Going from $12 a beer in Singapore to 50 cents a beer in
Phnom Penh was a great start, for me at least, to our adventure in Cambodia.
Cheap beer, however, was not the (only) reason we had chosen Cambodia to be the
next on our list of countries to visit but rather the culture, history and
natural beauty on offer. Shortly after our arrival in the capital Phnom Penh (a
name I can rarely spell nor pronounce correctly) we were joined on our travels
by another of the Boesch family, this time Veronika’s dad Peter. We spent a
great first evening catching up with Peter in the FCC (Foreign Correspondents’
Club of Cambodia) overlooking the Tonle Sap river while wining and dining on delicious
Khmer cuisine and one too many bottles of red wine.
Without question, two of the places to visit in and around
Phnom Penh are the Tuol Sleng museum (also known as S21) and the Killing Fields
of Choeung Ek. Both are stark reminders of the brutality of the Khmer Rouge
regime which wiped out about 20% of Cambodia’s population in the mid to late 1970’s.
Also worth a visit were the Royal Palace and National Museum which were just a
short walk or quick Tuk-Tuk ride from our hotel on the riverfront. The Central
Market and the Russian Market also provided a great insight into local culture.
It took just a day or two after arriving to feel the warmth
of the Cambodian people. Even haggling over the price of a Tuk-Tuk ride seems
to be a more pleasant experience here than in other neighbouring countries as
it is always done with a smile on their face and in good nature. Veronika, a
notoriously tough negotiator in these situations, often had to bite her tongue and
grimace as Peter and I gave in meekly to the friendly drivers, street vendors
or ladies in the markets. Very often they would ask, of course, where we were
from and when they had not heard of Austria (“no, NOT Australia”) this usually
led Peter into giving a quick history and geography lesson on the spot to the
unsuspecting Tuk-Tuk driver or waitress. Make no mistake, they are now all too well
aware of the Habsburg Monarchy, Mozart and, especially, the Wiener Walzer!
Having been assured several times and by several people that
the boat from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap was running we arrived at the boat
terminal early in great anticipation. However, 15 minutes after arriving and having
being spun a yarn (smiling, of course) about an impending storm (=not enough
passengers), we soon found ourselves in a jazzed-up Toyota Camry ready for the 4
hour journey north.
We arrived in Siem Reap to find much of the old town still
under water from the flooding that much of the country had suffered from
recently. That, however, would not deter us from our main mission in Siem Reap
which was of course to go and see that wonder of the world, the ancient ruins
of Angkor Wat. The Angkor Wat temple itself is best viewed at sunrise so, with
sleepy eyes, we stumbled out of bed at 4:30am just to be ready. We were glad we
came early as apparently the sunrise viewing is no secret and we had to jostle
with hundreds of others, still in darkness, to get a good viewing point. However,
soon the sun came up over the great temple and you could see the reflection in
the lake just in front of us…magical stuff. No sooner had the sun come up and
we had quickly marvelled at the scene then we were off to beat the crowds to
see Angkor Thom, The Bayon, The Baphoun, The Terrace of the Elephants and the
list goes on of all the other amazing ruins in the vicinity. Fortunately, and
more surprisingly, no-one else seemed to have the same plan as we were then
left completely alone to wander through and up the amazing city of temples.
It was in Siem Reap that I was to discover a quirk (or a
perk?) of travelling with an orthopaedic surgeon (Veronika’s dad, Peter). After a busy day of sight-seeing I was
enjoying a relaxing swim in the hotel pool when Peter noticed my complete lack
of ability to do the breast-stroke kick properly. When I told him I knew how to
do it technically but was incapable of doing it properly, I was immediately
summoned out of the pool and on to a sun lounger by the pool for a full blown
examination of my bodily movements. After the examination did indeed confirm I
would have difficulty doing the breast-stroke kick motion I then left the pool
area…..armed with an extensive set of stretching exercises and a new swimming
coach….although still no invoice thankfully!
After our disappointment in not being able to take the boat
from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap we were only cautiously optimistic when informed
that, of course, the boat from Siem Reap to our next destination Battambang was
running. We need not have been worried…despite the difficulties the minibus,
overloaded with backpackers…and err…Veronika’s dad… had in reaching the boat
dock through the flooded villages. We had seen pictures of the “Angkor
Express”, a very nice looking boat used for this journey apparently….but what
awaited us at the dock was something altogether different. More of a glorified
rowing boat with small engine…and a steering wheel from a Toyota Camry no less!
A few anxious glances were exchanged by all aboard before we set off for the 6
hour journey. The boat ride, however, was a real highlight for me. Given that
we are still in the wet season the water levels were high which meant we were
able to navigate through extremely narrow channels, waterways and wetlands
giving us a glimpse into the floating village lifestyle and the lush beautiful
surrounding countryside. We even stopped at one of the floating villages for a
toilet break….a real delight Veronika informed me!
We had a couple of
days in Battambang which gave us time to walk around and enjoy the town. Much
of its charm comes from the colonial architecture and we were fortunate to have
picked a lovely place to stay, an old colonial villa stylishly converted into a
small hotel. Not so fortunate was the ear-splittingly loud Khmer dance music
which came from the water festival fun fair just outside the hotel. It had been
a couple of days since anyone had been given a brief Austrian history lesson so
we carefully picked our next victim…a nice young Tuk-Tuk driver. He gave as
good as he got, however, and he took us on a great tour of the city and of the
surrounding countryside out to a complex of temples set high up a mountain.
Even here, the grim past of the Khmer Rouge regime was present as halfway up
the mountain are the Killing Caves of Phnom Sampeau.
Another travel day involving yet more Toyota Camrys took us
all the way south to the beach town of Sihanoukville. Here we were able to
relax, read and swim in the sea…till we spotted the biggest jellyfish you could
possibly imagine. After that, it was hard to get Veronika to put even her big
toe in the sea. This obviously meant more time in the pool and yet more
stretching and swimming lessons from Peter for me!
Our final night in Cambodia was spent back in Phnom Penh and
back in the FCC (Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Cambodia) where it had all
started two weeks earlier with Peter. The following day we all headed off to
the airport with Peter flying back to Austria and Veronika and I bound for
Malaysia for a brief stop with my friend Cavey in Kuala Lumpur.
The bustling modern city of Kuala Lumpur certainly made a
change from the previous two weeks but we were not complaining as we got to
enjoy the delights of the city from aloft Cavey’s penthouse apartment on the 34th
floor. After a day spent walking around the city, seeing the impressive
Petronas Towers and observing the thousands of men coming and going from the
huge Mosque nearby for Friday prayers, we were then given a taste of the KL
nightlife. Having eaten some delicious seafood (chicken fish?) in the Hawker
street market we were then taken up to the fabulous Skybar with amazing views
of the skyline. Not surprisingly with Cavey as our generous host, over the
course of the 2 nights we were there, we got to enjoy many other fine
establishments and had a great time and a sore head!
Then we were on the move again…..
