It turns out the taxi ride to the Myanmar Embassy was far more of an adventure than the Embassy itself. After flagging down about five taxis, each refusing to use a meter (they wanted to pre-negotiate so they could get a much higher rate), the sixth agreed to take us to the Embassy, but – as we were to find out – he wasn't really sure where it was. We showed him a map and pointed to the Embassy and he gestured for us to get in. Apparently 2:45P is rush hour in Bangkok. We thought we had given ourselves plenty of time, but the ride that had taken us less than 30 min a few days prior had turned into a ride that took over an hour and we were starting to get nervous (visa pickup is only available from 3:30-4:30P). At last, our taxi driver pulled over and said something we couldn’t understand. We soon figured out that he thought we wanted to go to a bus stop several blocks from the Embassy. We were in a rush by this point and we figured out that we were close, so instead of trying to communicate this to the driver (who spoke no English – and we speak no Thai), we decided to get out and walk. We rushed to the Embassy and got in line behind about 40 people. Luckily, someone looked at our receipt and directed us to a counter where there was no line. We handed them our receipt and they handed us our passports with our visas. The whole process took about 30 seconds.
Afterward, we headed back to Khao San Rd area and got snacks and supplies for the border crossing into Cambodia the next day. We were told that a driver would be picking us up at our hotel in the morning, so we were ready to go when a man showed up, took our receipts, and proceeded to guide us back to the place where we had bought our tickets on foot (about 10-12 min walk). We found ourselves wondering why they even bothered with this instead of just telling us to be at the ticket office at a specific time (especially since the man was very impatient as we tried to weave our way through the streets with 40lb of gear on us). After we got to the street stand where we bought our tickets, he left us there, standing around waiting for 20-30 min. He finally came back and waved us toward a minibus coming down the road with two other travelers (apparently there were supposed to be three more, but they were no-shows) and we were on our way. We had braced ourselves for a horrible experience, given my last two excursions through the same border (see here for the one in 2008:http://journals.worldnomads.com/sierrayla-1/story/26490/Cambodia/Corruption-abounds-in-Cambodia#axzz3ErIjV8CQ), so we were still waiting for them to cram 8 more people into our minibus - until we were far enough out of Bangkok that it was apparent we would be the only ones. So we stretched out and settled in for the 5 hr ride. When we got to the Thai side of the border, we grabbed some lunch (Pad Thai – 50B or $1.50) while we waited for the man who was arranging our visas. Unlike previous trips, we had paid the full cost of the visa and the bus ride ahead of time to avoid getting ripped off at the border. And it paid off – and for 100B less than when I crossed in 2008 (although still an inflated cost).
As it turned out though, the day wasn’t completely free of stressful interactions with authorities. As we were exiting Thailand, Randy discovered that his departure card was not in his passport. When you first arrive in Thailand, they give you an arrival and departure card attached to each other. You hand the whole thing to Thai immigration and they stamp both forms, keep the arrival card, and (usually) staple the departure card in your passport. Unfortunately, Randy didn’t discover that his was missing until he was at the passport control counter. They wouldn’t let us go to the same counter, so I was at another counter, and was through the process before we could figure out what was going on. Randy was waved off, though they couldn’t or wouldn’t explain to him what he needed to do and they wouldn’t let me go back with him to another counter because I had already exited Thailand. Instead, they ushered me through a door that led down the stairs and outside. All along the way, there were signs that said "NO STOPPING!" But I didn’t want to leave Randy behind and I didn’t know what was happening since I was now through the door that led down the stairs, so I stood outside the door. Thankfully no one harassed me to move on for the 20 or so minutes that I anxiously waited on the other side of the door. Finally, I got a glimpse of Randy back in line to exit the country and soon he was through. It turns out all he needed to do was fill out a new departure card and that he didn’t need to get it stamped, but no one would explain that to him.
Once through the Thai side, we made our way through to the Cambodian side. The border is sort of a mini-town with lots of duty-free shops and various stands and buildings. It’s much like a large airport, only outside. Before we got to passport control, we passed a “Quarantine” area. We weren’t stopped, but had the feeling we should check it out and were informed by other travelers that we had to fill out a form verifying that we weren’t sick and then we would be given a slip to present at passport control. Apparently the stress from leaving Thailand showed because the man behind the table decided I needed to have my temperature taken with an ear gauge when he wasn’t taking anyone else’s, including Randy’s (I didn’t have a fever). After we got our slips we stood in line for close to an hour on the Cambodian side where they take your finger prints and picture as you enter. We had started the whole border crossing process around 1:30P and it was close to 4P by the time we got through on the Cambodia side. Then we waited for another 40 min or so before we were put on a shuttle to our next bus that would take us to Siem Reap, gateway to the ancient city of Angkor, the center of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to 15th centuries.
This next bus was relatively luxurious, with A/C and deeply reclining seats. The ride from the border to Siem Reap was in stark contrast to those I had taken before. Gone were the dusty, pothole filled roads, replaced by a sealed road with only the occasional bump. Gone were the hordes of children that surrounded us at every stop, vying for our tourist dollars by selling postcards and trinkets for a dollar. Gone were the hourly stops to try and get us to spend our money at shops for commission and exhaust us so that we would agree to any bed for any price by the time we arrived at our destination late at night. This bus only stopped once at a secluded restaurant and we were in Siem Reap by 7:30P. We struggled to negotiate a tuk-tuk because there appeared to be one man who was controlling access of tuk-tuk drivers into the bus park, probably at a premium. We knew we could get a ride for less, so we began walking out of the bus park and started making our way down the road. One of the tuk-tuk drivers (Ravi - who was actually very nice) followed us and negotiated with us. We went to the hostel we had planned on staying at, but they were charging more than twice what we had anticipated. Ravi offered to take us to his friend’s hotel, so we agreed. We negotiated the price down from $15 to $11. The hotel was definitely a downgrade from our hotel in Bangkok, but we were tired and only staying two nights.
This is my third trip to Cambodia and each time I have crossed the border, I immediately have this sense that there is a deep history here. It’s something tangible, almost like a scent in the air that makes the hair rise on the back of your neck. Not that the surrounding countries don’t have a deep history, as many of them have seen their share of wars and colonial rule. There’s just something different about Cambodia. Here is a story of a great and vast empire that grew and changed hands several times over the centuries. A great empire that, when it sought to become a utopian one, succeeded only in showing the world how truly terrible violence, under the guise of good intentions, can be (I’ll return to this later).
Anyway, the next morning, Ravi met us at our hotel. Since he had been so nice and helpful the night before, we had hired him for a half-day at the temples. So we spent the day wandering around Angkor Wat (Hindu), the largest religious structure in the world; Bayon (Buddhist), a temple known for its 54 gothic towers decorated with 216 faces; and Ta Prohm (Buddhist), a temple that has been left to the mercy of the jungle which is slowly swallowing it back into the earth. The detail and care of the structure and carvings at these temples speaks of incredible skill and unmatched patience. For example, along the outer wall of Angkor Wat, there is a story sketched out in incredible detail. It is a story that speaks of war and Gods, victory and defeat, horses and dragons, hope and despair. Randy and I spent the better part of an hour “reading” the story, which is to be read by walking counter-clockwise around the building and we barely scratched the surface (which is of course to be expected from a story that played out over centuries).
There are plenty more temples and structures to see in Angkor and one could spend days or even weeks before they’ve seen everything. But looking at the temples is also very exhausting. Visitors are walking long distances, climbing steep stairs, and stepping over and through obstacles along the way. All of this is done in the humid heat and beating sun of the jungle. The majesty and intensity of the temples, in all their detail, would be overwhelming to take in even from the comfort of a couch in an air-conditioned room. So the heat and physical ardor mean that one quickly tires while visiting the temples of Angkor, hence the half-day. So, finishing around 2P, we spent the rest of the day relaxing and making plans for our trip to Kratie the next day – the base for my second research site and topic of my next blog.
So far it’s been interesting to have the perspective of having been a previous traveler to Cambodia, with what scientists might call a mini longitudinal cross-section of observations (where data are collected in one chunk - on one occasion -, but this is done several times over a longer period of time). These are some of the things I’ve noticed: 1) Transportation is much improved. Most roads are in great condition (although many are still full of potholes, such as the one from Kratie to Phnom Penh). Buses also seem to be more comfortable, many with working A/C. However, prices have also been somewhat inflated – but with gas at $4-5/gallon, that’s no surprise. 2) In my opinion, the people here seem much more jaded. My memory of my previous two trips was that just about everyone was open, welcome, and happy to see visitors – and it all appeared genuine. Now it seems very different, where locals ignore you (most don’t even make eye contact) unless they are trying to sell you something and pleasantries, if they appear at all, mostly seem forced. Often, I’ve even felt I perceived mild malice and/or general disdain. This perspective could be owing to my past naiveté about the nature of the poverty and wars here (and the contribution of Western nations and economic systems, such as the US, to worldwide poverty and conflict), which may have blinded me on past trips. Or it could be a reflection of reality, where people all over the world are starting to realize that an economic system that prioritizes profit over people and the planet; individualism, competition, and self-interest over universality, cooperation, and community; and revolves entirely around things that are utterly meaningless and are only given meaning because we assign meaning to them. After all, pieces of paper (or just numbers on a screen these days) wouldn’t be much good if you found yourself stranded in a wilderness or other survival situation (though they might come in handy for making a fire). To be clear, I’m not complaining that people don’t seem happy to have us here. On the contrary. While it certainly makes for a more uncomfortable trip overall, it’s also refreshing (assuming my perception is remotely correct) to see people that are pissed off at the way the world is being run.
