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.