Day 3 (25/9) - Koh Ker - Ruins, Siem Reap (Part 2)
Someone pointed out that a lot of the kids were wearing T-shirts but not shorts, and asked if this was cooling. I thought that this was because it was easier to find fitting T-shirts than shorts, due to their being pseudo-free size.
Before we entered the ruins, we were told just what the purpose of our little expedition was. Right now Kok Ker gets 1200 visitors a month, and this will increase when the tarmac road is completed within a year. Right now all that has been done is to clear landmines and build that nice toilet - Angkor Wat was like this 20 years ago.
It is awkward for the villagers to deal with tourists since they are shy and lack the resources and knowledge to deal with them. For example we wanted to lunch at the village (which would certainly have given us better food than that horrible outlet just outside the ruins) but they said they couldn't feed us.
Since the people of Kok Ker are unable to accommodate tourists, outsiders come in to build and profit from the infrastructure. For example the lunch place was run by a guy from Siem Reap. Heritage Watch asked us to be brought in in order to get the villagers used to tourists (ah, how sneaky - even we weren't told!) so they would be able to deal with others later.
If I wanted to problematise this I could say that it was incredibly condescending to the villagers and that commercialisation would degrade their noble souls. More pointedly, forced development is incredibly presumptuous.
The ruins of Kok Ker are mostly unrestored - Angkor Wat used to look like this.
Overgrown building
Unrestored ruins certainly have a charm of their own. Some prefer to leave all ruins ruined, but I think there is value in having both types of ruins.
Milling
No, this is not a grass. I thought it was grass too, but look closer.
Splendid and evocative as the ruins were, they didn't prepare us for what was to come next.
The closest to a pyramid (of any sort) I've seen.
Naturally, most of us mounted it. The combined ascent and descent (35m either way) strangely was enough to give me thigh cramps for the next few days, but after Kinabalu anything is tolerable.
Why did I take this photo?
I had this taken when the wind was nice and strong. Others had to hold the flag aloft, hurr hurr.
I may look miserable here because I'd been squatting for quite a while
Sourpuss
On top of a ruined pyramid with jungle as far as the eye could see - I felt like I was on the moon of Yavin.
Going down
Filing out.
Flower children (at the toilet)
On the way back, I felt liquid trickling down my legs. At first I thought I was menstruating or there had been a bursting of the waters, but I soon traced the cause:
The cap of the mineral water bottle had split. !@#$. Stupid Third World bottles.
Water Buffaloes blocking our bus's way
Seen in Siem Reap: "Hotel Open Soon. 100m *arrow*". I am at a loss to understand why they needed to point out a hotel that wasn't open yet. Or maybe "Open Soon" was the hotel's name.
For dinner we'd walked into one of the first restaurants we saw - a Red House (or something) restaurant (which had really good fruit shakes). As in many Khmer places we visited, there was some confusion over the bill. Perhaps it was part of Khmer culture to mess up the bill (intentionally or otherwise).
"Stir fried lobster" for US$5. O rly. The picture looks like it has a large prawn. Maybe they'd give slipper lobster or something.
"Pork Rib. Khmer really like it, you should try". Someone ordered pork ribs at the slow and touristy lunch place the previous day. I was going to try some, but the others wolfed it down double quick, but from a tiny burnt morsel I had I could tell it was very good. Unfortunately my order of this "Khmer really like it" didn't come. Which was probably a good thing, since I overordered.
While waiting for our food, Cunning Linguist and I went exploring.
Exotic meat - Snake, Kangaroo, Ostrich, Crocodile. I'd been telling people I wanted to eat rat meat, but this was probably the closest I'd find in a restaurant. I would've tried the BBQ degustation if I hadn't been eating at the other place.
"Khmer Run Business. Please Help Khmer". I'd point out the disgusting emotional blackmail, but then only an arrogant, immature and poorly-educated person could fail to be moved by this attempt to tweak the heartstrings, and I don't want to be an arrogant bastard.
'Frangipani' massage. I'm assuming it's not the Flower of Death here.
Dirt cheap alcohol. This is why ang mohs (and many in our group) like Southeast Asia.
The Red Piano. I was told that we were going to this establishment, which was recommended by Dr Don, but somehow we ended up in a Red restaurant instead.
Cunning Linguist thought this looked like a landmine (she was thinking of the munitions in the landmine museum). I thought it looked like something else.
Linga bar. Uhh. Given that the sign's in Cambodian also it might be a local joke (for locals rich enough to visit the place).
Lots and lots and lots of condoms. In a convenience store. Even sex shops don't have the same variety and volume. The ang mohs are really living it up!
Going back to the hotel, I noticed that a bird had climbed into the reception area. Sensing dramatic possibilities, I went to close the window so it couldn't escape and tried to bring it in contact with the hotel pussy. Unfortunately it ran into the bathroom and then a toilet cubicle, so I had to use a bidet to flush it out, making sure I didn't get pecked.
Meanwhile the pussy was useless. Earlier, it had been lying still on the doormat and Rachel had stepped on it. It just got up and walked off languidly. At this time, it just walked past the cock without doing anything.
The pussy then padded out of the reception area, leaving the bird behind, and went to drink swimming pool water. I had a lot of trouble getting it back into the room.
Drinking from the flowerpot.
I got the pussy back indoor eventually, but unfortunately it was all to no avail since it was useless. Grace pointed out that both were likely longtime residents who knew each other.
Quotes:
[Me: I feel like I'm in Yavin... Where they destroyed the first Death Stat.] You're a Star Wars fan. [Me: I'm not. I just know enough random bits here and there {about various things} to make cultural references - which no one gets!] [Student 2: Nobody gets anything you say.]
WHen I get drunk, I do stupid things. [Me: So if I get drunk, what even stupider things will I do?] [Student 2: If that happens and I am asleep, wake me up.]
The one time I got high it was on Hooch.