Cambodia - Siem Reap, Phnom Penh

Because my Thailand visa was going to expire April 1st and I didn't want to be deported, it was necessary for me to go to the immigration office and pay some amount of money or leave the country. I chose the latter and went to Cambodia.

I want to say something that's off-topic and disturbing and could be false, but nonetheless interesting. I heard that it's possible to go to Cambodia, buy one round in a bazooka, and shoot it at a cow and blow it to smithereens all for $250. That's just what I heard, and I didn't pursue it after that.

Anyway, my girlfriend, Ning, and I rode the bus to a city inside the border and stayed the night there. The next morning, we took a taxi (tuk tuk; there aren't any metered taxis in this city) to the border.

I want to go into detail on how to get a visa just because I had such a frustrating time getting mine. Before even getting out of the tuk tuk, Ning and I were approached by four or five men wearing shirts and ties and looked pretty clean. They asked if we needed visas, and I said we did, but that we would go to the consulate. I previously read in a guidebook that these exact people will "help you out" in getting a visa even though you can get it just as easily by yourself and avoid paying these guys for their services. So I told the guy to take us to the consulate so we can get our visas alone. He happily agreed, but said he would go with us. When we got to the consulate, we filled out the paperwork and paid the fee of $40 each. We then proceeded to taxi back to the border. What we didn't realize until later is that there's a little logo in the upper right hand corner that reads "20 USD". We got ripped off! Not only does the guy who's dressed nicely want our money, but also the (shady) guy behind the desk wants it. Lesson: Acquire the visa beforehand at any Cambodian consulate (not at the border) to avoid this headache.

After we crossed the border and entered a different country, I thought the network of people who rip foreigners off was left behind. Boy, was I wrong. After I got my passport stamped and was waiting for Ning (she was in a long line for Thai citizens), a guy standing around asked me where I was going. I told him I didn't know even though I did, just so I could be left alone for a second. He then told me that I should tell my girlfriend to move from the Thai line to the foreigner line because it doesn't matter which line Thais use. I paused, looked at him, and said, "How do you know I'm waiting for my girlfriend?" He replied, "I just know." I realized he knew of our coming into Cambodia before we even got there! When Ning finally got her passport stamped, we talked about whether we should take a 500Thb taxi (with the guy standing around, and another couple that would be in the car with us) or a 600Thb bus. At this point, I just wanted to get where we were going (Siem Reap) in the shortest amount of time with the least amount of trouble, so we chose the taxi. The driver said there's no need to pay for a Thai massage when you could get a free one in a taxi in Cambodia. He wasn't kidding. The roads (mostly dirt) are so bad there with so many potholes that the bumpiness in the car felt like a cheap massage from a crack head.

Five hours later, we finally got into Siem Reap where we found a guesthouse and ate. The next day, we went to Angkor Wat, a magnificent temple that's Cambodia's main attraction. It was absolutely amazing; arguably, one of the most impressive man-made things I've ever seen. What was most amazing to me is the temple's extensive decoration on each and every stone. And because it's so massive, there are an uncountable number of stones. It's mind boggling to think of how much time was spent constructing this temple.

After our half-day visit to Angkor Wat (which is not nearly enough time), we took a bus to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. There's a lot to do in Phnom Penh including visiting the killing fields, museums, and markets. Because we were short on time, we decided to only go to the large market and walk around before going to the airport. Cambodia had the cheapest stuff I've seen yet. When I asked how much t-shirts were, I expected to hear a ridiculous price, which I would then in turn have to commence bargaining. But instead, I heard "$2". I got a "North Face" backpack that would sell in stores for about $150 for $12. I asked the person "how much?" with no intention of buying it. But when she said "$12", I couldn't respond with anything other than "OK, yeah, I'll buy it". Again, there was no need for my negotiation techniques.

When we arrived at the airport to fly back to Bangkok, we were unpleasantly surprised to find out that we had to pay an additional $25 passenger surcharge for each of us, which made the airfare 60% more expensive. When we were waiting for our (delayed) flight, I emailed my sister so she would know what time I would be back in Bangkok. I was too late in letting her know of my last-minute trip to Cambodia, so she had a miserable night, albeit memorable, in Bangkok looking for her brother. As it turned out, when Ning and I got back to Bangkok and my condo, my sister was there safe and sound, and we were happy to see each other.

Ko Si Chang and Si Racha

Early in March, Jake, Joe, and I decided to take a weekend vacation. We agreed we would go to Ko Chang, a beautiful island off the coast of eastern Thailand. When we were ready to leave we found out that the last ferry to the island from the town on the mainland leaves at 5 pm. It was about noon and the bus takes five hours so making the ferry was next to impossible. So instead, we decided we would go to Ko Si Chang, an island a lot closer to Bangkok, and Si Racha, a fishing town that is also the home of the original "Sriracha" hot sauce that's so popular in the US. You'd be surprised to know that you never see the Sriracha sauce anywhere, even in Si Racha. Thais don't eat it because they prefer other ingredients to make their food spicier.

Ko Si Chang is an interesting island that caters to few tourists of whom are mostly Thai and some Chinese. The island's main business is for fishing, so the seafood soups were absolutely delicious (for me, best in Thailand so far). It seemed as though Jake, Joe, and I were the only farang (foreigners) on the island, which I thought was a good thing. We were able to meet some very nice people but the nightlife was almost nonexistent. On Saturday night, the most bumping place on the entire island was a local karaoke bar where the three of us made up half the crowd. But we made sure we had a good time– we sang the Spanish version of Hero by Enrique Iglesias, which was hilarious.

Ko Pha Ngan

Feb. 19-25

Home to the infamous Full Moon Party, Ko Pha Ngan is an island situated off the coast of Thailand in the Gulf of Thailand. Getting there by flight and ferry caused less headaches as other people traveled by train or bus and then ferry which took a considerably longer time to get there. I planned my trip so I'd be there for six days, the first three for getting my scuba license and the last three for partying. The process of getting my Open Water Diver's Certificate was fairly easy. Although expensive ($420), it was and will be worth it. It's an awesome experience that I'll do again, in Thailand and its neighboring countries.

The full moon party was very crazy and fun. It's similar to Ko Samet in that there are a lot of bars along the beach, but different because it was wild. I can remember one event that is still so vivid in my mind. In front of one bar on the beach, a couple workers stood atop tables separated about 10 meters each holding the end of a giant rope. Another worker carrying a bucket of lighter fluid then began to drench the rope with it. Then they swung the rope in circles to form a game of giant jump rope. You'd think who in their right mind would start jumping. Well, it turned out that there were many people who didn't hesitate a bit before going out and start jumping. At times, groups of four or even eight would run out and not even complete one single jump before getting smacked with the flaming rope. It was interesting because when you watch, you don't know if you should laugh or worry as the (drunk) people scramble in the sand to escape the flames. And for those who jumped well (getting in like five successful jumps), the workers would speed the rope up more and more until their destiny of getting close-lined by a blazing rope was fulfilled.

Overall, Ko Pha Ngan was fun. I would go back for the full moon party, just not anytime soon. If I want a quiet beach vacation, I would stay on the other side of the island where you access it only by boat. Although better in other regions of Thailand, the diving was still awesome.

Tiger Temple Day Trip

I'm going to write about my trip to the Tiger Temple even though it happened so long ago. One Saturday, while in Bangkok for the weekend, friends and I decided to go on a day trip that included going to a floating market, the Burma Railway, and the Pha Luang Ta Bua Temple which is home to the tigers.

The floating market was interesting but it's something that I probably won't do again. When we got to the dock where the boats load and unload people, we waited in line. I felt like I was at Knott's Berry Farm waiting in line for the log ride. Boats would come, unload people, fill right back up, and then be off. (There were no Thais other than those who worked there, so when I mean people, I mean tourists. It really did feel like Knott's.) We got into a 8-person boat with a Thai who paddled us along the canal while we shopped. The things being sold were not of much interest to me but I did buy a lot of fruit (roseapples, pomelo, and mango). Hmmm.

The Burma Railway is just that, a railway. It was nothing very special, but it has quite a history. It's also known as the Death Railway, but I'll let you wikipedia it if you want to know more. I would say the most exciting thing about this stop was that I raced the train. The railway goes over a river and so for people to walk on it, they have to walk on the tracks. There are platforms every 20 meters or so for people to stand on so they don't get run over when the train passes. One time when the train was coming, I had the brilliant idea of trying to get to the next platform instead of staying put on the one where I could safely stand. I managed to beat the train in addition to irritating the train conductor. He was blowing the horn several times before I made it to the platform.

The next and final stop that we had all been waiting for was the tiger temple. In fact, there was more than just tigers; the place looked like a huge national park with deer, cows, boars, and peacocks. (One peacock had its feathers spread out too, if you know what that means.) As cool as the other animals were, we didn't waste anytime with them. We went straight to the tigers. First, we saw the 6-week old cubs which were so adorable. We then walked over to the area that had the freaking-huge tigers. We did have to wait in line (Knott's), but it wasn't that much of a wait. When it was my time to see the tigers, a worker came over to me, grabbed my hand, and led me to them. (It was really funny to see large white men holding hands with and being walked by small Thai women.) I was able to pet the tigers while the worker snapped photo after photo of me with the them. When our group was done seeing the tigers we were instructed to stand to the side while they walked the tigers away. One tiger stopped in its tracks and looked over at the crowd, primarily at me. I think it was planning on eating me, but before it could do anything the worker yanked its leash and it proceeded on. Haha. Because we were at the temple when they were closing, they said we can walk with the last tiger (unleashed) back up the hill. That was really awesome.


If you ever find yourself on Khao San Road and have a free Saturday, I suggest you book this day trip. It only cost 450 Thb for the transportation, 150 Thb for the floating market, and 300 Thb for the tiger temple. That whole day cost me less than $30 and it was a magnificent experience.

Pattaya

This last weekend, we didn't know what to do. There were friends of ours who were going to Chang Mai, Ko Phi Phi, and Ko Samui, but they all are far away places that I think should be visited for more than a weekend. So we decided to go to Pattaya because it's only a couple hours away. I didn't know much about Pattaya other than it is a very touristy vacation spot. In fact, I didn't feel like I was in Thailand at all. Everything catered to Americans and Europeans– there wasn't even any Thai script written anywhere. Upon arriving there, I found out that Pattaya is also the sex capital of the world. It's home to numerous go go bars, strip clubs, and beer bars. There are a large number of gay bars and lady-boy bars as well.

When we first got there, we got on a boat and took off for an island. The crowd I was with was made up of people who were getting their scuba diving certifications and those who were there to just snorkel around the rocks and reefs. I was apart of the snorkeling crew, but I can tell you that there is no chance that I won't get my diving license very soon. There are so many good diving spots and it's so inexpensive. It's just a matter of time before I do it.

The snorkeling was fun– more sea urchins (the black spiky creatures) and fish. This time, the snorkeling was done in more shallow water so avoiding the spiky ones was a bit of a challenge. When we got back to Pattaya, we drove to a nice restaurant that's twenty minutes away. (It took two hours to get there though because we got lost numerous times– one time in a steel factory.) After dinner, everyone wanted to go out, so we rinsed off and went to Walking Street. (Walking Street is the main part of the nightlife in Pattaya.)

My friends Jake and Alex and I broke away from the large group and started walking the street. We came across a bar that had a boxing ring, so we decided we'd watch a Muay Thai fight with some beer. I wanted to make it interesting so I offered Jake and Alex a bet that the red guy would win. They were quick to accept my bet because the blue guy looked younger and in better shape. My rationale for making the offer was that the bar would have the red guy win because he's older and has been around longer than the blue guy. I was right in that the fight was decided before it started, but wrong in thinking the red guy would win. The blue guy won and I lost 120 baht. Oh well. After this, we walked around, going in and out of various bars and clubs, before coming across the first hotel we saw that offered a room for 450 baht, (split among three people).

The next day, Jake and Alex and I ate breakfast. (So far, since I've been in Thailand, I've avoided going to the many KFC's and McDonald's that are here. But since I felt like I was in America in Pattaya, I went ahead and ate some American food, including an American breakfast, McDonald's, and Burger King all in the same day.) After breakfast, we went bungee jumping! When we got to the place, the crane didn't look that tall. But then when you're in the cage being taken up, halfway up, you realize that you've made a huge mistake. The bungee guy said that I needed to walk to the edge and that he would then count to three and that is when I should jump. (My heart is racing with just typing about it.) He counted to three, I looked down, and then I dove off. It was so exhilarating that I want to do it again, from an even higher height. I was given a "certificate of courage" that acknowledges my courageous jump. After this, we walked around more before heading home. Once again, the drive home felt like I was on a rollercoaster. The driver was weaving in and out of traffic. When sedans would break for bumps in the road, our minibus would speed up to pass and proceed to launch in the air. I really wasn't that surprised about it though. This is Thailand. (TIT)

Khao Yai

I went to Khao Yai a while ago, but I'm going to write about it now. Khao Yai is the second largest national park in Thailand. It's home to thousands of species of plants and animals and has several waterfalls and trails to hike on. On the first day, our group (I feel like on each trip I'm with a different group. My roommate Jake and I have been hanging out and making friends with a lot of the other exchange students.) hiked on some trails. We saw a lot of waterfalls, but they're not flooded with water like they are in the rainy season. When we were done seeing one waterfall and wanted to see another, we hitch-hiked. There are many pickup trucks that will take you to your destination for free.

At night, we paid 40 baht for a "safari." Before going on it, I was a bit skeptical because of the price. I was telling people that I wish it cost 400 baht, instead of 40. Anyway, we piled into the bed of a truck with a person spotlighting the forests for us. We didn't see anything, except maybe for a deer lying down 100 meters away. What can you expect for a little over a dollar? I would say the most interesting animal sightings were those of the monkeys that were raiding the campsite, stealing people's food. Someone was feeding a monkey (which you probably shouldn't do), and when the monkey got too close, she threw the bag of chips onto the ground. The monkey quickly snatched it and ran up a tree to finish the bag. The monkeys were so smart, and it was amazing how close they resembled humans. The monkeys went through the trash in the same manner as a homeless person would, identifying what's good or not to eat.

After the safari, we went back to the campsite. The campsite was so packed, especially with Thais. (Khao Yai is a good place for people to get away, and it's pretty close to Bangkok.) It's funny that every group of Thai people camps the same way. They bring all of their own supplies, they cook their dinners, and they drink whiskey at night. In fact, we made friends with one group of Thais. They offered us food and whiskey and we hung out for the night.

The next day, after getting breakfast at the nearby food place (we were the only ones there because everyone else is cooking themselves), we met up with our new Thai friends. We decided we'd go see one of the big waterfalls in Khao Yai. They had a truck so the ten of us jumped into the bed, some of us sitting on the tailgate. I'm pretty sure the tailgate is not made to support almost 500 pounds of weight. It was pretty scary when we reached a speed of 40-50 mph, especially when there is a car behind you tailgating. Lol. We got to the waterfall and could imagine how awesome it would be if it were the rainy season. It was tall and flowed into a body of water surrounded by cliffs and trees, beautiful. I want to go back to Khao Yai or a park like it during the rainy season. When we were done exploring, we got a ride from our Thai friends to the nearest town that has buses going to Bangkok.

Weekend in Ko Samet

I'm finally going to write about my three day trip to Ko Samet. On Jan. 11th, the Friday about a week ago, some friends and I took a minivan taxi, also called a "bus," and rode three hours southeast of Bangkok. The bus was filled to its capacity, holding 11 passengers. (Who would have thought that you could fit 12 people in a minivan? The people in the car probably outweighed the car itself.) Anyway, I rode in the front, and I must say that every eighth mile, I thought I was going to die. (Allow me to provide some insight of what Thailand driving is like. The laws aren't enforced, so you see people driving recklessly and on the wrong side of the road. What Thai drivers especially like to do is drive in two lanes at the same time. They can't decide which lane is faster so they'll drive in both. And they love tailgating. But Thai drivers are very good drivers, it's just that they take quite a few more risks than people in the states would. I think the leading cause of death in Thailand is from driving on a motorcycle. Motorcycles are so abundant in Thailand because they can weave in and out of traffic.) So I sat in the front, and accepted my dismal 63% chance of making it to Ko Samet in one piece. When we got to a little town, we got into a speed boat and boated for 10 minutes before getting to the island. The views were so beautiful, mainly because we were arriving about when the sun was setting. The boat pulled up to the beach and we just got out and stepped onto the sand. Along the beach, there were bungalows, one of which where we slept. Ko Samet is kind of touristy but not that much. It's not that developed like Phuket or Pattaya so that was a good thing. (I'm sure I'll have to go to both of those places sometime while I'm here.)

Because it was getting dark when we got there, it was time to change and go out. Because everything is on the beach (the bungalow, the restaurants, the bars), we basically just stepped outside of the bungalow and walked over to the restaurant for dinner. We then went to one bar for some drinks. It was quite interesting in that it seemed like everyone would walk along the beach while hitting up the bars that they passed by. It was a fun night, from what I can remember.

The next day, a few of us rented motorcycles for the entire day. Yeah, even after everything I've heard and seen about motorcycles. We paid the motorcycle guy and he just gave us the keys. No forms, no waivers, no helmets, no tutorial, not even instruction on how to start the bike up, just the keys. The motorcycles were fun to ride, especially when you need to squeeze pass an oncoming car. [The picture above was taken by someone who was riding on the back of another motorcycle ahead of us.] I have to say of the exchange students who rented motorcycles, about 80% of them crashed and got injured. One guy suffered a broken arm. For another guy, his motorcycle's throttle got stuck and his breaks stopped working so he couldn't slow down except for hitting a tree and getting really bad scrapes. I was lucky enough to not crash. Anyhow, we rode the motorcycles all over the island, making it to other beaches that you couldn't really walk to. Speaking of beaches, the beaches were magnificent, just what you see in pictures– white sand, clear water (very warm), you name it. (By the way, I've been able to steal many pictures from my friends so I don't really need to take any.)

On the beach, there were Thais who were carrying large baskets of food on their shoulders. They offer cooked food (from the guy who's carrying a grill on his shoulder), fresh fruit, ice cream, and other food. I bought coconut and ice cream. I don't know if they had coconut ice cream. At one beach, we did a little snorkeling near the rocks where there were a lot of fish. You don't realize you're swimming with several schools of fish until you look in the water with the snorkel. And you also don't realize that there are weird looking black spiky creatures with white eyes that stare at you in the water too!

When night rolled around, we went out again, but I made the mistake of only drinking beer for dinner. It was a short night for me, but I did win a spiderman doll from throwing darts at balloons.

The following day we did a lot of the same things. (I didn't find it necessary to deviate from the ultimate plan of having a good time– lying out in the sun and going in the water during the day and going out at night. There are boat day trips, jet skiing, kayaking, and scuba diving but I didn't feel I had to do everything because I know I'll back to this island again. It's too close and too good.) It was on this day that I got my first Thai massage, and it was on the beach. It was an eye-opening experience, even though my eyes were closed during the massage. For only two hundred Baht, I got a one-hour massage and I was SO relaxed after it. I felt like I was on drugs.

On the last day, we were able to take in a little more of Ko Samet before leaving at 3 in the afternoon. We took the speed boat, the bus, and finally a taxi to get back to Bangkok (in one piece).