The Kingdom of Cambodia (E,S)

Greetings from Bangkok! Saludos desde Bangkok!

Continuing with the narration of our journey... we left Vietnam on a bus heading to Cambodia. How nice it was to have arrived in this country! We finally could trust the people and stop worrying about getting rip-off with the prices. Our bus arrived in Phnom Penh, the Capital, at sunset time. As usual Jay wanted to look for a cheap hotel, even if that meant that we had to carry our heavy bags for many many blocks in an intense heat. We ended up walking to and staying at the Lake Side area for a couple of days.

Continuando con nuestro viaje... despues de salir de Vietnam llegamos a Cambodia... que gusto haber llegado a ese pais! por fin pudimos despreocuparnos por los precios para "turistas" y volver a confiar en la gente. Nuestro bus llego a Phnom Penh, la capital, cerca del atardecer. Como siempre Jay quizo caminar a buscar un hotel barato, aunque eso signifique que tengamos que cargar las mochilas por muchas, muchas cuadras en el intenso calor. Finalmente llegamos a la zona llamada "Lake Side" donde nos quedamos por un par de dias...

An elephant in the capital

Phnom Penh is not a very developed capital, yet it can be hectic. There are thousands of motorbikes, cars, people and sometimes even elephants moving rapidly on the streets. Some parts of town still has French Colonial buildings, however, the majority of Cambodians live in modest apartments with balconies -that they also use to dry clothes- inside buildings of 4 to 5 stories. We walked a lot on this city and also rented a motorbike to get around. We drove to the Riverside area, the Killing Fields and an orphanage. We arrived -in the later- when the children were having dancing lessons. I did not know how difficult traditional Khmer dances can be!!! they look so smooth, feminine and elegant, but to dance properly it is necessary to have a lot of body control and flexibility even of hands!

Phnom Penh es una capital poco desarrollada pero bastante agitada, con miles de motocicletas, carros, gente y a veces hasta elefantes transitando por las calles. En la ciudad hay algunas zonas que aun mantienen edificios coloniales, pero la mayoria de la gente vive en apartamentos relativamente modestos en de edificios de 4 y 5 pisos. En esta ciudad caminamos mucho y tambien rentamos una moto con la que fuimos a un orfanato. Llegamos justo cuando los niคos estaban aprendiendo danzas tipicas. No sabia que las danzas tradicionales de Cambodia eran tan dificiles! Se ven tan suaves, femeninas y elegantes, sin embargo se necesita tener mucho control del cuerpo ya que son movimientos lentos que requieren harta flexibilidad hasta de las manos!

Us in the Lighthouse Orphanage

After spending a couple of days in the unbearable heat of Phnom Penh we took a bus to the South, looking for a refreshing sea breeze. Sihanoukville is a relatively small town which is under a serious process of tourism development. We were very lucky to find cheap and comfortable accommodation in addition to a great place to eat delicious Khmer food served by a very friendly staff. During our 3-day stay in Sihanoukville we visited about 4 different beaches, some of them very crowed or with massive resorts, others more laid back and rustic. Our favorite one was Otress beach. Due to its remoteness there was not many people thus it was quieter and cleaner.

Despues de un par de dias de aguantar el calor infernal de Phnom Penh tomamos un bus hacia el sur, en busca de la briza marina. Llegamos asi a Sihanoukville, una ciudad relativamente pequeคa pero en un acelerado proceso de desarrollo turistico. Tuvimos la suerte de encontrar alojamiento barato y comodo, ademas de un lugar para comer riquisimo, con gente recontra amable. En el tiempo que estuvimos en Sihanoukville vimos como cuatro playas diferentes, algunas llenas de gente y servicios turisticos, otras mas tranquilas. Nuestra playa favorita fue Otres porque estaba un poco alejada de la ciudad, por lo que no habia mucha gente y era mas limpia.

Me playing on the beach, Sihanoukville

The next stop was Kampot: what a nice city! very quiet, with picturesque architecture, smiley people and beautiful landscapes. In Kampot we stayed in a new hostel with a huge balcony that I used to chat with my neighbors. They were a very well educated and friendly family. I made friends with the eldest daughter who was about to get married very soon. In Cambodia, as in other parts of Asia, arranged married is the rule. In many occasions the bride and groom do not get to see each other in person until the wedding day. I was in shock because of this. I thought that arranged married did not exist anymore but in reality it seems as though it is way more common than love marriage since it is practiced -by almost everybody- in the most populated continent of the world.

La siguiente parada en nuestra ruta fue Kampot: Que linda ciudad! muy tranquilita, con arquitectura pintoresca, gente risueคa y paisajes bellisimos. En Kampot nos quedamos en un hotelito nuevo con un balcon grande que use para conversar con mis vecinos. Ellos son una familia muy linda y educada. Me hice amiga de la hija mayor de la familia quien estaba muy proxima a contraer nupcias. En Cambodia, como en muchos lugares de Asia, el matrimonio es arreglado por los padres y muchas veces los novios no se ven hasta el momento de la boda. Para mi esto fue un gran "shock" porque pense que este tipo de matrimonios ya no existian, pero en realidad son los que predominan en el continente mas poblado del mundo.

Rural views between Kep and Kampot

While in Kampot we rented a motorbike to explore the surroundings. We tried to get to some caves without success. We missed our turn and got lost in the villages nearby. However, we were rewarded with marvelous views of Southern Cambodian rural landscapes. We also went to Kep to eat seafood in the seafront. For a little over 5 dollars we had a huge plate with 6 delicious grilled -recently farmed- crabs, rice and salad. From Kep we took a boat to Rabbit Island. On the pier we met Esther, a very talkative Dutch girl with whom we would hang out for the next few days.

Durante el tiempo que estuvimos en Kampot fuimos a hacer un par de excursiones motorizadas. Intentamos llegar a unas cuevas pero sin exito. Nos pasamos la entrada -varias veces- y nos perdimos. A cambio de eso fuimos gratificados con vistas muy bellas de la zona rural del sur de Cambodia. Tambien fuimos a comer mariscos a Kep, un pueblo aledaคo, frente al mar. ... por un poco mas de 5 dolares nos dieron 6 cangrejos grandes con ensaladita y arroz. De Kep tomamos un bote hacia la Isla del Conejo o Rabbit Island. En el bote conocimos a Esther, una holandesa muy conversadora con quien pasariamos los siguientes dias.

Crab cages in Kep

We arrived in the Island planning to stay only 2 days, but we ended up staying 5! Every morning we would wake up and say to each other: Ok, today we are going to hike around the Island, or climb the highest peak... but at the end we got so lazy that we never did either. We just chilled out in hammocks, ate, went for a swim, and sleet. Everyday we would find a different excuse not do anything else. Yet, one day we did have a real excuse because a group of locals from Phnom Penh -and Vietnam- invited us to eat and drink with them. That was the first time I had ever tried squid ink. It tasted pretty much the same, to be honest. Jay had so much fun that he got really drunk and ended up throwing up poor thing... Yes my love, you will never drink again, right?

Jay chilling out in a hammock, Rabbit Island

Llegamos a la isla pensando que nos quedariamos solo un par de dias, pero la pasamos tan bien que nos quedamos 5! Cada manhana al despertarnos nos deciamos el uno al otro: hoy iremos a caminar alrededor de la Isla, u hoy nos subiremos al pico mas alto, pero al final estuvimos tan a gusto hechados en hamacas y nadando en el mar, que nunca hicimos nada. Cada dia teniamos una excusa diferente para no ir. Pero uno de esos dias si tuvimos una verdadera excusa para no ir a caminar porque llego un grupo de locales de la capital -y de Vietnam- quienes nos invitaron a comer y tomar con ellos. Esa fue la primera vez que probe calamar con tinta. La verdad no senti mucha diferencia. Jay la paso tan bien que termino emborrachandose y vomitando todo... pobrecito. Si mi amor, esta es la ultima vez que tomas, no?

Me eating squid with a group of locals, Rabbit Island

The only "excursion" we took in Rabbit Island was to go to another Island -which I will refer as "X" since I do not remember its name- where there were only fishermen. The group of people who hired the boat to "X" were determined to get drunk and spend the night under the stars -no tents involved- and buy live chickens and ducks from the locals to prepare the meals (there were two chefs in the group) as "real people" do. Once in Island "X" we (Jay, Esther and I) realized the beach was not as pretty as we thought since the locals had littered everywhere, also beach was too shallow to swim in. This reaffirmed our decision to return to Rabbit Island on the same day. That night I stepped on a sea urchin whose small spines are still stuck in my foot... We took this as an indicator that the time to go had come. The next day we left Rabbit Island towards the capital.

La unica excursion que hicimos fue ir con un grupo de viajeros a una isla -que yo llamo "X" porque no recuerdo el nombre- donde solo habian pescadores. La gente que fue estaban determinados a emborracharse y pasar la noche bajo las estrellas, preparar comida -pollo y pato que tenian que atrapar, matar y preparar- como hace la "gente de verdad." En el grupo habian 2 chefs de alto nivel quienes estuvieron a cargo de esa mision. Al llegar a la isla "x" -Esther, Jay y yo- nos dimos cuenta que no era tan bonita como se veia a la distancia, es mas, la playa era muy poco profunda y la gente local habia tirado basura por todos lados. Esto reafirmo nuestra desicion de regresar ese mismo dia a la Isla Conejo. Esa noche yo pise un erizo de mar cuyas espinitas -por cierto- estan aun incrustadas en mi pie derecho. Jay y yo tomamos esto como un indicador de que habia llegado la hora de partir, asi que al dia siguiente salimos de regreso a la capital.

The fisherman who didn't want to sell squid to us

We spent a couple of nights in Phnom Penh before we left to Siam Reap to see the famous temples of Angkor Wat.
Siam Reap is a very touristy city, for this reason travelers can find anything within walking distance. We found ourselves very comfortable there and decided to take our time to visit the temples. We bought a three day pass valid for a week and went on bicicles -the first two days- to see the sites at our own pace.

Pasamos un par de noches mas en Phnom Penh y luego tomamos un bus a Siam Reap para ver los famosisimos templos de Angkor Wat. Siam Reap es una ciudad super turistica, por lo cual tiene todo lo que el viajero puede necesitar. Compramos un ticket valido por tres dias y exploramos a nuestro propio paso lo que quisimos. Los dos primeros dias vimos la mayoria de los templos, en bicicleta.

Us in Angkor Wat

The first view of the famous Angkor Wat temple was memorable... not only due to its massive dimensions but also due to its exquisite architecture. However it wasn't Angkor Wat the temple we liked the most but Bayon, in Angkor Thom. Bayon is a smaller temple compared to the others, which has multiple towers with smiley faces sculpted towards the four cardinal points. As we stood there I felt as if these faces were alive and were watching us... creepy! The massive Archaeological Park is surrounded by a dense forest which provides a habitat for many friendly monkeys. This makes the place more attractive altogether.

La primera vista del famoso Angkor Wat es memorable no solo por las dimensiones gigantescas sino por la su exquisita arquitectura. Sin embargo no fue este templo el que mas nos impresiono, sino Bayon, en Angkor Thom. Bayon es un templo mas pequenho en proporcion pero con multiples torres que tienen caras sonrientes esculpidas mirando hacia los cuatro puntos cardinales. Cuando estas ahi da la impresion que las caras estan vivas y que te estan mirando... uuuuhhh! El Parque Arqueologico esta en el medio de la floresta donde viven muchos monos... esto hace el lugar mucho mas atractivo.

Jay's face in Bayon, Angkor Archaeological Park

The second day in the Archaeological Park we decided to go off the beaten path and took an elephant trail. We ended up in a gate in the middle of the forest with really cool sculptures. We kept on riding along a narrower trail which took us to a quiet little river. Due to the lack of signals we had to return to the main path using the same trail otherwise we would have gotten lost, easily!

En nuestro segundo dia en el Parque decidimos meternos por un camino donde andan los elefantes y terminamos en un portal en el medio del bosque. Seguimos montando la bici por una trocha que se volvio cada vez mas estrecha para llegar a un pequenho rio muy tranquilo. Debido a la falta de senhalizacion tuvimos que regresar por el mismo camino, de lo contrario nos hubieramos perdido en el Parque.

Elephants in the South Gate of Angkor Thom

In Siam Reap we saw again a very fun couple we had met in Rabbit Island, on the way to Island "X." By coincidence they were staying in our very same hotel. Scott had the idea of renting a Jeep to get to some isolated ruins that Babs had read about in a travel guide. So we joined them in their quest. The ride ended up being an adventure in itself despite the fact that the temples we saw were not really as impressive nor as isolated as the book had said.

En Siam Reap nos reencontramos con una parejita de Ingleses -muy buena honda- que fueron tambien a la Isla "X," ya que por coincidencia ellos se estaban quedando en el mismo hotel que nosotros. Con ellos hicimos una excursion en Jeep a unos templos mas lejanos, lo que resulto ser toda una aventura, aunque las ruinas no fueron nada fuera de lo comun.

Riding a Jeep with Scott and Babs

From Seam Reap we went to Battambang. We chose the place because a Cambodian guide we met in Kep told us it was her favorite place in the country. To be honest, Battambang didn't really impress us much, but we had a good time there. We went sightseeing on a motorbike -of course.-The first place we stopped at was a Hindu/Buddhist worship hill called Wat Sampeu, which also had a cave where the Khmer Rouge had used as a killing field, about 30 years ago, . The second place we visited was Wat Banan, an ancient temple located on a hill top, also known as "Mini Angkor Wat." Yet, I must disagree with the nickname, since there is no point of comparison between the two other than the time when they were built. The thing I remember the most about this place was having to climb more than 350 steps in such an infernal heat!!! We also went to see the famous bamboo train, but it was not worth it. It was just a metallic structure with a few bamboo trees used as a platform to carry people and produce. For this reason I didn't even take a picture of it.

Wat Sampeau's Cave entrance

Despues de Siem Reap nos fuimos a Battambang por que una guia local en Kep nos dijo que este era su lugar favorito en Cambodia. A nostros no nos impresiono mucho, pero la pasamos muy bien. Hicimos una excursion -en moto, por supuesto- a un par de lugares turisticos. El primer lugar al que fuimos era una colina con templos hindues y budistas, pero tambien habia una cueva donde el Khmer Rouge habia aniquilado a muchas personas hace unos 30 anhos. La siguiente colina "Wat Banan" tenia un templo del siglo 12 al que los locales gustan llamar "mini Angkor Wat" sin embargo no se le compara desde ningun punto de vista. Lo que mas recuerdo de esta excursion fue tener que subir mas de 350 escalones bajo el calor infernal de Cambodia!! Antes de terminar nuestro "tour" fuimos a buscar el famoso tren de bambu, pero no valio la pena. Era una plataforma de fierro con unas cuantas caคas atravesadas a especie de piso donde te puedes sentar, asi que ni siquiera le tome foto.

Us in Wat Banan

From Battambang we took a bus to the Thai border and a mini van to Bangkok. We have already gotten our Visa for Myanmar (Burma) as well as our air tickets for this Friday (April 9th). It is possible that we won't be able to use the internet in the following 4 weeks. So please, do not worry if you do not hear from us until early May. Thanks a lot for following us through our travel blog... may God Bless y'all!

De Battambang tomamos un bus a la frontera con Tailandia y luego una combi hasta Bangkok. Les cuento que ya conseguimos nuestra visa para Myanmar y que tenemos nuestro ticket de avion para este viernes (9 de Abril). Es posible que no nos conectemos al internet por 4 semanas, asi que no se preocupen si no reciben noticias nuestras hasta principios de Mayo. Gracias por seguirnos a traves de nuestro blog. Que Dios los bendiga!!!