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Newsletter #13 - September 11-17, 1959 |
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Newsletter #13
September 11 to 13, 1959 Mailed Bangkok, Thailand 9/l9 Received Philadelphia, Pa. 9/23/59 Here we are again -- [September 11] Arrived hot and tired in Darwin, the sixth Australian State, known as northern Territories and I must say we are quite disappointed in this forsaken spot. After four hours of our flight we stopped for refueling at Mt. Isa, a desolate place where there are a few minutas and only little groups of homes and buildings. During our 30 minutes stop-over I got into conversation with a sweet woman about 4 ft.9 in. and her 11 year old son and 3 hours later in Darwin we met again at the airport where she introduced us to her husband who is stationed at Darwin and they immediately made plans to show us about Darwin on Saturday [September 12] afternoon. She was traveling 1st class on the plane and of course we travel tourist, so we had only that short conversation off the plane. My reason for telling you this is to again confirm the friendliness of these Australians. Our hotel accommodations are really terrible and the price is $12.00 per night. We are glad we are only here for two days. Meals are just as expensive and they are not too tasty either. Breakfasts were $1.50 each and dinner $3.00 each. Darwin is really a dull town end you can walk around the entire place in an hour and a half and all you see are tropical homes on stilts pubs and one small theater. Our new found friends took us on a trip about 35 miles out in the bush where we shot at tin cans and the men did a little fish casting but caught nothing. They took us to their home for tea and we retired soon after dinner so we could be ready for the B.O.A.C. Airlines limousine which was to pick us up at 5 o'clock in the morning. We had our breakfast at the airport and had a beautiful day for flying, the British Overseas Airways Corp. gave us a very comfortable flight and very nice tea and later on our dinner. It was a 6-1/2 hr. flight and we were somewhat tired by the time we were left at the Embassy Hotel. [September 13] This hotel room could house 6 couples rather than just us and is really lovely with air conditioning, etc. It is really costing us but we had no alternative as it is the only place Qantas Airlines could get us. We will be here only two days and two nights. Our hotel is about 3 miles from Singapore and after freshening up we taxied into the city to meander around. We feel a little familiar in this city as we were here two days on our way to Australia. Meredith took a few pictures and after a lot of walking we came back to our hotel which has a roof garden and a beautiful view of the harbor and city lights. Singapore is really a fascinating city as it stands at the busy crossroads of East and West and has many races and cultures. About 80% of the people are Chinese and the other 20% are Malayans, Indians and Eurasians. Singapore is an island as well as a city and its harbor is an international port with much activity and beauty. The China Sea is on one side and the Straits of Malacca and the Indian Ocean on the other. Meredith and I are now seasoned travelers as we crossed the equator twice on this trip, once by sea and then by air, and we don't feel a bit different. Some of my corresponding friends are anxious about my weight. Here are the true facts. I haven't gained a stone nor have I lost a half stone. In case you think I'm crazy all people in England, and Australia use stones for weight. (14 pounds to a stone) [September 14] Today we taxied to Singapore again and on the crowded streets we were absorbed in the passing parade where people from all the major races of Asia are intermingling with peoples of the Western nations. This is especially true as far as fashions are conearned. You see glamorous sarongs and saris, cheongsams, pajamas and smart gowns or |
| frocks, as the English say. On the men you'll see velvet capped Malayans, turbaned Indians, saffron robed Buddhist priests, Englishmen in shorts and, of course, the traditional Western suit. After a bit of shopping we took a 4 hr. tour of the city and its suburbs with a Chinese who spoke very good English. We drove through the tropical countryside which was dotted with tiny forms and green and lovely pastures interspersed with rural industrial projects on the island's fringes. We saw the statue of Sir Stamford Raffles, founder of Singapore, also the Assembly House, the tall spired St. Andrews Cathedral, Raffles Institute, the oldest school in Singapore, and the famed Botanic Garden with its fine orchid collection, where we fed the monkeys bananas. Later on we went to Chinatown, the most brilliant, noisiest, and most bizarre part of Singapore. Several of the streets are famous for Chinese food stalls, serving sweet-sour pork, fried prawns, chicken bean curd, scarlet sausage, roast duck and odd mixtures of vegetables and fruits, some of which we had never before seen. The odor of joss sticks, the clash of gongs, a bedlam of Chinese talk, of ancient and modern music and an occasional exploding firecracker fills the air. It really was rather enchanting and our driver went with me to bargain for a few souvenir items. He then took us to Singapore's Tiger Balm Gardens where we tarried only a short time as we felt the Gardens in Hong Kong were far superior. We then went on to the home of Mr. Aw Boon Haw's first wife where we saw a truly magnificent collection of jades of all colors, sizes and descriptions and gorgeous statuary and home furnishings. We also visited the Sultan Mosque, 2 Buddhist temples and a Hindu temple where we again removed our shoes to gaze at their lovely interiors. One temple contained a 330 ton Buddha and fabulous other furnishings. Be finished our tour by taking us to Mt. Faber, the highest point in the area, where a panoramic view of the island and all the waterways may be seen. It was a photographer's paradise but the sun was not out. The next day [September 15] we had an early breakfast and while enjoying our food we watched the junks, tramp steamers, sampans, and other water vehicles going past on the Malacca Straits. We left for the airport and were soon on the plane to Saigon. It was only a 2 hr. Pan American flight but we enjoyed every minute of the trip as we could see all the lovely islands of the South China Sea. Saigon is the Capital City of the Republic of Vietnam and was formerly a part of French Indo China. It is a quite attractive city and is characterized by a combination of French and Oriental cultures and tastes. It has many fine buildings, wide tree lined boulevards and sidewalk cafes in the French tradition. The climate is tropical and they have a wet and dry season. We are here during the wet season but we had a very beautiful two days. We again have left Straits dollars and are now spending piastres. Again we hired a taxi but we had a difficult time because he did not understand us and vice versa. We did enjoy our trip through the city seeing the buildings of interest, the Presidents Residence, and the rural area where the homes are high on stilts with thatched roofs. The women in Saigon are simply stunning. They wear exceptionally long cheongsams with pajama trousers and have lovely figures and beautiful features. Their straw coolie hats are worn by practically all the women and are most becoming. Food and hotels are quite expensive but in the places we will be travelling through for the next 2-1/2 months we must stay in the better hotels as the best are none too good. You get only cold water and it is quite difficult to wash clothing clean in cold water but we're satisfied. We are told to eat in only high class restaurants because food we eat must be washed in a chlorine solution before it is cooked and this is not done in many of the hotels. Tonight we had only soup and fillet of sole with two - 2 -
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| vegetables with beer (the water is non too safe). We had no other beverage or dessert and our tariff was $8.50 U.S. (We are really learning how fast money vanishes.) The only souvenirs we bought in Saigon were pictures which are hand painted on silk. We think they are quite nice and even though they are a bit expensive we purchased quite a few with the thought that they will make nice gifts. [September 16] Today we leave by Thai Airlines to Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia. Here we must stay 3 days until we can make plane connections to Siemreap to visit Angkor Wat. Our plane flight was quite nice but we spent most of our time filling out custom and police forms and eating. Coming into Phnom Penh we passed many farmers working in their rice paddies with their water buffalo. We checked into the Sukhalay Hotel where we have rather good accommodations for the next three nights. We immediately found a few nice buildings to photograph as we wandered about the city. This small Kingdom of Cambodia was formerly a part of French Indo China and most of the people speak either French or a Khmer language and use an alphabet of Indian origin. The official religion of Cambodia is Hinayana Buddhism and you see many Buddhist Priests with their shaven heads and yellow robes tramping Phnom Penh dusty walks. The climate is quite hot and they close their shops each day before noon and siesta until 2:30. Phnom Penh is quite old as it dates from the middle of the Fifteenth Century according to the chronicles. We visited the Jayavarman II Museum which was very wonderful and we were amazed at the beautiful displays of their old arts and treasures. The building itself was massive and very impressive. Another day [September 17] we went to see the Royal Palace with its flashing golden tiered roofs and pinnacles and its beautifully kept gardens. Unfortunately we were not allowed to visit the Throne Room and Silver Pagoda as several weeks ago the King and Queen had a frightening experience when a package addressed to than contained a bomb, and, when opened, killed their nephew. You probably read about this in your papers at home as we heard about it while in Australia. Had my hair done by two Cambodian men and it was just another interesting experience as I looked rather well when I left the shop but the next morning I looked a sight. They don't seem to have the knack with hair that the Chinese and Japanese had. We've been going about the past several days with a Mr. and Mrs. Kaifer from Seattle, Washington, and it has been very nice. We go to an American Club for dinner and at night we sit in our air conditioned rooms discussing our travels. These people go on trips each year and have been many places. In the heart of the city of Phnom Penh is a gigantic market place. Sure wish you could see it with its architectural cutout work of a very intricate pattern. We are not exaggerating when we say it is at least 2 city blocks square and has entrances at about 8 places. It is said to be the largest roofed market in the Orient and we can say its surely the most beautiful we've seen thus far. It is a treat to walk about in these native markets if you have a very strong stomach and a very weak nose because it really has offensive odors of all kinds. Most children, up to the age of about four, walk about the streets entirely naked and everything is done on the sidewalks or streets by young and old as they have no bathrooms and no sewage system. In Saigon we used taxi's but in Phnom Penh they have only samlors which are pedicabs that look like rickshaws with a bicycle in the rear. In Singapore they called this same mode of transportation "trishaws." -3-
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| Men and women alike wear a cloth draped about their bodies called a "sampot". This type of attire can easily be slipped into or out of while bathing in their many lakes. Cambodia is really a country of gayety with warm hearted natives who really smile and are friendly. Their pagodas with their exotically colored roofs have such grace and elegance and you see hundreds of saffron clad monks wending their way to their sanctuary within the walled temples where the Blessed Buddha always sits smiling. These young monks seldom smile and are quite young but look older because of their shaven heads. All moslem boys should have a three month training as a monk sometime during their lifetime. Guess this ends another newsletter until we get to Angkor Wat, the famous ruins in Cambodia. Regards, Charlotte and Meredith |