A sobering day in Phnom Penh

I had heard mixed reviews of Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital city. “A big bustling city with lots of things to do but not a lot of culture”. It was still very important for me to go as that was the epicenter of the Khmer Rouge takeover in 1975 and I felt I needed to see that history to be respectful of the Cambodian people. It’s kinda like visiting Auschwitz or other concentration camps… You know it’s not going to be a fun day of touring but it’s something you need to see. It’s that important. I first saw the great & very powerful early 80s movie “The Killing Fields” in my early 20s and read the book on which it’s based shortly thereafter & was incredibly moved. So this was a must-see for me. We booked a tuk tuk driver, Mr Vann, to take us touring of the S-21 Tuol Sleng prison in Phnom Penh and the Choeung Ek killing fields outside of the city. These are just two examples of hundreds of similar places that the Pol Pot regime setup to rid the country of any non-farmers or basic day laborers (e.g. teachers, doctors, any/all professionals, anyone wearing glasses). They were subject to gruesome torture at the prison and then shuttled off under cover of night to be killed and buried in mass graves at the killing fields. In 4 years, the Khmer Rouge killed over 3 million Cambodians, nearly 30% of the population. The US didn’t help the situation as it’s prior bombing of the eastern border of the country to flush out VC, forced rural Cambodians into PP, which was then emptied by the KR. I think what was most disgusting to me is how the world could standby and let this happen AGAIN after what Hitler did in WW2. I’m sure the US political atmosphere was such that entering into another war in SE Asia, immediately after getting our asses handed to us by the Vietnamese/Russians/Chinese, was not what Washington wanted. But sometimes you have to do the right thing & not only enter into war to defend your own financial or political interests. To make matters worse, even after the Vietnamese ousted the Pol Pot regime in 1979, the US (and the rest of the west) proceeded to back (financially, politically, militarily) the Khmer Rouge as it had a seat in the UN through the 1990s bc the primary US concern was “the spread of communism” & of course couldn’t support a government propped up by the Vietnamese/Russians. It’s just disgusting. And what’s even more disgusting is the same thing is probably going on in Syria right now. I’ve traveled to a lot of places but in SE Asia, more than any other place, it’s been real tough to respect the decisions our government has made (also includes not-so-secret bombing of Laos during the Vietnam war). Mr Vann told us his family’s story after the day of touring. Of 8 kids, 4 of his siblings were killed in the US bombings, forcing the family to move to PP. Once there, the rest of his immediate family fortunately survived the Khmer Rouge as they were farmers. But other family and friends of his were not so lucky. He said “I’ve met Americans and I like them, they’re good people, but I really don’t like or respect their government”. I can’t really blame him.

There are still 40+ unexcavated mass grave sites at Choeung Ek.

This was horrifying. I needed tissues listening to the audio tour. They wanted to save bullets.

Monument to the victims, includes remains unearthed at Choeung Ek

Tuol Sleng was a former school that the Khmer Rouge converted into a torture prison.

A torture room. Vietnamese soldiers discovered the site & found 14 victims shot to death, still shackled to the beds, as the Khmer Rouge’ torture techniques were abruptly interrupted & they wanted to leave no witnesses.

Monkey bars are a real creepy reminder that this hell used to be a school.

The Khmer Rouge took lessons from the Nazis & painstakingly documented all of their victims & atrocities committed.

Cambodia, a country absent any apparent traffic laws

I wasn’t sure I’d ever see crazier traffic than what we saw in Bangkok. And then we arrived in Cambodia. While Bangkok surely is much bigger, it now occurred to me that it was an organized chaos as drivers for the most part seemed to obey traffic signals. Cambodia, on the other hand, seems devoid of any traffic signals, stop signs, anything. So you come to a 4-way intersection and everyone goes at once from any direction. I’m not just talking cars here… This also includes tour buses, tuk tuks, scooters and people-pushed street vendor carts. Further complicating things, is the lanes of traffic but from what we can tell, they are adhered to by only about 75% of drivers. The other 25% (primarily scooter drivers but there’s an occasional car) drive towards you, in the opposite direction of traffic flow, making things real exciting. But somehow it all works. We saw no accidents. We never felt unsafe as our tuk tuk drivers, Saru in Siem Reap and Mr Vann in Phnom Penh, were solid drivers. People use the hell out of their horns and it seems there’s an unspoken rule that size rules in descending order so buses dictate and scooters adjust. We agreed this would never work in America, recalling the confusion that ensues after a storm knocks out power at a big intersection and all the Trump-voting morons struggle to coordinate an efficient timed response in which all cars on opposite sides go at once. We tried to capture this awesome and utter chaos on video but largely failed as we were too caught up in the experience. There’s a couple video links below that don’t come close to doing it justice.
https://youtu.be/jnBddBv0Kjc
https://youtu.be/8ItKNznswo4

Boating, Cambodia style

In an attempt to mix up modes of travel, we decided to take a boat from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. The boat left at 7:30 and the operator sent a jumbo tuk tuk driver to pick us up at 6:30. After a variety of mishaps including his inability to find other guests (never did) and culminating in a flat tire, we found ourselves stuck at the side of a SR road at 7:30. Another tuk tuk driver swooped in to take us the rest of the journey to the boat, all the while, Amy and I were wondering why a “large boat w 3 levels including a sunbathing open air level on top” would bother to wait for us. We didn’t arrive at the pier until 8am, fully expecting to have missed the boat & already mentally planning to head to the airport (airports in SE Asia, as an aside, have been far more efficient that US airports). We were met by the boat captain who told us to “hurry up” (as if any of the last 1.5 hours was our fault), and quickly ushered us onto definitely-not-a-large boat as our backpacks were taken & thrown on top. It was a small wooden boat with only one level. Maybe sat 30 people in real uncomfortable wooden seats. I then recalled we were told that bc it was dry season, a small boat would first be taking us to our large boat as the large boat can’t make it to the pier given water levels. So that put us at ease, figuring we’d only have 30 minutes on this uncomfortable beast until we met, what now in my mind was a luxurious liner, in Tonle Sap Lake. 4 hours and several engine outages later, we had made it entirely through the largest part of the massive lake only to meet our “large boat” in a relatively narrow portion of the lake. Obviously the photos of the lovely large boat presented in their marketing materials in no way reflects the actual large boat that we were now boarding. There was a bit more room but it wasn’t as advertised. All we could do was laugh. Especially when we had to spend another 4 hours on the large boat before finally reaching Phnom Penh (the trip was a bit longer than initially communicated). In hindsight, we agreed we’d do it again bc the glimpse into local Cambodian life of those that live on the water was very special. The only thing we’d do differently was perhaps bring food & more water. But then again, the bathroom situation on both boats was less than ideal so maybe it was for the best.

As we had seen more than enough of the river, we spent the evening walking around the city center and taking in the royal palace, the continued Cambodian obsession w bright neon lights as decoration, street food stalls, a few cocktails and a lazy night. We did find something interesting on a menu in one of the restos…

Me, not sleeping, trying to keep warm (my music saved me)

2 guys peeking out from behind their boat to check us out

4 girls frantically waving hello to our boat

Yep, fried tarantulas & shots of spider rice wine

Siem Reap, more than just temples

People come to Siem Reap, Cambodia to visit the Angkor temples, 8th wonder of world which is only 5 km away, but that’s not all. Siem Reap city center is quite touristy, featuring a blatantly labeled “Pub Street”, which is exactly what you think it is. Amy accurately described it as “the Bourbon Street of SE Asia” as it’s terribly touristy but it is fantastic for people watching. Apparently temple-goers, after a long hot day in the 93 degree sun trekking around old massive archeological holy sites, feel the need to satisfy their inner cravings, whether it be by downing a few local beers & some street food, as I did, or by wrangling up a young Cambodian prostitute, as we witnessed at least 4 old white men do on Pub Street. I did mention it was great for people watching.

There’s also pretty great food. And the locals are real nice. You come to Siem Reap for Angkor, which is a can’t miss. But I think I can cross it off my return list.

The coolest bar on Pub Street – a brilliantly named no frills pub

Night 1 in SR, I was on my own for food & out wandering the streets when I passed this street food cart & smelled this amazing deliciousness. I tried to ask the woman chef what it was she was making with no success but I ordered one anyways for $2. To my utter delight, it was this egg noddle dish with pork, bean sprouts, other veggies, chili sauce, fish sauce and topped w a perfectly fried egg (& extra spice added by me). Absolutely amazing & easily one of thr best meals I’ve had on the trip. This pic is during her cooking process.

This pic is the end result in less than ideal light as I wandered the streets in the dark inhaling it.

We treated ourselves to a nice dinner in SR. This was the first fresh spring rolls we’ve found.

Traditional Khmer dish of free range chicken roasted w honey & rice brandy, jackfruit & lemongrass served w prahok dipping sauce. Ridiculously amazing.

Traditional Khmer dish fish amok (which is essentially a green curry w river fish)

Post-dinner one of our servers wanted a selfie w us

Maybe my fave bfast yet – local Cambodian bfast of yellow egg noodles, pork & veggies w a to-die-for sweet sauce. I think I’ve figured out that they go light on the heat in the morning and then bring it full throttle the rest of the day.

Palm sugar (cooking in cauldron & for sale)… we cooked with this in Thai cooking class. Must find in Chicago.

Street life (kids just off from school)

https://youtu.be/exQvW-mbT_8

Watting, Indiana Jones style

Now this is watting I can get behind. Angkor is often compared, by people a lot smarter than me, to the Egyptian pyramids and Jordan’s Petra, two other fantastic displays of ancient civilizations putting slave labor to good use erecting unnecessarily massive palaces and temples. Beginning in the 12th century, Angkor served as the capital city for the Khmer Empire and was apparently home to over a million people which made it the biggest civilization of the time. The most famous is Angkor Wat but my favorite was Ta Prohm as it was jungle-like with the trees growing in/atop the structures. It’s shameful how many pix I took so only a few are below.

Angkor Wat, the granddaddy of Angkor temples

Angkor Thom, famous for 50+ faces eerily similar to king

We are old

Amy: “Can we get the check please?”

Cute young server: “You don’t want to leave now. We have sexy dancing and fire show tonight.”

Me: “What time?” (Bc who doesn’t want to see what they mean by “sexy dancing?!?!?!!”)

S: “11”

Me: “What time is it now?”

Amy: “It’s another 40 minutes.”

Me: “We’ll just take the check.”

In our defense, we did get up at 4:30am to catch a flight. But still…

Monk action series

Throughout Northern Thailand, Laos & Cambodia, I’ve developed a sort of monk obsession. I’m fascinated with them and their lifestyle. But I’m not talking about real deep stuff here. More along the lines of… Why do Bangkok monks have to go barefoot and are too skinny while Chiang Mai monks get to wear shoes (typically flip flops or leather sandals) and appear healthy (i.e. well fed)? Why do Lao monks have to keep their bald head freshly shaved while Thai & Cambodian monks can play it a little looser? However, I admit that my primary interest in them is most likely even more superficial… their bright orange robes really make a picture pop. “Monk alert” is a term we’ve coined when one of us spots their orange robes so we can quickly become camera-ready. Lao monks have turned out to be my favorite, probably due to their daily early morning alms procession (I got up before 6am 3 out of 4 mornings to witness it bc I just couldn’t help myself). I was beyond thrilled when we showed up at the river bank for our Mekong boat day only to find two monks seemingly waiting to board our boat. Dreams of a live monk action series leapt into my head and while that unfortunately didn’t materialize (they instead waved us goodbye), that was the inspiration for this post and a collection of my monk photos, which I’ve largely spared you to-date.

Monk posing after our conversation (he really talked to us)

https://youtu.be/GB01NA4mJi4

Little things excite me

In Luang Prabang, I found my favorite Wat to-date. Just not for reasons most people would find important.

This appears to be some sort of fire breathing monkmobile. Yes it has wheels. I do perhaps have a bit of an obsession with monks so this made me real happy… more on that later.

One of these things is not like the other.

The Mekong

We negotiated w a cute Laos boat captain, Mr Sing, for a day trip to Kuang Si waterfalls and Pak Ou caves via a Mekong river cruise. We arrived at the river bank and boarded our apparently private large long boat (we had just assumed he’d try to fill the rest of the boat… but we’ve found Laos people to be more honest and less apt to scam you than Thai folks). Despite the weather being a bit on the cool side (70), with some intermittent light rain sprinkles early in the morning, we were real excited for the trip. The boat was a convertible as the roof slid open (we enjoyed after the rain ceased), it was equipped w old airline seats that recline (which made for a very comfortable ride), and featured a good sound system (Mr Sing apparently likes to rock out as he played loud local music).
The arrival at the falls stop was a bit understated as Mr Sing just cruised up onto a sand bank in the middle of nowhere and “docked”. He then led us past the bank up along a rutted dirt “road” that popped out in a tiny local Lao village. Our captain had previously promised our price included bus transport to the falls. Upon arrival in the little village, Mr Sing began going door to door to find someone to drive us. The answer was a young local guy who had a pickup truck so Amy and I piled in the front seat, Dazed & Confused style. He spoke no English but happily drove us for 80k Kip and the 20 minute drive was gorgeous… passed rice paddies, locals going about their daily business (yes, some carrying 2 baskets w a shoulder pole & wearing the conical hats), kids walking to school, etc. Just a lovely super special snapshot into Lao life. Our driver dropped us and showed me his phone. The time said 9:22pm. Uh oh. “Two hours” I said. He laughed. “You wait here?” He nodded yes so Amy and I were off to the falls.
The waterfall was easily the prettiest I’d ever seen. Each tier, even more spectacular. Amy and I tried to guess how many tiers. I said 25+ if you’re counting each little drop. She thought 15+ major drops. One just drop dead spectacular one that left me speechless (I know, a real rarity) and this was after I already found the falls just captivating. To the right of the big fall, there was a basic wooden sign with an arrow pointing “To top”. We had already passed a proper set of stairs to the left of the fall. We opted for the right, luckily so as it was a pretty tough steep amble up to the top, and took the more gradual way down on the other side. Just a beautiful place.
Back to the bottom and nearing noon, we grabbed take away lunch from local street food vendors, found our “bus driver” hanging w the locals and made it back to the river bank to find Mr Sing sleeping on his boat but still rocking out.
It was a 2.5 hour boat ride to the Pak Ou caves (upstream) and was simply a drop dead gorgeous journey. Amy and I both agreed that Laos was one of the most spectacular places we’ve ever been. I will definitely be back to Luang Prabang and I will certainly explore the rest of the country.
Upon arrival, we hiked up into a large cave that serves as the graveyard for Buddha statues no longer deemed suitable for placement in a temple or those given as offerings by worshippers. So it’s a couple caves full of abandoned Buddha statues. Big and small. I thought it looked like an army of Buddhas was assembling. Clearly these emblems are sacred enough to warrant special placement in a gorgeous cave on an gorgeous island in the middle of the Mekong river, but it was a little creepy, I’m not going to lie.
1 hour glorious boat cruise back to LP. I say glorious bc the sun finally made its appearance, which made for a whole set of new pictures.

https://youtu.be/zfim13MCdFk

Loving Laos

We read the best way to see Luang Prabang was by bicycle so our first full day in the city was a lovely day doing just that with touring bikes provided courtesy of our hotel. The city is a quaint, charming, lovely small city in a mountainous region on the peninsula bounded by the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers. It’s perhaps the most lush locale I’ve ever been (rivaled perhaps by parts of Norway), is stunningly gorgeous, and while it features top-notch gourmet restaurants, cheap spas and all the luxuries, at the same time, it seems as if you’re visiting a place where time’s stood still. It has a nice lazy slow pace and is not in the least bit intimidating plus the Lao people are just as nice as can be. Within a day, I was thankful we had 4 nights there (even wishing we were staying longer) as this city was already easily my favorite visited to-date.
The highlights of the day included a walk across a man-made bamboo bridge that is erected over the Nam Khan every November in dry season bc it washes away every June in the high waters that come with the wet season. Despite being constructed entirely of bamboo, and the fact it has only a 6 month lifespan, it’s supposedly pretty solid and can support the weight “of several people at once” so Amy and I jumped at the chance to pay 5k Kip to cross the bridge (the funds go toward rebuilding next year’s bridge). It felt pretty solid. And seemed otherworldly it was so picturesque. We found on the other side of the river, a great resto nestled in the lush woods and proceeded to sit for 2+ hours enjoying amazing local Lao fondue (our server told us every Lao household has a fondue pot used when special company visits), cocktails featuring the local Lao whiskey (Lao Lao), the local beer (BeerLao), and a few games of gin.
That night we hit the local night market along the main drag, a short walk from our hotel. We found it was much more quaint and authentic than the Thai markets and the goods appeared unique and locally made. For the first time, we found a LOT of items that piqued our interest, inspiring a lot of gift ideas, so we looked into shipping goods back home because as much as we love you, we weren’t going to carry them on our backs. If it weren’t for the totally unreliable Laos post system, many of you would be blessed with absolutely amazing local Lao gifts, but you’re just going to have to take my word for it.
After a busy jam-packed schedule in Bangkok and Chiang Mai, the lovely slow pace of Luang Prabang happened to be just what we were looking for. Prior to the trip, I’d done quite a bit of research on Laos and was very excited to visit. I think Amy was less so as neither of us really knew what to expect, so we limited our time in Laos only to Luang Prabang as a sort of compromise. I admit I felt a little pressure hoping that LP lived up to my expectations and was so thrilled that it did. I will now be the biggest Laos promoter. Everyone should visit.