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Published: January 10th 2006
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Still Life With Wat
Photos at "The Wat" are best taken just before sunset. Sunrise is a sham. Welcome to a new kind of craziness.
After our last entry, we took the following day to rent bicycles and bike around Angkor temples to get a different, slower, more serene feel to the visit (and to go get those pictures we didn't get in the first three days). If anyone suggests renting bicycles is more relaxing, at least here in SE Asia, just punch them in the face (unless they're bigger than you). Cycling around the temples was about as serene as riding down the middle of Yonge St. or Robson during rush hour, what with all the tour buses spewing exhaust in our faces or trying to run us off the narrow road every three minutes.
At some points in the day it was actually cool to have bikes (especially during lulls in traffic) and make our own way around the temples without relying on our tuk-tuk driver. We were able to get some really nice shots because of this extra day, especially at Angkor Wat right before sunset. We also ran into a monk at Angkor Wat --- Nick sat down in a window so Sarah could take some "artsy fartsy" picture of him, and heard
Deep Conversation
So who do you think will win the Champions' League this year?? a little "hello" behind him. Upon turning around, there sat this Buddhist monk obviously willing to talk. It turns out that quite a few of them actually go to the temples so they can talk with tourists in order to practice their english! So we had a nice chat (he was 20 years old, lived at the nearest Wat, and a HUGE fan of English Premier League soccer --- he was particularly concerned about the rumours that Arsenal were looking to trade french soccer star Thierry Henry).
Anyways, after getting a photograph of him and exchanging email addresses (ah, technology), we departed Angkor and decided the next day to set out for Phnom Penh.
To put it simply, the bus trip was another level of hell. While the road was surprisingly good and we made decent time (only 5 hours, really good for a bus ride in Cambodia), between the bad karaoke, strange feet in Sarah's face (from the guy behind her) and the AWFUL Cambodian comedy show featuring people that loved to screech, we both wanted to tear our eyes out. For our Ecuadorian friends, this comedy show was infinitely worse than that Ecuadorian show featuring the ever
Tuol Sleng prison
A converted high school. What you can't see is that the grounds are surrounded by razor wire. screeching character Chilandrina.
So now we're in Phnom Penh, having arrived two nights ago. Having found yet another wonderful guesthouse (Spring guesthouse) based on recommendations from one of the Dutch girls (thanks Sanne), we spent yesterday touring a couple of the sites here. Our first stop was Tuol Sleng (S-21) prison, one of the infamous Khmer Rouge prisons which has now been converted to an eerie museum. It's something everyone should see but definitely not easy to digest...in fact it makes you feel really sick. After touring the place we actually had to go back to the guesthouse and decompress for a bit. We later cheered ourselves up by going to the National Museum to see the wonderful ancient Khmer sculptures and objects recovered from Angkor and other areas of Cambodia --- going from witnessing some of the worst of humanity to some of the finest results makes for a full day! For those who didn't get enough at Angkor (or want a brief taste before they head there), this is a great place to visit.
We've decided to spend another day (today) here because despite the craziness we really get a good vibe from the city. It's
Asian Sport Utility Vehicle
Stop asking yourself "why?" and start asking "why not?". smaller than Bangkok and larger than Vientiane and there seem to be many things to do (culturally and gastronomically) here. Just having come from a late breakfast at the Lazy Gecko cafe we would recommend a stop there for anyone hungry.
And now for the craziness. There seem to be a few stoplights at major intersections in this city (believe us this is rare), but that doesn't stop anyone from continuing on their way. It's hard to describe, but try to imagine a street packed with cars, trucks, and mostly motorbikes all going different directions in the middle of an intersection....including the wrong way down a "one-way" side of a boulevard. It's very fluid and amazing -- everyone seems to know what to do, they go slow enough that they can stop or swerve in time, and somehow everyone gets through without becoming part of the pavement... and NO ONE gets angry! There are no idiots shouting at each other, no ridiculous honking (except to let people know you're there), no dirty looks. Oh and before we forget, we must mention motorbikes. This vehicle we have dubbed the Asian SUV. It is by far the most versatile thing on
Traditional Cambodian Scarf
Still ironing out the finer points of wearing it. the road, able to carry a complete extended family (no kidding, we've seen 6 people on some), a "trunk load" of boxes, about 30 bicycle seats, and our personal favourite, a queen-size bed (in pieces). People do anything and everything with these motorbikes, and when we first got to Asia we always asked ourselves "why?"....after a few months here we just ask "why not?". We think that this is how you must view Asia when visiting for the first time!
We just hope that we don't get hit! When crossing the road, it's best to pick your opening and walk SLOWLY despite feeling like it's the 87th level of "Frogger". You Commodore 64 fans will know what we're talking about. People will drive around you, they really don't want to hit you! One notable exception is the "mobile food stall". This "vehicle" is basically a motorbike with an entire street food stall attached to it rather like a sidecar. The people that drive these are ruthless...watch out for them. Nick's almost been hit 4 or 5 times by these guys (imagine the coroner's report....Mode of Death: Food Stall), and is hoping that when it happens, the stall is filled
Steve: The Quality Drops
Yet another marketing classic. with those delicious banana-chocolate pancakes. Food for thought: if you were to be struck and killed by a food stall, what food would you want it to be filled with?
Oh, and one more thing, we've got a new friend named Steve (check photo). We never leave home without him. This is yet another marketing fiasco, reminiscent of our Ecuadorian experiences. Marketing students: have a buddy check your work!
Tomorrow we're heading towards Bangkok on our way back to KL (remember the cool kids call it that). It may take a couple of days, what with the apparently awful stretch of road between Siem Reap and the Thai border. Wish us luck, and this time maybe our iPod won't run out of batteries while that stupid comedy show is on!!!
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Jen and Muzz
non-member comment
Where do I start?
Let me see, ...... Westerners on push bikes in Asia - Mad; Monks in Saffron robes - Cool as; Bus trips in SE Asia - Always enlightning yet bizaar; Cambodian prisons - Scary as hell; Cambodian temples - fascinating; Road rules in Asia - you've got to be f***ing joking!!!; Buddhist tranquility in a traffic jam - More practice required by this little bunny; beds, luggage and small buffalo on motorbikes - yeah, WHY NOT????; Crossing roads in any Asian capitol - death wish; Steve - its clean aint it?; and finally to homocidal food stalls - definitiely chicken satay sticks please. Love the yarns, travel safe, can't wait to hear more. (still jealous).