Cambodia

Getting there: to bus or to fly?
From Siem Reap we hopped a bus south to the capital, Phnom Penh. We bussed as we were told the roads were quite good and the buses are luxuroous, comfortable, etc. The roads complied with expectations (save the occasional hard break for crossing cattle), but the buses... ours was mediocre. I (Renato) have yet to travel in a bus I've liked. This across continents (West Europe, East Europe, USA, and now Asia). Bottom line, buses usually suck and tourists had better carefully consider their options if choosing 5-10 hours in a bus over an 1 hour flight. Generally, I'd recommend the bus if: (1) you desperately want to see more of the countryside near freeways and (2) you really want to save money. If neither, fly it. One positive busing memory (for Renato, certainly not for Patty): at a rest stop, Ren saw probably the absolutely most fear-striking food we have ever contemplated -- live tarantulas. We're talking 4-5in long bodies plus legs. Ren was in disbelief. Fry them crispy in order to eat them.

No tarantulas here; just bugs and bbq'ed baby chicks:

Political History:(as retold by the da Costas):
Thus we arrive in Phnom Penh (Pronounced P-nom Pen)... First, a little bit of history. 1975 was the fall of Phnom Penh . That's when the Khmer Rouge (China backed) defeated the Lon Non gov't (US backed) and marched into the capital. In theory, Lon Non led a democratic gov't. But Lon Non's gov't, too, wasn't all that warm and fuzzy—roving murderers and thieves are a better description. Photos books document their soldiers proudly carrying the heads of Cambodians they suspected of being revolutionaries. These were trophies.

Enter Sarloth Sar (aka Pol Pot) and his Khmer Rouge. They took the capital as the West was retreating. Suppressed, tired and hungry Cambodians (ethnically Khmer people) were cheering in the streets; the evil Lon Non gov't had been sacked. Unknown to practically everyone, 48 hours later Pol Pot's regime would begin a level of genocide unprecedented in human history. This is in 1975 and backed by China! All citizens were ordered to leave Phnom Penh immediately and go the fields. Following Mao Tse-tung logic, Pol Pot was instilling a return to natural Cambodia without the evil influence of Western industry. Banks, mills, healthcare services, sewage systems, and any visible industry was destroyed. Buildings blown up. Cars burned. Ultimately Phnom Penh citizens were taken to labor camps where they worked on the land with hand tools if not their hands. Families were split (actually outlawed) and individuals could be shipped anywhere. Dissension meant immediate death. Foreigners who didn't leave in time were killed. Any Cambodian who spoke any language other than Khmer was killed. Cambodians who wore shoes (ie., they were wealthier) were separated and eventually killed. Men older than 16 were put to work and underfed in order to starve them and eventually kill them.

Khmer Rouge were in power until in 1979 when Vietnam defeated the Pol Pot regime. How recent is all this? Our tour guide in the infamous S21 prison in Phnom Penh was a child in 1975-1979. Shortly after Khmer Rouge took power, she never heard from any family member again. She lost her whole family. Parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins. She's the only survivor. Why? Just random luck.

Inside S21:

Today in Phnom Penh:
Eager to move beyond its gruesome history, Phnom Penh is rebuilding itself. There seems to be several ex-pats living in the city. The city is none too small. It does feel like a city with proper businesses, restaurants, entertainment, services and perhaps even gov't. Its not a top tourist destination, but it was something to see.

Us in the city:

The palace:

If you're traveling there, note that new hotels are probably springing up quickly. Its likely that there are better (more modern) hotels right by the one you're booking. Once you arrive, take a stroll around your area to consider alternatives. We did and we were happy with the results. This is true for Cambodia and Laos in general.

Quick comment about housing during our trip -- we're generally staying in small hotels in the $45-80 price range (let's call them cheap-tique hotels). We're looking for small, cute, friendly, but with the modern amenities we folks from Silicon Valley would expect. As needed, we're planning to dip above our target range.

We tried a guest house at $30 and well... we're staying at $45 and above. Through March, we're averaging about $60 per day which is LESS than what we pay for our house in Mountain View (including only mortgage interest and county taxes). Thus far, this rate has provided us with clean, pleasant and at times, stylish surroundings with AC and quality bathrooms. And, it's generally bug-free. A step up to beyond $80 would buy us more service, and perhaps more stylish surroundings with fancier bathrooms (more marble) but that hasn't been necessary. Perhaps unexpectedly, this hotel price range is consistent country to country and city to city, so far. That's a bit surprising considering the GDP per capita of countries like Cambodia and Laos is below $300.

Things may change when we enter Bangkok and the beach resorts in Thailand. Let's see what the future holds for us (financially).

Cambodia. It's not just another poor country. There's certainly something special about it. And, it's not just the special “nice” things. Yes, Angkor Wat and the amazing Buddhist and Hindu cultures at the beginning of the millenium are special to behold and ponder. However, there are many bad, unfortunate things that also make Cambodia special. Perhaps even unique. Cambodia's turbulent political history and unprecedented genocide are complete insanity. Politics are the things of lunacy in Cambodia. There seems to never have been a moment in modern history when Cambodians weren't suffering because of politics. More about that later.

For now, let's focus on something nice—Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. Siem Reap is a cute town/city. For tourists, its just about perfect. The touristy area is well maintained. There's a mix of cheap, authentic food, cheap touristy food and a handful of mid-scale restaurants and bars.

As we all know, Angelina put Cambodia in the paparrazi map with Tomb Raider, Maddox and her subsequent visits while saving the world. There are a few spots for 5-star luxury people though their spots are a bit out of the way – e.g., the Raffles hotel. Supposedly there's a restaurant, the Red Piano, in town that Angelina frequented while she was filming. Patty and I thought the food was crap there. :-) However, we liked the Internet bars. Go Cowboys! (yep, that's my awesome 7in laptop. Sorry its not an Apple.)

Folks in Cambodia were quite warm and receptive to tourists. While you might encounter a few more smiles and hellos along the streets in Bali (specially away from the tourist hubs), Cambodia comes close. You can have a very pleasant and hassle free time while touring in Cambodia, specially while in Siem Reap. Smiles-a-plenty despite the poverty and crazy history.

Here's a neat way to get some pork on the dinner table. Scooter it. And that bad boy's alive. And he wasn't enjoying the prep for the ride, based on his squealing. The speckly stuff in the picture is dust. The town's got dust floating around everywhere. Either from burning fields or from the ever-present red dirt (kicked-up by cars and scooters).

Of course, everyone's visiting Siem Reap in order to see Angkor Wat. I'll not write here much about the history and details—wikipedia does a better job than I could ever do. However, I'll add that Angkor Wat is a complex of temples build between the turn of the century and perhaps 1350. There is the proper Angkor Wat itself which is the most famous and offers, perhaps, the most awe-striking visuals. Patty and I enjoyed Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom, Ta Prom (of Tomb Raider fame), among many others. We spent a total of three solid days doing temple hoping in the area. Pictures describe what we saw better than words. We toured in air conditioned luxury for two of the days (with a driver and guide) and then opted for the cheap-skate tuk-tuk approac for day 3. Both approaches very their merrits.

Angkor Wat: front

A few general thoughts: The temples absolutely love cameras. There's a fantastic picture to be had just about in every corner. Macros, wide angles and everything in between. Plus, depending on the time of day, you'll have great lighting to help you play around with shades and brightness.

More images from inside Angkor Wat:

Food's cheap and pretty good (save for the Red Piano). While the central market's meat section might not leave you eager to eat meat (nor chicken, nor anything highly perishable), Patty and I agree that food was of good quality.

Regarding climate and bugs: it was neither as hot nor bug-infested as we had feared. There's a share of mosquitoes and other insects but its far from being terrible. There's really no need for long pants (at least not during our visit in the end of the dry season).

We also visited the floating village in lake Tonle Sap. This is a fishing village of hugely poor Cambodians and Vietnamese who, in order to avoid purchasing land, live on boats on the lake.

We didn't quite understand why the Vietnamese are there as well, but the village is really split into two: the Cambodian section and Vietnamese section. Interestingly, the Vietnamese section seems to be a bit better-off and seem to also be better equipped to host tourists and secure some money from eager tourist pockets.

Considering the temples, city and floating village together, the 5 days in Siem Reap were spectacular.