Say WAT???

After several days "languishing" in Bangkok, I finally got off my ass and began my mission to Siem Reap, Cambodia to uncover the mysteries of Angkor Wat. Despite its position on the UNESCO World Heritage list and awe-inspiring beauty, Angkor Wat doesn't get much exposure in the West, so for a brief overview check out this site.

I should preface all this by noting that traveling from Thailand to Cambodia has long been problematic to varying degrees. As my guidebook says, "visiting the Thai/Cambodian border was once suicidal." That's no longer the case, but it still has its idiosyncrasies. Unlike travel within Thailand, nothing is "easy" in Cambodia.

Getting from Bangkok to the Border was simple enough, and I actually made it through Cambodian immigration with no problems. Thankfully, I was able to avoid the well-known "official" SARS clearance form scam. The Cambodian border town of Poipet, while dusty and unattractive, was not as menacing as reports had suggested. So maybe I let my guard down a little bit. Rather than insisting on taking a share taxi from Poipet to Siem Reap, as is recommended, I ended up booking a cheap ticket on a minibus. This was the start of my problems. We left as scheduled at 2 in the afternoon, but somehow I got stuck in a seat over the wheel well, meaning that I had my knees to my chest for the first 3 hours of the ride. Maybe this would have been marginally tolerable if not for one unalterable truth, namely:

The "road" from Poipet to Siem Reap is THE WORST "ROAD" IN THE UNIVERSE.

I say "road" only because I don't think a word exists in the English language that can accurately describe the thing that connects these two cities. It is truly apalling, to say the least. Probably only 5% has any pavement whatsoever, and of that, perhaps 5% is in what might possibly be described as "good condition." The rest of the road alternates randomly between mud bogs, ruts, potholes, and rock fields. Not 5 minutes into the journey, and I was seeing potholes that could kill a car at 20 paces. After 5 more minutes, I lost count. We rattled around helplessly in our minibus, and I felt as though my left lung had shaken loose and gotten tangled up in my small intestine. If I had any fillings, I'm sure I would have lost them. At one point, I decided to record our plight by sticking my digital camera out the bus window and recording a short movie. The result is a surreal little clip showing the bus buck up and down through the pothole minefield while our Cambodian driver whistles the tune to "Dancing Queen" by ABBA. Ask to see it when I get home.

I'm sure I could blabber on endlessly about the pure evil of this road, but the fact is it's impossible for anyone to even fathom until they've ridden it themselves.

Anyways, about halfway through the trip, our driver noticed something he didn't like about the behavior of the minibus, although I don't know how, since I felt like the thing was on the verge of explosion the entire time. So we pull over to a "service station" (i.e., a shack with some tools in it) to see what's the matter. Nothing major, it turns out...only that THE CHASSIS HAS A 3 INCH CRACK IN IT. Back in the USA, this would have instantly totaled the vehicle, sending it scrapyard-bound. In Cambodia, however, this translates into a 30-minute welding job. The mechanic hauled out some random piece of scrap metal, slapped it onto the frame, and sparks started flying. True to his word, in 30 minutes she was "good as new."

By some act of divine intervention, the bus was able to hold together for the rest of the ride...and only once did we have to get out and push to dislodge it from a mud bog! Can you guess how long it took us to traverse the 150 km (93 miles) from Poipet to Siem Reap? How about 10.5 HOURS. That's an average speed of 8.9 miles per hour. Incredible.

Once I finally made it to Siem Reap things settled down considerably, and I launched my multi-day exploration of Angkor Wat. I wish I could post some of the pictures I took of the temples, but the internet cafe I'm at doesn't allow it. Anyways, suffice it to say that it's truly a place of staggering enormity and artistry. The entire site is so huge that you realistically have to hire a tuk tuk or moto in order to see the best parts. Another great thing about Angkor Wat is that almost the entire place is up for exploration, and only a few sections are considered off-limits (mainly because the ruins in these sections are in danger of collapsing at any minute, so I'm not sure I'd want to visit them anyways). You can climb all the steps, peek into every nook and cranny, examine every relief and observe every sculpture. Really nice.

Well, after a few days playing Indiana Jones in Cambodia, I decided to head back to Thailand to begin the final stage of my Southeast Asia travels: beach mode. I am writing from the island of Koh Chang, a mountainous jungle island near the Cambodian border. The beach is beautiful, the water's perfect, and I have a beachfront bungalow that's costing me only $3.75 per night. Can't ask for much more than that.