Cambodia : the Kingdom of Wonder and Optimism

                   

                                                 " Two roads diverged in a wood and I--

                                                    I took the one less travelled by 

                                                   And that has made all the difference."

We entered Cambodia in an unusually strange, awry and even comical manner to say the least. A two-wheeler (Xe-mo) brought us into the country of the Kampucheans for $1 dollar each !

Entry  and Visa

                                             
                                " No two countries are the same , but human hearts are the same"

Bee , my travelling companion, who loves to take  “the road less travelled by,” and wants to settle in every country he visits, decided to take a bus  from Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) in Vietnam to Phnom Penh(Cambodia). There were many options but we zeroed in on the Mekong Express Limousine Bus Services. Tickets ranged from $15 to $36 depending on the comfort level that you were offered. The departure point varied on certain days , therefore it was wise to check a day ahead. The journey took 7 hours  .We boarded early morning to find ,to our surprise, that most of our co-passengers were  European tourists and a few locals. The courteous tour guide rattled of information and statistics preparing us for the trip.
As the bus took off, the urban settings gave way to green paddy fields dotted with   villages reflecting the timeless simplicity of rural life in  both Vietnam and Cambodia. Light snacks were served . Everything was hunky-dory till we reached the border out-post of Moc-Bai.

Moc Bai border gate

Exiting Vietnam at Moc Bai was hassle-free . We boarded the bus which  took us through No-Man’s land into the Cambodian out-post of Bavet.  The bus conductor collected all our passports and deposited them at the counter where a pompous looking gentleman sat on a high chair---was I imagining------ exuding an air of condescension at us lesser beings. Each name on the passport was called at a leisurely pace  for immigration clearance.  My name being a mouthful sounded down-right ridiculous in the Khmer accent, but thankfully the sign and stamp were placed without any question.

We were the last to cross the immigration hurdle only to find that the bus had left  without us. --Standing  high and dry outside Bavet out-post  with only our passports and wallets in our hands, we didn’t know what to do. A young Kampuchean lad told us that the bus driver was as hungry as a wolf and had taken off  to the nearest restaurant for lunch.

 “So how do we reach Phnom Penh?”we asked. 

“No problem , $1 each . I will take you to the bus.”

We jumped on to his motor –cycle , two pillion riders clinging on to the Kampuchean, speeding off like a fighter pilot in unknown territory , straining our tired eyes to locate the bus, oblivious of everything else. We reached the bus . The apologetic conductor tried to pacify us , the co-passengers shared our anxiety but the bus driver remained as blank as an empty bottle , unrepentant , our words sounding Greek to his ears.As he wolved down his plate of Bai Sach Chrouk(pork and rice) we tried to enjoy our  lunch , the little that we had, but the out-of –the world experience had jaded  our taste buds , filling our bellies with mixed feelings. 

Note: Cambodian visas can be got either on line(E-visa),through the Cambodian Consulate in your country or on arrival . The USD is accepted everywhere but it is wise to carry some local currency for at the immigration if you pay in Dollars there are chances that you will not get the change back . We didn’t face this problem but others did.

There are five/six entry points into Cambodia . Make sure you mention the point of entry and exit (in our case Moc Bai -Bavet) clearly in your application form or you will be turned back.

Crossing of the River Mekong

              " The river has seen it all: the good , the bad and the ugly"

  

Crossing the River  by ferry at Neak Loeung  has become a thing of the past with the opening of the 2220meters long ,Japanese –funded bridge over the Mekong River on the 6^th of April 2016.

   We are a part of the history having  experienced the joy of sailing across the river on a ferry      crowded with passengers and hawkers in equal number selling lotus pods, shrimps, fried-      grasshoppers, peanuts etc.

ferry crossing

 As I sat on the bus , our co-passenger (a French tourist) came to tell me that the bus was precariously perched  on the edge of the ferry and if the ferry braked abruptly we will be floating down the Mekong delta. My hands folded in prayers   as we cruised across to the other side.
Highway 1 is an important commercial route between Vietnam and Cambodia . It had been the battle-ground of many wars . During the Cambodian Civil War an American B-52 dropped a 20 ton load killing many and crippling many more.In all probabilityyou will see physically challenged adults selling goodies at the ferry point.

palace at night

   Phnom Penh
  

This is a city of contrasts , changing rapidly like most Asian Capitals. Dust and dirt co-exist with swanky buildings , beautiful parks and glitzy malls. Walking along the riverfront will give you a fair idea of what the place has to offer . A meal can be as cheap as $2 or as expensive as $100 +     

The Royal Palace , the Silver pagoda , Victory gate , the National Museum  and the most interesting Central market (Phsar Thmie) housed in a French –Cambodian building  are  must-sees. Book your tickets online and don’t be disappointed if parts of the Palace is cordoned off for reasons known to them. Queues are long .Go armed with a water bottle and moist tissues.   

 The Killing Fields and the Genocide museum are amaze-balls which will leave you thanking God for all that he has given us . They are vivid reminders of the brutality of the Khmer rouge regime. Avoid these places if you don’t want your vacation to be scarred with morbidity and sadness.

SUNRISE AT ANGKOR WAT

" If a picture is worth a thousand words , why did God create captions

  
                     

                         
Where did we stay
In the midst of the gritty polluted city we stayed at an island of serenity, Hotel Billabong. A family hotel with spacious rooms, friendly staff catering to the western and Asian palate it is located in the centre of the city. We loved every minute of our stay and got value for the money spent.

hotel Billabong

                              t.

                 
  Angkor Wat

Leaving Cambodia without seeing the majestic Angkor Wat would be a greater sin than the original sin that led to the fall of Man.It was the biggest Hindu  temple in the world , taken over  later by Buddhist priests as the religion spread. Today , the nation has a 96% Buddhist population. The temples are a standing reminder of the extent Hinduism spread. It captures Khmer architecture in all its glory.

    Since our tickets on the Mekong Express were booked on-line much earlier we made our way to the nearest town near Angkor Wat, Siem Reap. It was a travelling experience that left me hot and burning like hot-cross buns. A combo of the sun and human body heat made life unbearable inside the vehicle turning it into a furnace despite the air-conditioning . Foreign tourists took off their shirts ,children were restless and I tore my hair apart. The buses were perfect ; it was the weather that played spoilt -sport.Three nights later we made sure we returned to Phnom Penh in a spacious limousine.

               

SIEM REAP: Pub Street

Siem Reap was a small village which has grown into an active touristy town with the Pub Street being the arterial road where   night –life happens. Energy level is high and every evening is party time. Lined with cafes, pubs and restaurants having  amusing names like Blue Pumpkin, Easy Speaking , Angkor What?, Soup Dragon and of course Red Piano made famous by  the visit of Angelina Jolie and the crew of “Lara Croft: Tomb raiders “.  We tried the“Tomb raider” cocktail one too many ( lime+tonic+cointreau) and spent the rest of the evening wracking our brains silly over the nomenclature of the restaurants. Incidentally , the Red Piano was named because there was a big Red Piano when the owner bought it !  If you want traditional fare visit the bye-lanes of the old market area and select from the array of goodies –smoked scorpions, roasted tarantula and grilled toad. Bee, tried it all reminding me with every bite that I was missing something unforgettable. 

What did we eat........
                                 
" One cannot think well, love well, sleep well , if one has not dined well" 

rice in a egg-casing

frogs legs

rice,meat,pineapple

steamed fish

      


John , our tuk-tuk driver , a perfect gentleman and a magician –of –sorts, had everything up his sleeves be it tissues, bottle-opener  , rubber slippers etc, He  was booked on-line two weeks earlier  . He met Bee at our hotel and planned our itinerary for Angkor Wat and the adjoining areas. The Angkor Wat complex covers an area of 162.2 hectares housing 1000 temples  reflecting the Khmer architectural glory ,making it impossible to see all of them . We decided on the Angkor Wat, Bayon , Ta Prohm and Preah Khan. Bayon was my favourite and  by far  the best  with its numerous calm , smiling faces carved on its exterior.
Make sure you remember the number of your tuk-tuk and register the face of the driver in the inner recesses of your mind because all tuk-tuks and the drivers look the same and in the tourist melee you will have a tough time locating him . Sometimes the driver leaves you at one end of a temple to pick you up at the other end.  Guides are available. Often the driver doubles as a guide for no extra charge. It will be wise to read about the temples before you visit.

Beautiful Bayon : my favourite

 If you think getting up at 4.30am ,armed with a torch-light and a water bottle is your idea of a holiday , then go ahead and do so because the sun-rise at Angkor is amazing and can be framed for posterity. Over 2 million tourists visit the temples annually making it impossible to be alone or click a picture without someone unknown in the shot. But John took us back during lunch time the next day to capture those precious moments.  However the best time to see Angkor is early morning or in the evening . Unlike other temples Angkor Wat faces the west leaving many to speculate that King Suryavarma built it with his funeral in mind.  Don't try to venture up the steps of the main temple if you have vertigo or you will find yourself crawling on all fours and your intestines will be doing a voodoo dance while coming down.

The night market is interesting where you can pick up a thing or two including precious stones. A boat ride on the Tonle Sap will make your Cambodian trip memorable.The Apsara dance recital was the grand finale to our trip.

with the Apsaras at Angkor

  For a country that has seen  it all...the scourge of Pol Pot , napalm bombings, land-mines it is a country which looks ahead with optimism and cheer .The resilience and patience of the populace , strenghtened by their religious values( 96% Buddhists) and a glorious ancient past make Cambodia a nation to reckon with. It is changing fast. Like the rest of the world cell-phones, e-books and laptops are the best friends of the new generation.   We loved it all and hope to go back to sail down the mekong Delta!  


 " Travel makes one modest.You see what a tiny place you occupy in the World."