Part One: Siem Reap
Taiwan is grey and green. Cambodia is brown and green. The roads are dusty and the buildings are low. The colonial influence in the architecture is immediately evident. We were approached by a polite but insistant taxi driver the minute we walked outside. He offered to drive us to Siem Reap for US$150. We were like, "uh, how much is the bus?" He explained that prices had skyrocketed due to Chinese New Year. "How much?" we asked.
"Usually it's $5 but today, maybe $10." Hmm.
We told him we'd try our luck. Sure enough, there was a bus available for $10.
the bus stop
We hopped out of the cab and bought our tickets. Then a lady handed Emily two water bottles in a plastic bag.
Emily: Oh, thank you!
Lady: One dollar.
While standing in line, we met Luke and Natalie from Adelaide, who shared their discovery that the bus place around the corner was offering $6 tickets. Oh, well. The five of us are now sitting in the back of the bus, taking in the scenery, a bumby ride, and some rockin' Khmer karaoke.
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cute kids at the first stop
We've stopped, for the too-many-th time. I'm ready to be done with this bus ride! Last stop there were WCs, pomellos, tea, cute kids... This stop there's only cute kids and a dusty field.
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I am now sitting on my backpack, on the floor of a new bus. I'm very sweaty but I must admit the situation is pretty funny.
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We finally made it, stepped off the bus in Siem Reap and were suddenly surrounded by tuk-tuk drivers begging us to ride with them. They're crazy. But those things are darn fun to ride in. We arrived at our GORGEOUS hotel, checked in, took a very quick dip and then went out for delicious dinner... and 50-cent beer.
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We woke up at 4:50 this morning so we could see the sunrise at Angkor Wat.
Then we rode elephants (and saw monkeys!!! Nate's head exploded) to Bayon.
It's all gorgeous. Now we're having some breakfast at #17: a fruit shake, french toast, fried banana, pineapple pancake and a coconut. Delectable! The only frustration this morning has been the endless stream of children trying to sell us things. There are some cuties, but one exchange this morning ended with a boy cursing our parents!
"What's over there? Oh, I can see from here! More stones!" -some random Malaysian dude
After Angkor Thom, Nat took us to a little temple in the forest, where we sat on the steps in the sun for a while and just rested. We were already getting a little tired.
But before lunch, we had to visit Ta Keo, an unfinished temple with so many steps! I made up my mind to climb it and felt very adventurous, but of course there are dozens of people who do it every day.
skylight
Anyway, it was sweaty but rewarding. The view was beautiful and we could feel what Nat called "natural air conditioning" and that felt great and refreshing!
partners in crime
Next was probably all of our favourite: Ta Prohm. Okay, so it's the Tomb Raider site, so it's a little overrun by tourists (as well as trees!), but man, is it breath-taking! Lots of broken-down stones, too, so you get to feel like an explorer climbing over it all. It was a beautiful walk to and from it, as well--through a little, shady forest and past some musicians (land mine victims) playing traditional tunes.
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After Ta Prohm, we met Nat at restaurant #5, where he was napping in a hammock. We had a satisfying lunch of fresh spring rolls, curry, fish, fried rice and lots of water! It was interesting to just people-watch for a while. There are so many people from just about everywhere, speaking every language. We met a family sitting near us from close to Beijing and they pretended to be impressed by my Chinese. Also, at one point, a cow appeared in one corner of the eating area and just sort of wandered through the square until it disappeared behind a canvas "wall."
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After lunch we went a little ways to (what I think was) Banteay Kdei, but I got separated from Nate and Emily. So first, I wandered a little market across the way where a tiny boy with huge teeth won me over with the "you buy, you buy from me" line. I couldn't find my family, so I explored by myself.
It was like a long, long hallway--pretty cool but I was too tired (and a little worried about Em and Nate) to go the whole way through. What I did see was definitely memorable and rather enchanting.
So then I want back out to the market and talked to one girl who took me to her shop, sat me down and fanned me while I had a Fanta.
the shop girl tries on my hat
Then a whole group gathered around and the girls started holding their arms up to mine and we started talking about skin colour. They loved mine, which after Taiwan was about as pale and pasty as it gets. Theirs, on the other hand, was a stunning coffee colour; absolutely beautiful. I showed them my legs and said, "It looks like a chicken!"
They laughed and replied, "You're not a chicken!" Then the boy with the teeth came up as well and expressed great annoyance that I hadn't found him again to buy my drink. I apologized and explained that I had tried to find him. The older girl helpfully suggested that I buy a drink from him for our driver. So I did. He smiled even more and let me take a picture.
I bought a shirt from the girl and the others were very sullen because I hadn't bought from them. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I said, shrugging.
"Sorry doesn't help me," they replied. But I was actually almost out of cash for the day at that point. So what could I do? I went back to the tuk-tuk and Nate and Emily appeared. Then, after I gave Nat the Coke from Teeth Boy, we took off for the mother of them all: Angkor Wat.
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When we got to Angkor Wat, we were all too hot, sweaty and tired to go in. So we went to the Artisans d'Angkor outlet store and cafe. There, we met KK from Austin (and the Philippines and Hong Kong) and had some ice cream with him, and a good chat too. Finally, we joined the crowds at the temple.
For me, it didn't seem all that special, but it was Nate's favourite. Okay, it is pretty remarkable that an ancient structure could be so detailed and symmetrical. And I think part of the reason it's so impressive is the contrast with the scenery on the way to Siem Reap. How can this massive masterpiece be part of such an impoverished place? We were talking about how motivation to build this kind of thing must be an interesting combination of religious fervour and national pride.
We looked around a little and then I sat on a wall in the back for a few minutes, watching some monks talking to tourists.
Eventually, we went over and met them ourselves. Em and Nate had an interesting chat with one who apparently couldn't discuss Buddhism with them much because he isn't allowed to teach women. One of the other monks came up to me and asked me my size. "180 cm," I said.
"And how many kilos?" he asked. When I told him, he said, "Wow! So big! I want to be fat, too. What do you eat?"
Good thing Taiwan has desensitized me to those kinds of comments by now!
After Angkor Wat, we decided to get going.
cattle in traffic
Nat, our tuk-tuk driver, with Nate and Emily
Back at our hotel, we went for a wonderful second dip in the pool and then for dinner at Khmer Kitchen, which is where Mick Jagger apparently ate a couple of years ago once. It was the best we had eaten since we landed. I especially liked the ginger chicken.
After dinner, Nate and Em were tired and headed back, but I wasn't quite ready. So I started to walk along Bar Street when I heard someone calling my name. I looked over, and there were Luke and Natalie from the bus! They invited me to have a drink with them, so I had a powerful mint-and-fruity cocktail called an "Apsera Dance." It was a nice evening, though the conversation wasn't exactly deep. Still, a nice drink, outdoors, in the summer breeze? Can't go wrong!
One of the Bar St. locations ... and a little inside joke
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Monday morning, we woke up a little late and devoured the hotel breakfast buffet.
our classy hotel courtyard
Then we strolled along the main drag until we reached the Artisans d'Angkor headquarters. We took a little tour, skipping around huge tour groups of wealthy French and Americans.
The silk painters are all deaf-mute girls, and they do beautiful work. We bought a few small things at the gift ship but it is pretty expensive there.
On the way back, Em and I stopped at Seeing Hands for a 1/2 hour massage. It's a cool place--fully staffed by blind masseurs. It seemed to me that all the adults there were blind, and then there were a few quite well behaved children running around. It was cool to see such a unique community there, and of course the massage was wonderful, and only $2 for the 30 minutes! We took a tuk-tuk back to the hotel ($1) and met Nate, then hopped on the bus back to Phnom Penh.
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