Liketytrip

We were in and out of Cambodia within a week but we packed in so much that it seemed longer.
 
Our first dealings with the country weren’t what we expected; we’d bought a ticket on the Scam Bus. If only we’d had our beloved Lonely Planet with us before we entered the country, lesson learnt. Our ‘nice tour guide’ turned out to be a thieving monkey wanting 1000 Thai Bhat per person for a stamp at border control (ok, so that’s only £2 but it’s the principle). Thankfully we realised this before getting on the second leg of the bus journey. We had words with our tour guide – in front of a policeman – swiftly got our money back and hopped in a taxi that took us the rest of the way. So what if it meant blowing $30, it meant we didn’t have to turn up hours late, in the dark, and be forced in to staying in an overpriced hostel. Unfortunately, there are more lovely scams to come…
 
Having spent a night in our very nice £3 a night hotel, we switched it for a few days in a super-dooper place courtesy of Hilary, Guy’s mum, who we were excited to meet at the airport that day. A piece of home! This was to be our Christmas hotel; the Ankor Palace Resort and Spa, the name says it all and the drink on arrival was a nice touch. Pool, free internet and a bath – all a weary traveller could ask for. There were plenty of sparkly Christmas trees here too.
 
The Temples of Ankor Wat are the reason for coming to Cambodia and we were soon on bikes pedaling our way round the overgrown ruins, past eery faces and statues appearing in walls and bridges, hopping off to see each site.
 
After a wonderful day and a pretty sunset, the day came to a contrary end; one of Guy’s pedals fell off and he had to chuck the bike in the back of a rickshaw, and, upon returning to the bike rental place it turned out my passport, which had been left as a deposit, was 60 km away in Battambang. An hour later, passport in hand, we were hoping it hadn’t just been faked.
 
Christmas was a welcome break from all the moving about and we spent the day chilling by the pool, having drinks at Raffles and eating at the Foreign Correspondents Club. It’s where all the journalists hung out when all the bombs were falling around them. Here, alcohol is served in your mini-bar by the bottle, not the shot.
 
On to Phnom Penh for some more Cambodian history. Only this time it’s that bit more sombre and depressing, learning about the Khmer Rouge, torture prisons and killing fields. Considering the devastating turmoil and trauma that the Cambodian people have suffered in only very recent times, it’s amazing to be surrounded by such wonderful people who seem to be having constant fun, exuding warmth, honesty, humour, friendliness and respect. There’s no-one who hasn’t been affected and whilst they don’t always tell it, everyone’s got a story.

We took a fast boat across the Tonle Sap Lake from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh; that means you’re inside the boat and it’s got a big motor but it still took 4 hours to cross it. We passed through a small fishing village, their wooden homes on rickety old stilts balanced precariously on the bank side. At it’s widest, the lake is about 30km across so as we zoomed southwards it felt like we were very much out in the open sea with nothing on the horizon in any direction.

In Phnom Penh another Foreign Correspondents Club awaited, this time we stayed there a few nights overlooking the river from our own smart apartment. Phnom Penh had it’s own sights like the Silver Pagoda, the market and the river but we took a different approach. In Katmandu we met a wonderful man, called Marc Gold, who runs a charity and suggested we went to the orphanage he supports. So we did, it’s really special. Have a read of Making a Difference in Phnom Penh. We also went to S21, formerly a school but turned into an interrogation camp by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970’s.

Hilary and I took a mini interlude up to the Killing Fields where the Khmer Rouge massacred thousands of innocent people. Again it makes you stop and think.

Then, to continue the boat theme, we took one from Phnom Penh in Cambodia to Chau Doc the other side of the border in Vietnam. It was sold to us as a slow boat, travelling half the distance of the previous boat in twice the time. Once the hour long bus ride was out of the way we were passed like a baton in a relay race to boat number 1 which took us to the border. Here the next Cambodia Scam took place when the lady tour guide asked for money to get a ‘health stamp’ as she ushered us in to the Health Quarantine Room. A bit odd if you ask me but we went along with it this time. When we politely asked her what this fee was for, she too got immediately shirty with us just like the last chap – they clearly know they’re in the wrong. We’re just surprised not more tourists kick up a stink, these scams happen every day.

Baton boat number 2 was sweet and more like it. A lot smaller, we all sat behind each other in two long lines and spent the time watching the world go by. Ducks sliding down the river bank in to their water pen, fruit sellers floating past in their canoes, women wearing their triangular rice hats – I thought that was a cliche but they really do, even in town. And women wear what can only be described as pajamas round town here too, they look so comfy I want a pair. And so we floated on, Good Morning Vietnam!

See the pics