Cambodia to Vietnam

(This post is a follow up from our trip around the world. I will be writing a recap for each place we visited during our 4 month trip. Prior to Vietnam we also visited India, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Cambodia).

- The bus ride from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh was really striking. Looking at the blue skies, green patties, and the occasional person or animal dotting the landscape was a great way to pass time during the 6 hour trip.

- We had to cross the Mekong on a ferry, while on the bus. There were all kinds of sales people hawking their goods and foods. There were some odd things for sale, including snake, locusts, and what looked like small fried birds in their entirety. It was a reality check to see such young children selling things.

- Soon after there was a lively market that we passed and people were hauling monstrous loads. We also saw a donkey with a trailer filled with bananas.

- Food rules everything here. I was amazed to watch other local travelers on our bus pack away one thing after the next. Then came a man from the front who decided it would be better to enjoy his meal towards the back of the bus - directly behind us. I could not stop laughing as Stefan and I gave each other looks, because he was loudly enjoying whatever he was eating.

- Right before we crossed the Vietnam border we were surprised to see so many casinos. They looked especially gaudy considering how enormous and decadent they were in such basic surrounds. Customs and immigration were relatively painless we had to take everything off the bus and then have our visas checked. The only noticable difference in Vietnam was many of radio antennas on the roof tops.

Phnom Penh

(This post is a follow up from our trip around the world. I will be writing a recap for each place we visited during our 4 month trip. Prior to Cambodia we also visited India, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore).

We tried to do a lot of overland travel since it's inexpensive and allowed us to take in the scenery. The bus from Siem Reap cost $11 USD and lasted about 5 hours - complete with a Jackie Chan movie for those that didn't bring a book. There was maybe one other tourist on the bus, but it was us and the locals heading to the big city.

- Phnom Penh and Siem Reap are totally different places. Oddly we picked the big city as a place to relax at beautiful hotel with a pool. As soon as we got out of the bus we were bombarded with offers from tuktuk drivers to take us to our hotel.

- While some prices are very inexpensive (like the bus trip), others seem more on par with US prices and higher in Phnom Penh than in Siem Reap. There was a great clothing store called Wanderlust, however limited luggage space didn't work in my favor. The French influence is definitely still a major thread through the city - from pastry shops to signage, architecture, and beautiful clothing.

- Our hotel (the Blue Lime) was a nice oasis in the middle of the dusty city. Once again they had plenty of signage and reconfirmation on acknowledging we were not visiting for sex tourism. They didn't have literature about it at the hotel in the rooms, but there was a sign on the front door to reiterate what an issue this is.

- Sadly as we would walk the streets I would always notice the older white western men walking around alone. They could have been there for business, vacation, or for humanitarian causes, but I found myself judging, guessing, and wondering. Hopefully their intentions are more noble than we gave them credit for.

- Having a beautiful retreat in the city was nice to come back to after days of intense heat and emotional exhaustion. It was also relaxing to have such a beautiful pool to enjoy. There were bananas growing on the trees and we could have breakfast poolside. I especially loved the fresh passion fruit juice.

- There is a lot of diversity in terms of visitors and foods. I get the feeling there must be a rather large expat community in Phnom Penh, most of whom are probably shop and restaurant owners from things we read. The luxury car of choice seems to be a Lexus SUV - the city is littered with them and they look very ostentatious against the surroundings.

- Lately I've read Phnom Penh isn't the safest of cities, however we thankfully didn't encounter any issues. It appears as though Western tourists are being targeted along the River area near the Royal Palace, especially at night or during the night markets. Bricks have been thrown from moving cars and people have been injured as a result.

- The traffic is also an area of concern since people don't always obey street signs. It looks like they get an early start on dealing with navigating the city without fear. I can't quite figure out how the little guys sitting on the bike seat while the other peddled were able to get on the bike.

- There are all kinds of smells on the streets - diesel, fuel from cooking, and rotting foods. On occasion there will also be wafts of fresh air or wonderful foods. Some days the air seemed so heavy that it felt physically difficult to breathe when combined with the heat.

- The pagodas like Wat Phnom tend to attract the disabled hoping for compassion. There were also a lot of children running around. At one point Stefan stopped to put on some sun screen. Two little boys gathered to watch him slather it over his exposed skin. He attempted to tell them what it was and what he was doing it, although the language barrier probably didn't help. I'm curious what they thought.

- Even with so much beauty to distract us we are still constantly confronted with the struggles that poverty brings and the cruelty people are capable of. There aren't too many touristy sites in Phnom Penh to visit, although there is a Genocide museum and the Khmer Rouge killing fields where I'm told bone fragments are visable in the dirt.

- As we walked down the street random tuktuk drivers would stop and ask if we wanted to go to the killing fields and the shooting range. We opted not to go. I don't understand making memorial sites into touristed places that even seem like a mockery. I can't understand why someone would want to shoot a gun after visiting a place where many people lost their lives, but this wasn't the last time we encountered this.

- The Royal Palace is probably the biggest attraction second to Wat Phnom. The grounds are immaculate with many Buddhist monks walking around. The architecture is very beautiful and seems to sparkle in the sun. Again, there were beautiful stupas and Buddhist accents everywhere.

- My favorite stop here was a restaurant called Friends. It's a training site to help Khmer orphans, homeless, or abused children gain experience in a restaurant atmosphere. They also have a school and store that sells articles they have made and teaches them about a variety of issues. The food was outstanding and we bought their cookbook with many of the recipes we tried so we could bring a taste of Cambodia back home.

- We went to the markets, which were definitely larger than expected. The Central Market and more local Orussey Market were especially large and sensory overload. The dark and dank corridors were filled with people selling every imaginable thing. It seemed to go on and on. The Central Market had tons of clothing, sunglasses, jewelry, and watches. There were even little ladies in the back sewing up special orders on the spot. Many of the streets and markets are organized by trades or products. It seems slightly strange to have everything in the same area selling the same goods, but I guess it keeps prices in check.

- We thought the Orussey Market was the so called 'Russian Market' (many Russians visited in the 1980's, hence the name) and wondered why many tourists would visit, however our questions were answered when we learned Orussey is actually the local market.

- After hitting up the main tourist sites we walked to the Independence Monument on our way to the real Russian Market and stumbled upon the North Korean embassy. That was a funny surprise.

- The Russian Market is an interesting place because they have many export seconds. There are quite a few retailers that have factories in the area (including Gap, Banana Republic, and Columbia). What is marketed as authentic merchandise* is sold at this market, because for whatever reason it's not good enough to sell in their stores.

*This is debatable. I've since read the book Where am I Wearing by fellow Ohio native Kelsey Timmerman. He states in his book that none of the clothing at the market is a factory second and is actually missing inventory from the factories. It's an interesting look into factories around the world and what types of people are working at the ground level for some very famous brands.

- It raises a lot of questions about the production of goods and how these stores develop business relations in these countries. Each of the stalls packs and unpacks their goods every single night. We found a couple t-shirts with Khmer on them. I made sure to ask the people at the hotel what they said. My favorite simply says 'Good Morning' both in English and Khmer, since I tend to be an early riser.

- We also stopped at the modern mall where it's said many country Khmer ride their first escalators. At the top was a beautiful panorama of the city and a bustling roller skating rink that the teenagers were enjoying. There was also a large shop selling bootleg DVDs. We saw season 3 of 30 Rock for $4, but we didn't want to support the bootleg economy.

We were very grateful to have some downtime and see another facet of Cambodian culture. Phnom Penh is a unique place where the pains of big city life are evident. People move there for jobs to support their families in the country side. They work in intense heat for low wages and often for long hours and the wealth divide is enormous. The textile industry is enormous and I always think about it when I put on an article of clothing with 'Made in Cambodia' on the tag.

Cambodia is definitely on my list of places I'd like to return to. It's a beautiful culture that has been through some difficult times, but the people seem determined and the government has a lot of support from multilateral donors.

Next stop... Vietnam.

Tonlé Sap

(This post is a follow up from our trip around the world. I will be writing a recap for each place we visited during our 4 month trip. Prior to Cambodia we also visited India, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore).

- Visiting Tonlé Sap takes some effort, but it's most definitely worth it. We chose to go a bit further at the recommendation of our hotel and it took roughly 2 hours to get to the Kampong Phluk Village (Harbor of the Tusks). This area is less touristed due to being only accessible by water.

- Getting out of the city area was very eye opening and heart warming. We saw so many adorable little school children and even tinier ones with little tanned bottoms that would wave and say 'Hello!' with so much enthusiasm. Once again we were shown so much kindness and generosity without expectations for anything in return. I truly can't think of a more hospitable place.

- As we went down many dirt roads and it crossed my mind that we were so trusting, because we really didn't have an idea where we were. That vulnerable state seems to really awaken all senses. It's so nice to get out of the city and to see how people truly live. This day will forever stay in my mind.

- After our long journey we arrived at the boat station where a young boy started our boat. It was clear he was accustomed to navigating the water. At one point he the engine stopped and he climbed out on the side and began finagling around in the middle of the lake. Evidently he's also well versed in fixing engines.

- Along the way we saw a very small island packed with cattle, random foliage growing in the water, and the occasional settlement or home. The lake was especially vast due to the recent heavy rains and our arrival at the end of the wet season when it swells to 4 times its original size.

- Approaching the large housing area was one of those eye opening moments seeing how people could live entirely on water. I worried about children falling in and found it interesting to think they learned to row boats and swim before running and riding bikes. Impressively these homes have stilts between 6 and 10 meters high to keep them above the water line. When the water decreases temporary housing is built to follow the fish.

- Living surrounded by water naturally brings about the difficult nature of using the water to bathe, clean, and use the restroom. Thankfully this is the largest fresh lake in Southeast Asia. We also saw signs with US flags on several water wells in land. Not having proper bathroom facilities or clean water should be something everyone has access to.

- Fish was clearly the staple food, however we also saw chickens in cages underneath homes, and piglets in boats. There were also small floating markets.

-We were transfered from our larger boat to a small row boat so we could visit the submerged mangrove forest. It was a very beautiful place and surprisingly quite large. I was also surprised when the woman rowing the boat pulled out a cell phone with images to show us where she was taking us. It definitely showed me that even being so far out how inter-connected the world really is.

- The only very tiny area of land had the community school, healthy center, and a small pagoda. We also saw a police station and what appeared to be a lot of political signage.

Kampong Phluk felt like a testament to both what people do to survive and also how resilient people are, although not necessarily by choice. It's so impressive to see people live so close with nature and I wish I could have talked to more people about they knowledge they've gained from doing so.

It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:

"Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you."

- Frank Lloyd Wright

Siem Reap

(This post is a follow up from our trip around the world. I will be writing a recap for each place we visited during our 4 month trip. Prior to Cambodia we also visited India, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore).

Let me preface this by saying I absolutely loved Cambodia and Siem Reap in particular. There are places you travel that simply resonate instantly and for me they include Iceland, Cambodia, and Hawaii. Natural beauty, geological diversity, laid back style, and kind people are what win me over.

- Our arrival to Siem Reap wasn't very pleasant actually. It was pouring and Cambodia had been majorly flooded. We weren't even sure if we were going to be able to visit or if our plans would be completely rearranged. This would have proved to be difficult because in addition to our Around the World flight ticket we also needed to book several side flights, including this one.

- My name was misspelled on my visa, which was fixed with a bit of whiteout and then I noticed my passport number was incorrectly written as well.

- We managed to get the pre-paid taxi driver who was a bit of a renegade. He wanted to offer us his services as tour guide / driver. We told him we'd consider it and asked if we could contact him once we got some sleep. That wasn't good enough. He began the pressure sales and then came the emotional blackmail on supporting him and his family if we traveled to his country. It started to get borderline hostile. He claimed to not know where our hotel was and wanted to drop us at another one. Then he said he was wasting his time and wanted to drop us at the side of the road in the torrential rain. We told him when we paid at the airport they knew where it was, so we would call them or the hotel if it was an issue. As he drove to the center of the city I spotted our hotel and we quickly got out (stepping into a monstrous puddle) and were welcomed to our fantastic hotel - the Soria Moria, which I can't recommend highly enough.

- One heartbreaking fact is that the sex tourism industry is alive in Cambodia and between 14,000 and 24,000 street children live there. It was nice to see our hotel confronted this and had information on making choices that can benefit the locals. In each room they had a small card that fit in a wallet explaining ways to help or what to do if street children approached us selling things and ways to help, which was sponsored by ChildSafe International. The Soria Moria was a very socially aware place and it was evident they did what they could to be involved with programs to help the community including selling love-cards artwork as well as programs in conjunction with the Sangkheum Center for Children. More can be read about how they engage the community here.

- Every visitor to the Angkor Wat temples must have an 'Angkor Pass', which costs $20 for one day, $40 for 3, or $60 for a week. They had to be used on consecutive days and they take a digital photo when printing the pass, so they are not transferable.

- Despite arriving very early and setting out for the temples before it got sweltering we really didn't have enough time to see everything we wanted. I didn't panic, because it's a place we will likely return in the future.

- We took a tuktuk from our hotel and started with a visit to Angkor Thom and the Banyon area before heading to Ta Prohm, Phnom Bakheng, and Angkor Wat. At times we felt like we were alone as we wandered around, because it wasn't high tourist season.

- The ride through the jungle was a lot of fun. Our tuktuk had the constant buzz of a lawn mower and there was plenty to see along the beautiful journey. One of the funniest sights was monkeys chasing children.

- At Angkor Thom we climbed through the ruins and were in awe of how spectacular things were. Considering the ruins were from the late 12th century it was very impressive.

- Many of the ruins had people selling things nearby and particularly children. At Ta Prohm we were confronted with some characters wanting to sell water or other merchandise. It's really difficult to see little ones selling things they probably don't even get to enjoy. It makes me sad to see so many lost childhoods and the struggle to live. There's a thin line between helping and actually perpetuating the problem.

- Some of the things we heard: "Lady, you buy from me. I give you good price". I declined, which resulted in "You come back tomorrow, ok?" Stefan bought a t-shirt from a road side stand and a young girl wanted to sell him the identical shirt he had just bought. He told her he only had one body and only needed one shirt. Her response was, 'if you lie to me you die!'

- Ta Prohm is widely recognized from the Tomb Raider movies. The trees seem to melt over the ruins and seeing how human architecture is taken over by nature is so powerful. We explored the site and followed several paths that always seemed to lead to another room that held another amazing site. We were almost by ourselves again, which gave us enough time to take in the scenery and take a lot of beautiful photos. It is such a majestic place that words really cannot describe.

- Our driver Mr. Roth took us to Phnom Bakheng, a little hill, which is a great lookout point at sunset. The temple was very steep and some of the steps are only a few inches wide. We walked up the narrow steps to the temple, but didn't stay too long since we wanted to see Angkor Wat, which would be shortly closing.

- We arrived at Angkor Wat as it was closing and were able to get a few photos, however we didn't want to spend another $20 to go back the next day, so it's instead on our list of places to return to. The sheer size of Angkor Wat is impressive, but we both preferred the jungle temple at Ta Prohm.

The next day in Siem Reap we got out of the city to explore the countryside and a fascinating water village in the Tonlé Sap lake, which deserves more than a quick mention.

Maracuja

Apologies for not responding to emails or writing. Our internet was out this past week, which was interesting, because we also get our TV through internet cable and therefore it was back to less technological entertainment - lots of radio, baking, and the occasional DVD. It was actually kind of nice.

I was able to get more photo editing done and recreate one of the amazing desserts we had in Phnom Penh. They have this really great café called Friends, which helps to give the youth training in preparing and serving food, so they have a marketable skill. I'll write more about it once I get to Cambodia, but it was so fantastic that I bought their cookbook.

The cake is a coconut lime concoction that is served with one of my favorite fruits - passion fruit (Maracuja auf Deutsch). As always I stuck to smaller portions.

We also had tons of passion fruits in the Maldives, so it takes me back to a couple of my favorite locales. Their fruits are enormous compared to what I can get here.