Dollarmites, Tuk Tuks and Overheard Comments
After our adventures in Thailand we have a little time to reflect on our experiences in Cambodia.
Siem Reap is an amazing town. For all the tourists that go through there, the people, for the most part, are happy, friendly and helpful. They are quick with a smile and will go out of their way to point you in the right direction. The tuk tuk drivers will generally leave you alone after your first ‘No’ to the inevitable “Tuk Tuk Ladee?” and most are willing to have a chat if you have the time to stop.
We nicknamed the kids that come up to you selling souviners “Dollarmites” as everything is $1. “One dollar ladee” is a common cry everywhere you go. They sell everything from postcards to flutes and scarves. Even they are happy to have a chat if there are not too many other tourists around. They really are wonderful children and it’s sad to see that they have to go out to tout so they can suppliment the family income.
We stayed at the Sala Bai hotel which is a school for disadvantaged kids to learn about the hospitality industry. The criteria is that they must be between the ages of 17 and 23 and their family income must be under $25 US per month. These kids work really hard and always have a smile on their faces. They were very helpful to us and no request was too hard. We were very sorry to leave there.
The temples are many and simply amazing. I was awestruck with each one that we went to. The amount of work and art that has gone into each one is stunning. It was also fun to just listen to the comments of the other tourists around us. The most memorable of which was overheard by Greg – “The temples are nice, but they do go on about them” – said by an American about his guide but another, just as memorable – “Everything in this country costs one dollar…except this” – said in response to the cost of the boat ride on Tonle Sap (we did not end up doing this). I’m not too sure why an Angkor guide would be going on about Angkorian temples but there you go.
On to Phnom Penh where the dollarmites are a little more aggressive, Adam was told to ‘F off’ by one of them after he repeatedly said no to buying books, but still not too bad. We stayed at FCC which is very nice. It’s a bigger budget hotel than Sala Bai and was really comfortable right across the street from the river. The staff were a little standoffish but that was probably to be expected, after all, it is a bigger hotel.
Just about all of us got sick or had just been sick by the time we got to Phnom Penh. It slowed us down but didn’t stop us. We went to the very very horrifying Killing Fields where the Khemer Rouge took people to be killed. Apparently because it started as a Chinese cemetry they thought the smell would not be noticed so much. Pity they didn’t think that the sheer amount of people they put to death would be noticed too much.
Our wonderful driver Dara, of whom Adam will post later, then decided that the Russian market would cheer us up a bit. He was right. What a crazy place. It’s big and very very compact. We wandered around there for a couple of hours before getting back into the car and off to the S21 museum. This place used to be a school before the Khmer Rouge took it over as a prison. The thought of the thousands of people that were kept prisoner within those walls is sickening. Particularlly when most were then sent on to the killing fields for their final day or two. The pictures on the walls were very graphic and literally made me sick to my stomach. For some reason the Khmer Rouge were meticulous record keepers and there are rooms and rooms filled with the photos of just about every person who went through the S21 prison. It’s a horrible past and one that the Cambodian people, rightfully I think, remember to ensure it never happens again in the future.
After that we were back to the hotel. With Jo not feeling the best Adam and I set off for a wander up to the new night market. We were a bit disappointed as it looked almost exactly like any market at home. We wandered back down the street and stopped for a drink and some banana and honey pancakes. YUM!
The next day was my turn to not be feeling on top of the world. We had planned to go to the Royal Palace but I was just not up to it. I was feeling particularly as it was our last day with Jo and Greg. Greg and Adam tried to go and take some photos from the outside of the Grand Palace but were shooed away as there was some African delegation visiting. As a result we lounged around in the hotel until Jo and Greg left for Bangkok.
Feeling a little better in the afternoon, Adam and I went to see the Palace, which was a lovely place, and then to a resturant called Friends which is also a school, this time for street kids. The food was good and the service friendly.
Next day was our turn to be leaving. We really loved Cambodia and are already talking about our next trip there. It was surpising just how lovely the people are and how friendly. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for their next holiday. It’s a country full of contrasts from the extreme poverty and ancient temples to the new building that is happening all around and the seemingly rich tourists that come to climb all over their national treasures.
Wat a wonderful place!!!!!
Posted in: Cambodia
