Day 8 - Angkor and the Land Mine Museum

New Travel Tip - When traveling to different countries, be sure to separate the different currencies you will be using so that you don't get them mixed up. My mom learned the hard way when she paid $1000 Thai Baht instead of $1000 Cambodian Riel to use a restroom, which is equivalent to $33 USD as opposed to $0.25...



Heading back to Angkor, we visited the Preah Khan temple at around 7 in the morning. This complex was similar to Ta Prohm, which we visited yesterday. Giant trees covered the grounds and the roots grew under and through the stone walls. Not too many people were here when we visited, which could be explained by the extensive restoration of the complex.

The second temple we visited was Ta Keo, which was a small structure, but tall with very steep steps. It took a while to get up to the top, but was definitely worth it. Again, one of my favorites to visit because of all the climbing involved.

Taking a break from Angkor, we headed to the Cambodian Land Mine Museum, which is a small museum that also serves as a relief center for children who have been affected by the land mines. The museum and relief center are funded by the donations of tourists, gift shop sales, as well as the admission fee of $2 USD. The museum and center were developed by a man named Aki Ra, who was a top ten CNN Heroes of the Year in 2010. His parents were killed when he was little by the Khmer Rouge and by the age of 10, he was recruited into the Khmer Rouge Army, before deflecting to the Vietnamese Army. After the war, he worked with the UN to deactivate mines and bombs. He has been doing this for over 18 years and has deactivated more than 50,000 of them.

There was a lot of useful information about the history of Cambodia and the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge. What was interesting to learn was that many believe that the Khmer Rouge might never have taken hold of power, thus leaving 2 million Cambodians dead, had the U.S. not supported a right-wing coup in 1970 by supplying military aid.

What was also interesting about mines was that they were used to maim, but not kill. During war, it was meant to leave soldiers injured so that resources would have to be spent caring for these injured soldiers. For them, it was more expensive to have an injured soldier than a dead one.

The millions of mines still scattered throughout Cambodia can be attributed dominantly to the U.S., Vietnam, and the Khmer Rouge during the wars in the 60s and 70s.

After the museum visit and a little rest back at the hotel, we headed back to Angkor to catch the sunset at Phnom Bakheng, which is probably the highest point in all of Angkor. Climbing up the mountain and on top of the temple provides panoramic views of the entire area and sunset views. We got there at around 4:30, which was a little too early to watch the sunset, even though our taxi driver said to come at that time. We waited for about an hour, but knew the sun wouldn't set until much later in the night.

As we headed out of Angkor, the taxi driver took us to a temple that had a casing of some of the skulls of the victims of the genocide and the "Killing Fields." Such a tragic event in history... I only hope the people of Cambodia can fully recover and redevelop after all that has occurred. So far, the tourism industry is thriving. Next is to educate the people and care for all the children, since they represent the future.

Preah Khan - As you can see, much of the temple is in the process of restoration

I met this young Cambodian student in the Preah Khan temple. He was about to practice his sketching. He has been in school for 5 years, and is in his first year studying art, which takes 2 years. He plans to sell his artwork to tourists once he finishes with school.

Preah Khan - Enormous Trees tower over the temple

The steep steps of Ta Keo

At the Summit of Ta Keo

Ta Keo - Luckily, we got there before all the other tourists came.

Cambodian Land Mine Museum - Next Project - New Toilet Block

Different types of Mine Casings

A picture of Aki Ra deactivating a landmine

Elephants near the base of Phnom Bakheng. $20 to ride up to the top. $15 to ride back down. Although, I'm not sure if the elephants are treated humanely

Monks at the base of Phnom Bakheng

Monks climbing Phnom Bakheng

Monks at the top of Phnom Bakheng, waiting for the sunset

Waiting for the sunset at the top of Phnom Bakheng

Some skulls of Khmer Rouge victims - such a terrible thing to witness

Day 6 - Bangkok to Siem Reap, Cambodia by bus/tuk-tuk

Spent another full day travelling from Bangkok, Thailand to Siem Reap, Cambodia. We woke up early in the morning to catch our 8AM bus to the border of Thailand and Cambodia. There was a lot less traffic and congestion on the roads at 6:30 in the morning. We got there early and were able to take the 7:30 bus headed to Aranyaprathet. The entire bus trip took over 4 hours to get us to the border, with stops along the route to pick up and drop off other people. Good thing there was air conditioning! When we got to Aranyaprathet, we took $2 tuk-tuk rides to get us to the border, where we saw a bunch of other foreigners so we knew we were at the right place.

Again, we were overly cautious during this process because of the scams we heard where tuk-tuk drivers would take you to shops to obtain your Cambodian Visa on the Thai side, only to find out that these were fake. Luckily we got our Visas online and printed them out before arriving.

After leaving Thailand and before enter Cambodia where you technically aren't in any country, there is an area where there are plenty of Casinos, which I though was pretty random. After entering Cambodia in the city Poipet, everyone is shuttled to a tourist terminal, which took about 5 minutes. At this terminal, you can request a taxi for $12/pp or a shuttle bus for $9/pp to take you to Siem Reap, the city where Angkor Wat is located. Our taxi driver told us that the rates are a lot cheaper if you hail a taxi outside of the tourist terminal or even opt out of taking the shuttle to the terminal and find a taxi yourself.

Cambodia uses the US dollar more than their own money, perhaps because of the stability of our currency. Most of the larger purchases should be made with dollars, while small purchases for drinks and small snacks can be made with the Cambodian Riel.

The taxi ride took another 2 hours before reaching Siem Reap. Along the way, I saw numerous billboards about "protecting the Cambodian children," which I think was in reference to the significant problem of sex trafficking in the country.

After getting settled in our hotel, which had a resort-like feeling like most of the other hotels in the area, we took tuk-tuks to the street markets. The feeling was different compared to Thailand and Vietnam because it was so touristy. So many tourists were walking around the area, and many of the restaurants didn't look very authentic. One of them boasted that they had the best Mexican food in Asia... We settled on a dingier restaurant that looked like it served real Khmer Food. Again, small plates, but everything was delicious.

At the end of the night we walked the night markets, where you could dip your feet in fish tanks where fish ate at the dead skin on your feet. $2 for 20 minutes with a free beer included. There were also $1 foot massages everywhere. There were so many stalls selling the same things, and supply was extremely greater than demand, that you could easily bargain down the price of anything. If you don't get the price you want, walk away hoping they change their mind, or find another stall that sells the same items. I made my first purchase with my own money on the whole trip, which was like opening Pandoras box because I bought more than I should have. I told myself that I wasn't going to buy many souvenirs because I didn't want to carry them throughout my trip, but I ended up purchasing some tanks, South East Asian style traditional wrap around pants, and a traditional button up shirt. The total was no more than $20. I figure I'm going to trash some of my clothes anyways, since it's becoming a pain to hand wash my own clothing every couple of days and dry them in the hotel rooms...

The weather was nice and cool at night, again, different compared to Thailand and Vietnam. I am already falling in love with this country! Initially, I was a little cautious and uncomfortable, but I think it all goes away once you familiarize yourself with where you are. Anyone and everyone feels uneasy when they think they are lost or are in new surroundings, but that goes away once you just walk around and immerse yourself in the culture and life of the people. I think it usually takes a day or even less.

I hope to learn more about the history of Cambodia. There are many pictures of the King and the father and mother of the King around the city. Both Thailand and Cambodia have a monarchy. Makes me wonder how one country has a monarchy while another has a president... Does it have anything to do with the dominant religion in the country?

I've read little about the genocide that occurred during the Khmer Rouge rule. Around 2 million of the Cambodian people were killed in the span of only four years. And what were other countries doing about this genocide? The street markets were selling many of the books that were written about the atrocities that occurred during those four years. Hopefully the tour guide will have more information to share with us in our 3 days here, although I hear that many people don't even know much about what happened during those years because they are too young to remember. There is a museum dedicated to the genocide, but it is located in Phnom Penh...

Tomorrow, we head to Angkor Wat to sightsee and hopefully catch the sunrise around 5am. We hired a taxi driver to take us around the whole day for $25.

A welcome sign prior to entry into Poipet, Cambodia

Khmer Food - Fried Spicy Tomatoes with Beef

Khmer Food - Lok Lak Chicken with Steamed Rice

Khmer Food - Shrimp Lotus Root Salad

Night Market in Siem Reap - The kids are so adorable here!

Night Market in Siem Reap