Now... , where was I? Ah, yes, Cambodia! I have been dying to go to Cambodia since I arrived in Thailand, and I jumped on the chance when some fellow international students said they were headed there.
First, let me just say I HATE IMMIGRATION. I will never, EVER allow someone to make a joke about immigration/aliens again. After being on the other side, let me just tell you, it sucks. I would rather spend 3 months at the DMV than spend another second at immigration. Getting a mental image? First of all, before my arrival to Thailand, I of course had to acquire a visa. Being on a time crunch, my home coordinator for study abroad had told me it was much easier/faster to obtain a single-entry visa than a multiple. Well, not so much. Now, this is a lot of lingo mumbo-jumbo, but long story short I had a single entry visa-- meaning if I wanted to leave the country, I would have to get a re-entry permit. So, off to immigration. Rather naively, I assumed that I would be able to waltz into immigration, they would greet me with open arms, ask what I wanted and BOOM! You got it girl! Ha. What a fantasy world I live in. First of all, there was no real direction to get what I aimed to obtain. I wanted to switch my single visa to a multiple. So did two of my classmates, perfect! Let us ride! We show up, head for the door, and say what? This is the embassy for ONLY Malaysians or Laotians? So there are two Thai embassies... cool right? And we conveniently went to the one that didn't accept us. This wouldn't have been as frustrating IF it weren't for: so much traffic that you rarely moved, not being able to speak Thai= embarrassing language barrier, we didn't actually know where this "other" embassy was located, and just for kicks if it weren't 50023435094530 degrees. I've ranted enough about immigration, didn't intend to write a paragraph, but I could honestly write a novel on the flawed system that is immigration. I sincerely hope that there are translators at our immigration offices in the US, because I felt like I was an unwanted creature that was shunned from society. It was so frustrating, but luckily after two trips too many to immigration, I got it all situated, and I was that much closer to Cambodia!
The trip to Cambodia was going to take about 5 hours. Three hours to the border, then another two once in Cambodia to the town of Siem Riep where we were staying. So, in the wee hours of the morning, we set out to catch the bus from Mochit Station. The bus ride was rather easy. I have troubles sleeping on a bus normally, but it was either that I had an hour of sleep or that this was some magically comfy bus, but I was out. I wake up to an entirely different world. We've gotta be there! There were rickety buildings and giant casinos atop red clay instead of the temple infused concrete jungle that I was now accustomed to in Bangkok. Well, it wasn't really Cambodia quite yet, but it was the in-between... the border town. Fun fact: In neither Cambodia or Thailand are casinos legal.... solution? All casinos to the border town! There were five huge casinos before we even got to passport check. Good thing I've never been a gambler, onward!
As we got off of the bus, we were approached by a Tuk Tuk driver. From my other blogs, you can probably infer what this meant. Again, tricked by our lack of knowledge! As her appearance suggested, she was just a nice little lady who wanted to take us to the border for cheap, cheap! We were driven to a fake border, a tourist trap and some pretty shady operations, if I may say. Luckily, veteran Cambodian traveler Cristina (my Californian friend who had already been to Cambodia and saw these horrors) led us to the correct border and we started the waiting game to get our visas and get our passports stamped. In this line, we were basically ran down by some incredibly rude Russian people. The guy doesn't understand the concept of 'queue up' and literally mowed down Cristina and myself, taking about 11 of his rude friends with him. An instance that was annoying turned into a comic relief for our tense nerves. I don't think I've ever laughed that hard about rude people in my life. We cracked jokes about line jumpers the entire one hour wait. (I think our correct state was sleep-deprived) Finally, after many obstacles and laughs, we were in! Hello Cambodia!
After a short bus ride and an encounter with some friendly travelers, we got the name of a nice guesthouse and situated our things. First on the agenda was Angkor Wat. The largest religious structure in the world! Angkor Wat includes several temples, all more impressive than the last. We heard from some friends who had been there in the past that you could get in for free past 4, since the place closed at 6. Day passes cost 20 dollars (US) so we decided to get in for free to watch the sunset, then go for sunrise/the day trip the next day. We arranged travel to and from within our hostel and some nice tuk tuk drivers (a seemingly uncommon occurrence here) After a nice hike up to the top of the sunset temple, we stood in a line that stretched all the way to back. As the sun started to drop in the sky, we worried we wouldn't get up there fast enough, but alas, we were close! Unfortunately, we were then passed by 7 people.... line jumped AGAIN. sigh. Thailand has taught me many things, and of those things: Mai Pen Rai (No worries) and to have a cool heart. But wouldn't you know, those 7 line jumpers were the last ones to get to go up.... I hope it was the best (and last.. JUST KIDDING) sunset they've ever seen... jerks. Even though we didn't see it from the top of the gorgeous temple, it was still amazing. A good sunset never gets old, no matter your altitude. We hiked down and got some grub. Cambodia offered basically the same type of food as Thailand, but it the Khmer curry was awesome! It was about the same as far as taste and ingredients, but I took great pride in the fact that it didn't burn my lips off one bite in. Go Cambodia! Since we were getting up at 4 am to make it to the sunrise, it was an early to bed kinda night.
The next day, we were all insanely quiet. 4 am will do that do you after a day of traveling. We approach the base of Angkor Wat and it was unlike anything I've ever seen. The decaying temples were an astonishing brown/sand color that was so interesting. The sheer size of the structure was enough, but something about the contrasting color and architecture just set my mood to awe. We were lucky enough to grab some seats near a reflecting pool to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat. Unfortunately due to some cloudy haze, it was a little anti-climactic, but it was gorgeous none the less. For the next 2 hours, we walked through hall after hall of the temples and admired the world that once was. The very ground we were walking on once housed an ancient city. It would have been insane to see the halls filled with people and their homes. I can't even imagine! After our short trek there, we decided to get some lunch. Jumping back to the title of the blog, you were probably thinking Angelina Jolie #3? This was the name of the restaurant, and possibly the owner, of the place we had lunch. Before we even set foot inside the temple for sunrise, we were approached by this woman that asked us to eat at her place. Amidst the myriad of street vendors that set up shop at the grounds, we were like yeah right, like we'd find you! But she assured us, 'come to me, Angelina Jolie #3.' Sure enough, as we started for the food, we saw the sign and there she was... She had a huge smile on her face, "My friends! I knew you'd find me!"I can't speak for the original Angelina, but #3 makes a mean banana pancake... so delicious! Angelina Jolie is a bit of a god in Cambodia, it's kinda funny actually... They love her! Probably the most hilarious moment of the trip was at lunch. As we waited for our food, we saw a group of small children playing in the field beside the restaurant. We laughed at the cute little baby that wobbled along and played soccer with his sisters, and Jenny, a friend from Oregon, laughs and says, "the one in yellow is my favorite" She was speaking of a little boy that was playing with his siblings, but at the moment we all turn around, he just whips down his pants and starts peeing. Startled, Jenny said "GEEZ, of course he would do that when you all look." We were dying laughing, and thus began the daily joke: creeper: Jennyfile! (luckily, she's a fun spirit that can take the jokes) We left our good friend Angie and headed on to the next set of temples. Angkor itself was impressive, but it was the smaller temples that left me speechless. We saw the elephant terraces, bayon temple, and the temple where Lara Croft: Tomb raider was shot. It was crazy, inspiring, and amazing... telling you about it doesn't do it justice, nor will the pictures, but it's worth a shot!
The day got the most interesting when it decided to torrential downpour on the final temple. One thing that was completely different about Cambodia was the plethora of adorable little kids trying to sell you things. "ladyyyyyy where you go?" "Lady, one dolla for you!" "Lady, please buy for one dollar!" "Cold drink for you, one dollar!" I was exhausted from saying no, and I felt so guilty because they were literally the cutest kids I've ever seen! One boy came up to me and begged for me to buy postcards from him. I couldn't say no, and needed postcards, so I gave him the dollar and some extra for him... although in hindsight, it probably didn't get to go to him :( but I hope it did! A girl immediately came up to me and said that she saw me first and why didn't I buy from her!? I was in the middle of a post-card turf war! What does one do in this situation? Run Lola, Run! The final temple was the most fun. Even though we were drowned rats and couldn't walk without sinking in mud, the rain felt amazing. We were so hot from climbing up a million stairs and walking around. It was incredible and the views were amazing! (see photos) A little boy came up to me and tried to get me to buy a flute. Assuring him I have no musical talents, he was like 'you learn!' After telling him no about 15 times, I asked sarcastically if he could play jingle bells. Without sparing another second, BOOM! Jingle bells!! I was amazed at the English level of cambodian people. They were so shocking to hear! Once, I said Kap khun ka (thank you in Thai) and of course, duh, I'm in Cambodia where they speak Cambodian/Khmer, and politely, the vendor said 'that's Thai, if you say thank you in Cambodian it's awkunh" Silly differences... I will probably make the same mistake a million times when I am back home in the states. Only difference is people probably won't be half as polite in correcting me.
That night, we decided to hit the town, enjoy the night markets, and eat some more amazing Cambodian food. It was very interesting to be able to both compare Cambodia to life in the states as well as my new 2nd home in Bangkok. Such a surreal experience. I still can't believe I am living in Thailand.
Unfortunately, school awaited, so it was back to Bangkok for us!
Now for the part you're all waiting for: pictures! (I apologize for the ordering... blogspot hates me and I still don't know how to use it properly... probably why it takes me forever to write these!)
Tune in soon for tales of Songkran (Thai New Year) and Northern Thailand adventures in Chiang Mai and Pai!
As we got off of the bus, we were approached by a Tuk Tuk driver. From my other blogs, you can probably infer what this meant. Again, tricked by our lack of knowledge! As her appearance suggested, she was just a nice little lady who wanted to take us to the border for cheap, cheap! We were driven to a fake border, a tourist trap and some pretty shady operations, if I may say. Luckily, veteran Cambodian traveler Cristina (my Californian friend who had already been to Cambodia and saw these horrors) led us to the correct border and we started the waiting game to get our visas and get our passports stamped. In this line, we were basically ran down by some incredibly rude Russian people. The guy doesn't understand the concept of 'queue up' and literally mowed down Cristina and myself, taking about 11 of his rude friends with him. An instance that was annoying turned into a comic relief for our tense nerves. I don't think I've ever laughed that hard about rude people in my life. We cracked jokes about line jumpers the entire one hour wait. (I think our correct state was sleep-deprived) Finally, after many obstacles and laughs, we were in! Hello Cambodia!
After a short bus ride and an encounter with some friendly travelers, we got the name of a nice guesthouse and situated our things. First on the agenda was Angkor Wat. The largest religious structure in the world! Angkor Wat includes several temples, all more impressive than the last. We heard from some friends who had been there in the past that you could get in for free past 4, since the place closed at 6. Day passes cost 20 dollars (US) so we decided to get in for free to watch the sunset, then go for sunrise/the day trip the next day. We arranged travel to and from within our hostel and some nice tuk tuk drivers (a seemingly uncommon occurrence here) After a nice hike up to the top of the sunset temple, we stood in a line that stretched all the way to back. As the sun started to drop in the sky, we worried we wouldn't get up there fast enough, but alas, we were close! Unfortunately, we were then passed by 7 people.... line jumped AGAIN. sigh. Thailand has taught me many things, and of those things: Mai Pen Rai (No worries) and to have a cool heart. But wouldn't you know, those 7 line jumpers were the last ones to get to go up.... I hope it was the best (and last.. JUST KIDDING) sunset they've ever seen... jerks. Even though we didn't see it from the top of the gorgeous temple, it was still amazing. A good sunset never gets old, no matter your altitude. We hiked down and got some grub. Cambodia offered basically the same type of food as Thailand, but it the Khmer curry was awesome! It was about the same as far as taste and ingredients, but I took great pride in the fact that it didn't burn my lips off one bite in. Go Cambodia! Since we were getting up at 4 am to make it to the sunrise, it was an early to bed kinda night.
The next day, we were all insanely quiet. 4 am will do that do you after a day of traveling. We approach the base of Angkor Wat and it was unlike anything I've ever seen. The decaying temples were an astonishing brown/sand color that was so interesting. The sheer size of the structure was enough, but something about the contrasting color and architecture just set my mood to awe. We were lucky enough to grab some seats near a reflecting pool to watch the sunrise over Angkor Wat. Unfortunately due to some cloudy haze, it was a little anti-climactic, but it was gorgeous none the less. For the next 2 hours, we walked through hall after hall of the temples and admired the world that once was. The very ground we were walking on once housed an ancient city. It would have been insane to see the halls filled with people and their homes. I can't even imagine! After our short trek there, we decided to get some lunch. Jumping back to the title of the blog, you were probably thinking Angelina Jolie #3? This was the name of the restaurant, and possibly the owner, of the place we had lunch. Before we even set foot inside the temple for sunrise, we were approached by this woman that asked us to eat at her place. Amidst the myriad of street vendors that set up shop at the grounds, we were like yeah right, like we'd find you! But she assured us, 'come to me, Angelina Jolie #3.' Sure enough, as we started for the food, we saw the sign and there she was... She had a huge smile on her face, "My friends! I knew you'd find me!"I can't speak for the original Angelina, but #3 makes a mean banana pancake... so delicious! Angelina Jolie is a bit of a god in Cambodia, it's kinda funny actually... They love her! Probably the most hilarious moment of the trip was at lunch. As we waited for our food, we saw a group of small children playing in the field beside the restaurant. We laughed at the cute little baby that wobbled along and played soccer with his sisters, and Jenny, a friend from Oregon, laughs and says, "the one in yellow is my favorite" She was speaking of a little boy that was playing with his siblings, but at the moment we all turn around, he just whips down his pants and starts peeing. Startled, Jenny said "GEEZ, of course he would do that when you all look." We were dying laughing, and thus began the daily joke: creeper: Jennyfile! (luckily, she's a fun spirit that can take the jokes) We left our good friend Angie and headed on to the next set of temples. Angkor itself was impressive, but it was the smaller temples that left me speechless. We saw the elephant terraces, bayon temple, and the temple where Lara Croft: Tomb raider was shot. It was crazy, inspiring, and amazing... telling you about it doesn't do it justice, nor will the pictures, but it's worth a shot!
The day got the most interesting when it decided to torrential downpour on the final temple. One thing that was completely different about Cambodia was the plethora of adorable little kids trying to sell you things. "ladyyyyyy where you go?" "Lady, one dolla for you!" "Lady, please buy for one dollar!" "Cold drink for you, one dollar!" I was exhausted from saying no, and I felt so guilty because they were literally the cutest kids I've ever seen! One boy came up to me and begged for me to buy postcards from him. I couldn't say no, and needed postcards, so I gave him the dollar and some extra for him... although in hindsight, it probably didn't get to go to him :( but I hope it did! A girl immediately came up to me and said that she saw me first and why didn't I buy from her!? I was in the middle of a post-card turf war! What does one do in this situation? Run Lola, Run! The final temple was the most fun. Even though we were drowned rats and couldn't walk without sinking in mud, the rain felt amazing. We were so hot from climbing up a million stairs and walking around. It was incredible and the views were amazing! (see photos) A little boy came up to me and tried to get me to buy a flute. Assuring him I have no musical talents, he was like 'you learn!' After telling him no about 15 times, I asked sarcastically if he could play jingle bells. Without sparing another second, BOOM! Jingle bells!! I was amazed at the English level of cambodian people. They were so shocking to hear! Once, I said Kap khun ka (thank you in Thai) and of course, duh, I'm in Cambodia where they speak Cambodian/Khmer, and politely, the vendor said 'that's Thai, if you say thank you in Cambodian it's awkunh" Silly differences... I will probably make the same mistake a million times when I am back home in the states. Only difference is people probably won't be half as polite in correcting me.
That night, we decided to hit the town, enjoy the night markets, and eat some more amazing Cambodian food. It was very interesting to be able to both compare Cambodia to life in the states as well as my new 2nd home in Bangkok. Such a surreal experience. I still can't believe I am living in Thailand.
Unfortunately, school awaited, so it was back to Bangkok for us!
Now for the part you're all waiting for: pictures! (I apologize for the ordering... blogspot hates me and I still don't know how to use it properly... probably why it takes me forever to write these!)
some of the stairs were so high that expectant mothers weren't allowed...
stairs for days
Thanks Yellow Guesthouse!
Sunrise courtesy of Angkor Wat
Bayon Temple
Tomb Raider!
Our guest house was full of these little signs
English, lost in translation
see the baby on the front of the motorcycle? Yeah, freak out like I did...
Jenny, Aasa, Gabe, Cristina and I
So much detail!
Tune in soon for tales of Songkran (Thai New Year) and Northern Thailand adventures in Chiang Mai and Pai!
