Crossing into Thailand

We arrived at in Bangkok after what was not a six hour bus ride but a twelve hour journey involving two big busses, one mini bus, and numerous waits at the border and at dirty bus stops where people were selling fried cockroaches. The trip was long, but relatively uneventful. Even the walk across the Cambodian/Thai border was fine.

The Thai countryside was unremarkble, but we were interested to note that they do drive on the other side of the road in Thailand. (Since our stop in Thailand was so brief i did very little reading ahead of time.)

Getting into Bangkok, as we did quite late, it was dark and the traffic was monstrous. The minibus dropped us off on the side of a busy road and we hailed a tuk tuk to our hotel...and proceeded to spend another hour sitting in traffic. (The tuk tuks here are a bit fancier than in Cambodia and have windscreens - unfortunately, they also have much lower roofs, making them less comfortable for tall people.)

We arrived at our charming hotel - the Lamphu Tree House - utterly fatigued, but we did walk along the canal a bit and had a late dinner at a pub.

Yesterday was a very full day, but we are eagre to get out so we wil post about yesteday later on today.

Tonight we fly to Seoul.

Battambang

Battambang day two.

We had arranged a tuk tuk driver to take us around to the various sights i wanted to see which were outside of the city. Our driver called himself "Dollar" and proved to be a terrific guide for the day. He was handsome, spoke excellent english and was quite willing ti talk to us about his life now and previously when he was a monk, as well as his mother surviving the Khmer Rouge and his dream of moving to New York. He also gave us a lot of information about the sights.

Our first stop was the bamboo train. Cambodia has no trains; they were all decommissioned some time ago, but there is in Battambang, in one of the rural villages on the outskirts, one remaining train...of sorts. The bamboo train consists of a low platform of bamboo slats through which the ground is clearly visible. The platform sits atop two axles each with two metal wheels/cylinders. The contraption is powered by a small motor which seems to be operated with a wooden stick. There are no brakes.

Apparently the thing can reach speeds of up to 40k per hour but we did not seem to travel that fast. We sat in the platform and were zipped though the countryside, leaves slapping our arms much of the way, past rice fields and over rickety bridges which cross muddy streams. The tracks are mostly even and mostly straight, but the ride is bumpy at times. It was great, like a really primitive amusement park ride. At the end of the line (after about 20 mins) we arrived at a "station" consisting of a few shacks selling water and bananas and some tshirts and scarves. There were a few children around who were keen to show us the brick making factory nearby, which was really two giant kilns that looked like beehives, in which they made bricks by burning the left over husks from the rice harvest. 

On the way back we passed numerous other trains coming in the opposite direction. There is only one track, so when another train comes in the opposite direction, the drivers decide somehow who should get off. One of the trains is quickly dismantled to allow the other to pass and then first train is put back on the tracks and everyone carries on their way. They whole thing was really fun and cost $5 for the ride.

We reboarded our tuk tuk and set off to our next stop. The dirt roads were incredibly uneven. It had rained the night before and heavily that morning and there were deep holes and furrows in the narrow road, which made the travel interesting and slightly frightening when we had to pass by another vehicle and drive perilously close to the edge of the drop off into the rice paddy. The bumpiness was just fun.

We next went to a small mountain and drove half way up in a jeep (your options are walking, motorbike, or jeep) to a temple, some golden shrines with buddhas, various monks, and some caves. The caves had been used by the Khmer Rouge to throw people to their deaths, but now a steep staircase has been installed and there is a shrine at the bottom with a large, golden buddha and glass boxes in which the bones of the dead are collected. The cave was somber and beautiful, but what made the visit less fun were the stinging red ants that covered the stairs and the handrail on the way down. I was mostly exempted from their wrath, but Betty Lou had them on her ankles, up her pant legs to the thigh and on the back of the neck. To her credit, she handled it well - far better that i would have.

After that the jeep took us to the top of the mountain to the temple Phnom Sampeau which was beautiful, but even more stunning were the views over the verdant landscape. While we were up there we saw one large, loner monkey walk out of the trees and right into someone's house.

Back at the base of the mountain at Dollar's suggestion we ate lunch at an outdoor restaurant in what was basically the yard of someone's modest home. Betty Lou had fried ginger with chicken, i had morning glory with rice, our driver had soup and rice and with water the whole bill was $7. And the food was delicious.

The next leg of our journey involved another stretch of insanely bumpy dirt road in the tuk tuk. The holes and furrows were even worse, but it was exciting and it afforded us some a wonderful look at rural life.

We stopped at a grouping of trees which were filled with hundreds and hundreds of giant fruit bats. They were mostly hanging upside down in the trees, but were very much awake, screeching and flapping their wings. Every few seconds a few would fly around, stretching their enormous wings (these are some of the biggest bats in the world). It was incredible. 

Next up was a stop at a tiny winery - a new thing in Cambodia (they do grow grapes here). We sampled the wine (not great, but drinkable), a brandy (not bad and very strong), grape juice (nice), and a honey ginger juice (delicious).

Finally we stopped at a local fishing village to see locals fishing from boats, using large nets.

The day was wonderful. We saw so much pristine countryside and authentic rural life. The weather was excellent and our host delightful. He charged $20 for the day and i for once did not haggle. (I'm pretty sure Betty Lou slipped him a 50% tip.)

The evening finished up with dinner at small corner restaurant where we watched a cat stalking a rat. More wildlife, up close.

It is now the next morning and we are waiting for the bus to Bangkok. They say it will take 6 hours. I have my doubts.

Siem Reap to Battambang

Our final day in Siem Reap was spent in town. Two full days of temples was enough to satisfy us and so we spent the fourth day shopping for souveniers in the market. There are so many beautful things, but of course one has only so much room at home and in one's suitcase, so we tried to limit ourselves. That being said, we have had to purchase a third bag to carry our purchases.

Betty Lou shopping the market amuses me greatly. Cambodia is a culture of bargaining. One never pays the first price and, while not mercilous, some haggling is expected. I enjoy this process; Betty Lou does not. While i play along with 'the whole, hesitate, walk away and name low prices as a starting point', she willinginly pays the first price, or, offen, she pays more. A shopkeeper asks $4 for a pair of earrings and Betty Lou pays $5, saying that they are worth more than the asking price. With this startegy in place, i am sure the merchants of Siem Reap were sad to see her go.

But go we did, after a couple meals sitting in the perfectly warm night air. The following morning we took a bus to Battambang. We were told the journey would be 3 hours and it was closer to 5, but the ride was very lovely, through the countryside. At one point we stopped for a break and we bought sweet rice and beans cooked in a bamboo stalk, which one peels back in order to feast on the contents. There were also roasted beetles and crickets for sale, but we took a pass on those.

Battabang is not a particularly nice looking city. It is dusty and the buildings are old and not particularly well maintained, aside from that though, there are some nice restaurants and cafes and some interesting, poorly kept french colonial buildings. The main reason for stopping here though is for the countryside, which is said to be some of the country's loveliest.

We checked into our Hotel (the Royal Hotel), which is unremarkable, but adequate, and very affordable. It is also right across the street from the market and steps from good places to eat.

One of the welcome things about Battambang is that it is so quiet compared to Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. Here people are not constantly trying to sell us stuff or offer us services. People are moslty just going about their daily lives. It is nice to take a look at a regular city in Cambodia.

The first evening we went for a bit of a walk and had some amazing curries; i also visited a temple and saw many monks chanting before i settled down at a local restaurant for a cigar and a bit of reading. The next day would prove to be action-packed.

Temples - Day 2

Today we again had our tuk tuk driver Mr. Lum take us to temples. Today we did the 'grand tour', which was a longer ride through thr countryside, past fields of rice, and villages of simple open air homes of wood and thatched houses on stilts, with families outside, chooping wood, cooking dinner, and selling fruit. We passed one street of women stirring large calrdons of what we discovered was palm sugar which they made into delicous sweets. The ride was wonderful, although in the morning we did contend with a downpour, which left us wet and muddy.

I hobbled though the temples, and climbed over stairs and tree roots with great caution. Betty Lou seemed delighted that for once i was not walking at too brisk a pace, and could only amble.

All of the temples were lovely and each a bit different than the next. One was only accessily by walking on a long bridge over a picturesque swamp, another was built in a pyamid configuration, and another, Bantay Srei, was a glorious pink color and featured impossible ornate and in tact carvings.

There were far fewer tourists at these tmeples than yesterday's, but there were still countless children and women selling palm juice, fruit, and souveniers, and groups of men with limbs lost to landmines playing haunting music.

We returned to the hotel fairly beat from the walking in the heat and me also from my stupid limping. We had a tasty lunch at an outdoor restaurant which included the most delicious lemon smoothie. We are staying in tonight. Tomorrow is our final day in Siem Reap and we have nothing planned aside from arranging our transport to Battambang and doing a bit of shopping. Right now i am sitting on the balcony of our hotel with a cigar and listening to the noise of the street.

Angkor Wat

On our second day in Siem Reap we hired a tuk tuk driver, Mr. Lum, to take us to the temples. The journey was not long but was wonderful, riding through the shady jungle streets in the tuk tuk, past troupes of monkeys, elephants, and roadside vendors selling coconuts, fruit and water.

We began by visiting Angkor Thom, of which the highlight is the Bayon temple, which is three levels structures with of dozens of faces, all of them huge and perfectly carved and identical to one another. It was spectacular to climb over the stones and in and around the temples' various rooms, some of which held buddhist or hindu shrines and were thick with incense smoke. There were many tour groups there, but it did not spoil our visit.

Let me say this of this temple and all that we visited so i need not repeat myself unnecessarily  all of the temples, are amazing. They bear many similarities: each is situated in the jungle and is surrounded by the forrest as well as counless smaller temples, statues, walkways, and pools, and everything is or was ornately carved with design and religious figures. All are about 900 years old, give or take a century. Some have been well maintained and others have let the jungle enclose around them, with vines and enormous strangler figs growing on and through them and slowly reducing them to rubble. Around each shrine or temple are locals selling drinks and souveniers and there are throngs of small children selling postcards and musical instruments. Our driver took us to each temple and we had more or less unlimited time to explore. It was a great way of visiting. Some people took bicycles to the temples, which seems like a great idea in the morning, but by the afternoon, the heat is oppressive and i did not envy them in the least.

Next we visited Ta Prohm, which is one of those temples where nature has been allowed to take over, it was amazing to see what will happen if the trees are allowed to grow as they please.

On our way out of that temple we saw what looked like a foot long twig but was the largest walking stick insect i have ever seen. Aside from its mantis-like head, it looked exactly like a stick. Incredible. We also saw a large, dead black millipede and some flying beetle the size of a big cockroach. There were also innumerable cows and several grazing water buffalo (at least that's what they looked like).

We visited numerous other temples, some of which involved climbling steep stairs to the top, which afforded wonderful views over the landscape. Betty Lou was delighted to find an artist from whom she bought a painting.

Our day of temples finished up at Angkor Wat itself, which is truly magnificent, rising above the jungle and approched by way of a long walkway bordered by carvings and a large moat.

We walked around the temple taking in the incredible bas reliefs and i was looking forward to climbing up to the high inner chamber when i fell down some stairs and badly twisted my ankle. Betty Lou spang into action, assessing the injury (not a break but a sprain) and fashioning a bandage out of her krama (traditional Cambodian scarf). The end result of that was that i can walk, limp, very slowly and my ability to climb stairs is somewhat limited, so i did not get to climb up to the inner part of the temple. It is painful and annoying but it shall not otherwise hamper my sightseeing.

In the evening we went out for a dinner of traditional Khmer food - i had a lovely curry and an odd dessert of cooked potato and tapioca - before going to bed, early and exhausted.

Siem Reap

We arrived at the airport in Siem Reap the other morning after a 45 min flight from Phnom Penh and quickly arranged a tuk tuk to take us to our hotel - the Golden Temple Villa. The hotel is lovely with a courtyard filled with tropical plants and palms, pools of fish and statues of visnhu and buddha. The service is impeccable, the room is simple but charming, the wifi is good and it comes with swell perks like free coffee, tea, and bananas, and a 1 hour free massage (of which Betty Lou has already availed herself), all for the princely sum of $24/night.

After getting settled we went out to explore the town. It feels much smaller and while the traffic is still madness and there are even more hawkers, it is much quieter than Phnom Penh. We are staying a few blocks from the hub (at least as far as tourists ar concerned) of Siem Reap - the market and streets lined with colorful and inviting shops and restaurants. There is a river running through the town and which connects it with Phnom Penh. 

We had a lovely time exploring and browsing at the market for spices, tea, fruit and clothing before settling in to a lovely outdoor eatery for some amok. The rest of the day was spent exploring the town, including popping imto one temple to listen to the monks in prayer, chanting, which was very peaceful.

In the evening, we sat at one of the many bars/restaurants on "pub street" for some people watching, which was alright. There are so many tourists here. It is to be expected i suppose, but they are really concentrated into this one area. It is a nice area though. After exploring and eating Betty Lou enjoyed her massage and i enjoyed some relaxation of my own variety at the hookah lounge across the street from our hotel which was crowded with locals and thick with shisha smoke.

It feels a bit hotter here than our other stops - hotter and more humid. It is still fine, but you have to accept that you will never feel cool or clean and makeup is impossible. We did get some laundry done (cleaned and pressed for $1.50), but those clothes are already filthy.

Here, as in our other stops, people in the business of catering to tourists speak decent english. Our attempts at speaking Khmer are simple at best. We noticed in Phnom Penh that many locals who spoke no english, also had little ability to read Khmer. A few times i used my phrase book to point to sentences written in Khmer (like, 'do you have vegetarian food') but they were unable to read them. The same goes for maps. But one can always make one's self understood.

We are here for about four days and plan to spend about two of them visiting temples.

Phnom Penh by Tuk Tuk

On our second full day in Phnom Penh we hired a tuk tuk driver, who went by the the name of Johnny, to take us to the "Killing Fields" and a couple of other sights. It was strangly relaxing being driven though the city traffic, which seems chaotic but actually has a bizarre flow which works well and did not bring about the least amount of apprehension in either of us. We weaves between busses and tuk tuks and motor scooters carrying their multiple passengers, bushels of bananas, sacks of something, and in one case, a large dead pig. The exhaust and dust from the barely paved roads grew string as we carried in and out driver offe us each a surgical mask. It was very useful for keeping the grit out of one's teeth, but no so condusive to smoking.

We arrived at the Killing fields of Choeung Ek, which are really very peaceful, due to the their rural setting and despite their horrific past. We did the audio tour of the sight, which was very good and informative, giving the history of the otherwise non-descript spots along the walk. After Choeung Ek we went by tuk tuk to the Tuol Sleng prison, where so many people were held, tortured and executed. It was a sobering pair of sights, but certainly worth visiting.

Finally, we had our driver take us to the "Russian Market", large market, very similar to the first, but more labyrinthine and containing more crafts and sounveniers. We had some vegetables, noodles and fried ginger at a food counter and took the tuk tuk back to our hotel.

Yesterday was the first day that it felt really hot to me. All the other days so far were hot, but in a totally bearable, humid, Miami sort of way. Yesterday afternoon though it felt very hot as I went for an afternoon walk. I visited a couple more temples and walked to an area which was quite fancy, which I promptly left, as I felt too dirty and shabby to be there. All around the streets local people were setting up for the next day which is a holiday, and flags were hung above the streets. 

In the evening, we dined and people watched before making our way back to the hotel along the wildly uneven and dark paving stones, sidestepping holes, garbage, and sleeping families.

That was yesterday. Now we are at the airport about to board a 45 minute flight to Siem Reap.

Soggy in Phnom Penh

Our first full day in Phenom Penh began with a lovely breakfast at our hotel underneath the palm trees. After that we decided to walk to a couple of temples along or near the waterfront. The walk started off well enough but then the rains came - slowly at first and then they were a full tropical deluge. By the time we were able to procure a couple of umbrellas we were drenched from socks to scarves. The thing is though, once you are that wet you can't get wetter so we relished in it and enjoyed splashing though the puddles in our sopping shoes and smiling and declining the offered from tuk tuk drivers to take us dryly to our destination.

Our first stop was Wat Ounalom, which is the head of Buddhism in Cambodia. It is more that one building but a complex of temples and graves and shrines. One such shrine, guarded by an old man in sunglasses and chain smoking cigarettes, contains an alleged hair from the Buddha's eyebrow. The sunglasses man beckoned us and unlocked the shrine and had us sit on the mat in front of the Buddha while he lit incense and candles and then mixed scented oil in a bowl and used some sticks to flick the oil on us while he chanted (prayers or blessings I assumed, but for all I know if could have been a curse). No sign of the eyebrow, but apparently it is in there.

After that wat we walked further north to Wat Phnom, which is a temple atop a hill. We climbed up the stairs which were pouring with water and spent some time inside, on the floor, admiring the gilded Buddhas and drying out.

The rain began to let up slightly as we walked back south to the Central Market (the Psar Thmei), a large, domes, Art Deco building which houses a large market. The inside sells mostly jewelry, clothing, electronics, and other goods, while around the market are the food stalls selling fresh produce and vegetables, eggs, fish and seafood, and meats - so many means being carved up, from chickens and teeny tiny birds to frogs, grubs, and who knows what else. It was smelly and colourful and fantastic. 

We sat at one of the counters in the food selling area and ordered a couple of soups (mine without meat). They were very tasty and with some added spicy chillis, they were delicious (and about $1.25 each). After that we bought some tasty pastries and mangosteens and a small white coconut and walked back to our hotel, now in the sunshine.

After a bit of a rest we walked back down to the waterfront and had a tasty dinner of Thai food with a fellow we ran into who had been on our boat in Vietnam (an Australian fellow who was a jackaroo turned hot air balloonist - there are a couple of careers I never considered).

It was a satisfyingly full day and we slept soundly.