AlteCocker in Siem Reap (angkor Wat), Cambodia: December 16-21, 2014
December 16, 2014: Getting There
AlteCocker does not know about you, but she never sleeps well the night before flying anywhere--especially if her flight is in the morning and she is worried about getting to the airport. In fact, she generally arrives too early because you never know. At the airport in Chiang Mai you put your baggage through security before entering the airport. Then she went to the Air Asia like. OK, she went to the domestic line because her first stop was in Bangkok where she had to change planes. Wrong. You clear immigration in in Chiang Mai. So, you have to check in at international. No worries. Just a short walk--with a very long queue of Chinese group tourists who think being part of a group allows them to cut into the line. They also have mega amounts of luggage. You would think some of them were planning to be away from home for 2 years rather than 1-2 weeks. Well, they will learn--and they did not cut in front of AlteCocker who had only hand luggage.
Then AlteCocker went through immigration. There were plenty of opportunities to spend money in the airport as Thailand is largely one large shopping opportunity and no shopping opportunity is to be missed. AlteCocker has seen it all already. She hung around for a long time before her flight was finally called. Where did it board? Yup. It was back over to the domestic terminal to board it so AlteCocker did a tour of the airport. Thankfully, Chiang Mai Airport is not large.
The flight landed at Don Mueng Airport in Bangkok. A word to the wise, before booking any flights in Thailand, if you meed to make a connection, make sure your second flight leaves from the same airport where your first flight arrives. No, AlteCocker did not have a problem here because, by this time, she knew what was necessary. When we landed in Don Mueng, a representative of Air Asia herded those connecting internationally through the terminal so we would not go back through Thai immigration, etc.
AlteCocker had a few hours to kill before the flight to Siem Reap and killed some time at the Starbucks and then talking to a guy from Norway who was also headed to Siem Reap. Eventually the plane boarded and AlteCocker arrived in Siem Reap. A word on Cambodian visas: You can do them online but you need to print them out, so AlteCocker did hers at the airport. Everything in Siem Reap appears to be in American dollars, which AlteCocker (not having done her homework) did not know. That was a real surprise. It's $30 for the visa in US dollars. They will not take Cambodian money. There is an ATM machine just before the visa counter if you need dollars. It only dispenses dollars. The guy at the hotel told me that you only receive Cambodian money if your change is less than a dollar.
OK, exiting the terminal in Siem Reap, AlteCocker was greeted by a huge scrum of people with signs with people's names on them. She could not remember whether she ordered transportation to her hotel, the Shining Ankor Boutique Hotel. She would have been standing there for a very long time reading all the signs, so she just shouted "Shining Ankor Boutique Hotel"and one guy said "Yes"and was holding a sign with AlteCocker's name on it it (no not ÄlteCocker"--her real name). AlteCocker was then led to a Cambodian version of a tuk tuk--a cab attached to a motor scooter that made AlteCocker feel like a raja.
Unfortunately, driving from the airport to the hotel, the poverty in Cambodia was immediately apparent--much more so than in Thailand. It was a bit depressing but, we all know about what Cambodia went through with the Khmer Rouge. The economy was destroyed--together with many human beings. As is true with Thailand, you do not see many old people, but you do see a lot of children. AlteCocker saw one young child totally naked by the side of the road.
About the hotel: It's great. AlteCocker has a lovely room for $220 (cash only; no one except major hotels and airlines knows from credit cards in SE Asia). This is for five nights! She was informed she has an upgraded room. Only bad thing is that the hotel has a pool and AlteCocker, who did not know that, left her bathing suits in Chiang Mai. Tant pis for AlteCocker!
AlteCocker has booked a guide for 5 full days for Siem Reap. Tonight she had a mediocre dinner in the hotel restaurant. She met a young man, Greg (well, he is 45, but to AlteCocker he is young), and he agreed to share the guide for the first 1 1/2 days. The guide and driver are only $50 per day so it was no big deal for AlteCocker to pay herself but having company is always nice too. When you travel solo, you are never really alone.
Then AlteCocker went through immigration. There were plenty of opportunities to spend money in the airport as Thailand is largely one large shopping opportunity and no shopping opportunity is to be missed. AlteCocker has seen it all already. She hung around for a long time before her flight was finally called. Where did it board? Yup. It was back over to the domestic terminal to board it so AlteCocker did a tour of the airport. Thankfully, Chiang Mai Airport is not large.
The flight landed at Don Mueng Airport in Bangkok. A word to the wise, before booking any flights in Thailand, if you meed to make a connection, make sure your second flight leaves from the same airport where your first flight arrives. No, AlteCocker did not have a problem here because, by this time, she knew what was necessary. When we landed in Don Mueng, a representative of Air Asia herded those connecting internationally through the terminal so we would not go back through Thai immigration, etc.
AlteCocker had a few hours to kill before the flight to Siem Reap and killed some time at the Starbucks and then talking to a guy from Norway who was also headed to Siem Reap. Eventually the plane boarded and AlteCocker arrived in Siem Reap. A word on Cambodian visas: You can do them online but you need to print them out, so AlteCocker did hers at the airport. Everything in Siem Reap appears to be in American dollars, which AlteCocker (not having done her homework) did not know. That was a real surprise. It's $30 for the visa in US dollars. They will not take Cambodian money. There is an ATM machine just before the visa counter if you need dollars. It only dispenses dollars. The guy at the hotel told me that you only receive Cambodian money if your change is less than a dollar.
OK, exiting the terminal in Siem Reap, AlteCocker was greeted by a huge scrum of people with signs with people's names on them. She could not remember whether she ordered transportation to her hotel, the Shining Ankor Boutique Hotel. She would have been standing there for a very long time reading all the signs, so she just shouted "Shining Ankor Boutique Hotel"and one guy said "Yes"and was holding a sign with AlteCocker's name on it it (no not ÄlteCocker"--her real name). AlteCocker was then led to a Cambodian version of a tuk tuk--a cab attached to a motor scooter that made AlteCocker feel like a raja.
Unfortunately, driving from the airport to the hotel, the poverty in Cambodia was immediately apparent--much more so than in Thailand. It was a bit depressing but, we all know about what Cambodia went through with the Khmer Rouge. The economy was destroyed--together with many human beings. As is true with Thailand, you do not see many old people, but you do see a lot of children. AlteCocker saw one young child totally naked by the side of the road.
About the hotel: It's great. AlteCocker has a lovely room for $220 (cash only; no one except major hotels and airlines knows from credit cards in SE Asia). This is for five nights! She was informed she has an upgraded room. Only bad thing is that the hotel has a pool and AlteCocker, who did not know that, left her bathing suits in Chiang Mai. Tant pis for AlteCocker!
AlteCocker has booked a guide for 5 full days for Siem Reap. Tonight she had a mediocre dinner in the hotel restaurant. She met a young man, Greg (well, he is 45, but to AlteCocker he is young), and he agreed to share the guide for the first 1 1/2 days. The guide and driver are only $50 per day so it was no big deal for AlteCocker to pay herself but having company is always nice too. When you travel solo, you are never really alone.
December 17, 2014: Not Angkor Wat Yet
The guide is Kim Reing. He can be reached at [email protected] for any of you needing a good guide for Siem Reap, And all the temples here. He has worked out well. For ease of communication with the guide, AlteCocker bought a $5 SIM card for her Thai phone at the Siem Riep airport. She does recommend that you work out telephone communication abroad and learn how to use the phones. It helps.
For the first day AlteCocker and Greg visited a variety of temples, but not Angkor Wat. There is a lot to see here and it is not one of the places where you run in and run out. There is a lot of walking. The advantage of going with a guided tour of some sort is that those people know what you should see and can provide you with information as you go. Some people, mostly of the AlteCocker sort, will not want to climb out on top of all the temples. AlteCocker had no desire to do so as her back was bothering her, so she would walk one way while Greg climbed things when he wanted to. There is no prize for the person who climbs to the top of the most temples in Siem Reap. AlteCocker would rather return to the US in a seat rather than in a box with the luggage--if you know what she means.
Now this is not going to be a doctoral dissertation or a list of temples in Siem Reap. For that you can look here and here. The temples are basically Hindu or Buddhist and some are both. Angkor Wat is the largest. You will do a lot of walking. Taking a tour with a tuk tuk driver is going to be cheaper that what AlteCocker chose to do, but you will do even more walking. With a tuk tuk, the driver drops you off and you go back to where you started to pick him up. With a guide and driver there is air conditioning in the car. You will be dropped off one place and picked up at another so that you do less walking. It is also a great advantage to have a guide with you because he knows what you should see. As AlteCocker is a guide herself, sometimes a private tour is the best way to go. AlteCocker's money was well worth spent on Kim Reing and his driver.
For the first day we saw Ta Phrohm, sometimes referred to as the "jungle temple"". It's the one with all the trees growing out of it that you have all seen in the pictures. It is pretty spectacular, but after a gazillion photos of trees growing out of it, you're done. AlteCocker did learn that Greg was a lot fonder of taking his photo everywhere than AlteCocker was, so, as a result when Kim took his photo, AlteCocker mostly had hers taken too. End result: Lots of photos of 68 year old AlteCocker that no one will be interested in seeing but they will go up on the site anyway once she gets home. You don't have to look.
In the evening AlteCocker went to the Cambodian Circus Show. It had been glowingly reviewed and was worth every penny of the $16 she paid (booking through your hotel here often gets you a discount; regular price is $18). AlteCocker recommends all of you see this show. They do rotate the show every week, so, if you hit your days right, you might be able to go twice. AlteCocker will just be able to go once. The performers all started out with difficult backgrounds. Cambodia had lots of wars during the 1970s-1990s. The poverty can be very extreme and children are trafficked. Here is the site for the circus, so you can read about what they do. AlteCocker saw the show called "Soka" inspired by the trauma caused by the Khmer Rouge on the Cambodian people. It was an astonishing show with acrobats and an artist who created amazing paintings during the show. There is an associated shop that sells things including art work by some of the students in the program. AlteCocker had been paid in Cambodian money for his part of the 1 1/2 days of guiding and she used a chunk of it to buy a picture of monks getting alms. It supports the program and she was happy to spend money there. She took a tuk tuk from the hotel to the circus and then asked him to return for her when it got out. No problem. Price $2 each way. AlteCocker skipped dinner because she took a nap before the show. She could use to eat less anyway--especially after all the ice cream she has had in Thailand.
For the first day AlteCocker and Greg visited a variety of temples, but not Angkor Wat. There is a lot to see here and it is not one of the places where you run in and run out. There is a lot of walking. The advantage of going with a guided tour of some sort is that those people know what you should see and can provide you with information as you go. Some people, mostly of the AlteCocker sort, will not want to climb out on top of all the temples. AlteCocker had no desire to do so as her back was bothering her, so she would walk one way while Greg climbed things when he wanted to. There is no prize for the person who climbs to the top of the most temples in Siem Reap. AlteCocker would rather return to the US in a seat rather than in a box with the luggage--if you know what she means.
Now this is not going to be a doctoral dissertation or a list of temples in Siem Reap. For that you can look here and here. The temples are basically Hindu or Buddhist and some are both. Angkor Wat is the largest. You will do a lot of walking. Taking a tour with a tuk tuk driver is going to be cheaper that what AlteCocker chose to do, but you will do even more walking. With a tuk tuk, the driver drops you off and you go back to where you started to pick him up. With a guide and driver there is air conditioning in the car. You will be dropped off one place and picked up at another so that you do less walking. It is also a great advantage to have a guide with you because he knows what you should see. As AlteCocker is a guide herself, sometimes a private tour is the best way to go. AlteCocker's money was well worth spent on Kim Reing and his driver.
For the first day we saw Ta Phrohm, sometimes referred to as the "jungle temple"". It's the one with all the trees growing out of it that you have all seen in the pictures. It is pretty spectacular, but after a gazillion photos of trees growing out of it, you're done. AlteCocker did learn that Greg was a lot fonder of taking his photo everywhere than AlteCocker was, so, as a result when Kim took his photo, AlteCocker mostly had hers taken too. End result: Lots of photos of 68 year old AlteCocker that no one will be interested in seeing but they will go up on the site anyway once she gets home. You don't have to look.
In the evening AlteCocker went to the Cambodian Circus Show. It had been glowingly reviewed and was worth every penny of the $16 she paid (booking through your hotel here often gets you a discount; regular price is $18). AlteCocker recommends all of you see this show. They do rotate the show every week, so, if you hit your days right, you might be able to go twice. AlteCocker will just be able to go once. The performers all started out with difficult backgrounds. Cambodia had lots of wars during the 1970s-1990s. The poverty can be very extreme and children are trafficked. Here is the site for the circus, so you can read about what they do. AlteCocker saw the show called "Soka" inspired by the trauma caused by the Khmer Rouge on the Cambodian people. It was an astonishing show with acrobats and an artist who created amazing paintings during the show. There is an associated shop that sells things including art work by some of the students in the program. AlteCocker had been paid in Cambodian money for his part of the 1 1/2 days of guiding and she used a chunk of it to buy a picture of monks getting alms. It supports the program and she was happy to spend money there. She took a tuk tuk from the hotel to the circus and then asked him to return for her when it got out. No problem. Price $2 each way. AlteCocker skipped dinner because she took a nap before the show. She could use to eat less anyway--especially after all the ice cream she has had in Thailand.
December 18, 2014: Angkor Wat, Koulen Restaurant
Today was the day--ta da!--that AlteCocker finally did Angkor Wat. What can you say about this enormous temple except that everyone wants to see it. It is on all the lists of places people should see before they die. It was on AlteCocker's list too and now she has done it. Entering the site requires a lot of walking. You climb a lot of stairs because, there are a lot of stairs. When we got to the point where you go up on top, AlteCocker bailed. The stairs were very steep and AlteCocker was more worried about going down afterward. She viewed obviously terrified people holding on for dear life. So, she wimped out. There were tons of Buddhist novices visiting and she contented herself while Greg climbed up and walked around. She made sure to get some photos of Greg going down that she will email to him once she returns to the US and dumps the photos on her computer at home.
What tour guide Kim told AlteCocker was that only some of the boys would actually become monks. Giving a boy to a monastery is a way for him to get an education when he finished primary school. Secondary schools are only in towns and for country children it may be the only alternative. Some of the novices were quite young. Some choose to leave the monastery once they are of age to take adult vows. Some of the boys were quite young and almost all were barefoot just as adult monks are. They eat only breakfast and lunch in the monastery and must "beg" for food in the morning just as adult monks do. However, from what AlteCocker has observed, monks go to regular stations where people provide them with food. It is still a very austere life for young boys--and adult men too. There is no comparable system for girls.
After finishing with Angkor Wat, we went to a memorial for victims of the Khmer Rouge very close to the hotel. It was excruciating to read about all the deaths that had happened--and Kim had told me stories about his own family during the tour. People killed for nothing. Kim told me that his mother and father were kept apart during the Khmer Rouge. His father used to sneak in at night with food to feed his mother and Kim. Kim was told not to bang the spoon on the bowl. If someone heard it, they might all be killed. One set of his grandparents were killed.
Going into the site was excruciating too. There was a woman there with a baby with a huge head--probably as a result of untreated hydroencephalus. She was, of course, begging. There were other beggars on the site as well, one with a deformed child and the other who herself was horribly deformed. AlteCocker has learned to leave her purse in the car. The problem is that, if you give to one, you will face a feeding frenzy of sharks--which is why she doesn't buy from the aggressive vendors at the entrance to every Cambodian temple site. You just have to walk away--not that it isn't painful. Cambodia is a country where everyone is personally a holocaust survivor a child of survivors. It will be a long way back for the country after all the fighting.
After the memorial--which includes a pile of skulls that reminded AlteCocker of the Ossuary in Verdun, France--it was time for Greg to leave the tour. We had begun Angkor Wat at 7:30am to avoid tour groups and people who must see the sunrise there. As with all historic sites, guides know when to take tourists there. As we were leaving, mega amounts of group tours arrived. Kim did good here.
AlteCocker took a nap and then Kim came to the hotel again at 3:30pm to take her to another small temple with good carving. After the temple she had a stop at the covered market area where she, due to amazing prices, bought a lot of stuff she really didn't need. AlteCocker could not, for example, pass up a hammock for $3 even if she had no idea what she was going to do with it at home--probably give it away to someone who has two big trees in his backyard.
Then it was off to the buffet and Cambodian dance show at the Koulen Restaurant in downtown Siem Reap. She had some reservations about the show after the one she saw in Chiang Mai in November, but it turned out to be much better. The buffet was so enormous that she came nowhere close to trying everything. Desserts, as the often are in Thailand, were the least interesting part of the menu. AlteCocker mostly stuck to the pineapple although she did try something called a "sweet turnip" that tasted more like some variety of apple than a turnip. The show was marred by Chinese tourists who talk through everything and think nothing of blocking your view to stand up and take photos of everything. In the end they all rushed the stage to take photos of themselves with the dancers. Basically, if you are just trying to get photos of the dancers in their spectacular costumes, all your photos will have extraneous people in them. The service was mediocre. AlteCocker requested a bottle of water 3 times without success. She finally had to go up to a woman who looked as if she was in charge of the service to get it. She thinks they were so busy waiting on the big groups that a single person just got ignored. Despite all the evening was only $12 plus drinks (they charge extra for drinks on all these shows in SE Asia) and the dancing was good; she would go again.
While Kim and his driver offered to pick AlteCocker up after the show, she had released them to spend time with their families. She took a tuk tuk back to the hotel.
What tour guide Kim told AlteCocker was that only some of the boys would actually become monks. Giving a boy to a monastery is a way for him to get an education when he finished primary school. Secondary schools are only in towns and for country children it may be the only alternative. Some of the novices were quite young. Some choose to leave the monastery once they are of age to take adult vows. Some of the boys were quite young and almost all were barefoot just as adult monks are. They eat only breakfast and lunch in the monastery and must "beg" for food in the morning just as adult monks do. However, from what AlteCocker has observed, monks go to regular stations where people provide them with food. It is still a very austere life for young boys--and adult men too. There is no comparable system for girls.
After finishing with Angkor Wat, we went to a memorial for victims of the Khmer Rouge very close to the hotel. It was excruciating to read about all the deaths that had happened--and Kim had told me stories about his own family during the tour. People killed for nothing. Kim told me that his mother and father were kept apart during the Khmer Rouge. His father used to sneak in at night with food to feed his mother and Kim. Kim was told not to bang the spoon on the bowl. If someone heard it, they might all be killed. One set of his grandparents were killed.
Going into the site was excruciating too. There was a woman there with a baby with a huge head--probably as a result of untreated hydroencephalus. She was, of course, begging. There were other beggars on the site as well, one with a deformed child and the other who herself was horribly deformed. AlteCocker has learned to leave her purse in the car. The problem is that, if you give to one, you will face a feeding frenzy of sharks--which is why she doesn't buy from the aggressive vendors at the entrance to every Cambodian temple site. You just have to walk away--not that it isn't painful. Cambodia is a country where everyone is personally a holocaust survivor a child of survivors. It will be a long way back for the country after all the fighting.
After the memorial--which includes a pile of skulls that reminded AlteCocker of the Ossuary in Verdun, France--it was time for Greg to leave the tour. We had begun Angkor Wat at 7:30am to avoid tour groups and people who must see the sunrise there. As with all historic sites, guides know when to take tourists there. As we were leaving, mega amounts of group tours arrived. Kim did good here.
AlteCocker took a nap and then Kim came to the hotel again at 3:30pm to take her to another small temple with good carving. After the temple she had a stop at the covered market area where she, due to amazing prices, bought a lot of stuff she really didn't need. AlteCocker could not, for example, pass up a hammock for $3 even if she had no idea what she was going to do with it at home--probably give it away to someone who has two big trees in his backyard.
Then it was off to the buffet and Cambodian dance show at the Koulen Restaurant in downtown Siem Reap. She had some reservations about the show after the one she saw in Chiang Mai in November, but it turned out to be much better. The buffet was so enormous that she came nowhere close to trying everything. Desserts, as the often are in Thailand, were the least interesting part of the menu. AlteCocker mostly stuck to the pineapple although she did try something called a "sweet turnip" that tasted more like some variety of apple than a turnip. The show was marred by Chinese tourists who talk through everything and think nothing of blocking your view to stand up and take photos of everything. In the end they all rushed the stage to take photos of themselves with the dancers. Basically, if you are just trying to get photos of the dancers in their spectacular costumes, all your photos will have extraneous people in them. The service was mediocre. AlteCocker requested a bottle of water 3 times without success. She finally had to go up to a woman who looked as if she was in charge of the service to get it. She thinks they were so busy waiting on the big groups that a single person just got ignored. Despite all the evening was only $12 plus drinks (they charge extra for drinks on all these shows in SE Asia) and the dancing was good; she would go again.
While Kim and his driver offered to pick AlteCocker up after the show, she had released them to spend time with their families. She took a tuk tuk back to the hotel.
December 19, 2014: An Another Temple, The Angkor Museum
AlteCocker bought a 3 day pass for the temples in Siem Reap. It was $40. Today her last day was used up. She went to see Banteay Serei, a small Hindu temple with beautiful sculptures. Despite being out of the way, there were plenty of tourists--in fact way too many of them (including the inevitable Chinese group tourists blocking every else's photos as they took their 14th photo of the same thing. If you have traveled anywhere near Chinese groups, you will be familiar with that phenomena. AlteCocker has a theory that they will all stop such behavior once they have had the opportunity to travel to more places, but, by that time she may be dead.
After the temple, at AlteCocker's request, we stopped at a place that sold baskets. AlteCocker thought about buying some placemats but she has only one small piece of hand luggage with a really problem stuffing everything in at this point,. She contented herself with a small platter type of basket. She even knows where it is going in her house--unlike much of the other crap she has purchased on this SE Asian shopping trip.
After the basket stop, we then went to a school where poor children are trained for jobs in crafts, as there is a huge market for sculpture and various arts in Siem Reap. You are taken around by a guide from the school. The students select the craft they want to pursue. You see stone carving, wood carving, painting on lacquer. You see how they do it. The shop is extensive and there is no pressure to buy, so AlteCocker ended up purchasing a small lacquer painting that she can put somewhere in her house on a stand. They took credit cards--which virtually doomed AlteCocker to make a purchase.
Next was the Angkor National Museum. AlteCocker released the guide and driver to return in 2 hours when she entered because she always takes a long time in museums and there was no point in having them sit outside in the heat. This museum is a winner! It has an acoustiguide tour for $3, but AlteCocker passed on it as such tours often just repeat what is already contained in explanations on the wall. There were a lot of film shorts explaining Hinduism, Buddhism and the kings of the old Khmer Kingdom. We have a huge civilization in SE Asia that was active at the same time as the Middle Ages in Europe and yet AlteCocker knew nothing about it. Serious reading is in order. AlteCocker couldn't remember what time the guide and driver were to come back so she called them about 10 minutes early (she couldn't remember whether it was 20 minutes after the hour or 20 minutes before the next hour). When the guide told her it was 20 minutes before the next hour, she had 10 minutes to do more damage in the shop. She bought a small purse that will go very nicely with her silk dress presuming she finds a place to wear the dress.
At that point, AlteCocker asked to simply return to her hotel for down time rather than go to another temple. Saturation has been reached. It was time for reading and a rest before heading out for dinner on Pub Street (unremarkable) and then ice cream at the Blue Pumpkin, a sort of French cafe. She had cashew caramel and chocolate. Do not beat her over the head for having 2 scoops. She might return to the Blue Pumpkin for dinner tomorrow night--her last night in Siem Reap.
After the temple, at AlteCocker's request, we stopped at a place that sold baskets. AlteCocker thought about buying some placemats but she has only one small piece of hand luggage with a really problem stuffing everything in at this point,. She contented herself with a small platter type of basket. She even knows where it is going in her house--unlike much of the other crap she has purchased on this SE Asian shopping trip.
After the basket stop, we then went to a school where poor children are trained for jobs in crafts, as there is a huge market for sculpture and various arts in Siem Reap. You are taken around by a guide from the school. The students select the craft they want to pursue. You see stone carving, wood carving, painting on lacquer. You see how they do it. The shop is extensive and there is no pressure to buy, so AlteCocker ended up purchasing a small lacquer painting that she can put somewhere in her house on a stand. They took credit cards--which virtually doomed AlteCocker to make a purchase.
Next was the Angkor National Museum. AlteCocker released the guide and driver to return in 2 hours when she entered because she always takes a long time in museums and there was no point in having them sit outside in the heat. This museum is a winner! It has an acoustiguide tour for $3, but AlteCocker passed on it as such tours often just repeat what is already contained in explanations on the wall. There were a lot of film shorts explaining Hinduism, Buddhism and the kings of the old Khmer Kingdom. We have a huge civilization in SE Asia that was active at the same time as the Middle Ages in Europe and yet AlteCocker knew nothing about it. Serious reading is in order. AlteCocker couldn't remember what time the guide and driver were to come back so she called them about 10 minutes early (she couldn't remember whether it was 20 minutes after the hour or 20 minutes before the next hour). When the guide told her it was 20 minutes before the next hour, she had 10 minutes to do more damage in the shop. She bought a small purse that will go very nicely with her silk dress presuming she finds a place to wear the dress.
At that point, AlteCocker asked to simply return to her hotel for down time rather than go to another temple. Saturation has been reached. It was time for reading and a rest before heading out for dinner on Pub Street (unremarkable) and then ice cream at the Blue Pumpkin, a sort of French cafe. She had cashew caramel and chocolate. Do not beat her over the head for having 2 scoops. She might return to the Blue Pumpkin for dinner tomorrow night--her last night in Siem Reap.
December 20, 2014: One More Temple, Kompong Pluk Stilt Village
AlteCocker and guide drove 50km to the ruined temple of Beng Mealea. This temple gives you an idea of what the temples look like before restoration. It's a mess with blocks all over and every which way. It's a good day excursion for those staying here more than 2-3 days, but not one AlteCocker would put on the top of her list if you plan a shorter stay than she has. We walked around and watched some Japanese girls climb like monkeys all over the ruins taking photos of themselves. Some of what they were doing was very dangerous. Fortunately AlteCocker's back is better after starting another round of prednisone, but not well enough to act like a monkey. She stuck to the paths.
For lunch we stopped at Stoeng Trorcheak Restaurant. The restaurant has a huge menu and is adjacent to a river. AlteCocker stuck to the tried and true Indonesian chicken satay. The guide got amok (a fish) cooked in a coconut. AlteCocker got to try some. She had had a bite at the dancing show two nights ago at the buffet. Stoeng Trorcheak's version was certainly better. The driver got beef in a sour sauce--which AlteCocker also tasted. She was informed that the sour taste is from tamarind, but who knows? it had a very unusual taste. Getting a small taste of other's meals is a good way to decide whether one likes a dish or not. The amok was definitely more to AlteCocker's taste than the sour beef. This is mainly a tourist restaurant. Cambodians, by and large, can't afford it (of course AlteCocker was paying). The bill for the 3 of us was $27. So, this gives you an idea of how little Cambodians earn. No one had alcohol but we all had Cokes--which appears to be Cambodia's national drink (AlteCocker's was a Coke Light, which you can't always find).
Then we went on to see Kompong Phluk, a cluster of 3 villages on stilts about 16 km southwest of Siem Reap. Do not attempt to drive this on your own as the road to the boat dock is very rough. During the wet season it will be a muddy truck and you will need a pick up truck. AlteCocker has not observed any 4 wheel drive vehicles in Siem Reap. When we got to the place where you buy tickets, there was some confusion as to just where the ticket office was but the guide sorted it out after asking someone hanging out there. We then continued on the rough road--which got rougher--to the boat dock. When you get there, you see a lot of drivers and boats waiting their turn to schlep tourists on this journey; they rest and play cards waiting their turn. AlteCocker had to pay $25 to charter the boat for herself. She would have done much better financially to go as part of a group, but $25 is not too much to pay when you've come this far. The boat has to be the oldest ricketiest boat in which AlteCocker has ever set foot. She has a lot of trouble getting into the boar because of the way it was docked and was reduced to sliding on her butt part of the way.
And so we continued on to the so called floating villages. During the wet season, they may appear to "float", but they are really just houses up on stilts to keep them dry during the wet. Reviews of the villages tend to describe them in a somewhat idyllic manner, but look closely and you will see dire poverty: No electricity, the toilet dumps into the river and the people bath in the same water in which the toilet dumps. AlteCocker supposes life spans and opportunities are limited. Some children looked as if they had not had a bath in weeks. At one point the boat docks and you get off and walk around. When we did, a lady said to the guide, "You come from so far away to see and I have never been to Ankor Wat." Mind you the woman is less than 20km away. She had spent all of her life in the village. Instead of a tropical idyll, you see dirt roads covered with trash (especially plastic bags--of which Southeast Asia seems inordinately fond). The only building that looked to be in good shape was the inevitable temple. AlteCocker has heard of others being hustled for money on the boats, but she did not have that experience. While the driver was very nice, there was some question as to whether his boat would actually be able to make the trip. These are people living on the "edge"--both in the villages AlteCocker saw and on the boats.
Fortunately, at the boat dock where AlteCocker disembarked to walk around one of the villages, the boat docked well and she had no trouble extricating herself. Similarly getting back on the boat was not a problem. The boat then continues onto the lake, Boeng Tonle Sap, briefly. There were a couple of women selling things from small boats there, but they did not bother of us. AlteCocker supposes they make a bigger rush for people from the big tour groups making this journey. The boat then turned around and returned to the original boat dock from which the tour began. Despite being a bit depressed after this journey, AlteCocker was glad she went. You look at the dire poverty and thank your lucky stars that you were born where you were born. You don't have to live your entire life in an isolated village in filthy conditions trying to make a living as a fisherman.
AlteCocker was then taken back to Siem Reap town to the Blue Pumpkin where she had a snack and ice cream (after a trip to the ATM as she discovered her money supply was too low). She was going to attempt another visit to the market, but was too tired to do anything and eventually hauled her body into a tuk tuk to return to the hotel, sleep for 3 hours and then do the blog.
For lunch we stopped at Stoeng Trorcheak Restaurant. The restaurant has a huge menu and is adjacent to a river. AlteCocker stuck to the tried and true Indonesian chicken satay. The guide got amok (a fish) cooked in a coconut. AlteCocker got to try some. She had had a bite at the dancing show two nights ago at the buffet. Stoeng Trorcheak's version was certainly better. The driver got beef in a sour sauce--which AlteCocker also tasted. She was informed that the sour taste is from tamarind, but who knows? it had a very unusual taste. Getting a small taste of other's meals is a good way to decide whether one likes a dish or not. The amok was definitely more to AlteCocker's taste than the sour beef. This is mainly a tourist restaurant. Cambodians, by and large, can't afford it (of course AlteCocker was paying). The bill for the 3 of us was $27. So, this gives you an idea of how little Cambodians earn. No one had alcohol but we all had Cokes--which appears to be Cambodia's national drink (AlteCocker's was a Coke Light, which you can't always find).
Then we went on to see Kompong Phluk, a cluster of 3 villages on stilts about 16 km southwest of Siem Reap. Do not attempt to drive this on your own as the road to the boat dock is very rough. During the wet season it will be a muddy truck and you will need a pick up truck. AlteCocker has not observed any 4 wheel drive vehicles in Siem Reap. When we got to the place where you buy tickets, there was some confusion as to just where the ticket office was but the guide sorted it out after asking someone hanging out there. We then continued on the rough road--which got rougher--to the boat dock. When you get there, you see a lot of drivers and boats waiting their turn to schlep tourists on this journey; they rest and play cards waiting their turn. AlteCocker had to pay $25 to charter the boat for herself. She would have done much better financially to go as part of a group, but $25 is not too much to pay when you've come this far. The boat has to be the oldest ricketiest boat in which AlteCocker has ever set foot. She has a lot of trouble getting into the boar because of the way it was docked and was reduced to sliding on her butt part of the way.
And so we continued on to the so called floating villages. During the wet season, they may appear to "float", but they are really just houses up on stilts to keep them dry during the wet. Reviews of the villages tend to describe them in a somewhat idyllic manner, but look closely and you will see dire poverty: No electricity, the toilet dumps into the river and the people bath in the same water in which the toilet dumps. AlteCocker supposes life spans and opportunities are limited. Some children looked as if they had not had a bath in weeks. At one point the boat docks and you get off and walk around. When we did, a lady said to the guide, "You come from so far away to see and I have never been to Ankor Wat." Mind you the woman is less than 20km away. She had spent all of her life in the village. Instead of a tropical idyll, you see dirt roads covered with trash (especially plastic bags--of which Southeast Asia seems inordinately fond). The only building that looked to be in good shape was the inevitable temple. AlteCocker has heard of others being hustled for money on the boats, but she did not have that experience. While the driver was very nice, there was some question as to whether his boat would actually be able to make the trip. These are people living on the "edge"--both in the villages AlteCocker saw and on the boats.
Fortunately, at the boat dock where AlteCocker disembarked to walk around one of the villages, the boat docked well and she had no trouble extricating herself. Similarly getting back on the boat was not a problem. The boat then continues onto the lake, Boeng Tonle Sap, briefly. There were a couple of women selling things from small boats there, but they did not bother of us. AlteCocker supposes they make a bigger rush for people from the big tour groups making this journey. The boat then turned around and returned to the original boat dock from which the tour began. Despite being a bit depressed after this journey, AlteCocker was glad she went. You look at the dire poverty and thank your lucky stars that you were born where you were born. You don't have to live your entire life in an isolated village in filthy conditions trying to make a living as a fisherman.
AlteCocker was then taken back to Siem Reap town to the Blue Pumpkin where she had a snack and ice cream (after a trip to the ATM as she discovered her money supply was too low). She was going to attempt another visit to the market, but was too tired to do anything and eventually hauled her body into a tuk tuk to return to the hotel, sleep for 3 hours and then do the blog.
December 21, 2014: Finis Siem Reap; Return to Chiang Mai
AlteCocker had to be at the Siem Reap Airport at 2:00pm for her 4:05pm flight to Bangkok, so this was a day where we watched the clock all day and could not do anything overly ambitious. AlteCocker's 3 day pass for the temples was over, so no temples were on the agenda. AlteCocker was pretty much templed out anyway.
Our first stop what the Buddha Museum. There doesn't seem to be a website for this museum online, so AlteCocker apologizes for the lack of a link. This is a small museum with a lot of remnants of statues of The Buddha when a temple was turned back into a Hindu temple before definitively being made Buddhist. The Hindus smashed up the statues--a practice not unknown to those practicing other religious. The remnents have been collected and put in a small museum in Siem Reap. It was a bit of overkill with the Buddas, but the museum is certainly worth about 45 minutes. As with everything AlteCocker saw, it all helps in her understanding of the history and religion of the area.
At that point the only thing AlteCocker really needed to do is pick up a cheap bag because, well, she had overshopped again. Before doing that, she mentioned a ceramics museum for which she had seen a sign on the previous day. That led to a bit of an adventure as neither the guide nor the driver was 100% sure where it was. AlteCocker immediately thought they had made a wrong turn because she remembered seeing a sign for the museum. Well, it all ended well. The museum is rather small and gets almost no visitors because it is inconveniently located on the site where there were a series of kilns. What is interesting is the mounds left by the kilns upon which there are tons of pottery shards. The locals were looting the shards for money. During Pol Pot's era, when they were starving, they were paid by weight for the shards. After things calmed down, the villagers were educated about the value of the site and the museum was established. AlteCocker would guess that the shards are mostly from pots that broke during the firing, but she really doesn't know. It has potential as a place where voluteers could do a lot of work, but it is all a question of money. AlteCocker picked up some of the shards, but, of course, did not purloin any samples. She cringed when the driver picked one up and tossed it down, but fortunately it did not break. The custodian of the Ceramics Museum has a very boring job. On the day before AlteCocker visited, he had no visitors. AlteCocker was the first visitor of the day she went. The museum is on the road from Siem Reap to Beng Meala. From Siem Reap you make a left turn at the sign. It would be a right, coming from Beng Meala. It is 15km down that road to another sign on the right where you drive 600 meters on a dirt road and make a left. AlteCocker could not find a website.
We then went back to Siem Reap without further adventures with wrong turns. AlteCocker was dropped by the guide at Cafe Indochine. She would have gladly paid for lunch for everyone, but the guide and driver said it was expensive (it was compared to the restaurant the day before but not that much more) and that they preferred to leave. Some tour companies bar guides and drivers from eating with clients, so that may have factored into their decision but this was a private arrangement. AlteCocker had a dish with chicken in a coconut sauce. As with most dishes in Cambodian cuisine, you serve yourself over a separate plate in which rice is placed. It was a good choice and something AlteCocker had never tasted before. Dessert was a cafe legois--a desert with ice cream that showed the French influence in Cambodia. You do see a lot of that but very few Cambodians (except older people) speak French anymore. The emphasis is on English for obvious reasons.
The driver and guide returned to pick AlteCocker up at the prearranged time. Then it was a quick ride to the airport, check in and waiting for a flight to Bangkok on Air Asia. There was an over 4 hour layover in Bangkok before the flight to Chiang Mai. Not fun. You might want to check for other airlines and see if one has better connections. AlteCocker knocked off "The President's Club"--a book about the relationship between expresidents and how they help and support (for the most part) the current occupant of the office no matter who he may be. The book covers all the relationships from Hoover onwards--a very interesting book. AlteCocker's solution for hanging about is simply to grab her Kindle and read something. It kills time and is constructive.
AlteCocker took a songtheaw home for the airport. There is also good news: Mary's cast came off, but, of course, her leg is stiff and she has a lot of work to do in rehab before getting back to normal. By the time all of that is resolved, unfortunately, AlteCocker will be back in the United States.
The blog will contine here, as AlteCocker is--momentarily at least--back in Chiang Mai and it is still December.
Our first stop what the Buddha Museum. There doesn't seem to be a website for this museum online, so AlteCocker apologizes for the lack of a link. This is a small museum with a lot of remnants of statues of The Buddha when a temple was turned back into a Hindu temple before definitively being made Buddhist. The Hindus smashed up the statues--a practice not unknown to those practicing other religious. The remnents have been collected and put in a small museum in Siem Reap. It was a bit of overkill with the Buddas, but the museum is certainly worth about 45 minutes. As with everything AlteCocker saw, it all helps in her understanding of the history and religion of the area.
At that point the only thing AlteCocker really needed to do is pick up a cheap bag because, well, she had overshopped again. Before doing that, she mentioned a ceramics museum for which she had seen a sign on the previous day. That led to a bit of an adventure as neither the guide nor the driver was 100% sure where it was. AlteCocker immediately thought they had made a wrong turn because she remembered seeing a sign for the museum. Well, it all ended well. The museum is rather small and gets almost no visitors because it is inconveniently located on the site where there were a series of kilns. What is interesting is the mounds left by the kilns upon which there are tons of pottery shards. The locals were looting the shards for money. During Pol Pot's era, when they were starving, they were paid by weight for the shards. After things calmed down, the villagers were educated about the value of the site and the museum was established. AlteCocker would guess that the shards are mostly from pots that broke during the firing, but she really doesn't know. It has potential as a place where voluteers could do a lot of work, but it is all a question of money. AlteCocker picked up some of the shards, but, of course, did not purloin any samples. She cringed when the driver picked one up and tossed it down, but fortunately it did not break. The custodian of the Ceramics Museum has a very boring job. On the day before AlteCocker visited, he had no visitors. AlteCocker was the first visitor of the day she went. The museum is on the road from Siem Reap to Beng Meala. From Siem Reap you make a left turn at the sign. It would be a right, coming from Beng Meala. It is 15km down that road to another sign on the right where you drive 600 meters on a dirt road and make a left. AlteCocker could not find a website.
We then went back to Siem Reap without further adventures with wrong turns. AlteCocker was dropped by the guide at Cafe Indochine. She would have gladly paid for lunch for everyone, but the guide and driver said it was expensive (it was compared to the restaurant the day before but not that much more) and that they preferred to leave. Some tour companies bar guides and drivers from eating with clients, so that may have factored into their decision but this was a private arrangement. AlteCocker had a dish with chicken in a coconut sauce. As with most dishes in Cambodian cuisine, you serve yourself over a separate plate in which rice is placed. It was a good choice and something AlteCocker had never tasted before. Dessert was a cafe legois--a desert with ice cream that showed the French influence in Cambodia. You do see a lot of that but very few Cambodians (except older people) speak French anymore. The emphasis is on English for obvious reasons.
The driver and guide returned to pick AlteCocker up at the prearranged time. Then it was a quick ride to the airport, check in and waiting for a flight to Bangkok on Air Asia. There was an over 4 hour layover in Bangkok before the flight to Chiang Mai. Not fun. You might want to check for other airlines and see if one has better connections. AlteCocker knocked off "The President's Club"--a book about the relationship between expresidents and how they help and support (for the most part) the current occupant of the office no matter who he may be. The book covers all the relationships from Hoover onwards--a very interesting book. AlteCocker's solution for hanging about is simply to grab her Kindle and read something. It kills time and is constructive.
AlteCocker took a songtheaw home for the airport. There is also good news: Mary's cast came off, but, of course, her leg is stiff and she has a lot of work to do in rehab before getting back to normal. By the time all of that is resolved, unfortunately, AlteCocker will be back in the United States.
The blog will contine here, as AlteCocker is--momentarily at least--back in Chiang Mai and it is still December.