Cambodia: The Road to Angkor

Journal excerpt, January 17th, 2012

I wake up to the gentle breeze of an air conditioner blowing over my shorts-clad legs.  What??  I left Korea in strict sub-zero temperatures yesterday afternoon, the han-cheon river running through Yecheon frozen solid enough to skate on--is this really possible?  I roll out of bed and trudge into the shared bathroom of the dorm style room I'm staying in at the Mad Monkey hostel.  I shower and go downstairs to the lobby, one side open to the street, and get my first glimpse of Cambodia in daylight.

Last night my plane got in late and after taxiing to drop of my bags at the hostel I went out in search of cheap eats.  I was immersed in humidity, recalling drenched memories of summer in Japan and Korea, except amazingly it's mid-January.  Definitely the furthest south I've ever been.

After eating my first Cambodian dish--a bunch of things I pointed to all placed on a plate, including curried stewed beef, eggs and rice--a hostel mate I had just met and I ordered a couple domestic beers for the road and then discovered we couldn't find our hostel again (later we'd discover that this was because they turned off the lights, took the signs in and closed the steel gates out front for security after a certain hour).  After wandering around a half-lit suburb of Phnom Penh, palm fronds and exotic plants looming lusciously in tropical shadows off and over the street, we finally gave up and paid a passing tuk-tuk (motorcycle pulling a small carriage) to find our hostel for us.  After even he circled through the area twice without finding it, he was successful and I crashed in my bed to wake up this morning.

I order some food for breakfast and sit down to wait, glad I got up early and have a full day ahead.  Outside I can see massive tropical plants fanning out greenly in front of buildings.  Green!  The air smells moist, fertile and decidedly wild, even here in the capital.

Today I head out to Siem Reap where I'll stay for the next four nights.  I've bought my bus ticket already, opting for the six hour bus (as opposed to the four hour option), intent on taking in lots of the countryside of this jungle rich land.  Ahead of me after that lay the temples of Angkor.

...

farm land 

The bus took eight hours to reach Siem Reap, as opposed to the stated six.  At any rate it provided me with a chance to see the Cambodian countryside.  While Phnom Penh had its areas of relative wealth (by Cambodian standards) displayed through a few chain stores and nice houses, the latter secured at their boundaries by high fences topped with razor wire, the countryside appeared  predictably destitute.  The majority of houses visible were little more than shacks, often with their inhabitants languishing in the yards or doorways.  Chickens strutted about in front of some of the homes and small gardens, and grassy fields with some cows scattered about made their appearance during the miles of sugar palms, flat cleared land and growths of huge ferny plants.

One bed for sleeping, one for bouncing

After I arrived I took a tuk-tuk to my hostel (Angkor Wonder Hostel).  With the incredible inexpensiveness of hostel stays in Cambodia I had reserved a double private room paying the cost to cover two people.  It came to a little over 8.50 USD (in the urban and more touristed areas the USD is as commonly accepted as the Riel).  The extent to which this was a steal became evident when I was shown the room, which has a larger floor space than my Korean apartment.  "We're just a new hostel, but later I think we'll make this room a dorm," the owner told me seeing the amazement on my face.

I've reserved a bike for tomorrow, had some dinner in an open air restaurant (notably serving perhaps the best coconut shake money can buy, for $1) and removed an interloping gecko from the wall of my room.  Time to crash.

"Squatter's rights, bi***!"

January 18th

My alarm woke me at six.  I had meant to set it for five, but oh well.  I went downstairs, grabbed my rented bicycle and was off through the morning streets, heading in the direction of Angkor.  Making my way down the street through insane traffic, Cambodians on bicycles, scooters, motorbikes, as well as cars, all sharing the same hectic lanes with me while the rising sun cast a calm orange light all around. 

After awhile I left the city and reached the countryside, though it would turn out that while I'd been heading in the right direction, I'd accidentally taken the wrong road.  I ended up nonetheless in the parking lot at Angkor, but found out I had to backtrack south again about 3 km or so down another road to get my pass.  I had to therefore bike along an enormous moat (which looks like a wide river from any ground level position) to reach the next road... and then I saw it: the iconic towers of Angkor Wat rising triumphantly into the pale blue on the horizon.  

I turned away, savoring the image and peddling fast to get this pass business out of the way.  Soon enough I was back at the main entrance, then onto the bridge and over the moat, finally within the confines of Angkor Wat, the first and also largest temple, in sheer size, on my journey.