Dateline: April 27th 2013 8:00. Phnom Penh, Cambodia
You think the last one was boring! Try Cambodia
Our Cambodian Tour
We had a blast there....
OK,
time for a little "advice" to all potential ad hoc travellers, and this
seems to be as good a place as any to offload it.....You think the last one was boring! Try Cambodia
Our Cambodian Tour
We had a blast there....
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| Laura Croftlimae And Indiana Smith in the Temple of Gloom |
Not
for consideration by anyone wanting a "luxury" or group pre set tour
function. Solely for the make it up as you go along crowd.
I
started traveling ("real" stuff), at 25 with a sleeping bag, a tent,
some cooking pots, a stove, a Micheline map, and a jar of Marmite. As I
remember, I left UK with $US210.00. It lasted me about 6 months, and I
ended up in Johannesburg with about $5 left. |
| Our Tuk Driver is waiting for us at the airport We are the only ones with Visa's, so we are straight through |
However, once you have that sorted, begin with the essentials.
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| Our hotel is exceedingly lovely. Full laid back tourist mode |
The bible is of course, Lonely Planet, for wherever you're heading to, plus passport with an expiry at least 6 month after you get back. You now have the internet, and the resource we now use is TripAdvisor, for all manner of recommendations, mostly, very reliable. To use this, you really need a smartphone, preferably unlocked, with wifi, and GPS, so in places (like here in Vietnam), you can have data and phone access. Here, for a SIM, 1GB of data a few texts and calls, it cost $4.00 (yes FOUR dollars Cad) for a month. For an extra $2.50, I added lots of text (thousands) and a good few local calls (don't know, haven't used it up yet). Even without this SIM access, in a pinch, I use Skype on wifi. Of course, in a country for only a few days, and you can live with just wifi. You also need $$$. I've found that the best here, is US cash. Other countries could have other favourites. Changing to foreign currency at the bank before you go costs a LOT! of money, maybe 5 - 8 % or even more. Travellers cheques are not universally accepted any more, and can cost lots to exchange. Carrying cash, is the way we went, but you do need some security, and maybe some luck, so its a bit of a crap shoot. If you are in dorms, not a good idea. A credit/ debit card can (often is) very useful, but ATM's also cost a packet. I got $CAN135 out of a machine in Vientiane, and it cost me $14US, plus a crap exchange rate......
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| I guess this is why we're here. Broadening my mind and maybe the missus rump? But I digress |
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| Pretty and extensive All labelled in English and, of course, latin |
Its very easy now to find a highly
recommended hotel/ etc via TripAdvisor, find a deal throug Kayak, Agoda
or some other internet broker, (usually cheaper), email the hotel in
English (eg, do you have airport pickup?), and see what response you
get. If it's understandable, fast and effective, you are probably onto a
good thing. Tell them your name, and someone should be at the airport,
train/ bus station for you, with a sign with your name on it. This
avoids all the crap of touts, and bent taxi/ bus drivers in a new
locale/ country. also, pick up is often free. I try to use the $cash for
day to day stuff, and credit cards (believe it or not, the best overall
option, even if you have to pay the 3%) for big stuff like hotels,
trips, trains etc.
More advice needed? Fire up the barbeque and give us a date......
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| Siem Reap by bike. Mainly an excuse to look out for milk shakes |
Hmmmmm,
just thinking about this, I'm not sure we know many people who would
actually want to know this stuff :) Tough luck folks.
OK, 'Nuff said.Chhay at Sonolong was as good as his word "I'll send the hotel Tuk Tuk to pick you up at the airport", and there it was.... waiting for us.
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| Spot the guy giving the god dude a helping hand Don't ask what this is all about...... Local museum |
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| For some reason, it's not too busy today Only about 20 other folks getting permits in front of us. About 30 minutes before dawn |
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| This is the reason we are up very early Sunrise over Ankor Wat |
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| We are up very early |
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| To catch the Ankor dawn, like maybe 1000+ others |
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| Just being here and watching Ankor's temples emerge from the night was truly magical |
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| At the sacred lake, just in front of the main entrance |
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| There's a hell of a lot here, and I want to see All of it |
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| Your knees may vary..... |
Quite an experience I must say.
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| Ankor does not disappoint |
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| Lots of ruins. Many, many temples Funnily enough, most tourists drift away through the morning |
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| As seen in various blockbusters, typically with Harrison Ford/ Angeline Jolie in some staring role, but these are the real stars |
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| Movie scripts almost write themselves here Another access to the main temple |
Of course, I do have to mention Angkor Thom.
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| It doesn't get particularly cool here |
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| What a civilisation. Champs |
The renovation projects that the French, then
UNESCO
got involved with, got to most of the important temples and
reconstructed them from the jungles, probably to good effect. Ankor Thom
is left almost as it was found, organic as it were. See Tomb Raiders
etc sets running riot still (yes, for any one thinking it was just
Hollywood, its really there)
It was probably the
hottest day I remember in my life. |
| Our trek takes in all manner of lesser temples |
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| And out of the way buildings |
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| Of course, ever since I saw this tree in some Indiana Jones flick I had to stand here with my hat, if not whip |
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| Party time for some visiting locals |
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| There's a stunning amount of these and they are huge |
It wasn't of course, it just seemed like it. Luckily, attendance was down, about 40% of maximum, so there were no hoards of other like minded folk about
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| Outside Angkor Thom with guide who can't take good pix |
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| It goes on. Apparently, there was a lot of fighting here during various wars and revolutions |
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| Some obviously, the worse for wear and bombings and theft |
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| The wonderment never stopped |
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| Intrepid adventurers that we were back then |
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| I know, look Mom! Here I am...... |
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| I certainly didn't get bored Mostly by after lunch (about 2PM) 70% of the day trippers were gone |
Next day, Siem Reap. The town needs more detailed exploring.
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| Somewhere, there's a always great air conditioned cafe selling iced coffees |
It is very cute, quite a tourist spot (Duh!), and there's a whole street of bars and restaurants (Pub Street of course). Best of all is the Swensens Ice Cream shop. Iced Cappuccino's to die for darling.
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| Incredibly well visited. Try a lesser occupied day for best results |
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| Siem Reap market. Mostly tourist junk |
But, we must exit the Angkor scene. A bus to Phnom Penh is organised
We do get to see Cambodian countryside in the raw. Its pretty ugly. The filth (squalor is a fiscal thing, filth is an attitude). Every "house" appears to have a front area next to the road that is reserved for just tossing every scrap or anything into it, especially old water bottles. Your own personal disposal area...... there is lots of rice paddies, and the country is not desperately over populated, just yet. (Hmmm, see Pol Pot reference below)
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| On board the bus, there's an option to pay for the bus and a Tuk to your hotel. I take it and the Tuk duly takes us to the hotel as pre recommended by the Newts The Pavilion hotel |
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| Our own personal sunset cruise on the Mekong 1 beer / drink included in $15 each |
As
soon as we arrive at The Pavillion (nice place, but pricey. Salt pool
too :(, but really good food by the pool ).
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| Caption |
We get the one remaining
room...., we are here on spec as it were, no reservations today. Having
done my research, we book up the "Mekong Cruise".
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| Captain and crew (his wife, mistress?) |
We have 5 minutes to
get into the tuk. no problem. Turns out, we have it all to ourselves.
They are running it just for us. Our own personalised boating adventure
experience on the Mekong River. An hour for our own cruise and free
beers, all for $15 each. They could not supply G&T's though. Oh
Well..... Part of adventure travelling. We have to take the rough with
the smooth
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| Direct from Australia: StoneGrill beef etc Somehow, the best one is still Harare, 2007 |
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| Said market. Very cheap, but we're in a hotel and street food is very cheap too Hotel/ restaurant meals, not too bad |
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| Back to basics. It's laundry time, someone else's time usually a few quarters per Kilo |
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Talk about trusty assistant. Computer and consultant still going strong |
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| The Royal Palace. Hardly anyone here probably more guards than tourists. VERY hot |
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| Palaces of long since assassinated and exiled royals |
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| Fascinating stuff |
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| Totally unbelievable. A school was used as a prison/ torture building for years. Many thousands were "processed" here |
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| Tuol Sleng. This is so gruesome |
Cambodia dates well
back, but tellingly, they've reconstructed a lot of their history from
Chinese archives. A few bits about kings and funerals, but that's about
it. No real explanations about much of the Khmer Rouge reign of terror,
except "Rebel forces, aided by Vietnam ousted the dictator Pol Pot",
actually, it was just about all Vietnamese intervention, sans local
militia. Good old fashioned denial about lots of communist stuff, but
there's a room full of skulls in cabinets relating to Mr. Pol Pot, who is
suitably detested (3 million plus, starved and pummelled to death, seems
fair to be detested). Quite a Holocaust here, but you don't hear much
complaining from these guys. Hmmm, compare this to Israel say. That
should get you exercised.......
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| An iron bed. The prisoners were tied on One high voltage electrical connection was made to the bed, and another to the prisoner |
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| That Pol Pot guy was quite the paranoid character Seems that the entire world was out to get him Eventually, the Vietnamese did These are shackles to hold dozens together at once |
Our room has a pretty good view of the proceedings below, but its not much of an office (did I mention? Too hot)
Next day, while Ilge catches up with her reading and internet entertainments, I do my duty to humanity and all its faults: I know, that's a full time job for an army of travellers.. I take the hotel supplied, free bamboo bicycle, through Phnom Pehn traffic (imagine a crazed tropical Marble Arch roundabout for 14Kms), Tuol Sleng: aka, S-21 Genocide museum. Gordon Bennet. Is there no limit to crazed dictators paranoia and callousness? No apologies about the number and content of these pix.
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| Don't ask what's on display here folks |
It's also going to get even worse at the Killing Fields.
There were several Europeans (as opposed to Cambodians) who got the chop too. The exhibit includes some of the "confessions" of these poor buggers who got caught on the wrong side of a river or on a boat in territorial waters. The torture is graphically explained, and some paintings by some of the 13 rescued who were alive when the Vietnamese kicked these buggers out give more information that you want to know.
On
the way to the fields after Tuol Sleng, I make the mistake of following
"roads" as highlighted on Google maps. Woah! Here's what looks like a
stream on the maps. Its actually a cess pool full of all all manner of
rotting stuff, and I think its human waste as well. It was so
disgusting, I took a shot of it...... Luckily for you guys, Google has
not developed a successful "Odourama" version of pix. So much for
"civilisation" here.
Here's my trusty bike, amusing the locals.
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| Out of Toul Sleng, heading to "The Killing Fields" On Google maps, it looks like a park, but it's actually a trash pit, complete with rabid mad dogs (I didn't hang around to take a shot of them) |
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| In SE Asia, I always book hotels with "free bicycles". This was the only one that was working. A custom made bamboo one |
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| The Phnom Penh local "Killing Fields monument Most people don't realise, but there were actually dozens (hundreds?) all across Cambodia. Yes, this one is full of skulls too |
The "Killing Fields" (Choeung Ek),
while placid is, if you follow the narration on the excellent freeby
recording supplied at the desk, incredibly gruesome. There are (I think)
14 locations to stop and listen to this soundtrack, and lots of gruelling eye witness accounts included.
Each of these holes (there were lots) had up to 400+ bodies in them, some without heads...... All bludgeoned to death with peasant farming implements. all at night, all to the accompaniment of generators to power the music that was played loud enough to drown out the screams of the prisoners being hacked and bludgeoned to death. Those that were thrown in who were still alive, had DDT thrown on top of them to finish them off. there were so many of them, that there is a little box on site that the staff put bits of people that come to the surface after the rains etc. There is also a large areas of clothes found too, all put into glass enclosures areas. No one wants to forget this too soon. I did not take many photo's, certainly not of a lot of the sites of the graphic suffering (eg, the "Killing Tree", found covered in blood and brains, used to destroy the babies of women who got the chop there). No, couldn't do it out of respect for these poor buggers. However, the monument, 60 metres high, can you believe, this is full of skulls. Over 9,000 found so far in this one spot.
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| If you can bike around Phnom Penh and reach your destination and back, you qualify as a total suicidal maniac |
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| Café with shade, good coffee and endless beggars All being beggars for very good reasons |
Each of these holes (there were lots) had up to 400+ bodies in them, some without heads...... All bludgeoned to death with peasant farming implements. all at night, all to the accompaniment of generators to power the music that was played loud enough to drown out the screams of the prisoners being hacked and bludgeoned to death. Those that were thrown in who were still alive, had DDT thrown on top of them to finish them off. there were so many of them, that there is a little box on site that the staff put bits of people that come to the surface after the rains etc. There is also a large areas of clothes found too, all put into glass enclosures areas. No one wants to forget this too soon. I did not take many photo's, certainly not of a lot of the sites of the graphic suffering (eg, the "Killing Tree", found covered in blood and brains, used to destroy the babies of women who got the chop there). No, couldn't do it out of respect for these poor buggers. However, the monument, 60 metres high, can you believe, this is full of skulls. Over 9,000 found so far in this one spot.
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| Beggar with a perfect resume for support |
Don't loose sight of the fact
that this is just the most publicised of these sites. These killing
sites are EVERYWHERE in Cambodia. Mostly well away from the tourists
route. Its estimated about 3,000,000 people died during Pol Pots terror
escapades
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| Yeah! Yeah. Back at the hotel, we suffer angst for not supporting anyone suitably afflicted |
Truly, "The Horror!"
I
bike back through the fun rush hour on my bike, happy in the total nihilistic chaos of the city. You think Toronto traffic is bad? HAH!
Oh yes, its hot, humid with clouds now rather than pollution.
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| We Tuk to the boat ramp. The boat is quite a tourist mode of transit |
Next
day, its market and some R&R. Ilge also takes to the bike, (Bamboo)
and we go to the local market, then off to the boat dock to buy our
boat tickets (Blue Cruiser folks), then watch the day move through its
zenith sucking on various fruit shakes, to the equally hot and humid PM
from the shade of a riverside cafe. Constant beggars, and twisted wrecks
of people always at your elbow and in your face. Everyone has to live
somehow, but nothing threatening, a very gentle considerate people here.
Then
of course, we are back go the daily grind of pools, G&T's, snacks,
the occasional book, and maybe some consulting to my clients, just to
pay the bills.......
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| The Blue Cruiser heading down the Mekong to Chau Doc |
And then, that's it. Next morning, we tuk up to the dock, find the best western style iced cappuccino since Siem Reap, and board our departing transport. Look out Vietnam. Just for a change, we have no idea where we are staying, but we have the cash, they have the hotels........
Good Morning (evening?) Vietnam.....
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| That's it for Cambodia It's several hours plus emi and immigration (We don't see anyone, our captain looks after all this stuff for us) |
To be continued. (The Horror)
From Your Correspondent
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