Picking up from last post (I'm more rested now): We took the bus to the Cambodia border, crossed the border, picked up a minivan to the bus to Siem Riep. After hearing horror stories about the crossing and transportation, I was apprehensive about this leg of the journey. However, it went relatively smoothly despite the rough road and excessive stops. They try to tire the passengers out as much as they can get away with, so that when they arrive in Siem Riep they pull up in front of the hotel they have an arrangement with, and the passengers are too tired to try to get to the hotel or guest house they had planned on. Unfortunately for them, too many people are privy to this, and there are the usual hordes of tuk-tuk drivers waiting to take you anywhere.
Despite the prevalence of luxury hotels, some of which have facades you'd expect in Vegas, we stayed at a guest house that charged $1/night (Cambodia prefers to use USD except for amounts under $1. Change is given in riel, with 4000 riel = $1). For this low low price, they included reptile and amphibian friends to keep guard on my mosquito net and in the bathroom.
In the very early morning we hired a tuk-tuk tour guide to take us around Angkor. We arrived before the sunset at the most famous, and therefore crowded, of the temples, Angkor Wat, and watched the sun rise behind it. We then saw Bayon, known for the identical faces looking down on the site from the towers. They are supposed to be Buddha images, but some say they resemble the king who had them built. We climbed Phnom Bakheng, and incredibly steep mountain temple with great views from the top of the surrounding area. We saw several others, as well, some of which were still covered in vegetation, others currently undergoing reconstruction.
It is impressive to realize that despite the immensity of what remains, they were only religious buildings: only the gods were allowed to inhabit buildings of stone, humans had to build out of bamboo and timber. None of these remain.
The next day we took a bus to Phnom Penh, the capitol of Cambodia. We met up with Lauren's friend Julie. Her and her friend took us to a table bbq restaurant, and later a rock and roll bar sparsely filled with farang ex-pats.
The next day visited S-21, the high school turned Khmer Rouge security prison turned genocide museum. The most powerful exhibit was the photography and commentary of a Swedish photographer who visited Cambodia (though not S-21) at the height of the Khmer Rouge as a guest. At the time he was a supporter, excited to see a nascent communist country avoid the mistakes of its older peers. The photos are shown alongside his commentary at the time, his private thoughts at the time, and his current commentary, which takes on a very different tone.
We then explored several of Phnom Penh's markets. I got a shave and a haircut for $1.50.
That night we ate take-out on Julie's friends roof-top, above her apartment. We were treated to an incredible lightning show, with some of the streaks taking up over 1/5 of the sky.
The next day we flew to Bangkok, arrived in Kho San Road around 8:30pm, and found out there was an overnight bus leaving in 15 minutes to the next morning's ferry to Koh Tao.
We are now in Koh Tao, and I have a Open Water PADI diving certification course to finish up. We'll be heading to Railey soon.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Got Worms?
Just got off a 12 hour bus ride from Vientiane (Laos) to Bangkok at 5am.
Just booked a bus to Siem Riep (Cambodia) that leaves in 2 hours.
Just want a beer, a shower, and a bed.
After Luang Prabang we took a bus to Vang Vieng, a backpacker ghetto. It was once a small Laotian town, but now it's overrun by tourists who are either hung over or drunk, sitting around in bars watching American sitcoms and cartoons. Many backpackers on long trips just stay here and get a job in a restaurant or a bar. It's famous for tubing down the river and stopping at makeshift bars for a couple of hours, then going to the bars where you can buy a bucket of a mixed drink. We explored the nearby caves with some fellow travelers.
We were of course very well prepared, and forgot flashlights and decent footwear. It was very beautiful and exciting to explore what we could before we felt too under equipped to continue. It didn't help that I told our group of 5 that tourists exploring the caves in the past had become lost and perished before search teams had reached them. Maybe I should've kept that gem to myself.
The next day we had book a kayaking trip halfway to Vientiane, at which point we would be picked up and driven the rest of the way. However, Lauren was feeling pretty ill, so she decided to pass on it. I went with Heather, a Brit we'd met on the long boat to Luang Prabang.
For the most part it was pretty mellow, although we did have clear blue skies for once, instead of the sickly grey. There was a (very) small stretch of rapids, then an amazing lunch of chicken kebabs, fried rice, and baguettes. Then some of us climbed up the rock face and jumped about 40 feet into the river. Also very fun.
Vientiane is a very cool city. As the capitol, it obviously has a lot more going on, but it is also a lot less tourist-oriented. They have a version of L'Arc de Triomphe (Patuxay), with south-east Asian influence on the ornamentation and completion (well, it was never and most likely will never be completed). Heather and I did climb to the top and get some good views of the city, however.
Walked to two Wats (details to come later, with photos), and then caught the overnight bus to Bangkok. Here now. Tired.
Just booked a bus to Siem Riep (Cambodia) that leaves in 2 hours.
Just want a beer, a shower, and a bed.
After Luang Prabang we took a bus to Vang Vieng, a backpacker ghetto. It was once a small Laotian town, but now it's overrun by tourists who are either hung over or drunk, sitting around in bars watching American sitcoms and cartoons. Many backpackers on long trips just stay here and get a job in a restaurant or a bar. It's famous for tubing down the river and stopping at makeshift bars for a couple of hours, then going to the bars where you can buy a bucket of a mixed drink. We explored the nearby caves with some fellow travelers.
We were of course very well prepared, and forgot flashlights and decent footwear. It was very beautiful and exciting to explore what we could before we felt too under equipped to continue. It didn't help that I told our group of 5 that tourists exploring the caves in the past had become lost and perished before search teams had reached them. Maybe I should've kept that gem to myself.
The next day we had book a kayaking trip halfway to Vientiane, at which point we would be picked up and driven the rest of the way. However, Lauren was feeling pretty ill, so she decided to pass on it. I went with Heather, a Brit we'd met on the long boat to Luang Prabang.
For the most part it was pretty mellow, although we did have clear blue skies for once, instead of the sickly grey. There was a (very) small stretch of rapids, then an amazing lunch of chicken kebabs, fried rice, and baguettes. Then some of us climbed up the rock face and jumped about 40 feet into the river. Also very fun.
Vientiane is a very cool city. As the capitol, it obviously has a lot more going on, but it is also a lot less tourist-oriented. They have a version of L'Arc de Triomphe (Patuxay), with south-east Asian influence on the ornamentation and completion (well, it was never and most likely will never be completed). Heather and I did climb to the top and get some good views of the city, however.
Walked to two Wats (details to come later, with photos), and then caught the overnight bus to Bangkok. Here now. Tired.
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