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Trip to Cambodia 2004
All travel reports are translated electronically although minor improvements are sometimes made.
Trip to Cambodia 2004
My trip: Dom Kralor – Stung Treng – Phnom Penh – Siem Reap and Angkor Wat-Bavet.
Cambodia – on my way to Phnom Penh
(The unfortunate border in Dom Kralor, transport to Stung Treng, a bumpy ride to Phnom Penh)
Buddhist monks. Cambodia.
I came to Cambodia from Laos through the border crossing at Dom Kralor. This place is a small, uninteresting village, so I wanted to settle things at the border as soon as possible and move on to the road, which was not as easy as I thought. Like the Lao border, the border on the Cambodian side was also very modest. It was only a wooden house, built on the ball and in front of it was the Cambodian flag. On the spot, the official wanted a bribe of three dollars, but I had to pay for one dollar. It was a sunny, warm day, and it was going to be very long because the nearest town was an hour’s drive. In Poland it would be maybe 15 minutes but the drive along the roads is long and bumpy.
On the border I waited two hours before the car arrived and it turned out to be quite expensive for local prices. The road to the nearest town led through the jungle and abounded in pits and bumps. There was not even a normal asphalt road, but the ground was half way up from the bottom, and we were driving from 10 to 20km / h as the driving conditions improved. After an hour I reached the river where a boat was waiting for me to take me to the other shore, ie the first Cambodian town called Stung Treng. Sailing on the boat, I was greeted by children floating near the boat and then I got off in a new place. While still on the boat I hoped to see river dolphins but this time I was not happy.
As soon as I got to know, Stung Treng has nothing interesting to say. This is a town that you have to come across to or from Laos and characterized by boredom and trash carried by the wind. But I spent a few hours here where I sat in the first pub to eat something and by the way I met several natives of interesting life in Europe and wanting to practice English. I had a good time with them, but unfortunately I did not have much, so I had to arrange transport to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia, as soon as possible. The bus was not there and if you were to arrive it is not known when. So I took another expensive taxi and headed off. Just like the last one, the route was awful and unsuitable. Again we were driving 10 and 20km / h on the deep pits, but this time the ride was more interesting than the last.
I had the opportunity to observe the life of the average Khmer who lived near the road. They lived in wooden houses set on bales and covered with woven palm leaves. They were all filthy, many people were barefoot and the kids were having fun. It was dark and still many houses were dark. In some, I saw candles burned and in one only had a TV which was very well seen through the cracks of the huts. It seems that electricity was a rare luxury here. I also noticed that there was a small rice field at each hut. The road was long and very tiring and it was impossible to sleep because the car was rocking all the time. Under these conditions, after almost eight hours of driving, I arrived at five in the morning to Phnom Penh. For the first time in Cambodia I also saw an asphalt road.
At a street stall in Phnom Penh. Cambodia.
Phnom Penh
(General impression of the city, its misery, dirt, the Royal Palace, temples, bazaars and my money problems)
The driver took me to one of the cheaper hotels and I was pleasantly surprised because for only five dollars I got my own clean room, with a double bed and my own bathroom. On the other hand, as I drove through the city that night I saw people sleeping outside in their campervans and some even on the ground. These are the shocking contrasts that I constantly encounter in developing countries. Also in the hotel where I stayed, the lady at the reception did not sleep in the room. She only had her bed against the wall for herself and her child, who she often breastfed. Regardless of whether there were customers or not. The next morning I went out to explore the Khmer capital. At first glance, Phnom Penh looked quite dirty and chaotic. It is a small and polluted city, filled with cycle rickshaws and mopeds, each of which is a potential taxi. There aren’t as many monuments as in Bangkok, but there are a few valuable places to see, and the fact that the city is located on the Tonle Sap Lake and the Mekong River means you can also take a break from the exhaust fumes and traffic.
Walking around the city and observing people and their stalls, I felt that this place had its own charm. The vendors weren’t too pushy and the rickshaw drivers always wanted to give me a lift somewhere. First, I went to the nearest and dirtiest bazaar, Phsar Tuol Tom Pong. In my opinion, this one was the best because it was the most real. Here, they sold meat displayed on oilcloth, and the road near the stalls consisted mainly of mud. There were also a few cheap eateries where the food turned out to be very good and the selection was very wide. Throughout my stay in this charming place, I ate here and never once got food poisoning. The people were also very nice and friendly, which allowed me to spend most of my time with them. Another bazaar, Phsar Thmei, was at a much higher level. It was located under a dome and sold souvenirs, clothes, electronics and jewellery. I have to admit that what I had read about Cambodia before was not entirely true, because the city was very well-stocked. The only problem is that the society is extremely poor and few can afford luxury.
Places like this make me very happy because I can observe how the locals live. I also went for a walk along the river bank, talked to people and took a few photos. On the way I had the chance to see old and crumbling French architecture and visited one of several temples. Usually it is a tall, narrow building with stairs to climb. There are several smaller temples and various types of sculptures around. Usually these are Buddha statues in many forms and elephant statues, although there are many others. One of the most famous is the temple on the hill, Wat Phnom.
Royal Palace. Phnom Penh. Cambodia.
Very close to the river is also the Royal Palace, made in the traditional Khmer style, richly carved and “dripping” with gold. Outside is a large portrait of the young King Norodom Sihamoni. There is a silver temple made of 6 tons of pure silver. There is also a 17th century crystal Buddha and another made almost entirely of gold and decorated with 10,000 diamonds. The entire temple complex was situated in a very well-kept garden and each temple was beautiful. It is a pity that this place had nothing to do with what Cambodia and its people really look like. I also went to the national museum, also made in the Khmer style. It is a very interesting, red building, set on pillars, covered with a beautifully crafted roof and outside there are two elephant sculptures. The museum contains sculptures left by the Khmer empire, I suspect brought to Phnom Penh in case someone had a shortage of Angkor temples. All the stone figures were very massive and many were not in the best condition. Unfortunately, taking pictures was prohibited here. Although I liked the exhibits because they gave an instructive picture of history, I really liked the museum itself. Inside there was a garden with a small pond and a temple with a Buddha in the middle.
There were many palm trees and exotic plants around and outside the museum and trees with lianas. What I also like about Phnom Penh is that after dark one of the larger squares – just in front of the national museum – turned into an exercise field. People of all ages, although mostly older people ran around the lawn or did bends and other exercises. I joined in too because it is something normal here. It is a huge cultural charm of Asia, which is a way to break away from the filth and poverty of Phnom Penh. In the evening I would return to the hotel, stop to take pictures with people and that is how I spent my time. I had been warned earlier that it was dangerous here and it was better not to walk alone after dark, but nothing ever happened to me. Once, late in the evening I went to talk to young people selling fruit drinks where we talked for a long time about Cambodia and then they took me back to the hotel on a moped. One of my saddest experiences was when I saw children rummaging through the garbage at night looking for food and people sleeping on the streets in their polo shirts or on blankets on the asphalt.
The next day I realized that I had no money left. So I went to the bank but I only had a debit card, not a credit card and ATMs had not yet arrived in Cambodia and I had a big problem. The lady I was staying with treated me to rice and let me spend the night on credit. She said that I could give it back when I visited Cambodia next time. However, when I asked for help at the Polish consulate, the matter dragged on because I was told that tourists without money are like a bottomless pit. Fortunately, I found out that there is a Western Union in Phnom Penh. So I called my mother in Poland, who sent me enough money to get to Vietnam since they already have ATMs there.
Royal Palace. Phnom Penh. Cambodia.
After a few days spent in the capital of Cambodia, I was supposed to go to Siem Reap, the closest city to the Angkor temples. Due to my money problems, I didn’t have time to see the important killing fields and the genocide museum located near Phnom Penh. I console myself that I have a good reason to come back here someday. Leaving the city, I saw, among other things, the panorama of Phnom Penh from the bridge over the Mekong and when we stopped on a crowded road, I saw elephants at work.
The road to Siem Reap was all paved and, as I suspect, the best in the whole of Cambodia, as it is the main tourist route and also a trade route. On both sides were rice fields and very primitive but pleasant to the eye villages. In the middle of my road, I also stopped in a small village for lunch. Fortunately, I had some time to look around and it was a very attractive place for me. Nobody spoke English and the entire village was not prepared for tourism at all and surrounded only by rice fields. I had to use gestures to get by which was great fun. Here I could feel what Cambodia is really like. I mean the lack of tourist preparation, the lack of communication and only rice fields, buffaloes plowing the field and primitive but in their own way charming stalls and their sellers.
Siem Reap and Angkor Wat
(Siem Reap, Cambodian lady friend, rickshaw drivers and their lives, unexpected ride to an “nice place”, cane squeezing technology, the whole beauty and description of Angkor Wat temples)
After a few hours of driving I got there. As soon as I got off the crowded bus, I first saw a lot of rickshaws and kids selling baguettes. Luckily I could save myself a headache here because a previously arranged rickshaw driver was waiting for me and took me to the guest house. As always in Cambodia, I found a very nice room with a shower for only 5 USD, in a nice house with a garden. I noticed that in Southeast Asia I always manage to find something good for a very low price. Siem Reap is quite a large city for Cambodian conditions and has a great hotel and restaurant base because it is located near the Khmer temples of Angkor. Siem Reap is not the most interesting place but the most convenient to stop if you want to see the temples. Despite this, I had a nice time here because I went to the local bazaar where I could take some interesting photos and played a badminton match with the kids on the street.
I also met a lovely girl who worked in a pastry shop and I spent the most time with her. She sat me down at the table, gave me cookies and asked me about me and Europe. I also learned how to make sugar cane juice. I put cane stalks between two rollers and the juice squeezed from the stalks flowed directly into a glass. It was hard work because you had to spin the rollers which was tiring in the Cambodian sun. On the way I was quite often accosted by rickshaw drivers who are quite pushy in Siem Reap. They wanted to take me to the temples to see the sunset and to a certain “nice place” but they didn’t want to say exactly what they wanted. I also had a few conversations based on gestures and went for a meal in a cheap, dirty but realistic restaurant. There were also expensive hotels and restaurants for rich snobs nearby but that’s just not my style. That same evening I also booked transport to the temples for the next day.
The next day, before six in the morning, a guy on a moped came to pick me up and take me around the more important sites. This type of transport is the best and cheapest because I sat behind the driver, without having to rent the entire rickshaw. I started my day so early on purpose. The idea was to see the sunrise in front of the main and best-preserved temple, Angkor Wat. However, before I move on to telling you about my impressions of this special day, I will first say a few words about the temples themselves and the history associated with this place. The Angkor temples are the remains of a lost city from the 10th-12th century and are a reminder of the capital of the Khmer Empire. It is a complex of buildings, temples, sculptures, forest areas and water reservoirs that are unmatched. Until the mid-19th century, this lost city was unknown to the world.
For centuries, it was considered a myth, an unattainable relic of the past, lying deep in the jungle. Even more so when this place was discovered, the surprise was endless. For hundreds of years, archaeologists cleared the temples of jungle, giving it its current appearance, and this place is still being improved. The capital of the Khmers was also the object of destruction of the Khmer Rouge regime, who tried to destroy it with very primitive explosives, but fortunately they did not succeed. In a tragic time for Cambodia, scientists were deported from the country and work was stopped. Despite better and worse times, the entire facility is a phenomenon of religious and cultural architecture and I believe that everyone who travels to this part of Asia should definitely come here.
My solo bike trip to the jungle, to the temples of Angkor Wat. Cambodia.
The central point is Angkor Wat, which is striking in its size and extremely massive structure and shape. This structure consists of a pyramid with five towers, the highest of which is 65 meters. Angkor Wat is surrounded by a moat and walls 1300 by 1500 meters long and the temple itself has an area of 1 square kilometre. Many walls are decorated with bas-reliefs depicting scenes from Hindu mythology and scenes from the victorious wars of King Suryavarman II. This ruler, ruling over the Khmer Empire, built Angkor Wat and dedicated it to the Hindu god Vishnu.
As it soon turned out, many tourists were heading to the temples on rented mopeds and rickshaws. Before entering I had to pay as much as 20 USD but it was worth it. I made it in time because still under the cover of darkness I crossed a wide stone bridge and stood over the moat waiting for the sunrise over Angkor Wat. When the sun finally appeared the view was impressive. I saw a large temple with five massive, high towers, in front of it a lake and palm trees. Then I entered the temple grounds and climbed a high but unfortunately very short staircase. It was quite dangerous because there was no protection and it was very easy to fall. The view from the top was beautiful because it gave me a fuller picture of the entire facility and allowed me to see the chambers, pillars, stairs and many other passages in the upper parts of the temple. I stayed in this area for a long time and walked around to see the more important bas-reliefs on the amazing Angkor Wat. When I was ready, I got on the back seat of my moped and we drove on to visit more temples.
First, we stopped at a fairly large square where souvenirs related to Angkor were sold, and where there were bars with thatched roofs made of palm leaves and wooden beams instead of walls. They sold homemade food and it was very nice, especially since I had a view of the temple. The children who wanted to sell me postcards as soon as they saw me stuck in my mind the most. I noticed that they spoke English fluently and in order to increase their sales profits, they had mastered a very cunning way of doing so. When I didn’t want to buy, they started asking me about the capitals of very distant countries and when I didn’t know, I had to buy. Unfortunately, the children were unlucky this time because I know most of the capitals. In any case, I bought from the girl who asked me the most questions and followed me around for so long that I got a headache. After this incident and after the meal, I got on a moped and set off.
The next object was Angkor Thom, the later capital of the Khmer Empire built by King Jayavarman VII in the 12th century. This temple has five gates, but to this day the southern gate looks the most impressive, with four stone faces on its top. This ancient city was built on a perfect square plan, near the Tonle Sap lake and is surrounded by a moat. In front of Angkor Thom there is a bridge with stone statues on both sides. The city of Angkor Thom was built in the Bayon style, which is considered the “tip of the iceberg” of Khmer architecture. In the middle of the former Khmer capital there is also the Bayon temple, which can be entered through any of the four gates. Personally, this temple made a great impression on me. Especially when I approached one of the huge stone faces and when I could touch them. They have been standing here for over 800 years and were discovered relatively recently. If someone wanted to enter Angkor Thom and Bayon in grand style, they could also do it on elephants. I felt very good here, I could pet elephants, sleep in a hammock in the shade of trees or spend some time with local people. I also encountered poverty all the time. Going to one of the temples I saw small children playing by themselves. They were dirty, ragged and climbing trees begging for a dollar.
Bayon Temple. Angkor Wat. Cambodia.
It is sad to see such a sight, especially since I paid 20 USD for the entrance and the money from tourists is enough to give these children better conditions. My driver then took me to the Ta Prohm temple, which although very damaged, was very interesting and unique. This temple is beautifully destroyed by powerful roots growing into its walls. It looked very attractive and in a way as if the large roots were part of the building. When in 1860 the first Europeans began to clear the Khmer Empire of the jungle, Ta Prohm was not cleared and that is why it is in the state in which it was discovered. Some branches are huge, some small, looking like “blood vessels of a great architectural organism” – Ta Prohm. Many bas-reliefs have survived to this day and seeing this object is a must in my opinion, but walking around it is difficult due to huge boulders scattered around. I was wearing flip-flops so I had to be very careful not to twist my ankle on the boulders or slip on the omnipresent branches.
Here I also experienced unpleasant events. Children in front of the temple were selling postcards and clothes, not leaving me alone, and others asked me to buy them something to drink. They themselves did not really drink, they just wanted money and then gave it to the sellers for a small percentage. Inside Ta Prohm, I was also accosted by a policeman who wanted to sell me his badge for 4 USD. He said that he was forced to do so because his salary was so low that it was not enough for him to survive. This is how my beautiful experiences intertwined with the sad ones reflecting the realities of life in Cambodia. I also saw several other temples, such as Ta Keo, Pre Rup or Phnom Bakheng, dating back to the 10th century. All of them are located near Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm. Many of them have a pyramidal structure and one is high enough to see Angkor Wat. It is particularly beautiful at sunset and this is how I recommend visiting the Angkor temples. You absolutely have to appear in front of Angkor Wat before sunrise and leave the entire temple complex after sunset.
The Khmer Empire was so large and elaborately built that I also saw a huge elephant pool. When it got dark I got on my moped and was driven back to my cottage. Along with me were other tourists on their mopeds and rickshaws which made it my first time in Cambodia seeing a traffic jam. The Angkor temples were one of the most beautiful experiences of my life and worth every dollar and the time I spent there was very educational for me.
The Reality of Life in Cambodia according to my driver
After returning to Siem Reap my driver drove me back to my nice cottage but since it was my last day here I wanted to go outside. First I met some young people and then I spoke to a local moped driver. I talked to him about what life was like for average Cambodians in their country. He said that his moped was the sum of his family and his wife’s family and that it was an investment to provide for them. He drove from dawn till dusk giving tourists a lift, while his family worked in the rice fields and raised the children. He said that the children were especially important to them because they would provide him with a peaceful old age. At the moment, he only had one child, but his wife was already pregnant with the second. Every family in his area has at least four because in Cambodia, taxes are not paid and there are no pensions or other social benefits. That is why when the children grow up and the parents are too old to work, each of the children will give their parents a part of their earnings and this is how their pension will look like. The driver said that he also intends to have four so that it would be easier for the children to take care of themselves and their parents. After this conversation, he took me to a certain place that all the rickshaw drivers had advertised so much. It was supposed to be a local, but it turned out to be the biggest brothel in Siem Reap.
Gateway to Angkor. At the top are faces carved in the rocks similar to those in the Bayon temple.
I went inside and saw how cleverly everything was organized. The place was similar to a cinema except that instead of a screen, girls were sitting behind a large window and watching TV. They were sitting on platforms so that everyone could be seen well. As soon as I entered, I first met the Americans whom I had met earlier in the Angkor temples. They called me over, bought me something to drink and sitting on comfortable sofas we started talking. The Americans were very indecisive and wanted me to help them choose because it was extremely difficult. After a while, I chose a girl for them and after about half an hour they came out smiling and said that I knew what was good. The whole place was quite cheerful because the men were acting nervous and the girls were watching TV behind the window and not paying attention to them. I quickly parted ways with this charming place and on the way back I saw a few more such places. On the way I stopped again for some cakes at my friend’s and then just to sleep after a day of great impressions. I mean Angkor Wat. The next morning I developed some photos and as usual I was served by a woman who was breastfeeding and had her bed behind the counter. I played another short game of badminton and then headed back to Phnom Penh.
Cambodia – my last days
(Last moments in Phnom Penh, the road to Vietnam, the American for whom Asia is an escape and salvation from America)
I spent only one more evening in the capital of Cambodia, which I devoted to walking along the promenade along the Mekong River and exercising through the national museum with many other people. It was the time when I saw the temples and the Royal Palace for the last time (this time) and walked around the dirty but somehow charming city. I also slept in the same hotel as before and again had the pleasure of seeing dozens of camp beds standing on the sidewalks and people getting ready to sleep in the open air.
The next morning I got up early to drive to the border with Vietnam. The road was pleasant and I didn’t even come across too many holes. I met a middle-aged American here who said that he had traveled all over the world but only wanted to live in Southeast Asia and his main base was in Saigon. When he got bored with Vietnam, he went to Cambodia or Thailand or Laos. He said that this is the world of his dreams and his real home and in America he only has an apartment which he rents and lives here with the money which he is not able to spend here anyway although he lives like a king. He said that he does not intend to return to the States to just work and pay taxes because life is too short and beautiful to waste it. He said that he also met many Europeans who also rent their houses for a lot of money and live in Asia because for us it is stress-free, pleasant, cheap and the food is not artificial. I listened to all this and thought that it is really a great way to live.
After about three hours of driving, talking to this lucky and observing the surroundings I reached Bavet, a popular border crossing with Vietnam. Here I ate my last Cambodian meal in a border restaurant and then went on a new adventure, to Vietnam .
Angkor Wat. I recommend this special experience, which is one of a kind and is the basis of Cambodian national identity.
Summary of Cambodia
Cambodia was beautiful and definitely worth a visit. There is a lot of poverty here and the roads are a real challenge but many things compensate for the inconvenience. In the first place I am definitely setting the temples of Angkor Wat and the whole ancient capital of the Khmer Empire, which are struck by their size, ingenuity and the weight of history. They are all beautiful. The capital city of Phnom Penh, is also interesting and combines the realism of the Khmer life, with its natural and remarkable monuments. All Cambodia is charming and full of beautiful, untouched nature. I enjoyed playing here, and this country gave me a chance to get to know the history of this region. People have always been nice to me and despite the warnings I have always felt safe and the fact that it is so cheap allows for more stressful traveling around the country. I think Cambodia is one of the easiest ways to go back in time. Here I realized how little I need to be happy.
♦
Those who will go to Cambodia many years later may say that this article is old. Well, I was an eyewitness to what Cambodia looked like in 2004, before mass tourism, before the era of asphalt roads and brick houses, when buffaloes plowed the rice fields and people lived in wooden huts covered with palm leaves. I think the same about all my articles from 2004.
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