Richard Halverstadt: July 2, 2011: Cambodia Day 1

July 2, 2011: As I waited in line in KL to go through security, the man behind me started a conversation with me. He asked where I was from and when I asked him where he was from, he said at first "I'm Islam." I asked again where he was from and he reluctantly told me "Iran". He went on to say how much he and his family liked Americans and how the Iranian people had been subjected to a bad government for years. We then go on to other topics, one of which was that his daughter standing in front of us wanted to study aerospace. Of course I told him that I had just retired from JPL and did he light up. It was really great to pass the time this way.

The trip from Kuala Lumpur to Siem Reap went without incident. The Siem Reap Airport is small so the passengers got off the plane and walked across the tarmac to go through Passport Control.

Siem Reap Airport

For those of you who intend to go to Cambodia for a visit, here's a traveler's tip: Don't change your currency at the airport. Not only is the rate bad, but it also appears that most places prefer that you pay in US currency. At any rate, the taxi ride to the hotel from the airport ($7) went well and of course the taxi driver eventually sold me on hiring him to take me to the various temples and for a day trip to Phnom Penh. That will keep me busy for three of the days that I'll be in Cambodia. On the way to the hotel, the driver told me a number of things including the fact that one of his sons was killed by the Khmer Rouge so that he only has two sons left. He seemed so desperate yet sincere and dedicated to earning an honest living as a taxi driver - I connected with him even if he was/is a salesman.

I arrived at my hotel and was warmly greeted at the door. The hotel checkin lady had a nice cold glass of lemonade waiting for me at a table in the lobby and brought over my paperwork for me to check in. She then gave me a map and told me in detail all of the things that I could see and do in Siem Reap. Later she showed me to my room which is AIR CONDITIONED! I really hadn't selected the hotel based on air conditioning, but am I glad that it is! It is so hot and humid here -- sweat drips from my forehead and face all the time. Apparently now is the low season for tourists who come more often from November thru April. Other than the air conditioning, the room is quite comfortable and I ordered my breakfast for tomorrow morning (included in the room rate). Among amenities in this room, there are two coconuts in the bathroom instead of glasses. Nice touch. And here is the top portion of the rules of the hotel posted on my wall:

Good thing I left my grenades at home.

After I checked my e-mail (free wifi in the hotel), I walked into town, a five minute walk. Siem Reap is a city with population 200,000. The population of the entire country is 14.5 million. Siem Reap reminded me of the way Kuala Lumpur once was in the 70's but Siem Reap is probably even farther behind than that except for the color TVs that seem to be in all the shops. In fact, I saw little huts filled with chairs in rows like in an auditorium and at the front of the shop were five or six TVs all playing at the same time. Perhaps this is Siem Reap's version of Barney's Beanery where there are hundreds of TVs all over the bar. The following are pictures I took of the city and markets:

Tuk tuks (motorcycle driven carts)

You can't escape KFC

Center Market

Center Market fruits

Fruits at Center Market

Fruit cart selling fruits on street

traffic on the street - many motorcycles

Key maker & shoe repairman

Old Market

Going to the market is quite an experience. The vendors are almost desperate to sell their things and were constantly calling out to me. There were also a number of vendors with no arms or no legs -- obviously land mine victims. But despite the plaintive calling out to me, all the people were all smiles when I passed them by. They seemed to be genuinely happy that I paid them notice when I said "Just looking" and went on. However, after an hour of browsing, it was time to head back to my hotel to cool off -- my brow can only take so much dripping before I'm drenched through and through. On the way back, I noticed two girls having their legs cleaned by fish in a tank.

girls having their legs cleaned by fish in a tank

As I neared my hotel, I saw construction going on the second floor of a nearby hotel.

House under construction

I'll return to the city later this evening for dinner since I saw a number of appealing places to eat.

Later: After a rest in my COOL hotel room, I returned to the hot outdoors and went downtown for dinner. I noted again how many motorcycles are on the streets and many of them carried as many people as a family of four.

Motorcycles fill the roads -- some with families of 4

I arrived at the restaurant as a new shipment of food was delivered. The picture below shows two men carrying a basket of vegetables to the kitchen. The smile on the first gentleman is typical of the smiles I have seen of most people after I talk with them or acknowledge them.