Three Destinations Starting With B/ Culture Shock Strikes Again!


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September 1st 2006
Published: September 1st 2006
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B the first- Battambang. This is the second largest city in Cambodia and, except the motorbike chaos around the central market, it's a pretty chilled out town. I took the boat from Siem Reap to there (well, slightly skanky village south of Siem Reap to there) and was amazed (even after Kampot) how much of the land was swallowed up by water: we were floating through waterways so narrow that they were obviously nonexistent during the dry season. Apparently during the dry season the boat only goes part of the way and you have to do the rest by bus, so I guess there ares ome advantages to coming here right now. It was a good trip, sitting on the roof of a boat, trying not to get sunburn, seeing the riverine people of rural Cambodia going about their business and getting hit in the face by trees (maybe not so good, that bit).

In so what did I get up to in Battambang once I got there? Well, soaking up the atmosphere, walking in the park, watching the market from my shared balcony, not being able to sleep due to said traffic and, of course, a tour of the countryside on a motorbike. As well as getting me covered in dust, I got to witness two more old (unimpressive) temples, some interesting caves (including arather grisly Khmer Rouge 'killing cave'), a modern temple, a really big hill and took a jaunt on Battambang's infamous 'Bamboo Train' ('Nori' in Khmer). This is run due to fact that, although the French built a rail system in Cambodia, the only train that runs goes between Phnom Penh and Battambang or vice versa once a day. Therefore, the locals decided to use this track as cheap transport by sticking a bamboo mat and frame on two sets of wheels and running the whle thing along the track with a small motor. It carries people and goods, so my driver, his bike, me and some other people got on at a 'station' outside town and got taken to a roadjunction a bit closer to town. It was a great ride, despite the fact that, since there was only one track, if two noris met up the lighter one would have to dismantle (easier than it sounds) to let the other through, resulting in a delay. Still, ingenious!

B Number 2- Border. After knocking around this place for a couple of days I had to go, specifically to Thailand so that I could catch the plane taking me to another plane which takes me home. However, since my bus arrived at the border at about 4PM I was faced with staying thenight at the Cambodian border at Poipet (not appealing- ten minutes in Poipet is too much. The stretch between the Cambodian and Thai borders was full of massive casinos and stands bulk selling cigarettes, meaning that Thais can leave their more puritan homeland to indulge in gaming and lower taxes without actually having to cross Cambodian immigration. This and the possibility for poor Khmers of sneaking into wealthy Thailand and getting work are the only attractions Poipet as a town has for anyone), arriving in Bangkok, an unfamiliar metropolis at some point after 8PM and trying to find somewhere decent to stay (also not appealing) or overnighting in the small Thai border town of Aranya Prathet. It's really a pretty small, boring Thai town, but I amazed at how developed and westernised it was compared to Laos, Cambodia or even Vietnam. There were sealed, first world highways (contrasting with Cambodian dirt roads) McDonalds and 7-11 at every corner and, more importantly for me, nobody was going to take my dollar bills. They had their own stable currency, thanks very much, so it was lucky I had got some Baht in Battambang before I left.

So I stayed the night. Sampled some Thai street food (nice). Started to get rewesternised. Got a bus to Bangkok the next morning, the good roads meaning good speeds rather than the snail's pace I was used to.

One more B- Bangkok. Thais actually call it Krungthep, which is a K, but us farang (foreigner, or more specifically French but they use it for all of us) call it Bangkok and they decided to humour us on that score.

Anyway, I got here (by bus then metered taxi- no need to bargain!) and took a room in some cheapish place (by Bangkok standards) near Thanon Khao San, backpacker capital of Asia and probably the world. It's pretty dazzling when you first see it, the big lights and signs, the crowds, the characters hanging around and the fact that you seem to be able to buy anything here (fake press card to go with your obscene t-shirt?) all add up to something pretty jaw dropping when you first see it. For many people this is their first experience in Asia and might overwhelm them enough to send them straight back to their room (just like Saigon did to me, I guess), though the sheer westernisation of this place means that it'd probably be one of the better starting points to have- I'd definitely choose it over Saigon.

Things I've done in Bangkok?
- Spontaneously took part in a vegetarian Thai cooking class. "Do you want some free food? Tasty, huh? Want to join in?" turns out to be an excellent sales tactic and I now some Thai food skills to use, though how I'll get galangal and and kaffir lime leaves on student means remains to be seen.
- Went shopping and got used to higher prices. The 200 Baht (about $5 or about 3 pounds) that people were asking for t-shirts on Khao San seemed pretty steep (they'd probably go for somewhere around $2, depending on bargaining skills, in Laos or Cambodia) but when I saw a Quicksilver jumper with a price tag of just under 4000 Baht ($100 or about 60 pounds) in a Siam Square shopping mall (the place to go for overpriced gear in Thailand) I almost fainted- I wouldn't even pay that at home! Indeed, the air conditioned shopping palaces at Siam Square seemed incredibly surreal after the the relative squalour of the ex-French bits of Southeast Asia. Reverse culture shock indeed.
- Saw even more temples (and palaces). Bangkok's premier tourist attractions are the incredibly opulent Grand Palace (which contains the Emerald Bhudda pagoda), the most jewel encrusted place I've ever seen and Wat Pho, which contains a reclining Bhudda that is bigger that my house (well, longer and almost as tall).
- Travelled around on boats in sewer like canals and on the Skytrain, a sci-fi mass transit system which contrasts hugely with the grubbiness of the rest of the city.
- Ran into other people I met all over Asia- all roads lead to Bangkok, apparently.
- Got prepared for home.

In short, Bangkok is rehabilitating me from life on the road to life at home and Singapore should probably step up this process when I go there tomorrow. Probably give you one last update at home. Bye!

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