Backpacking

DAY THREE – BANGKOK TO SIEM REAP

Introductory note: This isn’t intending to be the definitive guide to Cambodia - or even to my experience there. It is really difficult putting into words our time there, as short as it was. However, I will try.

It’s 5:55am, I’ve had 4 hours sleep, and I’m on a distinctly local train headed for far East Thailand – Aranyaprathet. This is not something I would have anticipated myself doing – I’m far more likely to take the easier, air-conditioned and more expensive option, however this trip is about challenges. We never meant this to be a tour-group, however nor do we want to take needless risks.

After stocking up on snacks (which serve as our unhealthy ‘breakfast’ – Oreo cookies, Lobster flavoured crisps [they looked like Original ok!!!] and water), we purchased our tickets and made our way to the train. It was almost full and about 5 minutes away from departing. We took our seats amongst a carriage full of locals going about their normal business. As usual, we must have looked so incongruous – 7 Western tourists travelling on the local 3rd-class train. But that is what made it so much fun, and so interesting.

The trip took about 5 hours, and we didn’t encounter any unforseen delays. Our brief conversations with a German expat on his yearly "visa run" taught us that we were lucky. (NB: Thai visas are only issued for a year maximum, so if you are working there for longer, you have to do a ‘visa run’ to the border of a nearby country and renew your visa. The Cambodian border is the closest, most accessible, and cheapest one.) His yearly trip, which should take about 10 hours, has been known to take 2 days, just because of the delays on the railway. Cows on tracks and floods are commonplace here, which I had expected, yet still the reality took some time to settle in. I was no longer travelling in 5-star comfort, no longer in a taxi with a pre-booked hotel the destination. My struggle with Egyptian-cotton sheets would have to wait until next family holiday

The view outside the window was unmistakeably Thai. Long stretches of shanty-towns as we were leaving Bangkok left an indelible image in my mind – a reminder of the contradictions that were so present on the barge trip the day before. I thought then that I must do something later in my life to try and reduce this inequality. Whether this means trying to do something to stop the use of non-environmentally friendly packaging, or working as a diplomat, or an aid-worker for an NGO or the UN, I am still unsure. Currently my plan is to move into DFAT (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Australia) – however there are many years of study and travel ahead before I graduate, and much can happen in this time.

Slowly the sprawls of Bangkok give way to endless rice paddies and burning fields. We are passing through in between seasons – it’s the beginning of the dry season – and the countryside provided much diversity, taking our minds of the fact that it was 5 hours spent on hard wooden seats. Despite all my talk of wanting to ‘rough it’ there are limits

Suffice to say, the border crossing was nowhere near as traumatic as it was made out to be. We successfully crossed without incident, having pre-purchased our visas in Singapore (S$43, ready in 15mins). Had we not done this, its 1000baht at the border, which is a rip-off because it’s official price (and it says this on the visa) is US$20. We had read too many stories of people being forced to pay 1200+ baht at the border, purely because they didn’t know how much it should cost. Ah, I love bureaucracy! And to think, one day I’ll be a part of it.

Walking across the border, however, it was obvious which side belonged to which country. Before you even reach the checkpoint you notice the casinos ready to lure unsuspecting (or totally lucid) tourists and shady dealers. Poipet is not the nicest town in the world, and from all accounts is not the sort of place you want to spend any more time than you have to, which is why we were all so keen to hire our car and leave.

This proved slightly more taxing than expected, but eventually we bargained down to two cars for US$60 to Siem Reap. In hindsight, for a 4 hour drive, that’s not too bad, and when we saw the roads, we were VERY glad we chose an enclosed car, rather than the far cheaper option of the back of a truck. The roads were not just dusty – and that is the first thing that hits you when you arrive in Cambodia – the incessant dust – they were uneven beyond repair. It seems the wet season had taken its tole. We later found out it gets much worse than this. Every year!

After a brief but very insightful stop off on the way, during which we met our first Cambodian children, we arrived in Siem Reap at our hostel at 7pm. At this point, to save further repetition, I feel I must mention the Cambodian children. It is one of the definitive images left in my mind following our trip: that of the many children selling trinkets and food and drinks and fake Lonely Planet guides and postcards, particularly in Siem Reap at the temples. 70% of Cambodian’s population is under 14, a legacy of the Khmer Rouge purges of the 1970s, and the landmines that remain as a permanent reminder of their rule. Many of the older children are crippled, and many of the younger children are only 7 or 8 years old. What complicates matters further is the syndicates that exist, meaning the children often don’t receive much of what they earn, as it all goes to a central person. Thus the best option is to buy only what you really want, and instead, offer them “Western” gifts – lollies if you have to, as it rots their teeth just as much as it does yours – or even better, stickers, pens, anything bright, colourful and American.

Our hostel, the 13th Villa was fantastic. We arrived just in time for dinner (for which I had my first steak since arriving in Singapore), and got to know our surroundings. It’s located a little way down the road from the main town, but in many respects that is better, as it’s far quieter at night. We are also closer to the temples, which means a few more minutes sleep in the mornings we want to watch sunrise. Our room is clean, has hot water, a very large bathroom, and a poster of Western Australia on the wall – all for US$6 a night. Oh yeah, everything in Cambodia is in US$, so it can work out to be a more expensive trip than anticipated. There is little point changing it into Riel (the local currency), as you will receive Riel as change anyway.

And there we were, in Cambodia, drinking Angkor Beer and eating steak. What was this I was saying about roughing it and living like the locals? I guess I need to have a stronger desire. (It was an honest comment though – I do want to have that experience, I just know it will never be real. As Pulp sing in Common People, “But still you'll never get it right, ’cos when you're laid in bed at night / watching roaches climb the wall / if you call your Dad he could stop it all.”)

SINGAPORE - BANGKOK

Our whirlwind 24 hours in Bangkok began with our arrival at Don Muang Airport at around 1am. We caught a cab from the airport to about 2kms down the road (because he wouldn't use the meter - something I forgot to confirm before getting in, silly Tristan!), and then another one to our hostel - well at least near our hostel. We stayed at Hostel Thailand (http://www.hostelworld.com/hosteldetails.php?HostelNumber=6708) , a relatively new hostel in Patpong. At least, no one knew of its existence, either at the airport, or in our taxi. We wandered around the alleys and main road around Rama IV for about 10minutes until we saw its tiny sign and the steps leading upstairs. This was to be my first experience really backpacking with a group of friends - none of us had stayed here before, there were no *adults* or leaders amongst us, and it was refreshing. Not that I don't enjoy my comfort and planning, I just appreciated "roughing it" for a bit - hahaha!

The hostel itself is very very clean. The rooms are tiny, however, and offer nothing more than a bunk - not even a power outlet as we discovered when Nina tried to charge her phone. By this time though, it was around 2am, and we were all just tired, and decided to wake around 9am so as to make the most of our only day in Bangkok. This was the only time we would use communal bathroom facilities on the trip, however even they were fine, if a little small! (In Thailand the toilet and shower are together in the same room, and there was precious little space between them – thank goodness for toilet seats!)

DAY TWO - BANGKOK
Our day began with a trip to Hua Lamphong Train Station (the central train station in Bangkok) to purchase our train tickets the following day to Aranyaprathet (on the Thai side of the border with Cambodia). To get there, we took the brand-new Thai subway system from Si Lom station (at the junction of Silom Rd (where our Hostel was located) and Rama IV Rd).

This was to be the first of 5 forms of transport we took that day! The others were the Skytrain, Tuk-tuks, Taxis, and a boat down the Chao Praya River. The subway was very non-descript, just like the Singapore MRT really – clean, efficient, sterile. The only difference was that the Bangkok subway (known as … guess … the Bangkok MRT) was absolutely empty. For about 5 minutes we were the only people on the platform, and in such a cavernous underground space, that feels quite strange. I’m sure that this was partly because we were travelling at 9:30 in the morning, which is after the business rush, and before the shops open, however I’ve read that the passenger numbers have dropped dramatically since the collision earlier this year. For the sake of Bangkok’s congested-beyond-belief roads, I hope more people begin to use the MRT, although it would help if it actually went somewhere useful!

Our trip to Hua Lamphong turned out to be completely useless, as we discovered when we tried to purchase tickets and were told that the tickets were all third class for that train, and therefore we could only buy them on the day. Ah well! At least we knew where the train station was. From there, we spent the rest of the day shopping, visiting the MBK centre for 4 hours or so (8 levels of air-conditioned market stalls can do that to you!), before having lunch at the hawker centre there. I finally had real pad-Thai, well at least, Pad Thai in Thailand.

From there, we visited the Government Handicraft Centre, opposite Central World Plaza (the old World Trade Centre), and Bernd and Nina attempted to change their Singapore dollars into US dollars unsuccessfully. Eventually a small store next to the Handicraft Centre did it – no one else seemed interested in taking Sing dollars and giving US, rather than Thai baht – even the banks!

The only tourist sight we got to visit was the Chao Praya River (75baht each, which was a complete rip-off, but hey, its S$3!). It was decided that as Bernd and Andy were going back later in the semester, and I had already been there twice, we would just take a barge tour down the river. At least doing this gave us all a chance to see Bangkok and its many contradictions – from the opulent Royal Palace to the decrepit apartment blocks to the skyscrapers to the pole-houses built along the riverfront, Bangkok is a city with many faces. Each one of these faces is interesting in its own right, and has produced a city unlike no other. Whilst I don’t think I could ever live there (although no doubt, with my current thinking, I probably will!), it remains my favourite city in Southeast Asia.

Dinner was spent with Christof and his girlfriend, Dorothy at a Muslim restaurant behind Pratanum market, and it was really nice. We looked totally out of place sitting in a distinctly local Muslim hangout, but that was fine – the 6 of us are imposing regardless of the situation! Despite never finding Pratanum market (I should have just got a cab – all this public transport nonsense!!), we spent the next few hours at Patpong market (after an interesting tuk-tuk ride with all 6 of us aboard!) which was very conveniently located a short walk from our hostel.

Whilst Patpong is known for its seedy side, we had a fairly tame time. No sex shows involving ping-pong balls for us this time, although we did find the gay clubbing scene in Bangkok. Instead, we walked the length of the market (probably 500-600m along a footpath crammed with people) and down some of the sidestreets.

Arriving back at the hostel, financially poorer but culturally far richer, at 12:30am, we met with Christelle (CA), Kristin (US) and Carol (CA) from NUS, who would be our travelling partners for the next stage of our adventure.