Khmer kindness
Trip Start
Jul 29, 2003
1
15
31
Trip End
Dec 01, 2003
Siem Reap,
Cambodia
Wednesday, October 1, 2003
Left Bangkok at 6am yesterday morning for Cambodia. Thought we were getting one of the usual "luxury" big buses but instead ended up in a minibus. That said, the ticket was only 100B (less than 2 quid)...
Arrived at the border around lunchtime and eventually passed through ok after paying a tenner and being tutted at for overstaying my visa by 3 days.
Was a bit of a shock when we got into Poipet on the Cambodian side as it was so poor compared to Thailand and just full of dirt and rubbish and mud. Waited around for a few hours before another minibus took us on the worst road in the world to Siem Reap. I don't think it even classes as a road - its like a red mud dirt track with more bumps than a camel but its called a highway! Apparently Cambodia's roads are the second worst in the world - the worst being in Congo. Don't see myself rushing off to Congo just yet...
The scenery is so beautiful though I almost forgot about the roads and did actually manage a couple of hours sleep which was surprising - but then I do have a knack of sleeping anywhere.
We stopped to use the toilets on the way and got completely mobbed by kids trying to sell us coke and sprite. The Khmer children's English is amazing but they're very clever and try their hardest to guilt trip you into buying stuff. I had no money but eventually Janine gave in and bought 2 cokes for us and then one of the kids who had been hanging round me was crying saying that I told him I had no money and then bought a drink off his friend! In the end I resorted to giving them all my old sweets to shut them up. Seemed to work.
Really surprised when we arrived in Siem Reap as the poverty seemed to have vanished and the rubbish and dirt and swamp was replaced with french colonial style houses and the people looked pretty well off.
We arrived at a guest house at about 9pm so we'd been travelling a lovely 15hours. Funny to think that I'd never even consider bus journey longer than 2 hours in England, yet in Asia I've so far been on 5 journeys at least 12 hours each! Then again they have cost an average price of about 2 quid.
I've been amazed at how well the Khmer people speak English, which is good cos Khmer looks even harder than Thai! There's a guy at our guest house who does a lovely cockney accent! Everyone says how nice and welcoming the Thai people are, but I have to say I think the Khmer are even beter. They have to be the nicest lot of people I've ever come across. Makes me dread going back to England in a way as it will seem so miserable. Despite the fact the quality of living is so much lower both here and in Thailand, compared to England, the people seem to make much more out of it and never complain.
They all seem really concerned about my eyes too as lucky me managed to pick up an eye infection as soon as I recovered from my sickness and diahorrea.
Went to Angkor Wat today, just for one day although they recommend you spend 3. Don't think we could though - we saw most in one day and although its amazing, they're only so many temples you can look at. Plus there are so many kids there hassling you to buy stuff, it gets a little stressful when you've said no about 10 times, and then another one comes up. We managed to end up with some postcard and bracelets, but then the other kids couldn't understand why we didn't want more different postcards and bracelets, a flute or a scarf. Janine even ended up giving 2 kids 500 riel each (which is only about 25 cents) but they then said they wanted 3 dollars!
Saw the jungle temple which is the one I most wanted to see (and I think where they filmed parts of Tomb Radier). It has loads of ancient trees wrappped round the rocks so I have some nice arty photos of that.
Me and Janine also managed to get ourselves offers of Khmer boyfriends today, although I think Janine's is a little young for her at 18. Don't see the relationships lasting though since they live with the monks at Angkor Wat.
Off to Phnom Penh tomorrow for a couple of days an then onwards to Vietnam. Would have been nice to spend longer in Cambodia though as its so beautiful.
Maybe next time...
xxx
