Siem Reap, Cambodia...

A little over a week ago I left Ko Chang for Siem Reap, Cambodia. The journey was long, about 10 hours, and except for a few attempted scams upon crossing the border, was fairly uneventful. I was picked up from my bungalow at 7am and after picking up a mini-van full of other passengers we headed for the ferry terminal on Ko Chang. It was a somewhat somber ride as I watched Ko Chang get smaller and smaller as the ferry terminal pulled away and headed for Trat. We arrived at the Aranya Prather/Poipet border crossing a several hours later. However, right prior to reaching the border, our driver stops at a restaurant (like they do every hour or so along the way because they get commissions) where a lady insists that we must get our visas there before crossing the border. I knew this wasn't true, so I informed everyone that we can get our visas at the border for about half of what she was trying to charge us. We told our driver that we'd take our chances and get our visas at the border. The lady wasn't happy, and I'm sure he wasn't either - no doubt he was getting a commission from that as well. We leave and a little while later pull into the Cambodian Embassy just down the road from the border and go in to get our visas. Even here we were charged about 300 baht more than we would've paid at the border, but were told that it was a fee for "express service" and that we could do it at the border if we choose but it may take several hours as the people at the border have to come back here to get the visas anyway and sometimes wait until there are several to get. Whatever, we paid the extra amount and got on with it. Sometimes the hassle isn't worth the couple of extra dollars. Finally, our driver drives us to the border, at which time our he hands us over to his Cambodian counterpart who proceeds to lead us through the border crossing. Upon departing Thailand, I paid my 500 baht fine for overstaying my visa for one day, which I expected, but cringed when I had to sign a form with a statement stating that I "have resolved this matter with Thailand police". We cross in to Cambodia without incident, and our new driver takes us to the bus station where we will transfer to a bus for the rest of the ride to Siem Reap. When we arrive at the bus terminal, the driver tells us that we should exchange our money here. I asked him about the exchange rate and he immediately starts trying to tell me that I wont be able to change it once I get to Siem Reap because of "problems between Thailand and Cambodia" and they wont accept baht. Immediately my bullshit alarm went off and I ignored him. Later, at another restaurant stop on the way to Siem Reap, I was talking with a couple of the people who were on the bus with me. They paid in Riel (the Cambodian currency) so I asked them what the exchange rate was at the bus terminal. It was horrible, they lost about $60 on $250 exchange, and I'm sure there were more commissions to be had by the taxi driver because of it. Ok, you've been informed, enough about the scams.
My first impression of Cambodia was that of impeccably manicured rural farmlands and rice paddies interspersed with sugar-palm. The road to Siem Reap is now completely sealed so the journey was smooth and went quicker than I expected. We arrived in Siem Reap around sunset which put a nice glow on everything and I was immediately impressed with how well set up the town is. Being the backbone for Angkor's tourism, I can easily see why it is one of the most popular destinations on the planet. Accommodations here can run from as low as $3 a night to several thousand. I'm staying at a wonderful little mini-hotel, run by an incredibly friendly and attentive family, called the Encore Angkor. It's in a very convenient location, near the Old Market, the Night Market, Pub Street, and the Stung Siem Reap (Siem Reap River). The room was extremely clean, with crisp linens, satellite t.v., air con, and nicely tiled bath. Not to mention the amenities such as free wi-fi, swimming pool, laundry, daily cleaning svc, and free breakfast. Certainly a bargain at only $15 a night! Highly recommend.
Rather than rushing off to see the temples of Angkor immediately, I spent the first few days just checking out Siem Reap and lazing by the pool trying to keep up my tan from Ko Chang. I spent a lot of time wandering around the markets or dining in one of the may restaurants found on Pub Street or the "The Alley". I found a good deal on a much needed 8GB flash drive then proceeded to go to the "Boom Boom Room" (not that kind of boom-boom), where I purchased some much needed music. The Boom Boom Room is a store that sells iPods, accessories, t-shirts, and music downloads of pretty much anything. Up till now I've had no music with me, and being a dj this has been torture. I NEED music. Right now I'm chillin' in my sweet little hotel room, working on my blog, and listening to a Bargrooves compilation - one of the 30 cd downloads I picked up for less than 75 cents a piece.
The last few days were spent exploring the temples of Angkor and some of the rural Cambodian country side. Tommorow will be my last day here in Siem Reap so I will be making travel arrangements for my next destination, Battambang, and will also post a blog entry about the temples with pictures. If you want to see pictures from around Siem Reap, click here. The pictures taken in the rural country side were taken while cruising by in a tuk-tuk, but still give a good impression of what the country outside of Siem Reap and around Angkor is like.