I've finished meticulously selecting and editing my very favorite photos from my trip to Cambodia, which can be seen on my smugmug. Our trip started in Phnom Penh, where we just explored the city (on foot, for the most part), including Wat Phnom, which gives the city its name, the Royal Palace, as Phnom Penh is the capital of Cambodia, as well as the Tuol Sleng Torture Museum and the Killing Fields of the Pol Pot Regime (I didn't take any photos there, however).
We also went to Siem Reap, where the main attraction are the Temples of Angkor. The most notable is Angkor Wat, and we hired a tuk-tuk driver to take us on the "small circuit," which in the map below is Route 66. You can see Ankor Wat is the first stop in the lower left-hand corner of the map, and you can also see the moat surrounding it. After that we stopped at Phnom Bakeng, to the left of the road, and Angkor Thom is the giant square complex in the upper left corner. That's where Bayon, Terrace of the Leper King, Terrace of the Elephants, and a few others are located. Keep going a bit more and you'll come to Ta Prohm, where parts of Tomb Raider were filmed.
Move the map around a bit to the south, zoom out a bit, and you can see the Tonle Sap, where the floating village is. I tried to find it on there but had no luck. Phnom Penh is located a few hundred kilometers to the southeast of Siem Reap. Just follow Route 6 until it meets up with Route 5.
View Larger Map
Showing posts with label cambodia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cambodia. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Cambodia and Laos Highlights
People-watching at parks in Phnom Penh
The scenic bus ride from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng
Tubing in the Nam Song!
Eating amok every night in Cambodia
Exploring Angkor like it was a jungle gym
Cheap and delicious beer
Finding my Bangkok Rastaman (who only comes out at night ...)
Banana Pancakes (major bonus when they are cooked inside)
Hammocks
Bowling in Vientaine
Mountains and karsts of northern Laos
Five pressure points on a cougar's jaw
Luang Prabang handicrafts
Happy pizza
Kayaking partway to Vientaine
Rope swing- and cliff-jumping
And a few lowlights ...
Garbage spilled out all over the streets of Phnom Penh
Begging children in Cambodia
The Vang Vieng Friends epidemic
Mosquitos
Visa fees
The scenic bus ride from Luang Prabang to Vang Vieng
Tubing in the Nam Song!
Eating amok every night in Cambodia
Exploring Angkor like it was a jungle gym
Cheap and delicious beer
Finding my Bangkok Rastaman (who only comes out at night ...)
Banana Pancakes (major bonus when they are cooked inside)
Hammocks
Bowling in Vientaine
Mountains and karsts of northern Laos
Five pressure points on a cougar's jaw
Luang Prabang handicrafts
Happy pizza
Kayaking partway to Vientaine
Rope swing- and cliff-jumping
And a few lowlights ...
Garbage spilled out all over the streets of Phnom Penh
Begging children in Cambodia
The Vang Vieng Friends epidemic
Mosquitos
Visa fees
Monday, March 31, 2008
"Make Good Money, $5 a Daaaaaaaay ...
... Made anymore I might move awaaaaaaaayyyy"
Yesterday in Siem Reap Quinn and I took a tour of the Floating Village on the Tonle Sap -- Khmer for "Fresh Lake." There is an entire village of Khmers, Vietnamese, and Muslims who all have houseboats, basically, that just float around this lake. Land is quite far away and I'm not sure how often most of them get to it. They have pigs in boat-cages, some have battery-powered TVs, there is a floating basketball court even, and the schools are built just within the riverbanks.
In the dry season the Tonle Sap gets quite dry -- our boat driver said the water depth was 3km and in two months it would be almost completely dry. In the rainy season the Mekong River floods into the Tonle Sap river where the two meet in Phnom Penh. The Tonle Sap river reverses its flow, and the lake near Siem Reap swells from nothing to an astonishing 10 to 18km deep.
Anyways, I talked with out boat driver quite a bit. He told me his life story and how he was orphaned as a child and lived with monks for 10 years. He said he is 24 -- meaning he was born in 1983 or 1984, and that his mother, father, and siblings were killed in the fields. (This I don't entirely understand, since I thought the killings ended when the Vietnamese came in in 1979.) Anyways, he learned English very well and is now paying US$12 a month for school to learn Chinese and Japanese. His salary as a boat driver is $15 per month. Anything more than the $3 left over is from tips. He doesn't have a home, and every night he sleeps in the boat he drives.
Cambodia is so much different than back home, more so than anywhere else I have visited thus far. It makes me appreciate all the opportunities I have back home so much more, and everything that I grew up with. Really, everything in my life has been basically handed to me. Kids in Cambodia work on the streets selling things, begging for money, trying to be cute so tourists will take their photo and give them a dollar. And so far I haven't seen any way for them to get out of poverty.
Yesterday in Siem Reap Quinn and I took a tour of the Floating Village on the Tonle Sap -- Khmer for "Fresh Lake." There is an entire village of Khmers, Vietnamese, and Muslims who all have houseboats, basically, that just float around this lake. Land is quite far away and I'm not sure how often most of them get to it. They have pigs in boat-cages, some have battery-powered TVs, there is a floating basketball court even, and the schools are built just within the riverbanks.
In the dry season the Tonle Sap gets quite dry -- our boat driver said the water depth was 3km and in two months it would be almost completely dry. In the rainy season the Mekong River floods into the Tonle Sap river where the two meet in Phnom Penh. The Tonle Sap river reverses its flow, and the lake near Siem Reap swells from nothing to an astonishing 10 to 18km deep.
Anyways, I talked with out boat driver quite a bit. He told me his life story and how he was orphaned as a child and lived with monks for 10 years. He said he is 24 -- meaning he was born in 1983 or 1984, and that his mother, father, and siblings were killed in the fields. (This I don't entirely understand, since I thought the killings ended when the Vietnamese came in in 1979.) Anyways, he learned English very well and is now paying US$12 a month for school to learn Chinese and Japanese. His salary as a boat driver is $15 per month. Anything more than the $3 left over is from tips. He doesn't have a home, and every night he sleeps in the boat he drives.
Cambodia is so much different than back home, more so than anywhere else I have visited thus far. It makes me appreciate all the opportunities I have back home so much more, and everything that I grew up with. Really, everything in my life has been basically handed to me. Kids in Cambodia work on the streets selling things, begging for money, trying to be cute so tourists will take their photo and give them a dollar. And so far I haven't seen any way for them to get out of poverty.
Saturday, March 29, 2008
More on Impressions of Cambodia
Cambodia, both the people and the landscape, really bring on a wealth of thoughts and emotions. It's difficult to generalize the people and the country because there is so much here. For one, the landscape is very different than anywhere else in Southeast Asia ... at least for what I have seen. I was expecting jungles, hills, mountains, maybe some fields, but in general a very green and lush landscape. So far I have seen none of that. Everything is dry dry dry!! The streets in the cities are paved but as soon as you get outside that, even in the back-streets of Siem Reap where our guesthouse is, the streets are all sand. Red sand, not even dirt, really. And palm trees dot the scenery as well, but a different sort than what you would picture at the beach. It seems everywhere I go the palm trees are a little bit different. Here they are tall and they are short, but the leaves all stem out from the trunk in a big spherical shape on top, like a tuft or something. So the trees are green and the ground is red. Or just brown from the dry grass. Cows can be seen all along the roads outside of the city, either munching on grass or just laying in the sun. These cows, however, are much different than the happy cows that come from Wisconsin. They may be happy, I'm not really sure, but they are skinny and all white. And just wandering, really.
Now for the people. The Khmers are a very proud people, and they should be. One thousand years ago they built a massive set of temples, terraces, and other structures in the Angkor region, most notably Angkor Wat. This is the Khmer symbol of national pride and will continue to be so for years and years and years to come. They are also survivors: just thirty years ago they went through a decade or so of tremendous torture, death, and destruction. First the Vietnam War, when the United States executed a massive bombing campaign and dropped more bombs in a single campaign than in the entire World War II combined. The effects of this can still be felt today. I think 700 people still die from UXO (unexploded ordnance) accidents every year, and people, mostly children, will continue to die from this for several years to come. Nobody knows for sure how many landmines are still out there and where they are. (Travel tip: if ever you visit Cambodia, don't dare stray from the path.) So much of the country lives in poverty, and even conditions in the cities aren't great. Garbage is everywhere, and I mean everywhere, especially in the streets of Phnom Penh. Garbage cans are few and far between, and instead everyone just throws their garbage onto the street, or ontop of the monstrous pile on a sidestreet. It doesn't make the city look very clean, or smell very clean either. And not only in Phnom Penh, but Siem Reap and Angkor as well, children are put to work by their parents by selling things on the street. Kids as young as 4 or 5 years old, coming up to you selling 10 braclets for a dollar or a knock-off edition of Lonely Planet or this and that other books, jewlery, and postcards. A little girl followed me today around Angkor, sat next to me while I ate, and said if I didn't buy a water from her I would make her cry. And there are so many disabled and disfigured landmine victims that beg on the streets, especially around the Tuol Sleng museum.
On the other hand, the Khmer seem to be a very happy bunch and are always laughing and making jokes, both at each other and at all the funny visitors they see in their country. Walking through the streets of Phnom Penh a group of men who were eating lunch all burst out in laughter as we photographed nothing more than the streets and the buildings in town. Tuk-tuk drivers laugh and horse fight while waiting for their customers to come back. Teenagers play a form of hacky sack in the parks all day and all evening with not a care in the world. Even the workers at the guest house laugh and make jokes all night long.
Visiting Cambodia makes one realize how dark humanity can be from time to time, but also how strong it is and how it can recover from those dark times. It's heartbreaking to think about how one dollar can mean so much to a person here, yet back home a dollar can't hardly get you a candy bar or soda any more. With so many millionaires in this world it's unfair that there are so many living in poverty. But what can be done about such things? Closing the gap seems an impossible task, and no matter how many dollars I have to give to the people on the streets it's not going to change anything. All that I know I can do is spend time volunteering in these underdeveloped countries, maybe lending some knowledge of engineering to develop any villages that need it or maybe even just teaching English somewhere. Even volunteering for a few months, or a year or two, won't do much to close the gap, but if it helps out a few people or maybe even an entire village then the work is well worth it.
Now for the people. The Khmers are a very proud people, and they should be. One thousand years ago they built a massive set of temples, terraces, and other structures in the Angkor region, most notably Angkor Wat. This is the Khmer symbol of national pride and will continue to be so for years and years and years to come. They are also survivors: just thirty years ago they went through a decade or so of tremendous torture, death, and destruction. First the Vietnam War, when the United States executed a massive bombing campaign and dropped more bombs in a single campaign than in the entire World War II combined. The effects of this can still be felt today. I think 700 people still die from UXO (unexploded ordnance) accidents every year, and people, mostly children, will continue to die from this for several years to come. Nobody knows for sure how many landmines are still out there and where they are. (Travel tip: if ever you visit Cambodia, don't dare stray from the path.) So much of the country lives in poverty, and even conditions in the cities aren't great. Garbage is everywhere, and I mean everywhere, especially in the streets of Phnom Penh. Garbage cans are few and far between, and instead everyone just throws their garbage onto the street, or ontop of the monstrous pile on a sidestreet. It doesn't make the city look very clean, or smell very clean either. And not only in Phnom Penh, but Siem Reap and Angkor as well, children are put to work by their parents by selling things on the street. Kids as young as 4 or 5 years old, coming up to you selling 10 braclets for a dollar or a knock-off edition of Lonely Planet or this and that other books, jewlery, and postcards. A little girl followed me today around Angkor, sat next to me while I ate, and said if I didn't buy a water from her I would make her cry. And there are so many disabled and disfigured landmine victims that beg on the streets, especially around the Tuol Sleng museum.
On the other hand, the Khmer seem to be a very happy bunch and are always laughing and making jokes, both at each other and at all the funny visitors they see in their country. Walking through the streets of Phnom Penh a group of men who were eating lunch all burst out in laughter as we photographed nothing more than the streets and the buildings in town. Tuk-tuk drivers laugh and horse fight while waiting for their customers to come back. Teenagers play a form of hacky sack in the parks all day and all evening with not a care in the world. Even the workers at the guest house laugh and make jokes all night long.
Visiting Cambodia makes one realize how dark humanity can be from time to time, but also how strong it is and how it can recover from those dark times. It's heartbreaking to think about how one dollar can mean so much to a person here, yet back home a dollar can't hardly get you a candy bar or soda any more. With so many millionaires in this world it's unfair that there are so many living in poverty. But what can be done about such things? Closing the gap seems an impossible task, and no matter how many dollars I have to give to the people on the streets it's not going to change anything. All that I know I can do is spend time volunteering in these underdeveloped countries, maybe lending some knowledge of engineering to develop any villages that need it or maybe even just teaching English somewhere. Even volunteering for a few months, or a year or two, won't do much to close the gap, but if it helps out a few people or maybe even an entire village then the work is well worth it.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Impressions of Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh is great!! We arrived last night and didn't have time to do much else than hang out at our guesthouse, which overlooks Boeng Kak lake. There is an alleyway full of guesthouses, all of which serve as the temporary residence of backpackers and travelers, young and old. It's very similar to Khao San Road in Bangkok, but further from the city as its tucked away in an alley. Most of the "sights," good restaurants, and bars are along the Tonle Sap river which is a short $3 tuk-tuk ride from here, or about a 20 minute walk, a whole 5 of which consists of having to cross this busy busy road where no rules other than motos-yield-to-tuk-tuks-yield-to-cars apply.
We were trying to cross earlier this evening to go to the gas station for bottled water and a tuk-tuk driver offered to drive us across for free. He pulled up next to us, his tuk-tuk facing the direction of oncoming traffic, and we jumped in. He continued to drive in the direction of oncoming traffic until he found an opportunity to merge onto the correct side of the road, then just kinda swerved in front of all the motos and pulled over to the curb to let us out.
So far Cambodia feels like home. Well, more home than every other place. They take US Dollars here (change is given in riels rather than coins). They drive on the left side of the car and the right side of the road. On the way from the airport we passed the US Embassy and saw the American flag flying. And everybody drives Camrys (rip to Julia's).
And Phnom Penh is sooooo laid back and easy going. We've seen so many parks already, and each and every one of them was filled with Khmers just hanging out, playing badminton or just kicking around a shuttlecock like its a hacky sack. I could spend hours just people watching. Everyone is nice, the city is safe, and actually the only thing you really need to look out for is the kids who will pickpocket you or try to sell you books or postcards on the street.
We saw a lot today -- a few wats, parks, monuments, and the Royal Palace -- and tomorrow we plan to go to both markets, the Tuol Sleng Museum and the Killing Fields. Tomorrow won't be such an easygoing and light-hearted day as today was, but I am looking forward to learning more about the history of Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge.
And so far the food has been great. For lunch we tried to find this place that was in my guidebook but had no luck and instead ate at Mount Everest. Yea, thats right, the mountain. Well it was actually a really nice Indian / Nepalese restaurant with really good food. (But what Indian food isn't amazing???) Quinn and I split Aloo Zeera (stir-fried potatoes with cumin seeds) and Subzi Saffron Biryani (yellow rice with veggies). For dinner we ate at a place called Vieyo Tonle and I got amok, the national dish of Cambodia. It was sooooo good!! Typically it is fish in coconut and lemongrass wrapped in a banana leaf. I had the choice of fish, chicken, beef, pork, or veggies, and of course opted for the fish. There was no banana leaf but it came in a bowl full of curry with rice on the side (shaped like a star!). It was delicious, just as good as any Indian food, and that's saying a lot.
Oh yea, and I got attacked by a monkey today. Quinn and I went to Wat Phnom, the temple that the city gets it's name from. Years and years ago, in 1373, a temple was built on this hill for a woman named Penh to house four Buddha statues, and Phnom is Khmer for "hill,"thus the name Phnom Penh. Anyways there were monkeys everywhere (a bit strange since we were in a city) and there was one resting on the bench so I reluctantly sat down on the opposite side for a picture. This Khmer woman came up with her baby and started smiling and waving at me so I started to say hello to her baby which was holding a bag of cookies. And all of a sudden this monkey jumps on this woman's arm grabs the bag from this baby jumps on my shoulder then back on the bench to eat his treats. And the baby never stopped looking straight at me, I'm not sure he even noticed his cookies had just been stolen. But the monkey didn't cut me, there was no blood, just a redness for a while. And although it's not quite as funny as the monkeys at the Batu Caves it's still a good story I think.
So tomorrow we will see more of Phnom Penh, do some shopping, and bus to Siem Reap either in the evening or first thing Friday morning. Monday we've got tickets to fly into Luang Prabang. I think there's even time for a day trip, maybe to a beach in the south or even to Kompong Chhnang, which is famous for its pottery!!
We were trying to cross earlier this evening to go to the gas station for bottled water and a tuk-tuk driver offered to drive us across for free. He pulled up next to us, his tuk-tuk facing the direction of oncoming traffic, and we jumped in. He continued to drive in the direction of oncoming traffic until he found an opportunity to merge onto the correct side of the road, then just kinda swerved in front of all the motos and pulled over to the curb to let us out.
So far Cambodia feels like home. Well, more home than every other place. They take US Dollars here (change is given in riels rather than coins). They drive on the left side of the car and the right side of the road. On the way from the airport we passed the US Embassy and saw the American flag flying. And everybody drives Camrys (rip to Julia's).
And Phnom Penh is sooooo laid back and easy going. We've seen so many parks already, and each and every one of them was filled with Khmers just hanging out, playing badminton or just kicking around a shuttlecock like its a hacky sack. I could spend hours just people watching. Everyone is nice, the city is safe, and actually the only thing you really need to look out for is the kids who will pickpocket you or try to sell you books or postcards on the street.
We saw a lot today -- a few wats, parks, monuments, and the Royal Palace -- and tomorrow we plan to go to both markets, the Tuol Sleng Museum and the Killing Fields. Tomorrow won't be such an easygoing and light-hearted day as today was, but I am looking forward to learning more about the history of Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge.
And so far the food has been great. For lunch we tried to find this place that was in my guidebook but had no luck and instead ate at Mount Everest. Yea, thats right, the mountain. Well it was actually a really nice Indian / Nepalese restaurant with really good food. (But what Indian food isn't amazing???) Quinn and I split Aloo Zeera (stir-fried potatoes with cumin seeds) and Subzi Saffron Biryani (yellow rice with veggies). For dinner we ate at a place called Vieyo Tonle and I got amok, the national dish of Cambodia. It was sooooo good!! Typically it is fish in coconut and lemongrass wrapped in a banana leaf. I had the choice of fish, chicken, beef, pork, or veggies, and of course opted for the fish. There was no banana leaf but it came in a bowl full of curry with rice on the side (shaped like a star!). It was delicious, just as good as any Indian food, and that's saying a lot.
Oh yea, and I got attacked by a monkey today. Quinn and I went to Wat Phnom, the temple that the city gets it's name from. Years and years ago, in 1373, a temple was built on this hill for a woman named Penh to house four Buddha statues, and Phnom is Khmer for "hill,"thus the name Phnom Penh. Anyways there were monkeys everywhere (a bit strange since we were in a city) and there was one resting on the bench so I reluctantly sat down on the opposite side for a picture. This Khmer woman came up with her baby and started smiling and waving at me so I started to say hello to her baby which was holding a bag of cookies. And all of a sudden this monkey jumps on this woman's arm grabs the bag from this baby jumps on my shoulder then back on the bench to eat his treats. And the baby never stopped looking straight at me, I'm not sure he even noticed his cookies had just been stolen. But the monkey didn't cut me, there was no blood, just a redness for a while. And although it's not quite as funny as the monkeys at the Batu Caves it's still a good story I think.
So tomorrow we will see more of Phnom Penh, do some shopping, and bus to Siem Reap either in the evening or first thing Friday morning. Monday we've got tickets to fly into Luang Prabang. I think there's even time for a day trip, maybe to a beach in the south or even to Kompong Chhnang, which is famous for its pottery!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
