It's a holiday in Cambodia

The song by Dead Kennedys never got old when we were travelling through Cambodia. I still like it as a blog post-title as well.

First things first. Cambodia is a country that is between the southern part of Vietnam and southeast Thailand. Thailand borders the west/north, Laos is north as well, and Vietnam is east. The population today stands around 15 million, and 40% of those are under 15. Not sure if it has any natural resources or exports, but its infrastructure has rapidly improved from awful to inconvenient in the past 10 years. There are 2 main cities, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. From what I read the rest is pretty undeveloped. They were very prosperous from the dawning of the common era, but their resources were streched a little thin when they tried to do too much in the 15th century. The French came in to help in the mid 1800s and their influence is still apparent. Pol Pot orchestrated one of the worst genocides in history, with an estimated 1.5 of the country's 8 million people dying as a direct result of his Kmher Rouge's policies. On with the stories...

Kelly and I flew from Bangkok to Siem Reap aboard Bangkok Airways (a wonderful airline that could not have been improved the 3 times we used it) and had arranged a pickup from the airport with our guesthouse before we left. Our tuk-tuk for the next 2 days greeted us with a sign for Kellg Furgal (a step up from Kelly Furgag, as the confirmation e-mail addressed her) and 2 bottles of water. We went to the Golden Villa guesthouse, which came equipped with more water in the bar fridge, bananas, TV with BBC and CNN Asian centres, and flower petals on the bed. All this, and the airport transport for only $15! That first night we got some food from the attached restaurant, which was cheap and delicious with fantastic staff, and went straight to bed.

The main attraction of Siem Reap, and arguably the main attraction of southeast Asia, are the Temples of Angkor. The temples were constructed between the 9th and 13th centuries mainly and really show the dominance of Cambodia at the time. They are magnificent. They seem excessive for the time, with their size and the number of temples, and it is shocking how they have held up through wars and weather. I could go on forever about the temples, but I'll try to keep it to the highlights.

The first day we did the 'small tour' for $10. It started at Angkor Wat, which to this day is the largest religious structure in the world. Interesting to see at the beginning, because the gate you walk through before the main temple has 3 God statues all given equal status. It started as a Hindu temple, so there's Vishnu, later converted to Buddhist so there's a Buddha, and a 3rd I can't remember. The main temple is huge, 3 levels representing hell, earth, and heaven. The hell layer was huge, maybe 400mx400m square with remarkable carvings on the walls the entire way (called bas-reliefs). The hell-earth-heaven theme is repeated often in the reliefs as well.

After that we went to Bayon, which has over 200 indentical-looking faces - although varying in size - looking in every direction atop numerous pillars stick up seemingly at random. (Bigger and less symetrical than pillars, but I can't find the word). The faces are said to resemble King Jayavarman VII to help him keep an eye on everything and everyone. This was one of the most interesting because most of it was roofless and it probably has the most fallen/damaged rocks lining the outside of all the temples we saw. Yet it was still in what seemed to be remarkable shape, with all the bas-reliefs looking crisp and impressive.

We then saw a few more smaller ones before we met Bas and Susanne and were caught in the rain. Bas is Dutch and he just got a job with Vodofone so he and his German girlfriend Susanne took some time before he started and travelled Southeast Asia. We tried hiding under a tree for shelter, but it wasn't long before we sucked it up and ran under something with a roof. We were hesitant to do that in the first place, because the Cambodian kids are absolutely relentless trying you get you to buy their crap. Bracelets, postcards, clothing, books, water, and many other items of varying uselessness are offered and every 'No' is ignored. Needless to say, with a captive audience they bombarded us with their stuff. The problem is that Kelly and Susanne actually bought some shirts, so they knew we had at least some interest. After we had the shirts, we thanked them for their help and took our chances with the rain.

The rain didn't let up much, we seperated from Bas and Susanne with dinner plans for that night and saw a few more temples (Thommanon and Banteay Kdei) which were nondescript compared to the others we'd seen.

We met Bas and Susanne for dinner at Amok (also the name of the most popular traditional Khmer (Cambodian) dish) and headed from drinks at Angkor What!? bar, where 2 pitchers for $10 gets you a free t-shirt! We obviously took advantage of the offer, with Bas and I proudly displaying our new threads for the rest of the night.

The next day we did the 'grand tour' with hopes taking a hot air balloon over the temples. Unfortunately it was too windy for the balloon to go out, so we settled on more temples. Most memorable were Pre Rup and Ta Prohm. Pre Rup was interesting because it was made of smaller bricks, like you see used for houses. The others are mostly huge blocks, bigger than cinder blocks. The smaller ones were cool because the wear is so different that it actually starts to look symetrical again. cylinders are worn into cones, edges are rounded off squares, and it all comes together to look somehow planned.

Ta Prohm is the one temple of the area that has been left to age naturally. Trees, plants, and rocks are all left in the place nature decided they should reside (unless dangerous of course). There are many fantastic scenes with trees absolutely taking over a wall, with roots weaving through the temple like thread through cotton. Very impressive how trees can adapt to their surroundings, with some literally growing on top of a wall of rock.

The only disappointing thing about the temples was that the price of admission ($20/day, or 3 days for $40) went to a private company. I imagine that this decision was made in haste following the destruction of the country through the genocide to make some quick cash, but that's only my theory.

We flew from Siem Reap to the Phnom Penh that night, and met some really cool people as we were getting off the plane. Kris recognized my bag as Mountain Equipment Co-op and the ex-Winnipegger was happy to mention it. He's been in London for about 10 years now, and his girlfriend Myra hit the scene after leaving Pakistan 5 years ago. They have travelled more than anyone I've ever met and were giving us some good tips. Great company to have around for food and drinks.

We were only in Phnom Penh for 1 full day so we had to make the most of it. We had a tuk-tuk driver named Lucky who took great care of us and we hit the S21 torture prison (a very chilling ex-school, where 7 of its 2000 inmates survived), the Killing Fields of Choeung Ek (where nearly 10,000 were executed), the Russian market (where Polo shirts were $4), the Royal Palace & Silver Pagoda (impressive buildings, nothing too special inside of them), and finally visited Cambodia Light Children's Association orphanage. We brought them so towels and Canada pencils, but the kids were happier just to see us. It was very moralizing to see these kids who were so happy, playing in the raining street with no shoes or shirts and loving it. They saw it as lucky to have food and shelter, and visitors like us were a luxury they weren't going to take for granted. They wanted to show us their rooms (5 to a room, sleeping on the floor), art, boxing moves, dances, books, everything. They were thrilled that we would be interested in them. My troubles had never been less important as they were when we left.

We had dinner with Myra and Kris and took Lucky out for a drink. We asked Lucky why he was so named, and he was thrilled to tell us his story. When Pol Pot's men came for his family, his mother was pregnant with Lucky, her 11th child. The cronies saw all the children and let Mr. & Mrs. Lucky live because of all the care they needed to give. Because her kids saved her life, she named him Lucky. He was even happier to tell us that of all his family members, 10 brothers & sisters and 2 parents, only 1 was killed in the genocide. Lucky felt just that way, that his family go through the whole thing practically unscathed.

Cambodia is a wonderful place that will make you appreciate everything your life has given you. The people are friendly, the food is delicious, and the history is fascinating. After everything they have been through, with all the uncertainty regarding the future, the people are still gracious and warm. Unforgetable.

Bangkok, Thailand

Well, we are back in full force and are finally writing about our trip. I thought I would take some of what I wrote in my travel journal and add it into the blog when need be. So whenever I put something ins italics and quotes, it is from my travel journal!

* Note: "Th" is an abbreviated version of the word Thanon, which means street. *

We started in Thailand. We flew in to Bangkok after a brief stopover in the Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam airport. Soon, we arrived at Khoasan Road, Bangkok late at night on September 23rd. as late as it was, the night was just beginning for Thailand tourists and dwellers. It was like what I picture a mini-Las Vegas to look like. We were so tired, so it almost felt as though we were in the Twilight Zone! We ended up staying at one of the nicer Guesthouses that cost a bit more then the rest because it had a good reputation, free breakfast and was one of the first ones we saw. We just wanted to throw our bags down and go grab our first Thai meal! So that we did. We went to a restaurant called "O Hungry" (clever, eh?) and wolfed down on some awesome, pricey Thai food.

"Last night when we got in, we were both so tired and totally overwhelmed by Th Khoasan. The street is closed off at night and houses many backpackers, not to mention several bars and a full out night market. Girls are getting their hair braided in ever direction, stray dogs and cats are more than common, and Tuktuk drivers are harassing you to go for a ride. (Tonight they were trying to get us to go to a "Ping Pong Show," which is a Sex Show, yuck.)" - September 25th


The food was great however I saw something that disturbed me.


"We sat down and ordered two dishes; one which was an amazing spicy noodle dish. Luckily, for me, I watched an ugly rat scramble underneath a table a few feet away to the one closest to us.... " -September 25th


There were rats everywhere on the street, amongst the stray cats and dogs. I even joked that one rat was saw looked as big as the Toye family cat Joey!

I quickly became immune to the rats, knowing since this was my first backpacking trip, I would have to get used to things like that. I lived on a dirt floor in the Dominican--- I can handle a few rats!!!

Anyway, our first "real" day in Thailand was jam-packed and awesome! We saw so much and it was awesome to see Bangkok in the daylight- a lot less intimidating! We took a water taxi to the "Wat Pho" which is the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, rode around in a Tuktuk to a lookout point over Bangkok, went to the Temple of the Happy Buddha (which is apparently rarely open) and some markets. Ian was a bit skeptical because our Tuktuk driver wanted to take us to his 'friends' stores, and we were warned about Tutuk drivers doing that in our Lonely Planet book. But luckily the stores were decent and in the end, our Tuktuk driver didn't wait around for us, so we didn't even have to pay him! Ian and I decided to walk back to in the super hot heat, and explore.

We didn't really have any idea where we were going, but on our way we bought a cool Thai cookbook and stumbled upon the impressive Democracy Monument, on a island in the middle of a busy intersection.

First Link to pictures: http://wluca.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2115554&l=1d200&id=187905622

That night we went to an awesome restaurant called "Cabbages and Condoms" and also took the Sky train! The restaurant is located off of Th Sukhumvit, as classier district.

"It was hilarious. They give you condoms with your bill when you leave. Sounds trashy, eh? Well, it was quite the opposite, actually! Cabbages and Condoms is actually a resort and the restaurant is a beautiful mostly-outdoor Thai restaurant with "Bali curtains" hanging over a waterfall, long, droopy trees and branches, white Christmas lights everywhere, a Thai woman playing her Thai instrument and two floors of cleanliness and wood. We set upstairs on the top floor, overlooking the first floor and it was beautiful! A lot of the decorations were bright and colourful, all made tastefully out of condoms! There were also a few mannequins and statues made out of birth control packages and condoms.

"But there is a reason to the rhyme (or is it vice versa?) That is, a portion of what your bill comes to goes to Aids awareness and sexual education on Thailand. Pretty cool!" - September 25th

We took the Sky train back to the backpackers area. The Sky train is like an outdoor subway, overlooking parts of Bangkok. It is really neat to travel on, and everyone who goes to Bangkok should try to take a ride! It is alot smaller in size then the subway system in Korea, but it doesn't cover nearly as much area, or cater to nearly as much people. We ended up wandering around Chinatown and meeting some interesting characters.


In another post Ian or myself will write about our trip to Kanchanaburi, and visiting the elephants, Death Railway and tigers. When we arrived back from Kanchanaburi though, we were so tired, but still wanted to go out since it was our last night in Bangkok. We went to a really cool night market.After some shopping, we headed back to our lovely backpackers area. We decided on an awesome hot pink bus that was turned into a bar, serving as many drinks as you can imagine! Tables were set up beside the bar, and we quickly made friends with a group of girls and one guy who had rented a hookah from the pink bus, and were smoking strawberry tobacco. They group was made up of Thai people who all knew intermediate level English, and we ended up sharing some "bucket" (what cocktails are commonly served in in Southeast Asia) and some laughs with them. It was really cool to meet Thai people or age and converse with them! We had a blast that night!

Second Link to Pictures: http://wluca.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2115563&l=4832c&id=187905622


The next morning/early afternoon, we had our last hurrah in Bangkok because we flew to Siem Reap, Cambodia that night. We went to the Grand Palace, "Wat Phra Kaew" otherwise known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and shopped on Th Khoasan. The Grand Palace is still sued today for the King only on special occasions.





Before we knew it, we were off on a plane to Cambodia to see one of the seven Wonders of the World!

PICTURES:

First Link to pictures: http://wluca.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2115554&l=1d200&id=187905622

Second Link to Pictures: http://wluca.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2115563&l=4832c&id=187905622

Back from Southeast Asia!!

Helloie everybody!

We just wanted to write a quick post to let everyone know that we are back safe and sound from our trip! Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam were all phenomenal and amazing.... we suggest all three countries to anyone who is considering travelling! The trip was so much fun, so educational and totally exhausting! Both Ian and I are feeling a bit under the weather since we have been back, but it was definitely worth it!

We both kept travel journals (shout out to Erin and Rex for giving me journals as going-away gifts!) during our expedition, so once we have a minute we will sit down and write about our trip and take excerpts from our journals! Also, I have already started posting pictures and videos onto Facebook, so make sure you check them out when you can :)

We'll write more within the next few days, drop us a line and give us an update! Hope all is well:)

Cheers!
xoxo
kel and ian