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Southeast Asia
Joan I had an early flight from Bangkok to Phnom Penh - I arrived around 9, so I headed straight for the bus station. It took about 5.5 hours to get to Siem Reap, sitting under the speaker with the video tape blaring and my legs cramped, but the scenery was nice. I arrived during a complete downpour - although rainy season hasn't officially started yet. I took a tuk-tuk to the hotel - I couldn't see out b/c of the rain & the plastic covering, but I could see the road - the largest potholes I've ever seen in my life!
Day 2: Explored Angkor Wat. I hired a tuk tuk but he napped in a hammock while I did all the walking and hiking. The temples are gorgeous, however I had a hard time dealing with the heat and the children - they're the most aggressive sales people I've ever encountered! They stick things in your face, don't take no for an answer, and ambush people on their way out of the temples. I must have encountered 100 or so.
Day 3: Got on a boat at 7. Was promised to be in Battambang at 12. At
noon we were just stopping for lunch~ We arrived around 4. The boat ride is scenic - you watch daily life go by on the river - children swimming, men fishing, women rowing boats and chatting, people getting bathed outside in buckets or the river itself - floating stores and schools.
Day 4: Hired 'Sanbot' a moto-driver to take me to the temples.
Day 5: 8 o'clock bus to Phnom Penh. We arrived at 1 or so. Stayed at Washington Guesthouse. Ate at Friends - the staff are former street children - it's a training center for youth.
Day 6: My moto-driver, Sophaet, took me to The Killing Fields - very sad. The skulls and bones of victims are stored in a temple in glass. There is still clothing strewn around the site from the victims. The mass killing was Pol Pot's regime - during 1975 to 1979 - a few million people were tortured and, often, brutally killed. To save bullets, they used blunt objects or threw people into caves or over cliffs. After the Killing Fields, we went to Tuol Sleng Museum (Security Prison 21). This used to be a school, but Pol Pot turned
it into a detention and torture center. Photos of the victims are displayed, cells can be visited, the gallows still exist, and there are 14 people buried there - the last of the detainees.
While Cambodia has a very sad recent history, the people laugh and smile easily. The Khmer food is excellent - curries, stir fries, rice, fruit drinks. The textiles and handicrafts are beautiful. One week was not enough time to see everything. Transportation takes a lot of time - more than I had expected. Many roads are still unpaved and full of incredibly large pot holes. Also, the driving in Phnom Penh is worse than Hanoi! They make them look organized. I will never forget making left turns into oncoming traffick. I've never said so many prayers in my life - Mom will be proud. ;-)
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