Amoking About in Cambodia

Mangostin Fruit, you eat the white in the middle!

After an intense day in Pehnom Penh and success with our Vietnamese visa's we met up to find a recommended restaurant to try Cambodia's national dish of Amok.  I had heard of amok many times but every opportunity I had to order it I always found something I was craving more.  With a name like fish amok it never sounded very appetizing.

Amok is a dish with different vegetables like green beans, carrots, pumpkin some sort of green leaf and usually fish or chicken in a yellow curry sauce.  Usually the dish is served over rice and it soupy. Berg and I found the restaurant we were looking for and ordered some amok and some mango spicy salad.

The chicken amok we received was different than I had imagined.  It was not soupy there was no rice and it was more like a pastry.  Apparently they make it two ways.  This one was a bit similar to a quiche with the crust and in the middle was the curry and chicken and vegetables.  To my surprise the dish was very tasty and I enjoyed it so much so that for the next two nights I ordered amok at 2 other restaurants in to other towns to compare.

First I headed back for Battambang where I was going to catch the river boat to Siem Reap.  I went out to a local restaurant and ordered the amok here.  This one was more traditional and soupy and delicious.  The next night in Siem Reap I ordered the same again at another local restaurant.  This time I ordered the fish amok.  I assumed it would be shredded or very small pieces of fish and possibly too fishy for my taste but the amok came out with nice chunky pieces of fillet filled with loads of vegetables including pumpkin.  This third time was by far my favorite of the three and it tasted incredible.

The food of Cambodia appears very similar to me to those found in Thailand.  Thai food is very fragrant with many different flavors of lemongrass, Thai basil and curry.  So far all the food I have had everywhere has been delicious like pad Thais, green curry, yellow curry, red curry, cashew chicken, basil chicken, pork, mango salad, tom yum soup etc etc.  I am loving the food but often find that it's always a stir fry with rice or noodles or a soup or curry.  I have also been disappointed in the spice of the Thais.  Everyone claims Thai food is spicy but even when you ask them to make is Thai spicy it usually falls short of my expectations and without fail I always add more chili. 

I have also fallen in love with the fruits here.  Every morning I have fresh fruit with muesli and usually a homemade yogurt.  I have tried many new fruits and am always amazed by the variety and flavors.  Everywhere here you can get giant fresh fruit smoothies with the freshest most delicious fruits.  The mango, watermelon and bananas here are so much more flavorful than back home and it is something I will miss a lot once I leave.  Next cuisine to try is the north Thai noodles and then the food in Laos!

Phenom Pehn and the Khmer Rouge

Cambodia's capital Phenom Pehn was busy and crazy with bicycles and motorcycles, tuk tuks, cars, trucks and any other transportation you can imagine with their knack for transporting people and goods.  The traffic on the roads in Phenom Pehn appears to be complete chaos but once you join in it your realized there is an organization to their madness.  I came to Phenom Pehn to get my Vietnamese visa, see the S-21 museum and the killing fields.  All of this I accomplished in a day and two nights minus the killing fields.

My path crossed again with Berg my fellow traveler from China who I met in Bangkok weeks before.  His plan was a mirror image of mine so we decided to execute it together.  We met up for dinner the first night and I had my first taste of pizza in months and months, oh how I have missed western food.  The next morning we agreed to rent bikes, ride to the embassy, then to the museum and the killing fields. 

With the embassy quick and easy we set off for the S-21 Museum.  The museum is the sight of an old school that the Khmer Rouge took over and converted into a prison where they kept people and tortured them.  The school has changed little since 30 years ago and is very powerful in all of it's rawness.  The experience in the museum was so intense and sad I did not take any photo's of the gruesomeness that went on here.  At the school there were multiple different buildings where they imprisoned men, women and children.  To this day the people and the government do not understand Pol Pot and what he was trying to do or accomplish through this horrific genocide. 

We hired a guide who was 10 when forced with her family was evacuated from Phenom Pehn.  Depending on your location the day the Khmer Rouge came into the city the forced everybody to leave, whole families where forced apart and in different directions, so if you were in the north they pushed you north, south...they pushed you south. Kids were left separated from their parents, wives were separated from their husbands and the city was in complete chaos with not a person understanding what was happening.  

The only goal of the KR was to kill people, with a focus on the men.  No one at the time even knew who Pol Pot was as no one had television or food.  Everyone was forced into labor camps and denied basic human rights.  At the prison we visited they chained, tortured and kills thousands and thousands of people.  The victims pictures hang in the museum, some with pin tags stuck in their necks with their bed numbers on them. 

As the Vietnamese came into the city to free them, there were only 7 remaining survivors all of which held skills valuable to the regime.  Right before they arrived they killed the 14 other high ranking KR prisons.  They killed them after torture usually by slitting their throats.  You can visit each of the cells the prisoners were found in and there hangs photos of their dead bodies.

After seeing the atrocities committed by Pol Pot for no reason both Berg and myself realized that we did not need to visit the killing fields where there are over 100 mass graves of the people they killed mostly by bludgeoning them to death.  Some of the graves have been dug up but many remain. I have been told you can still see the bones and clothes of the people in the field.  

For the rest of the day Berg and I took it easy.  We got some food, visited the different markets and felt we had enough cultural history for the day, week, or even month.

Battambang, Is this it????

Battambang is an odd little town with French Colonial architecture not many travelers and not much to do. The town shuts down early at night and the only sights are the bamboo train, a couple temples and the eerie killing caves. On the bus to Battambang I met a German girl traveling alone and we decided to hire a tuk tuk for the next day to see all the Battambang had to offer. That night we headed to the night market for cheap food at one of the stalls. Here we stumbled upon an English speaking Cambodian who ran a stall with his family. He was in his late 40's or 50's and he talked with us shortly about the Khmer Rouge and how he remembered being so hungry. He also introduced us to his family and told us jokes still maintaining a good sense of humor.

"Why do poor Cambodians have so many children.".......Believe me, I used sociology and science to guess about birth and death rates, help in the fields etc etc.  The answer, " because poor people have bad beds and can't sleep, the richer people have comfortable beds and money for booze so they pass our quickly."  Nice Cambodian joke.

The next morning we set out first to the killing caves which were used by the Khmer Rouge as a killing ground.  The caves go deep into the ground and they used to push people to their deaths.  We hiked a little way down but the caves were dark, steep, craggy and dangerous.  They were also unsettling and a bit creepy.  Coming up you can still see a pile of bones and clothes that they left behind from the horribleness that existed here.

Before we headed up the mountain to the caves we were asked many times if we needed a guide but we knew it was easy to locate ourselves and we went up alone.  On our way we acquired an attachment.  A young Cambodian guy decided to tag along with us guiding us about.  At first I was skeptical of his intentions and was only partly listening because I knew by the end he would want money for his unwanted service.  As he asked questions I reluctantly answered them.  Once he discovered my English teaching he began to ask me questions about English.  I slowly began to help my first Cambodian pupil with grammar and pronunciation.  He thanked me continually for being easy to understand and helpful with pronunciation.  As he described the caves and temple for us I corrected his grammar and pronunciation and offered answers to the many questions he asked.  After our tour he left us right where he found us, he said he was repairing the road and needed to get back to work.  We thanked him and he thanked us and it was a great experience.

After we headed to another temple where the children followed us up over 300 stairs waving fans at us until the top.  At the top there was a beautiful but small temple with lots of flowers and land mine warnings all around.  The kids were silly and we took many pictures as they thanked us, they picked flowers but them in our hair and jewelery and continually fanned us.  We sat and rested and chatted with them for a bit.  It was relaxing but I knew they were going to ask for money, which unfortunately they did.  I apologetically said no and we were on our way to our final destination, the bamboo train.

The bamboo train is a jerry-rigged double set of wheels placed on the train tracks with a bamboo platform on top and a motor used to run it forward.  It is used by locals to transport goods to the towns along the tracks.  The freedom of sitting on top and exhilarating through the beautiful scenery was relaxing and enjoyable, except when there was oncoming traffic.  With approaching bamboo trains the train with fewer people needs to get up and the two trains controllers pick up the one train in pieces remove it from the tracks and after the train passes they put it back together.

I enjoyed the day out and the company of my new friend but she was moving on to Thailand and I was headed to Phenom Penh so the next morning we both caught a bus in the opposite directions.  Off to the capital I went.

Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/linseypaddock/Battambang?authkey=Gv1sRgCP7mzZWqsIa7sQE&feat=directlink

Wats and wats of wats

The temples, or wats as they are called are 6.5 km north of Siem Reap which to get to you either need to higher a tuk tuk or a bicycle.  I did both.  The first day of temples I rented a bike for one dollar and set off for the many temples to the north, Angkor Wat being the most famous but not necessarily  the most awe inspiring .
I rode to four of the different temples first Angkor Wat which I walked around in for a bit after I got some delicious street food.  It is old, large and beautiful and covered in tourists....Next temple please!  After I left for the famous faces of the Bayon temple in Angkor Thom.  Here there were fewer tourists and I was able to peacefully walk around through the many pillars of giant smiling faces.  This temple was steep and interesting.  I hung around a bit then moved on to one more temple then finally Ta Prohm or more well known as the location for Tomb Raider with Angelina Jolie.

Ta Prohm is by far the most interesting temple to me because it has been over grown with the trees planting their roots all around the hidden temple and jungle.  Although it has been pruned back it still feels slightly more forbidden or lost.  It has a slight air of mystique and with fewer tourists would have been an ideal place to explore. The temples were fun to see but after a day of riding my bike and walking through them all day I felt a bit templed out.

At the temples there is a problem and frustration which aided my temple exhaustion.  Every temple you  go to you become accosted by the children of Cambodia trying to sell you cheap bracelets, post cards, books and drinks.  They come in swarms all shouting "you buy my...." No matter the number of times you decline or walk away they always continue.  When they finally realize they can't change your mind and you don't want to buy they walk away mumbling or sometimes just blatantly say a good old F&*^% you!  So sweet.

I was about to give up a second day of templing but was invited by my fellow hotel guests to go with them on a rock and roll tuk tuk the next day.  That's right, ROCK and ROLL baby.  I of course could not resist.  The second day our amazing tuk tuk driver showed up in style with dvd players, speakers, ipod hook ups, music and a cooler.  What more could you ask for?  With my companions, a Brit boy, and 2 Aussie boys we set off on our adventure, headed for the smaller temples away from the north and to the east. 

These temples were less impressive but the day was made by our amazing tuk tuk driver who would pull into the temples doing donuts and yelling rock and roll.  He was an ex monk that stopped being a monk to support his family.  A month ago he got the idea to convert his tuk tuk into an unusual and unique tuk tuk which rocked!  As we pulled into the third temple we started the donuts with our music blasting.  The children from the empty restaurants came running over trying to get us to eat at their restaurant.  Normally this would have been annoying but instead it was a pleasure as our driver decided to have them all rock, paper, scissors for our patronage. 

The kids not only were laughing but they were amused by our famous driver and were able to just be kids.  We finally sat down to a nice meal.  After we finished our food we joined the kids in games and they all were begging for their photos to be taken.  I took tons of photos and continued to show the results to the very excited children.  We got to talk with the kids without them selling anything and enjoy their company.  This was by far the most enriching experience in Cambodia thus far. 

After, as we headed for Angkor Wat for the sunset we made a quick pit stop at the orphanage.  Again we were greeted by smiling children who offered us water and chairs and a concert.  "In da joongle da mahty joongle" was lovely but took me a minute to realize they were singing in the jungle the mighty jungle.  They also attempted head and shoulders knees and toes and the ABC's among others.  They were very cute but often never on the same word or with the right beat and never pronounced correctly.  It was very cool to watch and we also got to observe their English class before we left.  The orphans here seemed well cared for as best they can and have not needed to beg which was refreshing.

The second day of temple seeing was more of a cultural day and I very much enjoyed it.  I think it had much to do with my fellow travelers who were laid back and wanting to play with the children and also to our tuk tuk driver who new just how to make everyone smile.

Temple pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/linseypaddock/TheWats?authkey=Gv1sRgCJOMwe784cfdfQ&feat=directlink

Cambodia, the Final Frontier: Siem Reap

Border crossing hell= mini van to the boarder where a "guide" met us.  Well our guide was young, arrogant and had a bit of an attitude.  I found him untrustworthy and felt like he was always trying to take advantage of the situation and get as much money out of us as possible.  After leaving the boarder with a bitter taste in my mouth I finally found myself on my way to Siem Reap in a taxi with two travelers from the Republic of Georgia.

Transporting pigs, they are alive!

On first arrival I noticed that everything was very dusty and everybody seems to get around on motorbikes or bicycles and sometimes loaded on the back of trucks. All along the road to Siem Reap were motorcycles with pigs tied on their backs, two to a motorcycle, or 3 dozen birds tied by one leg or sometimes even an ox or horse with legs tied together on some sort of cart on  the back of a bike.  On first look they seemed dead until I saw a couple kicking and moving.  Welcome back to the third world I thought...and loved it.

First impressions of Siem Reap and Cambodia, I was surprised by how developed the infrastructure was, like the main roads, not to say they are anything comparable to the western world.  Geographically Cambodia is very flat, except for the southwest region, which surprised me so the roads are paved, straight and easy to negotiate, just don't hit, bikes, kids, animals, motorcycles or any other road block. 

I found Cambodia like Thailand has a very developed tourism economy in comparison to other places.  They have many easy to use tour agency's (though you need to watch out they can rip you off but that's the way the game goes) that only focus or mostly cater to travelers.  This seems to isolate the travelers from the locals at times, more so than in South America.  People seem to show less interest in the backpackers and it is more difficult to interact and feel excepted.

The people of Cambodia seem to be wonderfully friendly and smiley and a pleasure to talk to much of the time but they can also become short, arrogant and hostile at other times.  If money for tourist services is involved they often try to take advantage and can use sarcastic and rude comments.  If you say you don't need or want their service on multiple occasions I was told "fine then do it yourself," which I was trying to do anyways.  Also, on a daily bases in Siem Reap you are accosted by tuk tuk drivers asking if you need one.  If you politely say no they don't stop and then ask you about tomorrow, if you just say no they will respond with a sarcastic "no, thank you"and if you say nothing at all they get louder and more rude.  They do not understand how to back off.  They consistently hassle you no matter what whether it's for a tuk tuk, food, drink, post cards, books, etc.  If I want what you have I will find you!!!  It is possible to walk past a line of tuk tuk's tell the first no politely, the second no again and the third no and you will still be asked by the fourth and fifth in line. WTF?

The city of Siem Reap itself is nothing more than a small town with the center catered to the tourists.  The day market, the night market, the food stalls the bars and the restaurants are all battling for your patronage like the tuk tuks.  It becomes overwhelming and annoying most of the time.  Mostly Siem Reap is the city that is the jumping off point for the amazing temples including the famous Angkar Wat.

Additionally it is at night that the children come out to beg and try and sell you bootlegged books.  Both the children and the women with babies and empty bottles are trying to make money off of you.  One woman asked for money for formula and a guy bought her a 10 dollar bottle of formula and when he gave it to her she ran and we were told by the shop keeper she returns it at another shop.  If you buy anything you need to open it so they can't return it.

The children additionally try to sell you stuff and won't leave you alone or they try and touch you, (watch your wallet) and look really sad and helpless so you give them money for food.  I tried offering food to one but he didn't want food.  It's hard to not trust children but many are brought up to scam travelers.  They are not begging for themselves or selling books for themselves but for someone else around the corner.  Seeing these sights makes you feel bad but I know that supporting this behavior only hurts it in the long run.  You are better off giving your money to an organization that can help. 

My first full day in Siem Reap I spent  wandering the town to the market buying silver bracelets, my weakness, and stumbling on the Angkor Artisans which is a fair trade school where they teach locals to make traditional stone carvings and wood carvings as well as silk paintings and silk weaving.  You can tour the workshop and watch them create intricate details.  At the end there is a shop where you can buy the products.  It was all very impressive and beautiful, but a bit pricey, but that is fair trade.

Artisan carving a statue

In the shop I noticed a free shuttle to their silk farm/factory as well so I visited and watched how they make silk and how they weave amazing time consuming patterns on intricate looms.  All of the workers were extremely friendly and nice and it allowed me to notice the difference in attitude between those being taught and learning a skill that allows them to make a fair wage and income to those who feel abandoned and like they deserve more.  

Overall I am liking the more third world aspect of Cambodia but am having mixed feelings about the people and how they deal with tourism and the begging.  I feel I am constantly being overcharged and they are always trying to get money and rip you off.  When they look at you they see dollar signs, not people.

Siem Reap Photos: http://picasaweb.google.com/linseypaddock/SiemReap?authkey=Gv1sRgCMDrorXh3OSA6wE&feat=directlink

Ton Sai Climbing Heaven

With a 15 kilogram bag I left for the far side of the resort beach and found the connecting path to the alternate world of the backpackers and climbers.  It was a bit of a strenuous climb up and over to the other side but I needed the conditioning having not climbed in over a year.  As I entered the new world I spotted a dive instructor from the place I received my open water certification.  He immediately showed me where he was staying for super cheap.  I got my own bungalow with a double bed, so so sheets and a working toilet and shower, though, not what you would call luxury, actually boarding on very poor but it works.

Railay, Thailand

The first night we grabbed some food at a little hut which was delicious and decided to meet up in the morning to find some climbers with ropes to adopt us.  We met at the food hut in the early morning I ordered the best fruit yogurt and muesli and coffee and we waited, and waited, and slowly gave up on hope of finding climbers, after all it is the low season and not many people are floating around.  Just when almost all hope was lost our angel Martin from France appeared and invited us to climb with them.  I rented a harness and off we went to find a wall to climb.

After not climbing for nearly a year my start was slowing. not finishing the first route which was graded a French 6b+, so 5.10b/c for the Americans.  Low on confidence and feeling week I was not sure I would be able to climb anything here until things changed for the better....which only took another 20 minutes.  I made another go at a 6a route and not only completed it but felt confident, next step, leading, maybe not this time around. 

Climbing Ton Sai

I spent the next couple days either climbing or recovering from climbing.  I met loads of others who were also their for the amazing limestone walls and quickly made friends and climbing partners.  Ton Sai was so beautiful and laid back.  The low season also was refreshing as there were fewer people and places open so it made life simplistic and relaxing.  After 5 nights on Ton Sai I decided I was ready for a change of pace away from the sun and the sand and heading to something more cultural. 

My original plan was to head into Northern Thailand but after much debating and problems trying to figure out timing with Georges arrival and my visa expiring I decided it was best to waist some time in Cambodia.  I took a boat to Ao Nang, then a van to Surat Thani then an overnight bus back to Bangkok.  I arrived at 5:30 in the morning to Bangkok full of exhaustion and ready to collapse.  I was unable to process anything in my brain and decided it was best to get a room and stay another night in Bangkok until I could sort out my next move.....somewhere in Cambodia.  Today I have roved around Bangkok with a fellow backpacker from Colombia.  I have practiced my Spanish and am ready to head to the boarder at 7am on to Ankor Wat.

Railay pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/linseypaddock/Railay?authkey=Gv1sRgCKj2uaSh_ajs2gE&feat=directlink

Ko Phangan...Ko Phanwrong...

Ok, so I made a hasty decision and arrived on Ko Phangan with zero idea of where to go, I know, my own fault.  I ended up following three Israeli guys to the area where the full moon parties are, second bad choice of the day.  Anyways, the place was kind of dead as it was not full moon time and it was covered with Germans and Israelis.  The beach was kind of dirty and overall it gave me a bad vibe.  I had some drinks and food with the three guys after I found a small room then hit the hay early.

Upon awakening I went and bought a ticket on the first boat and bus to Krabi town.  I left Ko Phangan and headed west.  It was a 3 hour boat ride and a 3 hour van ride.  Disembarking from the van I met a Scottish gay couple and attached myself to them.  We were headed for the same guest house so it was perfect.  We arrived showered and headed for some beers and some of the cheapest and best Thai food....street food!  We left for the night market which is all food and I order amazing noodle soup and they each ordered a curry dish and noodles.  All the dishes were amazing and cheap.  After we left for a bar where we chatted and drank cocktails for the rest of the night.  Good night.

Night Market, Krabi

Things began to look up for me and I started feeling more comfortable with my decision to move on.  I woke up in the morning and headed for the pier to catch a longtail boat to Railay beach, which is the only way it can be reached.  I was the only traveler about and was told we needed more people before we could leave so I ventured to grab some street food at a little local stall with locals eating.  I asked for a menu but was told the menu was the food, they brought me behind the counter and pointed to all the items trying to explain.  Eventually I was just given one noodle dish.  It was cheap and delicious and I enjoyed it with a couple locals.

After my delicious meal I met a vacationing older Malaysian couple.  Together we waited until we had enough people to leave for Railay beach and off we went to arrive at a small half resort half backpacker hangout.  They headed for the resort and I headed on a hike up and over a hill to the tiny village of Ton Sai, where all the rock climbers hangout.  Perfect start!

Krabi pictures!: http://picasaweb.google.com/linseypaddock/Krabi?authkey=Gv1sRgCM29nsXw36_HJg&feat=directlink