Cambodia Day 6

Siem Reap

We did sunrise at Angkor Wat, which meant meeting our driver and guide, and leaving from the hotel at 5am! The hotel gave us a breakfast box to take with us, which was a nice thought. It was still full dark on the ride to the temple. Sarah and I were a little bit sleepy still but the guide was talking the whole way. We both secretly wished he would just be quiet for a bit, but of course, that's not what he's employed to do. There were masses of tuk-tuks, motorbikes, bicycles and cars heading in for sunrise, and then masses of people gathered around the lake. We reached the lake just after 5:30am, then stood watching the sky lighten for the next hour and a quarter.

As the sky slowly lightened, all the people of the world raised their cameras in supplication to the gods of Angkor Wat. It turns out the best time to watch the sunrise is at the equinox in March. Although I also took some photos, I think the experience would have been much better if everyone was forced to leave their cameras and phones at the entrance. The intermittent but constant flashes were both distracting and blinding in the dark.

The crowds

Our guide was very knowledgeable, but he was also kind of racist! He made comments about Vietnamese, Koreans, Japanese and Chinese. Goodness knows what he says about Australians when he is guiding someone else around. We suspect he is actually an under employed intellectual. He was a bit mean to other guides and workers around the temple. He also kept trying to tell us when to take photos, and was disappointed when we actually made our own decisions about what we would like to photograph.

Bridge into the temple. You can ride an elephant in.

Apparatus for polishing blocks to ensure proper alignment.

Today we saw Angkor Wat, and Ta Prohm, the temple where they filmed Tomb Raider and one of the Indiana Jones movies. There are a lot of trees swallowing up the buildings, which was fascinating to see. One thing about yesterday and today that we hadn't really come across in our readings was the amount of super steep stairs at some of the temples. In either the Hindu or Buddhist religion, it is respectful to bow your head while approaching the King or deities, so they deliberately build them so steep that you are forced to look down while climbing.

Detailed carvings

As yesterday, we were dusty after the tramping and tuk-tuk driving - it is the dry season, and we are smeared in anti-mozzie and sunscreen which attracts the dust. When we got to our new, last hotel, Sarah and I both wiped our faces and created our own Shrouds of Turin!

Fallen blocks waiting for restoration

We had an early dinner at the hotel, along with cocktails by the pool (again!) and met an older couple from Guernsey, just starting their journey. They are doing a Mekong River cruise, and Vietnam/Cambodia were the last on their bucket list.

After all of the walking and learning and admiring, we are very tired, and quite looking forward to coming home. We leave tomorrow night, so have decided that tomorrow morning will be spent lazing by the pool, relaxing. This will be the last post, only one more day before we'll be back. 

Cambodia Day 5

Siem Reap

First day at the temples of Angkor today. We left it too late to get an English speaking guide, so we simply hired a tuk-tuk driver to take us around and did the Grand Tour Circuit, which encompasses 5 sites. We saw Ta Prohm, Pre Rup, Ta Som, Neak Pean and the amazing Preah Khan. All the guidebooks say they can't be described, and it's true.

The one thing that surprised me is that each site is different. They are of different sizes with different architecture and different decorations (different purposes too, I imagine). One of them was on a massive man made island. Many have holes in the bricks, which was originally where gemstones were embedded. The magnificence would have been unspeakable.

We had time, so we also headed out to Banteay Srey, which is only a small temple, but recommended for the 30 km or so drive. You get to see rural Cambodia, with fields and farming, schools, police stations and families. Speaking of police, we ran into one at one of the temples. He offered to sell us his badge and hat as souvenirs. Was he corrupt? Was he an imposter who makes his money this way? We had walked past the large anti-corruption unit in Phnom Penh, so we weren't having any of it. There are also a lot of people trying to sell you things at each temple, and they are quite persistent. Even the kids put on an act with sad faces, and "you buy this so I can go to school?" - before they run off laughing to catch up with their friends.

It was a long day, so we came back for an early dinner at a French restaurant - where we had proper Khmer spring rolls, and a Khmer chicken curry. I guess the lesson here is not to look for Khmer foods in Khmer restaurants!

It is early to bed for us tonight, because we are having sunrise at Angkor Wat - we are leaving the hotel at 5am.

Cambodia Day 4

Phnom Penh to Siem Reap

We started the day back at the markets. Unfortunately the guy I wanted to buy silver from wasn't open when we were there, so I saved myself some money in that respect. This time when we caught a tuk-tuk back, we showed the guy our hotel card written in Khmer, but it turns out he was illiterate. He said yes anyway, and we started driving, before he pulled over to a group of other drivers and got them to tell him where we were meant to go. After that, we got there with no problems.

The landing on the flight was a little bit heavy this time - more of a drop-down than a touch-down! The flight was only 30 minutes. There is a road from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, which should take 4 - 5 hours. Unfortunately, it has fallen into such disrepair that we heard from a couple of sources (tourist and Cambodian) that it now takes 8 - 9 hours. We had a tuk-tuk transfer to the hotel waiting for us. Once we arrived we used our ever developing map reading skills to walk into town. It's a small town, with a very different feel to the big city of Phnom Penh. There are easily as many tourists here as Cambodians, from all corners of the world.

One view of Siem Reap from the Royal Crown Hotel rooftop

One thing that we have noticed is that the Cambodian people seem to be a generally happy people, with a sense of fun. They will laugh and joke with each other while they are working, and also at the various markets we've been to, stall holders will be having a big laugh amongst each other. They are more than happy to share their sense of humour with us. We didn't see that in Vietnam. The people in general seem harsher, until you get to speak to individuals, that is. Cambodia is a lot dirtier than Vietnam (there is no rubbish there, it seems it is swept up and burnt in little piles at the end of the day), but Cambodia does appear to be big on recycling. Vietnam is a much harder sell - you can't walk anywhere without having goods pushed on you. Here it is more of a gentle, not really trying type push.

Another view of Siem Reap

We went looking for a late lunch of Cambodian, but ran into the same problem as Phnom Penh - every restaurant touts a mix of Cambodian and Western food. For example, the "Cambodian Kitchen - specialising in Cambodian food" had a section of the menu for Khmer specialties. Under this section was included French Fries and Fried Onion rings. Amok is the national dish, but all others seem to be very heavily Thai or Western influenced. We wandered around the streets of Siem Reap, looking at some shops. There was a handmade ceramics place that had nice goods. Sarah was looking for gifts at the markets, and came across a stall with a young Aussie guy. It turns out he didn't work there, he was trying to pick up the shop-keeper. Sarah put him in his place by telling him that he was too old for the girl, and that he was punching above his weight! He took it all in his stride and promptly ignored all advice.

The Full Moon Rooftop bar

When we returned to the hotel, we headed up to the rooftop bar for sunset and cocktails in a cool breeze, with Rasta music playing in the background. We know, it's a difficult life.

Sunset and Happy Hour

Cambodia Day 3

Phnom Penh

Still had a headache when I woke up, so decided to book the massage that was included with our room booking for this afternoon.

Half of the King's Palace

This morning we walked to the King's Palace, which is so beautiful that I can't describe it. Every part of every building is decorative, and the grounds are immaculately maintained, full of greenery and tropical plants. We saw the Silver Pagoda, which is paved with 5000 engraved silver tiles. Most of them are covered to protect them, but it doesn't take much imagination to see what it would look like. There are multiple gold and silver statues (hundreds) of Buddha and other deities, some encrusted with gemstones, all incredibly ornate.

A mural that is being restored. It covers all four walls of a massive quadrangle

Various buildings and temples in the Palace grounds

Immaculate gardens

It is hot again today, but Sarah thinks she heard rain during the night, which seems to have brought a strong breeze to ameliorate the humidity and the heat, as long as we are out of the direct sun.

After the Palace we stopped for a quick morning tea at a French bakery, then it was on to the National Museum. Lots of statues, stelae and ornaments, some dating back to the 4th Century BC. There was also a section on the agreement of countries to return antiquities to their place of origin, along with some massive statues that had been returned. The shop had some excellent reproductions of statues, but I don't think that we have the capacity to carry a 10kg head under our arms on the plane!

National Museum

By now we'd reached the heat of the day again, so it was back to the hotel for a swim in the pool to cool off. There were a lot of other guests just sitting around the pool, in the cool of the gardens. Sarah decided to have a cocktail - they are only $2.50, and they seem to have a much higher alcohol content than at home! Of course, drinking and swimming don't mix, so after the cocktail it was off to have our massages.

The Pavilion Hotel's Pool

I went for a de-stress head, neck, back and shoulders. When I was laying there on my tummy, all ready to go, she walked in, saw me, and said "Your skin is so white!" Yes, it hasn't seen the light of day for about 15 years... She asked what strength I would like the massage, and I said I'd like it strong - so it started with her climbing on the bed on top of me! It was a great massage, which included a face massage (fish lips, anyone?), and a scalp massage, which sounds scary - part of it is punching your skull, and pulling your hair, but it felt really good!

Trees at the King's Palace

After the massage we went to the central market, which is huge. In contrast to Vietnam, there isn't a lot of hassling, so it is easier to look at what you want. There is also a huge variety of goods. In Vietnam, you see exactly the same things at every stall. Here, there is the occasional repeat, but lots and lots of variety of goods.

We caught a tuk-tuk to dinner at a restaurant the hotel had recommended. We had asked the hotel to write the address in Cambodian before we left, but when we showed it to the drivers, there was a big confab about where it was. We had our map, then he pulled out his map in Cambodian, and we had to attempt to match the location of the two. On the way, a girl on a motorbike nearly crashed in to us (Sarah saw it, I was facing the other way). Her friend on the back of the bike just gave her a smack, and off they went. When we got there, the driver pulled over to confer with some other drivers, and realised he had missed the turn off. No worries, he just did a U-turn across the middle of a 6 lane road in peak hour!

The restaurant was very fancy, but unfortunately the food wasn't really up to scratch for the decor and the cost. It was still a nice night out, though. On the table next to us, there were three young blokes who sounded like they had met in their travels, and could have been the beginning of a joke - a Yank, a Pom and a Skip walk into a bar... The restaurant isn't far from our hotel, so we decided to walk back, but we were warned to look out for snatch-and-grabs on the way. We've had that warning a few times while we have been here. Needless to say, we took care and have returned to our hotel safely.

Cambodia Day 2

Phnom Penh

Yesterday we had arranged for a taxi to take us around today. We discovered the location of the Kings Palace walking around last night, so decided we would just use the taxi to get to places further out. It is very hot and muggy today.

We started with Toul Sleng Museum, also known as Prison S21. This is the school that Pol Pot turned into a prison for the incarceration and torture of 20,000 people - of which only 7 survived. It is grim and horrendous, and even more terrible to realise that things like this are still happening in the world today. There was also a small display from the Museum of Okinawa in Japan. It looks as if there is a partnership happening where the Japanese are teaching curation skills to the Cambodians in regards to presenting the prison, and the development of educational materials to go along with the displays. The displays are truly horrific. Pol Pot documented all of his atrocities with photographs, and they are graphic. In the end he became so paranoid that the jailers and torturers themselves became victims of the prison system, as they turned on each other.

Skulls in the Buddist Stupa at the Killing Fields

People weren't murdered at the gaol - they were taken to the Killing Fields, which is where we headed to next (Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre). You are given an audio tour when you enter, which was really informative. The focus is mostly on the victims, but there is also information on the perpetrators, and the lack of justice that is still being worked through today. Pol Pot remained the leader of the Khmer Rouge for 20 years after they were deposed, and the party was given a seat at the UN as the recognised leaders of Cambodia.

Pieces of bone and teeth that rise to the surface of the earth after rain.

There are so many mass graves at the site, not all have been excavated, and even now, after heavy rain, bones and pieces of clothing will still rise to the surface. All of the excavated skulls and bones have been collected into a monument named a stupa.

The Buddist Stupa - a monument to those murdered by the Pol Pot regime

I was beginning to get a headache from the heat and the really tough going at the memorials, so we quickly stopped off at a temple (Wat Phnom), before heading back to the hotel. I had a swim in the pool to try and cool down, followed by a sleep to get rid of my headache, which didn't really work. For dinner we walked to the waterfront and ate in a restaurant called Karma. Almost all of the restaurants along here offer a mix of Khmer, Western, French and Chinese or Indian. We were unable to find a restaurant that only offered Cambodian dishes, although we both sampled Amok, which is a type of spicy curry. We successfully caught a tuk-tuk back - last night when we tried to do so, all we got was "tour?", so we decided it was all too hard and had walked back.

The pool at our lovely hotel. Very welcome in the heat.

Early bed with my headache, that's why I didn't post. I realise this photo collage is a bit off-putting. That's the type of contradiction you come across here as a visitor.

Vietnam Day 8/Cambodia Day 1

Ho Chi Minh to Phnom Penh

Decided to sleep in today, so we didn't get up until about 9am. Even though we were 4 floors up with double glazing, you can still hear the traffic. I lay awake counting - the longest time period between hearing horns tooting was 2 seconds! Breakfast at the hotel. Sarah had a cup of tea that looked like they'd just waved a teabag over the hot water. She hasn't had much luck with tea over here - if you are coming to Vietnam, we suggest you carry teabags with you!

We went to the markets, but weren't really looking for anything. They had a big food section as well, it's fascinating to look at all of the fresh food, including fish and seafood that I couldn't identify (I think it might have been some form of sea slug. I saw it dried in packets as well). Sarah haggled with a seller, back and forth, until eventually the girl told her she was like the mafia!

We spent the rest of our morning trying to exchange our Dong to USD, just so we had enough to be able to pay for our visas on arrival into Cambodia. This turned out to be not only difficult, but well nigh impossible. After visiting 4 different banks, we finally asked why no-one would exchange, and he said that they don't hold USD in Vietnam. He then gave us an address, but we decided to leave it and exchange at the airport, which was fine. While we were sitting waiting for our flight, I was reading, and Sarah was playing a game on her iPad. I heard/saw her turn her head and say "Hello!" I thought she'd met someone she knew, but it turned out to be a little girl, hanging over the back of Sarah's chair, fascinated by the game. She stayed for ages, just watching the colours and the action.

Flying over Phnom Penh was beautiful. Huge swathes of bright green cultivated rectangular fields almost seem to float on brown rivers and streams of water. As we flew in, the sun was setting, so it appeared to set some of the water on fire. It was spectacular. 

Farewell Vietnam, hello Cambodia

When we arrived at the airport, we needed to fill in 4 different forms! There was an entry/exit form, a health declaration, a customs declaration and an application for a visa. The cost was $30 USD, and because we didn't bring a passport photograph with us, we had to pay a $2 fee each. The process was a little bit chaotic, but overall flowed well - much better and clearer than Vietnam. All of the people seem to be very friendly as well. When we passed through the final security screening, we were photographed and fingerprinted.

First impressions of Phnom Penh is that it is more sophisticated than Vietnam, which is not what I was expecting. US dollars is the primary (although unofficial) currency here, so not having to convert 15,000:1 will be a lot easier too (although the AUD is dropping quickly against USD). Only bad thing here is the number of mosquitoes. We'll have to see what it is like in the day time tomorrow.

Vietnam Day 7

Ho Chi Minh City

Woke up early for our transfer through Danang to Ho Chi Minh City. We were dropped off at the domestic terminal with plenty of time, found the airline, then lined up in the queue. We were then directed to the one window checking in our flight - and after the person in front of us was served, the lady simply put up a closed sign! We were a little bit gobsmacked, because no other windows were for HCMC, so we joined the line next door, which was for a Hanoi flight. Luckily, they were happy to check us in, but it certainly would not have been clear to anyone else who came along after us.

View from our hotel room

HCMC was 30^C and muggy, the most humid we have experienced. It is very much a large, modern bustling city. Even though we have experience crossing the road in Hanoi, it is so much worse in HCMC. We decided to walk to the Reunification Palace - and promptly got lost. Other places have given us a paper map of their towns, but no such luck here. Also, the street signage isn't as good as Hanoi or Hoi An. We were hungry, so stopped off at a franchised French bakery. The goods were delicious, but it was very much franchise fare. With our full bellies and a regroup, we managed to find our way.

Reunification Palace

The Reunification Palace was great. It was originally the Presidential Palace. In 1975, Communist tanks burst through the gates, and the South surrendered to the North. The Palace has essentially remained untouched (but preserved) since then. We saw all of the state rooms, and the Presidential rooms, an old movie theatre with the projection equipment, a games room, the spots on the roof where another bombing attempt had damaged it, and the bunker with old maps, telephones, telex and other communication equipment. We really enjoyed it, and it had the added benefit that we were inside for an afternoon thunderstorm, which bought cooling winds with it (although they didn't last long).

The National Security Council Chamber, with maps.

Helicopter and site of dropped bomb

Communications equipment

Projectors and control board for the movie theatre

We managed to find our way back to our hotel, then Sarah headed out for (what turned out to be) a very long massage. It had just gotten to the point where I thought I would have to head in to HCMC find her (neither of us have mobiles, so I'm not sure what my plan would have been!) when she returned.

Dinner was at Nha Hang Ngon, a kind of fancy street food collaborative. It was hot and humid again, so we ordered a beer as soon as we got there. We then ordered our food, and when it came, we asked for second beers. We got a very surprised look from the waiter! Feeling a lot more comfortable and competent around HCMC now, we wandered a little bit on the way back to the hotel. The streets and buildings are lit up with coloured lights, it's really pretty (but still crazy).

We can't find any half day tours, so we think tomorrow we might try heading to the massive markets near us, and then an art gallery - if we can find it!