Advertisement
Published: January 8th 2007
Edit Blog Post
Angkor Wat
Just one of the thousands of pictures like this that were taken by all the tourists in the wee hours of the morning. After finally getting back to Thailand and enjoying some much needed beach time after suffering the cold of North America, Jas, James and I have finally left Thailand after over two months of fun in the sun. While I enjoyed Thailand very much and seeing everyone there I was excited to get back on the road and see some new sights.
So after arriving back in Bangkok we quickly booked an 18 hour bus trip to Siem Reap. As soon as you cross the boarder the fact that Cambodia is a less developed country becomes quickly apparent: there's garbage everywhere, a higher number of motorcycles as few people can afford cars and an even larger number of pedestrian traffic. In fact much of Cambodia has reminded me of my time in Africa. The roads so far have been few and far between and have mostly been dirt and pot-holed which means that it is almost impossible to sleep while driving or to keep your clothes free of dust. For almost an hour of our first bus ride fires burned far off into the horizon on both sides of the road. Whether people were burning garbage, grass or just trying to
Siem Reap...
Motorcycles, cars, tuk-tuks and various other means of transportation clog the roads of Siem Reap.. cook something is unclear, regardless the effects were the same: large layers of smoke that drifted across the land blurring the road and filling your lungs. The bus itself, while solely surving tourists was overcrowded and barely able to run. While there are some buses for the locals most seemed to rely on getting on the back of a pickup or a truck whether there was room or not.
Siem Reap which is the second largest city in Cambodia and a base for the millions of tourists a year who come to visit the infamous Angkor Wat was the first stop in our trip and has brought back fond memories of Kampala. The center of town has almost all the amenities a westerner could desire including nice restaurants that have wireless internet for labtops or five star hotels, of which there are a suprising number. However as one ventures away from the center any signs of luxury quickly slip away. Lining the roads are various market stands that are basically just wooden tables or blankets where people come to sell various fruits, and sea food. Where these are not located there is building after building (if you can call
The early bird catches the worm...
All in the name of getting some good shots of the sun rising over Angkor Wat. I also wanted to throw this up because James couldn't get a good shot. three sided shacks with corrugated iron roofs buildings) where shop and home are one and the same and every fifth building sells the same thing: either building supplies like PVC piping, a mechanics shop, medicine, furniture or some kind of restaurant. The streets are filled with motorcycle taxis that carry the people and their purchases, everything from bed frames to boxes to dead pigs. Rather than mini-vans though as a public means of transportation they use motrocycle drawn chariots. The rules of the road are much the same as well: the bigger your vehicle and the more you use your horn the more rights you have. Pedestrians are at the bottom of this food chain and the only thing that keeps us o.k. is that we're white.
Our first few days in Cambodia have been filled with many highs and lows. We had a very uncomfortable bus ride to get to Siem Reap from the boarder, during which the bus helpers were stalling so that we would show up late and have to stay at their place. When we finally arrived I would have wandered many kilometers looking for another guest house just after midnight if it were not
Some carvings...
Topless women are carved into almost every temple. I'm sure they represent one goddess or another. for the sensibility of my travelling companions. Thanks to them we have stayed our few days here in a surprisingly good guest house with hot showers and all. The bed bugs are a little annoying but what can ya do. Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples were well worth the visit and the day was topped off with a few cocktails. On the other hand Jas and James braved some rather sketchy burgers from a corner gas station. Unfortunately Jas was the loser in that one contracting a pretty bad case of food poisoning. James and I, in silent support of his ordeal, woke up for every one of his trips to the toilet in the night. I know many of you thought Jas could get no skinnier and I would have believed the same until we all got out of bed today. I just hope we make it to Australia before he disappears. While the city has finally grown on me, tomorrow we head off to the capital Phnom Phen to shoot some guns.
Something to ponder: How is it that many of the ruins, including the art work and sculptures are seemingly identical in Central America and
Before restoration....
Thousands of workers are in the area trying to peace together what was once, and still is an amazing bundle of temples... South East Asia?
Advertisement
Tot: 0.188s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 22; qc: 75; dbt: 0.1282s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
jord
non-member comment
Jas is ds'ing isnt he.....