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All posts for the month October, 2013

Our little hotel pool was a perfect escape from the afternoon heat and chaos

Our little hotel pool was a perfect escape from the afternoon heat and chaos

We were chatting with Ben and Lisa from Southampton, Englad in a restaurant and then decided to stop out for drinks afterward. Before we knew it, it was almost 2 am!

We were chatting with Ben and Lisa from Southampton, England in a restaurant and then decided to stop out for drinks afterward. Before we knew it, it was almost 2 am!

When we were in Phnom Penh 12 years ago, it was a surprisingly low-key place with a certain undiscovered charm. It was strange to be in a national capital city with dirt roads in the center of town.

Every now and again we like to have a drink at one of those old opulent hotel bars scattered around the world. Here is our bartender at the Raffles Hotel Le Royal, who turned out some perfect Perfect Manhattans.

Every now and again we like to have a drink at one of those old opulent hotel bars scattered around the world. Here is our bartender at the Raffles Hotel Le Royal, who turned out some perfect Perfect Manhattans.

But today those dirt roads are gone, and some of the charm seems to have gone with them. Now it feels more sprawling, more trafficky, more chaotic. I guess those are the growing pains for a country that is thankfully seeing more prosperity. It’s still a fun, somewhat quirky place to hang out. And it still has a couple of incredibly moving sites — the killing fields of the Khmer Rouge and the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum set in the high school turned prison at the center of Pol Pot’s brutality.

We’ve also found some fun pockets of nightlife here, including a classic old colonial-style hotel bar and a surprisingly vibrant gay scene. And yes, we’ve enjoyed a fair amount of escape time by our hotel’s peaceful little salt water pool.

After three days here we are heading southwest today to a river lodge near Koh Kong, where we will be quite cut off from the world for at least three days. Yup, no Internet at all.

A fun stop at the Raffles Hotel Le Royal's elegant colonial style Elephant Bar

A fun stop at the Raffles Hotel Le Royal’s elegant colonial style Elephant Bar

Today was a great biking day. I scheduled a 75-kilometer ride to Beng Mealea, another old Buddhist temple, with Grasshopper Adventures, the same company Mark & I rode with two days ago out to Angkor Wat. They run tours throughout Asia and based on these experiences I may be looking for them a lot over the coming months.

It turns out not many tourists want to schedule 75-kilometer rides, and I was the only one on the tour – just me and the guide, so we could go at whatever pace I wanted. We traveled on everything from paved roads to gravel roads to muddy paths, through rice fields and rural villages. Just beautiful. Meanwhile someone else was driving a tuk-tuk to the 25-kilometer spot, and then the 50-kilometer spot, with fresh fruit, cold water, and chilled cloths for wiping down. Then, after we’d ridden to the temple he strapped the bikes onto the tuk-tuk so after lunch we were driven back into town. I don’t experience that when biking on my own!

This was the longest ride I’ve done in years, though I observed from the start that a long ride for me used to be 75 miles, not 75 kilometers. Apparently the secret to growing old is to just convert to metric.

Tomorrow we’re taking a bus to Phnom Penh for a few days, before (probably) heading south to the Cambodian beaches. We had been planning to fly up to Hanoi, where my brother had a business meeting scheduled. But when the meeting got canceled, we dropped Vietnam and now will spend probably a full month in Cambodia before crossing overland into Laos for maybe another month. So far this Southeast Asia stuff is pretty good!

At any rate, here are some of my favorite new pictures.

Farm workers on our path out of Siem Reap

Farm workers on our path out of Siem Reap

Black & White Bear always said that bamboo bridges were the best bridges. I didn't realize how true that was until today I crossed this bamboo bridge.

Black & White Bear always said that bamboo bridges were the best bridges. I didn’t realize how true that was until today I crossed this bamboo bridge.

I saw a lot of rice fields and rural houses today

I saw a lot of rice fields and rural houses today

Yup - our path through a rice field

Yup – our path through a rice field

A library at Beng Mealea. My guide tells me that Pol Pot blew up what was left of these 12th century ruins in search of gold. Apparently he didn't find any.

A library at Beng Mealea. My guide tells me that Pol Pot blew up what was left of these 12th century ruins in search of gold. Apparently he didn’t find any.

More ruins

More ruins

My guide in front of some awesome roots. I like him - he was a good guide AND said he thought I was in my early 40s.

My guide in front of some awesome roots. I liked him – he was a good guide AND said he thought I was in my early 40s.

OK, we learned they did the drag show both Friday and Saturday nights. So we went back. I mean, who could refuse a class act like this?

OK, we learned they did the drag show both Friday and Saturday nights. So we went back. I mean, who could refuse a class act like this?

 

What a difference a dozen years can make. Mark and I were in Cambodia 12 years ago and came up to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat, the 12th century Buddhist temple (originally built as a Hindu temple, but later converted to Buddhism) that to this day is the largest religious monument in the world. At the time Cambodia was still emerging from decades of war, both civil and with Vietnam. At the time it was a dusty backpacker haven and while we had heard about the growth over these years, we’ve been blown away by the change. Quite honestly, even looking at pictures of the town back then, we don’t see anything recognizable.

And quite unlike what we experienced back then, there are a number of very classy hotels – a Park Hyatt just opened, while the Aman resort goes for just over $1,000 a night – and nice looking bars. We stopped in one the first night and discovered two important items: the bartender made a very respectable Perfect Manhattan, and it was a gay bar. Who’d have expected either in Cambodia?

One other change that surprised us: the 900-year old temples have changed. In the years since we were last here a number of countries have undertaken projects to restore various sites – in our brief visit we saw projects currently underway sponsored by Japan and India – and we saw noticeable changes. As you walk by these mounds of old stones waiting to get put back up you just wonder, “How do they even know where to start?”

And then it was off to dinner and a drag show. In Siem Reap.

We traveled from Battambang to Siem Reap on a boat, with amazing views of river life in Cambodia

We traveled from Battambang to Siem Reap on a boat, with amazing views of river life in Cambodia

Everyone, young and old, is on a boat

Everyone is on a boat, young …

And old

… and old alike

Traveling monks staying out of the sun

Traveling monks staying out of the sun

One of countless homes along the river

One of countless homes along the river

Our boat from the roof deck, where Mark & I spent most of the six-hour trip

Our boat from the roof deck, where Mark & I spent most of the six-hour trip

We got up at 4:15 AM to get to Angkor Wat for sunrise. After touring the site we biked for a few hours around other temples in the area

We got up at 4:15 AM to get to Angkor Wat for sunrise. After touring the site we biked for a few hours around other temples in the area

Three tours at the main site

Three towers at the main site

The Government of India is sponsoring a project to restore this temple area. When we were here 12 years ago it was significantly more overgrown than it is now.

The Government of India is sponsoring a project to restore this temple area. When we were here 12 years ago it was significantly more overgrown than it is now.

The modern way of paying homage at a temple - taking a photo

The modern way of paying homage at a temple – taking a photo

Posing with a rocky face watching. And no, I'm not at a conference; that thing around my neck is the photo ID they give you when you pay the entrance fee.

Posing with a rocky face watching. And no, I’m not at a conference; that thing around my neck is the photo ID they give you when you pay the entrance fee.

From the spiritual to the profane - a drag show in Siem Reap

From the sacred to the profane – a drag show in Siem Reap

One more beauty

One more beauty