Smatterings of Siem Reap

Entering a bar on Pub Street our American selves take over, do we wanna people watch or do we wanna dance? The alcohol here is cheap, like cry in delight and elation cheap.  Fifty sent beers, two dollar pitchers of cocktails, and they don’t skimp. My inner alcoholic was so cheering at the sight of it. We definitely got a few shy, local ladies to come shake it with us on a stage, when we noticed them nervously bopping about in the corner. Our American girl dancing style did not only stand out on the dance floor but also in regard to our body art.  The weather was hot, and we, although respecting cultural modesty (covering shoulders and knees in religious spaces) were in summer clothes, which show off some of our ink collection. The ink, combined with our excess of ear piercings, got a lot of gawks. People were genuinely perplexed and even concerned as to why we had done this. We did not meet this reception in any other country or city we had ever visited. We didn't really know how to explain ourselves to these curious or scorning individuals, the fact that we just felt like doing it, somehow did not seem like a great explanation. What did they want us to say? Thinking back to California, these locals would be shocked at the inked sights to be seen there, hope they can come for an equally opposite culture shocking visit sometime.

Not the cheapest in town

Sleeping like a sweet, sweet babe. 

Now thinking of popular imagery, you just don’t hear as many hooker stories about Cambodia as you do about say, Thailand. It doesn't have the same sleaze reputation and from what I could see was not as western-ly corrupted in this sense (not to say that sex trafficking isn't a serious issue here, as it is in many places)The thing that it does have is, how to put this… accessibility to quenching your war driven fantasies? You can rent any automatic weapon, bazooka, whatever and just go to town in some random field. You can also detonate grenades. Don’t get me wrong this isn't necessarily bad, no one’s getting hurt physically, but it does seem to be another paternalistic imposition. This is set to cater to  Americans or Europeans tourists who think this would be really cool. I have to think it’s kind of odd that getting your hands on grenades is so easy here, that it is a sustainable business, and if it’s that easy, how else are these weapons being used?  Also, given the traumatic history of this country, I don’t know, shooting off guns like a maniac there seems disrespectful. I mean come on PTSD is a real thing and living through the violent slaughter of your people might give you a few triggers.  

Wait to be weird-ed out...

Mmm, lemon grass and Kaffir lime-y!

On a lighter note, another fun factoid that we discovered after being semi forcibly lured into a tourist trap. Many Cambodians’ can do this freaky thing with their hands… no no, not like dirty…well mayybe…They can arch their fingers backwards in the opposite way then seems natural.  The visual of this,  is Freddy Krueger-like, and scary. I have heard accounts that it takes finger binding to achieve this effect, which seems logical but even males who are not dancers seem to be able to do this. It is considered very attractive, so maybe, it is to them, like us having straight teeth via braces, we gotta suffer a little to achieve this standard of beauty!

Whew, bargaining is exhausting; I think I’ll get my feet sucked by tiny fish, pay the inflated price, say goodnight to our twins and call it a night!

Crashing into Cambodia

Landing into Siem Reap airport I could immediately tell this was more substantial of a city than the Laotian town we had just left. Mean looking Cambodian officials greeted us to demand we pay our visa fee, quoting us a figure that was not the same in USD and Riels, their currency. I imagine they assume you don’t have Riels coming in so they can get the exaggerated dollar price or that people flat out haven’t planned ahead to realize the difference in exchange rate. We went to the ATM, twenty bucks is twenty bucks and we weren't gonna get swindled, at least not this time!  It is possible that the ATM service fee made the amounts he quoted us equivalent, it’s possible.

We arrived with a good amount of the Laotian currency the “Kip” in hand, which we assumed we would change over on our arrival- wrongfully. Nowhere and I mean NOWHERE would take the stuff; and in fact they laughed in our faces like we were trying to change monopoly money. “Silly girls! That stuff is worthless!!,” heads thrown back chumming it up over our naïveté.   Man, I know it was a two to one exchange in favor of the Riel but no one would take it. We had the same experience in every other country we attempted to change it in. Cambodians didn't mind if you wished to pay with American money, accepted everywhere as the second national currency. 

Exclusively for Cambodian Peoples

Siem Riep is now a small city that sprang from a village, it has grown exponentially over night, really since the 90’s and done so to expand and serve its tourist markets. In the last decades the population here has boomed to around 200,000 making it the third largest city in the country. The surge has brought stoplights, roads, hotels and of course bars. Only 5 years ago power electricity was not available all day long, it was on some sort of blocked schedule totaling four or five hours a day.  This rapid growth seems to have affected the people, changing traditional lifestyle and culture. They know the money that can be made here and as such there are many people who have adopted a swindling mentality. The sweet and simple honest vibe that the Laotians so easily projected was overwhelmingly absent here. Men seemed a lot more predatory, not that they actually were but moving from one culture to the next, the contrast was not lost. Our hotels front desk guy immediately tried to sell us a number of tours. He was so insistent it almost seemed like he was trying to force us to buy them. He moved like a reptile even when just sitting in a chair and darted about when he spoke the same way lizards bat their tongues in and out of their mouths. His very long fingernails only highlighted this appearance.  Something about his manner made us uneasy and off put. This same vibe was repeatedly confronted in vendors and tuk tuk drivers whom were all extremely pushy.

Get in this tuk tuk, now!

Street side vendors

Fresh delights waiting to be had for pennies. 

The intense personalities were not the only obstacles to be confronted. The heat, the innumerable bugs and the living conditions, are other potential deterrents.  If this is sounding less than appealing that’s just how it looks upon first glance. This, which I am describing, is just the tip of the iceberg. It’s what you immediately see before you delve deeper down to see the larger truth. That truth sadly overlooked by many people who choose to only see that which floats above. It might benefit tourists to ask themselves why someone would act so pushy and aggressive. Can it be the result of extreme poverty coming to a head with comparatively extreme wealth? Can you blame a person for being smart enough to see an opportunity and trying to snag it? The people that we encountered on a more personal level where all kind and thoughtful; which is actually more amazing given the insane history that affected that exact area  in the late 70’s and up until as late as the 90’s.  As soon as you even just barely leave the city the energy completely changes, people are living village life and struggling and succeeding and dancing and crying just like you and me do.  The Cambodians are extremely resilient, after all the atrocities that many have personally lived through they manage to not be bitter or fearful. I can’t say I would fair the same and I know historically other nations have not bounced back with the same open attitudes.