Wats, Prasats and Preahs (and Banteays)

Sounds like a chaos of letters to you? So did it to us before we reached Siem Reap, or actually the nearby ruins of Angkor Wat. Before we got this huge dose of culture and history we stopped in Battambang after leaving Phnom Penh. Battambang, or Batdambong how it's actually named, is a small city on the southern side of Tonle Sap, Southeast Asia's biggest lake. There's not much to do, except visiting temples (or wats) but because be were so close to Angkor Wat we decided to leave them aside and did nothing instead. Well we walked through the city, read, coloured hair (one of us did) and planned the rest of our Cambodia trip.

Then Siem Reap. We haven't seen this many tourists since Luang Prabang in Laos, and being there in high season didn't seem to help. We got picked up at the bus station by a tuk-tuk driver and a sign carrying Annis name! The first time in 9 months of travel did we get picked up like 5 star tourists! The hostel we booked, based on the fantastic reviews, was indeed great. The owner, Mr Why Not is as charismatic as one can get and he has "his" own tuk-tuk drivers. We tried them all. Pick up was by Mr Beer o'clock whose favourite time every day is the time when he comes back with the last tour in the afternoon. Then he does what gave him his name.

The next day we left for the ruins. As said above, we didn't have a clue what to expect of Angkor Wat. The biggest religious building in the world? We found out, after studying a book about the ruins which was lent to us by Mr Why Not, that the Angkor Wat world heritage site actually consist of numerous temples in different places, each location marking a former capital of the Angkor kingdoms, ranging from 900 ad to 1300 ad (approximately, has to be enough). We started with the "big loop" or "grand circuit" as lots of things are in french. Also our driver, Bumpa, persisted in talking french to us after finding out that at least one of us has some rusty, barely used french words in his repertoire.

The big loop leads around the main attractions such as Angkor Wat for example. This, the worlds largest religious building, we saved for the second day, touring around the smaller sites first, we thought we'd be disappointed if we did the main stuff first. It was a great day! The "small sites" were all not that small and most of them very nicely restored. Soon we got confused by the names. "Do you wanna go to Prasat Ta Som, afterwards to Banteay Prei? Then Preah Khan? What? Good we had the book with us where we tried to follow the map and to figure out what this letter mess means. Basically "Wat" means temple. "Prasat" too. And "Preah" means temple, so does "Banteay". The difference is, I think I found out, that some were built during the Hindu period and some during the Buddhist. Doesn't matter actually, they're all fantastic. Some are quite small with few tourists, some vast and packed with white folks, some are high with steep stairs and a view from the top and some half eaten by the nature. We thought we'd get bored after a dozen or so but every temple has its own unique features, carvings or different coloured stones, we never got bored. Just tired of stairs. One of the last sights this day was the fantastic Ta Prohm. It's known through the movie Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones, and as crowded as it was it seems to be most peoples favourite. It was mostly left how it was found with trees growing over or from inside the temple. Large parts have collapsed and just small paths were cleared which makes it highly interestic to wander or climb through.

Next day we made a break to relax, the day after we left for the main attractions, Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. We first wanted to go by bicycle, but after leaving the hostel and feeling the heat in the morning already we changed the plan and asked for one of Mr Why Not's drivers. 10 minutes after the phone call our driver arrived. He was sorry to have mud in his hair but when he doesn't get customers in the morning he has to go fishing in the rice fields. We agreed on 10$ for the day and set off. We were impressed by our driver who knew loads of things about all the sites. His english was very good and he cracked jokes all day long after finding out that we were not the normal serious, boring tourist, geared up from head to toe with hundreds of cameras and an Angkor Wat T-Shirt.

First stop was Angkor Wat. It's impressive but we expected more to be honest. It's massive, sure, but somehow there was no atmosphere in that one, unlike in some smaller ones. The queue to reach the top level was long and the checks for appropriate clothes unforgiving. Then we hiked up Phnom Bakheng, a hill topped with a temple. The temple itself is actually a huge pile of stones, they're working hard to restore it but the view from up there is stunning. 360 degrees of rainforest and Angkor Wat popping out of the trees like a crown. Our driver also promised us that there will be just the two of us up there. "Yeah right" we thought, "nice try". And we weren't alone. There was one other person. Worth the hike! Angkor Thom is just massive. It's not an actual temple but a huge area with several sites such as the elephant terrace, Baphuon, Bayon and many others. The Baphuon is in a pretty setting with a long stone bridge along ponds. Also very interesting is the fact that this temple had almost completely collapsed. A french lead the reconstruction and they took the whole thing apart, stone after stone, everyone marked with numbers and letters, everyone also marked on a plan. Sadly though, the Khmer Rouge destroyed the plan and the frenchman probably almost shot himself while standing in front of this giant, 3-D puzzle without a clue. It took them 51 years in total to finish the almost impossible and it looks fantastic! Respect!

Bayon was one of our top three, famous for the face towers and its very complex layout. Bo came to pick us up because we took the wrong exit in the Bayon and had to walk back. He just came back from an accident that happened not far away. One of the big buses (or coffins how I call them according to the average age of 126 of its passengers) overtook another bus and forced a tuk-tuk, coming against the bus, off the road and into a tree. It flipped over and a frenchman broke his arm. Cambodian style traffic even inside the world heritage... I just hope they learn from that.

Last day, last temples. We drove around 40 minutes to the north to Banteay Srei, a small but wonderful carved temple out of pink sandstone. Especially pretty in the light of a rising sun in the morning. Then the most unique site, Phnom Kulen. It lies inside a national park on a holy hill and consist of carvings in the stones of a riverbed. Some are figures like Vishnu and Shiva and some just patterns. Very pretty. Last temple was Banteay Samrae, a small but pretty temple where you will probably be alone. It was one of our favourites too but we didn't spend more than 15 minutes in there we were, finally, done with Wats.

Our top five temples:
Ta Prohm (overgrown)
Bayon (face towers, complexity)
Phnom Bakheng (view from top)
Preah Khan (overgrown, colours, carvings)
Angkor Wat (size, complexity, carvings in gallery)

If you have enough time, go to the remote ones:
Banteay Srei (carvings, colour)
Phnom Kulen (carvings in river, nice walk through forest)

On the way back to Phnom Penh we did a little detour to Kratie. It is the best place to spot Irrawaddy dolphins in the Mekong. Kratie itself is nothing special, almost boring after so many asian cities. But the dolphins are the reason to come here. We took a tuk-tuk for the 15km up the Mekong to the place where the boats depart. We were sceptical about seeing dolphins, the river is massive even in the dry season, and the estimated 75 dolphins could be anywhere! But after barely 10 minutes on the river we saw a group of 3 whose we observed for around an hour. Being a dolphin photographer must be the most depressive job on earth though. You hear them breathing on the surface, surely not where you expected them to surface and before you actually saw them they're already gone. After that we headed a bit further north and arrived at a place with islands and rapids. They built bridges and houses into the river and wedding couples were busy taking pictures and preparing the festivities. We instead went for a swim in the Mekong. Nice and refreshing in beautiful scenery!

Then we headed back to Phnom Penh to catch our flight to Kuala Lumpur. We still had some days left in the capital and we met with an old army friend of mine who I haven't seen for 7 years. Together we visited the crowded O'Russei market and the hill temple, Wat Phnom which was a slight disappointement, unlike in the description there is no view of the city just of trees which is also nice I guess. Then it was time to pack our bags the last time in Cambodia, harder than expected for us. Cambodia is hard to leave.

Kingdom of smiles

Thailand is often referred to as "country of smiles". We agree that most people we met were nice, friendly and willing to help, though we encountered also quite a lot of inpolite behaviour, cheating, laziness or lying, surely caused by the crazy amount of tourism and the strong will to make money. Only after crossing the border to Cambodia we noticed a huge difference in the attitudes towards us. Where as most Thais we met were indeed very friendly and polite when doing their jobs, we were absolutely ashtonished by the genuine loveliness of Cambodians. If you happen to smile at someone, what you get back is the biggest smile you have ever seen in your life. School kids yelled "hello!", waved and giggled every time they walked past, older people always gave us smiles or a "hello" when passing us on their bikes. Tuk-tuk drivers asked once if we need a ride, and even if we said no thanks, they gave a wide smile and left us in peace. Cambodians are also always up for a laugh. They are not as scared to offend you with their jokes as the Thais seem to be and they will use every opportunity for a conversation and joking. You can't help it, you just feel so welcome and at home that you can't do anything but love this country.

This puts in a nutshell what we experienced in Kampot. It is a small town 2 hours away from Sihanoukville towards Phnom Penh. It's a beautiful and relaxed place, with not much to do. You can do tours to nearby hills to admire the view over the Gulf of Thailand or to the waterfalls in the surrounding areas, but because of bad visibility and the dry season (no waterfalls) we decided to skip these activities. Instead we found a hostel with reasonable prices and big selection of hammocks and we just chilled out for a few days.

Anni is also on a mission to try a massage in every Asian country. In Cambodia we try to think a bit more than usual about where to put our money. Our budget is small but we try to spread the money to different people as much as we can by supporting different businesses. We try to go for local owners or at least to a place employing a lot of locals. Or in case of a massage: give it to the blind. A chain called Seeing Hands Massage operates throughout Cambodia, also in Kampot. They only employ blind people, which is a business idea we were happy to support. Ben was still traumatised by the "beating up" the blind Chinese gave him few months ago, so Anni went with an English girl we met at the hostel. For 5 USD she got a full body massage for an hour. And no, it was not as rough as the previously mentioned Chinese one. They even asked if we wanted a strong or a medium massage, and always kept asking if it was okay. Anni highly recommends.

After Kampot we headed to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. We didn't expect the same friendliness of a small town. Okay, it was not same, but it was close. Tuk-tuk drivers in Phnom Penh are a bit more persistent because the competition is tough, but it was nothing compared to Bangkok and its arrogant taxi drivers. We found Phnom Penh to be quite a likable city. Everything and everyone is so alive and normal. People, tuk-tuks and motorbikes are everywhere, but not once did we feel unsafe in the traffic or just walking around. Our driver warned us that people try to grab our bags if we don't hold on to them tight when in a tuk-tuk, but we had no problems. We guess it's wise to be a bit careful in any big city, no matter where you are.

We spent our time in Phnom Penh like most tourists. We walked around and explored the central market and the National museum. Most important of all, we visited the Genocide Museum and Killing Fields from the Khmer Rouge regime, when 1,7-3 million Cambodians were killed by Pol Pot and his army. Although we were mentally prepared for quite a lot, it was still shocking to see photos of the tortured and murdered victims. But you simply can't come to Phnom Penh without visiting them both.

Cambodians have possibly the cruelest history and a cruel present with a big number of landmines still waiting to explode around the country. It is also, after Myanmar, the poorest country in South East Asia and it's very corrupt. And still they are the happiest people we met on our travels so far. We don't know how it is possible, but we love it.

 

Do's and dont's of January

This month we recommend:

Giving a smile to any Cambodian

Taking it easy with a three day ticket in Angkor Wat

Getting to know locals. Talk to your tuk-tuk driver! Chances are that he is actually a nice person with a story to tell.

Staying in small, family-owned hostels instead of big hotels (they're often owned by corrupt officials).

Angkor beer

Indian food

Cambodian hostels. Good value and the beds are always amazing!

Bargaining with Cambodians, it's good fun.

Cambodia, Cambodia, Cambodia!

 

 

This month we do NOT recommend:

Cambodian food. Sorry, but the only taste we managed to find is sweet.

Salmonella & parasites

"Dry and cool season" that is still so hot that you just can't be bothered to do anything

Stinky toilets

Cambodian bus entertainment. Karaoke videos and Chinese fighting movies. Great!

 

Cambodian hospital experience

We were planning to leave Sihanoukville the next day to Kampot, a nice sounding town by the river a few hours away. Anni had been having stomach problems for a few months now and it was getting more and more annoying, so we thought it would be a good idea to get it checked before moving on to the rural areas. You never hear anything too good about Cambodian health care, after all. All the guide books recommend an instant transfer to Thailand in case of an emergency, so we thought finding an english-speaking doctor would be impossible in small towns.

In the afternoon we walked to Sen Sok International University clinic, one out of two clinics in Sihanoukville who should have english-speaking staff around. After a few questions and a call to the doctor, who was in Phnom Penh at the moment, the nurse said that we should take blood tests. Terrified, because of not knowing anything about the quality of health care, Anni agreed after seeing the needles taken out of new bags. The nurse laughed a little and with a lovely smile she said "Single use. Don't worry." Anni felt ashamed.

We returned the next day for results and after some more questions and some basic checks with the doctor, he explained that Anni had salmonella and needed treatment and more tests right now. Ben had to go to the grocery store to buy orange juice, which was according to the doctor much needed to hydrate and to fight the infection, while Anni was lying in the hospital bed, getting bag after bag of liquids containing electrolytes and antibiotics pumped into her veins. Few hours later a guy came in. We had seen the same guy happily walking on the street only a few hours before. Apparently he had the same problem, though he was screaming from pain. Didn't sound too good. Anni started to be happy that her condition was relatively good.

It was a bit of a different kind of experience. The doctor was yelling from the other side of the room "are going for stool?" each time Anni got out of the bed. He also kept us well informed about why the other people were there and how they were feeling. But it wasn't embarrassing, it was just different to home, where doctors can't talk about this stuff to others. Actually we had an okay time with the nice nurse lady and doctor cracking unexpected jokes all the time. While waiting we had some long chats with him. He was interested in cultural differences, school systems and health care in our countries. He also told us that he had got his education mostly in Thailand and that in addition to his own language, khmer, he also spoke fluent french, english, thai and vietnamese. At the end of the conversation, he promised that in a week Anni would be fit enough to explore the temples of Angor Wat. Seven hours later we were let home to sleep, because the doctor had to leave for Phnom Penh with the screaming guy. The facilities in Sihanoukville were not good enough to treat him. We had to come back the next day to check again if everything was getting better and to get more results from new tests.

The next day we found out that Anni did not only have salmonella, she had also been collecting parasites in her intestines. More treatment and antibiotics again. We felt like Anni was in good hands, and instead of getting not enough treatment, we felt like that it was even a bit much. After all back home you are taken into a hospital in an absolute emergency and more often you're sent home after a quick inspection with a prescription for medicine. But this guy seemed to know what he was doing, and all the costs would be covered by insurance anyway. You can't blame anyone for treating you too good, can you? More important than the lost time was of course to get Anni feeling good again. This time we were released after about three hours and two bottles of fluids. Anni got a 130 dollar bill and a bag of medicines with instructions about how to take them.

We were ready for Kampot.