Cambodia here we go!

Trip Start Apr 01, 2008
1
15
25
Trip End Ongoing


Loading Map
Map your own trip!
Map Options
Show trip route
Hide lines
shadow

Flag of Cambodia  ,
Sunday, June 1, 2008

Along with most other tourists, our primary reason for visiting Cambodia was to see the temples of Angkor. These are accessible from the town of Siem Reap, in the north of the country. However, the flight between Bangkok and Siem Reap, which is only 45 minutes long, is extortionately expensive. (Namely due to there being only one airline flying this route, and, some have said, also paying big money to ensure they remain the only ones, and that the road between the cities remains potholed and uncomfortable!)
 
So we flew to Phnom Penh instead, without really many expectations of what the city would be like.
 
Cambodia's recent history is of course beyond tragic, and even if you were unaware of it at first, you would soon learn, as alongside the Royal Palace and Russian Market, visits to Tuol Sleng prison and the killing fields of Choeng Ek are the main places on interest.  With only one full day planned in Phnom Penh, we signed up for a tour of Toul Sleng Prison, the Russian Market and the Killing Fields.  Without going into any specific detail, the killing fields and the prison were simply shocking, with most time being spent in silence.  At both sights there are signs asking people not to laugh.  It is hard to believe how anybody could.
 
After a brief trawl through the market, we had time in the afternoon to look round the Royal Palace, which was splendid enough, but a poor cousin of the Grand Palace in Thailand.  That being done, it was time for a beer.
 
The next day we caught a bus to Siem Reap.  A 5 hour trip (at least that's what we were told).  If we were expecting a smooth journey we were to be disappointed.  Having forgotten to buy any food we were pleased when the bus stopped for lunch at a truck stop.  We were greeted by numerous hawkers selling pineapple and bananas.  This was promising, but I really wanted something a bit more substantial.  What else was on offer? Weird sandwiches, oh and deep fried locust and not forgetting fried tarantula.  Not a burger in sight, so with bananas and pineapple in hand we got on with the journey.  After a while the monotony of the journey was broken by a load bang. Great, a tyre had burst and we were in the middle of nowhere.  During the process of replacing the wheel, which took about 1.5 hours, some other travelers caught one of the Cambodian passengers going through their bag - this journey just got more interesting as time wore on!  After a brief confrontation it all amounted to nothing and we were off again, to more bus travel monotony.   After another hour another bang - if the tyre had gone this time we were truly in the mire.  All passengers piled off the bus yet again but were pleased to see the tyre intact and the driver hammering a piece of metal back into whichever place it had come from. We had never felt safer.  We got to Siem Reap in the end, albeit much later than planned and checked into a hotel, greatly relieved.
 
Print this entry