The Pad Thai Diaries: In Cahoots with Cambodia

The Thai-Cambodian border cross that we decided to take was through the city of Aranya Prathet in Thailand. We had researched that the city of Poipet, which is the bordering city in Cambodia, is full of hustlers and scam artists so we were safer on the Thailand side of things for the night. As the morning approached both Michelle and I were on our toes. We were stonefaced and were determined to pay only the required $20 for the visa. To the sides, we saw travelers getting conned into paying higher rates. We read that faux officers come up to you and ask for health immunization papers and even ask to confiscate your bags. All of which we avoided as you shouldn't have to pay a dime before your visas. We zoomed through immigration and made our way to the embassy. This was way smoother than we first feared! We had to pay an additional 100 Baht (as a bribe) with the $20 for our visa but that was no worry. We made it past the next checkpoint getting our passports stamped and we were home free to Siem Reap! On the way there we met a couple of fellow backpackers who were dinged $40 plus dollars for their visas. I guess it's just money but Meesh and I wrote the book of hustling and we don't get played by jive turkeys.

When arriving here we realized that Cambodia's economy is built around kick -backs, a "You scratch my back, I will scratch yours" system. At times tut-tuts were free because drivers would take you to a hostel and recieve commission from the manager. It happens in Thailand as well but it has a stronger prescence in Cambodia.

When arriving in Siem Reap we were ecstatic to see several tourists. Restaurants, bars, and hostels flooded the busy streets. Siem Reap is home of one of the wonders of the world Angkor Wat. It is said to be an architectural impossibility. Cambodia is a flat plains land that floods during the rainy season making the structure that much more improbable. Angkor Wat dates back to the 12th century. It was the bidding of King Suryavarman II to build such a structure who announced himself a deva, a living god king. The dude was so power hungry that he actually killed his uncle to take the throne. Angkor Wat's towers represent the peaks of Mt. Meru, the tallest which is home to Vishnu. We really enjoyed this temple but were slightly irritated by the green canopies that surrounded a few towers and walls. I'm all for restorations but it killed the Kodak Moment.

50 cent Angkor drafts :)

$1 Massages- Can this get any better?

Angkor Wat is but one of several hundred temples built. The majority are housed by a park whose entry fee is $20 for a one day visit. To get the most bang for our buck, we rented a tuk- tuk for $10 to see the more popular sights within the park.

We had to purchase the new clothes to get into another temple - How we look?

Ignore the green canopy in front of the tower...

Michelle posing in front of Angkor Wat

These bas relief carvings in the temple portray the abilities of ancient Cambodian artists

If you have seen Tomb Raider you probably remember Ta Prohm. If you have seen Tomb Raider and don't remember Ta Prohm you probably were focusing on Angelina Jolie a bit too emuch. It was built in 1186 by Jayavarman VII and was shrine to his mother.

I know what you're thinking - Legends of the Hidden Temple!!!

Another beautiful stone carving

This is where Michelle wanted to take her Senior photo back in the day!

Angkor Thom sometimes dubbed Grand Angkor is another temple built by Jaya VII and served as his royal palace.

The Bayon (below) is in the center of the Angkor Thom ruins and is a compilation of 54 towers and 216 faces. There is nowhere to hide, there are eyes everywhere.

Peekaboo, I see you

Phnom Bakheng served as the capital for King Yasovarman I. We failed to take any pics of the view from the moutainside as our batteries were low and we hadn't yet been to Angkor Wat.

The following day we traveled to the city of Battambang. We came here on the recommendation of Michelle's parents to ride the Bamboo Train. In previous years it was cheaper and little town boys manned these portable trains. With plans to develop an actual railroad, the days of the Bamboo Train seemed numbered and the price skyrocketed. It was an exciting and very bumpy ride. It is only a 1 way track so those with more passengers get the right of way. Fortunately for us we never had to stop. After that we headed over to Phnom Sampeau. These caves were used as a slaughter chamber for the Khmer Rouge, an army that used genocide as a means to instill authority in the 1970s. (I will go into more detail on these people in the next post). On the opposing hillside there are shrines and stupas overlooking the land. We were so excited to get back to the beach we decided against staying the night at the hostel we had already paid for and took a night bus to Sihanoukville. The roads in Cambodia are so poorely maintained that it felt like we were riding a rollercoaster. 10 hours later we had made it to our destinations and had enough daylight to lay in the sand!

NEW RECORD - 6 people on a motor bike

Prepping for our ride!

Vishnu statue

There was such a eerie feeling descending into these caves

Young monk preparing for prayer

Sihanoukville is a growing tourist attraction full of sandy beaches. We spent the majority of our time on Occheuteal Beach. It is an excellent place to people watch and grab a cheap draft beer while lying in a lounge chair. The city also has a Vietnam Consulate and we were able to get in our Vietnam visas in less than 5 minutes. The only tough decision I have had to make while I'm here is whether I would like barracuda or chicken for dinner?! Tomorrow we plan on heading into Phnom Penh to get more cultural insight into the Khmer Rouge. Afterwards we are once again crossing another border to Vietnam.