Cambodia

I fell too much in love with Laos and spent more time there than I had planned. As a result I pretty much ran through Cambodia. It's alright though, it gives me a reason to go back, which I plan on doing next year. I only ended up spending 5 full days in Cambodia, only hitting up Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. Cambodia isn't nearly as bad as some people imagine it to be. Yes, there is povery - a lot of it - but it isn't too overwhelming if you have a thick skin. The Temples of Angkor were fantastic. I bought a three day pass and although that was quite enough since my feet were sore by the end of it, there was still so much more that I didn't get to fully see.

I arrived in Siem Reap around 9am. I had been told about the aggressive taxi/moto drivers in Cambodia so I was semi-prepared for the barmbardment that I recieved as soon as I exited the airport. Cambodia is wonderful, I loved it and I want to go back. It is, however, very draining. There's no other word to describe it. I was only there for 5 days and by the end of it I was mentally and physically drained. People are ALWAYS trying to get something from you. I was constantly being hounded by drivers if I wasn't already with one, the begging was never-ending and the children, although cute, got really annoying after awhile. I thought a lot about a phrase my parents used to say to me when I was a child asking for money - "Do you think I'm made of money??" I remember when they used to say that, that I'd think "well, ya...you're my parents, YES you have lot of money, obviously!" Aahhh, blissful childhood ignorance. I now understand how annoying it must have been for them. If I tried to barter with people, explaining that the price they wanted was too much, I was often told that I was a tourist, I could afford it. It's generally assumed that we're well off and are, quite literally, made of money. Granted, I do have a lot more money than they do and live really well, but I still need to be careful with my money. That, sadly, involves NOT giving $1 to EVERY child I see.

I pushed through the crowd to the tourist desk and hired a motorbike to drive me into town. Yes, a motorbike, with all of my bags. It worked though, I'm pretty relaxed on a motorbike, and it's a good thing. I ended up hiring my motorcycle driver for the next three days. It was perfect, it cost me $40 and everyday he picked me up at 9, drove me anywhere I wanted and dropped me back at home after dinner. The Temples of Angkor are really spread out. It's a huge area, I was glad for my driver. By the end of it we were pretty good friends. He took me way out into the country, the "long way" to some of the temples. He explained that around the major temples, the government's worked really hard to make it look like Cambodia really isn't that poor. They've done a decent job. Around the major temples there are a lot of huge trees and everything is absolutely beautiful. There are a lot of beggars, but mostly they are children selling things. It's not, however, actual Cambodia. When he took me out on the back roads I saw real Cambodia. The roads are extremely rough and have only been built within the past 20 years by UN workers. There weren't really any roads out in the country before. The UN workers built roads so that people would know exactly where was safe to walk (free of landmines). There are also NO trees. Deforestation is wide-spread and the loggers under-educated. It didn't help either that Cambodia was carpet bombed during the wars. It also doesn't help that there are still thousands of land mines scattered around that tend to create huge craters when detonated. The Cambodian countryside reminded me of pictures I've seen of the African plains. Very barren and brown.

We rode through remote villages, full of people missing limbs and scarred, although not begging. That really brought it home. The ones who are in the cities begging, although I already knew this, aren't the only ones who've been hurt by war. The country really is full of horror stories that continue to happen as a result of land mines.

I didn't go out at night. I knew better than that. Although I felt relatively safe in Siem Reap I still didn't want to chance anything. It's a major Cambodian city, but street lights are pretty much non-existant and after dark it gets pretty sketchy really fast. I was tired anyways, I did a LOT of walking during the day. At the end of my time my driver suggested that he give my name to his friend down in Phnom Penh so that he could meet me at the bus station and take me to a hotel. I didn't really want to at first, but he kept insisting that it was a good idea. I'd been pretty self-sufficient this whole trip, finding my own way around major cities. I can take care of myself in the vast majority of situations and have never felt unsafe this entire time. I knew that Phnom Penh was going to be different, but still didn't really want to give up my independence there before seeing what it was actually like. He kept insisting though, explaining that "people in Phnom Penh aren't like people in Siem Reap," and that he knew I could take care of myself, but that it'd be a good idea to have someone waiting for me at the bus station...just in case. I finally relented.

I'm so glad that I did.

I caught the bus to Phnom Penh. There were a few other foreigners on the bus, all male, but the majority were Cambodians. All us travellers were ushered to the back of the bus and we settled in for the ride. When we arrived in Phnom Penh I realized what my Siem Reap driver had been talking about. The bus had been swarmed by drivers waving signs for different hotels. We all looked at eachother, debating what to do. There were at least 3 times the amount of drivers than there were in Siem Reap. A minute or so passed and we realized that we, obviously, had to get off the bus. So, we pushed. Our bags had been tossed on the ground in a pile. People were yelling, I do ok in crowds but get very irritated, very fast. I was getting VERY irritated. Being the only girl I was getting a lot more attention. I managed to push through and get my bag, but as soon as I had my bag, the drivers realized that I was now ready to go, so they kept trying to "help." Helping means that they kept trying to grab my bag from me and throw it into their tuk-tuk. People were pushing papers with different hotel names on them in front of me and yelling at me. It was, truthfully, kinda scary. Well, not really scary, but definetly overwhelming. I was so relieved when one of the papers shoved in front of me had my name on it. My new driver knew exactly what to do. He grabbed my bags, grabbed my hand, and we literally ran.

My new driver was just as awesome as my one in Siem Reap. I was so grateful for him. He ate lunch and dinner with me. Each time taking me to some out of the way, non-touristy, Cambodian restaurant. Everytime he dropped me off somewhere, when I came out, he was right there waiting for me. That was an excellent thing because all over the city I was constantly being hassled. Tuk-tuk drivers were everywhere wanting to "help," and, as a single girl travelling alone I apparently needed much more "help" than the next person. I went to the killing fields at Choeng Ek, to the S-21 museum (yes, I, Krista, went to a museum of my own free will), and to the Royal Palace. Choeng Ek and the S-21 museum were pretty heavy, but I was expecting it. In general, Phnom Penh is pretty heavy. It's much more sketchy than Siem Reap. I did manage to have a pretty good time though, all thanks to my driver (Sopheap). He's an English student so we did a lot of extra things, like went out for coffee and such, and we practiced his English. It was a good trade-off. I wasn't alone and he got free lessons.

My last morning he met me at my hotel (actually, he slept outside of my hotel so he could pick me up at 5:30) and drove me to the bus station. I have both of my drivers business cards and will definetly call them next year when I'm back in Cambodia. Anyone else who plans on going to Cambodia let me know and I'll give you their emails. It's totally worth it.

I'm now in Vietnam. I've had 2 days in Saigon and spent 2 days travelling around the Mekong Delta with a tour group. The Delta was beautiful and my group was great fun. I won't update about that right now cuz I want off of the computer, but I will in a few days. I leave Saigon tomorrow and am heading up to Mui Ne for some serious beach time. After that I head onto Nah Trang where I'll have access to good internet again. Look for the first Vietnam update in about a week. Take care everyone and, guess what??? I'll see you soon!!!