Cambodia - 1st Jan 2015 - 10th Jan 2015
Our adventures continue in South East Asia... this is a massive post, we took so many pictures that we have chosen our best pictures to share (we are not that good at taking photos but we have fun). We left Vietnam and flew directly to Siem Reap. Spent an incredible time in Siem Reap, 4 days in total. Took a sleeper bus that took 9 hours to travel 300kms due to the poor state of the road, Shahn had to pee on the side of the road which the drivers thought was hilarious, Michael took a sleeping tablet and slept pretty well despite the bumpy ride all the way to Phnom Pehn (best thing I have ever been prescribed for travel - planes, train and long buses, best way to get to your destination refreshed and ready to explore). Visited the sights in Phnom Pehn, we also got engaged on the 4th of January!! ** Surprise!! **
When we flew in from Vietnam, we were still feeling a bit sick; Michael had a massive head cold and Shahn with general travel sickness. Landing in Siem Reap was awesome as you could see the West Baray as we came in to land. After visiting the temples in Siem Reap and explored Phnom Penh, we hired a motorbike and travelled south to see rural Cambodia, met some beautiful people and ate some delicious food. The US Dollar is the major currency for tourists and that is a bit of a let down, but given the history and corruption generally in Asia, does not mar the experience and we would go back to visit in a heartbeat.
This a little video of our travels
** Sensitive Subscribers **
Please note that there is content that may offend or be uncomfortable viewing for some people. We visited a few war museums and the killing fields near Phnom Penh. There are bones visible in this blog. Do not continue reading if you find this content disturbing. Thank you.
The Map of Angkor Archaeological Park. It shows how massive it is, we started our trip to the Roluos Group about 20-30km east of Siem Reap.
Baphuon built 955bp a Hindu temple, but when the Buddhists took over they built a massive lying down Buddha (head far left) and the body (center of image). Bit rough in comparison to Angkor Wat, but still awesome.
Gates between temples Baphuon and Phimeanakas.
This gate has been somewhat restored, there is plenty of evidence in the structures around the archaeological park that have been restored - some done to an excellently high standard and some that have been done so poorly that they are just thrown back together. From what we could see, the early restoration in the early 1900's was done mostly with concrete, which causes more issues damaging the existing stone. But I guess they did their best.
Phimeanakas built roughly 1000 BP (before present), the temple built for the King.
On the top of here, Michael met a random family from India and had some interesting yarns, but he was so sick, hot and dehydrated that he was partially hallucinating and really had no idea what was going on.
Phimeanakas - base of temple looking down the wall, very impressive how they built it so precisely and with so much detail.
On top of Phimeanakas, it must have been bloody hard work to build! Almost all of the temples have two layers of stone laterite was used hidden in the structure and sandstone was used as a finishing layer. You can see the laterite in the left hand side of the photo (red in colour due to the iron oxide) after the capping sand stone was been removed.
Phimeanakas - one of the levels
One of the windows looking out to the temple of the kings courtyard
Growth on the rock walls
The Palace wall, made from laterite.... You can see where people of the years have pulled down sections of the walls to gain access.
The gatehouse to Phimeanakas
Shahn enjoying a little rest, it was really hot and we were both quite sick.
All drugged up on pseudoephadrine via a visit to the "over the counter for everything" chemists they have in SE Asia, we were just trying to keep going. This whole day was a massive 12 hour effort of plodding around viewing the temples, Eak was dehydrated, feverish and very delirious and Shahn was battling a fabulous case of the travellers sickness - the most part of the day was spent trying to control the V's and D's. We made a pretty excellent couple that day!
All of the doorways were massive and made for 4 pieces of sandstone
Terrace of the Elephants
Lion showing its butt. Also note the collection of tuk-tuk drivers under the tree, with locals also selling drinks, food and trinkets.
Leper King Terrace.
Built as a possible cremation site based on the legend of an Angkorian king, Yasovarman I (aka Dharmaraja) who apparently had leprosy.
Leper King terrace, looking at some Naga.
Naga is a king cobra snake with one to seven heads, depending on the story and country the Naga is sculpted in. Fabulous Buddhism and Hinduism representations of the story of Vishnu.
Sneaking our way through the terrace walls
Tuk Tuk travel is where it is at. This dude was well paid for his days venture, we were too sick to barter with him and were just keen to have someone take us around and to get dinner after a massive day!
The Victory Gate... Ticked this one off
Ta Keo - Built around 1000 by King Jayavarman V, we were so short of time we never got to check this out in detail. China is paying for the restoration of this site. It was cool to see many different countries invest in the restoration and preservation of these ancient sites. We saw Germany, France, China, Italy just to name a few of the countries helping out with the restoration/conservation efforts.
Ants.
Ta Prohm - the constant maze action that happens in these temples.
Built in 1186 A.D. by King Jayavarman VII. The temple has been made famous by the Tomb Raider movie, the tuk tuk drivers all refer to Ta Prohm as "Lara Croft Temple" or "Tomb Raider" for the tourists. Heavy restorations, that were much needed, have been completed to make it safe for tourists but primarily to ensure the safety of the buildings.
Gate feeling the effects of time - Ta Prohm
Ta Prohm - I think our favourite temple, for beauty.
It is incredibly sophisticated as a temple, the evidence of the strangling fig trees growing through the walls - which are both destroying and enhancing Ta Prohm. We were always trying to sneak away from the crowds and get over to a different area as the main touristy areas were really crowded. We met a random American guy who was taking time lapse photos and telling us stories about how he had visited the Angkor Park multiple times and back in the day (before Angkor became touristy) that he had camped in most of the temple sites by bribing the police, just to stay and take photos.
Michael taking more creative pictures, one of the many hallways and doorways.
Ta Prohm
The fig trees strangling this wall, just stunning.
Ta Prohm's many, many buildings
Shahn admiring the ruins, approximately 3pm and the light through the trees was incredible.
Ta Prohm - exploring the hallways away from the masses of other tourists. So many of these were massive and had little light most of the time had the phone flashlight out to see where to go.
Getting lost in Ta Prohm, love the trees!
The wrath of mother nature and time
The outside walls of the main temple with outside hallway. The craftsmanship blows your mind! This was rebuilt in the last 10 years using mostly existing stone.
Michael standing at the very end of the hallway
The outside of the picture above, for perspective.
Ta Prohm was a clear winner for us, we spent about 2 hours here (much to the obvious disgust and disappointment of our tuk tuk driver wanting a fast and quick drive!) Although we missed out on visiting the citadel of women or 'Banteay Srey', which we did hear had the most detailed carvings but maybe next time....!
Ta Prohm's many fig trees perched precariously on the temple
Had to fight through about 15 people to get this photo. I love the contrast happening here, one of my favourite pictures. (Shahn)
Pre Rup at sunset
Pre Rup, built approximately 961. This is a favourite site for sunrise and sunset with the tourists, the top layer was swarming with people. We got kicked out at sunset from here guards were walking around getting everyone to leave. Not too sure what would happen if you were caught in the park overnight but would be awesome place to camp out.
Shahn even got to hang with the Elephants
Having to pull over to let the Elephant through Cambodia traffic issues. Shahn looking fully stoked with this situation. On the green eBikes we could zip past all the traffic so it was a good choice since it was New Years Day and it was very very busy!
Looking good!
Elephants and warriors on the wall of Bayon
Shahn is ecstatic to see this wall, the whole area around the Angkor Park is huge. You really need a good bike to get around, I think every day we were here we must have clocked up at least 50km just getting to the temples, and then most of the time we were just walking around for hours.
Riding around Angkor Wat.
These little green bikes were really cool. Although Shahn fell off after getting the speed wobbles and riding down the curb. Smashed up the bike a bit and gave her a massive fright.
Tuk Tuk rides after we had to return the green bikes.
One other story from Siem Reap, Shahn decided she needed a massage when we were walking around the markets near pub street, so she left me there and I went out wandering around. Then these girls came flocking out of nowhere, and we all know what they were trying to sell; rubbing up against me, shit I had to get the hell out of here! All of a sudden I realised they were everywhere!
It was a bit of an eye opener and then I could see all the middle aged men there for only one reason! Anyway, Shahn eventually finished her massage and off down the road further we wandered, I needed to get a haircut. We wandered in the markets and stumble across a hairdresser on the corner of a main street. I went in and Shahn waited, we were both wondering why these European men were getting taken up a flight of stairs lead by little Cambodian women...... then when the men came down on their own, red-faced and not making any eye contact - we knew something was going on.... lol! To top it all off I got an awesome Cambodian style haircut. Just think Pop Asia and the guys hair styles the hairdresser said my new do was all the rage and that I looked awesome.
Siem Reap War Museum
We went to two museums in Siem Reap, the Angkor National Museum and the War Museum - we learnt a lot of history at the temples and the religious & mythological aspects to SE Asian history which was excellent. But we found the War Museum particularly informative, as we had a war veteran as a guide, he was a commander in the resistance for over 10 years with an excellent reputation whom sadly lost his leg to a landmine as they were heading back home due to the war campaigns' end. He did an excellent job of explaining the history and the motivations of the Khmer Rouge during this time.
Tank that sustained landmine damage.
Very interesting tour, weird to see machinery this way that was still being used within the last 15 years. Some of it was really old and had been used in the Vietnamese war.
Soviet tanks (I think?)
Soviet Mig 16 and a massive helicopter (see Michael next to it!) Chinese made we think.
Weaponry - artillery and mortars
Machine guns - used in the wars, ranging in age and make
More soviet tanks, one of the crazy things was that many of these tanks were still in service and used till the late 1990's despite being used for many wars over the last 40 years. Our guide informed us that they are still finding tanks and guns in the forests.
Killing Fields of Choeung Ek
Unfortunately there is no hiding from the horrors of the Khmer Rouge here, as mentioned earlier in the this blog, the images following are not charming but are a representation of where Cambodia stands now as country. They have a coloured history forever tainted by Pol Pots reign but I don't think anything could have prepared us for the killing fields or the S21 prison. At this site nearly 9,000 individuals were buried here in mass graves, after rains more bones resurface and the horror lives on. Half of Cambodia's population was lost and at least 3 million people were murdered, starved or died due to disease - so with approximately 20,000 mass graves around Cambodia, many families remaining don't know where their lost loved ones actually are. The pictures are sombre, mood was sombre but we were moved by the whole experience and thankful for the current Cambodian government for protecting this area.
Shahn listening to the audio tour in the killing fields.
Very intense place, sad and also just so numbing that this happened so recently. One thing we both found hard to comprehend was how all was forgiven (or so it seemed) between those who supported the Khmer rouge and those which backed the resistance.
Farmers picking watercress, this farm backs onto the killing fields.
Bones and a tooth poking up on the walking path in the killing fields. The rains often bring more bones up to the surface, coupled with this area being a walkway and a lot of material resurfaces.
Still picking up bones and clothing material from around the fields. The stuff on top of the box is what has been found more recently after rains etc.
More than 5,000 skulls found, the rest of the people still remaining buried will not be moved.
S21 The Prison/ School
An intense day, after the killing fields we went to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (S-21), which was a school turned into a prison where anywhere from 1,000 to 1,500 people were kept. Their record keeping was less than accurate and it is believed that as many as 20,000 people passed through the prison, all were tortured to degrees which seem inconceivable and what they were subjected to is beyond all imagination. Though the majority of people were Cambodian, about 500 were Vietnamese there was also one New Zealander and two Australians amongst the many other foreigners caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Forced confessions, this was some intense reading. They were made to say they were informants and working against the regime for the CIA or KGB etc, they were tortured and were later murdered.
S21 Prison from the outside
Prison cells inside
More cells - mostly for teachers or low risk individuals
Phnom Penh
We found the capital pretty full on, we wandered around as we found accommodation near the main centre which was by the river and tourist attractions. Maybe we did not see a much as we could have, but by this stage we were running short on time and had try and see as much as we could.
Have a look at these boats, they are both the same size. The left one is unladen and the boat behind it (to the right) is fully loaded, not much freeboard aye! When we first saw the loaded boat it really looked as if it was sinking.
The Kings Palace, it was very well groomed and well guarded.
Homestay and trip to Kampot / Kep
We left Phnom Penh on the back of a Honda Baja that we rented for US$25/day, which is on the expensive side but Michael wanted a well maintained bike that would not break down on us and to his credit he found us a very reliable bike and drove incredibly well through Phnom Penh city with my navigation direction and very safely through the countryside - they are crazy buggers too, the Cambodian drivers just pull out onto the road without looking and do not indicate either so they can easily take you out!! but in saying that we had no issues and really enjoyed it.
We headed to the southern coast of Cambodia via a wee town called Takeo, where we booked into stay at homestay so we could live with a family for a couple of days. It was a great opportunity and they are such an amazing family. The Meas Family welcomed us with open arms and involved us in their lives, they offer after school classes teaching English and they teach at the local school. We spent time with the kids at the school chatting in English and telling them about ourselves, they are incredibly driven kids and more than happy to immerse themselves in a stack of extra work so they can better themselves - truly inspirational.
The Meas family and sonas.org have been working together and are empowering local women to learn new skills to support their families. They make at least a scarf each per day. Also check out Michael's excellent Cambodian haircut! hahaha!
Rice paddy fields behind the family farm in Takeo
Shahn and her new cow friend, just off for a stroll in the paddy fields.
Night shots in Takeo, awesome family and lovely spot.
Shahn always looks so happy when I take a snap! This was taken at the homestay while we were listening to stories about the Khmer Rouge.
One of the friendly farmers taking his rice to market. Sweet tractor aye!
This machine does it all, this was a really random situation we decided to make our way up this dirt road to see where it went and we ended up at an army barracks. They all looked at us strangely and were pointing to keep going on north, but as we had no idea where the road lead and we were on a schedule to get to Kampot before dark so we kept heading south.
He even stopped so Shahn could get a really nice photo, awesome people just wanting to say hello. These tractor units are really universal, they can use these to run all sorts of attachments.
We found accommodation in Kampot, and decided to go on a afternoon boat ride - heading up the estuary for a swim and a sunset cruise.
Chasing the fish up the river on our sunset cruise.
Watching the fishing boats head out to sea via Kampot
Lone fisherman
Fishing boats heading out to sea
Local setting his nets
Locals house on the river (really nice spot)
Shahn hiding under the deck of the boat. Later that night, it rained really heavily and everyone was trying to hide up any part they could.
Swimming in the river. This part of the river was quite clean, there was a lot of rubbish floating in the river closer to the coast - invariably nearer the coast is where bigger cities are found and therefore the likelihood of rubbish.
Our sweet ride for getting around Cambodia.
One classic thing, when we stayed in Kampot our bike was stored inside a yard and they had a local guy set up a bed outside and watched our bikes - for security.
Fishing boats, down this little dirt road heading towards the sea.
A small café further down the coast, it had this lovely little wharf where we had a cuppa and some lunch.
Shahn enjoying her cuppa.
We saw many families have a full on cooked lunch on the road side, and a few sneaky crab-eating macaques were trying to get an easy snack.
A small coastal part of Kep. It was a weird place, almost deserted. The sea wall was falling apart into the sea and was washing away. There were lots of covered areas with hammocks used for picnicking but it seemed to be a foreshore park or some kind of place for development. An awesome spot though.
Cows on the road, really calm and tame
Brahman calf on a mission to find mum.
Brahman in the rice paddy
Salt works, these massive gates separate local counties/shires. One bike ride we were on lead us down into a small village where everyone just looked and stared as we rode around, not sure if we should have been there or not but it was lovely to look around.
More rice paddies, one really crazy thing was the loud music/singing they have these huge parties - weddings, funerals etc and they get the biggest loud speaker and blast the music out as loud as possible, you could hear it about 2km away. All night and all day for about 3 days!!
Rice, rice, rice.
Fun on the Bikes.
We were is a massive hurry to leave Phnom Penh, as we needed to get on the road and travel fast to our room we had booked that night. We arrived to the homestay late in the afternoon but made it.
The people on the bus home from work were carrying on with us - laughing, mooning and mucking about.
We met this mother and daughter washing their cows with laundry powder soap, they seemed to stoked to have their photo taken.
Just travelling and looking for interesting areas. (This hill had some weird government sheds or something under the hill and it was all fenced off)
On the road again, exploring! You might have noticed that Shahn and I kept swapping helmets, turns out I have a fat head and the black helmet was a bit small and crushing my skull. Oh one down fall on the bike was the sore ass, so we stopped a fair bit to stretch our legs and have a look around.
A working carriage we found on our tikitour through the rice paddies.
Salt flats on the coast south of Kep
On our motocycle adventures heading back to Phnom Penh.
We travelled all over the show in Southern Cambodia, with no maps and just followed our nose. It was really good fun and would recommend getting a bike in Asia to anyone, if you can ride and don't mind a bit of crazy traffic! Its really rewarding and a great way to see the local life and away from the tourist scene. I think it would be best to get a few mates and bikes and travel around as a little posse.
Mmmmmmm food!! One of the many delicious meals had in SE Asia!
On the final leg of our trip, we were heading back towards Phnom Penh and had been on the bike all day and did about 200kms that day. On the final 100meters back to the homestay for the last night in Cambodia, it was Michael driving and myself behind him sandwiched between our pack so we had probably 150kgs on the bike. The side of the roads are sandy soil and very soft and as we were turning into the road, the bike came out from underneath us and trapped our left legs under the bike. As the bike was so heavy and we were trying to get out from under it, poor Eakys' right leg was leaning in the exhaust manifold and burnt his leg through his long trousers. Ouch!! and there is still a large scar on my calf still I think I have got this for life.....
These pancakes were awesome, really awesome I had a few and they were all amazing.
Shahn with the 'Magic Stick'. US$2 Magic stick - Average taste, great marketing
The change from our drinks came back in both Reil and US dollars truly a multi currency country, fully functional and was easy to get a grasp of costs. In saying that, one thing we found through our travels was the lack of consumer knowledge, trying to understand the going rate for items just became a guessing game and never sure if we were getting a fair deal or ripped off.
So the last bit of this blog has been a bit hodgepodge but that's life. We have enjoyed getting all the photos and writing the stories and hope you enjoy.
