Cambodia: Part Two

After Phnom Penh we headed south to a town called Kampot where we spent the night and headed further south to Kep, a beautiful coastal town. We found a quaint little resort called the N4 Guesthouse that had a wonderful pool that we ended up spending four days (combined in). After being on the move so much and only staying in hotels for one or two nights at a time we were craving some down time where we didn't have to pack our bags every night. While the hotel itself wasn't the nicest and the room we had just had a fan (we cheaped out), the pool made up for it! We literally spent hours in the pool acting like kids only taking breaks to get out of the sun or go to town for food. 

Before I go any further, I have to tell you about the crab. Mmmmmm the crab! Kep is FAMOUS for their fresh crab that they go and get straight from the ocean in the little traps that they've brought closer to shore. It is some of the best crab that I have ever had and what made it even more delectable, was the Kampot green peppercorns that accompanied it. Kampot (the town we stayed in the first night) harvest salt and pepper and it tastes like no other. The peppercorns are still on the sprig and I can't even begin to tell you how delicious it was. I'm not even a huge fan of pepper but I was popping those sprigs in my mouth until it was on fire...Jordan couldn't get enough either. We needed up eating grab four nights in a row because we knew we would never have anything close to it again.  At lunch time we would walk down to the ocean and walk around the little food market they had to decide on which ginormous fresh BBQ fish we would devour. We literally would only buy one fish to share for both of us because it was so massive...but tasted sooo good! Cambodia certainly does seafood well! 

On a random note, Cambodia is covered in sand and dirt! I mean everything is stained red from the sand. We took a tuk tuk from Kampot to Kep which took about 45 minutes (mainly because of the mass amounts of potholes). By the time we arrived we were literally chewing on red sand. My black tank top was now brown and we were just covered head to toe. At times I felt like I was in the desert because there was so much sand. However, it's all apart of the experience and so we had a good laugh and washed it off as soon as we could! 

After a couple of days in Kep we decided to take a longboat across to Rabbit Island-a little island that has roughly 40 beach bungalows. They only have electricity from 6-11pm and nothing to do except swim and relax-it was perfect. We had to wait a couple of hours to 'check in' to our bungalow as the boat dropped us off at 9 am and the other guests don't checkout until 11:30 am. However we stored our bags with the guys at reception and hit the beach right away. It was smoking hot out so the ocean water was very welcome. We spent the day just relaxing, reading and swimming. 

Later that afternoon we also decided to try out a Khmer massage and my god was it good. They stretched and pulled you every which way but at the same time it was the most relaxing massage we've ever had. It was right on the beach as well and was so so amazing. After our relaxing massage we decided to go for a hike around the island (don't ask me why we didn't do this in reverse order). After about an hour and a half of hiking around the island we discovered that there was no way we were going to make it back to our bungalow by the time the sun set so we decided to turn back and go the way we came...we weren't happy campers-we wanted to go all the way around! We also, just before we turned around, came within a few hundred metres of a very territorial dog and because the whole monkey situation was still fresh in my head, we were both a little skiddish and decided to turn around.  

That night we had some more of that delicious Kampot green pepper crab and laid out on our hammock on our bungalow balcony...it was heaven! The only downfall was that because the power goes off at 11 there was no fan...and holy crap did we ever need one. It was incredibly hot and sticky. Even though there were slats in the sides of the bungalow to let air in, because of the much needed mossie net we had draped over the bed, no air got through. Surprisingly we still got a couple hours of sleep and were woken up by the sound of rolling waves and roosters cocadoodling their little hearts out (quite the combination eh?). 

That am we headed back to our trusty N4 Guesthouse and spent the afternoon in the pool. The following day we got picked up by the oldest, most rickety bus that took us the 4 hours to Phnom Penh and then transferred to another bus for the 8 hour bus to Siem Reap. We get on this bus and are thinking okay, this is going to be great-there's a washroom, seats look comfortable, it's a little hot but that okay. As we are walking to our seats I realize that we are at the very very back in the seats that are on top of the steaming engine and that do not recline (in fact I think they may have been pushed forward a little). I am livid because we asked to get seats towards the middle but its a no go-the bus is jammed. The only good thing is that there was an extra (broken) seat next to the two we were in so we could spread out a bit. The downside was that because we were on the engine, we were sweating...the ac was non-existent and so literally I was dumping water on myself trying to cool down. To say the least, we were not looking forward to the next 8 hours. To top it all off, we picked up a random on the side of the road (they do this ALL the time) and where did he sit? In the seat right next to us and so here are the three of us squished into these seats sweating our butts off. Oh did we mention that our seats were also right next to the bathroom? It was a wonderful ride.

Once we arrived in Siem Reap we could not get off it quick enough. We had booked a room at Tanei Guesthouse but had quite the time trying to get a tuk tuk to take us there. The bus dropped us off in the sketchiest part of town with only 6 tuk tuk's for all 50 passengers. I knew that the hotel was only 2 Km's and so when they asked for something like $15 I said no way in hell. This one guy on a motorcycle said he would take us but we had two giant bags plus our little backpacks and so I said no thanks, we want a tuk tuk. He started yelling at us saying  "its the same thing-tuk tuk, motorcycle, it's the same"! At this point Jordan and I just looked at each other thinking what is this guys problem. I looked at him and said that's fine but don't yell at me. Well, I don't think he has ever been talked back to by anyone let alone a woman and so he started screaming "what, you crazy lady? You crazyyyy! Get on my motorcycle!!!" As you can guess, there was NO way we were getting on it so we started walking and eventually a nice man picked us up (after only walking a few feet) and only charged us $4. It was an experience for sure...and looking back, maybe not the smartest idea to have told the guy to stop yelling at me (seeing as we were essentially down a dark alley with sketchy guys) but...as those who know me, know I don't stand for people speaking derogatorily. 

Our hotel was really nice and came equipped with a pool. The next am I had an "interview" via Skype for a job at Hawk Ridge...which I got (thanks to a lot of help from Karen, Jordan's mom...thanks again!). After we skyped my parents and filled them in on our adventure. We spent the afternoon walking around the town but didn't last much over three hours as it was SMOKING hot- it was so uncomfortable that we were trying to find every bit if shade we could get. That night we ventured out (with much cooler temperatures) and had a great dinner and walked around the night markets, bartering for some souvenirs! We also decided to get 15 minute foot massages on the side of the street (it's a huge business here) for only $1.00! It was amazing and Jordan, a first timer, enjoyed it (although he doesn't want to admit it to anyone but me). 

The next day was spent hanging around the town and the pool. That evening we headed to Angkor Wat to see the sunset. We were dropped off at the point where "apparently" was the best spot to see it. Once we got to the top of this little mountain we were met with a massive line of people itching to get up the temple where we were suppose to view the sunset. I was shocked and the sheer amount of people was absolutely ridiculous. The worst part was that we weren't looking at anything but flat fields....we had thought we would be looking at some remnants or something rather but nope...nothing. I was able to snap a few shots of the sun setting with the temple in the backdrop but other then that, we decided to hurry down the hill before we were joined by the hundreds of others. That night we returned (to another spot) for a foot, back and neck massage -30 minutes for $2...what a bargain eh? 

The next morning, bright and early around 4 am we woke up and, with our hired tuk tuk driver Mr. Vy, headed to Angkor Wat for the sunrise (something we had hoped would be a much more serene experience. It was packed. There must have been a couple thousand people there all huddled in one small area trying to get the best spot for snapping pictures. It was an incredible site to see and although warned of the masses of people ahead of time, we had to see it to believe it. While waiting for the sun to come we were asked numerous times by people running the nearby shops if we wanted coffee or breakfast. We politely declined but in my head I thought, how would they ever find us again in all these people? 

Unfortunately it was quite overcast that morning so the sunrise wasn't what we had hoped for. We decided to get a head start on the crowds and explore Angkor Wat, the largest (I believe) and most famous temple. It was incredible to see how old it was and how intricate the carvings were. The sheer size of it was immense and was quite beautiful. We headed to the back of Angkor Wat and realized that we were amount the first to see it...and see it without anyone else around- it was quite the contrast from the front which had thousands of people around! After exploring Ankor Wat for a couple of hours and realizing that the sun was starting to get hot, we decided to move on. We spent the next three hours exploring other temples including Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm (where Lara Croft was filmed). Only a few hours had gone by and the heat had become extreme. We decided that after spending around 5 hours exploring, we had seen enough. It was a great experience and very surreal to see something so majestic and beautiful. 

After spending 4 days in Siem Reap, we decided to move on to a town called Battambang. After downloading The Lonely Planet Travellers Guide- Southeast Asia on a Shoestring Budget on the iPad while in Cambodia, we learned about Battambang. There wasn't necessarily anything big that drew us to this town but we just knew we weren't ready to leave Cambodia yet! We took a four hour bus ride (2 different buses of course) and arrived in the town that afternoon. We checked into our hotel and had arranged with the tuk tuk driver (his name was Dollar) who picked us up from the bus stop to show us in and around the town the following day. 

That next day we were greeted by a young Cambodian fellow who introduced himself as Scorpio. He told us the he was a friend of Dollars and unfortunately Dollar wasn't able to take us on the tour today so if it was okay, he would be doing the tour with us. We didn't have an issue with that because he spoke English very well and was super friendly. Our first major stop was the Bamboo  Railway, an old track that only runs for 7kms in each section (these days) for tourist. It used to be used for hauling equipment and crops from one town to the next. Essentially, each "cart" consists of a thin bamboo platform that sits on two dumbell-looking wheels (one at the front and one at the back). The cart is propelled forwards with a lawnmower with a belt around it and the back wheel. He uses a stick to pull the belt so the cart propels forwards, speeding along the tracks at 40 km/h. Its shaky and loud as hell, but was an absolute blast! Along the way we would have to disembark while the guy driving the cart would dissemble it and let carts going in the other direction go the other way. This whole process of dissembling it, letting the other cart go by and finally putting it all back together took no longer then a minute.

Once at the end of the track we got off and were swarmed by small children and women begging us to come to their shop and buy something. This little boy, who learned to speak English from the tourist who visited the town, ended up successfully selling us a big bottle of water and a Cambodian Bamboo Train tank top for me. We payed much more then we would have had it been in the city but we payed what it was worth to us. We would have felt bad trying to barter with these kids as they we making us bracelets, rings and answering all of our questions. When asked why they weren't in school, they said that they couldn't afford to pay for the supplies for school (ie, pencils, notebooks, etc,). Whether this was the truth or not, we decided that we had done the right thing in pay alittle bit more for what we bought. We returned on the bamboo train and hopped back on the tuk tuk to a temple. To get to the temple you had to climb around 400 stairs (that at parts were almost vertical). Young children, trying to make a few Riel, would fan you as you walked up the stairs. The view was nothing spectacular but the temple itself was a much much much smaller version of Angkor Wat (essentially it had the five pinnacles). 

Our next stop was lunch. We offered to pay for Scorpio's meal (our driver) but he whispered to us that the owner would probably give him a free meal because he brings customers here and he is friends with them. When we were told this, we were shocked. It is very unusual, we have found, for locals to not try and rip you off. They try and get an extra dollar here and there but this was not the case with Scorpio at all. He was very honest. After lunch we laid around in the hammocks for a little bit and offered Scorpio a cookie that we had bought from a bakery. He was so excited because he said that this was his first cookie ever! Our jaws dropped to the floor. I started asking him questions about his life and his work. He explained to us that he actually rents his tuk tuk on a daily basis because he cannot afford to buy his own. A used tuk tuk and motorbike, he said, would cost him around $1000 CDN. He also told us that the he is the last person on the hotels list to call when they need a driver. As a result, he said he only gets a couple of jobs in a week, at the maximum. After spending the day with Scorpio and listening to his stories and how he tries to provide for his foster family and young niece, we decided that we would give him some money to help him on his way to saving for a tuk tuk. His reaction to the money was mind-blowing. We both started tearing up and Scorpio probably thanked us 100 times saying that he thought he was in a dream. It was something that I will never forget. We asked if he would like to come to dinner with us and he agreed. Jordan told him he could get whatever he wanted on the menu but he ended up ordering a $2 plate of noodles (again shows you what kind of a man he was). He ate maybe half of it and then asked us if it was okay if he brought the rest home with him because he had never tasted noodles so good and wanted his little niece to try the rest. Both Jordan and I were absolutely blown away by Scorpio and were so happy and blessed to have met him. 

Before we left we started talking to Scorpio about ways that he could build his tuk tuk business. I told him that a few of the tuk tuk drivers that we've had in the past had little comment books that their customers would write in giving them positive reviews. We told him that this really convinced us to go on tours with these drivers because we knew that customers in the last really enjoyed their experiences. He said yes, that was a great idea but that he would just have to try and get some paper and pens. Before I left for Australia nearly 16 months ago, my best fried Marilou had given me a journal to use to write whatever in. We used it for everything from scoring card games to grocery lists and apartment hunting. I brought it with me on our trip around Asia and new at the point that I wanted to give it to Scorpio. He needed it more than I did and I was so happy that we were able to start him off with some positive comments/reviews. We were even able to set him up with a customer for the next day as there was a Canadian sitting next to us and had overheard our conversation about that day. Scorpio was so so incredibly happy that he had two jobs in a row! It was an incredible experience to have met Scorpio and I thank our lucky stars that we were in a position to have helped him, even just a little.