Cambodia, the good, the bad and the ugly...

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Cambodia was like a giant time warp. Its like I crossed over the border from Thailand, and stepped 50 years into the past (apart from the swanky casinos, more than likely built with corrupt dollars).

It was off to a rough start right from the get-go with the government officials scamming $5 USD from everyone obtaining their Visa. There was a big bold sign right above his head that said $20 USD for a tourist visa, but he persisted to tell me it was $25. I argued with him for a while over the well-known price of the visa, and he said "fine, $20, but you will wait for 3 hours", (the wait if you pay the extra $5 was only 3 minutes). I did not want to spend any more time than I already had to here, so I caved and lined that corrupt official's wallet a little bit more. I crossed the border with Art, but he was headed to Phnom Penh and I was headed for Siem Reap. I met a Dutch couple, Swiss guy and Brazillian girl at the border and we all crammed in a taxi to share the cost of the 3 hour trip. The bus can take up to 9 hours and have you show up late at night.

My main purpose for visiting Cambodia, like most others, was to see one of the 7 man-made wonders of the world - Ankor Wat. It was absolutely amazing, and the most incredible and beautiful creation I have ever seen. Temple cities were spread all over the area, many kilometers apart and were of both Buddhist and Hindu origins. I spent 3 days here, and easily could look at the temples for a week.

That was the plus side of Cambodia.... Everywhere else is the evidence of the mere 10 years of peace that the country has maintained. Landmine victims with missing limbs or missing faces were begging on the streets. Dirty streets and animals. I just about started crying when I wiped out on my jog and started bleeding from the road rash. Who knows what was lurking around in that dirt! I visited the killing fields and genocide museum in Phnom Penh and was brought to tears a couple of times. The communist civil war from 1975-1979 was an absolute embarassement to humanity and really makes you appreciate the free life we are fortunate enough to live. The cherry on top of the Cambodian cake was my "Peeping Tom" incident for my last night in Siem Reap. I wasn't exactly thrilled, in fact, screamed bloody murder at the poor excuse for a person whose hand I saw holding a mirror directed at me through the window while I was in the shower.

And oh the scooters... It wasn't so much the scooters, as it was what they could fit on them! To name a few: business signs, mattresses and other furniture, food carts, dead pigs, building supplies, you name it. I thoroughly enjoyed just standing on the side of the road and taking pictures of all the interesting cargo!

To say the least, I was a little bit relieved to cross into Vietnam. Although not all my experiences were good ones in Cambodia, I'm glad I had them and got to see this country.

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Photos

The impressive Ankor Wat
No words can do it justice...

Monks at Ankor
I went for a quiet walk around the moat at Ankor Wat and joined these Monks for lunch at a nice little temple.

Bayon Temple of Ankor Thom
The most impressive Buddhist temple in the area.

Cambodian Air-care...
In addition to toting large amounts of cargo by scooter, everyone was seen wearing these scarves to protect their lungs from the extremely dusty roads!