March 8 Angkor and the hassles are just beginning

Let me say this about Cambodia. Any country that has an entry in the
guidebook on how to say “Are there any landmines here,” in English is not to
be taken lightly. Kidding, I’m not. Right there, between “Where is the
nearest toilet” and “What time does the bus leave” is “Are there any
landmines here.” This alone was not enough to put me off visiting but it
made my decision to stay for only a couple of weeks a lot easier.

As it was, having spent waaaayyyy longer than I thought I would in Laos, I
felt the need to hurry through Cambodia a little, taking weather into
consideration, as I didn’t want to still be in Indochina when the hotter,
wetter rainy season would start. So, I planned a rather quick “tour.” One
day (yes, ONE day) in Angkor, a couple of days, or less, in Phnom Penh and
some down time in Sihanoukville.

Cambodia is the type of place where the visit can be wonderful and fret-free
or you can end up having an abysmal time. Having had some great moments in
Laos (idiotic move with the Cambodia visa aside), I was due for abysmal and
got it. Arriving in Siem Reap by airline, I was bombarded by taxi drivers,
all of whom offered to take me right into town for only $1. The hitch being
that once I was dropped at the hotel, the cabbie started offering his
services to be my driver through Angkor the following day. When I told him I
couldn’t afford a taxi and would hire a motorbike driver or tuk-tuk, he gave
the pained, “But I helped you get this far” look and we started haggling.

To tell the truth, as a single person, I like to be able to talk to locals,
whether to learn about the country, their lives or the area, or to help with
my pronunciation of the language. You can’t do that on the back of a
motorbike or tuk-tuk. As well, taxis are air-conditioned, which can really
help if you’re running around Angkor all day. I knew I only wanted one day
there at a cost of $20 for the entry ticket because the cost for two or
three days was $40 and you needed a driver for each day. At a minimum, that
would be another $30, which I couldn’t afford. So I haggled the taxi driver
down to $15 for the day, which included a trip outside the city to beautiful
Rolous Group, the oldest of the temples and what came to be my favorite
spot.

Before he left for the evening, I asked him when I should get up for us to
catch the famous sunrise over Angkor Wat. He said 6:30. That seemed rather
late to me and I told him I would get up as early as necessary since I only
wanted to spend one day there. 6:30, he assured me.

Following day, the guide shows up with his brother, who also drives a taxi,
says he can’t take me because he has to pick someone up at the airport and
leaves me with his brother who has no idea about the arrangements already
made the day before. I can’t start discussing anything with them because I
don’t want to miss the sunrise at Angkor (for which, unknown to me, I was
already an hour late), so I get in the car with the brother and off we go.
As soon as we get to Angkor Wat, I know I’ve been screwed since there are
crowds and crowds of people exiting the temple. It occurs to me that I have
been totally naive and the first guide probably knew we had to be there for
5:30 but just didn’t want to get up that early. The brother assures me that
all guides know when the sun rises on Angkor.

So, I’m furious and feeling totally taken advantage of. I have no way of
getting the morning opportunity back unless I pay for a complete new entry
ticket (another $20 US) and another day of driving. To add insult to
disappointment, the first guide told nothing to his brother of the agreement
to include Rolous Group in the $15 price and he starts haggling for more
money. He tells me it’s “at least an hour” to get there and that’s a lot of
money for “petrol.” An hour my ass. It’s only 17 kilometres away and the
roads there are paved. And, as a guide, he’s probably been there a thousand
times, knows it only takes 20 minutes, but has no problem lying to my face.
When we went there in the afternoon, I questioned him on it, asking why he
told me it would take an hour. Well, sometimes it’s very busy, was his
completely bogus answer. On top of  that, when I asked him to take me back
to Angkor Wat from the Rolous Group in the evening so I could at least catch
the sunset, he out rightly refused unless I paid him another $5. It is no
wonder that this place is known as “Scambodia.”

Although I was thrilled to be at Angkor, the experience was totally spoiled
by this turn of events and I couldn’t wait to get back to my hotel, which,
itself, was rather a dive for $10.

In addition to the hassles with the guide, the young girls and boys who
surround and harass every tourist arriving or leaving the temples, trying to
get them to buy bracelets or scarves, are enough to try even a saint’s
patience and after a few hours of them I was ready to wring their little
necks. I was actually very glad to be leaving the next day.

Next up: A day in Phnom Penh and sex on a beach