Days of Travel from Bangkok to Siem Reap and then 2 days later to Phnom Penh

We had a very full day today.  After a nice breakfast at our hotel in Bangkok, we 16 plus luggage boarded our micro-bus at 7:30 a.m. for the approximate 350 km drive to Phnom Penh at 8 a.m.  (We had met most of the group the night before--we have 3 Australians (one originally from Switzerland), 5 from the US, one from Germany, 5 from England, and one Swiss who now has a home in Vancouver, BC but works in Oman.  Usually there are fewer from the US on such GAdventures tours.

On the way out of Thailand, our coordinator gave us some general information on the area.  There are 9,000,000 people in Bangkok (and 66,000,000 in the country) and approximately 5,0e 00,000 cars so we were caught in a traffic jam on the way out but not as bad as it could have been. Bangkok has a variety of transportation options:  metro/subway, sky train (one can use it to come from the airport), the canal system, and the roads (with cars, tuk tuks--motorcycles pulling carts, motorcycles, etc.)   The tallest building in the city has a very expensive and exclusive rotating restaurant on the top (like the Space Needle in Seattle) which rotates once an hour.

Thailand has factories that produce cars.  Cambodia does not, so all cars are imported and many ar used.  Some call Cambodia the "rubbish bin" for South Korean and Japanese cards, including Kia, Hyundai, Hyundai, Toyota, Suzuki, and Lexus autos.  Vietnam, the most populous country in the area with 90,000,000 people. is trying to minimize the number of cards in the country (motorcycles are very common) and to encourage foreign companies to build car factories in their country.  They do so by having a 250% tariff on imported cars.

Kakada also told us of the GDP per capital of people in the countries in the area.  I checked the amounts on the web and he was accurate and up-to-date. Here are approximate amounts:

Thailand:  $5000 to $6000 per year per person
Cambodia:  $850 or less.  (Amounts  are higher in the capital Phnom Penh and around Siem Reap,
                                         the region of Angor Wat)
Laos            $950 per person for year
Vietnam:   $1500

While all the countries are trying to build up their tourism industry, here are the total number of tourists in the countries in recent years:
Thailand:    16 million
Cambodia:    2.5 million
Lao PDR:     1.5 million
Vietnam:      6 million

What was very interesting was as I looked around, very few US citizens were among the tourists that we saw or heard.  There were a lot from Australia and European countries, however.

We had a long ride but it was fascinating to see the rural area of Thailand.  We were in a mini-bus  which held the 15 tourists, Kakada, our driver, and all our luggage, tightly packed in.

The ride to the Cambodian border took about 5 hours.  We stopped for an express visa at the Cambodian border which was $40 or 1200 Thai baht.  (There are approx. 32 baht to the dollar.)  We had to pay an extra dollar or two as a "gift" to the Cambodians processing the visas.  The lines were long and we were standing in the heat for over 90 minutes with our luggage.  After we passed through we saw a lot of casinos.  They were only at the border and mainly for Thai tourists as Cambodians were not allowed in, except to work.  Once we got more than a quarter mile, the casinos and fancy hotels ended.

The money of Cambodia is the riel and there are approximately 4,000 to the dollar; however, US dollars are commonly used, as long as they are in really good condition (no tears and few wrinkles).  In fact, ATMs give out dollars.

We traveled on national highway #5, a 2 lane road, into Cambodia.  There are about 6 national highways and we heard #4 was the best as it was built by Americans.  The road from the border of Thailand to Siem Reap took us 2.5 hr but a few years ago it took 5 because of the condition of the road.  It was repaired so now is shorter, but soon they may have the same problem.

Our road was paved but dusty and sometimes a bit 'wavy'', possibly due to the heavy flooding a few years ago that went over the roads.  Also, when we passed through towns, the road often was unpaved and very dusty again.

We stayed at the Prum Bayon hotel in Siem Reap.  You can see pictures of it at:
http://www.prumbayonhotel.com/
Several of us really enjoyed the pool after our long and dusty ride.

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We spent the next day at Angkor Wat.  You can see details in another blog.
On the 18th in the morning, we left for Phnom Penh.

Our first stop about an hour out was to stop for a Cambodian treat, sticky rice.  There were at least 20 small stands along the right side of the road, with women running small businesses.

In advance they had soaked rice for 2=3 hours, then drained the rice and mixed it with coconut milk and red beans.  (For a bit more money, some of the women mix it with mango or durian fruit.)  Then they take bamboo, cut it in chunks and make sure it is hollow (except for the bottom).  The fill it with the mixture, cap it with a banana leaf stuffed in and then some other dried grass on top and cook the sticks over an open fire on their cart, turning them every 5 minutes until the skin is black.

 Kakada bought one for us to try and then we bought some.

Kakada didn't do the best job pealing the bamboo!

 Marcy bought 2 at 2 other stands to see if they were any different--but today they were all with just red bean.  This is a special treat for Cambodians and they too often stop along the road.

The bamboo sticks filled with sticky rice cost two for one dollar, and they would keep for a week. The women who run these small stands help supplement the family income--they are mostly local farmers.

Woman and her bike--just one gear

As we traveled on, Kakada often talked to us about different aspects of life in Cambodia.

He mentioned that many young men become  Buddhist monks for 3 months to one year to "clean up"the sins of the parents."  Sins include killing animals, stealing, etc.  Parents also like their children to learn about Buddhism ans they feel they will then be wiser and live better lives.

Kakada's parents wanted him to be a monk, but he "disappointed" them.  Since his older brother was killed at age 5 in the late 1970s, he was the only son (with 5 sisters) and if he were to become a monk, he could not help his family financially.  He is a Buddhist.  He said that Buddhists belive that if a person has a good mind, speaks good words, and has a good heart (pointing to his head, mouth, and heart), they that person is a good person.

Along the roads we saw many houses.  All were on stilts, up at least one full story, sometimes one and a half stories.  The most modest ones had walls and roofs made of palm fronds woven together that had to be replaced every 5 years or so.  Others had walls of wood or cement blocks, especially those closer or in towns.  Behind the houses, everyone had  field for cultivating rice. 

We had an unplanned stop when our van got a flat tire.   (I did wonder how many spare tires our driver had.)

It was right in front of one of the simpler homes (see photo above).  The father was out in the field working, but the mother and a son and daughter were at home.  Kakada said hello to the woman and asked if we could use the bathroom.  She said that she had none but that we could go in the back yard and squat.  The euphemism in the Cambodian language for doing so (pishing)  is "Go to pick flowers for a beautiful girl."  Several of us used the facilities with our own TP which we buried under leaves.  Kakada was comfortable with talking to her as they spoke the same language and that brings comfort to two strangers.   I thanked her and gave her a dollar.

daughter in the doorway

She was working under the home with dried palm fronds, weaving them together to make a new wall and roof in parts of her home.

Woven fronds for wall sections

Plastic bagging used for inside of walls

 Walls (and roofs) have to be replaced every 3 to 5 years.

Her son (about 10 or 12) and a daughter about 5 were sitting by the front door.  They had ducks that ran by and also a bunch of scrawny baby chicks of various ages.  We saw an oxen/cattle wheel under the house too

 

...and then a puppy!

  They have dogs for pets and for guarding.   As we were waiting, a group of school children biked by, the girls wearing black skirts and white blouses and the boys in black pants and white shirts.

This group was mainly boys.  I'm pretty sure the bikes had no gears, but since the area was flat, that was OK. 
Kakada also showed us a palm frond that had very sharp edges and could be used to cut things or as a weapon.

Marcy touching the sharp edge of palm

The house next door was of better quality and reflected the fact that the owners had more money.

Note multiple dogs on porch, water reservoir, outbuilding, ducks, etc

Hap stack for animal feed, outbuilding for bathroom, kitchen??

Our next stop was for lunch at the Pre Pros Rest Area (??).

We were right on the water.

Great view from table--the water is low since it is the dry season

Colored water above Sarah and Mark to prevent insect bites.  Sarah got bitten anyway.

   I had a bowl of "Machu Prey," traditional sour fish soup with eggplant, tamarind, lemon grass, kaffir lime and garlic in the broth. It definitely was sour! The eggplant was the size of a small pickle cut in fourths--typical for SE Asian eggplants.

   Others had fascinating entrees too.

Sauteed mushroom and chicken cooked in lotus leaf--pretty but simple dish

None of us tried the traditional spicy stir fry with fire ant eggs, however!!


Our next stop down the road was at the Som Top Commune where farmers supplement their income by carving religious objects, especially Buddhas.  Most are sold to hotels or sometimes to temples.

A big one that can take a month plus to make

Notice the hand position.   I later, at a Wat (Buddhist temple) got a great multi-page print out of explanations of the various hand positions of the Buddhas but it got lost along the way.   Notice that the Cambodian and Lao Buddhas are slim and quite benevolent looking.

Chipping away--note mask to protect lungs

Limestone/sandstone easy to work with

We saw these contraptions along the way and stopped to see one.  It is set up for the local people to collect insects in the middle of the night.  Lights shine on the top area and attract insects, which hit the plastic and fall down in the trough below, which is filled with water.  The residents come out at about 2 a.m.. to harvest the collection of drowned crickets and grasshoppers to sell the next day at the market, fried, or prepared in jars.  If they don't do it then, they insects are not fresh enough or overheat.  They can bring good money to the hard workers.

Netting to catch insects

Following a truck laden with sacks of rice.  Note so-so condition of highway.

 We saw lots of rice fields along the way, hay stacks and skinny Indian cattle.  The cattle are used for work animals, not for milk or meat.

Thailand is the main rice exporter in the world.  Vietnam is 2nd or third.  Cambodia does not have a good export system so it sells to Thailand or Vietnam.  It often sells the better rice to them and then imports inferior rice for local consumption. 

Our next stop was at a mini-market  in the town of Skun/Skoun, also known as Spiderville, by tourists.  All kinds of fried insects were sold there.  It is about 40 km. from Phomh Penh.   As we were getting off the bus, a group of kids gathered around to try to sell us things.  Our guide suggested that we not buy from them so as not to encourage them to continue to sell and not go to school.

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 The boy above followed me around and had quite good English. He said that he needed money to buy books for school.  It may be true and it may just be a line.  It was really tough to decide. I did offer him some money for books but refused it and said it was not enough.  Hmm.

One of several kinds of fried crickets

Many of us tried fried tarantula legs.  Others tried crickets (quite gross).

Crickets, grasshoppers, etc. fried it LOTS of oil

Quail eggs, some very fertile?

More fried insects--grasshoppers?

We tried a lot of different kinds of fruit in the market, all of which had to be peeled/opened.  One of my favorites was mangosteen.

 This is what it looked like after taking off the bumpy top and peeling it.  The white part was the edible fruit, and each part had a good sized black pit inside.  It is sweet--but not too sweet--and very refreshing.  It is a bit messy to eat.  Thank goodness I had some hand sanitizer!

 Marcy thought the fruit below was lychee (mamon in Central America) but it was actually rambutan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rambutan
This link tells the difference between rambutan and lychee.  The rambutan has the crazier outside but I think they are similar although lychee has only one seed.
http://www.cookistry.com/2013/07/rambutan-vs-lychee.html

Jack fruit

 Jack fruit, according to Wikipedia, is in the mulberry family.  The fruit grows quite big.  It was a bit dry and I didn't particularly like it--it didn't have a lot of taste.

Tamarind--Yum!

 I LOVED the tamarind fruit.  It tasted a bit like a date in texture but not as sweet.  Yummy!  Below is a picture of an open one.  When I first saw the fruit above, I thought it was a nut as it was a bit longer than a peanut shell.

Kakada got us some palm fruit, the fruit below on the left.  The one below has the outer shell/skin removed and still has another skin which can be eaten.  However, it is a bit bitter, so I preferred it without.

Durian--it tasted a lot better than the durian ice cream that I had in Seattle!

BTW, this was the WC (public bathroom) at this stop...squat toilet, very clean.

The next blog will tell about the silk farm we visited before arriving in Phnom Penh..