Thursday, September 24, 2009

Cambodia days 1 and 2. - Alissa..

Really Important.... Us currency needs to be new and intact, ie undamaged..

Banks will charge you $5 US to change any money that is torn into other notes, and most businesses will not accept them.. If they do (and there is no guarantee) then it will be accepted on 90% of it's value.

Cambodia accepts all currencies but their preferred currency is US dollars...

We drove over the border yesterday from Thailand to Cambodia... We had to first go to the Cambodian Embassy to obtain a visa that cost $1000 Baht.. As we had a guide all the paperwork was completed in Thailand, and we only had to go to the embassy to obtain our passports back and the arrival and departure forms.

At the border our tour leader got a baggage handler to take all our luggage across for us. Poor bugger, would have been only 13 or 14 and usedwhat looked like an old fashioned trailer to take 9 packs each weighing approx 15kgs over no mans land by hand.. Incredible heat... We had been warned by our leader not to give any money to any child that was begging and to be aware of the really young ones who are holding babies... That was good advice because it seemed that every one who asked for money was either 6 years or younger and seeing their arms outstretched, huge eyes and high pitched child voices just broke your heart... So head down, loud group conversation was the only way to distract yourselves from the sights and sounds.

Jake (our tour leader) had also told us that when we reached Cambodia expect to see a lot more of the same beggers... interspersed with opulent casinos. Didn't know that gambling in Thailand is against the law, and so Cambodia caters for that market and so along both the Thai and Vietnam borders are huge casinos, which ironically, it is illegal for Cambodians to gamble in...

It is comparatively expensive as all prices tend to be in US dollars, but to put it into perspective, last night after we had settled into our hotel - Victory Guest House we all went out to dinner at the Temple restaurant on Pub Street... We had the National dish of Amok, which cost $4 and with it came a traditonal Cambodian floor show with traditional music and dance. A pitcher of Ankor beer was $2.50 or 75c a tankard of beer.. Cocktails were 2 for 1 and cost $4 or you can buy a pitcher full of cocktails for $6 US.

Tuk tuks here are more comfortable, and can cater for up to 4 people at a time... Negotiate the amount first and pay on arrival... it cost $2.00 US to take four into town..

Alissa I can't tell you how much the room cost, it was part of the package deal, but our tour is basix so it's definately not high end... However the place is well appointed, the rooms are clean, with hot and cold running water, a western style toilet and a colour tv..... There is an area in front of the reception desk (which is open 24 hours a day) that is semi open so there is always a breeze, comfortable chairs to recline in and a really relaxed atmosphere. The people are really accomodating and if you are unhappy just say so, they will do everything within their ability to sort it out..

The night market and the old market are 2 minutes away from the Temple restaurant, and across the road from that restaurant is the Ankor What!! Bar, where if you can drink two buckets of beer you recieve a free tee-shirt... (that's a whole other story and certainly not one for posting here).

Btw, I think Dudu and I had best steer clear of Tuk tuks from here on out... You may have read about our experience with a tuk tuk in Bangkok, well last night we managed to tip one over.... Ok, so the deal was, that some of the group decided to stay longer in town for a bit of retail therapy.. the kiwi girls (Tutu, Dudu and Michelle) thought we'd head home... So we hailed a tuk tuk negotiated the $2 fee to get back to the hotel and proceeded to hop on board.. I got on, fine - Dudu got on - fine, Michelle got on and the damned thing tipped over... We got the giggles and couldn't stop... all these other tuk tuk drivers came running to help our driver pick up his bike and we just sat and laughed until we cried.. Hot shower, and slept well..

Today we had hired a mini bus and a tour guide for the day as we wanted to see the temples. .. Our leader suggested that we look for only one day at the temples since we are in Siem Reap for three days only..

Cost of the bus and guide $15 Us.
Entry to Ankor Wat$ 20 Us per day and you can get up to a 3 day pass ie: $60 US..

We had been told to hire the bus and guide and to get only a one day pass. That was great advice. That one pass gets you entry into all other temples for that day, and it is checked at each entrance.. In the past, people would buy 3 day passes, would generally be "templed"out by the end of the first day and would on sell their passes... Now you are photographed and that pass is checked each time you enter.

We did the sunrise at Ankor Wat, then the elephant wall, the grand palace, Ankor Thom, Female Citadel, the Jungle Temple, and Puong Temple.. The cost of the tour guide and bus also included a chilly bin filled with ice cold water all day which you absolutely need... There are street sellers at all temples / tourist destinations, and again they are usually all children, so be aware they can be incredibly persistant...

One thing they do, is if you don't buy from them they will hand you a wee note, sometimes it's folded like a paper boat... When you open it, it says things like... My name is ......... Lady I like your smile. I want to go to school but I'm very poor.. I hope you have a nice day and thank you for sharing your smile with me... That's hard to walk passed, but as the tour leader said, that by buying from the children you encourage the parents to continue to keep them out of school and gaining the education necessary to turn their families lives around so don't buy from them...

However if you don't then the little blighters will come and ask for their note back to give them to someone else... So you win some and lose some. They chase and circle you, and it takes a great deal of fortitude not to succumb..

The Soup Kitchen opposite the Temple restaurant on Pub street gives 7c from every dollar to charity and was recommended by our leader for this reason... Nice idea but the food wasn't as good as the Temple restaurant...

Tomorrow is a free day, so I've organised a few of us to take a cooking class on Khymer cuisine with the chef at the Temple restaurant... Can't wait.. for $10US you can choose which item you want to cook, both mains and dessert. The chef will then take you to the local markets for the ingrediants (you can see what goes into the dish from it''s natural state) then you go back to the restaurant to cook it and eat.... You also get given some other recipies... It takes about 3 hours all together and tomorrow afternoon we will be going to Sonle Lake.. The largest lake in south east asia.. $2 entrance fee and then you hire a boat... Prices have been fluctuating as our book stated that over 8 people was one price and less than 8 was a different price.. Our bus driver today said that he had taken people there last week and it had changed...

Tuk tuk to the lake is $4 and is 30 minutes out of Siem Reap... Will let you know more tomorrow.

Oh being a foodie, I tried red ants today... tastes like lemongrass, and was offered tarantula.. The only problem with that delicacy (today) was that the sucker (can't call it little) was still alive and there are somethings I won't do.. but apparently Phenom Pen is also known as the city of spiders and it is there that the favoured snack when drinking is fried tarantulas... Will think on that one...

Did you also know that Pol Pot is short for Political Potential?? Despite our best efforts, we couldn't handle going to the landmine museum or to a sugar cane producing factory... We had been up since 3.45 this morning to make sunrise over Ankor Wat, and combined with lots of walking all day up and down temples we didn't get back to the hotel until after 6... Dinner and then the night markets and it's now 10.55pm here in Cambodia... so pretty tired..

Saw a moth on the wall and actually thought it was a picture until the wings fluttered, also the walls crawl with geckos but they are friendly and not at all scary... Quite surprising really given I'm such a freak back home with things that crawl and fly...

Would definately recommend lightweight merino too for this climate... 'who would have thought?

Languages and accents very funny...... Our tour leader launched into a spiel on security, but he kept pronouncing it (to our ears) sexuality, the three kiwis were laughing as was the english girl.

Anja - Germany
Esther - Holland
Ali - Canada
Michele - US
Emily - Uk
Michelle, Tutu, Dudu - NZ

Oh and we ran into Simon at one of the temples today.... he looked stricken we we recognised him and started yelling out across the temple at him.... Still was friendly in the end, and so annoyed he wasn't on our tour... He would have been the only male....

Ok till next time, and will upload more photos, but for now my camera is charging and so has no power available for todays or even yesterdays pics.... Some of the show last night, the border crossing, the temples and the girls..

:o)

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