"There are two faces to Cambodia: one shiny and happy, the other dark and complex. (...) Such is the yin and yang of Cambodia, a country that both inspires and confounds. Like an onion, the more layers you unravel, the more it makes you want to cry, sometimes in sorrow, sometimes in joy."We landed late Thursday night and decided to check out Pub Street, crowded with young, drunk backpackers. We partook -- how could we not? Beers were $1. But being the old folks that we are, we tuk tuk'd home after just a few. (A quick note on tuk tuks: they are awesome and plentiful; after consenting to "lady, tuk tuk?", I enjoyed multiple rides in a small cabin on wheels attached to the back of a motorcycle for a buck.)
The next day, we rented bikes from our hotel and rode about 11km to the port of Chong Kneas outside Siem Reap. We passed by smiling children playing in dirty river water, emaciated animals finding refuge in the shade, workers welding on the side of the dusty gravel road. It's a life so different from our own; everyone should see how this part of the world lives.
After purchasing a $15 ticket at the port (down from $20), we took a boat to the village of Chong Kneas where big, empty barrels serve as floating devices for homes, shops, schools and even a church. This fisherman village is terribly poor and suffers great loss when storms hit. And with poverty comes desperation. Women with children practically chased us -- as much as one can in a rowboat -- offering up a photo opp for a dollar. (One woman had put a rather large snake (harmless but still) around her two-year-old daughter to get our attention.)
We're currently sifting through 200+ photos and I'll share them as soon as they're up. Day two in Siem Reap coming tomorrow...
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