On Tuesday April 12th my mom and I set off for Bangkok. We were to leave for Cambodia later in the day, so to maximize the daytime we visited the Royal Palace- Wat Prae Kaew in the Ratanakosin District in Bangkok. It was the second time for me, but I was happy to see it again because there are some pretty amazing things to see there such as the Giant Guard Statues at the entrance, the incredibly large golden stupa, and the all of the mural depicting scenes from the Ramayana. The Emerald Buddha is pretty cool, especially considering its history but it’s actually quite small and the temple is so packed all the time that you sort of just want to get it and see it, then get out. The first time I went to the Royal Palace it was not so busy or sunny, and this time it was hot and crowded. We sought shade whenever we could.
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| Holy Golden stupa! (On a serious note- historically stupas were/are a tomb of sorts- they hold or cover remains of a monk.) |
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| Given to Thailand by Java |
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| Emerald Buddha is inside this temple |
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| Temple detail. So many hours of painstaking work to decorate these temples. The hand painting inside and out of the temples is incredible. |
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| Hard to tell exactly- but this is Garuda- half man half bird- vehicle of Vishnu. He adorns many temples. I'm a big Vishnu and Garuda fan. |
We set off for the airport via tuk-tuk to the SARL- or Suvhanabhumi Airport Rail Link, which is the train from the city to the airport. It was recently finished- I think it has been in use since August or September. It was a very nice way to get to the airport, and pretty cheap, only a dollar or a couple dollars.
A few hours later we arrived in Phnom Pehn International Airport in Cambodia. Customs and visas were just as easy to get through as they were when I flew to the Siem Reap airport with Petey in August. 30 USD, one photo and a 5 minute wait and you’re all set with a Cambodian visa for 30 days. We took a taxi to our hotel- the Diamond Palace Hotel and took in the city life zooming by on the way. In Thailand around this time people were getting ready to celebrate the Thai New Year called Songkran, and in Cambodia people were just as busy preparing for their New Year festival during the same time, except in Cambodia it’s the Khmer New Year of course. We were both in awe at how many people there were, how much construction was going on, and just the overall pulse of this city. Naked kids getting baths on the sidewalk, kids playing soccer really close to the street, men working to lay sidewalk bricks, folks chit chatting on the sidewalk, something was happening everywhere you looked. And of course there’s the traffic- so many cars on the road, motorbikes packed with people, dust rising from the streets, and big trucks and vans loaded with people and stuff. It’s quite a sight.
I booked a room from a website called Agoda.com- check it out- pretty good deals on nice places, and we got settled right away. Complimentary bottled water, really nice bathroom (with hot water- I always get excited about that because my shower in Rayong is only cold water), air-con, cable tv, and comfy beds. I was pumped to see some American tv shows, not gonna lie.
We set off after a bit to explore the streets of our neighborhood. Not far from our place we saw what looked to be like public housing. It was a complex of a few apartment buildings that have seen better days. These buildings were in a certain state of disrepair that did not make you envy that living situation. This was one of those sights that reminded you that the Khmer Rouge did not end all that long ago, and the current generations are still suffering from the losses. We continued on our walk and passed a casino, and across the street a family friendly amusing park was in the process of being built. These were pretty sad sights honestly, and the children sitting outside the casino asking for money did not make this scene easier to bear. We wanted to get passed that casino as quickly as possible.
We were in search of food and after taking a wrong turn that just lead us around some dark streets with not much happening, we decided to turn back and eat a chain restaurant of sorts that was near our hotel. Nothing special about the food, but it got the job done. We headed back to the hotel and had an Angkor beer and chatted with the guys who keep the place running- two very friendly young Khmer men. It was quite interesting talking to these guys- they have both been to university and really enjoy working in the service industry because they believe it will open them up to different opportunities. They practice English and they are appreciative of that. One of them has worked in a few casinos and really liked the work. Both asked about where we’ve traveled to and what other countries we’ve been too- it was a sign that after years of oppression the younger folks are ready to get out and see what else is out in the world. Good for them.
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