I took from Kao San (Bangkok) a suspiciuously cheap mini bus directly to Siem Reap. The whole time I expected to appear something wrong, but it turned out fine, except that all people in the bus had paid totally different rates for the same distance. I took my visa for Cambodia at the border. I asked them to put it on an used page in my passport over an old visa and the answer was "how much will you pay for this?". After a brief bargaining I parted with $10 and again I had two blank pages in the passport. From this depended entirely my journey ahead.
Siem Reap is a cute little town, crowded with tourists. At first I did not notice any difference with Thailand and even continued to greet people in Thai. The strangest thing is that prices are all US$ in the store, I felt like in America. There is also local currency which is used less and even ATMs give dollars. I found the "cheap & best" place in Siem Reap - for $1 I had a dorm with free wi-fi and the best ROOF-TOP in the city. I stayed here for a week and met unexpectedly Grace - a Spanish girl from the Vipassana course in India 6-7 months ago. She was in the same guesthouse, what a small world again!
In Siem Reap most people come for 1-2 days to see the temples of Angkor, but first I decided to immerse myself in the atmosphere to get to know the locals and to prepare mentally for the glorious experience in the temples. I took a bike for rent every day ($1) traveling around temples, streets and villages. Here again people are Buddhists, and monks are sometimes too friendly and not only eat meat but I often see them smoking cigarettes in the monasteries. I spent hours talking to them, trying to figure out how they live. Most do not practice meditation, just study ancient texts and Pali language. Often they invited me to their monk room, which did not seem very right to me, and two of the monks even asked for my Facebook.
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one of the many beautiful temples in Siem Reap
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| modern monks |
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| Monks collect donations in a temple in Siem Reap |
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| A woman-monk in Siem Reap feeds a cat family with rice |
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| again egg decorations - like in Indonesia |
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| crocs for sale |
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| In the room of a hospitable monk in Siem Reap |
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| Sunrise over Angkor |
After a few days I felt ready to Angkor. I went on a bike the day before in the afternoon to buy a ticket that is valid for the next day, but you can also enter on the evening of the previous day. Until I bicycled to the top however, the view point to watch the sunset was already closed and I decided to cycle to the next temple - Bayon. From afar I saw that the entire temple lit and a crowd of people entering. I dropped the bike in the bushes and joined the crowd, wondering what was going on. Usually the temples close at 18 o'clock, and it was already 18.30. We were welcomed with a warm towel and a glass of wine and soon I realized that I was at a wedding. (Not Cambodian, of course, the rent for the Bayon temple is $ 5000). I could not believe my luck. I enjoyed a live Cambodian music and dance, made night photos of the lit temple and even spoke with some of the guests. When they invited everyone inside for dinner I had the opportunity to wander inside the temple totally alone. The feeling to be there at night without any tourists was magical. Just when I thought I have to go a guard came and asked me if I am one of the guests. "No" - I answered him and he started to grumble that I had to be gone by now, that the temples close at 18h, etc. I told him most sincerely that I have seen many people coming in and I followed them. "These are special people" - he said. "More special than me?" - I asked with surprise, "I thought I was the most special." He obviously did not have a mood for jokes. He said that they found my bike and are looking for me since two hours. I followed him without arguing, but when he took me to the bike I saw that this was not my bike. "So there's someone else" - said he terrified and rushed back to look for other impostors. I promised that I'm leaving and I went to look for my bike. Then I met the other intruder - a Swiss guy (So Swiss people also break the rules sometimes!). I told him they got his bike and are looking for him. At least I had company to cycle the ten kms to town in the dark without a light. We were both very excited by the unexpected night Angkor experience. Such things do not happen if you're with a guide and a driver.
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| на сватбата в Байон |
The next day I went early with the bike and went around the temples from sunrise to sunset. Now I know why Borobudur in Indonesia reminded me so much of the temples of Angkor. It turned out that the emperor Jayavarman II, that had begun construction of the temples at Angkor in the 9th century, spent his early years on the island of Java, and was inspired by the temples there, especially by Borobudur. Then the Thais got inspired by Angkor and built temples in Ayutthaya in the 14th century. Over the centuries, most of the temples at Angkor have been taken over by the jungle and cleaning them was almost impossible. Ironically, in the 20s of the last century the temples were cleaned from the jungle by the method used by the Dutch to restore Borobudur. Still many trees wrap the walls of temples and remind us of the power of nature.
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| the most wrapped in jungle temple in Angkor - Ta Prom |
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Ta Prom, the temple taken over the jungle
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| power of nature ... |
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| Angkor Wat |
I managed to go around 6-7 temples for the whole day. I was thinking to repeat the night adventure but after sunset I was so tired that I hardly biked back the 10 kilometers to Siem Reap. I think I saw enough temples for 24 hours and gave into full rest. I stayed more in Siem Reap as the atmosphere became very appealing to me even with the thousands of tourists. I did a bike ride to a nearby lake Tolna Sapp where there are villages in the water. I was hoping for some local fisherman to take me on a boat ride, but it turned out that there ware only monopoly boats for tourists, which costed $15 for an hour and a half and it is prohibited for other boats to take foreigners there. Finally for $ 2 a local fisherman showed me around his village, which is floating in the river before the lake. People were very nice and smiling and nobody wanted money. I ate from the local home made ice cream (ice with fruits or vanilla) eaten with sticky rice or bread sometimes. The combination of ice cream and sticky rice was surprisingly good.
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| In my guest house the food arrives to the roof-top on external elevator |
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| The main tourist street in Siem Reap is called Pub Street |
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| my favorite spring rolls - fried or raw Mmmm |
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| Market in Siem Reap |
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| around Siem Reap |
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| fishing |
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| the floating village on the river |
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| kids fishing in the river |
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| do we have enough money for one more ice cream ... |
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| hair-dresser |
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| drunk policeman explaining something in Cambodian ... |
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| in the classroom |
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| water pump in the school |
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| seamstresses making bags from old bags from rice |
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| Victims of Khmer Rouge |
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| Anjuna bar in Siem Reap |
I finally gathered the strength to hit the road again, I left the comfy Guest-house in Siem Reap and headed north to the mountains around Ban Lung, the border with Laos. I took the bus and the trip was epic. Halfway they left us in lunch place while the bus drove some people to a town nearby and told us it would take an hour. We waited 3-4 hours until we realized that the bus had broke down they had to find another one. The funny thing was that a Chinese guy who came directly from some party fell asleep so deeply in the bus that had continued with the others, while his backpack stayed with us for a long time and we were wondering whose was it. The new bus came at dusk, it was dangerous to drive in the dark here so we stopped in a village and the driver said we would continue tomorrow. I refused to pay for a hotel in the village and asked them to sleep in the bus. Finally after the other passengers walked away, the man invited us along with a group of Dutch people to sleep in his house. The next morning we loaded into crowded minibus and finally arrived in Ban Lung. I thought that I'd arrive much faster and conveniently by hitch-hiking and allegedly took the bus to save time and walk around in the mountains.
Ban Lung itself did not appeal to me much, but nearby there were beautiful waterfalls and a crater lake good for a swim. the best way to cool off in the heat! Again I took a rented bike and wandered around the villages and waterfalls. People along the way were cheerfully waving to me and inviting me to their houses. Although no one in the villages spoke English, everyone wanted to be my friend and nobody bothered me for money. Children were most friendly and sometimes they were grabbing my bike not letting me leave. We were all roaring with laughter when I was starting off, dragging 4-5 children behind me. The roads were covered with red dust and reminded me of the African roads. There was almost no traffic except some ice cream on a bike that never missed to stop for a new portion of homemade ice cream with rice for 500 reais ($0.12). I pedaled on dusty roads with full power, singing aloud, and I felt extremely happy and free. I found new friends in the guesthouse and together we tried some local Chinese ginseng wine which tasted like liquor with cognac and costed $0.25 a big bottle. It was surprisingly good and we did not even have a hangover the next day. Generally life in Cambodia really cheap and carefree. But it was time to think about my next destination. How do I choose the last two countries for the last two pages in my passport? I heard Laos is more expensive and touristy, Burma (Myanmar) was still problematic and extremely limited for road trip. My heart was pulling me back to India and Nepal, so I decided that the last two pages I will use for them. The cheapest flights to India were from Bangkok, so I decided to head over land to there. I knew it I would go a third time in Thailand.
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| one of the friendly families on the road |
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| ...and kids |
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| one of the 3 waterfalls I visited |
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| and more kids... |
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| outdoor kitchen |
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| typical Cambodian food |
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| and fruits - my favorite mangustine |
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| тези не ги опитах - скакалци, хлебарки и червеи |
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| cockroaches with onion and chilly |
A few days later I left for the capital Phnom Penh for a new visa for Thailand. From friends I knew that the cheapest guesthouses are at Lake Side, but to my surprise there was no more lake or guesthouses. For some mega construction project they had filled the lake with sand and destroyed almost everything around Lake Side. It was a ghastly sight, seemed like the Khmer Rouge had passed from here. The last remaining Guesthouse Number 10 was fighting for its existence and did not give in to be demolished. After an unsuccessful attempt to find CouchSurfing I found another guesthouse in the center and immediately went to the Thai Embassy for a visa. I had to wait five days in Phnom Penh and I used them for walking around this city carrying the dark breath of the past and optimistic progress of the future .
I did not have desire to see grisly Tuol Svay Prey School converted into a killing camp by Pol Pot or the bloody Killing fields, where between 1975-78 year 17,000 men, women, children and babies were executed . The tragic mass graves are now bought by Japanese company and can be seen for $5. Funny how even such human tragedy can be used for business.
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| Lakeless side |
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| what's left from the guesthouses in Lakeless side |
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| homeless |
Another interesting thing about Phnom Penh is that in 1975, After the city was captured by the Khmer Rouge, the entire population was deported to the countryside to work in the fields and most of the intellectuals -killed. In the one-millionth city remained less than 50 000 inhabitants - mainly military, party members and workers in the factories. In 1979 Phnom Pen people returned and the city began to grow again.
People here had experienced all these absurdities and abuses and still seemed very smiling and happy. They were able to leave their dark past and enjoy the free life. Prostitution is very common and almost legal. Male travelers complain that it is difficult to meet a local girl who subsequently doesn't turn out to be a prostitute. Crocodiles are also apparently very common here and they are everywhere crocodile boots, handbags, whole stuffed crocodiles and even crocodile-burger!
The traffic is full mess and even on the big boulevards tuk-tuks motorcycles and cars are driving in the opposite direction - usually in the fastest lane. Motorbikes and all their variations are more than cars and often ride 4 or even 5 people on a bike. Crossing the street is an extreme experience, even at a walkway. My heart was jumping every time I had to cross a big street.
My stay in Phnom Penh can be described as "weird." First, a middle-aged Cambodian met me on the street twice and twice invited me to breakfast with her family. First it seemed doubtful that she is so casually inviting a stranger foreigner so I didn't go the first time. But after the second meeting I became very curious about what's behind all of this and I decided to accept. She took me on a motorbike in a big house and after a quick feast just for me, it started to become clear to me. She explained that her husband was a casino dealer and if I play in the casino on his table I will earn a lot of money that we will divide evenly. I told them clearly that I do not gamble, but they insisted that they would put their money to bet and I just have to play. Finally it turned out that I had to give "only" $4800 and I will become rich. I thanked them for the breakfast and they took me back to the hostel. What a strange casino spam. At least I satisfied my curiosity and appetite.
My stay in Phnom Penh can be described as "weird." First, a middle-aged Cambodian met me on the street twice and twice invited me to breakfast with her family. First it seemed doubtful that she is so casually inviting a stranger foreigner so I didn't go the first time. But after the second meeting I became very curious about what's behind all of this and I decided to accept. She took me on a motorbike in a big house and after a quick feast just for me, it started to become clear to me. She explained that her husband was a casino dealer and if I play in the casino on his table I will earn a lot of money that we will divide evenly. I told them clearly that I do not gamble, but they insisted that they would put their money to bet and I just have to play. Finally it turned out that I had to give "only" $4800 and I will become rich. I thanked them for the breakfast and they took me back to the hostel. What a strange casino spam. At least I satisfied my curiosity and appetite.
I was walking in the temple Wat Prom when I saw the monk blessing a foreigner and "reading her karma" by putting on her forehead a holy scripture and she opened a page with a bamboo wand. I wanted to try it and my monk translated in English the story which I had opened. "You are very lucky!" - He exclaimed. He said that it was about a woman who married a prince, they had 1000 children and all of them reached enlightenment. What greater happiness! I left on a high note and just when I was thinking how happy I am and how I am going to meet a prince and I'll have 1000 children with a smile on my face, I was crossing one of the big boulevards when a motorbike hit me from the back, driving in the opposite direction of the traffic. Not understanding how, I found myself on the ground and above me were already leaning Cambodian faces and arms are being handed to me. At first I could not move, my right knee was hurting a lot and I could not stand. Fortunately, after a minute rest I got on my feet and found that there was nothing serious, just bruised legs and elbows and a bit swollen knee. Well the good thing is that here people drive relatively slowly and although he hit me directly, it was not very strong. The man with bike looked more shocked than me and was trembling. Despite he was not speaking English I was asking him why was he driving in the opposite lane and that I should call the police. It seemed to me that he was apologizing in Cambodian and what else could I do but to let him go again in opposite lane. The assembled crowd helped me to cross the boulevard, limping. After this I was laughing for hours at myself and life that took me back on the ground with a slap, just when I began to soar. Life is so funny!
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| Muslims praying on the boat |
I spent a few happy days with my funny friends, sleeping for free in my sleeping bag under the roof of the restaurant and buy a meal once a day from them. I decided to hitch to the north to Kampot and Kep and even the Pilish guy joined me, but he was going tovThailand. First a truck took us to the city where we had to split up and I went to Kampot with another truck which even took me to the center. After two days in Kampot I decided to go to one of the many islands in Cambodia - the Rabbit Island. I took the boat from Kep on the island and there I met two Frenchmen who knew from Lake Side (or Lakeless Side, as we began to call it) in Phnom Penh. They said they will sleep in hammocks on a wild beach and I immediately joined. We found a wonderful small beach with small red stones and trees for shade. We did not predicted the tide and at night the waves began lapping the hammock and one of the guys even had to move. So carelessly I spent the last days of my Cambodian visa. Almost a month had passed here and it's time for the next destination. my French friends Kevin and Medi were also going to Thailand - Koh Chang so I decided to go with them.
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| Phnom Penh |
