Feb 26 Siem Reap

When we arrived at Siem Reap, Rady picked us up at the bus station. Yesterday he drove us around in his Tuk-tuk and today we asked for him again. After 2 days we were very comfortable with his suggestions and the more time we spent with Rady the more he told us about his life. He lives 50 km from Siem Reap and cannot commute back and forth. He sleeps in a mini bus in the city and goes home twice a month. He drove us around all day and then he worked the evening shift in the restaurant. He is married, but still lives with his parents, since he cannot afford his own house. He has a 2 year old boy and a 12 day old girl. As a youngster (he is now 30) his family made Palm sugar by boiling down the palm sap collected from the trees. He showed us the complete operation at one of the roadside stalls and it is exactly the same as making maple syrup or maple candy. Rady’s job was to sell the candy after it was made.
Today he suggested the itinerary and off we went. We visited 2 temples in the morning and 1 in the afternoon. The day got a little hot (about 35° C) but Joan and I both have Tilly hats so we don’t mind the heat. Along the way I read up on the temples in my new guidebook. This guidebook costs $30 in the stores, but because I’m Canadian they( the vendors -mostly children who are numerous at each of the entrances ) asked only $20. Then I negotiated the incredibly cheap price of $6. I was a little surprised when the boy at the next temple offered me one for $1.
We saw Pre Rup first. The temple is small but high. We were able to climb to the top and we finally were above the jungle looking down. Then we went on to Banteay Srey. This was a compact temple surrounded by a moat. It was nice to walk around the temple before going inside. After getting the 360 view I didn’t feel we had to rush around so we could see everything. (‘rush around’ is a figure of speech – we moved extremely slowly in the midday heat.) The restoration of this temple was above average. The temples were built with the Hindu gods in mind, but they have been converted to Buddhism along the way. Whoever is responsible for all the celestial dancing girls seems like a nice religion.
In the afternoon we visited Angkor Thom, then back to the guest house for a shower and off to HCMC by plane.

Feb 25 Siem Reap

This morning we finally got to see one of the seven wonders of the world - Angkor Wat. It is an immense stone temple from the 10th century. It was rediscovered in the 1800’s. The site of Angkor Wat is enormous, about 1 square km. It takes a half a day to wander through it and see the main sites. Although it is a ruin there is plenty of details to give you the impression of what an incredible building it must have been – 1000 years ago.
Angkor Wat is one of about 10 major temples in the area. All the temples are in disrepair. In the afternoon we visited a temple that will not be reclaimed from the jungle and still has the trees growing through the roof. What a tribute to mother nature.

Feb 24 Bus trip from HCMC to Siem Reap, Cambodia

We started our bus trip at 7:00 AM at the office where we had bought our ticket. The nice ticket agency lady then introduced us to the guy we would follow to the bus. Imagine our surprise when he handed us each a helmet and motioned us to get on the back of his and his friend’s motorscooters. We also had 3 bags, which he loaded onto the scooters with plenty of room to spare. So we started the trip with a 10 min ride through the HCMC traffic. I got there first. (I arrived shortly after Tim but have to say that I am not a happy motorscooter rider – especially in the absolutely crazy Saigon traffic. However, I had no choice today)
The bus trip was uneventful. We crossed the border into Cambodia and then had a coffee at a restaurant up the road, while we waited for our passports to get stamped. I thought the process was a bit strange but it seemed to work. At one point we had to wait for the ferry. Since the bus was air-conditioned we stayed on the bus. Then as we pulled onto the ferry I saw the chicken truck. It was a small truck with the rear loaded with live chickens. The top had been built out over the driver and it had a 10 cm lip on it. It was also loaded with live chickens that didn’t seem to be tied down. I guess it really is true that chickens can’t fly.
Although we changed busses in Phnom Penh, we didn’t stop in the countryside. The architecture in Cambodia is different from Vietnam. Most houses in the countryside are built on stilts and the walls are either wood or thatch. The roofs are always corrugated metal. We arrived in Siem Reap at 7 PM. It was dark and the bus station was far from the city centre. Fortunately the guest house where we are staying had sent a driver to pick us up – so we got our first ride in a Tuk-Tuk today.

Feb 23 HCHC – Cholon district

After a leisurely morning shopping in the local market near Katherine’s place, we headed for Cholon, the Chinese district in HCMC. We visited 6 pagodas. It was probably too many, but they are so close together we just kept walking to the next one. The atmosphere in the pagodas is always the same: the smell of incense, smoke from the incense and a vast array of vivid colours. One of the 5 was extremely active with booths set up for the 5 main “saints” and a steady stream of worshipers. There seemed to be no restriction for tourists, we just wandered around and took pictures. Every second pagoda we found a street vendor and sat down to read the guidebook with a beverage in hand.
I am going to add to Tim’s commentary on the market. It is a fascinating place in the alleyways very close to Katherine’s house. It opens around 6a.m. You can buy fruits, vegetables, meats, live fish, clothes, material, household items and more. Some of the vendors set up on tables, some spread their wares on a sheet on the ground. The sale of meat goes against all of our standards-pieces of pork, chicken etc. lying on a table in the heat. We have started to frequent one of Katherine’s favourite vendors – the gentleman who trims and slices the pomelos ready to eat for 5000 dong(about 35 cents) or 4000 dong for Kath when she brings her own Tupperware container.

Feb 22 Cao Dai temple and Cu Chi tunnels

We bussed it to the Cao Dai temple in the morning. The Cao Dai religion is a mixture of 4 main religions and it seems designed for prime time television. It is colourful, ornate and it’s 3 saints are Sun Yat Sen, Victor Hugo, and Vietnamese poet Nguyen Binh Khiem. The main symbol is an eye. We were there for the main service at 12:00. Like the religion the service is colourful with the members dressed in white robes and the management in blue, red, and yellow. During the ceremony they have Indian music playing and a large Buddhist gong. The temple is large, colourful and tacky. This is one place where I could have spent a lot more time.
In the afternoon we visited the Cu Chi tunnels. The guerrillas of the Cu Chi region built them during the Vietnam war. The visit was interesting but not fun. The museum is a large forest tract with the tunnels and other exhibits set up. You must watch a 20 min propaganda film first. They show you some real tunnels and then they let you crawl through a 100 meter tunnel that is double the size of the original. It was nice to get out of there.

Feb 21 Ho Chi Minh City

We flew back to HCMC today. The trip back was short and sweet. Short because the flight was only 45 minutes and the visibility was excellent. As we flew over the Mekong Delta we could see the canals and boats. It was sweet because the people along the way were so nice. We were the only North Americans in the airport and on the plane and we seemed to get treated with respect. All the time we were on the island we never felt we were being hustled or conned.
Once we were back at Katherine’s place we took a walk through HCMC and decided to book a trip for tomorrow to the Cao Dai temple and the Cu Chi Tunnels. We finished the day with a soup at the number 1 Chinese soup place near Katherine’s. I have to agree it was a very good soup.