Cambodia: Siam Reap

The last days in Phenom phen were kind of fun. We spent one day at an orphanage playing with these wonderful little ones. For children who have so little in there life, it humbled me to see them so happy and full of hope. So many western kids are such little brats who bitch and moan, and these kids only had one pencil a piece and they were so content. We spent the day playing games and I went over the alphabet and the numbers with them. When we were leaving I was in the tuk tuk and the kids started handing me there books (so I could write my name in it and they would remember me that way!)..I think this was one of the best days I've ever had. Later that night we all went to the market and did some shopping, the rule in Phenom Phen is they name a price, you offer them a quarter and settle on a half. Pretty simple, so I got a few things. The next day we were off to Siam Reap which is the capitol. A crazy russian girl who has been traveling for 4 years and a really cool english chick named Jaqui joined us for the journey, so the 6 hour bus ride wasn't so bad. We found a place to stay in the loney planet guide book and got a nice room with a fan for $6. The next day we rented out a tuk tuk and hit Angor wat which is anchient temples and ruins. Very cool to see, some of them were featured in Indiana Jones and Tomb Raider and they were absolutely amazing. The only negative of the day were the children selling things, and as tempting as it was to buy stuff I know it would encourage parents to keep them out of school if they made money. Although one girl managed to name the capitol of several countries so I was forced to buy a bracelet. The night life in Siam Reap was limited to one street fill with foreigners and loud music and restaurants. We spent some time at the night markets which were very cool and the vendors are much calmer than they were in Phenom Phen. We had dinner at a cafe and hung out at a few clubs that just weren't all that fun. When we were heading home the girls got attacked by kids who kept begging them to take them home. Its was shameless disgusting behavior and we could see the mother kind of egging the kids on. At one point a one armed gold toothed pimp who I met earlier at dinner (and who spoke the best english of any one in Cambodia) got involved and yelled at the kids. At this point we knew things were about to go south so everyone just looked down and ran out of there because the last thing we needed was to deal with this character. Siam Reap was much more cosmopolitan than phenom phen but Cambodia as a whole is a country that is struggling to stay alive. We got up the next day and hopped a bus to Bangkok, and soon as we crossed the Thai border and switched buses we felt that we were some where modern

Cambodia: Phenom Phen

Waiting for the bus in Vietnam to get to Cambodia was kind of nuts. Everything is very chaotic and disorganized but to me its so fun because it all gets done eventually. People approach you with water and gum you might want to buy and bus runners grab your bag and tell you to wait here, then they tell you to wait there. When we were waiting for the bus a lady selling gum came up with her baby and he was the cutest little guy I have seen in a long time. Just a smiley little guy who kept playing with me. Once we got on the bus to Cambodia we all got settled and drove to the border. At the border we had to getting off and get our visas and walk across where the bus was waiting for us. The ride was kind of fun because Zara and Wilika were telling us about there travel experience and I realize us Americans are such pussies when it comes to traveling. Both these girls have been on the road for almost a year and they road on the siberian express across Russia by themselves for a month! Once we got to Phenom Phen we got bum rushed by the tuk tuk drivers just yelling and screaming at the same time we were trying to get our bags from the bus, it was like being on the stock market floor with all the yelling. The girls took over the haggling and got us a $2 ride to the lake side which where all the back packers stay. We checked out a few places and found a nice hostel and the rooms were $6 a night! That was $3 a piece for scott and I. It had a really nice patio area with hammocks and hang out room. The strange thing about Cambodia is that every thing is in dollars and super cheap. I would get a potato ommlette for breakfast and a smoothie for $2. There are signs that say its bad to buy drugs but we were offered pot by 3 employees of the hostel. After a nice shower and some food we walked around the city. They are definitely not use to seeing white people and people were constantly staring and waving. We were always mauled by tuk tuk drivers soon as we walked out the gates of our hostel. There rule of haggling is that you offer them a quarter of what they ask and settle for a half. We went and checked out the killing fields and SR21 which was a school that was turned into a prison. Quick history lesson to understand Cambodia's current state of poverty is that Pol pot came into power in 1975 and in 5 years killed off the all of the inteligencia. Anyone who was educated in anyway doctors, teachers, lawyers, and one who went to school was killed along with there families so the entire population that remains is not only uneducated but also don't see any value in education. Poverty is a mind frame in Cambodia and corruption is rampant. Child prostitution is so bad that Cambodia no longer allows people to adopt there children. I had a couple of run in with some Fxx*ing pedophiles in Phenom Phen and almost punched one of them in the face. These old white guys creeping around with there long pants and old video cameras. Its like they might as well have a sign that says "I molest children". The way the Cambodians in Phenom Phen treat there animals is heart breaking too, and every animal I have met in this country has had its spirit broken. I have never understood the importance of education as much as being in Cambodia. The people are very sweet and humble but are just lost. Its a nation of sheep. The killing fields were intense because they dug up the bones of the mass graves (20,000) and placed them in a beautiful glass stupa (a Buddhist shrine)so you can touch the skulls and bones of the deceased. In total 20% of the population was killed and all of them were educated leaders that could have brought Cambodia away from poverty. On the brighter side the shopping is fantastic and food was decent.