Cambodia

I spent nearly 2 weeks exploring Cambodia. I'll spare you the details of city names and get directly to the highlights.

(1) Ankor is the most amazing archeological site. There is a collection of ancient stone temples with amazing carvings. The most famous is Ankor Wat, but there's probably a hundred spread in tens of square kilometers (and even more in farther places in SE Asia). One of the temples I liked most was Ta Phrom: trees grow over the ruins. Aparently parts of Tomb Raider were filmed here (or in a replica).

(2) The beaches and islands in the south were worth the visit, although a walk in the jungle of a national park gave me my first intimate encounter with a leech, a little one - cute bastard :)

(3) The countriside is beautiful but people are very poor. Most of the country appears to be covered in rice paddys. Riding a "bamboo" train is an interesting way to get around. It opperates on the same tracks as the regular train (which

runs only once a week). The bamboo train is actually put together on the spot when someone needs it: wheels, chasis, engine. When it's time to turn around, they actually pick up the chasis and engine and turn them around.

(4) Historic sites and memorials from the Kmer Rouge years are sobering. The stories are not sanitized like they would probably be in similar exhibits in the States. Displays are graphic. Former prisons still have some dry blood splatered in the ceiling... It seems everyone in the country has horror stories from these years.

I hope to return and explore more of Cambodia before the summer is over. For now, I return to Thailand. I'll keep updating these stories when I get more pictures developed...

The road to Phnom Penh

I left Pattaya for Phnom Penh, to explore Cambodia for a couple of weeks. I decided to go using public transport from town to town – rather than buying a direct ticket to the border – just to see if I could do it. It may be good to remind you that I can’t read Thai script. Many signs, to me, are just like the one in the picture. I think this one was selling home appliances, but how would I know. In any case, 3 buses and 6 hours later, I was in Trat, the last real town on the way to the Thai-Cambodia border. I got there with almost no delays waiting for busses, and managed to get on the right bus on the first try every time. It surprising what one can do with 2 phrases and sign language :)

Trat turned out to be a nice little town, so I decided to spend an extra day there. I explored the markets, a temple, and just watched people around town doing unusual things like riding motorbikes with umbrellas. It’s a relaxing place; a nice change after Pattaya.

The next day, May 13th, I crossed into Cambodia and went straight for the capital. The trip wasn’t as short as it sounds. Cambodia has a few major highways in good shape. Most other roads are in bad shape. We had 4 major river crossings, but there were no bridges. The Thai government is funding the construction of some bridges, but for now, ferries are used for river crossings. This can take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour – probably longer if there were a long line. Some ferries are just 3 or 4 canoes strapped together. They have two engines, each with a separate driver. Some how, they manage to get across without loosing passengers or cars. The crossings themselves take only 3 to 5 minutes, but one of the ferries had a kitchen and sold food... Eventually, after reaching a main highway, and changing to a local bus that stopped every 5 minutes, I made it to Phnom Penh.

Pattaya

Pattaya is one of the major tourist destinations in Thailand. You can read a lot about Pattaya on a google search. I wasn’t too impressed with the city or the beach, but the surrounding area has some interesting places to explore. I took a day trip to Ko Si Chan (Si Chan island; Ko = island). I spent quite a while at a Buddhist monastery. Guided by a nun, I learned a bit about Buddhism, which I’ve decided is the best religion because they have the prettiest temples :)

The island also has an old palace (remember that Thailand is a kingdom), and just walking around was interesting. Ice is brought from the mainland, and they use some interesting methods to unload it and transport it. This is probably the same ice they serve me with drinks, but so far, I haven’t been sick.

Before leaving Pattaya, I went to a go-kart track. They have a “beginners” track like those in the States. They also have a track with real 10 or 15 HP karts (as well as an off road track and a bungee tower). Guess which karts I chose to race... The warning sign says there’s an additional charge if they have to pull your kart of the lake. You understand the reason for the warning the moment you step on the gas (specially with cold tires at the start). The kart takes off and can go a lot faster than the turns permit. I spun out twice but nowhere near the water. 10 minutes of this was long enough, but I may have to go back.

The first few days in Bangkok

Bangkok is beginning to feel familiar. I know my away around (mostly) without a map. It's nice to arrive in a familiar place after such a long trip - 28 hours of flights and lay-overs. It's also very nice that my friend Aor drove an hour from her city to visit me the day after my arrival. She's been my pen-pal since about 1990, and knows everything there is to know about Thailand...




Since, as usual, I travel with no plan or itinerary, I took the first few days to plan, and to explore around Bangkok with Aor. The pictures here were taken at the Ancient City, an outdoor museum that has reconstructions of many historic sites from around Thailand.

Thailand - Summer 2006

I had such a good time during my New Year trip to Thailand, that I decided to go back with more time. So, here I am, traveling again. This time it's for 3 months (May 2 to August 14). I'm sure it will seem short. Nearly a month into the trip, I feel like I'm just getting started.
Well, here are some of the highlights from my travels...