In planning this trip, we had a choice: beaches or temples. Most people would have chosen beaches, but alas we are not most people. We reasoned that we would always have a reason to come back to Thailand but not so much to Cambodia. So the decision was made: our adventure for 2011 would be a trip to Angkor Wat and a trip to Chiang Mai. Of course we were nervous about the language barrier, malaria, stomach woes, muggings, etc. etc. But this is going to be our last adventure for awhile. We were also hoping that on this trip we would have more wins than fails. However, given our propensity for moded-ness, that probably won't be the case.
After about 20 hours of travel, we finally made it into Phnom Penh. Before going into the country you have to pay a cover charge (aka obtain a Visa) which runs about $20. Note, future travellers to Cambodia: make sure to bring a passport sized photo for your visa; it will save you a world of hassle. One of the security guards asked me "are your parent Khmer?" I was tempted to say yes to see if that would get me some VIP treatment, but then they might ask for proof and then I'm screwed. We paid our fees, breezed through immigration(well I did anyway; I guess looking Khmer got me through quicker - they gave Carlos the third degree) and with stiff necks and the worst breath known to man, we set out to the streets of Phnom Penh.
It was hot as expected, and the air smelled of that Asia Smell - which is a hodge podge of sewage, body odor, water, and dirt. We were back in Southeast Asia, land of mosquito bites and Tang. In Cambodia, most establishments and merchants accept U.S. dollars. It was kind of a fail for us because we exchanged our money to Riel. Anyway we took a tuk-tuk (which a carriage pulled by a motor bike)to our hotel. That probably wasn't the smartest thing to do because a)all of our luggage was out in the open b)we would be inhaling ungodly amounts of exhaust fumes and c) we probably paid more than we should have. Phnom Penh sort of reminded me of some Phillippine provincial cities like Olongapo or Cebu City; dirt instead of sidewalks, children amidst piles of concrete, garage-like store fronts,toddlers riding shot gun on motor bikes and brown people in flip flops. Here, traffic signs are merely suggestions and lanes are for decoration. Motor bikes, tuk-tuks, trucks, and cars all take turns cutting each other off all with blatant disregard for pedestrians. It was madness and we loved it.
We were only in Phnom Penh for the evening. We checked out the Central Market, which is an indoor/outdoor market which sells everything from crafts, jewelry, clothes, fish, meat, electric fans etc. There were rows of food stalls, all of which we were too chicken shit to try. It sort of reminded me of Carbon Market in Cebu, with the smells and bric-a-brac. We left empty handed because we couldn't bring ourselves to part with our money just yet. We then walked around the River Front, which is a district of Phnom Penh where all the tourists/foreigners hang out. There are plenty of nice restaurants, hotels, pubs, and massage parlors (yes the naughty kind) The view of the river is not breath taking but its a really nice walk. Along the way we saw people jogging, couples and friends gathering on benches, and bare footed toddlers running amok. We chanced upon an aerobics class, soccer games, and dance practices. It was pretty awesome.
To get to Siem Reap from Phomn Penh,there are three options: ghetto bus, crowded ferry, or private car. We decided to pull the baller card (yeah, we fancy) and hired a private car to Siem Reap. The driver's name escapes me, so I'll call him "Bob". Anyway, we made a pit stop to Bob's house/store. His son came to the car to give us the skinny on what we kind of already figured out: Bob spoke very little English. But if we said words like "stop" "toilet" or "restaurant" he would know what to do. We made another pit stop so Bob could eat and in the mean time were swarmed by young entrepeneurs. They start off by saying "where you from?" and then "you look Khmer"(to me) and "you look Chinee" (to Carlos) then " you buy from me/ you rememba me 'kay?" They were selling bananas, mangoes, and pineapples. In the end we bought bananas and I gave this cute little boy $5. He said I was very "fwitty" and he reminded my of nephew Enzo( Ate Mel, if you're reading this, Enzo has a lot of lookalikes out here!) I'm sure he was full of shit, but you can't blame a kid for trying to make some money.
After a five hour drive, we finally arrived in Siem Reap. Siem Reap was just as crazy as Phnom Penh, but with a lot more foreigners. We stayed at the Somadevi Hotel, which was kind of swanky. It wasn't the Ritz, but it defintely wasn't Grandpa's Inn part three. It ran us about $50 a night and with that we got access to a pool (which had a swim up bar) spa, wi-fi, air conditioning and an amazing breakfast buffet. It was also in a great location because were walking distance from a lot stores, restaurants, Pub Street and spas. Our first official Khmer meal was at this no-frills eatery complete with flies and plastic chairs. It looked dirty but the food looked good. Getting sick was at the back of our minds but we wanted to make it point to kind of step out of our comfort zone. And part of stepping out of your comfort zone is going against your better judgement. I had a fried noodle dish and C had a dish called "Beef Lok Lak", which is a mixture of beef, vegetables, spices, and eggs over rice. The meal was delicious and cost us about $3.50 total. A side note about the price of things: things here are dirt cheap. A meal for one cost about $2; we got an hour foot massage for $5, beer is $.75 and most souvenirs are $1. We did hit up Pub Street. It's a short block of pubs,lounges and restaurants targeting tourists; mostly of the European and Korean variety. The only locals that were either working at establishments or tuk-tuk drivers. It's cheesiness galore (think black lights and bad dancing) but we got a few beers and good bbq out of it.
Now onto the reason for the visit to Siem Reap: Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples. For those of you who don't watch the National Geographic channel or peruse Wikipedia, Angkor Wat is huge temple complex that was built about 1,000 years ago. It served as a temple for both Hinduism and Buddhism. It is very breath taking and we were couldn't believe were actually there. It was if we were seeing the Great Wall or the Taj Mahal. We were in the prescence of something so ancient and magnificent. Tourist from all over the world shuffled out of buses, cars, tuk-tuks, and bikes to marvel at the temple. Everyone was armed with their cameras (everyones a photographer) and maps. We passed on a tour guide and decided to tackle Angkor Wat on our own. We gawked at the wall carvings, statues, and ruins. We stopped every 5 seconds to take a picture of some headless deity or just the gorgeous architecture. It was so vast and it was almost like a maze. We're fortunate we didn't get lost. The heat was paralyzing, but the experience of being there was well worth it. We saw about six other temples including Angkor Thom. Each of the temples was beautiful in its own way and again we felt so lucky that we had a chance to see them. We traded beaches for temples and we have no regrets.
On a last note on Siem Reap, Carlos said it was kind of like a "Third World Amusement Park". It is kind of true. The attractions are temples; businesses such as restaurants, hotels, spas, stores, bars and open markets feed off those attractions. Be very wary future travellers, they're good about getting you to spend your money here. It's done via transportation, "guided" tours, food etc. Seeing those temples ain't cheap either. For a three day pass it cost us $80. So, you pay to get in to the country, pay to stay and pay to leave. But again it was well worth it.
I am blogging from our nice hotel room in Bangkok with free wi-fi. My blog is a day late due to techinical difficulties in Cambodia. I have three pimples on my face, a heat rash and a circus in my stomach. More adventures to come here in Thailand. For pictures see my tumblr account. Shortly.
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