bangkok pt. 3; siem reap and phuket

one positive of the many hours spent on planes new year's eve was being able to finally write up the rest of our thailand and cambodia trip:

On our last day in Bangkok we had a late lunch at the Millennium Hilton (see Bangkok part 2), enjoying a fine view of the Chao Phraya river and the passing boat traffic from the dining patio. The riverfront location was convenient for our trip up the river to Wat Arun, our last major tourist site to visit in the city.

It was near closing time and the resulting quiet added to the majesty of the temple. Just the foreigners among us paid to get in – Thais don’t pay for preservation of their own monuments, apparently – and we began our trek up the exceedingly steep stairs to the top of the main tower there. Interestingly, the temples are covered with broken porcelain dredged from the adjacent Chao Phraya, ship ballast dumped there by the Chinese during their treks on the river. As the sun set and we looked out over the darkening city we felt sad to leave such a unique and fun place, yet excited for the rest of our trip.





We did squeeze in a trip to the flower market, since our friends needed to buy lilies for their restaurant. There were quite a variety of stores and stands with flowers for sale, and it was a treat to be the only foreigners around.



Later that night we stopped in for dinner at a McDonald’s near our hotel (it was late!) which was a big hangout for the young and trendy. Lots of lounge-y furniture reduced the usual sterile feel, something I’ve never seen at a McDonalds in the States.

Leaving Bangkok late in the rush hour the next morning for the airport (at taxi speeds of nearly 100 mph), we were astounded at the miles of stopped traffic coming into the city. Bangkok is among the world's worst cities for traffic, even after the construction of the Skytrain elevated rail system. After arriving back at the new and futuristic Suvarnabhumi Airport, our flight into Siem Reap was so brief that I recommend anyone visiting Bangkok should try to visit the magnificent temples in Cambodia. We made quick friends with the taxi driver from the airport, "Key", who offered to take us to the temples the next day, among many other offers to see tourist areas. He was truly trying to make as much money off us foreigners as possible, but was not pushy. It was our first taste of the widespread poverty in Cambodia and how hard-working people like Key do all they can to earn income.

Our hotel, a Le Meridien just outside Siem Reap, was impressive, with a unique pool area that included separate mini-ponds where frogs chirped away. We lounged by the pool that afternoon, resting up for our adventure into town that evening. I made sure to tip the pool boys when I cashed out my bill since Key told us they only make 1-2 dollars a day (the Cambodian currently, the Riel, actually trades at 4000 to one dollar).



As evening fell and smoke (from burning garbage) filled the air, for a mere $2 we grabbed a tuk-tuk which took us into the nearby town of Siem Reap. Hardly any cars joined us on the busy avenue alongside the Siem Reap River – just other tuk tuks, motorcycles and mopeds. While we had to squint through the dust, it was an exhilarating and unique experience. Along the river, locals relaxed on benches, and I met the eyes of some of the young guys hanging out on them – apparently this is the cruisy area of Siem Reap.

We had dinner at the Khmer Kitchen in town, excellent Cambodian food (similar to Vietnamese) for one or two dollars a plate.



From there we walked through the town, enjoying its French Colonial architecture, crowded streets, and abundance of bars and restaurants. Internet access for 75 cents an hour was a bonus too. We finished up the night at Linga, the only gay bar in town, but it was early and apart from a few mostly unattractive rent boys hanging around, not much was happening. However we did chat with a young guy and girl from England (they didn’t see the rainbow sticker on the window) who gave us an explicit description of the ping pong show they had witnessed in Bangkok. And we met a gay couple from England who had tired of the damp there and lived in Pattaya Beach (near Bangkok) in the winter. They mentioned that they had a friend whose Thai boyfriend would make his wife sleep in his parents’ bed when they visited his village – so the guys could sleep together.

Key was waiting for us early the next morning as we began our tour of the temples. He quickly upsold us to visit the Bantay Srei temple, which contains some of the best artwork of all the sites, in the form of detailed bas relief stone carvings.



The trip was well worth the added cost, and not just for Bantay Srei. It gave us a chance to see how Cambodians live - mile after mile of houses on raised foundations, with villagers working in the nearby rice fields, children returning from school on their bikes, and roadside stands selling items for the passing tourists. Key told us that only 10% of Cambodians have running water and electricity, and these folks clearly had neither. Cambodia is a tragic country that historically was often occupied by Chinese or Indian invaders. Key, who is my age (36) talked about Pol Pot clearing out the cities, returning the country to an agrarian state, and the killing of any adult with education or perceived intelligence, including his father. Key himself served many years in the Khmer army fighting the Vietnamese.



Only in the past 10 years have things become more stable, and the temples safe to visit for foreigners. The country is still reeling from its past today, with little health care or other services. And yet people smile and seem generally self-sufficient and happy. While they can be a bit overwhelming with hawking items at the sites, they’re genuinely friendly and funny (“you are very long!” was one comment, since I was a foot taller than most of them).

Cambodia is a country at a crossroads, with 60% of the country under 20, and no large-scale employment opportunities for this new generation. I had intended to donate money to a Kantha Bohpa Children’s Hospital in Siem Reap run by a Swiss doctor, but one of our friends in Bangkok who worked for the European Commission in southeast Asia had met him, and suggested that I might be better off donating to the Friends of Cambodia NGO, the founders of which he knew. Friends performs charity work for the street children of Cambodia.

After Bantay Srei, we visited Ta Prohm, which was apparently featured in Tomb Raider and is an amazing testament to the powers of the jungle. Many of these temples were built in the 10th and 11th centuries, and were not discovered by the West until French explorers stumbled upon it in the 1800’s. In the case of Ta Prohm, the jungle was allowed to “move in”, growing over and around many of the massive stone walls. In some cases, seeds sprouted at the top of these walls, and their roots extended downward:



Due to the damage to Ta Prohm by the jungle, efforts are now underway to reduce its impact on the temple.



Next we were on to Angkor Tom, which includes the incredible Bayon temple. First we entered via the south gate, where many of the heads have been stolen off the figures lining the entrance road. Theft from these sites has been a major problem unfortunately. Bayon is an amazing sight – massive stone heads atop huge piles of rock. At one point there were 54 of these heads, but now only X remain. Bayon also includes extensive, detailed bas reliefs depicting battles fought by the Khmer empire, and includes species that no longer exist in the form shown.





Finally, after a long hot day of wandering through these temple ruins, we make it to Angkor Wat, with its 600 foot towers visible from afar. It is a fantastic sight, with monkeys milling about near the entrance, vast bas reliefs, and peaceful courtyard areas. However, if I had more vacation time I would split the above itinerary into two days to avoid the tenple fatigue I felt by the end of the long day.



Another night in Siem Reap took us to the Red Piano, another Khmer restaurant, but with second floor views of the street below. Angelina Jolie and Tomb Raider crew hung out here during filming.



Key took us to the airport the next morning for our flight to Phuket Thailand, and we said goodbye to our new Cambodian friend. I hope that Key’s children never have to experience what the prior generations have had to go through.

We flew back to Phuket via Bangkok and arrived in the afternoon. Our resort was just south of the town of Patong, which was heavily damaged in the 2004 tsunami. No damage was visible during our visit, but the town remains a drinking-oriented party spot for Eurotrash and Russians (Thais no longer visit due for fear of tsunami-created spirits). The gay bars are all go-go with rent boys, and its obvious the cuter ones have migrated to Bangkok. Ironically, due to advance voting for the national elections, drinking was prohibited for two of the three nights we were there, and many of the bars were closed. There were lots of disappointed folks around – we heard one girl whine, “I just want to go somewhere where we can drink and dance!”. We did enjoy a good seafood dinner at the large seafood market in town, where you can be sure the items are fresh.

Offsetting the general trashiness of Patong, and other beach towns we visited (Kata and Karon to the south) was the seclusion of our resort, located on a private cove. I enjoyed some great snorkeling there, and saw a fascinating-looking eel with black and white mottling with a yellow background. Groups of brightly-colored fish congregated in secluded areas along the rocks at the edge of the cove. And there was plenty of time to relax on the beach or by the massive pool there. It was interesting to be the only Americans in the place among all the Japanese, Korean and Russian visitors. Unfortunately there were some negatives to the resort – it was a bit dated, the room smelled mildewy, and service was a bit lacking.



After a few days of the above we were ready for our last night in Bangkok. We checked into our awful $12/night Ibis hotel somewhat near the airport and cabbed over to our friends’ restaurant for one last night of satisfying dining and drinking. We said goodbye to all of our new friends and promised to return next year – again using Bangkok as a base and perhaps visiting Luang Prabang in Laos, and Hanoi in Vietnam.