Look out Cambodia, there's a new Angelina in town!
I'm in love. Again. Cambodia has to be the most welcoming place I've visited so far, especially considering barely anyone speaks English. They are more than open to you joining them for morning coffee or dinner and just enjoying each others company.
I started in Battambang, a lovely riverside town with Cambodia's best preserved early 20th century French architecture. I stayed at Royal Hotel near Psar Nat, a very large Central market. It was a very clean and central spot to go for long strolls on the riverside or access anything you could need. After a day playing tour guide to myself, I booked a moto (and actual guide) to take me to the more rural area's as well as to see some famous sights.
Our first stop was the Bamboo train (which will be closing next month to make way for a commercial line), Vancouver's wooden roller coaster has nothing on this little piece of Tetanus. It's a 6 HP, gasoline fueled, broken bamboo crate, on a warped track piece of glory! I was terrified! We even derailed at one point! Luckily it's so light that you simply take the bamboo crate off, get the barbell looking wheels back on the track, and you are off again! If two trains are approaching each other the one with less cargo will disassemble to let the other pass by.
We came to a stop to visit with some locals before heading back from the train. Two bright eyed boys had me on their own tour of a brick factory in no time. It's amazing how brilliant these kids are! Not only is their English fantastic but some of them can speak up to five languages! They told us they learn it all from the tourists, and considering they make a dollar a tour and roughly 30 people a day visit, who needs school?! On top that of that brick making is actually pretty cool, I'll save you the details. Highlight of being with these kids was the energy and the laughter and being covered in clay crawling through small spaces, "mind your head", they are so exited to show you everything they know. One of the boys even gave me a ring he had made and put it on my ring finger. I looked at him and said, we are married now you know? Suddenly he went deadpan, his smile disintegrated, and he simply said... "no". we both burst out laughing.
It was a very long day with roadside fruit stand stops, visits to temples, and a tree housing the largest bats I've ever seen. Think Echo, (Jason and Heidi's Chihuahua) with wings. They leave big sticks beside the tree so you can disturb the bats and see them fly. Ugh, gross. We randomly came across a winery (Chan Thai Chhoeng) as well! Does kimhuot (my guide) know me or what?! I tried a red wine which was basically baby duck and no one drinks that crap except Mr. Krees. The strongest brandy ever, not bad for ten in the morn, and a deliciously spicy honey ginger juice, yum!
Two of the biggest highlights on the day, and I mean biggest, were mountaintop temples. Phnom Banan was my first stop. 358 stone steps, 11th century I may add, to five towers reminiscent to Angkor Wat. I struggled to keep a good pace as my legs turned to jelly, god I'm out of shape, but could only hear Christopher yelling encouragement in my ear. Thank Buddha for that because the view from the top was breath taking! I felt like Indianapolis Jones (trailer park boys) as I explored the towers and wondered how this was even possible. The mountains surrounding me, the sweet smell of flowers in the air, and music drifted up from a local wedding made this experience out of this world.
Phnom Sampeau was a complex of temples, and yet another stunning view. Not only does it bottle my mind (blades of glory) how people even got up here to create these places so long ago, but people now live up here and are watching television! This mountain was high, Snoop Dog high and the monkeys definitely have no problem letting you know they live there. As I ran from one a local said, "he not bite, he only kiss" and giggled at me. Great. For my last stop I found my way to the Killing Caves. After this I don't know how well I'm going to deal with the killing fields of Choeung Ek. There are three caves from which people were thrown to plummet to their death after being bludgeoned by the Khmer Rouge cadres. A glass walled memorial at the bottom contains many skulls and bones of the executed. One cave for for the men, one for the babies and children, and one for the women. Unspeakable.
Fun Fact: populated at over 14.8 million people, Cambodia is the 69th most populous country in the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment