ANGKOR TO BANGKOK, VIA BATTAMBANG

---

Im now back in bangkok. arrived here last night after a long day of travelling overland (Cambodian shared taxi, obligatory border faff, then a Thai train), from the city of Battambang in Cambodia. however that was nothing compared to the epic endurance test that was the boat from siem reap to battambang! that day started bad after being told i would get picked up at my hotel at the ongodly hour of 6am, when in fact the bus didnt arrive til 7am. it was a 30 min ride to the boat, and suffice to say the boat bore absolutely no resemblance to the picture of a modern express boat that is so prominent on the ticket! (a classic case of bait and switch). instead it was an really EXTREMELY unstable all wooden affair, with really uncomfortable hard wooden seats. it also had a very disconcerting lurch to the side every time the driver used the wheel. it was too small for the number of passengers, but also too big for the river we were to travel up.

the boat journey was meant to take 5 hours, but when we saw the boat coming in the opposite direction, that had left the same time at we had left, after 4 hours, we knew it would be an epic! it turned out to be 9 HOURS! it was a farce, made even more worrying by the concerned look of fear that the driver had all the time, and his constant shouting at his young attendant. my bag also got covered in some dodgy oil. there were meant to be views, but as the water is low all we could see were the muddy riverbanks for the 9 hours. it was livened up for me by the sight of a few fit half naked young fishermen going about their business on the shores, and also by the ubiquitous kiddies constant waving and shouting hello from their bamboo stilt houses...

Battambang was an interesting slice of real cambodian life, somewhat off the well beaten tourist trail. it was also very cheap. my hotel room had air con, satellite tv, en-suite bathroom with hot shower, fridge with free mineral water and a double bed, all for 5USD (IE 2 POUNDS AND 50PENCE!) per room per night. it was there that the weather went cold again, with overcast skies and drizzly rain, almost pleasurable! after weeks of relatively cool weather for these parts, the previous 2 weeks has seen the temperature head up towards and over 35 degrees c, ie 10 degrees more than its been for quite a while. in siem reap the locals were saying it doesnt usually get this hot until late march. im glad it has cooled down a bit before my mother arrives here for her holiday!
Battambang was in thailand off and on until the 1940's. was it worth the trial of getting there? i dont know...probably not in fact

the rest of my time in siem reap had been spent seing a few outlying temples, but i have to say i was suffering from acute N.A.F.T disease (ie not another f**king temple), by then. how many of them does one ancient civilisation really need??!! still had great time there, day and night, a lot of pigging out on very well done western fayre, (its very difficult here in thailand to get reasonable immitations of western food, especially bread. i guess because as they have never been colonised by anyone).

there was also a large dengue fever outbreak in siem reap, results in panic buying of insect repellant by tourists, but as long you kept away from stagnant water, it was fine really. the most amusing sight was that of the ubquitous asian tour groups walking around the streets at night all wearing their matching face masks. what is it about there culture they have to follow each other around like sheep ALL the time?!

i met a guy in siem reap (or more accurately had a local guy latch himself onto me for 2 days, expecting to be fed and watered!) i learnt a lot from him about modern cambodian life, ie its very hard. average wage about 50USD month, and passports that deliberately cost a prohibitive 150USD, to stop the poor people leaving for better places!!

whilst being paraded around all the places the guy i had met had friends and family working, so he could show off his new western friend, i was taken to the big local discotheque. i found it awful, but the locals were lapping up the bad hip-hop and dance remixes of jingle bells (they even had a half hour of slow music, which from what i remember from sixth form discos is commonly known as the "'erection section"'... it was a mixed place, ie straights, gay, lesbian, ladyboys, u name it, it was there. the only bigotry i've experienced on this trip so far happened while i was with this guy, as we perused siem reap night market. a middle aged western couple acted as if they had never seen a westerner/asian gay couple before, or even any gay couple before. you could see them whispering to themselves as we approached, then they kept at it as we stood next to them at the same market stall, and again as they walked away in disgust. i found it very hard to keep quiet, but just about managed, but that sort of stuff makes me so angry. what exactly was their problem?!!

anyway, after 2 days i managed to extricate myself from my westlife loving friend!

the most popular bar in siem reap is the american run ''the angkor what?'' bar. the last night i was there it was their 10th anniversary party. so yet another chance to hear bleeding love by leona lewis!

there is also so much evident corruption in cambodia, eg, the ""road"' from siem reap to the thai border is kept in bad shape on purpose, so that people are inclined to fly with expensive bangkok airways (who have route monopoly). bangkok is only 400kms from siem reap, so if the road was better, it would only be a six hour road journey maximum, instead of the all- day odyssey it is in reality. i avoided most of the road by taking the nightmare boat from siem reap to battambang. from there to the thai border, the road is relatively fine and corruptionless... The country has to rely of loads of foreign aid charities to fill in for the government's lack of action in providing basic services for its citizens. the current prime minister has been in power since 1998, and is a ex khmer rouge fighter!
in battambang, the 2nd largest city in the country with population of 136000, there is not a single street light!

so after 2 tiring and testing travel days since in the last three, i will be spending a week recovering here in bangkok!! i am leaving again, this time with my mother in tow, on sunday, (she arrives on friday). we are heading for the southern beaches and islands, for 3 weeks.

---

Photos

TUK TUK, SIEM REAP STYLE
THE BEST MODE OF TRANSPORT TO VIEW THE TEMPLES

BAKONG TEMPLE, ROLUS GROUP, SIEM REAP
ME WITH A STONE ELEPHANT

WEST BARAY LAKE, SIEM REAP
HUGE MAN MADE LAKE BUILT BY HAND 1000 YEARS AGO BY ANGKOR CIVILISATION FOR IRRIGATION PURPOSES.

THE BOAT FROM HELL
SPENT 9 HOURS ON THIS THING FROM SIEM REAP TO BATTAMBANG, THIS WAS THE LUNCH STOP. WE THOUGHT IT WAS THE END, BUT IT WAS LESS THAN HALF WAY!

BACK IN BANGKOK
VIEW FROM MY BALCONY AT THE SATHORN INN, ON A UNSEASONALLY GREY AND WET BANGKOK EVENING.