Fearing for my life on Cambodian 'roads' and the temples of Angkor...

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Hi Everyone,

Hopefully you are all enjoying the rain back home!

So with my Thai visa about to expire (you only get 30 days upon entry!) I decided it was time to head to Thailands smaller, poorer and historically troubled neighbor Cambodia.

Having recently read a biography of Pol Pot which went into the history of the Khymer rouge I didn't really know what to expect. I had heard Cambodia was extremely poor and wherever you went you had the heartache of street children and mine victims to contend with... I was about to get my first lesson in Cambodia.

I decided to cross the border at the little used northern border with the humorous name of O Smach which conjured up images in my head of Irish drug addicts. As the border is little used by westerners it was a bit of a novelty for the border officials who set out trying to over charge me for the visa. They insisted on my paying in Thai Bhat to the sum of 1000 which is about $30. The day before I had researched how much I should pay and in which currency; my findings denoted a sum of $20 to be payed in hard US. So after some arguing and a bit of a stand off matey at the border agreed to be fair and take my $20.

The next part is where the adventure really starts...

Once in Cambodia the heavily westernised Thai culture is discarded quicker than a salad by a fat guy. This was made apparent to me when the road changed from nice smooth Thai tarmac to a harsh dusty track. I was still a good 4 hours away from the city of Siem Riep where I wanted to be so I had to negotiate a share taxi as Cambodia doesnt really have a bus service and especially from the desolation at the O Smach border. After some haggling I managed to secure a place in a car with a load of Cambodians. Unfortunately I had to wait around until the car was full which, at a very quiet border took a long time. Eventually we set off... 8 of us in a small saloon car. Well setting off was on my mind but not on that of the driver. Evidently he also runs a side business in logistics as we proceeded to house where the boot of the car was loaded with immaculately carved pieces of wood... the car was heavily laden!

Now it get interesting,

The road from O Smach to Siem Riep will be great in ten years time when it is finished for now its about 150km of construction site that my driver decided to take as fast as physically possible. So if you can imagine please there I was sandwiched in between two unphased Cambodian fellows praying to a God that I don't believe in for my life to be spares. We proceeded to squeeze between diggers at warp speed and hitting pot holes even faster. Eventually the inevitable happened and we broke down in the middle of no where with a flat tire. Luckily from the depths of the vat plains a local appeared and some hoe fixed the puncture with what looked like tar and a scrap of rubber... the resourcefulness is amazing (kwik fit eat you heart out!). Evetually we reached the main highway where I though I would be safe, the driver had other ideas he decided to once again challenge the barriers of what is possible in a heavily laden Toyota and drove at 120 mph on blind bends and through town which passed by my window in a blur of dust.

Finally I arrived in Siem Riep where I practically kissed the ground.

My first day there was just spent getting over the previous days terrorising so I wont bore you with the details.

Being a tight pennied traveler I could only afford the temples of Ankgor for a day at the price of $20. I was told that if you went and got your ticket the day before you got a free sunset and the whole next day bargain! This would have been great if I didn't get lost trying to find the ticket office and some how ending up at the temple and almost getting fined $100.

The next day then was the big one... I had to cram as much in to get my monies worth.

I decided to hire a bicycle again for the full day. Against my bodies will I arose at half four in the morning to make my way to the main temple for sunrise. During the ride there my head was filled with hatred at the package tourists in their air conditioned coaches. So there I was in the dark at the temples with a load of snap happy yanks in bright white trainers and polo shirts tucked into short and there I was sweaty and slightly smelly from a lack of a morning shower.

I will be honest with you hear I saw the sunrise at the Taj Mahal also and Angkor doesn't even compare. Yes it is impressive but the vast amounts of tourists put me off a little bit; also the fact that half of it was covered in scaffolding didn't help!

Off I rode then trying to evade the tourists to visit some of the smaller temples. By far my favorites of teh day were the Bayon temple with its large heads carved into the walls pointing in all directions and the 'tomb raider' temple which has been left unrestored and left to the jungle (insert Indiana Jones theme here).

There you have it an insight into a mad few days. I must admit the poverty here is crazy its different to the overpopulation poverty in India its more 'war stricken' these people have been through a lot. To try and help them I did go and give blood at the local children's hospital if you find yourself in Siem Riep do so also they really need the donations!

Peace out all!

Jack x

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Photos

Angkor Wat...
A slightly idiotic if tired Jack...

The faces of Bayon...
Attempting to get a bit artsy with the black and white setting on my camera.

After giving blood...
Seriously they need your help!