Fried Chicken Feet and BBQ Barracuda

The elections are over, and the same party that's been in power for the last 25 or more years is still in power. I have a sense that a lot of voters in this little coastal community feel a little disheartened. Maybe I'm just projecting my own disappointment.
I saw at least two cars with UN election obersers' stickers on the rear windshield, which gives me hope that at least the election wasn't rigged.

The weather in Sihanoukville has been very nice for the last few days. The daily downpours have subsided slightly, and we're enjoying the sun and shade. Today we enjoyed breakfast at the Starfish Bakery and Cafe before heading to the beach to sunbathe and hunt for shells. Starfish is a grassroots organization that raises funds to help young and disabled Cambodians learn valuable trade skills. They sell amazing food and beautiful crafts, and it feels very good to know that my money is going towards a noble cause.

The food this weeks has run the gamut from the very western bacon cheeseburger, to a gourmet seafood dinner in a French restaurant, to ramen and fried chicken feet. Earlier in the week we tested the waters of the local street food by munching on chicken feet dipped in a salty lime sauce, and crisp cucumber salad. While traveling by boat through the mangroves of Ream National Park we were treated to a lunch of BBQ fresh local Barracuda and coleslaw with coke in a bottle. Yesterday for lunch we had the simplest of simple, a bowl of ramen noodles with green onion and sweet chile sauce. And last night we had the most spectacular gourmet seafood platter with grilled giant prawns, ceviche in lime and olive oil, scallops in some sort of delicious butter sauce, more BBQ Barracuda, and calamari - with a lovely view of the beach on our left a small Cambodian child, a dog and a cat on our right and no doubt a few dozen geckos watching from the rafters.

Yes, the food is amazing.

After a few discouraging conversations with tour agencies about the possibility of visiting Ream National Park, we were very pleased when we finally found ourselves motoring through the mangroves on arguably the most beautiful day of the week. Our guides were very quiet only speaking when we should be looking at a stork or eagle flying overhead. We pulled ashore by a very small fishing village - not more than 40 residents - and walked about 30 minutes through the jungle, past a HUGE spider, over countless red ant trails, past about thirty termite hills with birds and cicadas in the background until we emerged at a beautiful white sand beach.

When the afternoon thunderclouds rolled in we hustled back to the shelter of the jungle, and made our way to the awaiting lunch spread of BBQ barracuda, coleslaw, bread and coke - with fresh pineapple and banana for dessert. The Barracuda was phenomenal! Still kicking myself for not getting the recipe. Of course the pineapple and banana was delicious too.

Yesterday was to real adventure! We rented a 250cc trail bike to ride about 15 miles out of town to a waterfall. The bike was fine, the driver (me) very capable, and the rider (Brooke) an experienced rider... everything else? Well, you might imagine what it's like but let me elaborate: The good news is we had a great time. The adventure was navigating the nearly anarchists traffic, negotiating our way past a fake park ranger who had run a chain across the road to try to scam entrance fees out of naive tourists, and making it back to a gas station after some little brat kids stole most of our gasoline while we weren't looking. Oh, and being told that if we weren't careful we might get held up at gunpoint - or worse, shot just because we're white tourists! That wasn't very encouraging.
Well, in the end, all we really suffered was losing about $6 in gas, and some rather stinky armpits thanks to a higher than average stress level. The waterfall was awesome... Worth it.

No photos here

While we were in Phnom Penh, Brooke organized a trip to a local orphanage where we spent two hours playing with about a dozen or more Cambodian children between the ages of maybe 5 months and 7 or 8 years. The kids loved us, and we loved them. It was refreshing to be able to just play. I'm so used to kids harassing us and trying to sell anything and everything for a dollar. These kids just wanted love.

On the other end of the emotional spectrum, the Killing Fields in Phnom Penh, much like the land mine museum in Siem Reap, is a sobering experience. The monument of skulls piled in layer after layer of grim silence... leaves me with few words. And to think that this all happened very nearly in my lifetime!

Even though we are only two weeks into the trip, I feel as though we have been hurdled through the beauty and the horror of humanity past and present. Pollution and poverty, the ruins of Angkor Wat, the slums of Phnom Penh, golden temples, endless craft markets, children digging through garbage, children smiling and giggling in my arms... people trying to help us, people trying to rip us off. And we have another seven weeks to go!

Awesome Angkor

Remember that narrowly evaded scam at the Bangkok tour agency? Yeah, it tracked us down at the border, and I didn't even realize it until 24 hours later. Let's just say Brooke and I gave a little economic stimulus check to Cambodia.
Cutting to the chase, the Angkor ruins near Siem Reap are ASTOUNDING! Really, truly, honestly staggering. I hesitate to post pictures because I'd have to post a thousand just to give you a taste. Here are a couple, which you can think of as a faint whiff from afar.The ruins are spread all across Cambodia, but some of the most remarkable are all within a 30 minute tuk tuk ride from Siem Reap. Angkor Thom, the 12th century city in which resides the "largest religious building in the world" - Angkor Wat - , was the focus of our attention. If you want to learn more I suggest looking it up on Wikipedia.
The pestering vendors inundated most of the ruins, sending their adorable children after us. At first it was hard to say no, but we got into the swing of it. I am now an expert at saying "no, thank you" in Khmer (sounds like "tay, ah-koon"). Of course, they all speak english, and some of them even pretend not to speak Khmer. One little girl said "What does 'tay' mean? I am not Cambodian.... I am a tiger! Raar!" and then giggled.
The Cambodian people have proven to be very friendly, and very determined to rise from the ashes of the last thirty years or so of terror and hardship. In two days Cambodia is having a major election. I know very little about the politics here, but understand that Cambodia has much to gain from ousting the existing party in favor of one that will act on its words.

Vegas meets Thailand

Four days of hustle and bustle in Bangkok was enough. Khoa San Road, aka "tourist hell" was elbow to elbow tourists and street vendors. Although we were staying at Khoa San Palace, dead center on Khoa San road, we did our best to avoid the place.
After first being the target of a tour agent scam (which we narrowly avoided) we booked a four day package to take us to Siem Reap, Cambodia where we would explore the ruins of Angkor Wat. Our last night in Bangkok consisted of a trip to the local boxing arena, which of course features Muay Thai kickboxing. The problem there was that they charge FIVE times as much for a tourist as for a local. Two times, three times, sure... so we decided to head across town to the Siam Niramit theatrical performance.

Siam Niramit is a Thai cultural extravaganza, presenting five acts that represent different aspects of Thailand's music, art and religion. Having never seen a real Vegas show, I can only say that Siam Niramit is precisely what I would imagine a Vegas performance to be like. Or maybe it is the Disney version of Thai culture. The point is, we had a great time but left wondering whether any part of the show really resembled the regions historical culture.
The theater is devoted entirely and solely to this one show, with a large gift shop and replica of northern and southern traditional villages. It holds some world record for the tallest theater. You can even feed a real baby elephant!
After the show, we dilly dallied long enough to get on the shuttle bus with a bunch of the performers. We were dropped off at the subway, which is either brand new or meticulously cared for. We took the subway to the sky train and the sky train to a taxi. I pause briefly when we exited the sky train to snap a few photos of a Bangkok city streetscape. Very beautiful in a brutal urban sort of way.

Two travelers in a Tuk-Tuk

You know you're traveling in a foreign country when Brooke turns and says to you; "Good news, I just farted."

Since we moved to our new hotel - Khao San Palace - by the River Chao Phraya, the local food and culture has become our focus. The jet lag seems to have passed, and we are now Tuk-tuk-ing our way around town, eating at the street venders, seeing statues of Budha, and being heavily solicited to buy jewelry and custom tailored thai silk suits.

Sometimes Budha is sitting, sometimes reclining, smetimes standing. The biggest was probably 60 meters high. Because it was Budha day on Friday, many of the "Wats" (temples) that are normally closed to the public were open. Two of them were completely empty when we arrived -which felt very VIP.

By the end of the day we learned that Tuk-tuk drivers get a gasoline voucher if they take tourists to one jewelry store and one tailor. We learned this because our second tuk tuk driver told us explicitly that our fare would be much less if he took us to two stores along the way. In the first one we didn't try very hard to look interested and the driver said we had to do a better job of pretending otherwise he wouldn't get his voucher. We put on a pretty good show with the tailor, and with the second jeweler, so our driver was happy.

I couldn't help but wonder if the vouchers were government sponsored, mandated, or entirely voluntary on the part of the store owners.

For dinner we wetted our appetites with some BBQ squid... mmm, spicy and very chewy. And then found some fresh pineapple for about 30 cents. For the main course we had Pad Thai and spring rolls. Two large servings cost us about a dollar each. Amazing.

Tomorrow we leave by bus for Cambodia to see Angkor Wat, and then Phnom Phen to see the capital and get Visas for Vietnam.

Day one

For a jet-lagged, stupid american tourist, I am pleased to announce that I have not yet been scammed... at least not that I am aware of. We walked by a temple... on our way to a giant shopping complex, which I have to confess, is where I spent most of my first whole day in Bangkok. Brooke and I window shopped for most of the day, bought a Thai phrase book so that we could attempt to be cordial with the locals, watched an american movie in a giant movie theater, and tried out some local food. Oh, and I bought a hip new pair of european leather shoes. In defense of the mall, the art galleries were amazing! Some of the furniture and interior lighting stores had impressive collections of original designs. And one of the atriums had living walls, with plants growing five stories up the side of the building.

Our next mission is to a find travel agent and get a little advice. I have some interest in doing a meditation retreat, but I doubt I'll be able to convince Brooke it's a good idea. And I quote: "It just sounds like bull shit to me..." ...She wants to do something more active. Oh well, maybe a bicycle trip is a better idea anyway.

Anticipation

It's 11pm the night before Brooke and I leave for Bangkok. Considering the duration of this trip - 9 weeks - I feel disturbingly calm. Leaving Eugene 5 days ago was a sort of beginning to the trip, allowing time to remember not to forget all the little bits and pieces. But really, when it comes to enjoying my time in Asia, all I need to bring is a passport, an ATM card and a change of underwear. Everything else I can get along my way.
Planning thus far has gotten us two nights stay at a Golden House Hotel in Bangkok. The rest... got any suggestions? Having freedom to go anywhere is liberating, and a little bit intimidating. For six weeks we will have to intuit and discover each new piece of this journey. The last three, although well laid out with the Art in China program, also hold much mystery.