|
SAIGON (The Vietnam
Journal)
by
Saigon Charlie
December 18, 2003 –
Thursday - Traveling to
Siem Reap and Angkor Wat
for Christmas
As I crossed the
border into Cambodia at
Poi Pet,
one could not help but
marvel at the amazing
variations of vehicles
and cargos being pulled,
pushed or driven from
Cambodia into Thailand.
If one has ever seen the
earlier movies of
Mel Gibson
(such as "Mad
Max" and “Thunderdome”),
one might be able to
envision the sites one
saw unfolding around
them as they attempted
to pass through
Thai immigration
into Cambodia.
Mad Max had nothing
on the reality of the
vehicles on the roads of
Cambodia.
On this particular
morning, after waking
early from my hotel in
Aranyaprathet on
the Thai side of the
border, I managed to
enter the immigration
line at 07:30, only
completing the exodus at
08:30 after being in
line an hour; 15 minutes
of which was spent with
a female Thai
immigration official
giving me the third
degree interrogation
concerning my passport
and my entry and exits
from Thailand.
(See earlier story about
Thai/Cambodian Visa
Runs)
I found this whole
incident absurd, as
unlike many others, I
always exit the country
legally on or before the
90 day visa stamp limit
and have never “sent” my
passport across the
border which has been
the custom for so many
years by so many expats
living in Thailand.
Anyway, the good thing
about this entire
episode was I had a
chance to meet a
Cambodian who was
studying in Bangkok
and was returning to
Phnom Penh for the
Christmas holiday. She
struck up a conversation
with me while in line
and after spending some
time after finally
clearing the required
immigration points for
both countries, she
hailed me as I was
roaming about trying to
find transportation to
Siem Reap.
As it turned out, two of
her classmates were also
heading home as well,
but instead of Phnom
Penh, they were
going in the same
direction as me, Siem
Reap (it translates
into “Siamese
Defeated”). This
turned out to be
extremely fortunate for
me and after the
required price haggling
for a seat in the shared
Toyota Camry, (we
settled on a price of
300 baht each) I started
to make my way out of
the chaos of this filthy
border town.
We immediately started
up a conversation and
their knowledge of the
world, its geography,
politics and history
astounded me. Their
English was also superb
and what would normally
have been a boring and
rough 4-5 hour trip
across this part of
northern Cambodia,
turned into one of the
more enjoyable trips of
the recent past.
It wasn’t long out of
Poi Pet where we
were stopped by
“officials”, who I
determined to be some
form of customs. As you
can see from the photo,
even though one was
wearing a "uniform", my
suspicion as to their
true mission was highly
suspect.
 Looks
pretty "official" to me!
After going through
several of the bags,
they allowed us to
continue our journey
east across the rice
patties and dirt roads
of the region. (You can
always tell the guys who
are on the "take" or
somehow think they are
"bad dudes" in this part
of the world as they
always wear dark
sunglasses....too many
American movies!)
The trip east
was once again fairly
uneventful. I had done
this trip back in May of
2003 and knew pretty
much what to
expect…..and it had not
changed much other than
a couple of bridges that
were unusable in May
were now at least
“crossable” ...(and that
word takes on another
meaning here.)
As we headed for Siem
Reap, which is
actually the province
and name of the main
town that serves the
temple complex of
Angkor Wat, I marvel
at the serenity of the
country side, the pace
of life here, the
cleanliness of the small
villages we passed along
the way, the mats of
rice being dried
alongside the trail we
traveled AND the choking
dust of the journey.
When I say “dust”, it is
not like the dust one
normally thinks of. It
is a dust that permeates
even into the air
conditioned Toyota and
after only an hour, even
with the windows closed,
you have a coating on
your skin and clothes
that transforms itself
into a substance like
baked mud when water is
applied. Even trying to
clean your face, arms
and hands from this
substance with running
water takes both quite a
bit of water and effort.
The "road" to Phnom Penh
from Siem Reap/Angkor
Wat
As we are in a private
car and not a bus
(commercial bus stops
are frequent and planned
so that the company and
driver get a
commission), we stop
very infrequently. As I
was getting a bit hungry
during the 5 hours, I
pulled out a jar of
super crunchy Skippy
peanut butter that I
always carry with me on
trips as well as a small
loaf of sandwich bread.
As I prepared my feast,
I offered the same to
each of the boys that
are with me in the
backset of the Toyota
Camry "taxi". Each
accepts readily and
taking very little from
the jar, spread it on
each of their slices.
They actually seemed to
really enjoy it and this
surprised me somewhat
but was totally
understandable later as
I learned that one of
them had worked in a
factory making peanut
butter while studying in
school and that the
Seven Day Adventist
mission that was
funding their studies in
Thailand also used
peanut butter as a daily
supplement to their
meals.
 As
we get closer to Siem
Reap, one of the
young men I am riding
with invites me to his
home. I considered this
a real honor which I
immediately accepted.
As we drew closer to
town and passed the
airport, we veered off
the main road (it has
turned to pavement now)
and once again were back
on a dirt road which in
reality is nothing more
than a dike between rice
paddies.
After a bit of confusion
as to where his house
was (this surprised me a
bit), we finally pulled
down a small path and
stopped in front of a
simple house surrounded
by his family, from the
oldest to the youngest.
I was introduced to his
father as well as the
rest of the family.
Once again, as is so
typical when I travel,
one of the first
questions I am asked is
if I am married. In
Thailand I understand
the reason for this
question but here, I am
not quite sure what the
motivation is.
I was than invited to
visit some of the other
homes in the "estate" or
"compound" or
"mission". Not sure
what you would call it
actually but it was a
place just outside of
Siem Reap where on 20
hectares of land the
Seven Day Adventist
Church had
established a mission
and an orphanage.
The entrance to the
mission.
The orphanage is called
the “Wat Preah Yesu
Children’s Home” and
is run by an Australian
couple,
Tim and Wendy Maddocks.
They invited me to share
lunch with them, their
two sons and their
family that was visiting
with them from Australia
on what was now my 1st
day back at Angkor
Wat.
I had a very long
conversation with Tim
before the meal and we
talked at length about
the issues there at the
orphanage; the growing
of crops, raising of
various types of animals
and fish and about the
state of the children at
the school, many of
which were dying from
HIV/AIDs.
Apparently, only the
previous week, one of
the more popular
children had died and
this had been hard on
everyone, especially so
close to Christmas. I
was also able to meet a
couple of the younger
boys who had cataracts
on their eyes but who
had been able to have
surgery done recently
which had helped restore
a bit of their vision.
It
seemed both Tim and
Wendy had their
hands full, in addition
to raising their own
children under such
conditions. They did
however seem to be doing
it with vitality and
dedication that would be
difficult anywhere to
match. If you would
like to help these
wonderful people and
their cause out, their
email is
012804017@mobitel.com.kh
or you might be able to
reach them by phoning
them at 012-804-017 or
(855) 12-804-017
internationally.
 It
was also at this stop
where I am first
introduced to a Khmer
delicacy…..trays of
large tarantula
spiders! Hmmmmmmm
….don’t they look good!"
After finishing our
lunch and a after a bit
of probing questions
from Wendy (marriage,
children, why here,
etc.) , I caught a ride
into town with Tim on
his Suzuki dirt bike
(which is pretty much a
requirement on these
rough roads, either in
the rainy or dry
seasons).
After saying goodbye, I
headed across the street
and as I was pretty
tired and in dire need
of a shower to wash away
the dust and dirt from
the journey, I checked
into the Chao Say
Guest House which is
located in the main part
of Siem Reap and
is owned by a local
character named
Dominique Raymackers.
Although a bit pricey on
a backpacker's budget
compared to what you can
get a little further out
of town or a the
Popular Guest House
in town; for $8 USD a
night, I got a very
clean and pleasant room
with fan and a bathroom
with hot water...and a
very pleasant welcoming
smile from one of the
young ladies!
After getting cleaned
up, I headed out once
again to find the “Paper
Tiger” which is a
very popular watering
hole for many expats in
town, one which I had
frequented often back in
May and early June.
Bruno L'Hoste and his
very new baby girl!
As you can most probably
tell from the proper
name, "Le Tigre de
papier”, has a heavy
French influence and
patronage. Bruno, the
owner is French but
speaks English fluently
and although portending
to be tired often, seems
to love greeting his
customers and exchanging
gossip with them.
Michael Bouzon is
the evening manager
(also a Frenchman) but
converses in English as
well.
Upstairs there is a
large selection of used
books (10,000), with a
large selection in
French (of course) but
English as well. In the
evenings, Bruno shows a
movie on a large screen
and the upstairs
bookshop is transformed
into a 20 person movie
theatre! The movie is
free but a minimum of
one drink is required.
It was here during this
first evening back that
I once again ran into
another fascinating
couple, this time headed
off to Vietnam to buy
Vietnam War memorabilia
which they sell on the
Internet from their home
in England.
The
very charming and
beautiful ladies from
the "The Paper Tiger"
cafe in Siem Reap,
Cambodia.
December 19, 2003
Friday - Day 2 - Siem
Reap
As I was on a tight
budget and was traveling
alone, the Chao Say
was a bit more than I
needed and after a good
nights rest, headed out
in the early morning to
get a bite to eat and
explore a bit more of
this incredible town.
The day was cool, with
overcast, gray skies
(which was not what I
had expected in the
middle of the dry
season.) and as I
continued to explore, I
stopped into a
restaurant for my first
breakfast.
Although this first
return experience was
not typical, I was
unfortunate in having
selected a place that
advertised a "Full
English Breakfast"
for $1.50, which sounded
pretty good I thought….
As it turned out, this
translated into an egg,
coffee with no milk, 2
pieces of very, very
burnt “bacon” (I think),
a few slices of bread
with no butter or jam
and some pretty pathetic
looking and tasting
French fries.
(Fortunately, my
breakfast experiences
improved radically as
this trip continued….)
After "breakfast", I
continued to walk about
town and as I had only
baht, I decided to
change that to Cambodian
Riel. Although
everything is in US
dollar (and I do mean
everything), having
“small money” in Riel
makes things a bit
easier. There is an
exchange near the main
market down from the
Chao Say Guest House
where I haggled with the
girl on the exchange
rate, finally getting
190,000 Riel for a 2,000
baht. (I was later
however able to get
100,000 Riel for 1,000
baht at an exchange at
the Central/New
Market.)
As I walked across the
river, I started
exploring some of the
back paths away form the
"tourist market" area.
I soon discovered a
place that is located
behind the Crocodile
Farm and the next
bridge on the road
headed south out of
town. It was called the
"Fresh Air Guest
House” and for $2
USD a night, you can get
a clean, fairly large
room (with no bathroom)
or if you really want to
splurge, $3 will buy you
a room and a bathroom.
I didn’t actually count
the total number of
rooms, but on the
ground floor there
appeared to be 10 or 12
rooms.
This was obviously the
epitome of a
backpacker’s hotel with
drinks from the cooler
taken on an honor system
and paid for when you
checked out. There is
also an area near the
front entrance with a
TV, some tables, chairs,
hammocks and forgotten
books and magazines
where people gather
after their long
journeys here.
Not sure how exactly you
can make money on hotel
rooms at $2-3 a night
but I suspect the
“peripherals” are how
this is accomplished as
both bus and boat
journeys are heavily
displayed here. I
suspected and later
verified that the $8 bus
tickets to Phnom Penh
can actually be had
for $4 if you go and buy
the ticket yourself from
the bus company, with
the same ticket showing
a $20 price! (so it
appears there is a lot
of flexibility as to how
much a hotel, guest
house or travel agency
can make from the
unsuspecting tourist).
Not sure about the
kickback on the $25
ticket for the 5 hour
boat trip to
Phnom Penh but I
suspect it is at least
half as well. (I later
confirmed at the docks
in Siem Reap that it was
in fact $12 for a
Cambodian...)
20 December – Saturday -
17:30 Day 4
(Saturday) 20 December
2003
Today's sunset was a
huge fireball, perfectly
aligned with the section
of the river looking
west as I crossed the
bridge back into town
from walking from the
Fresh Air Guest House.
Absolutely stunning!
It was really a nothing
day with the main events
consisting of picking up
a $4 USD bus ticket from
the bus company (G.S.T
Express) to Phnom
Penh and finding a
the “real locals market”
on a dusty side road
just south of town. It
is always fun being the
only foreigner in such
places; the smiles, the
raised eyebrows, the
sparkling eyes…..
I was told by Bruno
(owner of the Paper
Tiger) that the best
bus company in town was
a very low key operation
just west of the
Central Market on
Achamean Street
where I was able
to pick out and reserve
my seat south with a
07:15 departure time..
(Note: Achamean
Street has a huge
Sokimax Gas and Service
Station on the corner
and is the same company
which has the
"concession" to sell
tickets into the Angkor
Wat Temple Complex).
On my way back from the
bus company, I strolled
around the Central
Market and ended up
buying a $2 USD t-shirt
from a really vivacious
young lady named Marina
who owned one of the
many newer stalls
there. Her whole being
was enchanting and
bubbly and I found it
impossible to not be her
first customer of the
day and give her “luck”
for the remainder of
that day.
(Who
knows if it was true or
not, but it sure felt
good!)
I also explored some of
the stalls of the other
vendors and found a nice
little stall with lots
of interesting used
books, mostly in
English. Once again
there seemed to be a
two-tier pricing system
for the books as there
was one price for
Cambodians and another
(higher price) for
foreigners.
In walking back to the
guest house to pick up
some software for a
friend, I came across a
very loud and very large
birthday party. Seems
birthdays as well as
weddings and funerals
are all large
productions here. I
witnessed all three with
the weddings being a
very colorful production
with brightly colored
tents and guests and the
funerals having large
processions; some of
which are filled with
hired individuals to
participate (such as
entire classes of school
children).
I also had a great lunch
today for $1.50
consisting of a large
bowl of chicken curry
(Khmer Curry) and a
plate of rice. Just
thinking about the curry
makes my mouth water and
this was only the first
of several times that I
ate at this market
restaurant downtown.
It was also interesting
to note the young boys
who hung out around
these restaurants with
their small plastic
bags. Although not
begging or bothering you
as you ate, they would,
once you were finished
come to the table and
take the remaining
food/rice, pour it into
their bags and scurry
off.
There wasn’t that many
actually, never
numbering more than
three that I saw. They
did not bother me or
anyone else and there
seemed to have been
established some form of
“protocol” as to the
practice. I
intentionally left some
rice and curry on my
plate for them to have
although I felt like
buying the entire lot
lunch….
21 December 2003 - Day 4
(already!) Sunday
Got up at 05:30 to
shower and pack for the
bus trip south to
Phnom Penh.
Although I found the
weather crisp and
extremely pleasant, many
at the time, including
the foreigners found it
cold and some at the
guest house were loudly
complaining that they
needed more blankets.
Funny to see the
Cambodians moving
around, bundled up in
large jackets, long
sleeve shirts and heavy
socks on their feet,
stuck into their flip
flops.
I also took another long
walk this morning on the
way to the bus company,
walking from the
Fresh Air Guest House
with my backpack in only
25 minutes.
Daniel Jump having a
snack as we cross the
river by ferry on the
way to Phnom Penh.
As
I board the bus and find
my seat, I see another
couple and a small boy
board the bus as well.
She is obviously
Cambodian and he looks
American. Even as I am
thinking this, he comes
back to my seat and
starts up a long
conversation which as
the days go by during
this adventure, turns
into a warm friendship.
Dani as it turns out is
a trained horticulturist
who spent many years
growing up in India with
his missionary parents
and who subsequently,
(after getting degrees
in agriculture and
languages in the USA),
went off to work in the
US Peace Corp, living in
countries from Paraguay
to West Africa to
Cambodia! Presently he
has taken up a position
as “beekeeper” with a
NGO in Siem Reap
where he will be both
establishing hives and
teaching the art of
beekeeping to his
Cambodian colleagues.
More about him and his
family later….
Note: Dani also
introduced me to
David Cowled
who owns and runs with
his wife "The Balcony",
which is a very nice
coffee lounge and art
gallery (
www.timbrez.com
) located around the
corner from the Paper
Tiger.
What made this
conversation so
interesting was that
Dave was also very
interested in light
aviation and had
purchased an ultra-light
which he now had at his
home.
Dani had found out on
our long, 8 hour bus
trip south to Phnom Penh
that I had once been a
flight instructor and
still had a keen
interest in civil
aviation in Southeast
Asia and thought Dave
and I might be able to
share some ideas. He was
absolutely correct as we
discussed for well over
an hour what was going
on with civil aviation
and flying in Cambodia
and discussed the future
possibility of setting
up a flying club there.
More to come on this
later!
At 07:25 we left the bus
company 10 minutes later
than the advertised
departure time of 7:15
AM. Although the
company apparently won’t
leave without you if you
have already purchased a
ticket, I found out as
the trip progressed they
will leave (without
you!) if you are not
onboard after one of the
many “rest/food stops”.
As we head east and than
south to Phnom Penh,
after only 20 minutes
the road turns into
hell, and this is the
way it mostly remains
for the next few hours.
What is funny about this
is that when you ask
“locals” about the road,
they tell you it is
“great” (Tilt!).
After trying to
understand this, I
finally determined that
it is “great” compared
to what it was only a
year ago. The “road”
however does not really
fall into that
definition of the word
and at best can be
described as asphalt
between huge and
numerous potholes with
“bridges” no more than
loose, wooden planks
more or less overtop
some type of metal, wood
or old stone structure.
At 08:15, we have our
first stop for Breakfast
where I witnessed some
form of large “military
convoy” whiz by in their
numerous Land Rovers and
other 4 wheel vehicles.
Some of the vehicles
appeared to contain
people of some
importance and other
than the crash-helmeted
soldiers wearing body
armor, there however
appeared to be no
weapons of any sort
(which I thought rather
odd.)
After leaving this first
rest stop at 08:45, we
continued on to Phnom
Penh hitting the
upper regions of Lake
Tonle Sap at 10:45.
Only 15 minutes later we
crossed a large river
and bridge and entered
the town of Kompon
Thom where we took
our second break (from
11:00-11:40). I
wandered about the
market with Dani and
snapped a few photos.
We boarded the bus and
headed south again 40
minutes after our stop.
The road from this point
on is horrible as well
and shakes your insides
out. (Fortunately no
one used the bus company
provided "barf bags"!)
We stopped at
another area where I was
a bit hungry after all
this bouncing around and
decided to have another
simple lunch of rice and
vegetables but soon
discovered the
outrageous sum of 3,000
Riel which is more than
twice what it should
have been. Oh well,
should have asked before
I ate it. We left this
place at 14:10.
We eventually arrived in
Phnom Penh later
that afternoon (15:30 at
the taxi stand) but as I
soon discovered, we are
not actually dropped off
in town but before the
large “Japanese” bridge
that spans the point of
land where the Mekong
and Tonle Sap Rivers
meet (the Chroy Chang Va/War
area) .
It seems the rationale
for this is that a new
road tax has been
instituted on buses
entering and leaving the
city via this route and
to avoid paying this
fee, the bus companies
simply drop their
passengers off at the
Chroy Chang Va/War Taxi
Station on the
peninsula between the
Mekong and Tonle Sap
Rivers. If I had not
been with Dani (who was
explaining this to me),
I would have been very,
very confused by these
events as there were no
signs or explanations as
to what was going on.
Dani had stayed in
Phnom Penh before at
the
Sunday Guest House
and after calling them
earlier in the day,
called them again
whereupon they sent a
car and driver to pick
us up. (Seems they
pickup and drop off
their guests at the
various bus stations.) I
was booked into the $3 a
night room with fan,
Dani and his wife and
son got a large room
with TV and bathroom for
$5 a night.
As it turned out, this
place was actually quite
nice with huge common
balconies overlooking
the city. The family
that run this place were
really quite nice with
the young girl who
worked as the manager
taking English lessons
during the evenings. I
noticed this as a van
pulled up one evening to
pick her up and she
later told me about the
school and her lessons.
I
also got some of my
clothes washed here for
a dollar a kilo and
rented a bicycle for $1
a day. A young Japanese
guy who is living at the
guest house put a small
website up for them and
it can be found at
www.geocities.com/sundayguesthouse
.
The
Sunday Guest House
is easy to find on
Street 141 just off
Street 214 (also known
as "Yugoslavia or
Tito Boulevard-I call it
"Embassy Row"),
just past the German
Embassy and the
Cuban Consulate.
Seems to be a popular
place to stay for a wide
range of nationalities
and budget travelers.
22 December 2003 –
Monday – Phnom Penh
A good part of this day
was spent helping my new
friend from Siem Reap,
Dani, find and buy a
digital camera. We
visited the huge Canon
Shop as well as Olympus
and Nikon shops.
Although my experiences
and prejudices were more
inclined towards the
Olympus line, we
eventually ended up with
a 3 mega pixel Nikon
that started off at $410
USD but after two more
trips back to the store
for comparison shopping,
we got the owner down to
$375. Bargain hard on
these items and you will
get a pretty reasonable
discount.
I also spent part of the
day with a young English
chap who asked me for
directions in his effort
to find a language
school that he had flown
in from Hong Kong to
start work for. Once
again, a very, very
interesting young man
who had spent most of
his life in Hong Kong or
England studying. His
father was a captain for
Cathay Pacific and he
was here to teach
English while his knee
recovered from an
accident before he moved
onto an appointment at
Sandhurst.
23 December 2003 –
Tuesday – Phnom Penh
With a stiff breeze
blowing from the
northeast and a sky
filled with high, puffy
white clouds, I started
a four hour walkabout
the city that took me up
near Boeng Kak Lake,
passing both the
Cambodian Army
Headquarters and the
Ministry of Defense
while walking down the
conf. de la Russie
Blvd., than down
pass the railway station
and Wat Phnom,
and eventually around
and into the main Post
Office where I posted a
letter to Germany for
2,200 Riel. This street
eventually ends on the
riverfront at the area
where the high-speed
ferries to Siem Reap
are docked and boarded.
As I walked along the
riverfront opposite the
many 4 storied shop
houses, hotels and
restaurants that lined
Sisowath Quay
(the river boulevard), I
noticed no less than 5
“For Rent” signs on 2nd,
3rd and 4th
floor balconies of flats
facing the Tonle Sap
River.
There are no lack of
places for rent but
expect to pay at least
$250 per month and up
for anything within a
few blocks of the
river. I went to
several "apartments" to
investigate what my
money would buy and at
the "low end" you will
get a floor in a shop
house with a very odd
floor plan. If you are
willing to spend $650
and up, you will be able
to find a more "western"
setup. No matter how
you look at it, prices
are increasing rapidly
in what will soon become
a very cosmopolitan
capital. (I kid you
not!)
If you look towards the
junction of the Tonle
Sap River and the
Mekong, you will see
a huge “freighter’ that
seems very out of place
so far up the Mekong
from the South China
Sea. In actuality,
what you are seeing is a
huge casino named the “Nago
Casino” that can
only be reached under
very tight security
through the
Cambodiana Hotel.
Also across the Tonle
Sap River and on the
peninsula that is formed
by it and the Mekong
River, you will
notice a huge
monstrosity of a
building "under
construction".
In actuality the
construction has stopped
on what was suppose to
be an exhibition
center. It seems that
the Cambodian minister
whose pet project this
was when he was in power
was ousted so
consequently the
construction stopped. (I
noticed the same thing
in Siem Reap.)
As I wrote these notes
in my journal, I
reflected on the fact
that in 2 days it would
be Christmas and unless
you absolutely knew
that, there was
nothing in sight
or sound to remind you
that today was nearly
Christmas.
 My
journal notes...
Sitting here on the
short wall at the
confluence of two large
rivers, the Tonle Sap
and the mighty Mekong,
with my back against a
flag pole and my journal
and pen positioned on my
lap, there seems to be
an inner peace that even
the people passing by
respect. In reality, it
is a beautiful site and
as I look out over the
river, I can't help but
feel at peace with both
myself and the
world....maybe this is
my gift for Christmas!
24 December 2003 -
Christmas Eve
Heading to Siem Reap and
Angkor Wat
(more journal notes) - I
awoke way too early and
after a shave and a
shower, I waited for the
guest house to come
alive (and open their
doors). Nowhere is
there an item mentioning
the idea of Christmas.
In a way, it is a bit
mind-boggling when you
think how important a
concept it is to us in
the "west", but here,
absolutely meaningless.
It is Christmas Eve and
I would have no idea
about it unless I was
keeping this journal.
I
do however remember this
day last year in
Istanbul....it
was cold and wet and a
light snow was falling.
I remember thinking that
this was not what I
expected and although I
love
that city and Turkey,
being alone and cold on
Christmas was not what I
had in mind.
It was also the day
after Christmas a year
ago, that I walked into
the airport in Istanbul,
bought a ticket to
Bangkok and was in a few
hours later winging my
way east to Thailand,
spending New Years in a
far more “receptive”
environment, Nana
Entertainment Plaza in
Bangkok!
I wonder what Christmas
and New Years 2004 holds
for me
and the world
??!!
At 06:55 we pull out of
the bus station which is
100 meters from the
building which serves as
the Central Market
and true to the word
"central" is actually
the epicenter of many
roads and directions.
(The BTS Express is
right behind the Shell
gas station.)
Once again we must avoid
the "police bridge
trolls" and head out of
the city along the banks
of the Tonle Sap
River north to Siem
Reap, this time
however taking a
different route out of
the city than the one we
entered by car from the
guest house.
 At
07:35, we arrive at the
Prek Kdam (means
crab in Khmer) Ferry
Crossing, which has
obviously been used for
many years as there are
hulks of old ferries and
tugs strewn along the
shore near the crossing.
We have to wait a bit
which gives me a chance
to grab a bit of tea.
It is here that I
discover that the tea I
have been paying for in
other places along the
way is actually free to
those who know. There
always seems to be
kettles of tea setting
around these places when
you arrive, all at least
warm and sometimes even
hot.
After a bit of a wait,
we manage the crossing
and head north. Two
hours later at 09:25, we
reached the town of
Skun. (after a 09:00
"breakfast/tarantula"
stop in between). At
11:00 we arrived at the
town of Tang Krasang
which also has a large
river and bridge. (Dani
indicated to me that he
had spent a year here
previously working as a
Horticulturist
Advisor for ADRA in Tang
Krasang).
At 11:30 we stopped for
lunch once again at
Kampong Thom,
leaving at 12:10. At
12:50 we passed through
Stong and at 3
P.M., we finally arrived
on the outskirts of
Siem Reap/Angkor Wat,
8 hours after we left
Phnom Penh.
I headed back to the
Fresh Air Guest House
and after once again
washing the dust from my
body, changed into some
clean clothes and headed
out to find something
enjoyable on what is now
Christmas Eve.
Fortunately, I once
again discovered the
Dead Fish. This is
a place I had hung out
before in my trip to
Angkor Wat in May.
Seems the same blind
piano player is still
there, but on this
particular evening, he
was signing and playing
Christmas tunes! This
definitely filled my
spirit again and turned
out to be a very lovely
evening.
25 December 2003 - Siem
Reap/Angkor Wat ,
Cambodia
Without a doubt,
Christmas Day at Angkor
Wat was the most amazing
Christmas of my life and
probably one of the more
incredible days of my
life. It did however
begin "normally" enough
with me leaving the
Fresh Air Guest House
early in the morning to
have my glass of tea,
some fresh bread and to
exchange some smiles and
words with Logn
Sochinda who has a
small roadside "cafe"
between the guest house
and the main road.
Logn Sochinda - A very
lovely lady
Her mother and daughter
worked there as well,
and as always, we spent
some time with each
other with this
Christmas Day morning
going 45 minutes, with
her teaching me Khmer
and me teaching her more
English. Over these
morning sessions, I
learned she was 33 and
was no longer married
although the reason for
this was never explained
or mentioned.
Her daughter was always
stealing glances at me
and when I "caught her",
we always exchanged big
smiles. Even when I
would walk by during the
day, her mother or her
or both would smile at
me and wave.
My breakfast here was
always the same; some
fresh bread purchased
for 500 Riel and several
glasses of tea which I
always paid 500 Riel
for. Not exactly a
western breakfast but
for some reason, it was
always one of the
highlights of my days.
I than saw Dani coming
down the path to the
guest house from his
home. I called out to
him and he came over to
the "cafe" whereupon we
headed back to his
family for what was to
be our Christmas
breakfast.
I was impressed to find
when we arrived two
plates of pancakes with
peanut butter, maple
syrup and a plate of
pineapple. I also
managed to get another
cup to tea but it wasn't
long before I was
stuffed on what were
probably some of the
best pancakes I had ever
eaten!
The rest of the morning
was spent upgrading his
new computer with some
software I had brought
with me from Thailand
and taking a look at his
son and daughter's older
PC.
At exactly 1 PM that
afternoon, we set down
for our Christmas Dinner
and after a short
blessing, dove into huge
plates of rice,
vegetable curry with
duck eggs, a salad made
of onions, cucumbers and
tomatoes and baked pork
and beans. Once again,
I just couldn't stop
eating but the best was
yet to come with each of
use getting a bowl of
vanilla and chocolate
chip ice cream that was
rather soft but
delicious nonetheless.
It seems refrigeration
is always a problem....
After all this food and
friendship, I thanked my
wonderful hosts and
headed back to the guest
house where I laid down
until 5 PM. A bit
later, I collected some
things that I wanted to
drop off at Dani's house
before my return to
Thailand the next day
very early.
As I approached the
porch, I noticed all
seemed very quiet so I
placed the items on the
bench in front to the
door and just as I was
about to leave, Dani
came to the door and
started to introduce me
to Jake, his new
part-time beekeeper
assistant.
I had listened to Dani
tell me before about
this young man and how
wonderful he was. It
seems that he was
working several jobs,
not only assisting Dani
but leading tourist on
adventure tours into the
"wilds" of Cambodia as
well as getting ready to
start his own traveler's
assistance business! (A
very busy man...)
Over the next few hours
we talked about many
things, mostly relating
to business in Siem
Reap and Angkor Wat.
As Jake's English is
extraordinary, it was
easy to converse with
this 26 year old man who
has the intensity and
knowledge of someone far
older.
Jake relaxing after
an evening with foreign
guests.
A bit later we decided
to hop on his motorbike
and head for the airport
as I wanted to see with
my own eyes which
airlines were actually
flying in there.
After a side trip on the
way back, with the
setting sun quickly
ending that part of a
spectacular Christmas
Day, we decided to have
a meal at the Central
(new) Market and a
bit later, I invited
Jake for a beer at the
Ivy Guest House
where we continued our
discussions about the
future of Siem Reap
and Cambodia.
Still on a "high" from
the day's events and
people, I decided to
head back to the Dead
Fish and finish my
Christmas with a glass
of merlot and a bit of
Christmas music from my
favorite piano player.
I was also able to check
my e-mail for free on 1
of their 3 computers.
After a couple of wines
there, I decided to head
home to the guest house,
but as luck would have
it, I met an American
couple who were from
Boulder, Colorado who
were teaching English in
Japan.
As we walked down the
street together we
decided to share a beer
at the Banana Leaf
across the street from
The Paper Tiger.
Our conversation quickly
intensified and before
long we were discussing
some rather spiritual
and new age concepts
that are expressed in
books such as "Fingerprints
of the Gods" and "Heaven's
Mirror" by Graham
Hancock and "Hamlets
Mill" by the
Professor of History of
Science at M.I.T. named
Giorgio de Santillana.
Kevin and Janel
(Brockman) were an
extraordinary couple to
say the least. If I
remember correctly, he
had taken degrees from
the University of
Colorado in both
Religion and Astronomy.
Janel had studied there
as well and her family
shared many of the same
"New Age" beliefs as
Kevin and his family.
At 30, their knowledge
of events shaping our
world left me
breathless. I can only
hope that one day they
too will come and share
the knowledge and
mystery of what really
is encapsulated in what
we call "Angkor Wat".
Once again, it being
midnight and "Christmas"
drawing to a
"spectacular" close with
the lights around us
starting to slowly go
out at the various cafes
and restaurants, and
saying our goodbyes, we
headed our separate
ways.
As I started my walk
home, I headed down
towards the all to
familiar bridge that
leads to my "home" now.
As I approached the
intersection, in the
deep darkness of the
night and my thoughts, I
heard a large crash
which I immediately knew
had to be an automobile
accident of some type.
As I turned the corner,
sure enough, a crowd was
beginning to gather
around what was
obviously a head-on
collision between a
motorcycle and sedan.
It seemed both vehicles
had lost the encounter
as the motorcycle's
front fork had been
crumpled and the car's
right front bumper and
light had been crushed.
It seemed no one had
been hurt severely but
what appeared to be the
motorcycle driver was
stumbling around either
in shock or very drunk
(or both).
As I continued walking,
a crowd of well over a
100 had now gathered
around the scene to
watch the spectacle of
who would be right and
who would be
wrong.....and have to
pay! |
