Yes, yet another country where I get mistaken for a local.
Apparently, Cambodia is a constitutional monarchy operated as a parliamentary representative democracy. I always was under the impression it's something of a communist state or a military-ruled state. Guess I really should read the front bits of LP rather than skipping the lot of them.
I know, though, that Siem Reap used to be under French control. You can't actually miss it, given the number of French tourists trawling the city. This is actually a new phenomenon to me, until I arrived in south India's Pondicherry, and not something I really understand. If it's because of the language hurdle, then it would seem to apply more to Cambodia than Pondi. Some Siem Reap hotels and restos even advertise with "French is spoken here!", while I didn't get the sense that French was all that popular in Pondi.
There're also many French businesses in Cambodia, including guesthouses and cafes. Not sure if it's French sensibilities, but I'm unable to reconcile the fact that the French owner of the cafe from which we rented bicycles from will not let us return the bicycles because the rental business closes at 5pm, while the cafe very obviously remains open! Madame, madame! We are closed, he says! I can't trust him, cause he gives off a mob boss vibe, the way he orders his employees about. He has my passport!!!
Siem Reap, in particular, strikes me as a city that relies heavily on the tourist dollar. Most cities are said to by throbbing with life - the Siem Reap heartbeat could possibly slow to a deathly crawl if all the tourists were to suddenly disappear.
Phnom Penh, in contrast, is a heaving mass, much like nearby Ho Chi Minh City (only 6 hours by bus!). Their motorcycle gridlocks are so alike, they could be twins!
Another misconception - that Angkor Wat is just a temple. It turns out, it''s just the southernmost temple of the Angkor historical park's main group of sites. And it's a very large park indeed - if you are a temple fanatic, you can purchase a pass that allows 7 days' worth of drooling over centuries-old ruins for US$60. The cheapest, a 1-day pass, costs US$20. Imagine how much the millions of tourists who flock to the site are contributing to the Cambodian economy! Meanwhile, conservation efforts are undertaken by international groups with aid or research money. It's like collecting toll on a highway built by the US or some other country, with the added benefit of UNESCO accreditation. Kaching!
Between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, we stopped by several popular towns on the coast. Sihanoukville, with its white sand beaches and crystal clear water, is the playground of sun-worshipping Westerners. About 3 hours away, Kampot, a sleepy riverside town, is apparently popular for its sunset cruises (and pepper). A bane for yours truly, who's not worn off that 7-hour sampan ride in Vietnam yet. And finally, Kep, the hop-off point to the white sand beaches of Rabbit Island. Kep beach can't rival those of Sihanoukville, but is popular with local tourists, apparently. And it's here that we run into something sinister.
We're walking along the quiet seaside promenade that goes to Kep beach, when two fellows zoom past on a motorbike. They stop in front of us, and the pillion rider hops off and heads in our direction. He is carrying an axe and not hiding it very well. It's not of the big variety, perhaps about the size of a small kitchen chopper. Meanwhile, the driver, still with his engine running, is looking back towards us, as if watching for something to happen.
Suddenly afraid, we quickly cross to the other side of the road and walk away from the pair. I can't help but feel a crisis was averted.
Another feeling hard to shake off - something seedy going on among tourists. You've got hotels that need to be certified "child safe". You've got the usual list of rules and regulations in your guest room, except at #1, you're being informed that sex with children is illegal. And you've got middle-aged Caucasian men chatting up school boys by the riverside, or in the park. And you've got ads urging you to report anyone you find suspicious - with his full name, no less! Excuse me, sir, I see you're chatting up this school boy, would you tell me your full name, please?
Did you see the dolphins? No, we didn't see the rare Irrawaddy dolphins, even though they're said to frolic on the fringes of the Ream National Park (about 20km out of Sihanoukville). Well, if you're headed south of the country, Kratie might be a better bet ... I heard.
And here are the pictures~
