The Kingdom of Cambodia - no review could ever say enough...
Written: Jan 16 '06
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Pros: Sihanoukville & Angkor, Scenery...
Cons: The dishonesty of some. Expect the unexpected because you should expect it to happen...
The Bottom Line: For those of you who have courage, determination and a lot of luck - and insist on using all three...
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| icicleie's Full Review: Cambodia |
Crossing the Border!
Crossing the border from Thailand to Cambodia at Aranya Prathet / Bavet, was one of the most thrillingly horrific experiences not just of this trip, but of my entire life! You cross from a relatively well-off Thailand into a land of dirt roads with muck & giant potholes. We were told we would be met by 'a bus', but instead were bungled in past dark into an unmarked black taxi, bound for who knows where. A journey worthy of a classic movie ensued with the most violent thunderstorm I have ever seen in my life, followed by more rain than I have ever seen in my life - all on a road that was so cut up relaxation never mind sleep was not an option. I don't think I will ever forget the beauty of the lightning lighting up the before pitch black countryside with its little straw huts. Then a bridge went out and needed to be prepared (while we waited for a couple of hours in the car), and a tyre went in our twin black taxi carrying three people from the UK. We waited again. I have to say I was awe-struck by the whole experience - and the people I was with will agree with me when I say that it was such an out of control situation that it went beyond fearing for one another's safety - and directly to the safe-haven of hysterical laughter. One for the memoirs, I think. I'd always fly from Bangkok to Siem Reap if I was going again, but I wouldn't give these memories up for the world.
Perceptions, Perceptions…
One of the most interesting things about traveling to some areas Southeast Asia is the shift in how you are perceived. You are no longer an anonymous agent bustling about the streets of similar country to that of your home, but a 'Westerner' or 'stranger' - your skin immediately lumps you into the category, and you are treated very differently to how a Cambodian might treat another Cambodian, or a Thai person might treat another Thai person. I am not going to skirt around the issue, and pretend that race is not a huge issue here. Sometimes it can be a bit unnerving, as the result of being in such a category is that you are inevitably perceived as having a limitless bank balance. This perception has consequences.
I truly felt that this led to a clear dishonesty, emanating from both sides. Westerners are asked for huge multiples of what a product is actually worth (this goes far beyond the culture and habits of bargaining), are followed [for minutes on end] on the streets by motos and tuktuks looking for business, and are constantly approached by the same persons who cannot take no for an answer - whatever their motives. This mainly impacts on your enjoyment rather than your safety, but always keep your valuables strapped on tightly.
Transport
Public transport in Cambodia is quite readily available. Domestic flights run between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh all the time, although we didn’t avail of such a service. We arrived in Cambodia at the Northwest corner of the country, and travelled (as already described!) by private taxi to Siem Reap. This did turn out to be the worst road in Cambodia - apparently, foreigners are expected to fly. Since we were in a hurry to get to Phnom Penh to start work there, we left Siem Reap the next day by boat – planning to return to it and Angkor for four or five days at a later time.
The boat from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh is very overpriced for Cambodia (25 dollars one way) and powerfully uncomfortable. It runs along the Tonle Sap River (the blue one!) and the journey takes six hours. The seats are terribly cramped, and the cabin in the motorized boat is nothing if not noisy and claustrophobic. There is one redeeming feature of the journey, though, an experience in the positive – that being, that before you board the motorized boat, you pass on an open-air one through ‘The Floating Village’, a village on the water of the river. Natives zip around in little boats. Their houses, the shops, the school is all on stilts above the water. The schoolchildren waves to us as we passed. On our return journey to Siem Reap, we did take the bus, and the bulk of the journey is far more comfortable – and you will see more of the stunning countryside. All for a fraction of the price at about 8 dollars one way.
The air-con buses in Cambodia have reasonably comfortable seats with leg room that again meets with ‘the reasonable’. The buses running between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh are better than those to Sihanoukville or Kratie, again from Phnom Penh. Expect the later ones to smell quite bad, and be terribly noisy. All buses in Cambodia tend to play karaoke into the bus, at a very high volume, for the duration of the trip. You really will need to turn up any personal music player to max to drown out even a portion of the noise, and it can begin to get quite torturous after two or three hours. You may find that silence is something you will sacrifice at all times in these countries, however – even when out for a walk in the countryside, the noise of the crickets and insects could get in the way of quiet conversation! The buses stop intermittently at two or three stops on a six hour journey – so you will have toilet breaks, but not on the hour every hour. Of course, we non-nationals need our water more than most on the buses, so you will inevitably end up dehydrated from rationing your water – even with the toilet stops!
Food & Drink
Khmer food is hardly a state of the art cuisine. My favourite dish, but also one I ate so much of I will probably never eat again, was fried chicken with lemongrass. Fried chicken with lemongrass is exactly what it says it is. At the smaller eateries, you will likely be unnerved by the chickens walking around with no feathers, however. I ate more vegetarian meals than I usually do! Steer clear of the fish sauce unless you have a wish to be tortured with each mouthful – it’s horrific, and is added to any prawn or fish soup you get – and a few other dishes. Fish sauce is also routinely places as a condiment on the table, with dried chilli flakes floating around in it. Cringe. Cambodians eat food with a spoon and fork just like in Thailand – chopsticks must be specifically asked for. You can very easily get your hands on Western food in the larger towns / cities.
You can always get a number of tinned drinks in Cambodia – Wintermelon juice (tastes strangely like coffee), Soy Milk, Coca Cola & Diet Coke, Lychee Juice. Steer clear of the wine – horrific, and the red is served chilled. There are lots of beers to choose from – I drank the Thai Singha beer all the time – it was the best of the lot in my opinion.
The fruit in Cambodia and Southeast Asia in general is varied and delicious. You won’t ever find grapes, pears, berries, or apples – and bear in mind that tangerines are green, and the bananas are half the size of the ones in the West. The bananas are less syrupy and sugary, and have more of a ‘bready’ taste. I liked them. The green coconuts are mainly enjoyed for their juice. Make sure to also try the dragonfruit - with it's beautifully purple skin [which you don't eat] & white pulp with black seeds.
The more adventurous can try out the deep fried spiders at the bus pit-stops - beware the eggs or faeces in the gut if you eat the wrong part, however. There's also fried maggots, cockroaches, you name it. Have a ball.
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PLACES TO VISIT
Sihanoukville
Sihanoukville is Cambodia’s primary ‘beach resort’. A few years back, a lot of interest was shown in the area – both by locals and those living in Western countries. It was tipped to become one of the leading beach destinations in Southeast Asia, rivalling those of Thailand. This did not occur, however, so there are loads of places to stay but not so many tourists to fill them. This naturally means you will get good accommodations for a good price. We found a place run by a couple from the UK, called ‘Cloud 9’. ‘Cloud 9’ consisted of a number of wooden huts, with thatched roofs, balconies, hammocks and insects – all set on a hill overlooking the sea. They provide mosquito nets, but you might run into the odd spider or two! The location is perfect, however – a two or three minute walk down a hill onto the beach – a beach that certainly beat the one we stayed on in Nha Trang, Vietnam. The sand is of a good quality, the waves in the ocean huge, but the entire place has a rugged and wild feel about it – everything falls removed from the image of the stereotyped ‘idyllic’ beach, and I appreciated this charm. Given the monsoon season, it typically rained in the afternoon, and we swam into the giant waves while being pelted with nail like raindrops. We ran in the morning, with nobody around and the sun gaining in heat as it rose. The people appear later in the day, however, a good proportion locals – and the anticipation of Sihanoukville’s visitor desirability means that there are eateries all along the beach (many without any patrons) and huts to escape the sun. It has just enough tourists to have the children selling fruit and small products, and adults offering massage and pedicure, however. This occurs all over Asia, however, and if you are not interested, it works best to firmly reject an offer – otherwise you will inevitably be approached again and again. Sihanoukville was far from ‘perfect’ – but was the perfect antidote to the freneticism of Phnom Penh!
Kratie
Kratie is situated up the Northeast of Cambodia. The bus journey takes about six hours, and although Kratie is a small town, you should expect to be greeted by some local hoteliers as soon as you tumble out of the vehicle. The banal ‘we have a place already’ is unlikely to work, and you will be presented with leaflets and pointed in every direction except that of your desired destination. We arrived without a reservation, but did have one place in mind...To our surprise, this hotel was booked out compliments of publicity from ‘The Lonely Planet, and so, we were forced to delight some of the hoteliers with willing ears and expressions of vague need. We plodded from place to place, finally deciding upon the 'Heng Heng'. Now, if you should choose to stay here, I would recommend you ask (without delay) for the rooms on the top floor, at the opposite end of the hallway to the balcony. There is a double and a twin down there, and they were the only rooms we were shown that were comfortable and didn’t project an odour or two. Still, if you choose the double, you might just wake up to a workman or two staring in the window!
Most tourists flock to Kratie for one thing – the Iriwaddy dolphins. These dolphins (between 10 and 15) live in a particular part of the Mekong River (the brown one!) You can rent a car for four people for about 15 dollars a day if you negotiate. You can then take in Sambor with the largest temple in Cambodia and a mountainside meditation commune before stopping off around 3 or 4 pm to see the dolphins. The temple (Wat) at Sambor first appears hopelessly run down. The exterior paintwork is dirty and peeling, and yet, the building has a very definite charm. The inside of the building, however, is a little too overdone and well kept – with gaudy paintings and colors depicting the Buddha’s life and painted green snakes swirling up and down the pillars running outward from the main altar. We bumped into a monk there, who was amazed that we could take a photo of him and send it by post to him later – he believed his parents would be very proud to own such a thing.
The mountainside retreat commune, although the home of quite a few mosquitoes, is truly beautiful and at the top, you will be delighted with spectacular views of the Cambodian countryside. You can walk around and see the huts where the monks live, and the larger communal areas where you can hear and see them chant and pray. There are no admission fees to either the aforementioned temple at Sambor, or the mountainside commune – although the latter does ask for an entirely voluntary monetary contribution. Be prepared to climb a few stairs, however!
Funnily enough, the dolphin-watching was probably the most fruitless – but relaxing – activity of the day. You arrive at the docking point on the edge of the river, and after paying, climb into a manned open-air boat. You will enjoy a slow journey to the place of the dolphins. The boat will then be tied to one of the trees jutting out of the river to prevent you from flying off with the strong current in the absence of the motor. We saw a few dolphins, although generally, we just saw their backs briefly as they came up for air. There was no jumping or backflips, and it was impossible to see them once submerged as the water was so brown.
Overall, we enjoyed our trip to Kratie –but there isn’t much to do in the evenings, few places to eat and drink. If you have the time, give yourselves maybe two days in Kratie – but don’t despair if your Cambodian itinerary will only allow Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and Sihanoukville.
The Temples of Angkor at Siem Reap - what Cambodia is most famous for, and an ancient city that is a real must-see… I hope to write a separate review of this but in summary, Angkor today stands as a ruined and abandoned collection of temples, once one of the grandest cities of all of Asia. It is listed as one of the 'Wonders of the Ancient World' (along with the Pyramids, Macchu Picchu etc).
Phnom Penh - the capital of Cambodia, a city with pronounced pros, cons and a few in-betweens… See here for my personal take.
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Have a great trip - rest assured it will be the adventure of a lifetime...
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Students
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Epinions.com ID:
icicleie
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Location: Dublin, Ireland.
Reviews written: 107
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About Me:
"If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor."
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