December Quarterly - 2023 - Newsletter

Dear friends,
 
In November we visited Vietnam and Cambodia. It was my first time visiting the area but not my first experience of Asia as we lived in Hong Kong for many years visiting Thailand, the Philippines, and Malaysia. The characters in Book Four of the West Series, Survival, travel to Hong Kong. As I’ve mentioned in other newsletters, I love using overseas places in my stories, especially locations I’m familiar with.

However, I never travelled to Vietnam or Cambodia. My husband Peter travelled to Vietnam on business during that time and was impressed by how things were turning around for locals. That was back in the nineties, and from our recent experience, things have continued to improve.

Returning to Asia wasn’t a holiday destination we considered when we left Hong Kong, as we had many other places on our bucket list. Time, money, our house, and fur kids are a consideration as is travelling long haul from Australia. So, we’d decided to do the long-haul flights while our health and age allowed. But we jumped in when our travelling companions suggested a trip to the region.

The experience was an eye-opener. We all know about the Vietnam War and the atrocities inflicted on the Cambodian people by Pol Pot, but it’s not until you hear individual stories that it hits home how the people suffered. Everyone we came in contact with was helpful and informative, so by the end of the trip, we’d learned a lot.

We did our own thing for the first week, visiting Hanoi (North Vietnam), Halong Bay (Vietnam) and Hoi An (Vietnam - 42 kms south from Da Nang). We then took a seven-day cruise along the Mekong River. The cruise offered many tours, one being to visit the killing fields. I instantly didn’t want to go. Killing characters off in a novel differs from being confronted by the real thing. So, instead, we chose experiences that gave us a taste of life as it is now.

One of the highlights was a visit to the village of Angkor Ban - Cambodia. We were introduced to a class of young students learning English at the Phourn Duongdarashy Centre (PDC). The teacher initially donated his time to teach them. He now earns a small income via the cruise companies who bring their plight to the fore. Without him, they’d have little hope of progressing. We were encouraged to join the children and listen to them read. So, a group of Aussie, English and Canadian tourists sat at the tiny desks and tried to communicate. I was as nervous as the student I sat with. She was shy, and her English wasn’t brilliant, although her shyness may have held her back. We read from an English book. I seemed to do a lot of the reading while she watched me. I have little to no experience talking to kids as I never had any, and although I’ve been around family and friend’s kids, I always felt awkward. So, there we were, both feeling shy, but when the teacher got the kids singing an English song, and we all joined, she smiled and softened.

The experience was incredibly humbling. These people have so little, and yet here was a man who gave up his time to teach English to a bunch of kids. It’s not compulsory for the kids to attend, but they do because they want a brighter future and know the importance of education. It took me back to my youth. Learning English was where my love of story developed. It took many years to eventuate, but it has to start somewhere. I couldn’t help but wonder if any of the kids in the class would become writers. I hope so. That old expression, ‘from little things, big things grow,’ seemed apt.

While in Vietnam and Cambodia, we visited many temples. More so in Cambodia. Two Buddhist monks gave us a blessing. We learned that young boys go into monasteries to gain an education. They can rejoin the outside world once they’ve done so. One of our guides in Cambodia was one such man. He was warm, informative, had excellent English and a great sense of humour. I don’t think he stopped smiling the whole time he was with us. I have him pinned as a future character. Another character was one of the waiters on the riverboat. He was another one always smiling. He asked me to write his story when he learned I was an author. I’m sure he has a fascinating story to tell. I probably need to go back and learn more about him before venturing down that path.

Angkor Wat Temple was a highlight. I’m in awe of ancient civilizations who built these unique places. The history and stories etched into the walls leave you speechless. Around every corner was a story waiting to be told. These places ooze material. I have a head of ideas but not enough hours in the day to put them all together, but that’s what travel does for a writer. It helps them write. On that note, I’ll close off for the year.

I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous New Year.

So, until next time, stay safe.

​Suzie