We checked out of the hotel this morning. We will be flying out of Siem Reap this evening at around 6. We had plenty of time, so they had arranged an interesting set of things for us.
The first item on the agenda was an ox-cart ride.
The bus took us into rural Cambodia. It was beautiful (although marred by garbage along the roadside--but I am learning to ignore it). The rice paddies, the coconut and palm trees, the scenery, all of these were calming.
It was about a 45 minute drive to the ox-cart pickup point. While we were approaching the pickup point we could already see a flurry of activities, lots of ox-carts and ox-cart drivers etc. The limit was 2 persons per ox-cart. We all lined up to board. They even had a mini-step ladder for us to climb on to the cart. The carriage was made of coconut leaves, I think, but looked very solid. I climbed aboard first and sat in the middle. The ox-cart driver then gestured to me to move to the front. I realized right away that he wanted the cart to be balanced so that the load on the ox's neck would be next to zero. I took off my sandals and sat cross legged looking towards the front.
The ox-carts ready for take-off
Our ox-cart driver looks quite stern and serious
We are all strapped in and off to the races
The ox-cart ride took us to a boat landing point. It wasn't a regular pier, but an embankment. The boat would take us to the Tonle Sap lake. The guide told us to take a bathroom break because we would be on the water for about an hour or so. He had arranged for access to a local villager's home for bathroom facilities. A few of us went off with him. When we got there he instructed the men to relieve themselves around the corner; the home bathroom was only for the ladies.
The boat was fitted with an inboard engine and took off with tremendous noise. The wheel in the front was linked to a contraption behind the stern that moved the rudder for direction control. The boat throws out a humungous frothy wake. As a result when two boats approach each other, each makes way to the right and both of them slow down to a a crawl. The river or canal is very narrow and shallow so the need to stay in the center. The boats then scrape past each other. They wait till they are separated by a reasonable distance before launching off again with this huge wake.
Floating Houses on the Tonle Sap Lake
Tonle Sap is the largest fresh water lake in South East Asia. About 3 million people live around the banks of the lake and many of them on the lake itself. During the dry season, the boat dwellers migrate up north. During the rainy season--6 months of the year start from May--the migrate south. The lake forms part of the Mekong river delta. What is extraordinary is that because of the flooding the lake expands to around 10,000 square kilometers. The boat homes were towards the bank of the lake, leaving the middle free for boat traffic. We visited a crocodile farm where the crocodiles are raised to a certain age before slaughtering them for leather. We also saw a pig farm. This was basically a cage in which the pigs were stuffed in (no worries they had about a foot of space between themselves). The cage was also floating on the lake. The pigs look fat and healthy but they were not sweating! So what is the truth when we say sweating like a pig?
On our way back from the lake we stopped at a street vendor. The guide showed us the roadside specialty--deep fried crickets. There were a couple of people in the group who tried them. They said it tasted like chicken. I didn't want to try it because we were going to have lunch. We had traditional vietnamese lunch at a sit-down restaurant.
We got to Siem Reap International at 4 or so. I was wondering if the immigration agents were going to ask for a bribe again. Our guide told us that there was a possibility. If asked, we should say we have no change for the 'tip'. The agent didn't ask us and everything went smoothly.
Our flight for HoChiMin city took off in the evening at around 7 pm. We were in HoChiMin at around 8pm. The difference between the two airports was immense. HoChiMin airport was bustling with energy and people. We had arranged for a full-service visa. There was a government agent waiting nearing the immigration area with our names on a placard. He took our passports and the paper work I had prepared. We got back our passports with a visa stamp. Passage through immigration and customs was a breeze.
We went straight to the hotel smack in the middle of downtown. The guide suggested several nice options around the hotel. Sandhya and I decided to order room service and crash. We ordered whatever looked exotic and reasonable. But the food was a huge disappointment. We are hoping we'll get better food with Gate1 selected restaurants (for meals included with the tour). Breakfast, however, was good. The noodle soup has a light touch of spices and tasty. This is going to be my big meal for the next few days.
The first item on the agenda was an ox-cart ride.
The bus took us into rural Cambodia. It was beautiful (although marred by garbage along the roadside--but I am learning to ignore it). The rice paddies, the coconut and palm trees, the scenery, all of these were calming.
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Rural Cambodia
It was about a 45 minute drive to the ox-cart pickup point. While we were approaching the pickup point we could already see a flurry of activities, lots of ox-carts and ox-cart drivers etc. The limit was 2 persons per ox-cart. We all lined up to board. They even had a mini-step ladder for us to climb on to the cart. The carriage was made of coconut leaves, I think, but looked very solid. I climbed aboard first and sat in the middle. The ox-cart driver then gestured to me to move to the front. I realized right away that he wanted the cart to be balanced so that the load on the ox's neck would be next to zero. I took off my sandals and sat cross legged looking towards the front.
The ox-carts ready for take-off
Our ox-cart driver looks quite stern and serious
We are all strapped in and off to the races
The ox-cart ride took us to a boat landing point. It wasn't a regular pier, but an embankment. The boat would take us to the Tonle Sap lake. The guide told us to take a bathroom break because we would be on the water for about an hour or so. He had arranged for access to a local villager's home for bathroom facilities. A few of us went off with him. When we got there he instructed the men to relieve themselves around the corner; the home bathroom was only for the ladies.
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Boarding the boat for Tonle Sap
Boarding the boat was a bit tricky. The water level was low, so the boat was about 10 feet below the top of the embankment. They put down three wooden planks side by side going from the top of the embakment down to the boat deck. The boatmen tested the strength of the planks by pushing down on the planks. It didn't break, so they seemed satisfied that it would take the load of the americans' weight. You can see the members of the tour group going down the precarious planks. Glad to report none of us fell into the muddy waters.
The Boat Rudder
The boat was fitted with an inboard engine and took off with tremendous noise. The wheel in the front was linked to a contraption behind the stern that moved the rudder for direction control. The boat throws out a humungous frothy wake. As a result when two boats approach each other, each makes way to the right and both of them slow down to a a crawl. The river or canal is very narrow and shallow so the need to stay in the center. The boats then scrape past each other. They wait till they are separated by a reasonable distance before launching off again with this huge wake.
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Tonle Sap is the largest fresh water lake in South East Asia. About 3 million people live around the banks of the lake and many of them on the lake itself. During the dry season, the boat dwellers migrate up north. During the rainy season--6 months of the year start from May--the migrate south. The lake forms part of the Mekong river delta. What is extraordinary is that because of the flooding the lake expands to around 10,000 square kilometers. The boat homes were towards the bank of the lake, leaving the middle free for boat traffic. We visited a crocodile farm where the crocodiles are raised to a certain age before slaughtering them for leather. We also saw a pig farm. This was basically a cage in which the pigs were stuffed in (no worries they had about a foot of space between themselves). The cage was also floating on the lake. The pigs look fat and healthy but they were not sweating! So what is the truth when we say sweating like a pig?
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Fried Crickets at a Roadside Vendor
On our way back from the lake we stopped at a street vendor. The guide showed us the roadside specialty--deep fried crickets. There were a couple of people in the group who tried them. They said it tasted like chicken. I didn't want to try it because we were going to have lunch. We had traditional vietnamese lunch at a sit-down restaurant.
We got to Siem Reap International at 4 or so. I was wondering if the immigration agents were going to ask for a bribe again. Our guide told us that there was a possibility. If asked, we should say we have no change for the 'tip'. The agent didn't ask us and everything went smoothly.
Our flight for HoChiMin city took off in the evening at around 7 pm. We were in HoChiMin at around 8pm. The difference between the two airports was immense. HoChiMin airport was bustling with energy and people. We had arranged for a full-service visa. There was a government agent waiting nearing the immigration area with our names on a placard. He took our passports and the paper work I had prepared. We got back our passports with a visa stamp. Passage through immigration and customs was a breeze.
We went straight to the hotel smack in the middle of downtown. The guide suggested several nice options around the hotel. Sandhya and I decided to order room service and crash. We ordered whatever looked exotic and reasonable. But the food was a huge disappointment. We are hoping we'll get better food with Gate1 selected restaurants (for meals included with the tour). Breakfast, however, was good. The noodle soup has a light touch of spices and tasty. This is going to be my big meal for the next few days.
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