India-Asean Car Rally 2004 (Part 2)- Travel And Leisure Article

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Travel And Leisure - India-Asean Car Rally 2004 (Part 2)

By : Ejji	Previous \| Next
Posted on : 11 Dec, 2005	Total Views : 3103

TAMU TO MANDALAY: On 25th Nov. the rally starts from Tamu to Mandalay. This is a lovely highway called India-Myanmar Friendship Project for the first 150 km, the total distance between Tamu and Mandalay being 320 km. The entire remaining 120 km in the middle is a sand track kicking up a fine red dust. It was nerve wrecking driving this bad stretch, which was added on the rally route as a test of driving skill for rallyists. Visibility was nil, since a cloud of red dust kicked up by the car before you, made you stop and/or crawl! To keep up the designated speed was also difficult, as the tyres had no surface traction (grip) since the red sand was as fine as talcum powder and was nearly a foot thick. Therefore even a very normal turn on the curve, dragged the vehicle due to disproportionate centripetal and centrifugal forces acting on the front and rear wheels. This road passed through literally uninhabited areas of Myanmar. We would have hardly seen 2 or 3 vehicles, mostly vintage Toyotas in the entire stretch. The road also crossed two mountain ranges totally devoid of trees, but full of huge rocks. We thought this was a real test of driving skill, as we did not know about what was lying ahead for us in the Shan Hills! �Myanmar red-guards� were in attendance along this highway and sand road. It was an experience seeing the �Red Guards�, about whom positive and negative reports have appeared in the world press from time to time. But at every village and town, the Myanmarese were there, out in Sunday best, waving flags and clapping. This with the usual ceremonial receptions along the way was impressive. But, it looked to us more like a government directive to the public to welcome us than the spontaneity we saw in the North East states of India. The crowds lining the highways were equally spaced, waving similar flags issued by some single authority. The entire route had army personnel with arms and ammunition at perfect intervals. As expected, the police and military dissuaded us from stopping anywhere except at designated stops. Suddenly this sand road hits the main highway again. And what a relief, but all vehicles suddenly looked a common red color. So did some of the rallyists. Sand from the road! The drive on this road necessitated cleaning of air filters. The cleaning air filters of the vehicles made one realize how much of the sand had choked the air filters. Our drive through Myanmar was the most interesting part of the rally. First, it was hard to believe that the military government accepted to let us pass through. Second, the military precision of the entire trip. Lastly, it showed us that smiles are always absent from any population that is kept submissive to pressure. The Military Government had enforced a total ban on vehicular movement on the roads for the duration of the rally. The rally route was lined with Myanmarese civilians and military personnel at absolutely equal distances. They were waving similar flags issued undoubtedly by some single authority. They were dressed in their Sunday best. Only local dresses, no western clothes. Not a single piece of a flying paper or litter on the road. All signboards, road pavement borders, every single piece of numerous wooden bridges, markers, poles, milestones (wherever they were available), everything that one finds on the roads were freshly painted. Later on we heard that from making sure the rally route was litter free, to painting anything and everything, standing on the roadside at specific points wearing their Sunday bests waving the flags issued immaterial of the time of day or night, it was a Government stage managed show. I was able to discern these differences as my wife and I have driven through Myanmar, though not from India and across the border, a few years ago. Things a normal traveler sees in Myanmar are in total contracts to what had been arranged for this road show. I was convinced that though Myanmar had gone out of the way to facilitate this rally, it was a country governed with total brutality. A breathtaking reception at Monywa a huge town was the lunch stop, before we hit Mandalay. Here the whole town of Monywa was all around the venue, shouting and waving, while two huge buildings in the resort hotel served as the reception areas. On inquiry I found that all educational institutions here had declared a holiday for the rally, and all students in their uniform had been asked to be part of the reception. The night halt at Mandalay was in the best hotel in town, The Meridian Mandalay Hill Resort. In the hotel, along with dinner, was a press conference and cultural program attended by high-ranking generals from the Myanmar Military, who looked rather uncomfortable meeting with us and answering questions from the media. A particular media person, part of the rally, was summarily dismissed by the military from the hall for asking �difficult� questions! We also found that cell phones were jammed and popular sites on the internet like yahoo and hotmail were blocked! That�s Myanmar security for you! MANDALAY TO LOILEM: The next morning 26th Nov. saw the rally cars being flagged off by the local military commander at 5 am. The road goes through a small town called Kalaw. This used to be a popular hill-station with the British and many colonial bungalows still exist. This town has many Shans, Indian Muslims, Bamars and Nepalis (Yes!- Gurkhas retired from British military service). Just outside Kalaw, the Tata Marina, being driven by a foreign team developed a problem that Tutu Dhawan diagnosed as a torn engine gasket. Since there was no gasket with the spares being carried, it was decided to get the car towed to Loilem, our stop for the night and have one crewmember stay back for repairs. Tatas and the Indian High Commission arranged for a spare gasket to be flown in and the car was repaired and driven to join the rally further down at the Thailand-Laos border town of Nong Khai. Fairly good roads took us to Loilem on the Shan Hills after a grand lunch cum reception at the Aye Thar Yar Golf Resort in Taunggyi. A world-class resort and golf course, this place is the pride of Myanmar, where foreigners fly in to play golf, as it is cheaper than doing the same in their own country. Needless to say the Myanmarese are proud of it, but we learnt that much of the money for these projects comes from drug lords in the neighboring areas of the Golden Triangle and illegal trade of gems and stones. Quite a few Indians (Punjabis and Sikhs) live in Taunggyi. Longhaired smugglers in army fatigues saunter down the streets alongside turbaned Shan people and well groomed Chinese businessmen. I don�t know why, but nearly everyone here is dressed in army fatigues with Mao caps! The day, or rather night ended in Loilem, the accommodation being in a Government Technical School. But it is interesting to note that such a massive new facility in the hills, incorporating the best of architectural designs and comfort could be built in so desolate a place. This world-class facility right in the middle of nowhere had been converted into a hotel for us. It now had huge dining halls in each of the 5 floors, handicrafts shop, bar, restaurant, but common toilets for each floor. The bar here supplies all popular brands of liquor along with Myanmarese brands. The most popular snack in the bar being �fried sparrows�, a Shan delicacy. It was way past mid-night when we slept at Loilem in near-zero temperature and after re-fueling and dinner. We could see the military standing guard outside the school all through the night. No one was allowed to leave the premises, for reasons you will know soon. LOILEM TO KENGTUNG: The drive from Loilem to our next halt on 27th Nov. was delayed a bit as the army had information that there was some trouble nearby from some rebels and militant groups. After an all clear was sounded, the rally moved on. This was the most dangerous and thrilling drive in the entire rally. An interesting feature in Myanmar was the crossing of these Shan Hills in Northern Myanmar. This is an area that the Myanmar Military has no control over. The Shan rebels have declared themselves an autonomous state and for all purposes have their own laws in that region. The hills are heavily wooded and the roads are nothing more than ordinary boulder tracks. The military has never been allowed inside the Shan hills. Their planes do not even over-fly these hills as the average teenage rebel soldier is never without a rocket launcher on his shoulder. But, for the India-Asean Rally, the Myanmar military were offered a 48 hours cease fire by the Shan rebels as a goodwill gesture. The road across the Shan Hills is a dirt track, at heights up to 8000 feet, most of them only on boulders. Some tracks pass through fast flowing rivers and under waterfalls cascading over dangerous precipices. In such places the tracks are slippery mud/clay surfaces that are inclined at nearly 60-degree incline, giving moving vehicles no ground traction (grip). One miscalculation in speed, momentum or turning angle and you end up thousands of feet over the hills into the valley below. The roads were lined on one side with the Myanmar military and on the other side with Shan rebels, both groups armed to the teeth. An extraordinary sight indeed! (The Shan rebels and the Myanmar military allowed us to take their pictures with them while still sporting their shoulder-rocket-launchers, smoked our cigarettes and even gave us their tendu leaf Mandalay cheroots!). The details of the truce were so perfect, that in the event of a Myanmarese military soldier and a Shan Rebel soldier both walking together to meet us, they had even agreed upon whom, (the Myanmarese soldier or the Shan rebel) should walk in front and who should follow! Extra helicopters of the Myanmar Army hovered overhead in the hills till the rally passed. Every section of the Shan Hills was passed in stages after the warring factions sounded an all clear. The most nervous of the rallyists were those driving next to police and military escort vehicles, since any attack by the rebels was sure to target them first. Driving this treacherous stretch alone at an average speed of 20 km/ hour took nearly 20 hours! The skill of many a driver was tested on this stretch. Especially when the rally cars had to cross a swollen river- drive right across the flowing river! The recovery cars were sent in advance across the river and with winches ready, were available for any emergency. Many drivers revealed their fear of driving through rushing water at this spot! Lunch stop with the usual cultural do was in a small army facility with a mountain village nearby at Kunhing (altitude 5297 feet). We were surprised to see many Indian families with their children dressed in Indian dresses welcoming us. They told us that there were about 210 Indian families of the third generation in that Shan Village and they were originally from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Not one of them whom we met had ever been to India. They were traders with provision shops they said, and were able to speak Hindi, perhaps keeping the language alive at their homes and among themselves. The American dollar seemed to be standard currency in all these places. We saw more US dollars floating around in these hills than the Myanmar Kyat (pronounced chat). Cigarettes are sold @ 1 US dollar per pack. Ask them how many kyat it would be, and they do not know! Just on the highway near a bridge we managed to catch a glimpse of large underground bunker entrances by the side of the river. Though we tried our best to stop for photographs, the security team was not too happy. (It must be said to the credit of our participants, that one rallyist managed to click pictures!) The night halt was at Kengtung, which we reached way past midnight through this dangerous mountain path. An unexpected and unparalleled driving experience. Night driving on these tracks with no side-walls/embankment! Even at freezing temperatures, civilians/military men and women were at every corner/ junction/ hairpin bend with boards painted with an arrow, showing which way the road was turning! Incredible sight. More than the sight, it helped a lot in near zero visibility, as one wrong turn spells doom on these mountain tracks. The local people were all outside their homes at that time, again with flags, clapping and waving us on. Stage-managed? The town of Kengtung, built around a small lake in perhaps the most strategic location in Myanmar, is a very French looking town. It is filled with large villas built by the drug lords. Heavily fortified houses, but the sign of abundant money is visible everywhere, in a country where poverty is the norm. It is filled with SE Asian and Chinese tourists and has many large new hotels and resorts. Kengtung is equidistant from the borders of China, Lao PDR and Thailand, all a few hours drive away, and is the center of commerce for the drug lords of the Golden Triangle. Few westerners are seen here. The officials and cars of the United Nations Drug Control Project are everywhere, making the local population think that all foreigners are very rich. Kengtung, the most scenic town in Shan State was the night halt for that day. KENGTUNG TO PHITSANULOK (Thailand): On 28th November, the rally moved out of Kengtung, (when we see world class highways and modern cars for the first time since start). The wonderful highway that starts here immediately goes to cross the mountain range. You do not realize the gradient, till some vehicles struggle to climb the highway. A little help, a little push, a little technical advice on how to start in a gradient after a stall, and the stranded vehicles slowly inch their way up. After a ceremonial send off by the accompanying Myanmarese Military General at the border town of Tachilek (Myanmar) we crossed into Thailand at their border town of Mae Sai. (In Thailand cars drive like in India, on the left side of the road.) We had driven more than 1378km inside Myanmar and had seen nothing more than 15 vehicles on the roads. Entering Thailand reminded me of entering West Berlin from the East before the Berlin wall came crumbling down. As soon as we entered Thailand, the cell phones started working. There is a very funny immigration rule here. A Thai national can get a day long visa to enter Tachilek (Myanmar) for a fee of US$5, but that entry is restricted to a radius of 5km on the Myanmar side. The bridge connecting the 2 countries sees around 3000 Thais cross over every day for purchases and perhaps smuggling on the sly. We arrived to the welcome of a lavish welcome ceremony attended by the Indian Ambassador to Thailand with lunch and cultural shows, courtesy the Thai Government. Further down the highway, the Tatamobile had a technical snag. Tutu diagnosed it again as a disengaged flywheel check nut. An automobile garage was found near the town of Phayo, and the garage owner was asked to repair the flywheel. The garage owner agreed to have the job done within 2 hours. The Rally Chairman decided that we take a 2 hours rest at a gas station while the car was being repaired. Exactly 2 hours later the garage owner came with the repaired car and told us through an interpreter, that Tutu�s diagnosis was correct, and wanted to know how Tutu diagnosed the problem without even opening the engine! It must be said that some of us were flummoxed the way Tutu Dhawan (one of the two rescue and recovery officers of the rally) made a diagnosis. A message would come over the radio from a car that had stalled. On the radio, the driver of the stalled car would explain the problem to Tutu. Even beforeTutu catches up with the stranded car, he would have asked a few questions of the driver and given instructions to do something over the radio. In most cases that turned out to be the correct diagnosis, and the driver himself would have sorted out the problem, without the stranded car even being seen by Tutu. Incredible! No wonder he is considered the �master of automobile mechanics� in India! From Phayo, we drove south to the Thai town of Phitsanulok on excellent expressways for the overnight stay. As has been the norm, the usual receptions and entertainment followed the arrival at Phitsanulok, attended by high-ranking Thai officials of the area. We were surprised that the hotel we stayed in had arranged for all rally cars to be washed at night. (The unwritten rule in the rally was that the driver and occupants should clean their car whenever necessary.) PHITSANULOK TO NONG KHAI: 29th. morning saw us staring at our cars and it took time to realize that the clean cars were the ones we drove! We turned east and drove to the border of Thailand and Lao PDR. This drive is through some of the most well protected �natural parks� or forest areas. Thailand lays much emphasis on preserving natural wealth and nearly every large tract of forestland has been declared a national park. The highways were excellent, many a time crossing mountain ranges, beautifully surfaced and banked at corners, making driving a real pleasure and allowing us to keep up very good speed. The overnight stop was in the Thailand border town of Nong Khai in a world-class hotel by the Mekong River. The repaired Tata Marina joined us here and the original team took over the car. The flag off next morning was only at 10am. The driving distance for the day to Lao PDR border and Vientiane was only less than an hour�s drive of 90km, (the shortest drive in the rally). The entire rally gang took it easy and let their hair down at a wonderful discotheque in the hotel, till the wee hours of the morning. I also was found that many rally participants were excellent singers and dancers, and the live-band at the discotheque were too happy to allow all the �ASEAN crooners and dancers� to perform that night! NONG KHAI TO VIENTIANE (LAO PEOPLES DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC): On 30th November, bleary-eyed drivers at the wheel of rally cars were escorted to the Lao PDR border, by an incredibly large convoy of Thai Harley Davidson Hell�s Angels Group (HD Bikes from the antique to the latest 2004 variety!). The HD Group was no different from the �bikies� you see in the USA or Australia. Same leather jackets, tattooed arms and chests, bulging muscles, beards, and (don�t quote me), grass!. A couple of the rally participants rode the Harley Davidson bikes up to the Lao PDR border much to the consternation of our rally safety officers. The very wide Mekong River separates Thailand and Lao PDR. No fences are found on the riverbanks. Yet the border officials claim that illegal crossing and crime are absent. The road crosses the Mekong River on the famous Friendship Bridge. The Indian Ambassador gave by the Lao PDR Government and a very colorful reception to Laos. A bevy of Laotian ladies, dressed in their national dress, gorgeous silks of various hues, stood all along the checkpoint, for the full length of the parked rally cars. This was a photo-op of a life time for many who used the one hour halt there to click pictures with some of the most beautiful women in Asia adorning perhaps the most colorful costumes you could ever imagine. The ASEAN Conference was in session in Vientiane. The Indian Prime Minister, who was there along with our External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh and the Prime Ministers of 9 other countries, flagged off the rally (ceremonial flag off of 11 lead cars only). This event was telecast live across the world by the DSNG van. Present with Manmohan Singh were Bounnhang Vorachit, Prime Minister of Laos, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono the President of Indonesia, Phan Van Khai the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Lee Hsien Loong the Prime Minister of Singapore, Junichiro Koizumi, Wen Jiabao the Prime Minister of China, Howard John the Prime Minister of Australia and Gloria Macapal-Arroyo the Prime Minister of Phillipines and others. This was the crowning moment of the entire rally. Not many can claim to have been within hand shaking distance of our own Prime Minister. But there we were just beside the heads of nothing less than 12 countries, 10 of them ASEAN countries. Who is the best looking? No contest there. Koizumi of Japan who looked like a rock star with his long hair and Arroyo of Phillipines a not-too-tall lady in a most gorgeous outfit. Lao PDR as a matter of abundant caution for the rallyists and the dignitaries at the ASEAN conference had closed its borders and roads for the duration of the conference. Only the rally cars were allowed into the country at the border and on all roads in Laos. RALLY STAGE 2 FLAG OFF (VIENTIANE): The flag off ceremony had its interesting moments when one of our rallyists went up to Manmohan Singh and gave him a bear hug. After Manmohan Singh and the SPG came out shaken, the second stage flag off went on as scheduled. Just when we thought we were going to be introduced to the PM, he started going back to his seat. But our Rally Chairman, Rajat Majumdar, who in working life is DG of Police West Bengal, went up to the PM and had a word with him, again much to the consternation of the SPG. Immediately the PM waved his hand and asked the rallyists to come forward and meet him. Even when we were shaking hands with Manmohan Singh our eyes were on Arroyo. A beautiful lady indeed. After the second flag off function, the rally went through a city tour of Vientiane with huge crowds lining the roads. Lao PDR again was holding the very important ASEAN Conference and the ASEAN Rally at the same time, generating a lot of interest among the citizens who are not used to such grand shows. The town was full of crowds waiting to se the rally move on. Even in a country like Lao PDR, it was surprising to note the reach of print and the visual media. Nearly every spectator, young and old, educated or not, was aware of the rally, its route, purpose, and also that the Indian Prime Minister was in their country. As everywhere, huge hoardings, buntings and arches were found all along the route. Vientiane has lovely monuments of Lao architecture. We had the privilege of seeing some of them. The predominant color of the roofs in the monuments- gold! And what a sight it was when seen at dusk with the setting sun. A booming town with a very large tourist industry, Vientiane has mammoth high-rise hotels dotting the skyline. An interesting industry in Lao PDR, is the cultivation of Agar trees. Agar trees were once found in large tracts of South East Asia including Assam in India. Now nearly wiped out from most of these parts, Lao PDR has embarked on Agar plantations all over the hills in the country. The specialty of the Agar tree is that, once the tree withers and starts dying after a certain age, due to a viral infection that infects the bark, basically two types of funguses, convert the bark into a veritable storehouse of agar perfume! No two portions of a single tree have the same perfume. The funguses covering the bark and trunk are so thick, making the trunk sink when floated in water! The perfume from this bark, called agar is worth weight for weight, more than gold. But the modern agar plantations have no time for this natural method of getting agar. These new plantations, grow seedlings nurtured from cuttings in their nurseries, and when they become large trees at an age of around 5 to 7 years, inoculate the tree with the disease-causing virus, in order to harvest the agar bark for use in perfume industry. (Is that how agarbathi got its name?) VIENTIANE TO HUE (VIETNAM): 1st December saw the rally driving from Vientiane across Lao PDR, (Lao PDR drives on the right side of the road), to the border with Vietnam. A wonderful country, Lao PDR has a very small population but good roads. Cattle that cross the highways (warning boards in place) restricted our speed at certain places. Another change of the military, police, escorts, helicopters and 2 receptions one on the Lao PDR side and one on the Vietnam side, temporary vehicle numbers were fitted on to each vehicle, and then the rally convoy moved on to Hue (the old capital of Vietnam) with the Indian Ambassador to Vietnam with us. I was told that every car when entering Vietnam by road is subject to a thorough check at the customs and the driver is given a 30-minute lecture on driving rules in the country. Luckily we were saved the bother. Vietnam does not allow any right hand drive vehicle to be driven on its roads. But a week before the rally, the Parliament in Vietnam convened to pass a special act that allowed the ASEAN rally vehicles that are right hand drive to be driven on Vietnam roads! Incredible hospitality! Even the route survey vehicles for the rally were not allowed earlier. The night stop was at Hue. The entry from Lao PDR at Lao Bao border to Vietnam is in a hilly region and it was nighttime when we were passing through. Heavy vehicles with goods and tourist transport vehicles are in abundance on the highways in Vietnam. Entering Vietnam, we are struck by the sudden upsurge in highway traffic. Hue is an old town with the original fortified city still intact. A few old bridges across the river were specially lit up for the rally making it ethereal and fairyland like. Overnight stay in Hue was a thrilling experience, the Vietnamese musicians, dancers and food making it a memorable experience. A cyclone had passed through this area 3 days earlier and it was still raining when we were there. HUE TO NHA TRANG: Next morning, 2nd December, we left Hue through a 7km tunnel through the hills, which has never been opened to traffic, cutting a driving distance of about 35-km to 7km. The Vietnam Government opened this most modern tunnel road, (which is still under construction), to traffic for the first time as a goodwill gesture. In Vietnam photography is banned at certain strategic locations including military bases we passed through and the police and military escorts enforce it very strictly. The drive in Vietnam was along the South China Sea coast and passed through My Lai. The same My Lai of the massacre fame when Agent Orange was used. The lunch program and reception that day was on the My Lai road, where the American army used the napalm bomb. Remember the world famous photograph of the naked girl arms stretched out fleeing a napalm bomb drop, which literally tilted the American public�s opinion on the war? This was that road! The population is very young, the older generation nearly wiped out in the Vietnam War. After perhaps the most scenic drive in the entire rally, the night stop was at Nha Trang a seaside resort town of great antiquity. Nha Trang is a very French looking seaside town, rated as one of the best beaches in the world. The entire beach drive is filled with hotels of the best quality and most of them new and high rise. There still are many quaint old-world heritage hotels in the city. Nha Trang is built in grids with square and rectangular roads. A tourist paradise that has a seamier side to nite life, it is a very popular destination in Vietnam. In the entire rally route, Vietnam can be said to be the most beautiful in natural scenery with modern cities and expressways going up mountains and rivers, though Myanmar can take a higher place if you consider the natural beauty in their hills, but without infrastructure and good roads. The world class highways in Vietnam, (except for some portions where the highways are being done up now), were filled with people from villages and towns who had gathered on roadsides to welcome the rally as in all countries. The official cultural presentations and receptions in every town were always marked by schoolchildren in traditional Vietnamese dresses welcoming us and performing shows. There are no fat people in Vietnam and every man and woman works. Literacy in Vietnam is an astounding 97% now. In certain areas affected by the Vietnam War, all buildings, including small village houses are new, as old buildings were bombed out flat. NHA TRANG TO HO CHI MINH CITY (SAIGON): Dec 3rd saw us driving from Nha Trang to Ho Chi Minh City formerly Saigon. There are many old Cham temples in Vietnam in various states of decay. Chams were from the Kingdom of Champa, who appeared in present day Danang area of Central Vietnam, around the 2nd century. They adopted Hinduism as a religion and Sanskrit as a �sacred language� (must have been the official or court language), and borrowed heavily from Indian art. Through lively commercial (maritime and land) relations with India, and the immigration of Indian literati and priests, Hinduism and Hindu art, religion and architecture had a phenomenal growth. Many Cham temples are scattered all over Vietnam and some in Cambodia. Chams were semi-piratic and were involved in fights with Vietnam in the north and Khmers in the south. They ruled till the end of the 17th century. There are still a few Chams left, very few, who follow Hinduism, wear white robes, speak a form of adulterated Sanskrit and do priestly duties in a couple of temples. There is a wonderful Cham Museum in Danang. Between Nha Trang and the Saigon we were able to stop the rally cars at a non-functional Cham Temple Complex for a photo session. Saigon is a city with more two wheelers than cars! Traffic is so dense, streets downtown so narrow, parking space at a premium, that most people own only 2 wheelers. The highways here are elevated expressways but traffic rules flouting is usual. Since we arrived fairly early in the evening, the rallyists were out shopping, pub hopping and taking in the sights and sounds of Saigon. That night there was a sit-down dinner for all the rallyists with champagne corks popping, hosted by the Vietnam Government. The exquisite dances of Vietnam and their traditional music with very rare musical instruments were the highlights of the night. Ho Chi Minh is not a �city� per se. It is the collective name for many divisions in that area, the downtown area being the Saigon Division. It is like saying that Madras is the �George Town� area, but the different areas around it constitute �Chennai�. SAIGON TO PNOM PENH (CAMBODIA): After starting from Saigon on 4th Dec. a modern expressway takes you to Moc Bai 58 km away, the border town in Vietnam to enter Bavet the border town in Cambodia. After the usual formalities, the rally entered Cambodia another wonderful but war ravaged country. The drivers were warned never to turn off any road, or to stop anywhere or walk to the side of the road, as every bit of the ground in the country is still filled with land mines. Innumerable boards will warn you of land mines still live, wherever you went. The rally cars were put on a ferry on the Mekong River to add novelty to the whole exercise. The ferry docked further up the highway and we drove to the capital Pnom Penh for the overnight stay. A very big French town, it was full of maimed persons all over the place. Persons who had been maimed in the war against Pol Pot or who had stepped on to land mines. The population there is very young, but like in Vietnam, Pol Pot exterminated much of the older population in the late 60s. Almost every citizen has lost most of his family members. Poverty stares at you in the face. Roads are bad. Pnom Penh is a favored destination for many around the world. There is an amazing network of underground tunnels carved by the Pol Pot regime extending to an incredible 700-km. There is a genocide museum, which show cases the brutality of the Pol Pot regime. The Indian ambassador was with us all the time from the border with his staff.

Written By : Ejji

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