CambodiaStory

Time is moving quickly...still so many great places to explore and things to learn. Thailand, specifically Bangkok, has been quite a shock from the relaxed pace of Indonesia. It was fun learning the streets, places to eat, how to get around, and how to operate in a big city once again. One of the first steps was figuring out what our next destination would be. We came to the conclusion that it would be an excellent experience to travel to Cambodia with two of our great friends, Brett and Juliana.

With the help of a booking agent, we arranged for a five hour bus ride to the Thailand/Cambodia border. We stepped off the bus into a chaotic gathering of people. People stomped by in the puddles transporting cargo on their backs from one country to the other, muddy children were all around reaching there little palms at you asking for "money money", and there were huge numbers of men, women and children that had tragically lost their limbs due to years of internal conflict. We each had mentally prepared ourselves for a heartbraking scenario but not to this degree.

Modern day Cambodia is what is left from the mighty Khmer Empire that controlled surrounding countries from the 9th to 14th century. The remains of this empire are huge monuments and temples that are located in the middle of the country near Siem Reap. The country's recent history, though, doesn't reflect those glorious days.

Instead, the country has been in violent warfare for nearly 20 years. The worst period being when the Khmer Rouge, led by Pol Pot who ruled from 1974-79, killed two-million of the country's seven-million people. This genocidal leader "implemented one of the most radical, brutal restructurings of a society ever attempted. His goal was the transformation of Cambodia into a Maoist, peasant-dominated, agarian cooperative. Over a four year period, millions of Cambodians, including the vast majority of the country's educated people, were relocated into the countryside, tortured to death or executed. Thousands of people were branded as 'parasites' and systematically killed solely because they spoke a foreign language or wore spectacles." (LP) It is amazing that something this terrible has even happened in our life time yet we knew virtually nothing about this. One of the great treasures of travel is learning. We all looked forward to learning more about Cambodia.

After paying our inflated Visa Fees we entered the country and boarded another mini-bus to Siem Reap, the gateway to Angkor Wat. There is approximately 50 monuments spread over 230 square kilometers. Acting as the capitol city from the 9th century until mid-15th century, the monuments reflect different styles and celebrates different kingdoms. We spent three days on motorbikes exploring the area. Our first day we had drivers take us to the city of Angkor Thom where we walked through several different monuments. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset on top of Phnom Bakheng overlooking the jungles of Cambodia with Angkor Wat, the center piece of the kingdom, lit up behind us.

We decided to be adventerous and take our own motorbikes the second day, even against the Cambodian's warnings that people steal the bikes on a regular basis. Since they had our passports as collateral, we were very careful in selecting the women in the food stands to watch over our bikes, always making sure to buy something from them upon our return. The highlight of the day (besides cruising around on motorbikes) was Ta Phrom, the Jungle Temple. The monument fights a slow battle with nature, it has been invaded by the roots of giant Banyan trees. It's a spectacular sight. These trees have just pushed not just stones, but huge boulders out of the way...growing on, around and through the temple's walls. We packed in a full day of sightseeing and decided to head back into town, only to discover that exteriour parts of our bikes had been stolen. Do we tell the owners? Do we act like they
were never there? What to do!!!

Fortunately for us, they either didnt notice or the most likely scenerio, they simply didn't care and just went out that evening and got someone else's motorbike parts to replace their own. Apparently this is a very regular practice. Needless to say, we decided to have drivers on our final day.

Saving Angkor Wat for the grand finale was perfect. We set out at 5am for an amazing sunrise. Brett, Juliana and their driver riding next to us with the moon still out and the colors in the sky beginning to change. We grabbed a spot and watched the sun rise over Angkor Wat. A magical experience. After enjoying the sunrise we set out to explore the massive temple.

After our three day pass expired we packed the bags and began heading to the capital of Cambodia. We started the day with a six hour boat ride down the Tonle Sap. This is actually a huge lake that streches more or less north and south. It is a preferred mode of transportation because the Cambodian roads are in very poor shape. We arrived in Phnom Penh wind-blown, thristy and sunburned...already making us a little agitated. Awaiting our arrival were dozens of men vying for our attention so that they could take us to 'the best' guesthouse. Total chaos: men grabbing at us...at our packs...where is Summer? Brett? JC? Shawn? Everyone getting attacked at the same time in a total frantic feeding frenzy.

Finally, pulling ourselves together, we each jumped on the back of a motorbike, with our huge packs on our back, and prayed that they understood that we wanted to go to Simon's Guesthouse. All four of us just kept trying to keep an eye on one another while our drivers scurried in and out of traffic.

We arrived to our lakefront guesthouse safely. Cheap rooms, good food, and a peaceful view were the highlights. This city is a very interesting place, as one friend described it, "Phnom Penh is still the true wild west of SE Asia". Our adventures in the capitol included; tasting the local specialty Happy Herb Pizza, drinking Angkors, watching the Mekong River flow down to Vietnam, techno bumper cars, celebrating Summer's 31st birthday (thanks Brett and JC for your treats), visiting the notorious Killing Fields and experiencing a military shooting range.

The shooting range part of the visit was pretty wild. We pulled up to the range on our motorbikes and we were welcomed with explosive sounds of rapid gunfire - an AK47 Russian assualt rifle. As the powerful noise echoed in our ears a big guy handed us a menu. This was NOT a regular menu...you had the option to fire anything: AK47, M 16, Ruger 22, RPD, Rocket Launcher (B40)!!!! The guys were tempted to try the Rocket Launcher, when else will there be an opportunity like this, but it didn't quite squeeze in the budget. Instead Shawn went for the next best thing a handgrenade.

We walked out to a small pond, heart racing and hands shaking while visualizing all the possible negative consequences that could come about from this $20 investment. Shawn was handed the grenade by the thin Cambodian man in military fatigues. He looked directly at him and said one very important warning "Don't Drop It". He then marched off leaving fate in Shawn's own hands. He wound up and gave it a toss. Upon release it made a quick pop (apparently engaging the explosive) and then splashed in the water. Shawn's first thought was "Damn, that wasn't worth $20 bucks." It seemed like a dud until about five seconds later when the grenade exploded causing the brown water to boil up and shake the ground like a San Francisco earthquake. Talk about a rush!

Wanting to shake the big city we headed south to the beach town, Sihanoukville, for a little rest and relaxation. Cambodia is not an easy place to travel so we were eagerly anticipating the sun, surf and sand. It was exactly what the Doctor ordered...

'Serendipity' was a quiet place with all the necessities for easing the mind. Days filled with good conversation, long walks, diced pineapples, fun books and cold beer.
The owner of the beach shacks we called home, Chuck, is a mid-60s very tan man who scrapped up some cash, left his responsibilities in central Florida and moved to Cambodia. He built some simple shacks and now is just enjoying life. He spends the day talking with guests, flirting with his beautiful 20-something girlfriend and smoking huge spliffs with other Ex-Pats who are running similiar establishments somewhere else on the beach.

The days drifted by in a warm and positive haze. We enjoyed being at this place with such great friends doing nothing but being happy. Getting to spend time like this is one of the true joys of travelling and is even better when you get to share it with others.

The time came for us to start hustling back to Thailand. Our San Francisco friends were due to arrive soon. Having this type of tranquil seclusion usually comes at a small price; our price was a long road back to civilization. We kicked off the trip with another boat ride to the Cambodia/Thailand border. Once again being mobbed and ripped off, the locals keep trying to get those crisp $1 bills that are in our travel packs. They tell you bad information, charge you for it, then you have to pay to get more info from someone else. Just a headache.

Besides the occasional mobs of chaos, we left Cambodia with a good feeling. The monuments were an amazement to behold and the land has so much natural beauty. It also was an extremely educational trip, providing us information about it's historical past and it's recent hardships. It was a very special time for all of us.

Next Adventure: The San Francisco Girls Invade The Beach in Thailand. A month of sun, scuba diving, and dancing on the beach with our friends from San Francisco