First trip to Cambodia 6/97
By Doug Mendel |
In 1997 I visited Asia (Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, South Korea and Cambodia) for a 6 week adventure. At the tail end of the trip, almost spur of the moment, I decided to visit Cambodia for 3 days. I had wanted to visit the country since 10/95 when I was in Eastern Europe and met a guy who visited Cambodia and loved it. So the 'seed' was planted and for 1 1/2 years I was looking forward to gaining a new perspective on a country with a troubled and dark past.
In mid-June of '97, I flew from Bangkok to Phnom Penh for a 3 day adventure. My eyes were glued to the window of the plane as we descended from the clouds for the approach to Pochentong International airport. The landscape was dotted with fields of green (probably rice fields), and vast open spaces of nothingness. Once the plane landed, and walking down the stairs of the plane to the tarmac, the stifling humidity and heat caught me offguard as I almost gasped for a breath. The passengers walked to the terminal and it was an uncontrolled giving of papers and passports to some people with uniforms for processing. When a passport was stamped with a visa stamp, the Khmer passport control person would hold up the passport and whomever the document belonged to would grab it and be on their way, minus the $20 application fee. On the plane flight over, my seatmate was a British lady, and we decided to hang together for at least a day or two.
Once we were both outside the terminal, we were mobbed by motodrivers wanting to take us somewhere, anywhere for a buck or two. My newfound friend hopped on the back of a motobike and I did likewise on another motobike. We had decided on a guest house named "Bert's books and guest house", so after about 20 minutes or so and a gas fill-up of one of the moto's, we arrived at the guest house. The guest house exuded ambiance with its' close proximity to the Mekong river and a balcony that was perfect for watching the sunset, with a COLD beer in hand !
The next day I took a flight to Siem Reap to visit Angkor wat, the Buddhist temple complex in the NorthWest of the country. I stayed at Mom's guesthouse. The motodriver I used from the airport in Siem Reap to Mom's G.H. was a cautious driver, so I decided to have him be my guide for the day I was to be at Angkor Wat. 'Mom' at Mom's G.H. sold me the ticket for Angkor Wat ($20) and the day started early to watch the sunrise and walk around the many temples of the complex. The guide and I came back to the G.H. for maybe 2 hours during midday because of the stifling heat. It was a nice break from seeing the temples in the morning. 'Recharging' my batteries with cold drink and food made the afternoon easier than if I had gone straight through without a break. Towards dusk, my guide took me to Phnom Bakeng (a.k.a. the Hill) to watch the sunset. It is about a 300 stair climb to the top from the road, with young kids selling drinks, film, handicrafts and food to the tourists. Watching the sunset over the rice paddies was a very beautiful sight, the proof of which was that I took many pictures. I was one of the last to desend the 'Hill' and my guide was probably very happy to see me as he thought maybe I was lost !!! Just wanted to 'take it all in'. Once back at the G.H., I collasped in my bed for a good nights sleep.
The next day started early as I wanted to buy 5 brooms. They are made of reeds and bamboo and are used for light dusting. I fell in love with them, and after I bought my 'stash', I headed for the airport in Siem Reap for the flight to Phnom Penh and then back to the states via Bangkok, Thailand. Once in Phnom Penh though, I had about 1 1/2 hours to mill about before my flight to Thailand, so I took a moto to Bert's G.H. to see if my friends were still there. Unfortunately they were out and about, so I left a note for them and I took a moto back to Potchentong International Airport for my 1 hour plane flight to Bangkok. During the 3 days I was in Cambodia, I fell in love with the people,culture, history, food, handicrafts, weather and landscapes. I knew I would return for a longer stay... |
|
|
|
