Cambodia
Door: loesenerno
10 Februari 2011 | Laos, Vientiane
Suey sudai! (cambodian for hello, but probably spelled differently)
As you know we are on the move again, and we already covered more than thousand kms in 7 days!
We left Nong Khai heading for Siem Reap in Cambodia (nice detail: Siem Reap means literally 'Thai defeated', we wonder why they're fighting...).
It seemed to be a boring trip, but in our stopover in Khorat it happened to be Chinese Newyear, which they were celebrating abundantly. So we saw a great show and fireworks!
After a narrow escape from a scam (people trying to sell visa for double the price, claiming that you can't get it at the border anymore), we left Thailand allright. Cambodia wasn't any better
concerning the corruption; the officers were friendly but tried to charge us 3 dollar extra, but because Loes didn't understand (it didn't make sense and being Dutch I didn't think of bribe..), we didn't have to pay it.
After entering Cambodia we had some trouble finding a normal bus, so Erno asked a policeman for help. He directed us to a taxi, which we shared with an American couple (who happened to live in Cambodia for 13 years).
This saved us money and time (taxi is 2 hours, bus 5!), and eventually again a scam; the policeman owned a hostel in Siem Reap and had told the Taxidriver to drop us there (obviously he would get money for doing that). But because the american couple wanted to go to another hostel, we got out too at a normal place and the taxidriver lost his commission....they've got quite a talent for organising these things... :-)
In Siem Reap we had a relaxed hostel and went to see the huge tempelcomplex of Angkor Wat. We felt a little like ants, queueing to get in the temples, but it was worth it! We also visited some more remote temples (Ban Malea and Banti Srei), which were really nice, because we could walk trough the temple ruins like Indiana Jones. Apart from all the temple-ing we also went to see a floating village, were a complete community is living on the water (they even got their own school and a church floating!). Interesting to see, but on the way we also saw a lot of poor people living on the riverbanks. Speaking of which; we were sorry to see the begging/selling children at Angkor; when we asked them if they didn't have to go to school, they all answered: "no, I go to school on monday morning!". Good escape except for the fact that it was monday morning when we asked....
Ofcourse we couldn't leave Cambodia without seeing the Irrawady-dolphins, so we went to Kratie, a 10 hours busride from Siem Reap (through yellow, dry, dusty fields...boring!). AND; we saw them!!! Yoohoo, such cool animals! And we saw a lot of them! The only downside is that they're not really photogenic :-) Right now we are in Si pan don in Laos, and tomorrow we will try to see them again. The good thing about Cambodia dolphin watching was that the WWF puts a lot of effort in protecting the few dolphins that are left (only 70 in the Mekong, and little more in the world), and everything was really good organised (fixed fee, local boatsmen who rowed most of the trip, instead of using the engine and the local community sold dolphin-souvenirs)!
But as you read above, we are in Laos now, on the island of Don Det (in the 4000 islands bay in the Mekong), an island with only bamboo/wooden houses. we are planning on doing some swimming/tubing/dolphin watching here, and then we'll head to the north, because it is far far too warm here... It's almost 10 o'clock in the evening and we're still sweating (nice detail huh? :-))
Hope you're all enjoying the winter! :-p
Ciao!
Loes en Erno
As you know we are on the move again, and we already covered more than thousand kms in 7 days!
We left Nong Khai heading for Siem Reap in Cambodia (nice detail: Siem Reap means literally 'Thai defeated', we wonder why they're fighting...).
It seemed to be a boring trip, but in our stopover in Khorat it happened to be Chinese Newyear, which they were celebrating abundantly. So we saw a great show and fireworks!
After a narrow escape from a scam (people trying to sell visa for double the price, claiming that you can't get it at the border anymore), we left Thailand allright. Cambodia wasn't any better
concerning the corruption; the officers were friendly but tried to charge us 3 dollar extra, but because Loes didn't understand (it didn't make sense and being Dutch I didn't think of bribe..), we didn't have to pay it.
After entering Cambodia we had some trouble finding a normal bus, so Erno asked a policeman for help. He directed us to a taxi, which we shared with an American couple (who happened to live in Cambodia for 13 years).
This saved us money and time (taxi is 2 hours, bus 5!), and eventually again a scam; the policeman owned a hostel in Siem Reap and had told the Taxidriver to drop us there (obviously he would get money for doing that). But because the american couple wanted to go to another hostel, we got out too at a normal place and the taxidriver lost his commission....they've got quite a talent for organising these things... :-)
In Siem Reap we had a relaxed hostel and went to see the huge tempelcomplex of Angkor Wat. We felt a little like ants, queueing to get in the temples, but it was worth it! We also visited some more remote temples (Ban Malea and Banti Srei), which were really nice, because we could walk trough the temple ruins like Indiana Jones. Apart from all the temple-ing we also went to see a floating village, were a complete community is living on the water (they even got their own school and a church floating!). Interesting to see, but on the way we also saw a lot of poor people living on the riverbanks. Speaking of which; we were sorry to see the begging/selling children at Angkor; when we asked them if they didn't have to go to school, they all answered: "no, I go to school on monday morning!". Good escape except for the fact that it was monday morning when we asked....
Ofcourse we couldn't leave Cambodia without seeing the Irrawady-dolphins, so we went to Kratie, a 10 hours busride from Siem Reap (through yellow, dry, dusty fields...boring!). AND; we saw them!!! Yoohoo, such cool animals! And we saw a lot of them! The only downside is that they're not really photogenic :-) Right now we are in Si pan don in Laos, and tomorrow we will try to see them again. The good thing about Cambodia dolphin watching was that the WWF puts a lot of effort in protecting the few dolphins that are left (only 70 in the Mekong, and little more in the world), and everything was really good organised (fixed fee, local boatsmen who rowed most of the trip, instead of using the engine and the local community sold dolphin-souvenirs)!
But as you read above, we are in Laos now, on the island of Don Det (in the 4000 islands bay in the Mekong), an island with only bamboo/wooden houses. we are planning on doing some swimming/tubing/dolphin watching here, and then we'll head to the north, because it is far far too warm here... It's almost 10 o'clock in the evening and we're still sweating (nice detail huh? :-))
Hope you're all enjoying the winter! :-p
Ciao!
Loes en Erno
-
10 Februari 2011 - 15:41
Emmy:
Hee, waar zijn de foto's bij dit reisverslag? Ik had op z'n minst een foto van een dolfijn verwacht.... Of een tempel.... Kijken jullie wel uit met die tempels? Niet te religieus worden he?!
Hele goeie reis verder en kijk uit voor meer oplichters!
Liefs,
Emmy -
11 Februari 2011 - 01:29
Patricia:
Hi Loes en Erno!
Zo te lezen hebben jullie het prima naar jullie zin. Geniet nog van het mooie Laos en natuurlijk van de rest van jullie trip!! -
11 Februari 2011 - 01:36
Patricia:
Hi Loes en Erno!
Zo te lezen hebben jullie het prima naar jullie zin. Geniet nog van het mooie Laos en natuurlijk van de rest van jullie trip!! -
11 Februari 2011 - 13:09
Loes En Erno:
We waren geinspireerd door de traagheid van het Laotiaanse leven, dus de foto's hebben een dag vertraging opgelopen. Maar hier zijn de tempels en dolfijnen waar jullie allemaal met smart op zitten te wachten! :-p -
11 Februari 2011 - 18:54
Wim:
Prachtige foto's, gelukkig kunnen we Googelen op de Irriwady dolfijn. Super, dat jullie ze gezien hebben! -
12 Februari 2011 - 10:52
Lies En Berto:
Fascinerend wat jullie allemaal zien en meemaken. T.z.t. zien we uit naar een compleet reisverslag!
Goede reis verder en veelplezier gewenst. -
15 Februari 2011 - 16:28
Anke:
Wie wilt er nu 37 graden als je ook 8 graden kunt hebben! En wat klinkt het saai..al die tempels..;-) Maar genoeg jaloezie. Fijn dat het goed gaat. Hier ook. Vandaag hebben we de sleutel van ons huis ontvangen! Ik laat een muur over om te schilderen voor jullie :p -
15 Februari 2011 - 19:27
Sabina:
Hallo!!!
Wat een vette verhalen allemaal! Geniet er van!!
Ik kom uitroeptekens te kort!!!!
:)
Liefs Sabina -
16 Februari 2011 - 23:05
Richard:
Ha wereldreizigers, leuk om jullie verhalen te lezen. Heb uitstekende herinneringen aan Don Det, veel plezier daar en geniet van het stokbrood. Toch leuk dat de fransen ze dat ooit bijgebracht hebben. Groet,
Richard
PS: wij waren destijds miljonair in Laos, hoe staat het nu met de kip? -
18 Februari 2011 - 13:20
Loes & Erno:
He Anke, fijn dat we nog een muur kunnen verven als we weer terug komen, mogen we de kleur wel zelf uitkiezen? ;-)
En Richard, we zijn inderdaad miljonair hier, maar t jammere is dat je maar 1 miljoen kip per keer kunt pinnen :-p
Aan de andere berichtjestypers; leuk dat jullie berichtjes blijven achterlaten, dan weten we dat er toch nog mensen zijn die onze verhaaltjes lezen!
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