GAGA OVER RAMBO

Day 19, April 9^th

We are in no rush whatsoever.  Exhausted to say the least.  After yesterday’s 16-hour marathon of traveling, we need a low-key day.

The landmine museum.

After a nice breakfast at the hotel restaurant we get a tuk-tuk out to the landmine museum.  Cambodia suffers from the U.S. – Vietnam war in the same way Laos does.  Lots of landmines left over from the war.  The museum is an extension of one man’s work to rid his country of unexploded ordinance (UXO).  This is a very interesting man, Aki Ra.  As a Cambodian fighting with the Khmer Rouge, he laid mines for Pol Pot.  He then joined the Vietnamese and used landmines to fight against Pol Pot.  Since the U.S. – Vietnam war ended, he uses his knowledge of landmines to clear them.  It is estimated that he has cleared close to 50,000 mines in total.  He was selected as one of CNN’s Heroes.

Patton's flipper.

Pyle's flipper.

After the museum, we head back to town and just relax for the rest of the evening.  Patton has heard about this thing called a fish massage.  Huh?  Are they going to use a live or dead fish to pound away at your body to massage your muscles?  That’s what I’m thinking.  Thankfully, I am wrong.  It is a giant fish tank of small fish, put your feet in and they eat away the dead skin.  Sounds creepy.  We found a place with two tanks.  One with small fish and one with bigger fish.  I dunk my flippers in the tank with the bigger fish and I can’t handle it.  Too weird.  I try again.  Nope.  Too creepy.  This isn’t happening.   I move to the tank with the smaller fish and it takes me a while.  Finally, I can relax.  Still weird, but not so bad.  After I get used to the small fish, I move back to the tank with the bigger fish.  I can handle it this time.  But, I am sharing a tank with Patton, the man who has never even heard of exfoliating.  He is a walking All-U-Can-Eat buffet for these fish.  His feet are the Cambodian Golden Coral.  And right now they are all lined up on his end of the tank.  I have a couple on my end circling my feet.  But, they are either full, lazy or don’t like crowds.  My feet just look like prunes now.  I want my money back.

  

While getting aquarium pedicures we are constantly approached by beggars.  We’ve been in Cambodia for less than a day and that is one of the glaring changes.  The poverty here is striking.  It is everywhere.  It is hard to tell if it is simply because of the slow travel season or the economy as a whole.  Walking down the street we are bombarded by tauts, tuk-tuk drivers and beggars.  The streets are lined with tuk-tuk drivers waiting to get a fare.  Shop owners are out on the street asking you to come have a look even though you just told the previous ten shop owners no to the same question.  Beggars, often amputees or blind, are everywhere.  They will even come up to us in a restaurant while we are eating.  It is such a huge problem here.  You definitely feel for them, but you can’t help everyone.  You can even respond to everyone. 

We head back to the hotel and turn in early.  We all know tomorrow is going to be a long day on our feet.  Speaking of feet…wow…that fish thing really works.  I can really feel a difference.  Even Patton notices a huge difference.  He should.

Day 20, April 10^th

I’m excited about today.  I have read about and seen pictures of Ankor Wat since I was in Cambodia back in 2002.  I missed Ankor Wat back then and am really looking forward to it this time.

The past and present.

I am up at 5:00am and meeting my tuk-tuk driver at 5:45am.  I’m going to see the sunrise over Ankor Wat.  My tuk-tuk is the only one on the road at this hour.  The city is sound asleep.  I’m a bit shocked by the $20 entrance fee, but I get the ticket and hit the grounds first.  Patton would be proud, if he was awake.  Mom and dad are sound asleep.  They got the morning off.  With my headlamp lighting my way, I head toward the temple.  A Cambodian guy intercepts me and gives me a solid sales pitch.  Said he knows where to go and he has a shop with coffee.  Sounds good.  There is actually a row of shops right by the small pond in front of Ankor Wat.  This also happens to be the place to be to see the sunrise.  I could use a cup of coffee.  His shop is #4, also called GaGa.  #2 is James Bond 007.  #3 is Angelina Jolie.  And #5 is Harry Potter.  If I had known there are choices, I would have chosen #8, Mr. Rambo like any self-respecting man.  But, considering my massage from the Laos boy and sarong ‘shower’ with mom, maybe GaGa is where I belong. 

Sunrise at Ankor Wat.

Within ten minutes the area starts lighting up and people start showing up.  I head to the pond so I can get a good view.  The crowd fills up quickly.  People are jostling and pushing.  There is one particular group of people from one country (not Cambodia) that is acting with a surprising air of entitlement.  There are many different groups of them and they don’t mind pushing you out of the way.  Turns out, their country is a lead investor in the restoration efforts in Ankor Wat and possibly other areas of Cambodia.  They are being very rude right now.  Loud.  Obnoxious.  I don’t think this is what everyone here had in mind when they were imagining a tranquil sunrise view of one of the most amazing temples in the world.

It is pretty overcast and the sun is taking a while to come up.  There it is.  Barely.  Too cloudy.  I’ll wait a bit.  Nope.  I’m out.

Mom and dad inside Ankor Wat.

I leave the pond and head into the temple.  This structure is amazing.  There are obvious repairs and restorations.  Still, you can feel the enormity of this place.  It’s right up there with The Great Wall of China.  The efforts it took to build this and the motivation and inspiration to do it, it’s hard to wrap your head around.  I’m glad it is early.  This place is so huge I can find some quiet moments alone.  I even find a few good sunrise shots.

I head back to the hotel and mom and dad are in the process of getting ready.  We go back down to the hotel restaurant and have breakfast and then I take them out to see all of the temples.  Siem Reap is home to one of the most amazing groupings of temples in the entire world, Ankor Wat being the crown jewel.

Angelina Jolie.

We start at Ankor Wat and work our way to the other big ones.  We finish off at the place where Angelina Jolie shot the movie TOMB RAIDER.  There are giant trees here growing on top of and through the temple structures.  They don’t even look like trees.  In one specific place there is a small Buddha head peaking out between a split in a huge tree trunk.  They call it Angelina Jolie and say it is her face.  It is a good thing someone pointed out something so sacred like this.  It is so small, we wouldn’t have seen it otherwise.

We are all wiped and the day is done.  Back to the hotel, food, shower, masks on and the kids are out.

Surprisingly, I still have energy.  I head out to walk around.  We are in a lively area and this part of the city is still awake.  There is a main road called Pub Street, for obvious reasons.  This street is full of bars and restaurants.  I am shocked at how open the prostitution and drugs are here.  Everywhere you see the western guys with their Khmer ‘girlfriends’.  It is accepted.  Expected.  I can’t walk a few feet without someone offering me.  It is so open that they quote prices.  $20-$25 for a massage with ‘extras’ or $50 for company for the entire night.  If airborne STDs exist, this is where they’d be.  I’m out.  I may take a full body dip in the fish tank on the way back to the hotel so the fish can eat this dirty feeling off of me.

Penicillinly yours,

Murdock

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