Cambodia:
On January 28th we were welcomed into Cambodia by a Dairy Queen located by the gate. Unfortunately, it was only visible through the glass wall of the path leading to the visa processing area and inaccessible to all the arriving passengers. After being away from the US for so long, Dairy Queen looked so appealing and therefore we all made a mental note to seek out Dairy Queen when we are on the departing side of the glass wall.
To enter Cambodia, most westerners have to apply for an entry visa that takes about ten to fifteen minutes to process. The visa cost $20 USD (USD are used in Cambodia because their currency doesn’t have a strong backing). So everyone that has to apply for a visa must go to the ATM located near the visa desk to withdraw USD. It was incredibly strange to see people from all over the world holding US cash while they wait in line to pay for their visa. What made this particularly odd is the fact that I personally haven’t seen USD since I departed from the US in late July. I became quite accustom to the colorful and size distinguishable currency of Taiwan.
Our plan was to stay in the capital of Phnom Penh for the first night, then go to Siem Reap for 2 nights, and return back to Phnom Penh for our last two nights. Once we arrived to our hostel, Woolly Rhino, we met up with Jill’s Colgate comrade Alyssa. Alyssa, who arrived the night before, shared with us some of her experiences at the hostel and in the city. She told us that one of the women at the hostel negotiated a bad price for a tuk tuk to take her up to the killing fields that were outside of the city. The tuk tuk charged her $38 USD (when we go up to the same location later, we were only charged about $12 which was divided between the 4 of us)! Later, she saw the same woman flirting with the same tuk tuk driver and came to the conclusion that the woman helped the tuk tuk driver rip her off. So not only were the people at the hostel a rip off, but the hostel itself was the worst place we stayed during the duration of our trip. The walls were stained with mold, the air conditioner was broken, and the beds were just a pad rather than an actual mattress. If you’re ever going to Phnom Penh, DON”T STAY AT THE WOOLLY RHINO!
The next day we headed out to Siem Reap on the cheapest bus we could find ($5). The travel agent tried to sell us the more expensive bus and even hesitated to tell us about the bus we ended up taking. Upon boarding the bus, we soon realized that we were the only non-Cambodians on the bus. We then concluded that her hesitation was based on the fact that the cheaper bus was rarely taken by foreigners. Which is what most of us preferred. While traveling in Cambodia, we observed the separation of tourists and locals into two separate groups. Tourists were the consumers and Cambodians were the service personnel. Most tourists didn’t travel or eat with the locals, all their accommodations were different. This was a very disturbing reality for me while traveling. I enjoy places where locals go rather than places designated for me as tourist. Immersion into the culture provides a more realistic and raw experience that is not specifically designed to misconstrue my perception of the country.
Our ride to Siem Reap was one of the most humbling experiences on our trip because we were able to see how people outside of the city live and make a living. Many people lived in huts made out of bamboo and their live stock looked frail and underfed. At the rest stops, young girls between the ages of about 6 to 12 would practically harass every visitor into buying the fruit they were selling. In very good English the girls would say, “Lady, do you want to buy some pineapple? Two for a dollar.” It was sad to see the young girls anxiously trying to sell fruit to visitors rather than attending school. I felt absolutely helpless. From my experience in China, I knew buying from the girls would not directly change their situation. I also knew that the money was not going directly to them, but to whoever had them out there selling fruit.
Our bus arrived in Siem Reap on a bumpy red dusted road. We stepped off the bus looking for a car or van to drive us to our hostel. After a couple of minutes of looking around at the various drivers holding hotel signs, we soon found ours. They grabbed our bags and escorted us toward a grey van; soon we saw that our bags were not actually going to the grey van but to two tuk tuks located near the van. They threw our bags onboard promising they would not fall off while in transit, and then we were off to Rosy Guesthouse. At the hostel we were greeted by friendly faces and assisted by the European owners. The rooms were great and had the character of a hotel rather than a hostel.
That first night, we decided to make the best of our time at Siem Reap and chose to buy the 24 hour pass to Angkor Wat. We hiked up a busy trail to what was supposed to be the best Wat to watch the sunset. I made the naïve mistake of wearing white flip flops on the red dusted trail, therefore coating my feet and flops in a nice rustic orange color. The next day, I made the better decision of wearing sneakers (although you can still see the Angkor Wat rustic orange color on them).
We headed out to Angkor Wat nice and early that next day with the plan of seeing 3 to 5 temples and concluding our day at Angkor Wat proper. After our first temple, we purchased $15 elephant rides (which cost about $30 in Thailand) that took us back to the front gate. This meant that after our ride we would have to walk about a mile to get back because that was where we planned to meet our tuk tuk drivers. We were all up for the walk because we knew there was a high possibility of seeing monkeys (we actually ended up seeing a lot of monkeys on our trip, but WARNING: do not feed the monkeys, they will attack! I personally didn’t get attacked because I wasn’t dumb enough to feed them, but I did see others get swarmed by aggressive monkeys). To get on the elephant, I had to climb up a staircase and step on the elephant’s neck to get in the seat. Now I know this may sound a little abusive, but the trainers would guide the elephants by sitting on their necks. Elephants aren’t the most efficient means of travel, they move slowly and the movement of their bodies rocks their passengers side to side with every step. However, that does not take away from the giddy child-like feeling you have while riding on such a large and magnificent creature.
Before actually going to Angkor Wat, we saw three other temples that consumed most of our day. We did not actually get to Angkor Wat until about 45 minutes before the temples closed. Angkor Wat holds true to being the largest religious structure in the world. It was breathtaking that such a massive detailed structure was built in the 12th century. As my co-teacher in Taiwan said, “you must have felt like an ant.” Which is exactly how I felt. Given our limited time, Adam and I decided to watch the sunset in a specific part of the Wat that was not overwhelmed with tourist.
That night, we completed our Angkor Wat theme with going to a bar in Siem Reap called “Angkor What?” We all had an absolutely wonderful time (some had a little too much fun and drank a little too much). The name was not what made the bar so fantastic, it was the $5 and $6 buckets of drinks that would cost the same if not more for just a small glass in the US. So between the five of us, we had four buckets and received two T-shirts (buy two buckets and receive one T-shirt, isn’t that awesome!).
The next day we headed back to Phnom Penh and stayed at a much better hostel than we did the first time we were in Phnom Penh. I would best describe my experience in Phnom Penh as informative. We visited both the killing fields and the genocide museum of the Pol Pot regime. Prior to visiting these sites, I did not have much prior knowledge of the horrific and devastating events that occurred in Cambodia during the 1970’s. It was mystifying to conceive that such horrible barbarous acts could be possible during a period that was less than 40 years ago. I highly recommend both the killing fields and the genocide museum for both the uninformed and the well informed. It is a humbling experience and although it created a solemn mood throughout my day, it was one of the best experiences I had on my entire vacation.
Malaysia and Singapore coming soon...
On January 28th we were welcomed into Cambodia by a Dairy Queen located by the gate. Unfortunately, it was only visible through the glass wall of the path leading to the visa processing area and inaccessible to all the arriving passengers. After being away from the US for so long, Dairy Queen looked so appealing and therefore we all made a mental note to seek out Dairy Queen when we are on the departing side of the glass wall.To enter Cambodia, most westerners have to apply for an entry visa that takes about ten to fifteen minutes to process. The visa cost $20 USD (USD are used in Cambodia because their currency doesn’t have a strong backing). So everyone that has to apply for a visa must go to the ATM located near the visa desk to withdraw USD. It was incredibly strange to see people from all over the world holding US cash while they wait in line to pay for their visa. What made this particularly odd is the fact that I personally haven’t seen USD since I departed from the US in late July. I became quite accustom to the colorful and size distinguishable currency of Taiwan.
Our plan was to stay in the capital of Phnom Penh for the first night, then go to Siem Reap for 2 nights, and return back to Phnom Penh for our last two nights. Once we arrived to our hostel, Woolly Rhino, we met up with Jill’s Colgate comrade Alyssa. Alyssa, who arrived the night before, shared with us some of her experiences at the hostel and in the city. She told us that one of the women at the hostel negotiated a bad price for a tuk tuk to take her up to the killing fields that were outside of the city. The tuk tuk charged her $38 USD (when we go up to the same location later, we were only charged about $12 which was divided between the 4 of us)! Later, she saw the same woman flirting with the same tuk tuk driver and came to the conclusion that the woman helped the tuk tuk driver rip her off. So not only were the people at the hostel a rip off, but the hostel itself was the worst place we stayed during the duration of our trip. The walls were stained with mold, the air conditioner was broken, and the beds were just a pad rather than an actual mattress. If you’re ever going to Phnom Penh, DON”T STAY AT THE WOOLLY RHINO!
The next day we headed out to Siem Reap on the cheapest bus we could find ($5). The travel agent tried to sell us the more expensive bus and even hesitated to tell us about the bus we ended up taking. Upon boarding the bus, we soon realized that we were the only non-Cambodians on the bus. We then concluded that her hesitation was based on the fact that the cheaper bus was rarely taken by foreigners. Which is what most of us preferred. While traveling in Cambodia, we observed the separation of tourists and locals into two separate groups. Tourists were the consumers and Cambodians were the service personnel. Most tourists didn’t travel or eat with the locals, all their accommodations were different. This was a very disturbing reality for me while traveling. I enjoy places where locals go rather than places designated for me as tourist. Immersion into the culture provides a more realistic and raw experience that is not specifically designed to misconstrue my perception of the country.
Our ride to Siem Reap was one of the most humbling experiences on our trip because we were able to see how people outside of the city live and make a living. Many people lived in huts made out of bamboo and their live stock looked frail and underfed. At the rest stops, young girls between the ages of about 6 to 12 would practically harass every visitor into buying the fruit they were selling. In very good English the girls would say, “Lady, do you want to buy some pineapple? Two for a dollar.” It was sad to see the young girls anxiously trying to sell fruit to visitors rather than attending school. I felt absolutely helpless. From my experience in China, I knew buying from the girls would not directly change their situation. I also knew that the money was not going directly to them, but to whoever had them out there selling fruit.
Our bus arrived in Siem Reap on a bumpy red dusted road. We stepped off the bus looking for a car or van to drive us to our hostel. After a couple of minutes of looking around at the various drivers holding hotel signs, we soon found ours. They grabbed our bags and escorted us toward a grey van; soon we saw that our bags were not actually going to the grey van but to two tuk tuks located near the van. They threw our bags onboard promising they would not fall off while in transit, and then we were off to Rosy Guesthouse. At the hostel we were greeted by friendly faces and assisted by the European owners. The rooms were great and had the character of a hotel rather than a hostel.
That first night, we decided to make the best of our time at Siem Reap and chose to buy the 24 hour pass to Angkor Wat. We hiked up a busy trail to what was supposed to be the best Wat to watch the sunset. I made the naïve mistake of wearing white flip flops on the red dusted trail, therefore coating my feet and flops in a nice rustic orange color. The next day, I made the better decision of wearing sneakers (although you can still see the Angkor Wat rustic orange color on them).
We headed out to Angkor Wat nice and early that next day with the plan of seeing 3 to 5 temples and concluding our day at Angkor Wat proper. After our first temple, we purchased $15 elephant rides (which cost about $30 in Thailand) that took us back to the front gate. This meant that after our ride we would have to walk about a mile to get back because that was where we planned to meet our tuk tuk drivers. We were all up for the walk because we knew there was a high possibility of seeing monkeys (we actually ended up seeing a lot of monkeys on our trip, but WARNING: do not feed the monkeys, they will attack! I personally didn’t get attacked because I wasn’t dumb enough to feed them, but I did see others get swarmed by aggressive monkeys). To get on the elephant, I had to climb up a staircase and step on the elephant’s neck to get in the seat. Now I know this may sound a little abusive, but the trainers would guide the elephants by sitting on their necks. Elephants aren’t the most efficient means of travel, they move slowly and the movement of their bodies rocks their passengers side to side with every step. However, that does not take away from the giddy child-like feeling you have while riding on such a large and magnificent creature.
Before actually going to Angkor Wat, we saw three other temples that consumed most of our day. We did not actually get to Angkor Wat until about 45 minutes before the temples closed. Angkor Wat holds true to being the largest religious structure in the world. It was breathtaking that such a massive detailed structure was built in the 12th century. As my co-teacher in Taiwan said, “you must have felt like an ant.” Which is exactly how I felt. Given our limited time, Adam and I decided to watch the sunset in a specific part of the Wat that was not overwhelmed with tourist.
That night, we completed our Angkor Wat theme with going to a bar in Siem Reap called “Angkor What?” We all had an absolutely wonderful time (some had a little too much fun and drank a little too much). The name was not what made the bar so fantastic, it was the $5 and $6 buckets of drinks that would cost the same if not more for just a small glass in the US. So between the five of us, we had four buckets and received two T-shirts (buy two buckets and receive one T-shirt, isn’t that awesome!).
The next day we headed back to Phnom Penh and stayed at a much better hostel than we did the first time we were in Phnom Penh. I would best describe my experience in Phnom Penh as informative. We visited both the killing fields and the genocide museum of the Pol Pot regime. Prior to visiting these sites, I did not have much prior knowledge of the horrific and devastating events that occurred in Cambodia during the 1970’s. It was mystifying to conceive that such horrible barbarous acts could be possible during a period that was less than 40 years ago. I highly recommend both the killing fields and the genocide museum for both the uninformed and the well informed. It is a humbling experience and although it created a solemn mood throughout my day, it was one of the best experiences I had on my entire vacation.
Malaysia and Singapore coming soon...
I was in Manila for less than 24 hours, but it was surprisingly better than we all expected. Before our departure, we were warned by a few people that Manila would be a little sketchy and we should be extremely careful. It really wasn't as bad as everyone tried to prepare us for; the people were generally nice and carefree. Unlike other countries in SE Asia, the Philippines is a Catholic country. Therefore, it added contrast to see a large cathedral rather than a Buddhist temple. Something that was really unique to the Philippines was the presence of male "urinals" on the street. They were situated on the street like telephone booths, except in appearance it resembled a large barrel on poles with the top and bottom cut out and a vertical slit down the middle to allow men to go in and out. It was hot pink in color and the inside was completely hollow. The main purpose of the urinal was to cover men from public view while they relieved themselves on the street. At first I wondered if it was really necessary. That was before the driver of our Jeepney jumped out of the driver seat while in traffic to relieve himself on another Jeepney parked beside us. Adam said the guy even made the "kind" gesture of flushing the street of his urine with a little water from his water bottle.
The second stop on our journey was to Thailand. Thailand was probably one of the most anticipated on our 5 country tour. Jill (my one and only roommate for those who are a little behind because I haven’t made a post in like 6 months) and I were extremely stoked about having AUTHENTIC Thai food and beer. In Taiwan, Thai food is one of our favorites (Jill is much more addicted than I). The anticipation of knowing that we were going to have Thai food straight from its original source was so enticing, that we had a Thai food fast before embarking on our trip. 
That same day, Adam and I split from Jill and Virginia to join Beth and her group. We headed off to Phuket on an overnight sleeper train (highly recommended if you have plenty of time to spare and you’re traveling on a budget). After a lot of confusion and unanticipated spending, we arrived in Phuket about 22 hours after we left Bangkok. The trip should have only taken about 15 hours, but that is all water under the bridge.
We stayed in a “tree house,” which was actually an elevated cabin designed to appear as if the post were actual trees. Behind our tree house was a river that we had to climb down the rocks to reach. When it started raining (like it does everyday in the rain forest), we made our way down on the slippery rocks to the river in our swimsuits. We walked around and played for minute, then headed back to the cabin. The next day, Adam and I did a short hike to one of the many waterfalls in the park. Once we made it to the waterfall, Adam pushed me in!!!! Ok, so he didn’t actually push me. He convinced me that my short little legs would be able to leap to this slippery rock. My body told me that between my lack of coordination and short limbs, I would not be able to successfully make it to the rock, but I tried anyways given Adam’s persuasion. That’s when I slipped and fell into the stream. Adam later ended up falling into the waterfall as well. Except, he fell in full body while only my feet and legs fell in.
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