One Night in Bangkok

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I know. I know. The title should be, "Oops, I Did it Again." What can I say? I had a lot of pictures to upload, sort through, organize, label and export to the web thing. And I procrastinate.

I'll get right to the trip. On February 11, we went to Bangkok, Thailand and it is true: we spent one night in Bangkok. We arrived on Thursday morning, checked into the hotel, and set out with map in hand to explore the city. It's a rather big city that's notoriously complicated and not the easiest to navigate. I contemplated two general locations to stay. One was the "new" part of the city with supposedly chic restaurants, bars, hotels, malls and shops, as well as the type of the establishments that Bangkok is infamous for. The other was the "old city" near the river where there are temples, the Grand Palace, and a well-known street called Khao San Road, popular with backpackers.

Since I knew we only had one full day and we would not want to waste time commuting around the city, I chose the old city area because when you already live in a city with chic restaurants, bars, hotels, malls and shops, visiting another is just not as appealing. Our hotel was cheap, clean and basic, not chic. It sounded like there was more of cultural interest in the old city, and there was. It just turns out that we lost interest in pursuing the cultural sights rather quickly.

I thought Hong Kong was hot. Wow, Bangkok is hot. It's a sweaty, dusty, polluted, loud, bustling city, minus the ease of good public transportation. We took a walk towards the Grand Palace and on the way there we were solicited by countless taxi and tuk tuk (motor bike drawn carts) drivers for a ride to the Palace. From what I read, you're not supposed to negotiate with them because they will always rip you off. Taxis have meters but drivers avoid using them so you end up paying more. The tuk tuk guys are just as bad. We had no intention of taking anything anywhere because it wasn't that far of a walk, but if we even paused to take out a map, they would swarm. I understand they are trying to make a living, but I hate the scheming element. They will say, "Where are you going, the Palace? It's closed today for a special ceremony. I can take you to (insert attraction name here)." There are people who actually go along with this, and then they end up most likely at some gem shop with heavy pressure to buy something. I read about the schemes in the guidebook and when a couple of them did say similar things I was aware, but I still felt violated by the guise of helpfulness.

Anyway, after dodging across multiple lanes of speeding traffic in some spots without traffic lights, we arrived at the gates of the Grand Palace but we read the sign and we couldn't go in wearing shorts and something-or-other that we were guilty of. I think you could have borrowed proper attire, but we gave up pretty easily and started back towards the hotel in search of a snack along the way. There are lots of street vendors selling all kinds of food, and surprisingly most of it looked and smelled delicious (contrary to my opinion of many aromas caught on the streets of Hong Kong). And I read that it is safe to eat. As a matter of fact, a friend of mine and her husband spent a few days in Bangkok and ate street food the whole time and then got horribly ill from eating in one of the mentioned upscale malls.

After the cheap and yummy eats we explored some more on foot, eventually showered the layers of dried sweat off, and headed back out for more culture (food). We ended up eating right next to the place we ate in the afternoon and then we even stopped back in the first place for roti with chocolate for dessert. We wandered over to Khao San Road and checked out the "scene." It was lively, mostly with street vendors selling tourist stuff. We found a bar where there was live music and sat there comfortably for a few hours. It felt a little like spring break, but we typically ignore our real ages anyway.

We left late the next morning for Siem Reap, Cambodia. Oh, I thought Thailand was hot... Cambodia is like Africa-hot. It was about 100 and the sun was scorching since it is still the dry season.

Cambodia is an interesting place particularly considering its history of instability and violence which has only started to transform remarkably recently. Siem Reap has developed in the last few years solely as a convenient spot from which to visit the destination of Angkor Wat nearby. Its airport was rustic yet efficient. You can even apply for a visa online as we did. It's about a 15 minute drive into town and along the way are a string of luxury hotels and a few restaurants. You can get pretty cushy digs for comparatively less than in other places. Our hotel was quite nice and each of our three nights there we had very affordable, quality meals in three different and absolutely charming spots.

You quickly realize that, like in many developing countries, the comfortable tourist accommodations are a somewhat artificial creation that far from represent the true state of living in that country. As usual, I felt that mix of appreciation of all the comforts and services available yet guilty awareness that most local people who were providing them could never afford them themselves. What I found so remarkable about Siem Reap is the speed at which it has developed, even if it's mostly service-oriented. English is not as well-spoken here as in other underdeveloped places that have been catering to tourists for decades, like Bali. It was moving how hard they tried though. Even in restaurants, which is a relatively new concept to them, service may be awkward at times but not for lack of effort. I felt that people were generally welcoming and gracious regardless of their obligation to the tourism industry.

We certainly didn't uncover any hidden gem by traveling here; it is immensely popular. But it still seems like we may have visited during a stage of growth that will see the area evolve into even more of a destination in the future. The political situation is finally stable and the amount of government corruption is decreasing, not gone for sure but decreasing. Unfortunately, almost none of the new properties are owned by Cambodians, and paved roads disappear soon after you leave the surrounds of the town, but practically everything is under construction, more hotels, roads, infrastructure, so much so that we wondered if they aren't overestimating the tourist numbers. Our hotel was far from full. I guess time will tell. For whatever still un-articulated reason, I felt lucky to be there.

On our first full day we hired a guide and a driver to take us to the temples. Again, this is less expensive than you would think, and they're available from every hotel. Sort of a side note... What I find partly exciting and partly unsettling is how much of your tour depends on the guide. Ours asked us what we wanted to see and when I pointed to the standard circuit on the map, he said, "Oh no, that many temples would be boring." It turns out he was right, but what if he wasn't? It's out of your hands. This is how I find tours work in every place we've been, even in Australia. And Tuscany, come to think of it. Thanks, Pino.

As usual, I find the experience of the guide as interesting as the sites he's guiding us through. At times, he gave us bits of his background, like how he passed his tour guide course last August, and he wants to continue to study. He even showed me his photocopied certificate. He had a decent English vocabulary but his pronunciation wasn't the best. I only understood about half of what he said, so I missed some facts there.

If you want historical details, sorry but I can only give the broadest facts. I'm hoping the pictures will say enough. All the temples were built by the Khmers between about 800 and 1200, and images are mostly Hindu but also Buddhist. Carved stones show the stories of their myths, some in impressively fine detail. The ruins range in levels of decay. Some are well-preserved while some look like they might crumble at any minute. Some are vast complexes while some are just a few remaining piles of stones.

Angkor is now a Unesco World Heritage site, and it seemed that where preservation projects were taking place, other countries like France and Germany were sponsoring them. In many places where statues and things were stolen in the past, it was the Cambodian government doing the looting. I think they have that more or less under control now.

What was most surprising was the almost unlimited access that thousands of tourists have to almost everything. There were very few barriers for protection of ancient artifacts. We climbed countless steps and could touch anything in almost any location. Maybe this is something that will change with further intervention of regulating agencies in the future. I knew that it was a popular site, but at our first stop at Angkor Thom, I was still surprised by the massive amount of visitors. The volume can impede enjoyment of the place at times.

Around Angkor Thom, the guide took us to a quieter spot where there was a monastery and he said he went there to study for three years when he was sixteen because it's free. He then considered becoming a monk but he decided it wasn't for him. He said he enjoys his time with his wife and his children and that he wants his children to go to school and have a better life than he had. Some hopes are universal.

There were a few kids hanging around outside the monastery and when I took my camera out, they automatically posed. I figured out the drill and took their picture and Paul handed one of them some money. I guess we figured they would share, but Paul said one of the girls was staring him down angrily afterward. I guess the one with the money in his hand didn't share. The guide mentioned that they lived at the monastery and that the monks could feed them but only rice. If they get money they can buy themselves some food such as chicken.

Since we've been traveling, we're growing accustomed to how local people create opportunities out of tourism. They try to sell you stuff. And they follow you for a half a mile trying to sell you that stuff. Postcards, tee shirts, whatever. Or they work together and a guide will lead you to a place where someone else will try to sell you stuff and they likely get a cut for taking you there. It's just how it works. Even our guide admitted that he was a hawker before his tour guide gig. There's no doubt that he took us past every place where he knew someone whom we might buy something from. He knew the woman we bought a bottle of water from. I'm sure he knew the kids at the monastery. Many of them are kids. They can be relentless, and it can be a nuisance but you have to learn to have a sense of humor about it or at least to remain un-bothered by it. Really, they're just trying to make a living. It does get to you when a kid looks up at you and says, "Please, a doller for school, miss." It finally occurred to me that free public education is a privilege (even as crappy as I have witnessed it being).

I decided to make one kid's whole week and I surprised him by turning down his offer of 10 postcards for a dollar but asking the price of the book he was carrying. Quickly, he said $10 and as I gently haggled he turned it over and pointed to the price saying in noticeably good English, "But in the store, it's $25." I have no idea how they get these things to sell, but I gave him the exorbitant amount of $5 for a beautifully photo-illustrated book on Angkor that does sell on Amazon.com for at least $20. We politely thanked each other for the transaction. I used the book to refresh my memory for a few photo labels here.

We visited the next temple, Ta Phrom, where Lara Croft, Tomb Raider was filmed. Then we stopped for lunch. After lunch was the big finish: Angkor Wat. It's the main attraction, yet somehow it was so much less crowded there than at the other spots. Must have been timing.

After Angkor Wat, the guide decided we were going taking a boat ride (see what I mean?) along the Tonle Sap River to see a different side of Siem Reap. It was worth seeing the floating villages. They use the river for everything... everything.

We got back to the hotel early in the evening and relaxed at the pool for awhile before dinner. There are tuk tuks here also, but unlike in Bangkok, it's not an ordeal to get one - $1 per person anywhere in town. They all knew where our hotel was and spoke enough English to get us to wherever we asked. The roads are pretty dusty and rough in many spots, so the rides could be a little gritty, but overall it was a cheap, convenient and novel way around.

The next day we only signed up for a half day tour with the same guide. Impressive as the sights are, you can only take so many piles of stones. We went farther out to Banteay Srei which is considered to have some of the most fine and intricate carving of any of the temples. Then we went to a small landmine museum. A former soldier who had deposited many of the mines himself has since become one of the leaders of their removal and also created the museum. They've made a lot of progress, but it reminds you that even today, you don't diverge from the main roads.

We stopped at one more smaller temple before calling it a day just before noon. We ate lunch at the hotel and took advantage of the pool again. After dinner that night, we headed over to Pub Street, a small area with... pubs. It was lively but almost quaint, not hectic like Khao San Road in Bangkok. We sat in a pleasant place called The Red Piano where Angelina Jolie supposedly hung out while filming Tomb Raider. (Look at the photo of me in front. Who knew how Muppets transcend geography.)

And that, in a really big nutshell, was our trip to Bangkok and Cambodia. Oh, except for the finale where we both got a stomach bug. Paul developed his during our last night there. Mine followed two days later and lasted about nine days. We hardly ate any of the same food and nothing seemed suspect so my only guess is the ice cubes in the drinks did it. We're fine now.

I will point out that today is March 2. We arrived in Hong Kong one year ago today. Yep, a year. I would elaborate on my thoughts and reflections, but this post took me more hours than you can imagine and it's already March 3 here now. Next time.