Back into Laos..or is it Lao

I really enjoyed my time in the North of Laos and since leaving the country, I'd heard nothing but glowing reports about the southern part. I had been planning on a few weeks in Burma, but given the recent events and civil unrest, I decided to bag that plan and do something else (I have no desire to put myself directly in harm's way, plus I'm fairly certain that my mom would have a heart attack if I decided to go to Burma right now...and we don't want any of that now do we).The back-up plan of returning to Laos, via the country's southern border with Cambodia, fell right into place.

After Dave's departure, Phil and I headed back to Phnom Penh and started our journey towards Laos (or is is Lao, I can never seem to get a straight answer about the county's official name, though everyone seems to be certain that their answer is the correct one). Traveling into Laos involved one more night in Phnom Penh (Cambodia is all about the hub and spoke road infrastructure). Upon arrival in Cambodia's capital, the smart thing to do would have been to call it an early night and rest up for the next day's long journey north, but we met some cool German travelers and ended up staying out way too late. At the time, we told ourselves that we would sleep on the bus. Sounds reasonable enough, right? Wrong.

The bus turned out to be a Sihanoukville-style Asian chicken bus, complete with blasting karaoke music and a screaming baby (who was, naturally, sitting right in front of us). In one of my more ingenious moments, I managed to spill an entire bottle of water on my lap. So not only was I tired, uncomfortable and unable to sleep, but I also looked like I had peed myself. Sometimes I really amaze myself. Well, the developing world travel gods must have taken pity on us, because our bus ride to the Cambodian border town of Stung Treng turned out to be an 8-hour trip rather than a 12-hour trip, that or we had misunderstood the projected travel time. Either way, it was like an early Christmas present.

We stayed the night in Stung Treng, then bid farewell to Cambodia the following morning. Two buses, two tuk-tuks, two mini vans, a ferry, a motorbike taxi, and a boat trip after leaving Siem Reap, we arrived safe and sound in Dong Kong, Laos.

-Julia



The journey began as we left Siem Reap


Phil gets beat at pool by some Cambodian women and doesn't take it well


Jan and Bastian, Germans who convinced us to stay out past our bedtime


Phil's breakfast bares striking resemblance to a chromosome, no?


Whizzing by the Cambodian countryside


Hotel in Stung Treng was not made for tall people


Ferry across the Mekong in Stung Treng


Cambodian couple on the ferry


This was the border "hut", very official-looking


Roaring Mekong river (it was the rainy season, so the water level was quite high)


Welcome to Laos...or is it Lao?

Angkor Wat

Angkor is everywhere in Cambodia: the name of the national beer, the image on the Cambodian flag...you name it, if it's Cambodian, it more than likely has a reference to Angkor. The Khmer people are very proud of their history, and so they should be, the temples are amazing. There was no way that I was going to miss out on one of SE Asia's main attractions, so I headed to Siem Reap, the town that is all about Angkor.

Phil, Dave and I rented bikes, bought 3-day Angkor passes and set out to explore the ruins. It's difficult to put the experience to words, but the temples were incredible. We spent our first day checking out Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, and we spent the second day wandering around the smaller temple structures. By the 3rd day, it was pouring rain and we were all suffering from temple overload, so we spent the day relaxing in Siem Reap.

Siem Reap gave me an opportunity to cash in on some of my hotel points and stay in a plush place for several days. I've become quite accustomed to SE Asia's cheap backpacker digs, but every once in a while, it's great enjoy some of those long forgotten comforts of home (like air conditioning, a comfy bed and fluffy towels...I don't know what it is about fluffy towels, but I love them!). It was pretty amusing to watch the reactions on the hotel staff's faces when I rolled up to their establishment fresh off the $4 local bus, fairly scruffy and smelling like a seafood market. I wish I had had a hidden camera to capture an image of their faces when I walked through the door. I made use of the hotel bathtub to give my backpack a thorough washing; the nasty seafood smell was officially eliminated.

I'd been having a fantastic time traveling with Phil and Dave, but Dave had to leave us in Siem Reap to catch his flight back to Australia. We had a great evening of farewell festivities (which probably made Dave's 12-hour bus ride back to Bangkok somewhat miserable) and sent him on his way back to the real world. Dave will definitely be missed!

-Julia


Angkor Wat


Exterior wall at Angkor Wat


Some of the intricate bas-relief carvings that cover the walls of Angkor Wat


Corridor within the Angkor Wat complex


Central temple of Angkor Wat


Outside the central temple complex of Angkor Wat (that's Dave at the top of the stairs)


Statues along the entrance to Angkor Thom


Inside the Bayon temple of Angkor Thom


Faces of the Bayon temple


Restoration of the Baphuon temple, within Angkor Thom


Wall and gate within Angkor Thom


On day-two, we cheated and hired a tuk-tuk to shuttle us out to the more remote temples


Early Angkor-era structure


Bas-reliefs


Chilling in the temples


Ta Prohm, the temple used for filming Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones


Some small tree roots


More bas-reliefs


Phil, at the top of the temple steps


Temple corridor


Slightly more comfortable than the $5 guest house accommodations


Dave enjoys a "bucket" of something called "Mekong whiskey" and Coke during his last night in Cambodia

I have approximately a zillion photos of Angkor Wat, so if you would like to see more images of the temples, check out my online photo album: http://picasaweb.google.com/jandbworldtravel/JuliaSTravels

The photos are more or less in chronological order, so all of the Angkor images are grouped together.

Back to PP and some thoughts on Cambodia

Between the beach and Siem Reap, Dave, Phil and I spent a day in Phnom Penh. Since we were only planning to spend one day in the city, there wasn't enough time to wash my backpack or clothes, so I resigned myself to the fact that I smelled like a walking seafood market, but was going to see some of the sights anyway.

I set out to visit the Killing Fields and the S-21 prison museum. I won't go into too much detail about S-21 and the Killing Fields because it was quite intense, very depressing and I'm sure that I won't be able to accurately communicate the history surrounding Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge regime. You can check out this website if you would like to learn more about Cambodia's tragic history: http://www.yale.edu/cgp/ Fascinating but also quite disturbing.

By the time I arrived in Phnom Penh, I had been in Cambodia for almost a week; I was starting to understand my surroundings and beginning to formulating some thoughts about the country. When I crossed the border from Vietnam, I was really struck by all of the contrasts in Cambodia. The countryside is dotted with simple one-room wooden dwellings, while Phnom Penh has a surprising number of huge walled compounds, who's owners zip around town in Lexus SUVs (I've seen more Lexus SUVs in Phnom Penh in one day, than I've ever seen in Los Angeles, no kidding). The poverty and effects of the civil war are everywhere: small children in filthy clothes try to sell you books and handmade jewelry, and landmine victims are camped out on every corner begging for a few riels. Yet among all of this darkness, the Cambodian people truly shine through. They are so kind, patient and most of them seem happy despite their surroundings. I was also impressed by how well everyone speaks English, and how patient they are with teaching basic Khmer to foreign visitors. Virtually all of the locals that I met during my first few days in Cambodia, work all day and then take classes (English classes or business courses) in the evenings. Their efforts to put their past behind them and make a better life for themselves is impressive.

-Julia



Road to the killing fields


Khmer statement about the genocide committed by the Khmer Rouge regime


Mass grave at the Killing Fields


S-21 Prison


Torture room at S-21


Outskirts of Phnom Penh


Cambodian people's party signs along the road

A new found respect for the monsoon

Until now, I've had minimal problems traveling around during the monsoon season. Until now being the operative part of that statement. From Phnom Penh, I headed south to Cambodia's beach town, Sihanoukville (which I can never seem to spell correctly) to connect with two friends, Phil and Dave, who I met in Hue, Vietnam. The plan was to meet up, spend a few days enjoying the the beach and then go to Siem Reap together...which would have been a fine plan, had the rain not interfered.

When I arrived, there were about 2 hours of nice weather before the sky opened up and the monsoon unleashed its fury. Oh well, it was just enough time to see that Sihanoukville would be a fantastic place if the weather decides to cooperate. So, Phil, Dave and I hung out in the guesthouse restaurant and watched the streets flood. Also adding a somewhat amusing element to the beach visit, Phil managed to knee himself in the eye the day before my arrival (giving himself an impressive shiner in the process). I wasn't there for the actual event, but apparently, it involved several large Swedish guys and a game of beach ruby in the dark.

Dave turned 30 while we were in Sihanoukville, so we had a little birthday party for him at one of the beach side restaurants. Regardless of the less than festive rainy conditions, we ended up having a great time. One of the restaurant employees had a birthday cake made, and they provided us with sparklers as birthday candles. We made friends with two adorable little Khmer kids who help out around the restaurant. They attempted to teach us some Khmer words, kept things generally lively and were a reminder about how you don't need much in life to be happy.

In other exciting happenings, I watched my first Australian "footy" (aka Rugby) game. I don't know how much of it I actually absorbed (I spent months listening to two of my colleagues, Mike and Jim, blab on about baseball and as a result, I now understand the fundamentals of the game, but that's about it), but it was pretty entertaining and I made a pair of earrings during the game. Nothing like a little multi-tasking.

After several days if waiting for the rain to subside, we threw in the towel and headed back to Phnom Penh. This bus ride was one of the most colorful parts of my time in Sihanoukville. The bus was probably the closest thing to an Asian "chicken bus" that I've experienced to date: it was packed with locals and their stuff, the speakers were either blaring Khmer pop or Thai Karaoke, and we watched a ridiculous Thai movie that involved a lot of Jet Lee style fighting and a high speed tuk-tuk chase. The real surprise revealed itself when we arrived in Phnom Penh, and I went to retrieve my backpack from beneath the bus only to discover that it had been sitting next to a basket of fish. Fantastic. Apparently, the local buses in Cambodia are also used as a sort of parcel service. As a result, my bag and 95% of my worldly possessions smelled like a seafood market. Oh well, it's all part of the experience. Live, learn and remember that things could pretty much always be worse.

-Julia


Fostering international understanding through "Batman eyes"


Phil, sporting his post injury "pirate look"


Birthday boy Dave, enjoying a birthday beverage


Roman candle fireworks are legal and encouraged in Cambodia

Into Cambodia...

I didn't think I'd be in Vietnam for the full extent of my 30-day visa, but sure enough, there I was with 3 days left to get out of the country. It was time to head to Cambodia.

I took the locals bus from Saigon to Phnom Penh. The bus ride was fine, but a little chaotic at the border when I thought that I was told to go through immigration even though the bus driver (who was nowhere to be seen) had collected the passengers' passports at the start of the trip. I got a little flustered as I thought for a minute I was stuck at the border with no passport, no other foreigners in sight, and absolutely no English speakers (this was definitely one of those moments when it would have been great to speak either Khmer or Vietnamese, but as we've already established, Vietnamese is not exactly my forte, and I hadn't had the chance to pick up and Khmer just yet). The situation eventually worked itself out, and someone appeared with my passport so I could go through immigration..it's amazing what you can achieve with hand signals.
The whole situation was a testament to how I've changed since leaving home in March. The pre-travel Julia would have freaked out at even the slightest notion of being at a border sans passport/basic communication skills, but I took a deep breath, relaxed and let things work themselves out (as they usually do). Anna would have been proud of me.

When I arrived in Phnom Penh, I set out wandering around the city. It's a pretty interesting place. Sure it's a little dirty and the market has some funky smells going on, but it's set right along the Mekong river, and the colonial era buildings mixed in with the temples create a cool ambiance. These big SE Asian cities are definitely growing one me. Their charm isn't as obvious, but when you find it, you know it's genuine.

Motor scooter traffic is pretty insane all over SE Asia, and collisions are fairly commonplace. I wasn't in Phnom Penh for 2 hours before I witnessed my first Cambodian scooter collision. One scooter was passing another one (on the wrong side of the street, going the wrong way, of course), and when the passing scooter's handlebar caught on the backpack of the other scooter's passenger (luckily there was only one and not five). The helmet-less passenger, a young girl, probably 20-25, was ripped off the back of the vehicle and landed on her head about 6 inches from my feet. Instantly, a group of people swarmed the girl, shook her arm until she regained consciousness, then hoisted her back onto her friend's scooter and the two buzzed away...hopefully to the emergency room. I get a lot of flack from other travelers about not wanting to rent motorbikes and choosing tuk tuks over the moto-taxis, but this is exactly why I prefer 3 or 4 wheeled transportation.

-Julia


Phnom Penh market and Cambodia's National Wat


Walking along the banks of the Mekong


Family-style scooter riding


Yes, this restaurant is actually called "Happy Herb Pizza", and no I didn't sample any of the "Happy" pizza


Colonial buildings of Phnom Penh


Buddha watching over Phnom Penh