him up.

–writing based on photographs of a mother with her baby, and a captured tear drop.

*This by far was the hardest thing I have had to write about. I honestly did not want to write it for I knew that it would disturb me. I did not even know where to start or how to begin. after many crumpled papers, I decided to put myself in her shoes. I hoped to reflect not only the pain and suffering of the victims but also the reality of evil in human nature.

Brief background: The Khmer Rouge, or more formally, the Communist Party of Kampuchea, led by Pol Pot, Ta Mok and other leaders, organized the mass killing of ideologically suspect groups, ethnic minorities like the ethnic Vietnamese, Chinese (or Sino-Khmers), Chams and Thais, former civil servants, former government soldiers, Buddhist monks, secular intellectuals and professionals, and former city dwellers. Khmer Rouge cadres defeated in factional struggles were also liquidated in purges. The number of the victims is estimated at approximately 1.7 million Cambodians between 1975-1979, including deaths from slave labour.

THIS HAPPENED ONLY 30 YEARS AGO.

-Boaz Lyu
10/01/2009
Mui ne, Vietnam

Who, when, and where was I sculpted into a statue so tall and large that I could only look down on other humans? Was it because I am from America, or was it because I could afford to not drink the water from the tap?… I realized then, that I wasn’t made of glossy marble but, rather, softly melting mud, and that it was actually my skin that was dirtying her.

This woman also had a little boy with her that patiently and silently sat on her lap for 12 hours in this packed (it was a local bus and people were also riding on the roof) old bus. I tapped on his scrawny shoulder and without a word gave him a cookie. Also without a word he took it and began to eat it. But he did not eat as you and I would eat a delicious cookie. There was no munching or shoving the cookie into a hungry mouth leaving crowds of crumbs around the lips. The little boy instead held the cookie as gently as one would hold broken glass. He carefully broke tiny pieces with his small fingers and let his tongue saturate every bit of sugar. Crowds of cookie crumbs begin forming around his fingers. And watching him, my heart also crumbled into a pile of ash.

After 13 hours of driving, the tired bus driver parked the bus next to a neon lit bank sign and fell asleep. For the rest of the night, light but steadily, Monsoon rain fell on the metal rooftop of the bus. Tik tik tik tik… I rested my tired head against the cold window and saw the reflection of my eyes brilliantly beading. But I soon realized that they were not my eyes glistening but they were the rain droplets on the glass. I thought to myself, I am not as humanistic and compassionate as I once thought I was and was afraid that I would never be one. Painfully, I re-positioned my body to relieve of my back ache and with an uncomfortable heart, soon fell asleep.

Long bus rides with the locals have become my sanctuary for self-realization and humbleness.

1. I realized that I hate writing. To extract what is in my head to my satisfaction in writing is a very overwhelming and stressful process for me.
2. When traveling alone, Books can become your best companion. I highly recommend reading, “The Heart and Soul” by Maevi Binchy and “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac
3. Many “friends” you meet during traveling sadly becomes “oh, he/she is just someone that I met in _______ “
4. “Smile, the world will smile with you. Cry, and you will cry alone.” I find this quote to be quiet true here in these foreign lands far away from home.
5. Italians railroad system is consistently unreliable. It is not because the train in itself are bad, they are actually terrific. It is the Italians that are lazy.
6. Hitler was truly a bastard.
7. Eastern Europe is highly underrated. Go there.
8. Prune juices truly have the power of “giveth and taketh away” WARNING: NEVER DRINK TOO MUCH PRUNE JUICE. NEVER.
9. Eating good meal is the best medicine for the tired soul.
10. Blow-up neck pillows are the MUST HAVE travel essential.
11. In Switzerland, they build their bridges with explosives built into them. If anyone tried to invade Swiss through the Alps, all they have to do is blow it up. Also, if you are a heroine addict of more than 10+ years in Swiss, Government will provide you with clean heroine.
12. Is it coincidence that the Financial hub of Germany is also the central location of Germany’s red light district?
13. American chocolates are S&%$
14. American fruit juices are THE S&%$
15. Some European men have the skinniest legs with skinniest jeans to go with it.
16. Pigeons are seriously Effing gross.
17. I hate TopDeck. I really do. TopDeck is a tour group made up of 18-20 years old Australians who travels all over big Europeans cities in a giant buses mainly to DRINK, PARTY, BE OBNOXIOUS,  BE RUDE, and DISRESPECTFUL. They like to believe that they are experiencing the World, or at least thats what they proabably told their parents.
18. Americans and Australian tourist are the most disrespectful, ignorant, arrogant, and rude group of people.  It is mainly due to their imperialistic minds. You will find New Zealanders and Candians to be very likable and respectable.
19. Excluding waiting at the station and metro rides, I have been inside of train/bus for approximately 8 days, 5 hours, and 42 minutes during my Europe travel.
20. The film, “7 pounds” made me realized how blessed I am to be traveling.
21. “crying baby” is included in every overnight bus for free!
22. I am so appreciative of God constantly leading me to meet people with such a warm hearts. I hope to be someone that God leads others to, to experience the warmth of a heart.

These are just few of many thoughts that went through my head. There are so much more…

I am learning to really appreciate my opportunity to travel.  There will be many challenges up ahead in next 3 months, but I will run towards it with a big smile and conquer it.

Thanks for all your support.

NEXT STOP: New Delhi, India

Monaco: “it is not yet my time”

Walking out of the Monaco train station, I was surrounded by sounds of clapping and cheering. Was it for me? Were they welcoming my first visit to this country? Of course not. This year’s Tour de France embarked its race of mental and physical endurance from France’s adjacent country, Monaco. I, soon found myself clapping and cheering on as the determined cyclists zipped by. Monaco is a country of luxury and wealth. Large luxurious yachts and sailboats were competing with the ocean to see who can glitter brighter and multi-million dollar homes were competing to see who could be closer to the ocean. I saw a reflection of myself on a large spotless window of a 4 star hotel. He was carrying a large travel bag back on his back, smaller one on the front, wearing a green t-shirt that had large spots of sweat. He was dirty, tired, and hungry. Not physically hungry but for something else. As he was leaving to catch a short train ride to Nice, France, he thought to himself. “It is not your time yet, but one day…one day…”

France: “if you never tried the real French croissant, then you were not in France”

It is hard to write an entry about a country such as France. It is just too overwhelming. So instead, I would like to make a list of my memorable moments. I also delayed writing my blog about France because I flew back to France for Paris from Portugal after traveling south of Europe.

South of France:

1.       Nice, (nee-ce) not (ni-ce) is nice. Pebble rock beaches with light blue waters are playground for all ages during the hot summer days and warm summer nights.

2.       French Baguettes and Croissants: When there are foods or other goods named after a country i.e French Baguette, Cuban cigars, Swiss cheese, and etc, it is because they know what they are doing. I thought, Croissant can’t be THAT good. Well, croissants from right French bakeries are THAT good. Enough said.

3.       People in South of France tend to me nicer and friendlier

4.       Montepellier: I finally got to see Lance Armstrong and Cantador up close and yelled to have them sign my hat. Of course I didn’t get it signed.

5.       French people love holding a Strike. Just in time for the Tour de France, Railroad union held a strike that delayed my trip across the border. GOOD PLANNED TIMING. I am sure they got what they wanted.

Paris:

1.       Wow. What a city. Films like Paris Je’taime (Paris I love you) can only be made in a city such as Paris.

2.        Eiffel Tower is the main reason why Paris has such mysterious and yet romantic atmosphere. She is truly a beautiful giant that likes to play hide and seek among the trees and the buildings. Once you find her, wherever you are, and no matter how many times you have found her, she will take your breath away.

3.       Eiffel tower is more beautiful during the night than the day.

4.       Walking instead of riding an elevator up the tower to save money is very tiring and also scary. Especially when it is a night time and raining.

5.       Supposedly, the Louvre takes 6 days to see everything. And I believe it. I walked around for 7 hours covering only the known famous pieces.  I still missed many other brilliant art works.

6.       Notre Dame is brilliant form of architecture, but I have grown to be overwhelmed and almost disgusted by gothic and neo-gothic architectures. Also, I think the Segreda Familia in Barcelona is much more impressive cathedral.

7.       People in Paris are not all that mean and rude as many people would like to say. It is partly our fault thinking that EVERYONE should be speaking English.

8.       Subway smells but I still je’taime D the Paris.

These are segment of my ideas and thoughts during my travel in Monaco and France. When you have chance, please visit them. You will understand why it is easier to list then to write.

I would like to start my blog about Spain with a story that took place in Seville, Spain.

Spanish inquisition has been one of the darkest time of Spanish history. It is where catholics forced people to convert to catholisism, leave the country, or be executed. During that time, the king of Spain unexpectly died when he accidently fell off of his horse. And his son being only a year old at that time, the Queen gave the king’s power to an archbishop. He then who hated Jews ordered to close off the jewish quater of Seville and killed more than 4000 Jews in one single day. 80 years after, a Jew in Sevilla who remembered genocide decided to start a coup. The leader of the revolt had a daughter named Savonna. She falls in love with a catholic soilder and the plan of the revolt is accidently spoken of. The soilder then tells his superior and appropriately, they close off the quater and kills off another 2500 jews, including her father. She becomes so ashamed by her betrayal, she converts to catholisism and lives rest of her life as a nun, closed off from the society.  Her will while she dying from an old age was that, after she dies, her head is to be cut off and her skull to be hung outside of her window to remind people of her betrayal. The skull hung for 150 years but now it is re-buried with her. In one of my photo, you will see a wall with a tile of a Skull. That is where it hung.

Couple blocks from where this story occured, there is an Spanish Archive museum where they have the original documents of Christopher Colombus’ contracts, maps, and other important paperworks of his adventure to an unknown world. Right next to this building, you will find Cathedral of Seville, which is the Largest gothic church in the world and also 3rd largest church in the world. Surrounding these buildings, you will find spanish guitar players walking around playing beautiful piece.

In Spain, there are also traditional bullfights in Madrid, vibrant Flamenco dances, delectable tapas, oldest restaurants in the world, brilliant works of Gaudi’s  park Guell and his cathedral in Barcelona and so much more… and no, it is really not a dream world. However, if this does seem like a dream to you, beaware of when you wake up, because from 2pm to 5pm, Entire Spain goes to Siesta.    :)

Portugal: “Hail King Christian Ronaldo?”

He is EVERYWHERE. In Magazines, Billboards, TV, and Posters. He seems to be watching your every move. But in reality, it is the people of Portugal that is watching his every move.

When I stepped out of a train in Lisbon, I was surprised by the cool breeze that swept through the city. It truly felt like a fall. It was bizarre enough for me to ask the local, whether this weather normal. They said, yes! Portugal has some of the best climates in Europe! I could not agree more. Although I am not staying in Portugal long enough to saturate its culture, Lisbon and Porto has been a pleasant experience. I was very pleased with my pictures that I took today being lost in the heart of city here in Porto.

Tomorrow, I will be flying to Paris for France part two.

I will leave you with a story of ’shroom that my friend experienced during his trip. It is quiet funny.

So, him and his friends were in Amsterdam and they decided to do some Shrooms. well anyways, after taking shrooms, they were really high and hallucinating, and they started looking for leprachauns for pots of gold and whatnot all night long, all over Amsterdam. well, next day they woke up in their hotel not even remembering what they did the previous night. But they heard loud and strange knocks coming from an inside of a small closet locked with a metal bar across the handle. So they unlocked it and there was a spanish Midget locked up inside. They basically kidnapped a midget thinking that it was a Leprachaun.

I had a really good laugh.

Boaz, from Porto, Portugal.

Step your foot on Greece and you will understand why mythology of gods and goddesses were part of their lives. Everything is very mystical here and you can truly feel the hearts of Athenians that believed in those gods and goddesses. but, something about Greece made me not smile. There are many beautiful places to see and experience, but it must be the loneliness. Standing on an island of Santorini, known to be one of the most beautiful island in the world, I did not smile a bit…everything was too beautiful. Just too beautiful to be seen alone. If you have a lover, go there together and saturate yourselves with a hellenic sun and a intensely blue ocean. If you are by yourself, I advise you to take Prozac with you. My heart was shaken with loneliness like the earthquake that shook us in Santorini.

Part two: Italy “shut your mouth and speak with your hands!”

There is a reason why people fall in love with Italy.  I also have fall in love with Italy. People, food, language, culture, history, and art…it is conglomeration of irreplaceable beauty. Visiting the Sistine chapel and Galleria dell Academia where the statue of David is located to see the works of Michelangelo gave me a chill down the spine. It is as if Michelangelo borrowed the hands of God during his lifetime. Truly, the expression “Breathe taking” does not justify the deep cultural and artistic value that this country contains.  Naploli, Rome, Firenze… I went, I saw, and It CONQUERED me.

Go there and see it before you die.

I am currently in Montpellier following the Tour de France. I will be heading out to Spain tomorrow. I will update my blog of europe in pairs.

Boaz Lyu - France

In Turkey, I took a 12 hours long overnight bus ride to Cappadocia.  And there was a baby girl who cried for nearly two hours. When watching two hours of movie, talking, reading, or even napping may seem so little in a 12 hours long bus ride, two hours of listening to a baby crying seemed infinite. Many thoughts went through my head. From time to time, my mother would recollect her memory and tell my sister and I the times when my sister would cry so much as a baby. And I thought, would that baby girl grow up to hear that with a same smile from not being able to remember?

When I heard the baby gag because she was crying so hard, I felt frustrated and angry…as if these experiences only happened outside of U.S. And as if the mother who looked much older than she was, was inferior to us, the U.S. With my thought quickly corrected, I began to wonder what it was that was upsetting her so much. I just wanted to go to her and hug her closely to my shoulder and chant silly baby sounds. I placed myself in her mother’s heart and thought how bad and sorry she must have felt. I could actually feel it. Her knowing that people were frustrated with her baby, that people were looking at her, that people were complaining, but also knowing that she loved her child more than anything in this world to matter.

Baby would eventually get tired from crying and silently fall asleep. People in the bus will move on from their feelings and their frowning will soon be forgotten. But I will remember this night for as long as I live, as her mother will too.

Boaz Lyu from Santorini Greece

6/26/09

The sun set so quietly that I did not even realize that I was chasing after it.

Bo’ez from Istanbul, Turkey

Next Destination: Cappodocia, Turkey

Israel: The land of the richest Biblical History… This is where you can see the dust sprung up by Jesus’ feet, feel the same scorching heat as he felt it, and smell the same salt in the air from the sea as he walked on the water.

When I came to Israel, I was very excited to feel, see, and follow the footsteps of Jesus that you only read about it in the Bible. I wanted to feel the belongingness as a Christian to be in the land alive with its history. Unfortunately, it was shattered today.

I took a tour today to Nazareth and Galilee to see the Basilica Church of Nazareth(where Mary’s cave when she received God’s message about Jesus is located), Cana (where Jesus performed his first miracle with Wine), Church of Tabgha(where the rock that Jesus performed 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish is located), house of Jesus, and River of Jordan (Baptism Site). When I got to the first church, I was so shocked to see how commercialized and monetarily focused these “holy” places were, I broke down. When Jesus clearly expressed his anger and forbidded doing and selling and buying in a place of worship, it was happening, RIGHT HERE. These sacred places became a mere  merchandise and incentives to make money. Stores full of “Miracle Wine of Cana”, “Holy water from River of Jordan”,  “annointed oil of the Church of Nazareth”, and etc… countless christian relics and icons were sold in and outside of churches by Christians AND Muslims and Shequels and Dollars were traded back and fourth more than the prayers. Where has the true meaning of these places gone? Yes, I went to these places where supposely miracles happened, but my heart left me alone long time ago.

So I just sat there alone, by the sea of Galilee… realizing that this body of water that I am seeing is probably the most genuine experience of the Bible that I will experience. Lady from the tour bus came and asked me, “aren’t you gonna walk around?” I smiled and simply said “no”

In a place where I expected to feel closest to God is where I felt the farthest from him.

Forget everything about what you know about Israel: the terriosm, the fear, and the holy sites, and know that the place of the most holy is not where tourists are attracted to.

It is here, on the rooftop of my hostel over looking the Old City where quaters four differnt of religion peacefully coexist… thatI found the presence of God once again. And my heart that left me earlier softly knocked on my chest.

Boaz from Jerusalem.

Next Destination: Istanbul, Turkey This Sunday.

I realize that being flexible with my travel schedule has done me very good. I never planned on going to the Jordan…oh, how much I would have missed. The Wadi Rum desert, Petra, Aqaba, and the Dead Sea was just mind blowing. With other travelers I met,(which have become my friends) we Jeep trekked one of the most scenic desert in the world with a native Bedouin and slept in a cave tent under the stars. If you saw the shadow created by the full moon over the canyon, you would have smiled as I have. Petra, is one of the 7 wonders of the world. Standing in front of a man made Greek façade on a cliff is indescribable. You would follow the narrow path of a red canyon and suddenly, with a bright sunlight, The Sanctuary appears. Can you imagine it? Floating on a dead sea was a very strange feeling. It made feel as if I was just a leaf floating still on a pond. You have to experience it to believe it. There is romanticism in Jordan. People love their King and the Queen. Their image is everywhere and I do believe they are truly a good people. Through King Huseen Bridge,Going through the no man’s land between Jordan and Israel was very intense and had an eerie feeling. I asked my visa to be not stamped with Israeli stamp so that I could possibly travel to Syria. And surprisingly, they granted it to me. Perhaps it was my name! They said, “hmmm you have a Jewish name” I just smiled and said, “Yes I do”.

My entry is actually going backwards. Let me take you back to Egypt. Sinai Peninsula is Must Go. It is just stunningly beautiful. I have never seen such clear water full of marine life and corals. Although I am terrible at swimming, I snorkeled in Dahab, Blue Hole.(Blue hole is the world famous place where there is a huge blue hole in the middle of the ocean) Hmmm, wow… I couldn’t help to smile under the water. What I found most pleasurable thing to do was to swim right above the divers and feel the tickling of the bubbles. The best part about Dahab or any other place in Egypt is that, it is really CHEAP. Jordanian Dinars are stronger than the US Dollar!! So expensive… Anyways, I also climbed the Mt. Sinai at 1a.m to see the Sunrise. It is where Moses received his 10 commandments. 2282 meters… it was not that easy. Finding quiet peace at the summit turned out to be difficult because many religious groups, especially Koreans climb up and sing. I am not sure if I liked that. View was amazing regardless.

Funny: While coming down from the Mt. Sinai, our mountain guide, who was 22 years old, climbed in flip flops, and has been a guide since 9 years ago started dancing when we were taking a break. He played typical Egyptian music from his cellphone. Suddenly, he wanted to show us picture of his girlfriend on his cell phone. When he passed it around, people’s reaction was “hmmm….awww…” When I look at the picture, I realized why. The photo was of her face. But her entire face was covered in a traditional headwear and could only see her eyes…it was a very funny moment for all of us.

We learned that many men in Arab countries don’t get to see his wife’s face until they get married. I guess that explains the 70+% of divorce rate in Saudi Arabia.

Anyways, I am tired now and should go to sleep for another long day here in Israel: The land of the Christian and the Muslim history. There are lots of tensions here and I can feel it. Why can’t we just all get along?

Boaz 5/9/09 in Jerusalem