Thailand & Cambodia - with Photos

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Hi Again!
I spent an hour updating this last night, and the whole time I was typing, the connection was lost, and I wasted a whole hour! When I last wrote, I was in an internet place in Hong Kong. When I left, it was 11 pm, and the town was still going strong! I'll insert all my photos tomorrow night (I burned all my photos onto a CD, to make room on my memory card, and I didn't bring the CD with me - sorry!) The metro in Hong Kong is great; it zipped me to the airport and saved me a ton on a taxi! On the way, I found raw cashews (they taste nothing like what we're used to!), but I needed more 'just in case' food.

On arrival to Thailand, I made my way to the guesthouse, where I thought I was supposed to meet my friend, but it was the wrong one, and a real dump to boot! It was late though, so I toughed it out, and checked out first thing the next morning, without even showering, it was that bad. A real backpacker flop house! The next one was great, and Julie and I spent the next day chilling out. This area was great, and had so many convenient services geared to tourists. The restaurants are all pretty much open-air, and there was one selling fresh fish & squid cooked over fire, so I had a nice safe red snapper for $3 US. Many places offer jiuce blends, and I had a really good pineapple/banana one. They could be addictive! I took a river 'bus' in the evening, to find out there were no more going back to the pier where I embarked.... so, when I finally got back to my neighborhood, I gave my aggravated body one of those famous Thai massages for $5 US/hour. The massage room was on the 2nd floor of a salon, lined with mattresses on the floor, covered with sheets. There were divider curtains hanging from the ceiling, but they weren't using them. I was told to put on this gigantic pair of cotton boxer-like shorts that went down to my knees. Since I was expected to change right there with another (male) tourist getting a massage a few mattresses down, I put them on under my skirt, then slid off my skirt! This girl twisted me like a pretzel, and actually climbed onto the mattress with me, using her body and mine for leverage, to add strength to whatever body part of hers she was using to massage me. I probably won't get a thai style massage again! Julie and I left for Cambodia the next morning, but when I get back to Bangkok, I'll make it a point to get better acquainted with those boats!

I read about the 12-hour bus trips booked from the backpacker area I was in (I was in a nice quite part), so we decided to go independent. We got our tickets for the first leg from the Bangkok bus station, and it took 4 1/2 hours. The package trips can take up to 7! The we caught a local 'tuk tuk'to the Cambodian border crossing. Those with the package are told their transport would be waiting, but it rarely ever is. Then we had to go through immigration and get our visa, which is $20 US - the price is even posted. But, I read that they'll try to squeeze 1,000 - 1,500 Thai baht out of tourists (between $30 - $44 US) for éxpress'service, or you's have to wait 'long time', and sure enough', they did. We said we'd wait. After about 15 minutes of not showing irritation we had out visas. Mind you now, these are instant visas, and we beat the backpacker buses, so there were no other tourists there really. just a couple Japanese tourists, but when he tried it with them, they went to the office where you show your visa, and got it from them! Then onto the next corruption hurdle - the transport to Siem Reap, the town where we were headed. There's a free tourist shuttle bus to the bus/taxi yard. No other transport is allowed in this area (it's the last chance for the government to get more money from you), so you're stuck. The bus is $10 US (Cambodia uses the reil and US dollar), but can take up to 7 hours. A share taxi is $45 for the car ($30 to the driver, $10 to the government, and $5 to the kid who followed you there). But, the mafia taxis try to get more, and can get very nasty if you don't pay. Which of course we didn't. They told us $60 (a common amount) - we told them $40 (so we could go up to $45), but they held fast, and Julie and I got comfortable, and talked to another tourist there. I guess when they see you're willing to wait it out, they finally comply. They said $50, we said $45, and this went on for 5 more mintes, until he finally said, OK $45, and off we went. The road was completely unpaved the entire way. I don't know how those taxi drivers make any money, with maintenance and all. The gas here is about $1 US a liter, but this taxi ran on propane, so it didn't cost as much. People think the road stays unpaved because Bangkok AIrways has a monopoly on the Bangkok-Siem Reap airline route, so the government makes sure it never gets 'done.' So far, no reason to doubt it! We made it in about 3 1/2 hours, so we had time to check out the town. Of course the driver said he didn't know where our guest house was (they don't pay the drivers commission), but we wouldn't leave the taxi, and he finally found his way with some help from the guesthouse staff. The drivers will take you to the guesthouses that pay tghem commission, no matter where you wnat to go. Ours did, but we wouldn't get out!

The next morning we hired a tuk tuk for the day, and went to the famous Angkor Wat temples, where we climbed and climbed some more. You can take 3 days to tour the temples, but we've both seen so many in our travels, we were good! We talked with the little local girls selling stuff there, and found that they work in the morning and go to school in the afternoon, or vice versa. One little girl spoke English very well - she was really able to articulate, and she also spoke Italian, and another language - all from having conversations with tourists. The roads in Siem Reap are unpaved for the most part, so extemely dusty and bumpy! After, we went to the floating villages on Tonle Sap lake, passing probably the poorest part of Cambodia I've seen yet. And the dust is so bad, the locals wore face masks and scarves around their faces when riding their 'motos'or bicycles! The last stop was the landmine museum - very sad. I was feeling a bit shaky after all the climbing and bumping up & down on the tuk tuk, so I just had my hair washed (and as usual, the girl did a great job) before turning in early to be awake the next morning for the bus to Phnom Penh. Before bed, I had a fresh local fish from the river for $2.50 US, and while it wasn't 'bad,' the cook was, because there was something on it and I was ill in the morning, but luckily it didn't last that long. And knock on wood, I haven't been sick from any uncooked produce or ice - it's just been my head. Ánd, I've had iced coffee, and fresh vegetables and tropical fruit. I had some strange fruit from a couple of stands, and it was good!

The bus ride was really nice, it only took about 5 hours, and the countryside is beatiful - no garbage, and neat 'yards'. And the entire road was very smoothly paved! Most of the houses were on stilts, and a lot of the land was swamp, and had wild lotus flowers growing on it. The houses were mostly thatched huts, or wood, build on lost that were built up with a foot or more of soil, built up 'driveways,' and lots of wild tropical foliage. Many had water buffalo for work, but most were so skinny, poor things. The nearer you got to a city, the more garbage you started to see. Also, lots of cute naked babies running around! Cambodians are so far, extermely interested in foreigners. I get tons of blatant stares, but when I smile at them (I can't smile at everyone who stares; it'd be a full-time job here!), they give me huge smile back! WE stopped three times, so I had a chance to 'talk' with the locals selling their stuff. I tried a winter melon drink in a can - which was good. I'll post photos of the fried grasshoppers, beetles, and huge fat (really) fried spiders for sale! A German couple bought a spider each, and also a can of beer each, to wash them down with! At another stop I had a can of soy milk and freshly sliced pineapple. Oh, and a ton of beggars here - everywhere, everyday.

When we finally pulled into the Central Market, where Hong Kong-like masses go to shop eveyday, and where the bus station happens to be, we were immediately accosted by a million taxi and tuk tuk drivers before we even could get off the bus! I took the fastest one that got to me, told him I'd pay a dollar (the going rate) and went off to the gust house where Julie stayed last year. It smelled bad from mosquito killer, so I went to another that was recommended online, but they were full, so the owner recommended a few others, and I chose a nice one on the Tonle Sap lakefront (and so cheap!).

I can't stress how important A/C is here!! Phnom Penh is small; last night I went back to that crazy Central Market, and tried four desserts. I really, really likes the coconut milk bread pudding! I had a girl there write down the names in Khmer, then had them translated at the hotel. Then I wasted an hour at an internet place, and today, I did all the tourist stuff: looked through the little stores and found a street with shops selling the work of local artists. After, I went to the Killing Fields, where the Khmer Rouge took the prisoners, and killed them (where all the mass graves were found) and then the school turned detention camp used during that time. After, I went to the Royal Palace, and strayed into an area where a lot of monks lived. It was really interesting talking to them!

Tomorrow I'm off to Ho Chi MInh City (old Saigon), so I'll be experiencing another overland border crossing. I'm sorry I didn't post photos! Tomorrow!!

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Photos

Bangkok, Thailand
Typical street scene

Poipet, border town, Cambodia
Dust, dirt and garbage. So there are no public trash containers in Viet Nam either.

on the road to Siem Reap, Cambodia
This is the gas station, meaning propane, which is much cheaper than petrol. Regular gas is available too, but you have to pour it through a funnel; there are regular gas stations in the cities.

Siem Reap, Cambodia
This fruit is better than it looks - mildly sweet & white inside, and it peels easily.

Siem Reap, Cambodia
One of the Angkor Wat temples - obligatory tourist photo

Siem Reap, Cambodia
Here are some unusual instruments

Siem Reap, Cambodia
I bought a t-shirt and a fresh coconut with milk from these girls. I told one girl if she wrote her address, I'd send them a photo. When I had it translated, she wrote, "My name is Cliva, sold something in front of srong (sarong) shop." Oh well...

Siem Reap, Cambodia
Just a few of the landmines found around Cambodia