Our last stop on our summer vacation was Cambodia. We spent 1 week in Phnom Penh and 2 weeks in Siem Reap. We chose Cambodia because we heard it was beautiful and inexpensive. I had heard about the Khmer Rouge, landmines and Angkor Wat but other than that didn't know a lot about Cambodia.
Cambodia turned out to be amazing. It was very inexpensive. In Siem Reap, we stayed in a beautiful 5 star hotel for $60 a night - including breakfast for all of us. Food and drink were also very inexpensive. The people are so friendly. They are truly interested in talking to you and helping you.
Sadly, the dark side of Cambodia is still very present. In Phnom Penh, some of the main attractions include the Killing Fields and the Genocide Museum - the school where the Khmer Rouge tortured so many people. Victims of landmines can often been seen begging on the streets and the Royal Palace and Angkor Wat show the scars of the bullets. Corruption is rampant in Cambodia. The average income for locals is 50 cents a day!
I'll give you a brief overview of the tragedy of Cambodia. In 1975, the Khmer Rouge led by Pol Pot began rounding up all the educated Cambodians and systematically tortured and killed them. In 1979, the Khmer Rouge were defeated with the assistance of Viet Nam and the country fell into civil war for almost the next 30 years - that brings them up to the late 90's. The communist party (Khmer Rouge) is still in power and the police and politicians are often the soldiers of the past. Many aid societies (NGOs) are present in Cambodia, but between the corruption and the administration of these charities, poverty is still a huge issue. Given the atrocities that are a part of their recent history, it is amazing how happy the Cambodians all seem to be.
We started our stay in Phnom Pehn. We boarded the plane to Langkawi at about 11:30 am. Chase had picked up something and was threatening to vomit at any second. Thankfully, the plane departed on schedule and we had an uneventful flight. We even had time to have lunch before our 3:00 flight to Phnom Penh. Another quick fight and we arrived at our destination. My time on the plane was spent filling in forms.
We walked through the airport – upstairs only to go down more steps, Chase with his paper bag gripped firmly in his hand. At the base of the staircase, we were handed 2 forms for tourist Visas and then we proceeded to the desk where the officials took our passports. In broken English, and our bewilderment, we went through the Visa process...
Although people all around us were busy filling in application forms, we never did. The official behind the counter said $20 each, so we handed over $80. A moment later, he gave Rick back $40 and $30 to me and told us to “go over there” to wait. Some more gesturing and he gave us back the kids’ passports. We finally deciphered that children’s visas are only$5 and we paid for ours when we received them from the other desk – and our photos were not used. It took only about 5 minutes and we moved on the Customs counter with Chase in tears and holding the bag to his face begging to sit down somewhere. Customs was another efficient process and the forms I filled out on the plane were processed. One more stop (and the last form). We quickly passed through the declaration area and were immediately outside.
We were faced with the usual crowd of people with placards looking for their assigned guests and the taxi and tuktuk drivers. We determined that it was 30 minutes to the city center and the set rate for taxis is $9. We received our slip and went to our waiting taxi, still in a daze from our arrival and still with Chase threatening to vomit.
The taxi drivers seemed confused when I told them the name of our hotel which we found on the internet – the Villa Paradisio. I pulled out the reservation and discovered it was actually the Villa Paradiso and they seemed much more confident. They discussed the address and off we went with our driver who understood and spoke absolutely no English. Rick had been toying with the idea of renting a car and quickly dismissed that thought after about 5 minutes of watching traffic. Cars and scooters appear and disappear in every direction. It appears completely chaotic – and somehow it seems to work. It seems that the flow of traffic never stops, so if the vehicle comes to an intersection, the driver slowly nudges his way across – making his way between the cars and scooters who calmly continue to drive around him. And, what can you carry on a scooter? 5 people; a coat rack; a chest of drawers; a head board; a queen size mattress; a 100 lb bag of cement… all while maneuvering through the constant flow of traffic which does not stick to any lane, or for that matter, to the proper side of the street. Definitely driving in Phnom Penh is best left to the locals.
Along with marveling at the traffic, we were bombarded with the sights of the city. In some ways Phnom Penh is very typical of the Asian cities that we have been to. The roads are narrow and clogged with traffic – mostly scooters and tuktuks. There are lots of stands set up on the roadside selling mostly food and beverages and taking up the sidewalks. The small shops with similar businesses all clustered together. One street, on both sides, was entirely dedicated to selling scooters – hundreds, maybe thousands of scooters. Tiny shops (maybe 10 feet wide), one after the other, all doing some type of mechanical work on car engines. Lots of people were sitting around and walking along the streets – everyone looking a little dirty and shabby. The streets themselves are relatively free of litter and it is very clear that this is a poor country. The buildings are low – no more than 3 or 4 stories, mostly run down, but with a few very nice buildings interspersed every couple of blocks. They are nestled tightly together. Any larger building with garden space is surrounded by a tall concrete fence, often topped with razor wire and always monitored by at least one security guard.
Our taxi driver was clearly lost and when he seemed to be near our destination, we were stopped by road construction that required a long detour. The driver made several phone calls and asked a few security guards for direction. We were becoming more and more concerned at what the Villa Paradiso really was. Street 222 definitely not look like the location of the beautiful hotel we saw on the internet. Closer and closer we came to 29-35 and still the streets were the same. As the driver slowed to find the numbers, I spotted the small Villa Paradiso sign on the fence. It was with mixed feelings of relief and trepidation that we stepped out of the taxi.
The security guard leaped up to assist me with the small suitcase we had in the backseat and seemingly out of nowhere 3 other gentlemen appeared to assist with the other luggage. We entered the gates and immediately our anxieties were set to rest. To the right we saw the small reception cabana, further to the right was the beautiful villa with large pillars on either side of the entryway. To the left was the intimate restaurant. The garden was filled with exotic trees and flowers and the most inviting fragrance. After settling in to our room, we went out to explore the rest of the resort. The stunning gardens continued. The children opted for a dip in the pool and hot tub while we sat in the open air restaurant and chatted with the other hotel guests in the relaxed and friendly atmosphere.
It was a little difficult to leave the beautiful hotel and explore the realities of Phnom Penh. We decided that the Genocide Museum was too much for the kids, so Rick went on his own. The museum is an old school that the Khmer Rouge used to house the prisoners. They kept meticulous records of the prisoners along with pictures and these are all displayed along with the instruments of torture.
The rest of Rick's day was much more pleasant. He went for a quad ride through the country side. He visited small villages and really enjoyed meeting the locals who welcomed him in.
We took the kids to the Killing Fields and they managed fine. The most chilling display they have is the tower of bones that had been buried in the mass graves. The signs described the process for the prisoners from the time they arrived until they were executed.
Highlights of Phnom Penh are the Royal Palace and Silver Pagoda. There is also a wat on the the grounds. We also enjoyed walking along the riverfront and watching the locals who gather there at about 5:00.
When we left our hotel, we usually had our tuktuk driver wait for us. It is most amazing how they kept tabs on us. One day we went to the Russian Market and we got hopelessly lost in the row after row of clothing, souvenirs, food, household items... Because it is so crowded and not air conditioned, we had to get out for fresh air. No matter where or when we came out, our tuktuk driver was standing waiting for us! Another day, we asked the driver to drop us off at one end of the riverfront. He followed us for over an hour - he even parked so he could see where we were when we were seated on the second floor of the restaurant. The reason they were so keen to keep tabs on us is because we paid them after we got back to the hotel - all of that effort on their part for $4.00.
Check out the link for some of our photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/rdzcadventure/PhnomPenh?authkey=Gv1sRgCLOqgsqE-cyabw#
