The Dancing Road to Angkor...

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On the 22nd of February (Friday) we left Bangkok en route to Siem Reap in Cambodia. The road to the Thai-Cambodian border is pretty good and we arrived at Poipet around lunchtime. After having lunch at the border, we trekked to Thai customs on foot and then across to Cambodia customs. While we were still in Thailand, we stopped at the Cambodian embassy to get our Cambodian visas. It's amazing how quickly some things can be done in a place where you don't expect ANYTHING to be done quickly! I think about how long the wait usually is at home for a visa and I'm astonished that you can have 16 of them sorted for a busload of people in about 30 minutes! Amazing.

It was VERY hot that day so the walk across the border was sweltering. It was also such a unique experience as I don't think I've ever walked across a border before, not even from Canada to the US. Even if I had, this experience was surely far more interesting! We boarded our new bus on the Cambodian side of the border and had a quick stop at a two-star "happy house" (happy house = toilets... number of stars seems to depend on what Pete tells us!... I reckon anything 2 and below is usually a squat-toilet... quite a challenge). The road between the border and Siem Reap was exactly as Pete had described = DANCING. Our driver was amazing at navigating around potholes and other vehicles and it becomes apparent quite quickly that there truly are NO road rules here. He also had to open and close the window depending on whether another vehicle was going by that would leave a lot of dust in the air to come through the window. Oh yes, these were not paved roads... not even close! I got some video of what it was like navigating through traffic in one of the towns. It was HILARIOUS, and I will post it as soon as I have a quick enough computer and a way to upload!

That night we checked into our hotel which was also quite nice, though it was my first experience with a bathroom like most of them are here... the showers are just in the middle of the room, with no stall or curtain, just a shower head attached to the wall of the bathroom. Water ends up everywhere, on the sink, on the toilet and obviously all over the floor. But really and truly, we are in Cambodia and it's all a matter of altering our expectations and enjoying every bit of the experience!

We had a group dinner that evening which gave us all a good chance to start getting to know eachother. We seem to be segregating a little bit by age in terms of what we all do in the evenings, but for the most part we seem to all get along together quite well. We all stayed up and had drinks together until roughly midnight and then it was off-to-bed as we were visiting the TEMPLES OF ANGKOR the next morning!

On Saturday we visted the Temples of Angkor which was completely amazing. We had a local guide named Dino who was a really funny little man who taught us so much about the history of the temples and the stories and legends behind the intricate carvings. We got amazing photos! We were all feeling quite drained and tired by lunch, especially those of us who had stayed up a little too late the night before, so we took some time at lunch to refuel and get our energy back for the afternoon when we would arrive at the 7th wonder of the world, Angkor Wat! This temple was completely amazing. We weren't able to climb to the top because the old stairs are far too dangerous and they haven't finished building new stairs that will be used by tourists in the future. All the carvings were so intricate and the stone-work was just completely breathtaking.

That evening we went to a concert at a Children's hospital in Siem Reap run by a Swiss doctor who plays the cello. We learned about the needs of children in Cambodia and what is missing in the efforts of giant NGOs like the WHO and UNICEF for children in places like Cambodia whose situations are quite unique in comparison to those in the western world. We learned that many of the vaccines and medications provided by large NGOs are at least ineffective if not harmful to many of the children. These NGOs often criticize the work at these children's hospitals saying that they are creating a need that does not exist and are using technology that is too advanced for the developing world. The doctor was pleading for help in the form of money or blood (or both!) in order to help run these hospitals effectively. They serve about 85% of children under 18 years old in Cambodia, treating diseases such as TB, Dengue Fever, Malaria, etc. Many children are also affected by HIV. It was a really touching presentation; he included two videos and played a number of pieces on his cello. Some classical pieces and some that he had written himself. He often goes back to Switzerland and plays concerts to raise money for the hospital.

Later that evening we had a quick dinner and went out to a local bar with our tour guide and some of his friends from Siem Reap. The bar had quite a witty name: Angkor WHAT! We enjoyed spending more time all getting acquainted in a casual setting.... and thankfully had the next day to have a bit of a sleep-in!

On Sunday afternoon we took a bus to Angkor Artisans where we learned how local artisans create the amazing pieces of work we see sold in the shops. We even got a demonstration on how the sandstone in the temples is carved. The carvings were completely amazing. The organization also has a silk-painting workshop where the people are deaf and mute and communicate using sign language (both ASL and their own Cambodian sign-language!). It was really impressive to see how intricate the designs were!

We then went to a local school and watched a dance performance. The kids had amazing little costumes and were quite impressive on stage! After the performance we went into the schoolyard and played with the children. There were two girls that really stood out to me. One was a little maniac, she kept climbing up on us, putting on our sunglasses, posing for photos and jumping off tables (luckily someone always managed to catch her!). The other was a 10-year old named Leah (probably spelled wrong) who was INCREDIBLY smart. She read some books to me and then spoke very good english as she interrogated me about what my name was, where i was from, how old i am, what is my job and am i married!? Turns out that most of the kids here who can speak any English seem to have a standard set of questions they ask when white tourists show up...

1. What is your name?
2. Where are you from?
3. How old are you?
4. What is your job?
5. Are you married?
6. Do you have a sweetheart? (if you reply no to question 5)

After the school, we got back in the bus and drove to a spot where we boarded a boat to go to a "floating village". It was really cool... people live, eat, and go to school in the village that is completely on water and take boats to get everywhere. It was really bizarre! I got lots of photos and I think they'll have to speak for themselves.

That night we had a pretty relaxed evening and went to bed soon after dinner. It was an early start the next day en route to Kompong Cham.

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