Adventure: Cambodia

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.