We made it to Cambodia!! Before I go into all that, let me first tell you about the most amazing experience I have ever had in Thailand: Watching Muay Thai Boxing! This was such a cultural experience. Nicole and I got dropped off at the stadium to be greeted by hundreds of Thai men. No women. Few tourists. Just Thai men. Yes! We finally found our way off the beaten path! We made our way to the ticket venue, and it was expensive: 1000, 1500, or 2000 baht. We got the cheapest ticket (approx $30 which is a lot for Thailand), and I'm glad we did because we were IN IT! Not soon after we sat down were we surrounded by shouting Thai men who were standing, placing bets, and making sound effects as everything happened during the match. It was so exciting!!
I uploaded a 30 sec clip of the Thai boxing match we were at. Hopefully this will do it some justice! It was seriously so fun being with all the locals like that, even though they were shamlessly staring. Not only were we tourists, but we were women, in dresses, at a Muay Thai Boxing Match! Haha.
Cambodia is crazy! Our trip via taxi, bus, tuk-tuk, bus, taxi, tuk-tuk to get from Bangkok to Siem Reap was not only stressful and a major hassle, it was long (about 9 hours), but I am so glad we made it here. The culture, the people, the poverty, the scams, all of it is just incredible. It's unlike anything I have ever seen before. We are staying at a Western run hostel/guest house which will be a nice way to balance it all out. It is run by Brits, we have a bar in our hostel, there are tons of friendly backpackers to converse with, and our beds are SOFT! $10/night will get you a lot in Cambodia. Everyone here takes US dollars which I find amazing. I'm already back to using my own currency! They also take their currency, the Riel. Another thing I find interesting is their love for cable tv! They all have hundreds of cable channels, it doesn't matter where you go or where you stay. This morning I had on different reality tv series and I just missed Gossip Girl! Haha. The mix of Western culture here is interesting.
Last night Nicole and I walked to the "bar street" with a couple people we met at our hostel. Hearing all their backpacking stories was so enlightening, and I think it made Nicole feel better about having to travel on her own for a bit after I leave. Not only have we been scammed, so have they, and so has everyone else who isn't a local. It's impossible to avoid it, so you just have to accept it, smile and move on. I could write an entire blog about scams, but maybe I'll leave that for another day. (It took us about an hour to cross the border into Cambodia bc everyone was trying to scam us and wouldn't leave us alone!)
At the bar street, we had the best dinner (see photo at top.) It was a great Cambodian first meal! I had the Amok, their most traditional dish which is supposed to be served w/ seafood but I requested tofu instead! Can you believe it? You won't find that on the street stands, but in a toursity restaurant, vegetarian options are everywhere. $3 for this amazing dish. Next, we walked to a bar to have some local beer. This is when the poverty really hit me. A group of 5-10 children came up to us and started begging. A little boy, no more than 4 years old, grabbed on to me, and held my hand walking with me the entire way. He wouldn't let go, and he was trying to take off my ring!! (Jeremy bought me a plastic ring to wear before I left bc it is not a good idea to wear real jewelry here.) It was so so so sad. Nothing I could read in my travel books could prepare me for this. Maybe picture India on a minature scale? Lots of poverty and beggers. We didn't give them anything bc they don't get to keep it (corruption!!) and when we got to the bar, my boy suddenly got happy and smiled and waved and said "bye bye!" Actors. Wow. They learn to scam at such a young age here, it's unbelievable.
Today, I think we will get a massage and visit the swimming pool to cool off. It is so hot here! Tonight we are going to watch the sunset at Angkor Wat and then go again tomorrow. I can't wait! It's supposed to be incredible. Don't worry, I will be sure to post pictures and I am sure I will have more crazy stories to share with you! :)
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