" 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.
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Moc Bai border gate
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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 6th 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
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SIEM REAP: Pub Street
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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"
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| rice in a egg-casing |
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| frogs legs |
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| rice,meat,pineapple |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| 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."
