Back to Cambodia

Ok, back to my trip to Cambodia. So I joined a small tour on this trip because it was easy - all I had to do was pay and show up and someone else handled everything else. I don't normally do these sorts of trips, but I knew I would never get around to planning my own trip to Cambodia. There were 9 of us from 6 different countries. It was a great group of people.

We arrived in Siem Reap on a Wednesday night. I was really worried as I didn't realize until we arrived in Bangkok I didn't have any blank pages left in my passport - which is needed for the visa to enter the country. Oops. I actually did have blank pages - but apparently you can't use THOSE pages. How the hell was I supposed to know that? Anyway, I had to sign a waiver stating I wouldn't hold the airline liable if Cambodia decided not to let me into the country. So I was freaking out the whole way. Thank god, it ended up not being a problem. Whew!

The next day we got up and went to purchase our tickets for visiting all of the temples. When we arrived I was shocked at how many HUGE tourist buses there were. I was thinking "shit, this is going to take forever". Much to my surprise Cambodia is insanely organized. We were done in less than 10 minutes and our tickets even had our pictures on them! We were all baffled! This line would have taken 2 hours in Manila. We went to see some ruins - I can't remember the name - but they were nice. Then we went off to see a floating village in a nearby lake. This lake doubles in size during the rainy season so most people live in floating villages and move with the water. It was really cool to see floating schools, churches, gyms, and houses. After being out in the heat of the day (and it was HOT) we took a tuk-tuk (motorcycle with a carriage on the back) to find beer. We found COLD beer and it was only $.50/bottle. I was happy. Then it was off to dinner where I had Khmer curry...yum. After dinner it was time to hit the Angkor Night Market. I loved this place. So many things for sale and cheap! I bought some clothes, silk scarves, t-shirts, carvings, jewelry, paintings, and a North Face bag. I didn't spend more than $5 on anything. They are all trying to get you to buy something from them so they yell "hey lady, u buy". The one thing you appreciate when you leave Manila is how prevalent English is there. But you didn't need English in at the market as you just type the price you want to pay into a calculator and they nod yes or no and you just go back and forth typing in your price until you agree. I used to hate it bargaining, but I have now mastered the art!

The next day were were off again to see more ruins and temples - again I don't remember the names - there are so damn many! But they were beautiful. Then it was off to see Angkor Wat. I have to say Angkor Wat itself is impressive because of it's size, but I actually thought some of the other temples were much more beautiful. The place was CRAWLING with people - mostly Chinese (as it was Chinese New Year), Koreans and Japanese. Being surrounded by that many people pushing, shoving and cutting in line pushed me over the edge so I didn't spend too much time in the complex. If I were to do it again, I would go first thing in the morning to beat the crowds. That night we went for dinner and a show to see traditional Apsara dancers.

The next day, we had a free day from the tour so I had already researched and planned that I was going to do a motorcycle tour. Have I ever ridden a motorcycle? Once. So off I went with my guide at 7am on my motorcycle after practicing in the parking lot for 5 minutes. Was I a bit worried? Yes. Doing this tour was truly the highlight of my trip. There were NO tourists anywhere that I went and I got to see what Cambodia is really like. We went on goat trails through these small villages where no tourists go. I saw weddings, funerals, kids playing, and farmers working their fields. We passed cows, water buffalo, and people on bikes. We headed up a mountain where I saw a beautiful waterfall, the largest lying down Buddha in Cambodia, and 1000 lingas (carvings in the bed of a river). We ate a traditional Khmer lunch near the waterfall and had lots of native snacks and juices along the way. I loved having the wind in my hair and being able to see things at my own pace and stop and take pictures whenever I felt like it. It was so much better than sitting in a van full of tourists! Then we headed to a viewpoint to watch sunset on the lake. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful day. All in all, I was on the bike for 11 hours. I didn't crash or break the bike, so it was a good day! I got back just in time to have dinner with the rest of the crew. I had been dying to have street food so we found a place and got eating. Dishes were $1.50-$3.00 USD depending on what you had and it was DELICIOUS. After that I headed over to get a "fish massage" where you put your feet in a fish tank and the fish literally eat the dead skin off your feet. It's really freaky at first but then you get over it. It's something I can say I have done, but I don't need to do it again. Then I headed off by myself to do some last minute shopping. After that, I needed a massage so I stopped and got a 1 hour foot massage for $4. I got back to my hotel room around 1am. It was a long day....but one of the best days of my life. I had a great sense of accomplishment knowing that I did all of this stuff in one day, all by myself, and I wasn't ever nervous or scared. I never thought that would happen in my lifetime!

If you ever have a chance to go to Cambodia - it's definitely a place worth visiting.