Day 5: Angkor Wat

Chris and I awoke at 4:30 am in order to see the sunrise over the majestic ruins of Angkor Wat. We also woke up that early to give us enough time to ride rented bicycles to the ruins. We rented the bikes for two dollars each from a very tired hotel worker who also let us out of the gated-up guest house we were staying at. We rode in the darkness and through the jungles to get to the ruins. While I was initially skeptical, I quickly discoverd that this was best way to go. There is something very viseral and honest about riding bikes. We had to stop half way there to buy the tickets to the ruins. Once purchased, we headed up to Angkor Wat. We entered the Wat in almost total darkness but could plainly see the rising towers and the impressive moat. 

We watched the sky lighten and decided to start looking around. While waiting for the sun to rise I also bought a few silk scarves for some of my friends! 

After Angkor Wat, we decided to bike to Ta Prohm. We got mixed directions and ended up taking the wrong road. It wasn't really a problem as the detour we took led us to this beautiful little village with beautiful scenery. We got to ride past rice paddies, water buffalo, and people working the fields. Chris eventually asked directions and we turned back and found the right place. I'll let the beauty of the ruins speak for themselves. 

After Ta Prohm, we went to forage for food. Unfortunately, Chris' bike got a flat tire. He was able to refill the tire enough to get to a little restaurant off the side of the road. I was feeling adventurous and picked something random off of the menu, which turned out to be a delicious soup. Chris got a noodle dish and we also ordered a coconut to drink. Everything was amazing! 

As we headed out Chris had to refill his tire again, which was a little worrisome. The air lasted only about half way to Angor Thom, the next ruin on our trip. At this point we were about 3km away. He ended up having to walk the bike for a bit. When nearing one of the gates to the ancient city of Angkor Thom a little girl selling post cards said she could help Chris fix his bike. We figured this was doubtful, but decided to follow her. She led us to her family's little hut slightly off of the road. She called out to her grandfather who then proceeded to patch the wheel and fix the hole. It was really cool and interesting. He involved all four of the small children who were very interested in the process and in us. On a side note, the children of Cambodia are ridiculously cute. It was hard not to take them home with us! We were so grateful and tried to give them all the money we had, which was in three currencies. As we were leaving the smallest child, who was around 4, gave me a big grin and said, "good luck to you in your life." We didn't take any photos of this exchange, but it was a really nice memory and a good anecdote to the level of kindness we were shown in Cambodia. 

We then went over to Angkor Thom, which also housed the ruins of Bayon, my favorite of all the ruins. Angkor Thom is a sprawling campus as it used to hold an entire city of royalty, religious leaders, and others who lived in the kingdom. Again, I'll let ruins speak for themselves. 

After we finished climbing around the ruins we started our biking treck back to the guest house. On way out of the gates of Angkor Thom, we sang the Indiana Jones theme song. It was really fun and silly. Almost immediately after, we ran into some elephants quickly followed by monkeys playing on the side of the road. I was beside myself with giddiness. It was just so cool! 

Once we got back into Siem Reap the roads were much more crowed than they were at 5 am. You would think that it would be scary to ride around with the motorbikes and the tuk tuks, but honestly it was really fun. I also felt really connected to the city and to the people while riding in Siem Reap. There is a pulse in the streets that is hard to feel unless you are in it. 

When we got back to the guest house, my legs and my behind were very tired and bruised from riding over 20 miles! We rested for a bit before heading out for dinner and buying some gifts to bring home. Overall, this was one of the most exciting and fun days of my life. I feel so privileged to be able to experience such beauty. I really fell in love with Cambodia and would very much like to come back for an extended period of time. I half thought of quitting grad school and moving to Siem Reap!

- N

Day 4: Bus to Siem Reap

We left Phnom Penh around 8am. The sewage smell emanating from the bathroom of our room expedited our leaving. I am not sure I would stay in this hotel again. The upside was that it was clean, had a nice breakfast, had a good location and was pretty cheap. However, if I were to come back to Phnom Penh I think I would want to stay near the water. It was a little calmer over there.

 We took a little bus from the hotel to the bus depot (the bus tickets to Siem Reap else arranged for us by the hotel) and got on our seven hour treck up north. It was a really interesting ride as we could really see the Cambodian country side. 

Eventually we arrived in Siem Reap. We took a tuk tuk to our guest house (what they call small hotels here). We were getting a lot of pressure from the driver and later from the hotel workers to take their tuk tuks to Angor Wat the next day. We resisted because we wanted to ride bikes there. After we checked in we rested for a little bit, the hotel provided us with fresh fruit shakes, lychees, and bananas. We later saw a lychee tree at the hotel and assumed they came from there. It was all amazing. We then went out to buy bus tickets to Bangkok for Friday. 

We stayed at the Ta Som guest house, which was a pretty basic hotel. It was clean, cheap ($34 for two nights), included breakfast, and was more or less close to town. Walking to the center of town from the hotel took about 12 minutes. If you're down with 'roughing' it a little it's great. Keep in mind we did not have warm water for the shower and we shared our room with little hopping crickets. We enjoyed it!

Here is the tripadvisor link for the guest house:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g297390-d1911328-Reviews-Ta_Som-Siem_Reap_Siem_Reap_Province.html

Siem Reap is noticeably more tourist friendly. It is also a little calmer and more approachable than the chaotic bustle of Phnom Penh. I was not as nervous about the possibility of getting hit by a car or motorcycle. We bought the tickets and then decided to walk to the city center, which was not that far. They have a couple of very touristy streets labeled in lights called "pub street," "night market," and "art center night market." The markets, as one would have guessed, sold touristy goods and wares as well as on the street massage parlors and these tanks with fish who nibble on your feet. Pub street had lots of restaurants and bars. It was very pretty and packed with people. We ate at a place called "Khmer Family Restaurant", which was pretty tasty. After dinner we walked through the markets and then walked back to the hotel. Since we had decided that we were going to get up to see the sun rise at the temples we decided to call it an early night.

- N

Day 3: The Wilds of Phnom Penh

Today was a busy one. Chris, who is struggling a little with jet lag woke up around 5 and proceeded to encourage me to awake as well. So we got up and went to have the complimentary breakfast downstairs. It was a pretty good spread and nothing beat the price. 

It was pretty tasty!

Afterwards we walked a ways, which is no easy feat here, over to the Phnom Wat. On the way there we ran into a monk-led demonstration. Apparently, much like Thailand, there is a movement to remove the prime minister who has been in power for about two decades. 

Phnom Wat is the main temple in Phnom Penh. It was on the smaller side, but was beautiful in its own way. When we got there, they were playing music to guide the religious in their meditations. 

View from the back. 

View from the front. 

The main alter. 

(The various animals living at the Wat.)

Afterwards we took a Tuk Tuk to the national museum. It was, in my opinion, a better way to travel in the city. 

(Us inside the Tuk Tuk and the roof of it.) 

Did I mention that it was raining?  We got to the museum and it was really started to rain. Perfect time to go inside! The artifacts were beautiful. A lot of religious iconography that represented different eras in Cambodian history. The building itself was also really beautiful. 

Afterwards, we were pretty tired from walking around and it was only 11am! We went back to the hotel to rest and plan our next move. Walking back was quite the experience as the heavy rains flooded the streets. It was intense, but actually really interesting to experience. As said before this city is viseral in every way imaginable. The rains made it a little more so. 

We eventually decided to go to Sleng 21, the genocide museum. On our way out, I almost ran into a man leaving another room on our floor. Behind him came out another man and a pretty Cambodian woman. Let me say that this was awkward elevator ride. We had read that our hotel was frequented by prostitutes, but up until that point had not seen any. It was a little disturbing. Not because I am anti-sex work (it's a complicated and multi-faceted issue), but because one of the men just could not stop oggling the woman in the elevator. The other could not look at Chris and I in the eye. 

Anywho, we took another tuk tuk, which was a little difficult because of a language barrier. We got to the building, which was a groups of unassuming buildings hidden among others on a busy street. The prison, which was originally a high school became a location of suffering and death for around 20,000 people during the bloody Khmer Rouge regime. When the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia in 1979, they discoverd the prison and a few bodies. Some of the building has been, more or less, untouched through time. I have read a lot about this museum during my research on historical memory and genocide commeration. It was very interesting to actual be there. In the first room we went into, which was part of the torture building, we encountered a female guide who was basically giving testimony to her own experiences during that time. It was extremely intense, personal, and painful to listen to her recount her story of unimaginable suffering and loss. 

 We walked throughout the buildings, looking at thousands of photos of those who had been prisoners that were later executed. We also read some of the false confessions. As a sociologist who studies the politics of memory of post political violence, it was very interesting to see how the regime, the violence, and the liberation of Cambodia were framed. The setup of the museum was very much akin to holocaust museums. This was not surprising as the Vietnamese government sent delegates to Germany to study their genocide museums, but still fascinating to witness in person. I deleted most of the photos I took there. Here's what remains of our photos. 

(Signs telling you not to smile)

 After this extremely depressing trip we went over to the royal palace. This was one of my favorite places in Phnom Penh. It was beautiful. 

For dinner we went to an amazing restaurant called "Romdeng." This restaurant was run by an NGO that worked to train locals into the restaurant business. Chris and I were feeling quite adventurous and ordered the fired tarantulas as an appetizer. I had a bit of a melt down when they arrived! Chris, his usual adventurous self, went right for it. 

For actual food I had an Amok style fish dish, which was AMAZING and Chris had an equally delicious chicken meal.

We finished with a tamarind and banana crepe with coconut ice cream. It is not pictured because we ate it immediately. Overall it was a fantastic time in Phenom Penh. We are currently on route to Siem Reap via bus. More on that later!  

- N