Notes on Cambodia

After we landed in Bangkok, we immediately started planning our side trip to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat.  Neither of us had read much about Cambodia and really didn't know what to expect.  What we had heard is that there are many victims of land mines and these victims can be seen on the streets frequently as you are walking about town.  And we heard that Angkor Wat and the surrounding ruins are amazing.  They didn't disappoint.

The people in Cambodia are very sweet and proper. Even though this is a country and people that has been obviously scarred from it's past, they will welcome you, help you and give you a lovely smile.

When greeting you, they will bow and bring their hands together.  Where those hands are located depends on who you are and the level of respect you are accorded.  For example, the higher the hand placement the more respect you are shown.  Elders are greeted with the hands at the forehead and priests or holy men are greeted with the hands above the head.  But most folks are greeted with the hands at the chest level.





One of the nicest people was an older gentleman we met while we were scrambling through the jungle to see waterfalls and some surrounding temple ruins (in the waterfalls!).

This man found us wandering with no clear direction and took us under his wing to show us where to look for the ruins.  His smile and lovely demeanor warmed our hearts.





He spoke a bit of the Khmer Rouge and the awful vandalism that occurred during that rather long period to some of the temples.  He also tried to tell us how bad it is in Cambodia, politically speaking, as it is struggling with rampant corruption.  If it's possible for a country to suffer from low self esteem, Cambodia would be it.

We stayed at a lovely hotel in Siem Reap (Tara Angkor Hotel) that had really great service at a good price.  All in all, the people of Cambodia are lovely and sweet.

There's so much more to talk about, such as the Land Mine Museum (http://www.cambodialandminemuseum.org/menu.html) which is organized and run by a former Khmer Rouge child soldier (Aki Ra).  Mr. Ra has made clearing landmines his trade after years of laying them as a child years ago.  An inspiring, sobering place to visit, to say the least.

And, our guide on our first day in Siem Reap, who was fantastic.  He wisely showed us the surrounding ruins before taking us to the nearly pristine Angkor Wat.

If you can swing it, do yourself a favor and visit Siem Reap.  Paul and I will return to Cambodia for another visit in the future.

Ahhh, Bangkok!

Arriving in Bangkok was so wonderful!

No one was using a horn as a method of signaling (as they do in India).
The streets and buildings and shops were modern and clean.

The locals were extremely friendly.
The food was safe.
It was all very refreshing.

One of the first activities that we signed up for right away was a tour through a local market, a boat trip through some local villages and the floating village where you can shop for food, drinks and goods.  

But really, we mostly wandered through the city, visited the Grand Palace and the Reclining Buddha.

And we rested while we also planned our side trips to Cambodia and Chiang Mai. 

While we were in Thailand, there was an election coming up.   I wanted this guy to win, but the lady who promised laptops and an internet connection for every school kid won.

The Colors of India

Just one parting thought as we move on from India...

For all the chaos and mayhem that Teresa and I experienced while traveling in India, one thing did shine through on a number of occasions to make the trip constantly rewarding... the color in the people, places, and food.

















While the bigger cities can be more than a little grey, and the traffic a little loud and maddening, the women especially always somehow manage to inject a splash of life and color wherever they appear.












We're not sure how they stayed so clean and vibrate, and full of life, but we're very glad the did.

The sanctuary of Jaipur

Teresa and I had been in India for about 2 weeks when we made our way from Agra to Jaipur. By that time the sensory overload was beginning to wear more than a little on us both. We had enjoyed seeing the Taj Mahal, but we happy about leaving Agra behind us.

And then there was the train ride from Agra to Jaipur.

We were very proud that we had managed to negotiate the train system relatively well from Delhi to Agra, but the trip to Jaipur was going to be 4 hours long (instead of 1.5 hrs) and it would be a night time train (instead of daylight), and the train wasn't scheduled to arrive in Jaipur until mid-night.

I'm not ashamed to say, that in hindsight, we had bitten off more than we could chew. In theory it was simple... arrive at the station, wait about 30 mins, board the train, read and play cards for a couple of hours, and then be picked up at the Jaipur station by a car from our hotel... easy.

Well unfortunately the practice was nothing like the theory. First, the train was 90 mins late and we arrived at the station about 60 minutes early, so a simple 30 minute wait turned in to 2+ hours, and the Agra train station wasn't as clean or well kept as the New Delhi station, and the people looked a little less friendly (we saw several men carrying what looked like hunting rifles). Not to mention that everyone seemed to be obviously staring at me and Teresa (but mostly Teresa). Second, as we waited on the platform for the last 15-20 mins for the train to arrive, the power occasionally failed plunging the platform in complete darkness. Fortunately we had a small flash light, but it was a very uneasy situation being the only foreigners as far as we could see, and our nerves were already on edge from the long wait.

Finally the train did arrive, but the night train was much less clean than the short ride from Delhi, and our fellow travelers didn't seem as polished or worldly or friendly as the city folks traveling from the capital city.

Regardless of all this Teresa and I survived the journey by playing cards and keeping to ourselves, and trying to smile and say a cheerful 'Namaste' when we had the opportunity. The 4 hours seemed more like 8, and needless to say we were grateful to be off the train when we finally arrived.

The last straw was when we arrived in Jaipur (at close to 1am) there was no hotel car anywhere to be seen. Apparently there had been some mix up with the platforms and unfortunately the hotel driver couldn't find us... it seemed our trials were not yet over.

But little did we know our luck was about to change, and Jaipur would prove to be a much needed escape from the madness.

Our first break came at the station, when amongst the chaos and hustle and bustle of people coming and going we connected with Janu (Shabbir Khan). Initially Janu appeared just like one of the usual hawkers trying to get us in to his car and we fully expected he would try some trick to get us to his, or his brother's hotel.

But instead he was very patient, courteous, and appeared genuinely interested in our plight. He offered us a very reasonable fixed price to get us to our hotel, despite the fact that we would have been willing to pay considerably more given that our choices appeared limited at one in the morning, then he proceeded to call a few friends to confirm the hotel location and never once tried to talk us in to some other hotel.

The only selling he did was to show us a number of written references he had from previous clients, that he kept in a small note book, and let us know that we could look him up on the internet if we wanted more confirmation of his credentials (which we subsequent did, and confirmed).

We used Janu's services for a number of trips during our Jaipur stay and we would highly recommend him to anyone visiting the area... he also arranges airport pick-ups from the New Delhi airport, and drives to Agra on the way to Jaipur (which I would recommend over the train). He also conducts tours of the Rajasthan region, which would be great fun. So please feel free to give him a call on 0091-9929 152 946 or email him at shabbirkhan4u2005@yahoo.com.

The second thing that went our way that early morning was the hotel, the Royal Heritage Haveli, Jaipur. Once we arrived at the hotel we were greeted and shown to a lovely room, with a couple of complementary bottles of cold beer... just what we need to sooth our nerves.

Later that morning the staff were very apologetic for the misunderstand at the station, and because things at the hotel were a little quiet the owner (Pradip Singh) offered to upgrade us to one of their larger suites, if it was to our liking... and it was.

The Royal Heritage Haveli is a true oasis of calm, and the facilities and service rivaled that of any 5 star hotel we had stayed at. The operator/owner (Pradip) has been meticulously restoring this old 1850's hunting lodge for the last 4 years, and while there is still some light construction on-going it is easy to feel the past glory of the royal residence in every brick and stone.








The breakfast also wins our award to the best breakfast of the trip, and the happy hours were both entertaining and well supplied. One evening he Pradip put on a beautiful romanic dinner for two by candle light at the pool, and Teresa and I couldn't have been happier.

Jaipur itself is also a very different city from Delhi and Agra. The old city has a pleasing sense of structure to it, and the people seem to have a little more time to sit and relax and explain things to you. We had a very interesting visit to a custom rug manufacture and learnt a great deal about the real rug trade, not the fake rug trade usually put on display for tourists.

Jaipur also has the Amber Fort, which I think is amongst the best places I've seen in India. It's a fun place to visit because it's one of the few places you can just freely stroll around the myriad of passageways leading from courtyard to courtyard, and the freedom tends to give you a much better appreciation of the scope and complexity of the architecture.








We visited a few other places in and around Jaipur, like the the palace of the winds (Hawa Mahal), the royal observatory, the monkey temple, the city palace, and the floating palace... but to be honest Teresa and I would have been happy to spend the whole 4 days at the hotel... it was that good.














As it was we decided to extend an extra night, because we couldn't stand the thought of returning to New Delhi again for our last night in India... not after our Jaipur sanctuary.

Tripadvisor: Reviews Royal Heritage Haveli, Jaipur