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Cambodia

14-22JUL02 

The next morning I caught the 6am bus for Siem Reap (town near Angkor Wat).  The trip was a typical air conditioned express bus until we got to the border.  We stopped for an hour to arrange Cambodian visas and to eat lunch, then we unloaded our gear and made our way through customs.  I paid my $6 fine for overstaying my Thailand visa for one day and walked into Poipet, Cambodia.  Lonely Planet describes the town as a "hole".  In this case I thought they were being overly complimentary.  The poverty was overwhelming.  A dusty, potholed road with plastic trash blowing in the breeze was teeming with begging children.

We loaded onto a pickup truck.  I was lucky and sat inside and began our 7 hour journey to Siem Reap.  The road surface was very rough.  Some parts were covered by a layer of large stones laboriously placed by hand.  Some parts were mud and clay and some parts were deteriorated asphalt.  Many bridges had holes and required guides to get across.  They received a tip of about 6 cents.  Finally we reached a bridge that was completely out and had to detour through a series of villages down a narrow road.  About every 500m there was a toll gate and our driver shelled out another 20 baht.  

At one point the sky opened and out of sympathy to the riders in the back of the pickup we stopped for lunch.  I ordered American fried rice.  As nearly as I can tell, the main distinguishing factor is the french fries added on top. 

Ron was our translator and he promoted the Sok San Gueshouse.  I checked it out and it seemed okay.  Osmo and Lassi (Finland) and Peter (NZ) decided to stay there, too.  I spent an "adjustment" day relaxing at the guesthouse while the young adventurers started their visit to Angkor Wat.  Great French baguettes.  

That evening we sampled some street food.  Fried snake and fried cricket.  They both tasted much the same to me, probably because they had been fried in the same oil.

The next day I bought my 3 day ($40US) pass to Angkor Wat and I joined Osmo and Lassi to visit Banteay Srei and another temple in the morning.  We travelled on the back of motorbikes and the 80km trip was half the fun.  

That afternoon we visited Ta Phrom.  This temple had been left unrestored and was appropriately mysterious and scenic.  Large trees grewn from tumbled walls.  Shrines with smoking incense were tucked into dark corners.  I was told this temple was one of the locations for "Tomb Raiders".  It was my favorite.

That evening we went to the Bayon Restaurant and watched classical and ethnic dancers and had a few Angkor beers.

The next day I hired a bicycle and headed to Angkor Wat by myself.  Along the way Cambodian people talked to me from their bicycles.  I helped a few lift up their heavily laden bicycles that had fallen over while we attempted to communicate.   I meandered around found a cool place and read a novel for a while.  Then I was joined by Srei Dy, a Buddhist monk who wanted to practice his English.  While we talked an afternoon rain storm enveloped the temple giving it an especially exotic look.   After the rain the bicycle trip back the the guesthouse was cool.

That night we dined at Happy Herb Pizza.  You can order pizza "happy", "medium happy" or "extra happy".  I ordered a medium sized medium happy.  Peter ordered a large extra happy.  By the end of the meal, I was happy and Peter was so extra happy that he decided to return to the guesthouse.  

The last day I visited Bayon temple.  This temple was the burial place of Jayavarman VII.  More than 200 smiling faces (said to be a composite of JVII and Budda) smiled down on me.  On the way back I visited the landmine museum for a grisly reminder of the war and chaos that has plagued Cambodia for the last 50 years.  

Early the next day, I caught the fast boat for Phnom Pehn.  We traveled by pickup down a long road to the landing.  Then the ferry inched its way along a canal through a floating city.  There were food boats, soft drink boats, floating repair shops, boats with livestock.  A whole city on water.  The trip across Tonle Sap lake took a few hours and part of the time we were almost out of sight of land.  

We we arrived at Phnom Pehn, I spotted the sign of the Okay guesthouse, recommended by the guest house in Siem Reap. I hopped on the back of the motorbike and headed there.  

I decided not to visit either the Killing Fields or the Tuol Sieng Museum, both sites of Pol Pot atrocities.  That pretty much left only the National Museum and walking and motorbiking around the streets of Phnom Pehn.  While I was there I saw "The Killing Fields" for the second time while I was in Cambodia.  It's a powerful film and more powerful when I viewed it where it had happened.  

The Cambodian people are friendly and industrious.  But, after 50 years of war the country is in awful shape.  Not many people older than 40 are seen and most of the population is very young.  The infrastructure is being rebuilt but has a long way to go.  There is no hatred of America for the bombing of the 70's.  On the contrary, many view it as the promised land.  Most young people just want to practice their English.

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