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Published: August 20th 2006
So we crossed into Cambodia just one week ago and the experience so far has been mind blowing. After a relaxing month on the beautiful Thai islands of Ko Tao and Ko Chang we set off to the border crossing at Hat Lek (Thailand) and Koh Kong (Cambodia). We were soon far from the slick "merry-go-round" of Thailands backpacker trail and immersed in the madness of Cambodia.
Don't get me wrong, the Thai people were lovely, but we found it a struggle to get to know some local Thai people as most we met were seriously worn out talking to well fed Europeans. Having only experienced the hugely popular southern islands this is perhaps unsurprising and we hope for better things when we return to explore the North of Thailand in a few weeks.
As I mentioned, the minute we crossed into Cambodia everything changed. Firstly we were met by heavy monsoon rains and some of the most corrupt looking border officials we have ever seen. We were wisked into a "taxi" (Khmer for beat up Toyota Camry) by some locals and brought to the border town of Koh Kong. Koh Kong has only been connected to the rest
It's all downhill from here
Our car to the right and some other travellers up ahead. Plenty of manpower if we needed a push!of Cambodia by a major road since 2002. It has the reputation of a den of drugs and prostitution and general insanity and we can clarify all boxes are ticked here. We made it to a guest house to discover that there was no boat running to Sihanoukville - our initial preferred destination - and the road had also washed away. The only way we could go is to take a "taxi" to Phnom Penh the next day as long as we could find two other people to go with us. Our new friends in the guesthouse were a fascinating bunch who were telling us all about their lives in the wild west of Cambodia. Within minutes we knew everyones name and were being entertained by our eccentric and heavily stoned hosts late into the night.
By the next morning, they had hooked us up with and American called Zak and a Japanese guy who didn't speak much English and a driver who had the most insane eyes you have ever seen. We had been told that the journey would take anything from 9 to 18 hours to Phnom Penh and so we hopped into our trusty Camry and
There's always time for a sale
Enterprising young Cambodian girl tempts us with crisps as we await our turn to board one of the ferries across the swollen rivers. set off into the unknown. Travelling in the rainy season here is definitely not for the faint hearted. Just minutes after leaving Koh Kong we were travelling in a total mud bath up and down hills that were in no way road worthy. Our driver took to the task like a man possessed and we were making good progress passing countless buses and overloaded pick-ups just stuck in the mud or with broken axles and flats. We had to cross 4 four hugely swollen rivers on the way and getting on and off each ferry was an adventure in itself. Sometimes we had to get out and push - other times we had to sit tight to add more weight to the car and on one occasion the driver tried to reverse onto a clearly overloaded "ferry" along with eight other vehicles. I was convinced we were going to capsize half way across the river but somehow it made it across. As I said after the plush air-con super highways of Thailand this was travelling again and it was fun fun fun!
When we eventually made it to the "good" high road to Phnom Penh it was half flooded
All aboard the bamboo train!
We've travelled on many trains but this one has to be the most basic! A piece of bamboo, a motor and a hair-raising trip along a partly broken track. Brilliant fun! as rivers and paddy fields on either side had burst their banks and at one point 20 local kids had to push us through at least three feet of water. It was a brilliant experience and the locals seemed to get a great kick out of us Westerners being stuck in the muck. After that our driver put the foot down and decided to form his own middle lane on the 2 lane highway to the capital. He did it all in 9 hours - unbelievable!
So finally we had arrived in Phnom Penh. Phnom Penh like all of Cambodia we have seen so far bears a huge scar. You can see it on the faces of the cities poor, on the begging land mine victims and on its faded and dilapidated river front that hints of better times. Only 30 years ago the Khmer Rouge were in power and set about winding the clocks back to year zero and butchering nearly two million Cambodians in four years. During that time they set up an interrogation and detention centre called Tuol Sleng (S-21) which we visited as it has now been turned into a Genocide Museum. We also visited
All aboard
It's amazing what a Toyota Camry can achieve in these conditions! the Killing Fields where the prisoners were brought to be murdered. It was a rather inconsequential field outside the town and now houses a large stupa in which remains of the victims have been preserved. It is with this in mind that you must look at Phnom Penh - almost everyone here has suffered in ways that its hard for us to imagine. If you speak to anyone about the past they all have a story to tell. One of the most harrowing moments of this day was looking at the biographies of the inmates of S-21 that now line the walls of the museum. Detailed accounts of peoples lives were taken on entry and stories of missing relatives are displayed beside pictures taken of the frightened victims on their arrival.
All this has lead the residents of Phnom Penh to have a very "live for the moment" attitude to life and this results in a great city to go out in at night time - especially on the weekends. We went to Elsewhere bar and Heart of Darkness nightclub and also to the beautiful old Foreign Correspondents Club which was a refuge for international journalists during the Vietnam
How many people can you fit in the back of a pickup?
People, chickens, bags of rice and possessions all packed into pickup trucks. War and now has really good food and great views of the huge Tonle Sap River. The city now seems safe and one of the most relaxed atmospheres of any Asian city we have been to. Our trusty tuk-tuk drivers Pol and Pat looked after us well throughout our stay, turning up at all hours to bring us around the city.
After 4 days in Phnom Penh we decided to take a trip to Cambodia's second city Battambang (pronounced Battam-bong). It was a relatively straight-forward 5 hour bus trip north-west of Phnom Penh and a logical stop for those planning on going on to the temples of Angkor in Siem Reap. On arrival, we were accosted by scores of moto drives trying to fight for business. Apparently there is intense rivalry between the Royal and the Chaya hotels in the town. The moto drivers are affiliated to one or other and get a commission from the hotel if you stay there. The journey cost us nothing and a $5 room with a bathroom and fan in the Chaya suited us down to the ground. Our first afternoon was spent exploring the town by foot. There is some beautiful old
Flat tyre
Bumpy roads and potholes proved too much for our Camry and we stopped off to change a tyre, much to the excitement of some local kids! colonial architecture in the town, some well preserved but most looking like it needs a good lick of paint. The town itself has plenty of character and has a nice relaxed feel about it. On our second day we took a moto driver each and for 6 USD pp, they brought us to an old temple, Wat Ek Phnom (11th century reamins) 15 km outside the city, then back into town and back out the other direction to take a ride on a Bamboo Train. The countryside we passed through was really scenic, there were paddy fields, people fishing in rivers, water buffalo grazing, small villages with excited children running around shouting "hello" at the passing foreigners, and endless dusty red roads.
The bamboo train was a small piece of bamboo wood about 2m sq like a platform which we, the moto drivers, their bikes, some random local kids and a few bags of rice all piled on top. It then proceeded to hurtle through fields where you almost could not see the tracks they were so overgrown. People on the tracks stepped out of our way as we rattled passed on our real-life rollercoaster. It was fantastic fun
Ferry food
Ferry number three - windswept and mucky but still having the craic! Me and Zack and some fresh corn! and the drivers and kids alike seemed to have a great time too. The drivers are not just picking you up in the morning and bringing you to a temple or where ever you want to go, they have marvellous English and go to great lengths to tell you about the area, stop along the way so you can take pictures, translate things you might like to say to the locals and generally make you feel at home in the area. There are many of them waiting outside the hotels for business in the morning and they had a lottery to see who would take us for our trip, as a $6 fare each for the day makes a big difference to their earnings. One of our drivers, Vat, a lovely friendly guy told us of an encounter he had with a French tourist later in the day after he had dropped us back. He had told the tourist that it was about 10k to the place he was dropping him off. The tourist checked the clock and at the end of the trip it was only 8k and he accused the driver of ripping him off and insisted on
River road
A river bursts its banks but our trusty Camry makes it through! Our Japansese passenger was pleased with his home country's technology. paying 3000 riel instead of the agreed fare of 4000 riel. The driver got in an argument with him and the tourist won out, saving himself 25 cents - big deal. Quibbling about a few riel here and there is so pointless and losing face and getting into an argument is not the Asian way. There are many stories in this town about tourists who argue with drivers and restaurant workers, which is not good for tourists as some of them are getting a really bad name. Anyway, there was not a problem for the Irish as our drivers even had a few words of Gaeilge (I swear!) and one of them was sporting an Eircom top today. I don't think we will hear any bad stories about Irish tourists here somehow.
So today we signed up for a Khmer cooking course which was done in a restaurant called the Smoking Pot in town. The food was great so we decided it would be a great idea to see how it was made. Along with another couple from America, we made some Khmer specialities called Amok (a curry-like coconut & spice based dish), Lak Lek (pork, basil, chillies and
The Killing Fields
Mass graves filled with the bones of victims. green beans) and a Sweet Soup with chicken called Kohr (or something?!). The highlight of the course was the trip to the market where we bought all the ingredients. Strolling through the tightly packed aisles where women were chopping the heads off fish, stripping the insides from chickens and frogs and generally selling some bizarre and interesting stuff! Great fun had by all even in the punishing heat of the kitchen!
Tomorrow we are getting a boat (no straight road I'm afraid!) along a river to Siem Reap where we will wander among the temples of Angkor Wat for a few days. Stay tuned for some temple shots, more exciting adventures and Khmer food pics!
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JP
non-member comment
Are smashed frogs just very drunk?
The roads in Cambodia sound like the roads in Brighton except for the floods, lack to tarmac and big holes. After many months it looks like you almost have a tan! Pat must be boyed up by the Baggies good start to the season.