Journey to Cambodian Capitol - Phnom Penh

Uh, Aaron, you have something crawling on your back!

Wednesday, February 20, 2012

Day 12: Phnom Penh

Meals included: 1 breakfast

Activities

​Drive through Cambodia's picturesque countryside to reach Phnom Penh. You'll notice a change of pace, as you arrive in Cambodia’s capital. A relaxing drink at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club is a great way to start your evening.

*****

We left Siem Reap at 8:30 a.m. by bus and arrived at 4:30 this afternoon in Phnom Penh.  Our bus driver did a phenomenal job dodging trucks, donkeys, water buffalo, cattle, motor scooters, and pedestrians, and got us all here safely.

Russ is currently reading, They Killed My Father First, and relating to me the atrocities the Khmer Rouge inflicted on the Cambodian People after the fall of Viet Nam in1975.  We will be going to the museum and killing fields tomorrow.  Can't say we are looking forward to our learnings tomorrow, but it is a part of the historical cruelties we as a species inflict on one another.

Today was a leisurely ride through country side observing roadside dwellers going about their daily lives.  I wish I could report how green everything is, but it is the dry season, and much of the land is a faded green.  A fine dust flies through air when disturbed by the donkey carts and motor scooters.  There are no sidewalks and no litter containers, possibly not even a collection service.  The land is strewn with plastics, bottles, bags, tarps, jars.  

It's a mess and with few exceptions there is little evidence of cleanup by residents or the thousands of lean-to and tent vendors. The Cambodians are valiantly struggling to earn a living and make ends meet. Unlike Thailand and Laos where the cost of goods and services is very low, Cambodia seems a bit dearer.  For tourists, it is still lower than what one expects at home, but for the Cambodian families day to day expenses are higher.  The American dollar is the currency of choice.  Food here is about twice as much as we found in Laos.

So today we had a couple of interesting stops.  One was to an old bridge built 800 years ago during the of Angkor and is still standing as a main bridge today.

The second stop was in a town known for its unusual product of fried tarantulas.  Eigjteen year old Daniel was somewhat keen to try one until he saw them, but went ahead with a nibble anyway.  

Buy them live and cook yourself

Stir fried tarantula with spices

Spider Man Daniel Nibbles at Tarantuala

Grasshopper legs don't work like dental floss

A few of our group allowed the de-venomed creatures to crawl on them.  And Jan tried the fried crickets.  Personally, Russ and I were happy to just step back and observe.

All is well with the Worrall Travel R's.

More Ruins and Fishing Village

Day 11: Siem Reap

Activities:

​​Our ticket for the Angkor ruins enables us to spend more time exploring this memorable archaeological area. It is an early morning start as we travel out to Banteay Srei, famous for its detailed and intricate stone carvings. It is not a big temple, but has been sometimes referred to as ‘the jewel in the crown of Angkorian art’. Back at the main temple complex, Preah Khan contains a maze of vaulted corridors and is another complex that has been largely reclaimed by the jungle. We include a visit to the Sala Bai Hotel School where underprivileged local youths learn skills which will enable them to find gainful employment in the hospitality industry. We also enjoy a lunch prepared by students at the school.

 

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There are over 300 temples all of massive proportions here in the Seim Reap Area.  We vist Preah Khan after our sunrise at Angkor Wat:

Vaulted Hallways

After exploring these ruins, we head out to the Pink Temple or Banteay Srei   It is known for its intricate sandstone carvings:

Have you had enough temples?  By now we were really looking for something different to see.  As beautiful as these temples and ruins are, we wanted to get a taste of real life with the Cambodian People.  Our guide took us out to the largest fresh water lake in Cambodia.  It is the dry season and the lake is one huge mud hole now about 40 km wide.  It looks like a latte ocean and at this time of the year is only about a meter deep.  The fishing community that lives along its banks are high and dry.  Their homes on stills are bamboo skyscrapers at this time of the year. 

It is the only time they have land around them and the children can run and play.  Otherwise the water comes up to just under their floors in the wet season.  The downside of the dry season is the lack of water.  The people here are very poor.  We enjoyed our time here though.  The people are lovely and work hard.

We board the long boat for our river excursion

Our Group of Explorers

Couple repairs roof on their boat

Laundry Day at the Well

Little Boy Toilets over the Side of The Boat

School Children Just Finished Playing

Village Temple

Downtown

Drying the Shrimp

Boy Learning from Grandpa How to Repair A Boat

Floating Restaurant

Girl paddling home after a trip to the market

Despite their hard life, they were generous with their smiles.

All is well with the Worrall Travel R's