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Published: August 11th 2006
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Tuk tuk to the temples
A great way to get around, the tuk tuk, beats taking two different motorbikes for all four of us! Today, all four of us had breakfast at the guesthouse and piled into the Tuktuk with Savin our driver. Tuktuks in Cambodia tend to be little trailers that are strapped on to the back portion of the motorbike’s seat. They have room for 4 people: two facing backwards and two forward. Top speed for one of these babies is about 40kph (about 25mph). It’s okay, because the Angkor complex is only about 4 miles north of town. The ride out is quite pleasant and breezy and heads past a hospital, cinema and “stadium” (really it’s just a field with some stands) which was hosting some carnival rides when we went by. Our first stop was a chance for Jo and Will to see Angkor Wat. Viv and I played tour guide having been there the day before. The next stop, the ancient city of Angkor Thom and the several temples within its walls were fun to visit according to the kids. There is a 8 meter high wall that surrounds the whole complex, it was built to keep the Cham enemy from the east out (we’ll hear more about them when we get to Vietnam) . The temple of Bayon has
Bayon Temple
Thats a stack of bricks! Pretty amazing pile of blocks. There are lots of them surrounding the site too; they're being numbered and replaced. The amazing thing is we saw some workmen take a stone block from the grounds nearby to help get a truck out of a mud puddle! We couldn't believe it. 54 towers with the face of Lokesvara on them; four on each tower. In other words, there are a lot of four faced heads at this temple; everywhere you go there are faces looking at you. On our way in to this temple, we met two old women who were working as caretakers of shrines at the temple. While Will was making an offering, Jo was watching one of them prepare some betel nut to chew. They offered her some and she pointed to me. I decided to give it a try. You don’t actually just chew the nut, you must cut a portion of it and chew it with some sort of leaf and a little bit of white paste. I guess I should really know what it is that I’m chewing , but I was game to give it a try. I have tried it before in Vietnam, but this didn’t taste like I had remembered it. It is definitely an acquired taste, and is so very bitter. I guess it’s sort of akin to chewing tobacco. You have to spit as you chew and it’s a nasty brown saliva. The two ladies had a good laugh as
I turned green chewing it. It actually gives a you little buzz and a taste that takes a while to leave your mouth. The ladies who chew it all day have reddish brown teeth.
Viv and I spent some time looking around other portions of the Angkor Thom complex, while Will and Jo waited for us with Savin. Theoretically, there are supposed to be no guides other than ones registered with government/ Angkor complex. In reality, there are lots of kids and teens that hang out waiting to befriend visitors and show them around. They never say that they want money until the end, when they’ll ask for various amounts, sometimes $5, sometimes a dollar. I guess it’s good that they’re not just begging and are willing to earn what they get. They really seem to know the historic dates and interesting sites on the temple grounds. If you don’t want to deal with them, you can just ignore or tell them (repeatedly) that you don’t need their help. This is, in fact, the same strategy that you can incorporate all over southeast Asia in dealing with hotel, bar and tour touts, food and drink hawkers, and other sales
My betelnut partner
Many Cambodian women once widowed will shave their heads and become temple workers.... people. I learned to include a new tactic as well. The first few words I learned to say in Khmer were “no” and “thank you”. These seemed to work well, and to be honest, no one really got so annoying that they caused a problem; you just have to have patience. Loosing your cool and yelling is especially bad form in Cambodia, so it’s not an option really.
There are times when the kids are just too darn persistent or too cute to turn down. I know Jo and I both have given in a number of times to the postcard sellers, drink sellers, and various other peddlers. One girl named Van at Angkor Wat remembered me from the day before and was waiting to greet me when I came back the next day with Jo and the kids. Of course we couldn’t turn her down, we ended buying several drinks from her. They know all the angles and can do their pitches in several languages impressively enough. Some, especially the bangle and postcard sellers, just count out there goods to show you how many you get, “Mr., postcards? 1-2-3…10”. You have to hand it to them, they are
a village house not far from the ruins
It's amazing how similar the houses look to Malay kampong houses top-notch sales people and should probably be teaching their techniques at university level marketing programs.
While out wondering around, Viv and I fell prey to both such people, the guide and the pedalers. One guy, the age of 14, gave us a “tour” of the ruins behind Baphuon, even walking past the tourist police with us. They laughed at his brazenness as we passed them. Shortly after he left us, Viv and I bought drinks from some girls at a nearby village. The 10 year old and her 5 year old friend were very cute and actually quite sweet. They chatted with Viv and me for a while and even gave her a small gift of a bracelet after we bought some of their postcards.
After a few more temples, it was time to call it a day and get some dinner. We eventually ended up at this place in town called the Blue Pumpkin that looked more like it belonged in the US, Singapore, Europe. It’s a modern restaurant with a hip design to it, free wi-fi wireless, air/con and large overstuffed sofas. Jo brought her laptop and did some work while we ate and stayed afterwards
Viv and Khmer girls
These are two of the little girls that we met while out wandering amongst the ruins. Okay, we were just a little bit lost, but it was a nice visit. while we looked around the town’s central market.
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Stacy
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Not fair!!
Not fair that Viv and Will got to ride an elephant... I want to tooo... Looks like fun.. I bet the temples get a little creepy late in the day with all the shadows..