After some slight misunderstandings between me and the cambodian border authorities, they let me in the country (and relieved me of an extra $22 that I could have put to better use.) I took a boat from Chau Doc Vietnam to Phnom Penh.
(This is the border crossing. There were a whopping 3 guards on duty when we came ashore).
During my unfortunate visa "incident" on the boat, I met up with a few other travellers (one British-Australian couple, one Scottish couple, and one Canadian-Spanish couple. Yes, I was the 7th wheel but they were cool about it.) We hit it off really well, fended off overly assertive tuk-tuk drivers, and explored Phnom Penh together. By explored, I mean we went drinking... :)
PP is a city of extremes, moreso than any other city I've seen yet. On the one side of the street you have gated estates with 24-7 armed guards and Mercedes with tinted windows. On the other side there are women clutching naked toddlers and begging for food. That said, the Cambodian people were the most friendly I have encountered. There is a palpable warmth and generosity about them that makes me sure I will visit again.
I then embarked on the "4 hour" boat to siem reap (and by 4, they meant 7). I arrived weary, cold and wet just in time to see Angkor Wat at sunset. Wow. I randomly bumped into Ellen and Emily at the temple complex right before closing time, and we spent the better part of 2 hours romping around Angkor Wat while trying to evade the temple guards who were trying to close it down. I did a sprint tour of the other temples the following day before our flight to Beijing....I'll post some pics and little stories about our first few days in China soon (trying not to fall too far behind!) Off to Xi'an...
UPDATE - here are a couple from angkor wat:
(This is the border crossing. There were a whopping 3 guards on duty when we came ashore).
During my unfortunate visa "incident" on the boat, I met up with a few other travellers (one British-Australian couple, one Scottish couple, and one Canadian-Spanish couple. Yes, I was the 7th wheel but they were cool about it.) We hit it off really well, fended off overly assertive tuk-tuk drivers, and explored Phnom Penh together. By explored, I mean we went drinking... :)PP is a city of extremes, moreso than any other city I've seen yet. On the one side of the street you have gated estates with 24-7 armed guards and Mercedes with tinted windows. On the other side there are women clutching naked toddlers and begging for food. That said, the Cambodian people were the most friendly I have encountered. There is a palpable warmth and generosity about them that makes me sure I will visit again.
I then embarked on the "4 hour" boat to siem reap (and by 4, they meant 7). I arrived weary, cold and wet just in time to see Angkor Wat at sunset. Wow. I randomly bumped into Ellen and Emily at the temple complex right before closing time, and we spent the better part of 2 hours romping around Angkor Wat while trying to evade the temple guards who were trying to close it down. I did a sprint tour of the other temples the following day before our flight to Beijing....I'll post some pics and little stories about our first few days in China soon (trying not to fall too far behind!) Off to Xi'an...UPDATE - here are a couple from angkor wat:
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