Cambodia. I don't even know where to begin. My senses were bombarded at each moment I was in the country and I don't think they've had a chance to completely settle down and process yet. My experience in Cambodia was often a contradiction. From the moment we stepped over the border we were aware of how corrupt and impoverished the country is. Yet over the few (too few) days we spent there, we saw the beauty of the landscape, the rich historical legacy of Angkor Wat, and the infectious smiles of the people. I ended up loving a city that had turned me off and made me incredibly uncomfortable at first glance. I cursed the nagging tuk-tuk driver but then let my heart break looking into the pleading eyes of begging children. It was overwhelming but the lure of the country may be in its chaos.
Jake and I met in Bangkok and woke up at 5am to set out on the journey to cross the border into Cambodia. Little did we know how much of an adventure it would be. We took a train from Bangkok to the border city in Thailand. A tuk-tuk brought us to the "border" where casually dressed men told us they were the Immigration Officers and we needed to pay then $40 to get our visas. Luckily we didnt get sucked into the trap like the numerous people around us, and walked away to find the true border.
Unfortunately the attempt to scam us didn't end there. The border officers demanded we pay 1,000 Thai Baht (around $30) for the visa although a sign on the wall clearly said "20 USD." We had no option but to pay it and cross the border. Once there, the immigration officers told us to get on the "free shuttle" to the "public" bus station. We soon found out that there is no public bus in Cambodia and a private bus company pretty much runs a monopoly on buses from the border to Siem Reap. After overpaying for a ticket and being told we would be leaving w/in 30 minutes, we sat on a bus for a few hours. We realized they were waiting til they could fill the bus before they would go. Right as I was about ready to hitchhike my way to Siem Reap, the bus took off.
We were visiting Siem Reap for the purpose of seeing Angkor Wat (For info on it check out this link:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angkor_Wat ) . We arrived at night and immediately found a tuk tuk driver to bring us to Angkor Wat the next morning. We woke up at 5am to catch the sun rising over the ancient temples. Getting there so early ended up being quite nice. The sunrise was beautiful and we essentially had the place to ourselves for most of the morning. We got to see a lot of the temple complex before the crowds and the heat set in.
That evening we caught a bus to Phnom Pehn. We arrived after dark without a place to stay. At the bus stop about 30 tuk-tuk drivers were all screaming and hollering at us to ride with them. We picked a hostel out of Lonely Planet and asked the driver to bring us there. The area felt pretty shady so we looked around at a few others. We ended up finding a guest house we felt safe in, though we didn't love the city at all. We woke up early the next morning to catch a bus to Sihanoukville.
Sihanoukville is a beach city on the southern coast of Cambodia. It was not at all as developed as the beaches of Thailand, but the area has potential to bring in a lot of tourism. The beaches are quite beautiful. We stayed there for 2 nights, finally getting to relax and enjoy ourselves. Despite the pretty beaches and the attempt to create a "resort-like" feel, it was still very obvious we were in Cambodia. Every five minutes a child would come by, either trying to sell something or beg for money.
We decided to give Phnom Penh one more try, and went back there a day before my flight out. We found the nicer area of town and actually really enjoyed it. We stayed along the river and enjoyed just soaking in Cambodian culture. We spent the morning at The Killing Fields, a monument to the millions of people killed during the war. The Khmer Rouge murdered thousands of people during their reign, and a mass grave was uncovered in the 1980s. The skulls found were collected and put into a glass tower, to show the brutality of Khmer Rouge. It was difficult to see, but it gave more insight into the country. Cambodians are still struggling to recover after a terrible part of their history.
After the Killing Fields, we just wandered around the city for a bit, taking pictures of the markets and temples. I wish we had had more time there, as I was just starting to really get a feel for the country. While it was often uncomfortable and definitely not a glamorous vacation spot, I really enjoyed spending that time in Cambodia.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Adventure: Northern Thailand
It has unfortunately been QUITE a while since I posted. I got caught up in my last few weeks in Korea. As most of you know, I decided to end my year in Seoul early and will be heading home by Christmas.
I finished teaching November 30th and am spending a few weeks in Southeast Asia before I fly back to St. Louis on December 19th.
The first leg of my journey was to Northern Thailand, to a city called Chiang Mai. It took 3 flights to get from Seoul to Chang Mai so I arrived quite late. Luckily I had a hostel picked out and was able to get there quite easily. I immediately signed up to go out on a trek the next morning.
At 9am, a hooded pick up truck with two long benches in the back picked me up at my hostel. The trek was led by a man from the Lahu tribe, a hill-tribe located a few hours outside of Chiang Mai. Eleven of us were piled into the back of the truck and driven to the hills.
Our first activity was elephant riding. Originally, I was very excited about the idea of getting to ride an elephant. I purposely sought out a trek that involved riding elephants that were treated well. I saw no visible signs of abuse, but it didn't seem like the elephants were really respected or treated as well as the advertisement led me to believe.
After elephant riding, we set off on a 3 hour hike to a mountain peak where the Lahu people live. (for more information on the hill tribes, check this out: (http://www.1stopchiangmai.com/culture/hill_tribes/). The hike was absolutely beautiful! I'll be sure to post pics as soon as I get a chance to load them.
When we arrived in the village, we were brought to our accommodations for the night- a bamboo hut. We slept on mattresses under a mosquito net. It was actually quite pleasant, though I'm not quite sure what it would be like during the rainy season. The bamboo of the roof did not cover everything and I am sure if it rained we would've been soaked!
Though it was interesting to see the tribal village, we didn't really get to interact with the Lahu people beyond them trying to sell us massages and jewelery. It felt a bit intrusive to be staying on their land, though I understand that allowing us to do so is a major source of income for an impoverished people.
The next morning we woke up and starting hiking back down the mountain. Halfway down we stopped to swim in a gorgeous waterfall. After another hour we came to a river where we were able to white water raft and bamboo raft. I am sure the white water rafting was not nearly as intense as it is elsewhere, but it was a really fun first-time experience. When the water became very calm, we climbed onto long bamboo rafts and peacefully floated down the river.
After the rafting, we ate lunch and got back into the truck to head back to Chiang Mai. All in all, it was an amazing experience. I felt that it was a bit "canned,"as many travel agencies organize treks like this, but given the short amount of time I had in Northern Thailand, it was the best way to see as much as possible in a short time.
My last day in Chiang Mai I woke up early to take a Thai cooking class. We got to go to the market and learn how to choose the vegetables and food we would be using. Afterward, we were taught how to make three dishes. I chose Pad Thai, Spring Rolls, and a Coconut Milk soup. It was really fun to learn and we were given cookbooks so hopefully I can recreate some of the delicious food at home (hopefully...).
After the class, I spent a few hours wandering the town. I wanted to get a traditional Thai massage but was debating where to get it done. I found out that the Women's Prison has a rehabilitation program involving massage. Inmates who are scheduled to be released within 6 months are taught the art of Thai massage. They have a center next to the prison where the women give massages. All the earnings are saved for when they are released. This way, they are trained and have a legal profession and some money to start a good life when they are released. I thought this was a cool cause, so I went in for a massage. For $5, I got an hour long full body massage. It was fantastic and I'm debating if I'm going to be able to leave Southeast Asia and the wonderful and inexpensive massages.
That evening I caught a flight to Bangkok where I met up with Jake. We stayed there one night and head out on quite an adventure the next morning to cross the border into Cambodia.
And that is a story for the next post!
I finished teaching November 30th and am spending a few weeks in Southeast Asia before I fly back to St. Louis on December 19th.
The first leg of my journey was to Northern Thailand, to a city called Chiang Mai. It took 3 flights to get from Seoul to Chang Mai so I arrived quite late. Luckily I had a hostel picked out and was able to get there quite easily. I immediately signed up to go out on a trek the next morning.
At 9am, a hooded pick up truck with two long benches in the back picked me up at my hostel. The trek was led by a man from the Lahu tribe, a hill-tribe located a few hours outside of Chiang Mai. Eleven of us were piled into the back of the truck and driven to the hills.
Our first activity was elephant riding. Originally, I was very excited about the idea of getting to ride an elephant. I purposely sought out a trek that involved riding elephants that were treated well. I saw no visible signs of abuse, but it didn't seem like the elephants were really respected or treated as well as the advertisement led me to believe.
After elephant riding, we set off on a 3 hour hike to a mountain peak where the Lahu people live. (for more information on the hill tribes, check this out: (http://www.1stopchiangmai.com/culture/hill_tribes/). The hike was absolutely beautiful! I'll be sure to post pics as soon as I get a chance to load them.
When we arrived in the village, we were brought to our accommodations for the night- a bamboo hut. We slept on mattresses under a mosquito net. It was actually quite pleasant, though I'm not quite sure what it would be like during the rainy season. The bamboo of the roof did not cover everything and I am sure if it rained we would've been soaked!
Though it was interesting to see the tribal village, we didn't really get to interact with the Lahu people beyond them trying to sell us massages and jewelery. It felt a bit intrusive to be staying on their land, though I understand that allowing us to do so is a major source of income for an impoverished people.
The next morning we woke up and starting hiking back down the mountain. Halfway down we stopped to swim in a gorgeous waterfall. After another hour we came to a river where we were able to white water raft and bamboo raft. I am sure the white water rafting was not nearly as intense as it is elsewhere, but it was a really fun first-time experience. When the water became very calm, we climbed onto long bamboo rafts and peacefully floated down the river.
After the rafting, we ate lunch and got back into the truck to head back to Chiang Mai. All in all, it was an amazing experience. I felt that it was a bit "canned,"as many travel agencies organize treks like this, but given the short amount of time I had in Northern Thailand, it was the best way to see as much as possible in a short time.
My last day in Chiang Mai I woke up early to take a Thai cooking class. We got to go to the market and learn how to choose the vegetables and food we would be using. Afterward, we were taught how to make three dishes. I chose Pad Thai, Spring Rolls, and a Coconut Milk soup. It was really fun to learn and we were given cookbooks so hopefully I can recreate some of the delicious food at home (hopefully...).
After the class, I spent a few hours wandering the town. I wanted to get a traditional Thai massage but was debating where to get it done. I found out that the Women's Prison has a rehabilitation program involving massage. Inmates who are scheduled to be released within 6 months are taught the art of Thai massage. They have a center next to the prison where the women give massages. All the earnings are saved for when they are released. This way, they are trained and have a legal profession and some money to start a good life when they are released. I thought this was a cool cause, so I went in for a massage. For $5, I got an hour long full body massage. It was fantastic and I'm debating if I'm going to be able to leave Southeast Asia and the wonderful and inexpensive massages.
That evening I caught a flight to Bangkok where I met up with Jake. We stayed there one night and head out on quite an adventure the next morning to cross the border into Cambodia.
And that is a story for the next post!
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