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Published: April 7th 2007
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I don't even know where to start so I'll just go in chronological order.
I'm having trouble keeping track of what date it is, but I think I left off around 03/30 in Bangkok. Nate traveled on a separate bus and met me @ my hotel near Siam Square. He had planned to meet up w/ some friends he met on a previous Thailand trip in Bangkok the same time I was going, so it seemed to work out well. I wanted to go the the Chatuchak Market by Skytrain (above ground subway)which gets 200,000 visitors each weekend! It's so large they have a dedicated park just for this market, which has everything and anything you could ever want to buy - over and over and over and over and over again. "Same same, but different! Cheap cheap!" I stopped by a stand w/ military surplus equipment where the had several thermometers reading 45C! I'll let you do the math, trust me it was HOT! That evening I met up w/ Nate again, this time w/ his friends who had just gotten in from South Korea, where they had been teaching English. Once we were all together, we met
Angkor Wat
temples in Cambodia up w/ their friends who were living in Bangkok and working as a translator and teacher. We went to an outside restaraunt and enjoyed a delicious Thai meal from the Isan Province, where they like it spicy! It was my favorite meal of the trip!
The next morning an airconditioned bus picked me up at the hotel and we were on our way to Cambodia! About 3 hours later we arrived at the border, where we took another beat up bus to Seam Reap. It's only about 160 Km, but it took us about 6-7 on the worst dirt road in the world. We spent a good amount of the ride driving in the ditch because the "road" was just too bumpy. It was quite the experience and very fun joking w/ the others on the bus. I hit it off really well w/ an older Swedish couple and we met up for dinner and drinks once in the city. The Cambodian government is known for being very corrupt and currently are thought to be taking bribes from Thai Airlines, who flies direct to Seam Reap daily. If the road is so bad that no one wants to drive
Angkor Wat
temples in Cambodia on it, they will pay to fly.
Cambodia has had an extremely varied past. The Angkor empire dominated SE Asia for 4 centuries until about the 13th century, during which the Angkor Wat teples were built. These are one of the last wonders of the ancient world to still be in great shape. It was then slowly chipped away by wars w/ neighboring kingdoms, and in the late 1800's the French took control and claimed it as a territory. During the Vietnam War, US forces bombed numerous cities in Cambodia and from 1975-1979 Cambodia experienced on of the most horrific regimes in history, the Khmer Rouge. Almost 2 million men, women, and children were removed from their homes, tortured, and killed. In the late 1990's another coup surfaced and there were many more deaths.
Despite this violent past, the Cambodians (ethnically they consider them selves Khmer) are some of the most genuinely honest and friendly people I've ever encountered. If they speak English (quite a few do!) they will talk your leg off! They are so light hearted and always joking around with each other, playing games in the street, laughing and playing cards, and the kids here
Angkor Wat
temples in Cambodia are so freaking cute!
It truly is 3rd world in areas and is a big eye opener for me. Trash is everywhere, buildings are in piles of rubble, dirty children trying to sell you something around every corner, homeless amputees selling books about the Khmer Rouge, and skinny mothers begging for money are all difficult to deal w/ sometimes. This is real and everything I have EVER complained about in my life seem so trivial compared to the life of the average Cambodian. This is something I think ALL Americans should experience in their lifetime. If more of us were exposed to this type of situation, I truly believe we could make more of a difference in the world.
Back to my journey...
I arrived in Seam Reap (very close to the Angkor Wat temples), where it is very very hot! I splurged and got a room w/ A/C for $8 US. They take $US everywhere as well as Cambodian riel. I got a tuk-tuk driver to escort me around all day in the park for $10. Angkor Wat is truly awesome and breathtaking. They were built around somewhere between 802 AD and 1432 and are still
Angkor Wat
temples in Cambodia in amazing shape! Trees grow out of the sides of walls and moss covers a lot of them. This is the dry season, but the trees are all still very green and makes for beautiful scenery. I spent 2 full days exploring most of the temples and took lots of pictures. The second day I got up early for sunrise and tried to fight for my place to get a good pic. So many tourists! I stayed in the old market area of the city, which has numerous guesthouses and restaurants. After the temples, everyone goes out for a night on the town. This area is very nice w/ new shops lining the street, but once you turn the corner it is 100% Cambodia. I met so many nice and friendly locals and a few travelers and had dinner w/ Swedish Steve and Eva who I met on the bus.
I took the 12 pm bus to Phnom Phen, Cambodias' crazy capitol city. I've heard rumors that it can be a dangerous place, but not once did I feel threatened or scared. Well, maybe a little at night. There are no lights at night! Everyone says hello as you
Angkor Wat
temples in Cambodia walk down the steet and the tuk-tuk drivers are not nearly as pushy as in Bangkok. They always ask if you want a ride, but are always nice about it. It does get a little old to hear, "You need ride mista?" about 50-60 times in a day.
On the bus I met Mark (San Diego) and Eva (Vienna, Austria) and we decided to share a room. $9 US for a room w/ A/C and 1 large bed and 1 small. We went to the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek (where many people were brought to be exterminated and buried in mass graves during the Khmer Rouge), Tuol Sleng Museum (a converted school used as a prison and torture center during the Khmer Rouge), and Psar Tuol Tom Pong (known as the Russian Market to tourists). It was quite an emotional day. Poverty and violence all day long.
I caught a bus yesterday AM and am now in Sihanoukville on the Cambodian coast. This is Cambodias' Cancun. The beaches are lines w/ huts serving food and drinks w/ lots of lounge chairs. Many of the upper and middle class from Phnom Phen visit during the weekends and it's
Angkor Wat
temples in Cambodia great to see the local children playing in the ocean waves. Tomorrow I head back to Thailand and will end up on an island near the border, Kho Chang where I will meet Nate again. Depending on how long the drive takes, I might have to spend the night on the mainland and then take a boat ferry the next morning. We'll see. I haven't had much time to relax and have been on the go since I stepped off the plane from LA. I'm ready for some rest and relaxation.
I'll try to update again, but the computers are a little sketchy sometimes.
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Genie
non-member comment
80's song
"One night in Bangkok makes a hard man tumble...", remember that 80s song??? Hope all is well...see you soon mi amigo :)