Eleanor's News

We took the overnight sleeper bus up to Chiang Mai to see the Songkran (Thai New Year) celebration in it’s original home. We’re gonna get SOAKED today. I’m sure of it. Already we’ve gotten a few splashes, but I want some wet t-shirt contest style drenchings. Fingers crossed…

Yesterday we hid from the heat in the Bangkok Mall. It’s pretty gigantic with 7 storeys of shops and restaurants. It took us most of the day to make it around with several stops for treats. Since we were waiting on our train from Bangkok in the evening it was a good choice to pass time in the A/C.

Tomorrow: Trekking through the forests of Northern Thailand on Elephant back!

UPDATE: Songkran was totally fun!! We embraced it and splashed at least half the population. They squirted and splashed us back and we got drenched to the bone. We got some great photos, but I had to be careful in-between shots that I didn’t put the camera in the “line of water;” luckily Eoin thought ahead and brought a ziplock. We got so into this holiday that at one point I even dove into the brownish river with the locals at one point (I dropped my weapon of choice, the traditional plastic bucket so I had to go in after it!) I’m waterlogged as I write!! We had a really great time.

This morning we woke up early again to squeeze every drop from the day. We had met a really cute little tuk-tuk driver last evening on a walk who was so persistent and so charming (he was wearing ray-bans!) that we asked him if he’d come to pick us up for the next morning. He was waiting for us at 6:30!

We went downtown to the Russian Market (I still don’t really know what’s so Russian about it) where I was pretty disgusted by some very strong smells. Steamy heat and unrefrigerated meat don’t make the best pair. Whew!!

Eoin and I had been a bit over-eager and forgot that though we were up early, businesses don’t usually open until 8 or so. So we were turned away at the Royal Palace and the Museum. We delayed a bit and then tried the Genocide Museum.

Not so long ago (the 70s), the Khmer Rouge (Cambodian Communists) killed about 1.5 million Cambodian people (basically anyone who opposed them) in a genocidal 4 year regime. Thousands of people were tortured and put in prison for minor “faults.” One of these prisons, called “Tuol Sleng”(translates to: “poisonous mound of the guilty”) or S-21 still exists and has been turned into a museum. The building was originally a school, so it has a lot of rooms that were converted into cells. Some of these cells have not changed much at all from the end of the regime; they even have the beds in which the prisoners lay shackled along with the shackles themselves (so scary looking!) and each room has a black and white photograph of what the rooms looked like when the prisoners were found there. It’s horrific and ghostly. I’ve never been to a place where such things ACTUALLY happened. It’s the weirdest feeling – very, very haunting. Adding to the atmosphere of dread and sorrow are scratches on the walls, blood stains, and the fact that the buildings haven’t really been touched (in terms of updates) since the regime.

We made sure to take a lot of breaks today since it was so very hot and we didn’t really have a strict itinerary to follow. We basically “chillaxed” for most of the day after our busy morning. In between chill-sessions we took a look at the Royal Palace. Once again, I did something wrong and didn’t remember my sleeves, so I had to buy a crummy x-large t-shirt to cover up my disrespectful shoulders. We walked around for a while and then it hit me – the whole place looks like a compound of Chinese restaurants! I think it’s because all the buildings are made of concrete. The Thai palace looks a lot more legit.

Off to Bangkok again tomorrow and then on to Chiang Mai…

We had a hard time today getting a bus that wasn’t totally overpriced. Things work a bit strangely here in that guesthouses (hostels, etc.) can act like a helpful local friend as far as getting good deals on transportation. We could have bought our tickets through the guest house for $4, but when we got to the station, the price leapt to $10! Rough!

I sat next to a stylish Cambodian and slept most of the way back to Phnom Penh. We arrived 1 or 2 hours late due to heavy traffic coming into the city, stretching a 5 or 6 hour ride to 7 or 8 hours. As we slowed down, the A/C became less and less cool, and soon we were all pretty sweaty.

This evening Eoin and I wandered around Phnom Penh and talked to some really friendly locals. They were really a pleasure to meet! People here are very charming.

Tomorrow: The Genocide Museum…

Today we rose at 5:00 AM to make it in time for the sunrise at Angkor Wat, the famous Cambodian Hindu temple. Ankgor Wat refers to the largest of the temples at the Angkor site, but the name really encompasses several temples in the vicinity. As a group, they’re famous for the phenomenally ornate bas-relief sculptures, the particular style in which they’re built, and the fact that they’re still around (they were built about 700 years ago!) Boy, they don’t make Wats like they used to, huh?
Our tuk-tuk driver, Ran, brought us not only to Angkor, but waited for us at each site and drove us to the next. We owed him a total of $12 for the day. This, along with the fact that we’ve been treated like royalty by every Cambodian person we’ve met leaves us both grateful and a little uneasy. I feel like these poor people work harder than most people I know, get paid far less, and are much more grateful for the chance to work. I’m sorry to be part of this in a way, but I’m humbled also, and I’m grateful for that. It’s very good to be reminded that I’m extremely lucky. I don’t want to take that for granted.
Angkor Wat and the other temples we saw were really stunning. Every surface of each stone was carved intricately and expertly. The effect was overwhelming most of the time! The sun beat down consistently, and though there was a short respite from the rays when we rode in the tuk-tuk, each time I got to a new site I sweat through my clothes again. After a few hours of temple-exploring, the combination of the similar features of each and the dizzying heat made me a bit less enthusiastic than I would have liked. We saw so much today; it’s pretty great!
After getting back into town, we were dropped off at Swenson’s to get another ice-cream. The same lovely manager was there again and she was so friendly and nice to us and all the other customers as usual. She and the other employees take their jobs very seriously. It’s such a difference from the way American fast-food workers are. I’m definitely not saying it’s a great job, but I think this is just another example of how unfair life is. This exemplary worker at Swenson’s will never get the chances that her 1st world counterparts will have. She’s many times more deserving, but that doesn’t matter.
We went on to get foot massages at a little place down the road and again were treated extremely well. We had a few laughs with the girls through our limited understanding of eachother’s languages; there was a lot of “sign language” and smiling. As I’m sitting in the hostel room writing I’m still enjoying the effects of two very well-rubbed legs.

So, day 2 in Cambodia started off in Phnom Penh at the Sunday Guesthouse. We left at 7:00AM by bus to catch our real bus to Siem Reap (pronounced See-um Ree-up). Since we had opted for the $6 bus rather than the $11, we were a bit worried that the bus that first picked us up would be taking us on the six hour journey to Siem Reap. The seats were sticky vinyl and the “A/C” was definitely more reliant on open windows that we would have liked. However,this was luckily a temporary situation. $6 in Cambodia gets you a pretty good deal (consider that a meal here is $1.50 and that 4000 Cambodian Riel = $1).
We took the Cambodian version of a highway all the way there. The 2 lane paved road was flanked on either side by typical Cambodian homes- very modest wood and palm constructions on tall stilts. I doubt any of them have running water or electricity, but I might be wrong. After all, most mud huts in Peru had cable! We stopped every 2 hours for a snack and a toilet stop. Upon arrival at each place, we were swarmed by little girls selling mango. Some of them were really playful and seemed to want to ask us questions about where we were from and practice their English on us. They were very cute and fun! One of them started upping her price from $1 for 2 mangoes to $2 million for one. I thought that was a bit steep!
Once we arrived in Siem Reap we took a walk down to the “city center” where there was a market and more motorcylces than seem possible. On the way, strangely out of sync with the typical Cambodian setting, was an airconditioned mini-mall with an icecream store called Swenson’s inside. Naturally, we went in. One of the ice-creams for kids was a little cone hat with a smiling scoop face called “mr. san franciso!” So cute!! Our waitress was really nice and helped us learn some Khmer: Hello = “soo-soray,” Thank you=”Oh-kun,” and I can’t remember what Goodbye translated to…

More tomorrow!

After a very hot morning in Bangkok (not as sexy as it sounds, don’t worry) during which I definitely sweat through my shirt, we headed off by plane to Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia. After having been had a bit in Bangkok by several of the tuk tuk drivers (they sometimes work off comission that they get from tailors, so there’s often pressure for them to stop on your trip and insist that you go in and look – a very uncomfortable experience) and by a travel agency called TAT (absolute ripoff – we found this out too late!) we were on our guard dealing with the new slew of taxi drivers who met all arriving tourists with offers of a $9 ride into the city. We tried to haggle a bit, but realized that it was a standard rate, so they were definitely a bit less crooked than the Bangkok variety. As we sped along the road from the airport we got a good feel for life in Phnom Penh; countless motorcylists whizzed by carrying anything from a full size door to a whole family (plus tiny baby on the back) on their vehicles. Every ramshackle, garage-like, 3rd world hovel of a shop/restaurant/living space was jam packed in the front by parked motorcycles. Every building is in horrendous shape and the trash is really unspeakable. One word: Ew! We checked into our hostel and then took a voyeuristic boat ride on the river during which we saw Vietnamese and Malaysian boat houses and the families who live and work in them. I felt a bit weird oogling the lifestyle of a group of very poor people. It was a bit uncomfortable, and I wasn’t sure if I should wave at the people who stared back at us. What’s the protocol? Once we got off the boat, we had something to eat and walked further into the city. It’s definitely the poorest place I’ve ever been, but I have to say that Cambodians are probably the friendliest and most helpful people we’ve met on any of our trips. They’re really lovely and willing to help a lost tourist. We hopped onto the back of a motorcycle for a fun, if a bit dangerous, ride home. Though it might sound a bit weird, this stop has probably been my favorite part of our trip so far! Tomorrow: Siem Reap and Angkor Wat.

It’s SO HOT here in the afternoon. We went to the Grand Palace today and both Eoin and I were not suitably dressed (typical!) for entering into the Palace and surrounding buildings. You need (no matter what the weather) long sleeved shirt and long pants or fancy skirt. They rent out clothes to wear over your un-suitable clothes. Eoin had to put on a pair of big, hot, polyester pants and I had to wear a long, warm “silk” skirt. It was really unbearable walking around like that. All our pictures are of us really sweaty in front of the Palace Grounds.

We’re going to Cambodia tomorrow afternoon, so we’re pretty excited to get a change from Bangkok. I got some Thai fisherman pants and so did Eo. They’re one size fits ALL. They’re HUGE and you’re supposed to wrap the excess fabric around your waist and breeze on by. We’re going to wear them tomorrow and hopefully be easy, breezy, beautiful…

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We’re here! The 17 hour flight was actually really enjoyable; we slept most of the time and had really great meals and service. I couldn’t believe that time slipped by like it did.
We got a hot pink taxi to our hostel and from there walked around a run-down part of Bangkok. Although the buildings here are in pretty rough shape, the trees and plants are beautiful and really remind me that we’re in a tropical environment; they’re unusual to my eyes and the effect is very lush. After a long walk around in the humid city, we got Thai massages at a parlor. My legs definitely needed that! Today we’ll be visiting the temples in Bangkok and then we’ll hope to fly to Siem Reap, Cambodia, tomorrow to see Angkor Wat.

Today, Eoin and I are leaving for NYC where we’ll board our plane and 17 hours later arrive in Bangkok. I’m excited and scared all at once. I’m definitely seeing 3 weeks as kind of a long time from now, but I’m sure that we’ll see and do all that we want to in that amount of time. I’ll update on Monday when we’ve adjusted to the dizzying time difference.