Ankgor Wat Area, Cambodia

3/12/2014

'If at first you don't secede, join the Union. We have pizza.'

You can't tell how hot it is.

Or Indiana Jones, Dirk Pitt, that Uncharted guy. I would assume that everyone who makes the journey to Siem Reap, Cambodia, goes to there to see Angkor Wat. Along with Angkor Thom (the faces) it is one of those special places, but Jack loved both those places so much they'll get their own issues. This particular one you're holding is not filler, though, it is to celebrate the dozens of other incredible temples on the same massive grounds as their more famous siblings. And we're going to tour them by bike. A crappy bike that cost $1 to rent. Oh, yeah. . .

Blurry b/c piece of crap bike is falling apart as I take this

How to Get There

Get on a bike, son! Rent a little 2-cycle from your hostel/hotel/dude on the street and ride around. If you're Mr. Moneybags you can get your own little scooter, but only do that if time is a factor or you have an injury. Otherwise, get some exercise!

If you didn't fly directly into Siem Reap then you need to take a bus across the border. Beware a couple of things. One, do NOT leave anything at all valuable in your bag that is stowed under the bus, especially an overnight bus. Two, do NOT assume the Cambodian border officials are telling you the truth. Know the rules before you cross and if you see something fishy try and find a new official. See this issue's essay for thoughts on corruption and contrast.

You will just stumble across these places. . .

What To Do

Bike all over creation, use your map to try and figure out where the hell you are, and wander through some ancient temples. It's an experience that will make you feel like a legitimate traveler and not just a tourist (whatever that means), but you will feel like you accomplished something.

The downside to not having a guide is that there is little to no signage so we generally had no idea what temple we were at. Jack had to look them up later on the internets using pictures as clues. Still, it was totally worth it to spend an entire day just sightseeing, drenched with sweat from the humidity, but happily walking inside cool, stone buildings and eating fresh fruit for lunch before buying some local handicrafts as gifts for those poor souls stuck back home.

Sometimes it's just a banana, Freud

A Bicycle Built for Two?
You can certainly meet plenty of other travelers while walking around the temples, just be confident and ask them to take your photo, ask for advice, ask if they want a bite of your fresh banana (literally, get your mind out of the gutter). And many of them will be cute and adventurous. If they are on bike, why not join forces? Then why not ask them if they want to meet you for a drink or proper dinner back in town? You are all high on energy from exploring this cool place, it is a good time to make your move.

Free Buddha Statue Viewing! No Money down!

Beware False Profits
If someone offers you incense or a blessing inside a temple, it is a scam. They are NOT holy men and will demand an 'offering' for the privilege. Ignore them, don't engage even in saying 'no'. They are parasites.

All worth it to see sights like this.

Jack's Misadventures

Well ol' Jack thought he was going to be extra clever and pinch those pennies, renting the 1 dollar bike. Ol Jack is an idiot. The brave little nil speed (opposite of a 10 speed) actually held up very well. He rode it from dawn till dusk (no yo mamma jokes, I promise), but then, just as the sun was setting and he was tired, totally soaked with sweat, grimy, and hungry wanting to make the 3 mile ride back to the hotel, the bike's chain decided it would like to go home first. And Jack kind of went careening off the road and down a hillside. Much cursing insued. The chain was repalced by hand, lasted about 1/2 a mile and fell off again. Repeat the entire way home. He was covered with grease by the time he came back while the other guys on their fancy 5 dollar bikes were already sipping their victory beers. Lesson learned.

Wallet Roll
Well you can get a cheap bike or a really cheap bike. But you get what you pay for. Even 5 bucks to rent a bike for the day is a bargain when you're using it to explore an incredible sight like this. The pass to get into the park is pretty steep, but you are already saving money by not hiring a tuk-tuk driver, right?

If you do hire a driver, have a definite schedule in mind and be a little dickish about it. Don't let him take you to a friend's store or any of that nonsense and negotiate the full price beforehand! Shenanigans will probably still ensue, but that's the game.

This is so cool I just can't stand it.

The Seal Club

If you only have time for some stuff, see the famous two (Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom). However, if you have another day to kill, do this bike trip rather than go shopping in SR. Even if you don't have much time, you must go see the 'tree temple'. You'll know it when you see it and you will be impressed.

Travel Tip # 121: Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Pee often. Be well.

Travel Well Traveled អត្ថបទ

The Metaphor of Two Lines:
Encountering Low-Rent Corruption

Wash corrupt hands here.

Not a pleasant topic, but an unfortunate reality of any country. So let's get that equivocation out of the way. Is there corruption in every country? Of course. Countries are just places full of human beings, as celebrity child philosophers would say on Twitter. In the USA we have streamlined it so that only the upper echelons of government receive bribes, er, 'campaign donations'. Since it is not directly in front of us, it is easy to forget what a nasty taste it can leave in your brain.

Once you start traveling, though, the ugly face of corruption will be winking at you from across a smokey room. And then you'll realized you're likely trapped in that room, because corruption is a sweaty local sleazeball and you're on his territory.

Taxi and tuk-tuk drivers trying to massage some extra pay here and there is all part of the experience and not that big of a deal as long as you react smartly and calmly. The real issue here is when you come across people with real power wanting that extra cheddar. As I've mentioned in the travel tips before, it is a good idea to have an emergency reserve of cash in your country's currency just in case you need to persuade a policeman to drop the trumped-up charges or when a man with a paunch-blown uniform and a reeking cigarette puts your passport in an office desk and just looks at you expectantly. One twenty dollar bill may save you from some real trouble.

For me, the example that sticks out best in my mind was when I was returning from Cambodia to Thailand. Crossing into Cambodia had been more than a little shady and now that I was coming out of it, I was armed with my $20 US tucked away, just in case I needed to loosen some official's visa stamp. I had also preemptively taken the rest of my money out of my wallet just so I could open it up and show that it was 'empty'.

The border crossing between the two countries is dusty, hot, and packed with trucks and people on foot. There are beggars and businessmen, women walking with straining sacks of goods, and stray dogs darting into danger to grab a dropped morsel. The buildings are worn down by the humidity, the street a messy hybrid of commercial trucks, cars, people and animals. The departing lines formed at a squat, one story building where you had to wait outside to get to two guys behind plexiglass windows.

There were two lines to leave and one was much, much longer than the other. As most people would, I hefted my giant pack and went to stand in the shorter line. When I got closer to the front, I confirmed my suspicion as to just why this line was so short. The man behind the plexiglass was skinny and sallow, unshaven and dressed rather slovenly in his uniform.

Want to use VIP bathroom? $10

"I don't have that," the Canadian guy in front of me was saying. "I don't think I have to pay it."
"Twenty dollars," the official said, not at all in an intimidating tone. He was bored with his grift and looked annoyed more than anything else that these extravagantly wealthy backpackers weren't willing to toss in twenty bucks extra to help brighten his day.

The Canadian picked up his pack, grabbed his passport off the counter and went to the back of the long line. I looked at the little man, safe behind the plexiglass, eyes dead and body slumped in utter disinterest of even his crime.

Being near the windows, I was able to hear the man's compatriot was not attempting the extra service charge and that's why his business was booming. So I went to the back of the long line and felt amused that there were two outgoing lines, one was about 20 people deep and the other now had zero. Because petty evil is often rewarded, Johnny Kickback then got to take a break and smoked his cigarette, glaring at the backpackers who hadn't greased his palm, while the other agent sent us through with efficient, courteous, and honest effort.

I remember thinking how strange it must feel to be the honest guy. Imagine that you have to sit about four feet away from a crook wearing your same uniform, same title. You do your job honorably and this other guy is heading home with several hundred dollars extra. Of course, maybe they were each corrupt and took turns in their practice, but I like to try and find the best in people. I choose to believe that my guy was one of the good ones, that he didn't want visitors' last impression of his home to be one of lowly greed. Perhaps one day, after work, he will full-on deck his scrawny little coworker and lay him out right into a nearby cow pie.

So yes, Virginia, there is corruption in the world. It's rampant and kind of depressing when you realize its breadth and depth, but there are good people out there, too. They are good and honest in small ways. This creates a natural balancing act with the more unsavory that float about in the toilet world of con artists, thieves, and other such morally lecherous people. They lead such small, small lives and I would say we should all simply pity them, but it's a lot more fun to imagine them getting their teeth knocked in, isn't it?

Travel Tip #86: If you find a way to game the system don't share it on the internet! Let's keep that loophole open people!

The Elephant Terrace

This place was an immediate stop because you can see the various elephant carvings from the road. The 2.5 dimensional carvings seem alive, especially with the added weathering of the stone. Many were crumbled and barely discernible as elephants, but that just enhances the idea that you are in an ancient place.
Once you got inside the temple grounds, it was a beautiful walk to a sprawling courtyard with a solid temple right in the center. Jack's favorite sight, though, was the Sky Door which surely once lead to the realm of the heavens or something awesome like that. Just climb those steps and imagine the possibilities.

Ta Kao Temple (I think)

Although Jack is not sure at all if this is the right name for this place, it was a cool find, slightly hidden from the road where he was biking. Of course, it's easy to see that huge structure now, but when you got sweat in your eyes and have already been biking for 5 hours, things start to blur. We took a little wander around the sight, and climbed up top to see the view. It is yet another neat addition to the things to see here!

Small Tree Temple (not Ta Prohm)

This was a little spot just off the road and this was it. There were no other grounds or things to see, just this little ruin that had been totally taken over by a couple of trees. The way the roots entwined with the stones was striking and seeing one of them about fifteen feet off the actual ground and seeming to grow out of crumbling stones was amazing! I wish I could have spent more time at this place, just hanging out and taking more pictures, but my travel buddies were in a hurry.
There were no signs at all and I have yet to find the name of this tiny place online (if it even as a name), but it was fairly close to Ta Prohm (the famous tree temple) so look for it around there!

Kravan Temple

This place was small, but different from many of the other temples in the area. For one, the color of the stone was more sandy and not so moss-eaten. There were also carvings and writing inside it that you didn't see in the other places. I'm sure Wikipedia can tell you why, but Jack is going to wildly speculate instead: it was built at a different date and by a different religious sect, hence the different stone. The writing is an attempt to being a new mythos in contrast to the other temples. Yeah, that's what I'm going to believe.

Other Temples

Yep, ol' Jack has no idea what the names of these places are, either. One of the downsides to squiring yourself about the 'Wat, I suppose. He called the tall ones 'chimneys' and the other one 'small temple' in his expansive photo catalog, so that's as good as you're going to get here. Both were quick stops and quite neat in their own right. These are just another example of the cool stuff you will come across while biking around.

Ta Prohm

Ah, saving the best for last. This is another temple that has been featured in some movies and TV shows, but you really have to see it for yourself to get an idea of both the scale of the trees and the hypnotizing way they seem to curve and grow out of stone walls.
The trees themselves are very, very tall, with trunks much wider than a man. They tower over the crumbling temple and it almost feels like you are at the aftermath of an Ent attack, with nature retaking its bounty from the man-made buildings.
Of course, Angkor Wat's main temple and Angkor Thom (Bayon) are the two places you must see, but the third place should be Ta Prohm. Lovers of antiquity, ruins, nature, feeling like an explorer, or just any person, would be amazed at this place. It's that cool. The only possible downside is that it is perpetually crowded and there isn't much room to walk around inside the relatively small temple (grown smaller with time as the trees are winding through it).
Totally worth it, though.

Biking video w/music

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Re-cycling through our biking theme

Jack is quite proud that he decided to bike the area rather than hiring a tuk-tuk driver (which is a whole 'nother story all on its own). This gave him the luxury of exploring on his own schedule, for dirt cheap (minus the expensive day pass), experiencing the humid beauty of a Cambodian day, and feeling a little bit like a real explorer. Not much, but every little bit helps us suburban white boys.

Although Angkor Wat and Thom (Bayon) were both amazing sights on their own (and the reason why Jack went to Cambodia), they equaled the joy of seeing the rest of the park. Finding the small, out of the way temples, biking around with a laughably simple park map and no sense of direction, all these things added to the fun. Stopping for lunch and grabbing some water and fresh fruit while sitting in the shade (after changing into a nonsweaty shirt) was both relaxing and gratifying. Rather than sitting uncomfortably in the back of a noisy tuk-tuk with a driver that may or may not be honest, he got to see Angkor Wat about as naturally as you can get. And that's pretty awesome.

If you're ever in Siem Reap, do yourself a favor and take the bike out for your day in the park, you (probably) won't regret it.

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