On-the-Road Tales

We got breakfast on the train and it was great countryside watching everyone working in the fields along the water, walking to school, using donkeys for transport. The train pulled in around 0830 and after a short van ride we boarded a boat to a small island where the Philae Temple was located. After the Aswan Dam was built and the Nile water level started rising, many temples were in danger of being lost forever. This one actually was submerged with water and it was necessary to float over it. UNESCO stepped in and together with 50 countries, 14 temples were dismantled and relocated out of Niles path. While I am all for perserving history, the cost of one of these temples alone back in the 1960s was 40$ million US dollars. With the plight of poverty, it is hard to justify spending that kind of cash on a building. Granted one could argue, the resulting money from tourism could generate even more and raise the economic standards of the population but in reality – this did not happen. Regardless, the Nile with its controlled water could now provide agricultural opportunity for people to feed themselves.

Soapbox aside – it was a phenomenal feat of engineering to move this thing and make it look like it did thousands of years ago. The details, the reliefs, the structures, are fantastic. These people really knew how to pay tribute to themselves. Next we visited the Aswan Dam and the High Dam. Another incredible feat and I have distinct memories of learning about all the political implications behind the project back in high school. Looks like they all worked themselves out bc it is a great hydroelectric scheme now. I got cornered by an Egyptian and his son chatting. WHen they figure out I live in the US, people always want to know what I think about the US in Iraq. For various reasons, I choose to opt out of answering this questions. Partially, in honor of the soldiers actually risking their lives over there and partially because I am an American in Egypt answering a political matter I can probably guess they have strong opinions on. Anyway the subject turned to the fact i was not married and had no boyfriend so I was acting in a muslim manner, thus I think I ended up with some sort of marriage proposal. That is my second but I was already tols on the other, I would not be allowed to work afterwards so I am not considering that one as seriously. haha.

Onto another boat, we had lunch on the Nile. Nubians are a group that live in the south of Egypt, they have their own language and the nomadic bediouns tribes actually are part of these people. The village elder, Hamdi, shared with us some info on the history and customs of the people. His family has can trace back at least 12 generations on the island. He took us past some cartouches (pharoah names) carved in the sandstone that were over 5000 years old! incredible. There are numerous tombs and forts on the hillsides he pointed out. Afterwards, we got off at a port and we got ready to board some camels for a 45 minute trek across the Saharan Desert. Yep – there I was back to my, what the heck am I doing atop a camel in the middle of the beating sun in a desert. These things are tall and you are way up there. We had small boys ‘leading’ but camels, like horses, like to nudge each other and squish your legs along the way. At least, there was not galloping involved. We had 2 police with us as well. There are guards accompanying often here especially in tourist places. Egypt has had some problejs in the past so I am guessing it is a measure to protect their industry. There are metal detectors to walk through, but since you are going through with your bags and there is a cursory search, I would not bank on the effectiveness. As for the police escorts, they are more interested in collecting some tips at the end than readying their weapons. Thankfully, I have not been in any situations where I feel safety is even questioned. We went past an old christian monastery from the 5th century which was impressive. I will not be joining a multimonth nomad caravan anytime soon after this jaunt. The animals are somehwat comfortable but the relentless beating sun of the desert, dry choking air and whipping sand do not make long period of exposure very pleasant.

On to another boat and over to the island to meet at JJ’s house. We had some cinnamon tea (great!) and watched some videos of the traditional Nubian wedding. There are bits reminiscent of other cultures. Henna, 2 days cermonies, white dresses. It was interesting. It was a long day and we headed to dinner before getting ready for our early wake up call the next day.

We enjoyed some tasty Hibiscus juice for breakfast along with something similar to Baklava and loaded into our minivan. We were enroute to the Pyramids! Yeah! We crossed the Nile in the relentless traffic and could see them just off in the distance behind some buildings. They are literally cityside. We were joking what the exit sign form the highway would be since you have these massive stone monuments just off to the right so we had a laugh when we saw it actually said “pyramid street”. We got our tickets and it was kinda surreal walking underneath these 5000 year old shapes with camels and desert all around and city skyline in the distance. We went crawling inside the second one into the burial chamber. Very small and hot but fascinating to think who and what must have lain there before graverobbers stole it all. One of the pyramids is pointless since the top used to be pure gold, that was taken and most of the limestone cover that used to give the structure its smooth appearance is gone. We went to see the Sphinx with its broken off nose and small temple. Very neat.

We travelled into Cairo to visit the Egyptian Museum. This behemoth of a building was built about 100 years ago to house over 240,000 pieces of history rescued from various tombs and sites. The amount and variation of items in indescribable. Statues, jewelry, writings, sarcophagus, mummies, heiroglyphics – the list goes on and on. It would take you days to see everything. One can not even imagine how much actually existed before the graverobbers and later the Germans, English etc whose expeditions exported thousands of items back to their museums. Tutankamens reign was a mere 8 years and the treasures buired in his previously undiscovered tomb are invaluable. Another king ruled for 67 years! so one could just imagine the loot in there. There was a replica of the Rosetta stone which led to the eventual translation of the Egyptians ancient script. Amazing.

We collected our stuff and headed to the Giza train station for an overnight sleeper train to Aswan. I was expecting the worse so was pleasantly surprised when we got to our clean 2 person cabins. They had a sink, towels, soap. It was like the Hilton in there…We had an attendant who served a fantastic dinner, nice bottle of egyptian wine and dessert. This was the way to travel. I slept fairly well for the 12 hour journey down the tracks.

I arrived in Cairo at 0600 after an 8 hour flight. On a promise to mom, I joined a tour for Egypt with a company called Intrepid. Not much of a tour person, these guys are ideal. Aussie run company, they have a max of 12 people and try to go a bit off the beaten path. Most importantly, they are one of the few that does not sting you with single supplement since they pair you to room with someone so they attract many similar independent travellers. A guide met me at the airport and my first impressions driving into Cairo already did not fit my stereotype of the country. With 77 million people or so and over half of them living in the greater Cairo area, I expected mayhem. Maybe because of the various cities I have been in and out of, it was not that bad. The traffic was a bit didgy and the cars not in the best condition but otherwise not much different that La Paz, or Bangkok. We were staying at the Victoria Hotel and my roommate was already in. After a nap and freshen up, we had a group meeting at 1200 for an overview. There are 8 of us travelling with an Egyptian guide. The others are form the states, Australia, Japan, England and these people are serious travellers. We came in from around the globe on various treks from Uganda, Gambia, Greece, Barcelona, China. I have been getting lots of info on the next places to travel. One guy had never left Australia and he had a weding in Entebbe. I could not imagine Uganda and Egypt being your first experience overseas! It is great to watch his wonder at everything and he has already caught the travel bug vowing to start going away every year.

We set off for lunch and I think Arabian food is coming in a close second to Thai. There are endless Kebabs, hummus, tahini and breads to indulge in. After that we went to the largest mosque in Africa. This is my first time on the continent and my first time in a Muslim country so I was not sure what to expect. Our guide explained some things about the religion and its history and answered our endless quesitons. The prayer calls are announced from the speakers all over the city it sounds like 5 times a day. The earliest at around 0445. Fortunetly, my sleeping through anything helps this but everyone else in the group gets woken up. TO enter the mosque, the girls had to don graments if they were wearing shorts or sleeveless tops and we all had to cover our heads with a veil. This whole practice is captivating to me. It is different than in many countries I have read about because it is not mandated by the state here, it is a choice of the women who practice the religion. Egypt is 90% muslim and 10% coptic christian. A majority of the women wear the headscarf and many wear the traditional garb covering up completely. I am trying to remove myself from the opinion I would automatically take coming from my culture of it being a type of oppression and get a better understanding of their perspective. The people I have met here are very pious and from what I can tell, very devoted to their wives. Their is an affection and an adoration that it is rarely seen these days in modern culture. When a young man is interested in a girl, he tells his parents and their families are involved in the arrangement. The women traditionally does not work after marriage and divorce is strongly frowned upon as purity on both parts is considered virtuous. In those repsects, it still remains a staunchly conservative society, not unlike the ideals of the past in the western nations. We can not even imagine asking our parents to get involved in matchmaking so the structure is very foreign but people I have talked to are happy. Granted I have not met any women to get their opinion but it will be interesting to pursue.

We explored the market and the group was amazed at the breadth of languages the vendors can speak. Since the country is so reliant on tourism, communication in a language other than Arabic is essential. It is not unusal to be addressed in German, Italian, French, Spanish or Japanese. Afterwards we went ot a traditional Sufi performance. It is considered a form of devotional worship rather than dance but with the music singing and costumes, it appears as entertainment. The performers start spinning in circles up on stage to the instrumental music while donning colourful fabrics, when they finally stop after a continuous 30 minutes or so, they do not even waver from dizziness. It was amazing, not sure how they do it. We climbed into some taxis to get home and the negotiating between our Arabic speaking guides and the drivers made me glad I was on a tour. They drive a hard bargain here and can spot a tourist a mile away. After my first day in Egypt, much of my trepidation of what to expect had melted away. The folks were friendly, I was not mae to feel uncomfrotable walking about without a headscarf, and our group had an exciting week of activities lined up ahead of us.

Cambodia has a ton of charity projects evidenced everywhere sponsered by Australia,Germany, US, England etc. I think it is great but I am not sure what makes it so prevelant here when many countries I have visited need help. I wonder if it is a lack of governmant hindrance because they will take any help they can get or if there is sometimes an alterior motive on a country’s part.ie lots of local construction jobs being contracted to foreign companies. Whatever the reason, I hope it can be replicated because the orphanages, NGOs, free hospitals, blood donations are sorely needed.

1 in 7 children under the age of 5 dies in Cambodia because of contaminated water. This just blew me away. You read these statistics but they do not have the same impact sitting in Suburban USA. When you are actually watching toddlers run around the villages on your way to peruse their ancient monuments for $40 and realize the water their older sister trudged several kilometers to collect and pour into the large pot outside may kill them-it hits differently. I took the oppurtunity onmylastday in Siem Reap to do something productive. One of the NGOs, Trailblazers, a US one actually, is involved in various community projects. One is building simple concrete water filters for every 5 families in a village to purify the water.They cost $45 and could potentially save a family. Whatever the government is doing with tourism money it is not helping with this low cost solution. Anyway I spent the morning painting a bunch and chatting with the director over some of the insanity. I got a life back on his motorbike – yeah I could not watch driving on those roads.

That evening was my turn for travel so I headed to the airport and after a 40min flight,was back in Bangkok. I wasted 4 hours layover before boarding the EgyptAir B777 which would introduce me to my first experience in an arabic culture.

I can not say enough about Cambodia. There is just something special about the country you just can not pin down. The people, the way of life,the old history,the new history creates a draw that makes you want to explore it further which someday I hope to but for now westward I go…

We hired a car to go check out another temple,Beng Melea. No restoration has been done here and unlike Ta Prohm, the jungle has not been pinned back so it is in the wild. We gota young girl who guided us through the rubble,one of the only women I have seen working in the temple complex, albeit she was unofficial. It was like an adult playgroundwith lifesize concrete lego blocks bearing carvings lying all around. We scaled heaps of rocks, climbed through window openings, balanced on wall beams to get from one section to another. It was great. We dined across the street and watched more bike balancing with an infant and load carrying As Nancy said “you could not make this stuff up”.

The next day we explored a Catholic church in town and went to some other wats. We lunched at the Butterfly garden with a supposed 1500 species floating around.That afternoon Nancy was flying out so we tuktuked to the airport and she started the 24 hour journey home via BKK.

I returned to the Villa and went out with some people I met. I got offered a job in the area if I want one so I will have to take that under consideration if I decide to relocate to Cambodia!

It rained all night and we could just envision the road trip back so we opted for another journey. We were warned the river was low and the fast boat would not be operating which normally takes about 4 hours so we were mentally prepared for the trek ahead. I think though, Nancy was not yet visually prepared judging from her reaction at seeing the joined planks that would be our boat down the Mekong. We stepped on board and the boat rocked. Other people stepped on baord, or moved, or loaded on sacks of strange fruit and everything tipped. It was going to be fun. People kept coming and Nancy kept muttering – ok enough friends. They are not really getting on here are they? are you kidding me? It was funny. There were a bunch of locals, 4 polish backpackers, an English bloke and a Montreal girl. The driver had good english and we were chatting not long after launching about the journey – how long to here andthere etc. And he replies – ‘oh I do not know, my friend usually does this but he drank too much and is sleeping so I took the trip for him. I have never done it before!’ Fantastic. We learned not to talk to him too much to avoid distraction because at one point whilehaving a discussion we rounded a bend and had to go hardover to avoid an oncoming boat.

At random moments for no apparent reason, the steering cables would just disconnect. The driver would contort to get underneath the dash and see if he could reconnect it. At this point we would be free sailing through the Mekong headed towards a bank so he would scurry out and use a large stick to avoid crashing into itandthenworkon the cable. We motored along with our load and would occasionally stop as the motor overheated because it was not getting water. (driver laughed as he stated that his friend did not tell him what to do in that situation) I had not noticed before but we had our own boat mechanic travelling with us and did we make his salary worth it this trip. He would be holding parts together as we started the engine,fixing the steering from behind,working on god only knows what back there.We finally pulledinto a floating repair station where a guy was literally in the water mending and soldering these engines. Somepeopletooks thisoppurtunitytogosee the crocodilesholedup inbamboo cagesgetting readyto be soldfortheir skin.

The kids waved from the floating villagesand if we were dropping someone off there one of the little ones would paddle out to pick up mum and grandma and all the fruit they had brought from the market. We stopped for lunch and Nancy got to experience a river toilet- no fancy ceramic hole this time just a square cut in the planks and direct into the river with the kids swimming just outside…We eventuallyarrived at the Tonle Sap Lake.In rainyseason this water grows 5fivefoldand is the largestlakein SE Asia.But it was still low water and as our driver had never navaigated this before and did not know the deepest part we were soon spitting out mud followed by complete immobility as we got beached.We tried rocking,prodding but eventually all the men had to crawl into the muck and push until they freed the boat and it wasquite the hysterical process watching our English friend get mired and left behind in the sludge.

9 hours and 15 minutes after we left Battambang.we pulled into Siem Reap. I could speak volumes on what I saw and learned during this lengthy boat trip but it would not mean anything-you just have to experience it yourself. So consider that a recommended activity next time you are in Cambodia. The learning did not stop at the boat. Nancy and I got thrown off a tuktuk on the ride back to the hotel because the driver was being an idiot and we got dupped by not clarifying the service before we got in.Lesson learned. and another driver happened by the dusty road so all was good.

Nancy and I decided to go check out another town and headed to Battambang. There were no recommended busses – and when the locals tell you things like that, you tend to listen. We hired an aircon taxi for the 4 hour drive on the ‘dancing road’. Why do they call it that you ask? Because it is not really paved so you kind of bump around the vehicle during the trip! We only had a day or two of rain but the road was like a mudpie. The motorbikes were sliding all over the place, the trucks were bogged down and people were covered in a coffee coloured splatter. As we tranversing a bit with water filled rice patties on both sides, the car in front of us lost control and started spinning. He and we were lucky there was nothing coming and that he did not slide right down into the water. Our driver was a bit more cautious after that especially watching the trucks fishtail ahead.

The town did not turn out to be the ‘charming’ town we envisioned. There were no tuktuks so the transport to some of the temples outside town were via motorbike which Nancy was not too keen on trying 2 of us and a driver on a 100cc. We mulled about the place and decided to bail out the next morning. Prescott college, used to have a saying I liked, “Life is about the journey not the destination”. So we took that approach, satisfied with our scenery on the way up.

One of the awful legacies of Cambodia’s wartorn history is the landmines. Passing fields you see signs showing a person stepping on what appears to be a small raised bump with a big cross through it. Cambodia had 7 million landmines buried within its borders, 7 million! 25-35 people are killed each month by landmines. Another high number is maimed. Cambodia has the highest number of amputees in the world a result of these weapons. Much of the countryside is unusable because it has not yet been cleared. Farmers sometimes move in and start a farm thinking it is safe but when rainy season comes and the ground softens, the landmine is triggered. It is sick, for a country at peace, it is still suffering the consequences of the past. There is some sort of a group that is working on clearing and the number killed has been reduced from 10 years ago when there were 300 people killed every year. But it is a shame you can not let your children run free in the beautiful fields for fear of these monsters. While there was a treaty to ban the production of landmines, the 3 main producers China, Russia, and the US did not sign it. I am going to have to add Ban the Landmines campaigning to my other planned activism when I get home.

In the morning we headed off to the Tomb Raider temple, Ta Prohm. So named for the movies that was filmed there with Angelina Jolie aka Lara Croft. Transport in town is easy – you hire a tuktuk driver for the day for between 10-12 dollars he will take you where you want to go, tell you what you are supposed to see and lounge for hours in his carriage while you explore ancient cities. I could hardly go 2 zones in DC for that. The carts cost about 600$ new and the motorbikes that tow them about 1200$. If the driver gets hooked up with a hotel and gets a constant flow of tourism, they can do quite well. This probably accounts for the proliferation of drivers who bombard you with “Lady tuktuk?”up and down the street. There is a local paper currency called Riel in Cambodia but they primarily use US Dollars. Convinent for us but everyone else has to change money!

Nancy and I arrived early at this temple and a guy in a police uniform stepped us over the No entry sign and into the ruins. I figured with the state of the place, it was necessary to be escorted and I asked him and he said yes. Soon I started seeing people wondering about and asked a guide who told us no – he was scamming us and there was no need to be with someone and he would want money. Ergg. Can not believe I fell for the uniform. Classic scam – got rid of him. We later realized he had actually taken us in the wrong way – hence why we saw noone else. This temple was wicked, we got to see how the jungle was growing right through the ruins with enormous tree roots jutting everywhere. There were piles of stones where walls has collapsed and various reinforcements giving the illusion another would not fall on your head. It was raining that morning, our first encounter with the rainy season but it added a bit to the mystique. We watched heaps of chameleons dart in and out of the rubble licking up dragonflies in a single tongue sweep. While parts of it had been restored, the nature was left to take over and it showed how forceful the vegetation can be.

We lunched while it poured outside and bought bracelets form little children selling at our table. We asked their ages since they looked 6 or 8 and they replied they were 11 and 13! amazing the difference in size and stature when nutrition and basic food groups are not part of the daily diet. The children in Cambodia are just precious. As you pass the villages you see mothers rocking babies in their hammocks. Toddlers run about naked until they reach a few years. Yu forget diapers are a luxury and many in the world can not afford them. The older siblings are often decked out in their white shirts and navy bottoms riding a bike to or from school.

We went on to the next complex and spent several hours checking out hidden terraces of freizes, levels, statues etc. in the Terrace of elephants, leper kings. We walked over to Banyon where hundreds of faces peered out from towers. They are said to resemble a former king and have a strange way of following you around as you climb and tour the ruins.

We went to dinner at Temple Bar. They had some traditional Apsara khmer dancing and an amazing buffet featuring a Khmer speciality Amok, a fish in coconut milk. The dancing had to be reintroduced to the country from those who fled and they are making an effort at promoting it.

We headed out early to try and beat the heat and the crowds to angkor Wat. Passing monkeys along the way, we entered the worlds largest religous building. Most of the grounds included a moat, pools, libraries, raised walkways and concentric rings of building and towers. We checked out the long hallways of intricately carved murals depicting Indian tales and war depictions between various gods. The inner square contained an almost vertical staircase. The guidebook warned caution as these stairs had “‘claimed victims before” very reassuring! The idea was that you were always sort of kneeling and showing respect and that it represented one of the highest points of attainment so naturally it should take some difficulty to get there.

We clamored up and hugged the steps like they were our best friend. At the top there were various statues, balconies and a wonderful birdseye view of the complex. we spent several hours exploring and then headed back into town to recoup from the midday heat. Nancy and I went to check out the market and sample some local goods. We dinnered at the Dead Fish Tower restaurant. strange name until you notice on the way to the bathroom, the pit of crocodiles below. Huh. not sure what the purpose is. Crocodile meat is featured often on the menus and apparently the skin is sold so maybe it was like lobster – honey go pick out the croc you want tonight.

Cambodian food is similar to Thai though the spiciness is more fleeting. you taste it but it does not make you cry like the other curries. Lots of rice, noodles, pork and fruit shakes. Good eats.

We joined a tour at our hotel to get to an outlying area of the temples. We first drove to Kbal Spean where we walked up another mountain to get to the river of 1000 lingas. The sandstones in the river bed are carved with intricate designs and the people believed the water that flowed over these stones brought good luck and was holy. It is amazing after all these years underwater, the carvings are still visible. There was an Aussie couple and a Taiwanese guy on our group. They were both naturalists so stopped often to video rare catepillars and random bugs. Nancy and I lost our interest soon after the marching group of large termites. Guess entomology does not run in our family! The Taiwan fellow had studied stick insects intensively but was now working on mollusks. This prompted him to frequently prode the foliage looking for snails. Considering the guide had warned us about cobras and informed us that snake bites were a leading cause of death in the country, I was okay with keeping my distance. We descended and drove to Banteay Srei temple. This was considered an experimental temple, built in the 10th century, where they were testing out different types and hues of stones for various carving. The intricate designs found on all the doorways and towers were impressive. Next we visited, Preah Ko, Bakong and Lolei all from the 9th century. The Khmer history involves alot of kings, fighting and moving capital cities. Each reign tried to build something grander and more impressive than the next so the temples just kept getting better. While Cambodia once had a grand empire, its history is blighted with more recent events.

Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge reaked havok on Cambodia and its people from 1975-1979. They were communists and sought to control their countrymen through fear. During their reign, they murdered millions of people, – millions. They tortured children, elderly, disabled. They slaughtered anyone with a formal education, business owners, government workers. They exterminated 90% of the artists, dancers, musicians and destroyed all their tools. They almost succeeded, in the period of 4 years, in destroying everything about the Khmer culture and broke the spirit of its people. It is really a shocking occurance in recent history and was only ended when the Vietnamese invaded and stopped Pot.

The reminder of this time are ever present. In one of the ruins we visited that day, there was a wat – religious building, locked up and cordoned off. It was colourful though fading from lack of maintenance. Apparently this holy place was used to torture children and their blood still splatters walls. I was to learn these buildings exist thoughout Cambodia – temples, schools, houses which appear abandoned with the gates locked up because noone will go near them. The monks on this compound will not go near the temple at night because it is said to echo the screams of the children. When they drained the moat around the ruin they extricated the bodies of 10,000 victims. I know genocide has happened before and still is happening in parts of the world but I still find it incredulous. The psyche of the people have to be affected when they live right beside mass graves and pass daily reminders of where they lost their family.

The magestic ruins of the Angkor complex did not escape the Khmer Rouge. This faction beheaded any statues or buddha they came across. 1000 years of artifacts destroyed by a rogue band of soldiers. One of the temples had already been dismantled for restoration into thousands of pieces, when the group took over. The Khmer Roughe destroyed all the meticulous records of which peice went where so archeologists were left with the “‘worlds largest jigsaw puzzle’.

We returned to town and checked out Molly Malones for dinner. Logically – there is an Irish bar in the middle of Siem Reap Cambodia and Nancy bought a shirt for her husband to reach out to the NY advertising base…