Angkor and Siam Reap

I've been in Cambodia for just over 24 hours now and it's safe to say here I've finally had my introduction to the congested, rough, dusty, hot Southeast Asia that I had imagined before coming here. More on that later, but first - I spent my day touring the temples at Angkor and was astounded by the sheer size and brilliance of the complex.

At the risk of being too dry, I should explain the significance of Angkor for those who are unfamiliar. About a millenium ago, Angkor served as the capital of the powerful Khmer Empire. Over the course of centuries, successive rulers built and expanded massive temple complexes with extremely intricate detail, creating one of the great wonders of the world. Angkor was forgotten for centuries until it was "rediscovered" by French colonists the in 19th century.

Today Angkor is by far Cambodia's most popular tourist attraction and provides an interesting glimpse into the history of the country. Walking around Angkor one is constantly reminded both of the glory and power of the nation's past and the destitute poverty and despair that marks its present - and the enormous impact (and economic importance) of tourism in Cambodia today.

The first thing that struck me about Angkor was its sheer size - it is a sprawling city unto itself with dozens of different temple sites, which at different points in its history served as temples, administrative centers, and even universities. Today most of the stone structures remain in varying conditions , and some have dramatically blended with the jungle landscape.






Throughout Angkor, at every stop, there are vendors selling food and beverages. As in Siam Reap (the nearby town at which visitors to Angkor stay), the vendors are aggressive and unrelenting but I was unprepared at Angkor for the abundance of children who would follow me and try to sell me trinkets or postcards. Some of them would throw quite a fit if ignored ("you don't buy something then you don't like me!") and it is heartbreaking to see that kind of poverty so widespread. Later in the day for some of the children, instead of buying their trinkets, I would pay them to allow me the privilege of taking their picture, one of which is below (leaving aside the ethics of that kind of behavior for now...):



Siam Reap is an interesting town. It is full of visitors from around the world who are just here to see Angkor. It has developed surprisingly good amenities to serve travellers (the Internet cafe I'm using right now, for $0.75/hr, has a speedy computer with a reliable fast connection). The restaurants here are great - I've actually been spending a little more on food than when I was in Thailand but for delicious food in restaurant settings rather than the mainly street food I had been eating in Bangkok. And by a little more I mean I am getting great restaurant meals for $4 each!

Traffic is crazy. Earlier this afternoon I saw a car almost hit and kill a girl on a motorbike - she was thrown off her bike, which flipped onto its side and traffic stopped for only a moment as the car simply veered around her and drove away. The girl was clearly shaken as she got up but no one stopped or approached her to see if she was ok. Finally a westerner on a bike (white guy) pulled up and helped her over to the side of the road. The incident itself was jarring but what disturbed me most was the nonchalance of the other motorists. Many of the bystanders stared but nothing more. I know that on my trip I will have to take a few motorbike taxis (already have once) and today's incident definitely will encourage me to seek alternatives (taxis, tuk-tuks) when available and to keep my wits about me.

It's important to find good drivers too. Today at Angkor I paid a tuk-tuk driver $15 to stick around with me all day, driving me to and from Angkor and around the (very large) site from temple to temple. He was friendly and I picked him because he was not one of the aggressive ones trying to get my attention and he looked nice. At the border crossing into Cambodia, I was approached by some touts who smelled like booze (and it was only 10 in the morning). Sasha, the Russian I met there, warned me that one time he got taken for a ride by a drunk motorbike taxi driver who was swerving and speeding and that it scared the shit out of him. So I'm gonna try to be careful.

So now I realize that Bangkok was definitely a walk in the park compared to some of the other places I'll go on the trip. This is the fun part!

Also there are geckos everywhere inside the buildings just crawling around the walls. A little weird but kind of cool.

I finally found the row of street food in this town. Just had a delicious $1 dinner of fried noodles and vegetables. Yum. Tomorrow I leave for Phnom Penh, where the adventure continues...