Saturday, July 20, 2013

Cambodia Where Traffic Laws are Suggestions, Women Wear Pajamas All Day, and You Pay in US Dollars

The last place I left you was right before our trek into the Thai jungle. We were picked up from our hostel in a pickup truck with seats and a cover in the back and smuched in with 5 Dutch (I would seriously regret not learning Dutch the rest of the trip), 4 French, and 2 Germans. Our first stop was a market for supplies then a hill tribe for some home made pad thai before taking off in the rain to start hiking. Welcome to the rainy season! Our guide was incredibly knowledgable and collected mushrooms for dinner and taught us little tricks like making banana leaves into hats. After several hours of very soggy hiking (or slipping in my case), we arrived at our cabins amongst the hill tribe where we spent the night. The next day we hiked again in the rain, but passed by some lovely waterfalls (one which had a small python swimming around it while we were dipping our feet). Then spent our second night in one very large jungle hut where I got to show off a bit of Netherlands knowledge =). Aside from the rooster at 5am (there are chickens and stray dogs everywhere), under our cozy mosquito nets I slept fairly well. On the last day, we hiked a small bit then arrived at an elephant camp. While we were waiting there was a baby monkey on a leash that wanted to play with all of us and even though I'm not an animal lover, this monkey melted my heart. 3 of us hopped on the bare back of an elephant for an hour long ride. Elephants apparently eat for about 20 hours a day and sleep for 4! As soon as we finished we were carted off for a bamboo raft ride down the river which was quite nice until the rain came back and we headed back to Chiang Mai very dirty, wet, and VERY smelly.

The next day we took another pickup truck cab to a market to learn about basic Thai ingredients and then to an organic farm for our Thai cooking class. Following a small tour of the farm we got right to cooking! We made tom yam soup, yellow and green curry, tofu cashew stir fry, sweet and sour sauce, pad thai, pad see ew, spring rolls, and mango sticky rice. I have never been so full. Let me know when I can come cook for you! That evening we went to Chiang Mai's night market where I bought a new camera (my first one did not survive the first day of our very wet hike).

From Chiang Mai we flew a boutique airline (ha) to Bangkok, took a shuttle to a bus station, took a mini bus to the Thai border (almost got scammed into taking an expensive cab, but were saved by some Brits), walked across the border, shared a cab with a Thai backbackper, got passed to a tuk tuk driver, and FINALLY made it to our hostel in Siem Reap! We managed to run into the same Brits and joined them for dinner and drinks (Cambodia's main beers are Cambodia, Angkor, and Kingdom... not the most creative). After a hostel switch the next day we went to a silk farm and learned about the intricate process that is involved in transforming silkworm coccoons into fabric. Then we cam back for a foot and shoulder massage and a stroll through another market.

The next morning we woke up at 5am to catch the sun rise at Angkor Wat with our guide, Mr. Top Cho and our tuk tuk driver. They don't call Angkor Wat one of the 7 Wonders of the World for nothing. It was very impressive even in ruins. Our guide explained all of the history and the meaning behind all of the detailed carvings and pictures on the walls (it's a mix of Buddhist and Hindu since religion depended on whoever was ruling at the time). We explored the massive site for 10 hours, visiting only the main temples in the complex. My favorite was Ta Prohm where trees have grown on the walls giving the site an Indiana Jones feel and clear view of the power of nature. Exhausted we had our typical dinner of curry and noodles and enjoyed a swim in our hostel's pool.

Through with Siem Reap we took a very bumpy ride to Phnom Penh. We had a surprisingly delicious lunch (it's amazing how much better the food gets once you get away from the restaurants offering pizza and spaghetti) and went to a thrift store, Sakura. The store was a little disappointing, but the ride through the crazy streets of Phnom Penh by tuk tuk was awesome. We then walked to the city's main temple, Wat Prohm and had a Thai dinner (we missed Thai cuisine already) with some Australians from our hostel (Australians are everywhere here).

We joined up with a Swiss girl and a German guy (I have a soft spot for solo travellers now) and went to Phnom Penh's predominant site, the Killing Fields. An excellent audioguide accompanied with personal narratives took us through the area and past only a few of the many mass graves. In the middle of the area is a stupa memorial with 17 layers of skulls and bones excavated from the graves. It's hard to put into words my feelings there. This was only intensified by our next stop, the S-21 Prison Museum. This was once a school in Phnom Penh, but was converted into a prison where people were tried for false crimes and tortured before they were sent bound up at night to be brutally executed at the Killing Fields. It's hard to imagine that in such a short time since the Holocaust happened the world could stand idly by while another genocide occurred. Moreover, the Khmer Rouge continued to be backed by the US even after these atrocities and the trials are STILL going on today to convict the perpetrators.

Nonetheless, Cambodians are determined to move on. So our next step was to the Russian Market (there is nothing Russian about it though). While we were waiting for our tuk tuk, we had every other tuk tuk driver asking us if we needed one, old women begging, and a child sadly looking at us. The poverty here was very apparent. Especially since about 80% of their economy revolves around tourists and the rest around agriculture (particularly rice which is back breaking work). On a brighter note, we had an awesome dinner at a restuarant called Suki Soup that gives the table a little stove to make a soup in with whatever ingredients you choose. We were obviously quite clueless and had several people babysitting us and telling us what to eat when. It was DELICIOUS.

On our last day in Phnom Penh, we intended to sleep in but were woken up by hammers and drills next door (Cambodians are early risers). Exhausted from the heat we wandered around, stopped in a charity store and went for a very long lunch at Daughters of Cambodia that helps victims of sex trafficking through rehabilitation and job training. Then to the central market which was massive. Finally, we went to get massages from the blind, but mine was really a semi-blind massage since he could still pretty much see... Lastly, we went to a small movie theatre that was once a living room (run by a Dutch guy) and saw Terms of Endearment (Ashley and I bawled our eyes out). The theatre was lovely and a total expat haven.

Once again we were woken up super early by a political rally going on across the street from our hostel. A politician from the opposition party was exiled 11 years ago for pulling up a border marking with Vietnam and accusing the Vietnamese of slowly taking their territory. However, he was returning on this day since elections are coming soon (although the ruling party is probably going to win as they have done for quite some time thanks to a great deal of corruption). Before we could delve in more to the political excitement, we were on our bus to Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam!!

More on Vietnam soon! In the mean time, enjoy more Thailand pictures and Cambodia pictures!

Thailand: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151738614095196.1073741845.502935195&type=1&l=141259baca

Cambodia: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151764125775196.1073741847.502935195&type=1&l=d6afa89aea



Friday, July 12, 2013

Oh My Buddha from Italy to Egypt to THAILAND!

It is no easy feat to find a computer or the time to spare when I'm traveling to keep you updated, so this will be a long post! The last time I wrote I was leaving Siena for Chiusi to meet up with an Italian girl I couchsurfed with in Cork, Ireland (it was lovely to see her, but 1-4pm in small Italian towns everything is closed!) Next up was Rome! My solo adventures finally came to an end when I met Thomas at the airport.

The next day we got right to the sites of Rome and took a tour of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, Via Sacra, and all of the Roman ruins which were even more incredible than I pictured when I took Latin way back when. We then walked to the biggest  V ittorio Emmanuel monument (he unified Italy and is celebrated everywhere) then to a surprisingly beautiful church (by this point I was starting to think they all looked the same), the Pantheon (just as impressive as you would imagine), and Piazza Navona. In the evening, we met up with another Clarkie interning in Rome to wander the very hip Trastevere neighborhood before venturing into the old Jewish ghetto for a super delicious dinner (they even gave us a dairy and a meat menu), but we chose fried artichokes (their specialty).

After visiting Jewish Rome, we braved the long line and passed the modesty checkpoint to enter the Vatican and St. Peter's Church. The church's splendor and ornateness was quite a sight, but I could never imagine praying in such a place. We did climb to the top of the dome for some superb views of the city. Thomas and I wandered the city more and walked along the Tiber then headed to our B&B where I convinced Thomas to try a healthy dinner... only to ruin it with AMAZING gelato (mine was made from buffalo milk!!)

Although, we only got a taste of Rome, we stopped in Naples the next day. We were very lost searching for the oldest and possibly the inventor of pizza (the shop was established in 1870 and even Julia Roberts has been there). As we entered an American family told us someone had been shot up the street... so we ate our pizza quickly and made our way quickly out of Naples to Sorrento. Sorrento is a part of the Amalfi Coast and very close to Pompeii. In Pompeii, our terrific guide Silvio gave us all of the details. We also got some extra fun facts by following a group of Dutch students (Thomas translated for me :)). Pompeii was massive and VERY hot so we spent the afternoon on our balcony looking out at the mountains and eating baked gnocchi for dinner while watching a heated football/soccer match between Spain and Brazil.

Despite, being very touristy (especially with British), we loved the rocky beach in Sorrento and the English breakfast (I was so sick of espresso and croissants for breakfast by this point!). Unfortunately, we didn't have much time before it was time to go back to Rome. Since we were in a rush we stopped at McDonald's in Naples which was a cultural experience in itself (my salad came with olive oil, balsamic, and breadsticks). Plus, we met a cranky American couple who informed us that global warming was a hoax and that the US was turning into a socialist state... thank goodness, I live in my Northeast bubble! Anyways, back in Rome, we saw the Trevi fountain by night and spent the night with my Clarkie, Yelena.

In the morning, Thomas headed back to the Netherlands, and I fit in the Spanish Steps, Villa Medici, and  got one more pasta before I headed to ASIA!

THAILAND
My flight to Thailand was pretty pleasant although, it was quite an interesting experience stopping in Cairo (especially a midst the revolution going on). The Egyptian I sat next to on the plane made it sound like a little skirmish and just wanted to show me the pyramids from the plane (he couldn't see them by night though). I made it in one piece to Bangkok where I was reunited with my best friend Ashley over an exciting Thai dinner with some interesting dishes...

Despite the jetlag, we wasted no time and headed to Wat Pho (a major temple in Bangkok) first by train (which are air conditioned and definitely not made for tall people) then by water bus! Outside Wat Pho we tried Durian which tastes just as bad as it smells. Inside we saw tons of Buddhas including the gigantic recling Buddha. Also in Wat Pho is a massage school where we got our first full body Thai massage at the massage school there. After the temple we got haggled into taking a tuk tuk to the Golden Mount (touristy, but a good view of the city), the Standing Buddha, and were abandoned there since he took us to 2 stores where we refused to buy anything. By foot we walked to the massive and almost suffocating markets in Chinatown and Little India.

Already tired of Bangkok as most people told us, we took the train and a cab outside the city to Muang Boran. The site covers a few acres and contains replicas of all of Thailands major temples, buildings, and sights. We explored the area first by golf cart then by bike and were delighted by the tram loads of Thai children who were also learning about their country. Tired by the heat we took a nap by the pool before venturing out into Bangkok at night for some cheap shopping and a taste for their own red light district. Unfortunately it was a rough night, since adjusting to bottled water only was no easy task for me I was very dehydrated that night.

Once again we got out of Bangkok the next day to go to one of Thailand's many floating markets. We got a boat ride through the canal first with a motor boat then by paddle as vendors reached down from the sides or from other boats to sell us things. Since we didn't arrive at 6am when the boats are full of Thai people buying goods, we mostly got a lot of enjoyment watching all the tourists. Ashley and I did get to try some new strange fruits though. Next our tour bus stopped for some lunch then went to a tiger temple. The temple is run by volunteers and monks who care for the tigers and other animals (like deer, boars, and cows), but also entertain many tourists by letting them take photos with the tigers. We weren't sure if the tigers were sedated or sleepy since they sleep 15-18 hours a day. Regardless, it was AWESOME. Next, the bus took us to Kachanaburi to see the bridge over the River Kwai (built by prisoners during WWII).

Very excited to leave Bangkok, Ashley and I took a plane to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand the next morning. Our first day was very relaxed in the smaller and more manageable city. We also arrived just in time for the Sunday night market where we sampled many different foods for dinner and ended the day with a foot massage (everything is SO CHEAP here, it's easy to be luxurious). The next day we explored more temples around the city (already feeling Buddha overload) and had a fancy dinner for a whopping $10 (I'm in reverse sticker shock!)

The next day we left for a 3 day trek through the jungle!! However, I have to leave you here, but will fill you in soon with our jungle trek, elephant riding, and Thai cooking class. Tomorrow we depart on a LONG journey for Siem Reap in Cambodia. In the meantime, enjoy my photos:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151738614095196.1073741845.502935195&type=1&l=141259baca