There are two ways to get to Battambang from Siem Reap: 1) bus on reliable roads, 5 to 6 hours or 2) boat on less than reliable waterways, 5 to 10 hours. We chose the boat option, having read that the journey along Tonle Sap Lake is the best water trip in Cambodia, where beautiful scenery and active floating villages accompany you most of the way.

The night before we took the boat, Dan received an email from a friend who had taken the same journey a year ago with her mother. From the email, we gathered that the highlights of their trip included arriving to an already overloaded boat, numerous breakdowns along the way, including one where the crew took the motor apart on the roof of the boat. Her mother saved the day, pulling out a full-sized monkey wrench out of her daypack, which was apparently just what was needed to repair the motor. They made it, eventually.

Our Experience

We were picked up at 6 AM at our guesthouse. The driver arrived with a pick-up truck already brimming with people and luggage, and managed to squeeze us and three others, and our luggage somewhere on the tail end of the sagging truck. All good, we thought, until another stop where four others waited. The driver insisted they join the back of the truck. He motioned as if to say “no problem” but these folks were sensible and and hailed a taxi to follow the truck to the pier instead.

The pier is located on the outskirts of Siem Reap, past fishing villages and tucked away in an inlet. The smell in the villages leading up to the dock was pungent, like poverty and rotten fish stewed to the point of putrefaction. Anyone familiar with the movie Silence of the Lambs remembers the scene with the body in the morgue. As the body bag gets pulled away, the characters swoon at the stench. This was one of those moments, but we had to endure it without the aid of smelling salts. This was a bit more than most of us could take at 6 AM. We couldn't imagine living in it full time, filling our lungs with the smell of death.

Boarding the boat was nothing exceptional, for us. We were one of the first trucks to arrive at the pier, so seats inside were plentiful. Others were relegated to the top deck to bake in the sun. And while we appreciated the shelter from the sun, our bums were quickly aching from the hard benches even curiously harder cushions.

The reason everyone takes the boat is to see the many floating villages and communities on the Tonle Sap lake near Siem Reap, complete with electricity, TV, schools and churches. People get around everywhere by boat, with boats carrying kids to school, selling breakfast soups and all manner of goods. We saw floating churches, but the Buddhist temples always always seemed to be securely fixed on land.

A large number of ethnic Vietnamese also live here. Many came to Cambodia after 1979 when the Vietnamese helped overthrow the Khmer Rouge. We were told that since they are not full Cambodians, they can't own land. As a result, they build their homes and businesses at the margin – in this case, the water.

Bruised Bottoms

Since we were traveling in the dry season (February), the water level in the river wasn't high enough to allow us to make the entire trip to Battambang by boat. Eventually, the longtail motor, apparently accustomed to turning heavy mud, became bogged down with trees and water weeds. After eight hours on the boat, 20+ of us got in the back of a pick-up truck for the remainder of the journey, some 90 minutes over washed out ruts passing as roads. Our driver managed an impressive, yet bouncy ride through steep craters and pits. Burdened with loosely strapped bags and weary passengers, our truck listed heavily sideways, testing its rollover tolerance with each obstacle. Our asses were sore and we were alien-like, covered in brown dust. But our truck didn't tip over and we eventually arrived in Battambang…and were thrilled to do so in one piece.

Photo Essay: Boat Trip from Siem Reap to Battambang

Video: Life on Tonle Sap Lake

The post Bruised Bottoms to Battambang appeared first on Uncornered Market.

First the Bugs

Curious, Dan struck up a conversation with a table of people enjoying their late afternoon snack of bugs and sugar cane juice near the river in Battambang. After inviting us to sit with them, he received a proper – and unexpected – lesson in art of bug eating. Step 1: remove the wings and legs. Step 2: pop them into his mouth, Step 3: chew a long, long while, Step 4: chase them with a healthy gulp of sugar cane juice. Step 5: Pray your digestive system approves of this curious new protein.

The large brown palmetto bugs (not shown…but we could) were crunchy, virtually meatless – like eating a bag of anise-soaked shrimp shells. The black bugs (pictured above), called roaches by the Cambodians, were in fact a bit meatier and tastier. These were Dan's bug of choice.

Our newly acquired Cambodian friends (a man in his 30s, his cousin, and their uncle) had a great laugh. And we, having earned some street credibility, we were invited to their house in a nearby village. They wanted us to meet their relatives visiting from California (many Cambodians emigrated to the US in 1979-1980) and their Cambodian cousin from Siem Reap, who had just been married earlier that week.

After we arrived and met the family, the groom quickly and graciously invited us to his wedding blessing ceremony the next morning.

Then the Buddhist Blessing

Seaq Bo picked us up the next morning and took us for some breakfast soup with his uncle before joining the blessing ceremony back at the village house. The actual wedding had taken place two days before, but the blessing ceremony is required to make the union complete. In this ceremony, local monks lead prayers and chants that were broadcast throughout the village with a hefty sound system. Older folks prayed downstairs in the open air while the younger and more agile made the climb to an upstairs apartment to join the monks on wooden floors.

After about an hour, four other monks arrived on the backs of motorbikes. They handed empty metal containers to the women before going joining their fellow chanters upstairs. The women of the family flitted around the kitchen assembling soup, fish, chicken, noodle salad in a multi-course, multi-layered feast that all miraculously fit in the monks' food containers.

Cambodian Wedding Feasting

After the monks finished their blessings and rode off back to the temple, bowls and piles of food were quick to the table. The food was fantastic. Our favorite was the grilled fish with bits of green and ripened mango salsa – tangy, spicy and refreshing. Sour soups and curry completed the table. As is custom, we ate until we were stuffed, but made some room for the finishing touch – mango and sticky rice treats.

On the right is Seaq Bo, the one who taught Dan how to properly eat a bug. On the left is his uncle, who absolutely adored Dan. The woman to Audrey's right translated for him, saying “My grandfather wants me to tell you that he really likes you. He thinks of you as a son.

A Karaoke Finish

Just as we fell into our food comas, the karaoke sound system fired up and emotional duets were belted out by various family members. The groom confirmed for us the obvious, “Asians LOVE karaoke!”

Photo Essay: Battambang, Cambodia and Village Life

The post Bugs and Blessings appeared first on Uncornered Market.

Spending a day on the back of a motorbike going around the villages and sites near Battambang is one of the best ways to take in Cambodia’s countryside while getting a bit of an adrenaline kick. This trip proved one of our personal travel hightlights in Southeast Asia.

Village Life

We began our day with a dirt track on the way to Phnom Sampeau. Our motorbike drivers pointed out details we might normally miss – long beans growing on the left, pineapples on the right, crop of dry rice, chili bush ahead, wedding ceremony, children returning from school, new Buddhist temple.

A Chatty Monk

We asked to stop at a newly painted Buddhist temple that popped up out of the middle of nowhere. The money to rebuild had come from collections taken at a wedding, funeral and other blessings. We were amused at the Noah’s Ark design in the garden, wondering what ceramic giraffes and rabbits were doing in a Buddhist temple setting. A monk approached us as we were admiring the eclectic landscape design.

After a battery of standard questions including “where are you from?” he inquired about everything from George W. Bush to Iraq to children to religion. He seemed really happy to practice his English and have an opportunity to speak with someone from abroad and promised to pray for us to have children (this was common for us on our journey). Like many others in the region, he had spent 13 years in a refugee camp in Thailand. He became a monk when he returned to Cambodia.

Temples and Killing Caves

We ate lunch just outside of Phnom Sampeau at a roadside stall, an apparent favorite hangout for motorbike drivers. Tummies full, we climbed the steep hill to a temple once used as a prison by the Khmer Rouge Sitting in the shade of the temple, our driver explained the rise and fall of the Khmer Rouge (1975-1979) and told us about his experiences as a child under the Khmer Rouge and then in a refugee camp. He related his stories not for pity, but because we were truly interested in trying to comprehend his country's history.

The next stop, the “killing caves”, where two large encasements of human skulls and bones are on display as a memorial to those whose remains were found here after the reign of the Khmer Rouge. We were the only foreign tourists, but many local visitors arrived by the truckload for the dedication of new Buddha statues nearby. It was hopeful to see sites once used for terror being reverted to their originally intended peaceful, spiritual means.

We also saw many older women with shaved heads. The driver explained that these women choose to give up worldly beauty in order to focus on their spirituality. Several of them approached Audrey and touched her on the arm or nodded in a sign of respect. It seemed as if they weren’t used to seeing foreigners and were trying to make a connection. After spending months in well-traveled areas, this was different – a uniquely touching experience.

Wat Banan

Our next destination, Wat Banan, is an ancient temple. Angkor-lite, it was smaller, older, and virtually tourist-free. The 359 steps to the temple are steep and tiring, but the height provides worthwhile bird's-eye views over the flatlands of Northwestern Cambodia. Because of the dry season, the landscape appeared scrubby and desert-like, with the occasional colorfully painted temple contrasted against against the brittle ground an thatched-roof huts.

Bats on Honeymoon

En route to the bamboo train, we stopped at a large tree full of fruit bats in a temple complex and learned random fact #29 on our countryside tour around Battambang:

Fruit bats call this tree at a local temple their home. The monks who live there must work hard to protect them, however, since the local villagers have taken a liking to bat meat. Apparently, it tastes better than chicken (not just *like* chicken, but *better* than chicken). Makes sense, since the bats feast on fruit (papaya's their favorite) all day long. The sweet-tasting bats take a honeymoon each year to the coast for a couple of months, only to return pregnant. At least, that’s what our drivers told us.

Then, a miracle in the midst of the dry season – it rained! The dry and muted landscape became electric, giant puddles of water formed everywhere and the kids went nuts – giggling, sliding and making madness in the in puddles and hills of maroon and rust. We almost joined them.

Battambang Bamboo Train

But alas, we kept dry for a day-ending ride on the infamous bamboo train. The real, full-sized passenger train passes only once a day to Phnom Penh. To take advantage of the virtually empty track, the locals have devised an ingenious way to transport goods and people between villages. When we requested our ride, the “conductor” assembled the bamboo rods on a platform, attached the platform to the wheels, mounted and fired up the belt-driven engine and off we went! The railroad tracks apparently have not been repaired since the French left…in the early 1950s. The ride was a bit rough on the tush.

When we returned to Battambang, the town’s streets were flooded with water from the heavy downpours. As our motorbike drivers negotiated the streets turned rivers, we lifted our legs up to avoid soaking our feet, but to no avail. We returned to our hotel soaked and filthy, but on a high from an all-around satisfying day.

Photo Essay: Battambang, Cambodia and Village Life

Video: Village Life in Battambang, Cambodia

Organizing a Motorbike Tour in Battambang, Cambodia

• Hiring a motorbike driver: You’ll find them hanging outside most hotels or on the street. Find someone with a relatively new motorbike, good English and an honest smile. Chaya hotel is a good place to start (although if you are staying at Royal, they won’t take you). Going rate is $6-$10/day for the standard tour. Our drivers were Mr. Leangodom and Mr. Samol. +855 12561708
• Standard tour: Drive through villages on dirt roads to 1) Phnom Sampeau, the site of the “killing caves” and several temples; 2) Wat Banan, a small temple in the style of Angkor; 3) fruit bat tree and 4) bamboo train. If you want something different, just make arrangements with your driver. The standard tour can take, if you wish, up to 6-8 hours. Highly recommended.
• How to get there: Boat or bus from Siem Reap. To go to Thailand from Battambang, get a share taxi for $6/person to Poipet and walk across the border. We used Kemara Taxi there is an office on the main street in Battambang. Friendly driver. Recommended.
• Where to stay: Chhaya Hotel – not a luxury place – fan rooms are $5, A/C rooms are $10. Search for hotels and guest houses in Battambang.
• Where to eat: Smoking Pot Restaurant for Thai and Cambodian dishes, Sunrise Coffee House for bagels, tuna wraps and good coffee (a rarity in Cambodia). White Rose for endless combinations of fruit shakes.
• What to do: Cooking course with Smoking Pot Restaurant, day on the back of a motorbike, eat bugs.

The post Battambang on a Motorbike appeared first on Uncornered Market.

While visiting Battambang, we hired motorbike drivers for a day to take us through the surrounding countryside. Our day with them yielded an authentic look at Cambodian country life. Our drivers also shared glimpses of their own personal stories with us. Their stories were typical of many Cambodians and serve as a collective memory of a country that lost half its population during the rule of the Khmer Rouge in the late 1970s. While the scores of smiling children we encountered throughout the day still bring smiles to our faces, the day underscored how thankful we are for the fortunate lives we've had until now.

We took cover in the shade of a temple as one of our drivers explained the rise of the Khmer Rouge and the techniques it used to gain and keep power. We asked many questions, trying to understand how the Khmer Rouge could win enough support to take over and be responsible for the death of almost half the population (2-3 million people depending upon whom you ask), through direct executions or starvation. After learning what the history books had to say about the Khmer Rouge, we asked our driver about his experiences. He told his story, and in turn, related the story of so many Cambodians.

Childhood Under the Khmer Rouge

Our driver, Mr. Leangodom, was separated from his parents and siblings at the age of eight and forced to work in the fields. The Khmer Rouge relied on separation to instill paranoia and fear, keep people on edge and to fan the flames of mistrust in a community. Family members disappeared and mistrust was rife.

While working in the fields, he would see prisoners walk by in a line. He would hear gunshots in the forests and only guards would return. Everyone kept their head down and pretended not to notice. Being too curious resulted in the dreaded knock on the door at night and imminent “relocation”. Those who remained, worked themselves into starvation; the little food that could be grown was used to fuel the Khmer Rouge army.

End of the Khmer Rouge – Refugee Camps

When the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia and overthrew the Khmer Rouge in 1979, he was thirteen and returned home in hopes of finding his family. He waited there for two months. When no one arrived, he went to the refugee camps in Thailand and continued his search. There, names of family members were repeatedly announced on loud speakers. One day, he overhead his mother's name and was reunited with both her and his sister. The whereabouts of his father and two other siblings were unknown. He spent the next 13 years of his life in the refugee camp, receiving training as a medic in the local hospital.

Returning Home

When the United Nations negotiated a fragile peace and elections were held in 1993, the refugee camps were emptied and Cambodians returned “home.” Leangodom returned to his village with his mother and sister, only to see that their land and house already occupied by others who'd opted to stay. Possession is 99% of the law, so he moved with his family to Battambang to make a new life in the city. Despite his training as a medic and the need for medical staff, he couldn’t get a job in the hospitals because he didn’t have money for the bribes required to secure a position. He started working as a motorbike driver instead.

He continued his search for his father and two other siblings until 2000, at which point he decided to stop. Assuming them dead, he allowed himself to begin the grieving process. He explained that he cannot think about the past too much – “it’s paralyzing.” He lives in the present and future and said that most Cambodians do the same in order to cope and survive.

Looking to the Future

The post Motorbike Driver Chronicles appeared first on Uncornered Market.

There's no better way to comprehend a cuisine than to learn how to cook it for yourself. To that end, we signed up for a Cambodian cooking course with Smoking Pot Restaurant (yes, clever naming) to learn some of the tricks and ingredients behind the Cambodian dishes we had been eating. Along the way, we also picked up some more Cambodian history.

The day starts at the market, where we seek out ingredients for the cooking adventures ahead. Much of the standard Southeast Asian market fare is well-represented – piles of fresh herbs, pots of fragrant rotting fish, and a meat section reminiscent of advanced biology class. Battambang's market even offers a few visually spectacular twists, including eviscerated chickens with yolk-filled uteri and grilled, peppered eggs on a skewer.

Ingredients in hand, we return to the restaurant to get to work.

Battambang Cooking Course: Chopping and Chatting

With six students and one teacher, it’s an intimate and hands-on session. We get busy chopping chilis and lemon grass, swapping travel stories between strokes. In a “it's a small world” lesson, we find out that two of our classmates are the authors of a blog that convinced us not to take the bus from Vientiane, Laos to Vinh, Vietnam a few weeks earlier.

Our instructor (also the owner of Smoking Pot) fields our questions about life in Cambodia. He's remarkably frank, sharing stories from life in Cambodian refugee camps on the Thai border in the 1980s to tales of Cambodia's current transitional travails. AIDS is a growing problem in Cambodia. People’s denial of the existence of the disease and refusal to get tested only make the problem worse. He tells stories of infected sex tourists who come to Cambodia and pass the disease knowingly to others, including a close friend of his who recently died. A sad byproduct of tourism.

Cooking Time

After covering NGOs, marriage, life in a Thai refugee camp (similar story to our motorbike driver), government corruption and cooking, we resume the pounding of chili peppers, galangal (ginger), lemongrass, garlic and kaffir lime leaves into a smooth and spicy amok (traditional Khmer fish curry cooked in coconut milk) curry paste with our mortars and pestles. Freshly grated coconut turns to coconut cream with a soft squeeze of our hands and blends nicely with the freshly made aromatic paste sizzling away in iron pans atop kerosene tanks.

With our instructor's guidance, we all produce more-than-worthy amoks – in appearance, smell and taste. We cook two more dishes – a spicy curry-based stir-fry and a sour soup, but the amok proves the crowd-pleaser and among some of the best we’d tasted during our Cambodian travels.

Photo Essay – Battambang Market and Cambodian Food

Video – Battambang Market and Cambodian Cooking Class

Smoking Pot Cambodian Cooking Course

• Where: Smoking Pot Restaurant, Battambang, Cambodia
• Cost: $8 includes market visit, cooking and eating three dishes, cookbook with Cambodian and Thai recipes
• Our opinion: Highly recommended. One of the best values around for hands-on cooking instruction, interesting dishes, large quantities of food and a bonus insight into Cambodia.

The post What’s Cookin’ in Battambang appeared first on Uncornered Market.

Like 99% of the tourists who come to Siem Reap, we came to see the temples of Angkor and became cogs in the Angkor tourist processing machine – arranging transport, buying a 3-day pass, and temple hopping.

We had heard beforehand of the spiritual nature of the temples and the beauty of their engravings. We had no idea of the scale of the complex and did not fully fathom the number of tourists we'd share it with.

As we approached Bayon temple, a typical first stop, on our first morning, busloads of tourists poured out with an urgency akin to a child's on Christmas day. Each armed with multiple cameras, they dueled, bobbed and weaved with force and determination to take the perfect photo. The air was manic and frenzied. It was a lesson in how to zealousy document an experience without actually having one.

That first morning we spent more time trying to find pockets of calm away from the tourists posing at every tower, engraving or pile of stone than we did taking in the impressive temple with almost 200 towers of omnipresent smiling faces looking down at us. As we courteously ducked from one photo, we'd find ourselves falling into another. Where could we find the famed serenity and spirituality we'd heard so much about?

Don’t get us wrong – we enjoy photography and carry a large camera too. But the photo staging at the temples approached the absurd. Not to mention, it was disheartening to see how many of the tourists mistreated the temple ruins, climbing atop a thousand year old wall for a photo opportunity while ignoring a temple employee who begged them to get down.

We noticed a little Buddhist temple behind Bayon where several people were lighting incense and talking to a wise looking monk. Even in the midst of tourist and shutterbug chaos, these people were going about their routine and prayers. It was heartening to see that these sites are still being used by Cambodians for spiritual purposes. We weren’t just walking through a museum but a place that has meaning for the living.

In order to save our sanity from the posing and shutterbug-obsessed crowds, we decided to take the advice of a local – view the temples in opposite order – on our second day in the complex. The idea is simple: when hordes are swamping a temple for the perfect sunrise shot, go to where they'll be at sunset and vice versa…and spend time in the early afternoon hours, when most tourists have retreated for a snooze in town. The value of this approach cannot be understated. Ta Phrom in mid-afternoon (after the crowds have snapped their “Tomb Raider” photos) is pleasant. In late afternoon, as crowds advance on Angkor Wat for sunset, Bayon (with its many faces) is empty and draped in dramatic shadows. This is how the temples were meant to be seen.

Visiting Banteay Srei Temple

Having heard about the delicate engravings and charm of Banteay Srei (Khmer for “Citadel of the Women”) temple, we organized a special trip there with our tuk-tuk driver on our third day. It is one of the oldest Hindu temples at Angkor and dates back to the 10th century.

Not Early Enough

We arrived plenty early for us, at 8:30 AM, but not nearly early enough to beat the throngs. The tour buses were already lined up and groups of tourists were being herded inside through the main entrance. The complex is small and people are outnumbered only by cameras. As you duck out of courtesy from one photo, you find yourself falling into another. We were having flashbacks to our first morning at Bayon. To maintain our sanity, we retreated to the outside courtyard until some calm ensued inside. The green area on the perimeter provides a nice perspective to view the temple…in peace. It also allows you to appreciate the temple's intended intimacy and its reddish glow in the early morning light.

Divine Engravings

When we finally entered the main temple area, we understood why this temple has become so popular. The engravings are deep, unique and narrative. As we eavesdropped on tour guides providing explanations, we learned of different Hindu figures and legends being depicted in the red stone. As in Italian opera, love, war, death and deception figured prominently.

Zoom Lens and Zoo Behavior

We saw a couple of cute Cambodian girls, around 5-6ish, sitting in a windowsill, just hanging out and playing. Next thing we know, a group of Western tourists (possibly American) descended upon them in a group and shoved their mega-zoom lenses (about 1+ foot in length) in the kids' faces. The tourists made cooing noises at the girls, as if they were animals in a zoo, presumably to prompt a reaction for their brilliant photography. Fittingly, the girls looked back at them stoically and emotionless. Look for these uninspired shots in your favorite magazine sometime soon.

Isn’t the point of having a zoom lens that size to avoid poking people in the eyeball for a close-up? It was a truly sad scene and we were embarrassed for all involved.

We exited the temple a bit saddened by the actions of tourists, but in admiration of the temple and its artists. The popularity of Banteay Srei may help to destroy it, though, unless restrictions are placed on the number of tourists allowed in at one time and further barricades are erected to prevent people from pawing the engravings.

Breakfast Soup and Villages

We found redemption and authenticity as our our tuk-tuk driver downed a bowl of Cambodian breakfast soup just around the corner at a food stall with other drivers. We joined him for a second breakfast and ended up eating two bowls of the stuff ourselves. It was some of the best soup we'd had (or best food for that matter) – stunningly fresh rice noodles covered with a light yellow fish-based broth and topped off with a spoonful of sweet peanut soup. Grated fresh banana flower, long beans, cucumbers and bitter herbs topped it off and complemented the soup in taste and texture. We are now among the converted and consider ourselves charter members of the Soup for Breakfast Club.

On our return to Siem Reap we stopped at several villages, witnessed how people make palm sugar candies, and watched more than a few water buffaloes getting sponge baths from devoted owners hoping to help them escape from the baking heat of the dry season. By that point, obnoxious tourists with mega telephoto lenses were all but forgotten.

Angkor Temples Lasting Impressions

The temples of Angkor surprised us by their scale and diversity. For us, we were impressed by Bayon with its towers of smiling faces. Angkor Wat to us was overrated. Perhaps we should have visited it at sunrise. Ta Prohm is fascinating, if only to watch nature outlast man-made structures. Pre Rup is also proved a visual treat, with its rose-colored brick and sandstone.

While it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the size of the temples, keep your eyes open for details and engravings. Differences in headdress, position, smile, eyes and jewelry of the Apsara dancer tell the history from temple to temple. And although these engravings are over 1000 years old, a secret smile in the dancers’ expressions still translates today.

Arranging a Driver and Tour of the Angkor Temples

• How much time: Three days is the minimum amount of time needed to view the main temples. The heat, crowds and vastness take a toll, so pace yourself and take breaks so as to not get overheated or reach temple saturation early. If you have the luxury of time, get a seven-day pass and visit a few temples a day.
• Tickets: A 3-day pass costs $40 and a 7-day pass is $60. Bring a photo of yourself for your ticket or else wait in line with a busload of Korean tourists to get a free photo. It pays to be prepared.
• Transportation: Hire a tuk tuk driver through your hotel or find one on the street like we did. Expect to pay $10-$12 per day (and above) for the driver to take you around the main sites, including a return trip to town in the afternoon for lunch or a snooze. To go to Banteay Srey or one of the other distant temples, expect to pay an additional $6-$10. Cars and motorbikes are also possible.
• Guides: Most tuk-tuk drivers will give you some background information about the sites and lend you a book to take inside for more details. Official guides in English are also available for around $25-$35 per day.
• Circuit: Many people follow a short circuit on day one and a longer circuit the second day, with a third day spent going out to Banteay Srey or catching some of the temples missed on earlier days. Try doing the circuits in reverse so that you miss some of the tour buses. Also consider visiting some of the sites in the afternoon when the tour buses return to town– it does get hot, but bearing the heat can be worth it to enjoy the temples in peace.
• Water: You are going to need lots of it!! Children and women sell water, juice, soda, snacks, and fruit around the main temples, so you are never far away from relief and hydration. Prices are negotiable. Don’t use this occasion to practice your bargaining skills, but if it seems like extortion, then propose a fair price. We had a hard time paying 4x the price of water in town, so we'd propose 2x and the sellers easily agreed.
• Food: There is a line of restaurants near Bayon serving Cambodian food. We found the prices high, but noticed that the longer we stared at the menu outside a stall, the more the prices came down. We settled on $2 per dish and our driver’s lunch got thrown in as well. The sour soup and fish curry were remarkably good (at stall #8, if we remember correctly).

The post The Temples of Angkor – First Impressions appeared first on Uncornered Market.

Much of what the visitor to Siem Reap sees are streets filled with restaurants, hotels, spas and other services geared towards foreign tourists. There is another side to life here, however, one that is neither shiny nor prosperous.

Friends International Street Children Center

Located near the main market in Siem Reap is a small Friends International center that serves as a place where street kids can come to learn, play, paint and just have a break from the street. We came across this place thanks to a sign announcing a photography exhibition by street kids. Their stories are heartbreaking and often fuse a combination of abuse and alcoholism, problems which span cultures and countries, unfortunately.

Most of the kids are scavengers who rummage through garbage to find salable bits. Kids have outfitted their bicycles with bags to collect garbage that they hope to sell later. When we were there, the kids were just leaving the Siem Reap Street Children Center after watching cartoons and an educational video on the dangers of sniffing glue (which is unfortunately quite common here as well). They hopped on their bicycles and took off for their standard garbage scavenging beat.

Book Carts and Postcards

A common site in Siem Reap is a book cart with a sign in English explaining the seller’s story – a land mine victim, disabled parent, or widowed parent. The idea: purchase one of their books or postcards and you help support the person and his/her family.

We had no need for books, having brought too many with us in the first place. So, we gave books we had already read to one of these booksellers. He was a landmine victim and his English was good enough for him to share his story about his two boys and his real love for weaving traditional Khmer belts. Unfortunately, weaving takes too long and the products yield too little money.

Cambodian Landmine Museum

When asked what to do in Siem Reap, one foreign restaurant owner recommended the Land Mine Museum and summed it up perfectly – “You really should see the good, the bad and the ugly.” The Cambodian Land Mine Museum is located off a small dirt road between downtown and the entrance to the Angkor temple complex. The museum is primarily outdoors in a series of small huts. Exhibitions are scattered with a plethora of information on land mines and examples of deactivated ones, whose guts dangle from tables and trees. It's an informal setting where pigs and chickens seem to own the place and provide a bit of comic relief in a serious and tragic context.

The museum was started and is run by Aki Ra, a former child soldier for both the Khmer Rouge and after he was captured, the Vietnamese Army. As a child soldier, he laid the mines. As an adult, his mission is to rid Cambodia of them and assist land mine victims. He and his de-mining teams continue to uncover land mines with shovels and sticks for around $3-$5 per mine. In comparison, foreign NGOs charge thousands of dollars for the removal of each land mine. You do the math. The museum also sponsors a few children who are victims of landmines. In some cases, they are able to secure sponsorship for their higher education.

And more…

During our last days in Siem Reap, we discovered a booklet entitled Stay Another Day – Cambodia that profiles organizations and businesses giving back to the community all over Cambodia. The booklet described ways in which a tourist could participate. For example, you can spending time conversing in English with disadvantaged kids or take in a meal at a restaurant like Soup Dragon that donates 7% of its sales to the Angkor Hospital for Children.

Digging under the surface in Siem Reap exposes its and Cambodia's reality. It's not all pretty, but it's the context in which the majority lives. In spite of their dark history, the Cambodian people continue to prove themselves resilient and generous in spirit.

Photo Essay – Siem Reap, Cambodia

The post The Other Side of Siem Reap appeared first on Uncornered Market.

Our bus from Phnom Penh was met by a driver proudly holding a sign saying “Ganiel.” From the moment we got into the car, the driver started his selling pitch as the perfect guide and driver to the Angkor temples. Maps circulated like popcorn inside the car as the excitement level in his voice rose audibly.

What he didn’t realize was that our gut reaction to a hard sell is to run as quickly as possible in the opposite direction of the pitch. We disgusted him when we told him we planned to rent bicycles to view the temples He gave up. Little did we realize at the time how unrealistic that was given the vast spread of the Angkor temple complex…in the baking heat of the dry season.

We disappointed business owners at every turn in Siem Reap. Guesthouses and restaurants are accustomed to tourists flying into Siem Reap for three days, spending loads of dough at restaurants and spas, and arranging tours to take care of every last whim and care. Unfortunately, we don’t fit that bill. We prefer to figure things out on our own, make arrangements on our own, and customize. We also prefer to stay flexible. We have time. We have a budget. We like to ask questions.

Who Hid the Poverty?

While walking around Siem Reap that first day, we were surprised that almost every street was taken up with surprisingly well appointed restaurants, bars, hotels, souvenir shops, tour operators, internet cafes, massage parlors (both real and fronts for brothels), as if the whole town existed only to serve foreign tourists. There were a few kids selling postcards and landmine victims selling books, but we didn’t see any of the begging we'd heard about, nor any of the pockets of poverty we'd seen in Phnom Penh. We were curious. Had poverty really had been alleviated through the tourism boom? Or was it being hidden so as to not tarnish the tourist experience.

Some friends who had been coming to Siem Reap for six years told us that local officials had cleared out the homeless who lived by the river and moved them to the outskirts of town this past year. There was also a crackdown on begging, which is why kids were selling postcards instead of begging outright. Selling instead of begging is not a bad thing, but it really doesn't solve the problem of poverty or address its root cause.

Of course some local people are benefiting from the tourism boom through more and better paying jobs, but most of the wealth from the tourism boom seems to go to foreign business owners. They are the ones who own the big hotels, restaurants and tour companies and benefit financially from large tour groups (of which there are many).

Siem Reap Lasting Impressions

We spent a week in Siem Reap, much longer than the town’s average visitor. It has more to offer than just a jumping off point for the Angkor temples. We saw another side to the town, ate at the market, lunched with tuk-tuk drivers and left feeling that the town still had a pulse and soul. Unfortunately, the tourism industry seems to want to make the town generic but with enough of a “Cambodian” look to appeal to mass tourism.

Photo Essay: Siem Reap, Cambodia

Video: Back Streets of Siem Reap, Cambodia

Siem Reap Travel Tips: Transport, Accommodation and Food

• How to get there: Flight from Bangkok (or other destinations), bus or boat from Phnom Penh, bus/train to Thai border and then a bumpy ride from Poipet to Siem Reap.
• When to go: High season is December to February when the weather is slightly cooler (although still hot) and dry. The down side is that most tourists come at this time, meaning that prices are higher and the temples are crawling with tourists. We'd look forward to returning in the rainy season, when there are fewer people and the landscape is lush and green.
• Where to stay: There are literally a hundred options of where to stay, from the luxury room at Raffles Hotel where Angelina and Brad stayed to hostel-like accommodation. We were able to find standard A/C and fan rooms for $10-$18 per night at Ancient Anchor and Two Dragons Guesthouse. Even if it seems like everything you see is more expensive, keep looking.
• Where to eat: A plethora of restaurants near the old market offer western, Thai and Cambodian fare. We enjoyed the fresh spring rolls and Khmer curry at Khmer Kitchen. Singing Tree Café is across the river and offers reasonably priced Khmer dishes and a very tasty vegetable burger.
• What to do: The reason most people come to Siem Reap is to visit the temples of Angkor. A tuk-tuk driver costs around $10-$12 per day to take you around the temples, though we've heard people admitting to paying as much as $60/day! Cars and motorbikes are also available, as are official guides.

The post Siem Reap – First Impressions appeared first on Uncornered Market.

In contrast to its sunshine and smiles, Cambodia's recent history under the control of the Khmer Rouge is nothing short of horrific.
https://photos.uncorneredmarket.com/Asia/Cambodia/Phnom-Penh/i-w7LcdvtTuol Sleng Genocide Museum – Phnom Penh
Tuol Sleng, originally a high school in downtown Phnom Penh, was transformed into Security Prison 21 (S-21) by the Khmer Rouge between 1975-1979. It's estimated that close to 20,000 people were imprisoned here; only seven are known to have survived. Those who did not die during periods of torture were taken outside of Phnom Penh and beaten to death as bullets were too precious and costly to use to kill prisoners.

Like all maniacal regimes, the Khmer Rouge aided historians by keeping detailed documentation about its prisoners, including photographs, biographies, and details from the torture-induced confessions. The original photographs and negatives were separated from the dossiers when the prison was discovered in 1979-1980 by the Vietnamese, so the identity of the people in the photographs remain largely anonymous today. Photos of their faces appear to peer out from behind bars as you look at the prison from the outside in.

Another exhibition in the museum includes stories of loved ones taken in the night, never to return. One's fate didn't seem to depend much on one's affiliation with the Khmer Rouge. From the stories that are told here, no one was safe in an environment of manufactured paranoia. Absolutely everyone, including high-level members of the Khmer Rouge, was susceptible to being called a spy and disposed of accordingly.

Although much smaller, Tuol Sleng reminded us of our visit to Auschwitz in Poland years ago. The care taken by both the Khmer Rouge and the Nazis to document victims and their death is particularly disturbing, as it shows the extent of organization and planning behind such massacres.

Visits like this are sobering and do not fit into a traditional holiday itinerary. But they are helpful in trying to comprehend a country in its historical context – and to remember that atrocities like this still occur today.

The post Phnom Penh: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly appeared first on Uncornered Market.

During out first night in Phnom Penh, two bank guards shared their dinner with us after we showed curiosity in what they were eating. They invited us to take a few bites, told us the name of the dish in Khmer, and indicated how much we should pay for the dish to avoid being ripped off. Not quite what we were expected from a city from which we heard reports of “dark and dangerous.”

Phnom Penh’s streetscape had a different feel from what we had seen in Vietnam and Laos. It exhibited a South Asian feel with street markets, garbage heaps, people and transport all jumbled together in odd spaces. Dirt roads run right into well-paved and polished city streets while spiffy government/NGO SUVs share space adjacent to garbage scavenger cycles burdened with trash. Wealth and poverty stand juxtaposed, in the first act of a multi-act play whose ending has yet to be written.

There is a strong foreign NGO and expatriate presence in Phnom Penh, indicating that large amounts of donor money currently flow into the country. Unlike Vientiane, this cash doesn’t dominate the feel of the city, save a neighborhood or two. Refreshingly, Phnom Penh seems to retain its Cambodian-ness.

Several Cambodian organizations run social enterprises such as restaurants or beauty salons employing street kids who have gone through skills training programs. Patronizing these types of businesses is a good way to learn more about existing social and economic problems, while contributing to the cause.

Royal Palace

Phnom Penh is a city of contrasts – we spent our first at the sobering Tuol Sleng museum and the next day at the beautiful and perfectly manicured Royal Palace. Tuol Sleng showed Cambodia at its bleakest, while the Royal Palace showed it at its most opulent.

The grounds of the Royal Palace were some of the most attractive we had seen in Southeast Asia. The bigger temples in the Royal Palace have all the gilt, shine and fame, but we preferred the smaller ones where local people prayed and made offerings for the coming Chinese New Year.

Burning For Luck

As Chinese New Year approached and passed, we spied altars in living rooms and shops decorated with everything from smoked chickens to flowers. In addition to the placement of odd bits on altars and spirit houese, locals get fired up by burning fake $100 bills, paper business suits, paper mobile phones, and paper houses. The idea: if you burn the paper representation, then you have a better chance of getting it in the new year. It got us thinking…what would we burn?

Phnom Penh – Lasting Impressions

We spent our last evening in Phnom Penh at Boeng Kak Lake, enjoying inexpensive gin and tonics and fish curry while watching the sun set over the lake and city. A peaceful and beautiful end to our stay in Phnom Penh. We were pleasantly surprised by Phnom Penh and could have easily stayed longer.

Photo Essay – Streets of Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Phnom Penh Travel Tips: Transport, Accommodation, Food and Activities

• How to get there: By boat from Saigon or by plane from Bangkok (Air Asia), Saigon or other neighboring countries.
• Where to stay: Golden Bridge Hotel – clean, air-conditioned rooms for $13-$15/night in an area near the Independence Monument. The free laundry is a really nice perk, especially after the Mekong Delta tour. Run by a nice family. Address: No 7CD, Road 278, Sangkat Beng Keng Kang 1, reservations@goldenbridgehtl.com, +855 023-721396/7
• Where to eat: For a fix of really good huevos rancheros (rare in this part of the world), visit Jungle Bar on the riverfront. Inexpensive and good curries are on offer at guesthouses at Boeng Kak Lake.
• What to do: Spend an afternoon wandering around the temples and grounds of the Royal Palace. For a window on Cambodia's recent history, visit Tuol Sleng for a sobering, but important afternoon.

The post Phnom Penh – First Impressions appeared first on Uncornered Market.