Two and a Half Weeks in Cambodia

Hi!

Ready for another long blog entry? Here it goes...

I'm currently in Saigon and it's been great so far. A huge change from Cambodia which is where I've spent the past two and a half weeks. As different as Cambodia was, I definitely loved it! I believe that I left off last in Thailand, so here's Cambodia in a nutshell (albeit a big one).

After heading back to Bangkok for the night, I set off early the next morning for the border. After one hour on public transit in Bangkok and five hours on a bus, I finally made it to the border. Fortunately, there was a German guy on my bus so I had company throughout the entire ordeal of actually getting into Cambodia. The first thing that becomes apparent as you approach the border is the level of poverty in Cambodia. Gone are the nicely paved roads and cute little roadside shops of Thailand. Instead you 're greeted by dusty dirt roads and begging children. A bunch of tour operators jumped on our shuttle that was ferrying us between the two borders and each tried to make a pitch for his own tour company. Somewhat amusingly, one guy was trying to convince us to stay in Poipet (the Cambodian bordertown), which Lonely Planet describes as "the cesspool of Cambodia." I had seen enough of it, so no thanks.

Once crossing the border you pretty much have the choice of bus or private taxi to get to either Siem Riep or Battambang. Fortunately for me (and my budget), the German guy decided to also go to Battambang so we were able to split the cost of a shared taxi. The journey down to Battambang involved a trip on some of the worst roads out there. In the end though, it was worth it. Battambang is Cambodia's third largest city and still has some great preserved French architecture. I spent my one full day there visiting some of the surrounding sites via a moto and driver. My driver was really interesting and told me about his life in Cambodia. He, like many Cambodians, has led an extremely tough life. He was one of eleven siblings and all were killed either during the time of the Khmer Rouge or during the civil war. Unfortunately, his is a typical story.

From Battambang, I travelled by boat to Siem Riep. The boat trip was an event in and of itself. About fifty people crammed into a boat that would seat twenty comfortably. The journey was interesting though. We passed tons of floating villages along the way. Occasionally we would stop and a family member would jump into a smaller boat and paddle out to pick up grandma, aunt, uncle, etc. and the hundred pounds of produce that was accompanying them. After being loaded into the smaller boat, they were paddled back to their floating home.

Siem Riep, the home of Angkor Wat. Let's just say that to call the temples impressive is a huge understatement. The temples were built between the ninth and thirteenth century and words do not describe them. I spent three days touring around them on bike, tuk-tuk, and moto. The only downside to the temples is the paralyzing heat and humidity. I could go on describing the temples, but instead I'll just list some of the highlights: the many faces of Bayon, Banteay Samre, climbing up stairs and then realizing that one must also climb down, and the intricate and wonderfully preserved carvings of Temple of the Leper King.

After Siem Riep, it was off to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. I really loved Phnom Penh. It has lots of preserved French architecture, wide green boulevards, and a bunch of crazy moto and tuk-tuk drivers to make getting anywhere an experience. I hit several of the highlights: the Silver Pagoda and National Palace, the National Museum, and a sombering trip to S-21 and the Killing Fields. For those lacking knowledge of the Khmer Rouge and their Year Zero revolution, S-21 was one of the detention centres where many people tortured to death between 1975 and 1979. Apparently only seven people actually survived being taken to S-21. Most died either at S-21 or after being taken to the Killing Fields just outside of Phnom Penh. We spent about an hour wandering around the Killing Fields, which is filled with mass graves and littered with old remnants of clothing. It's all incredibly disturbing.

One of the things that I really liked about Cambodia was the number of establishments created to help those less fortunate, and in Cambodia this adds up to be a large number of people. Friends is an organization dedicated to helping street kids. One of their projects is a restaurant with the same name that is employed entirely of former street kids. The service is amazing and the food even better. I went there twice and both times it was incredible. Another similar organization is the Seeing Hands project, which employs people with visual disabilities as masseurs and masseuses. It's great that there are so many ways of helping out those less fortunate.

After four days in Phnom Penh, I headed down for Sihanoukville, which is right on the coast of Cambodia. Four days of lying on beaches, reading, and relaxing followed. Despite hearing some bad things about Sihanoukville, I actually found it quite nice (perhaps my expectations were low). Beaches in Cambodia are like beaches anywhere in SE Asia, an insane number of vendors all after your money. I did break down and buy a bookmark from one particularly persistent girl, but other than that, I held my own.

From Sihanoukville, I went by bus to Kampot, a small town about 2 hours away and the launching point for a trip to Bokor National Park. The park was amazing, but getting there was a challenge. Two hours each way on roads that are bad, even by Cambodian standards. Lots of old French heritage sites and a boat ride down the river made it a great trip. From Kampot, it was back to Phnom Penh for the night before heading out the next morning for Vietnam, which is where I currently am. Anyways, this entry is long enough, so I'll write more later.

Katie