leaving siem reap

Gur Moy

Landmine poster from the wall of restaurant where we ate.

Rapidly improving infrastructure - esp. roads

Local children

Local transport

The bathroom...

I am going to Anlong Veng and hopefully onto Sra Em tonight.

I am doubtful there will be internet access as there is likelz to be no electricity, as such it maybe 2 or 3 days before I can check in again, probablz from Phnom Penh.

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Written on Tues about Mon.

An interesting day... Not particularly intrepid and only marginally off the beaten track. My motor bike didn't turn up at the agreed time - either a misunderstanding on the time or the driver after two full days of work in the off season went on a bender... Nevertheless I made it to the bus terminal in plently of time. It was a dry, dusty row of shack like bus company offices and eateries that had tables with tablecloths, piles of water in bottles, red eskies with cold drinks but no conspicuous food or eating happening at them despite it being midday. The baguette sellers were having a bit more luck.

The bus to AV left on time perhaps 1/3 ore 1/4 full, mostly of 20-30 year old menb who looked like they were returning to the provinces. The road was sealed the whole way and good. I dozed off pretty quickly and missed the pretty countryside - lots of rice fields with coconut trees in them.

Bleary eyed on arrival I got of the bus to a voice in reasonable English - 'hello lady where do you want to go' ... managed to supress my instincts to ignore walk 200 m down the road and look at my map. For one thing, there are only 2 streets of note in AV and I figured odds on he and I were the only English speakers in the vicinity.

He turned out to be quite helpful and offered to be a guide for a not unreasonable fee. I ummed and ahhhed about it, as it dashed my intrepid imagnings but in reality when someone speaks the local language I get my curiousity satisfied by barraging then with questions.... (Madeline rolls eyes) With his assistance we took a share taxi to Gur Moy, at the base of Preah Vihear - much better time than I had imagined possible.

We checked into a guest house - there were 10 rooms and it seemed like the other 8 were vacant. Came back after dinner with the intention of a quick shower and and early night before an early morning up the mountain.

It was not to be.

Returning the guest house was teaming with people. Queues for the bathrooms were more than half way down the hall way. People were crowded 10 to a room and cooking. I felt like I was in a refugee camp. These I dont think were especially poor people - they had travelled from Battambang to visit the temple....I contained my irritation and almost 3 hours later the queues had almost gone.

Checking out the bathroom was a culture shock and another common sense revelation. There were two bathrooms, one on either side of the corridor. I assumed that one would be mens and one womens. I considered that it may be toilets on one side shower on the other. I asked the guide... His very south east Asian answer ....'same same' 'toilet shower same same' . Hmmm???? AAArrrghhh

Yes indeed same same.

One no flush squat toilet in an open room with 8 or so plastic 44 gallon drums of water along the walls with a bucket to flush the toilet and scoop water out for a shower....

No running water.

I am not usually a hygiene freak and squat no flush toilets are fine but there was no way I was splashing water from those drums on my face let alone brushing my teeth with it...

Mercifully a) the door locked b) I didnt have a gastric ailment that necessitated frequent use of the toilet....

I guess lots of rural Cambodians bathe in the river or at public wells. Women wear sarong that have the edges sewn together and wash themselves under the sarong - not sure what men do. I think this is not reallly a feature of urban life except in the shanty towns / slums.