I am overdue on my piece of this story. I'm sorry for the delay but I blame the heat, the calm and the simpleness of life- on the outside. In my head I've been reviewing India and all of the moments that happened too fast to think about. I've also been devouring books- my way of avoiding/adjusting to reality. I've actually been writing a list of books that I've read on this trip because I never remember what I've read (it's genetic) and I want to trace the stories that I've been reading as they weave into the incredible ones that I've been living. I don't know if any of you are reading addicts as I am, but if you are you know the surreal quality that life can take while living inside a book- that is sort of how traveling here has been, sometimes I feel that I am living inside a novel.Thailand finished as sweetly as it began. We had such an amazing time on the beaches, in the hammocks, swimming in the blue blue ocean.. Gregg talked about the sharks- but as the scaredy-cat of this couple, I will comment as well. I had been pretty hesitant about going out there- even after seeing many people go and come back whole.. I was pretty happy sitting on our little porch and Imagining the action under the sea. But I knew that I would be disappointed if I didn't get up the nerve to go out and see for myself. We spent one day snorkeling with a French girl we met who had gotten her training underwater doing some sort of sport fishing where you dive down with a torpedo gun and shoot your dinner. She was a pro at pointing out the fish you could eat and she spent hours out there by herself, diving down and holding her breath for long periods of time. She tried to get me to do it- and I did a little bit- but I didn't like the sensation of having that long tube filled up with water in front of your mouth. Also my ears popped like crazy.
So with her we spent a few hours in the ocean wandering the mazes of coral reef and pointing out the wild looking fish. A few times we swam with schools of hundreds which is such a strange sensation- they are totally surrounding you and going all together in changing directions- I felt very clumsy and disoriented compared to them and I got worried I would smash one by accident. She went too far though- trying to swim around a rocky point and the waves were too big and we couldn't see anything below us.. I was swallowing too much salt water so I turned around feeling like a wimp only to see the other two following me back. Going back was pretty cool- the waves just took me so easily and quickly to shore, I lay on them looking down at the world below and felt suddenly more fish-like and smooth...
The sharks felt like they should have a horror soundtrack attached. The visibility was not perfect- we could see for maybe ten feet around us and I held onto Grey's pantleg the whole
time. (I figured we'd look like a bigger scarier fish that way..) As we went out to the point that people said we should wait I could feel myself getting that numb brave feeling that I get before doing something crazy. When Grey stopped and pointed and pulled on my arm I turned to catch a tail- a definite shark tail- and my heart leapt.. They all made my heart leap actually and they looked so skinny but big and mean and efficient somehow- they went so fast through the water!! I'd been used to the other slower more dopey looking fish, but these looked like killing machines. After the last one we stayed for, which was the biggest and meanest looking, (shark bay- our cabin 3rd from left)we headed back to shore. I really didn't need to see anymore. But I'm glad I did it and even more glad that I still have all my limbs..
One word about the full moon party and Haad Rin where it took place. I didn't really like the feeling of the town.. It felt kind of empty and hungover every other time besides the actual party. And I didn't feel like the locals really liked us. They sold little plastic buckets of alcohol and mixers on tables set up all over town and owned restaurants and bars and hotels.. But I just got the feeling that we were disgusting to them- these tourists that just come and get wasted on their beach and throw their shit all over and then leave.. I didn't get a good feeling about the town and myself being one of the full mooners. It's too bad because I love the idea of a party for the moon on the beach..
I did love the other parts of the islands and the Thai people in those places who were sort of living the beach life with you, lying in the hammock during the hot parts of the day, playing Frisbee on the beach in between food orders, it was much more like they were enjoying their beautiful beaches along with us.
Being back in Bangkok was again a good time- I really like that city. We stayed at a much cheaper place with no bathroom ($6), so it wasn't as posh as the first time, but great anyway. And I wish you guys could have seen Grey trying to get out of that big puffy chair to stand for the king at the movies and landing in a heap under the foot rest- and we were in front of everyone too! I thought we might get kicked out of Thailand but they forgave us.
The long road to Siem Reap.
Our easy time in Bangkok came to an abrupt end when we departed for Cambodia. We'd heard a lot about the "scam buses" that take you from the tourist area to the border and then switch buses and proceed to take 8/9/10/15 hours to Siem Reap (a 3 hour drive on a hell road) just so you will stay in their guesthouse when you arrive at midnight. We also read that they would try to get your visa for you and charge way more than it actually cost-- we were ARMED with knowledge. But we bought a ticket (from MY HOUSE guesthouse travel agency-- Don't Do It) anyway because they were Cheap. Only $8-10 for the whole journey and apparently the guesthouses they want you to stay at weren't so bad.. So we got some good reading materials and some food and got ready for the torturous journey. The first bad sign was when bus stopped before the border at a restaurant- we had heard that they do this after the border- and said that it would be two hours until we were brought to the border. Gregg argued wi
th him a bit- saying that we had to do our visas and couldn't we just go to the border now (it was only 15 minutes away.) But he wouldn't do it and in the process we managed to convince everyone else on the bus not to spend their money on this restaurant. So already he hated us. Then he proceeded to try and get us to give our passports to him and for 1300 baht he would get us a visa. We were prepared for this-- we said no, we'll do them at the border (where we read you should be able to get them for 700 baht - $20- if the border official was in a good mood.) So he sulked a bit but everything seemed OK. Finally we left the restaurant and made one more stop before the border- the consulate! The guy got out and told us to stay put in the bus. Gregg had the nerve to disobey him and go into the consulate anyway to see if the visa was available there. Apparently the guy tried to stop him inside the consulate- even telling the man behind the counter that he shouldn't give him a visa- but Gregg just gave his $20 and got our visas right there, no problem. But when we went and told the rest of the bus (who had given him his 1300) there was mutiny. Half the people went in the consulate and got their passports back and did it themselves. We were elated at our victory over corruption until the guy leaned over to Gregg and said "maybe no bus for you at the border." We sat, stunned and panicked. Could he really leave us at the border after we'd bought our ticket?
Well, yes he could. Or at least he did. After crossing the border by foot and racing to be right next to him through immigration (somehow we thought if he couldn't lose us we'd get on the bus..) he sneakily left us in the hands of the "next driver." The next driver waited until he left and then told everyone but us to go with him. When we joined them he said he didn't know us and we couldn't go with him. We were helpless. Slowly we realized that he had told everyone at the border not to take us. We were stuck.
When I get furious and feel totally helpless with anger I have this annoying habit of bursting into tears. So I did. I think this actually helped us because a man felt sorry for us and offered to take us to the transit station and there we could look for another way to Siem Reap.
Don't worry this story has a happy ending. We arrived at the transit station in time to find some people we had met earlier arguing over a cab price (they call it the taxi mafia here that has overinflated prices so much that people have to share the cabs with many many people.) They were thrilled to see us because it meant they had enough people that they could split the cab. So the 5 of us piled into an air conditioned souped-up toyota (GG told me this) and got to lovely Siem Reap in 3 hours with only one toilet stop. The ride was the craziest dirt road I have ever driven on in my life. It looked like the bombs had just stopped dropping an hour ago. And a
t one point I hit my head on ceiling so hard I had a headache for the rest of the ride. THANK GOD we weren't on one of the old school buses for 12 hours like we had planned!!! Although I still fantasize about kneeing every one of those men in the ...
One word about the full moon party and Haad Rin where it took place. I didn't really like the feeling of the town.. It felt kind of empty and hungover every other time besides the actual party. And I didn't feel like the locals really liked us. They sold little plastic buckets of alcohol and mixers on tables set up all over town and owned restaurants and bars and hotels.. But I just got the feeling that we were disgusting to them- these tourists that just come and get wasted on their beach and throw their shit all over and then leave.. I didn't get a good feeling about the town and myself being one of the full mooners. It's too bad because I love the idea of a party for the moon on the beach..
I did love the other parts of the islands and the Thai people in those places who were sort of living the beach life with you, lying in the hammock during the hot parts of the day, playing Frisbee on the beach in between food orders, it was much more like they were enjoying their beautiful beaches along with us.
Being back in Bangkok was again a good time- I really like that city. We stayed at a much cheaper place with no bathroom ($6), so it wasn't as posh as the first time, but great anyway. And I wish you guys could have seen Grey trying to get out of that big puffy chair to stand for the king at the movies and landing in a heap under the foot rest- and we were in front of everyone too! I thought we might get kicked out of Thailand but they forgave us.
The long road to Siem Reap.
Our easy time in Bangkok came to an abrupt end when we departed for Cambodia. We'd heard a lot about the "scam buses" that take you from the tourist area to the border and then switch buses and proceed to take 8/9/10/15 hours to Siem Reap (a 3 hour drive on a hell road) just so you will stay in their guesthouse when you arrive at midnight. We also read that they would try to get your visa for you and charge way more than it actually cost-- we were ARMED with knowledge. But we bought a ticket (from MY HOUSE guesthouse travel agency-- Don't Do It) anyway because they were Cheap. Only $8-10 for the whole journey and apparently the guesthouses they want you to stay at weren't so bad.. So we got some good reading materials and some food and got ready for the torturous journey. The first bad sign was when bus stopped before the border at a restaurant- we had heard that they do this after the border- and said that it would be two hours until we were brought to the border. Gregg argued wi
th him a bit- saying that we had to do our visas and couldn't we just go to the border now (it was only 15 minutes away.) But he wouldn't do it and in the process we managed to convince everyone else on the bus not to spend their money on this restaurant. So already he hated us. Then he proceeded to try and get us to give our passports to him and for 1300 baht he would get us a visa. We were prepared for this-- we said no, we'll do them at the border (where we read you should be able to get them for 700 baht - $20- if the border official was in a good mood.) So he sulked a bit but everything seemed OK. Finally we left the restaurant and made one more stop before the border- the consulate! The guy got out and told us to stay put in the bus. Gregg had the nerve to disobey him and go into the consulate anyway to see if the visa was available there. Apparently the guy tried to stop him inside the consulate- even telling the man behind the counter that he shouldn't give him a visa- but Gregg just gave his $20 and got our visas right there, no problem. But when we went and told the rest of the bus (who had given him his 1300) there was mutiny. Half the people went in the consulate and got their passports back and did it themselves. We were elated at our victory over corruption until the guy leaned over to Gregg and said "maybe no bus for you at the border." We sat, stunned and panicked. Could he really leave us at the border after we'd bought our ticket?Well, yes he could. Or at least he did. After crossing the border by foot and racing to be right next to him through immigration (somehow we thought if he couldn't lose us we'd get on the bus..) he sneakily left us in the hands of the "next driver." The next driver waited until he left and then told everyone but us to go with him. When we joined them he said he didn't know us and we couldn't go with him. We were helpless. Slowly we realized that he had told everyone at the border not to take us. We were stuck.
When I get furious and feel totally helpless with anger I have this annoying habit of bursting into tears. So I did. I think this actually helped us because a man felt sorry for us and offered to take us to the transit station and there we could look for another way to Siem Reap.
Don't worry this story has a happy ending. We arrived at the transit station in time to find some people we had met earlier arguing over a cab price (they call it the taxi mafia here that has overinflated prices so much that people have to share the cabs with many many people.) They were thrilled to see us because it meant they had enough people that they could split the cab. So the 5 of us piled into an air conditioned souped-up toyota (GG told me this) and got to lovely Siem Reap in 3 hours with only one toilet stop. The ride was the craziest dirt road I have ever driven on in my life. It looked like the bombs had just stopped dropping an hour ago. And a
t one point I hit my head on ceiling so hard I had a headache for the rest of the ride. THANK GOD we weren't on one of the old school buses for 12 hours like we had planned!!! Although I still fantasize about kneeing every one of those men in the ... Ah Siem Reap. What a shock to find this pretty little town at the end of that hellish ride. It was tree-filled and had beautiful buildings with good restaurants and cafes. Everyone told us not to judge the Cambodian people by the corrupt scum at the border and they were totally right. I am blown away by the warmth of these people. They are just so friendly and smile and say hello and try to help you find your way.. I have just wanted to kiss these people!! And after everything we've done to them and everything they've lived through- it is really astonishing. I've thought a lot about why and how and who, but I just can't really understand.. Maybe they are just determined to be happy.
There has been so much in the past week..
Ankor Wat for sunrise was a stunning ghostly vision- a vast stone structure built between the
9th and 13th century- a thousand years ago. The feeling of so many years surrounding us quieted us as we climbed around the different stone buildings. We watched the sun climb and the shadows disappear and found strange monk like people sitting in the dark corners. The whole day was filled with ancient history. We explored several different temples- my favorites were Bayon- that has 216 faces carved into the rock from a million angles, staring at you- and Ta Prohm- that has been overgrown by enormous trees with roots that look alive climbing over the rocks.
We finished our day visiting the The Land Mine Museum. Although it is called a "museum" it feels more living and breathing because many victims- mostly children- of land mines live there
and play while you read the history of their scars. One of the most disturbing parts of the exhibit is the facts on how many mines each country still keeps (U.S. has so many millions) to use someday.. And haven't we learned our lesson yet?
I guess that is Cambodia- the beauty, the friendliness and the devastatingly sad history. We arrived in Phnom Penh two days ago and made our home in a room that sits on stilts over a green lake.. the fish smack the surface of the water under our floor. This city is full of small treats of beauty and good food. It is really gorgeous in parts and very poor in others. The children are back- grabbing our hands and breaking our hearts. But there is a different feeling in this city of optimism that India doesn't have. I don't know how to explain it really, but I am loving this place.
Today we visited S-21, Tuol Sleng Museum. This is an old high school that Pol Pot converted into a prison, sort of a death row. The day was so moving and devastating that I'm not sure I'm ready to write about it yet. The atrocities happened so recently and we look at the people who smile at us on the streets and think- you lived through this! A courageous people.
Well this is a long one. Making up for silence I guess. So much stored up and I'm sure I missed some- but sending love from Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
There has been so much in the past week..
Ankor Wat for sunrise was a stunning ghostly vision- a vast stone structure built between the
9th and 13th century- a thousand years ago. The feeling of so many years surrounding us quieted us as we climbed around the different stone buildings. We watched the sun climb and the shadows disappear and found strange monk like people sitting in the dark corners. The whole day was filled with ancient history. We explored several different temples- my favorites were Bayon- that has 216 faces carved into the rock from a million angles, staring at you- and Ta Prohm- that has been overgrown by enormous trees with roots that look alive climbing over the rocks.We finished our day visiting the The Land Mine Museum. Although it is called a "museum" it feels more living and breathing because many victims- mostly children- of land mines live there
and play while you read the history of their scars. One of the most disturbing parts of the exhibit is the facts on how many mines each country still keeps (U.S. has so many millions) to use someday.. And haven't we learned our lesson yet?I guess that is Cambodia- the beauty, the friendliness and the devastatingly sad history. We arrived in Phnom Penh two days ago and made our home in a room that sits on stilts over a green lake.. the fish smack the surface of the water under our floor. This city is full of small treats of beauty and good food. It is really gorgeous in parts and very poor in others. The children are back- grabbing our hands and breaking our hearts. But there is a different feeling in this city of optimism that India doesn't have. I don't know how to explain it really, but I am loving this place.
Today we visited S-21, Tuol Sleng Museum. This is an old high school that Pol Pot converted into a prison, sort of a death row. The day was so moving and devastating that I'm not sure I'm ready to write about it yet. The atrocities happened so recently and we look at the people who smile at us on the streets and think- you lived through this! A courageous people.
Well this is a long one. Making up for silence I guess. So much stored up and I'm sure I missed some- but sending love from Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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