Month: September 2019

Oman – Wadi Shab and the Turtles – August 2019

Oman – Wadi Shab and the Turtles – August 2019

August 22-24, 2019

The world is full of obvious things which nobody ever observes.”

  • Sherlock Holmes
Wadi Shab

Oman amazes.  I’ll just start with that. Before I came to the Middle East, I could have told you everything I knew about Oman in less than a minute, and half of that would have been wrong.  This was my third trip to Oman.  Each have been distinctive and unique. Before I describe this trip, here are a few introductory facts about Oman:

  • The country is officially known as the Sultanate of Oman. The government is an absolute monarchy – Sultan Qaboos rules by decree and has absolute power, but his policies have generally been considered popular as he has used the country’s oil income to improve infrastructure.  Islam is the state religion.
  • Oman is located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula.  The population is about 4.5 million.  Muscat is the capital and largest city with a metro population of about 1.5 million.
  • Oman is the oldest independent state in the Arab world. It has been ruled by the Al-Said family since 1744.
  • Tourism is an important industry. Oman is open, friendly, and safe, and has largely avoided issues with extremists that have plagued some Arab countries.
  • The currency is the rial, ranked in the top ten strongest currencies by several ranking agencies. 1 rial = $2.60.
  • Most of the country receives about 100 mm of rain a year, but the Al Hajar mountains (elevations over 10,000 feet) in the center of the country get about 3 times that much.
  • Oman is a hot spot for whale watching the critically endangered Arabian Humpback Whale, the only non-migratory species in the world.
  • Mountain Dew is the largest selling drink in Oman.
  • Oman is one of the few countries in the world where frankincense trees grow naturally.

This was another trip with Trekkup Dubai (https://www.meetup.com/trekkup/). This outfit, and others like them, are a great way to see some really interesting places for a good price. Without exception, I have met a great group of people. This trip had 17 trekkers – four each from the UK and Australia, three from the US, two each from Russia and Egypt, and one each from Venezuela and Tunisia.  How cool is that!  We caught a ride from Abu Dhabi to Dubai airport with a couple and their daughter from Australia.  We met the rest of the group at one of the usual coffee shop locations in Dubai Airport, and after a brief 40-minute flight we were on the ground at a new, clean airport in Muscat.  I am still using my 12-month Oman visa from last fall; Lynn purchased a 12-month visa for $161.  Obtaining visas online for different countries we travel to is easy, but prices vary quite a bit.  This is most expensive to date, but it is good for 12 months and multiple entries. Typical visas have been $20 to $75, good for 30 to 90 days.  We usually receive them within 2 days and sometimes as quickly as just a few hours.

One of the advantages of booking trips with the Meetup groups (Trekkup Dubai is just one of many) is that you just pay, submit your documents, then show up and let the adventure begin.  Comfortable SUVs were waiting to whisk us through Muscat to our Holiday Inn, passing McDonalds, Pizza Hut, and Kentucky Fried Chicken franchises along the way.  I have noticed in our travels that the America service industry and restaurant franchises seem to be well represented.  I also pondered that I was taught growing up that the ‘q’ was always followed by ‘u’, but that doesn’t apply to the English translation of Arabic words.

Wadi Shab

Our Holiday Inn was very nice. After having breakfast with an Egyptian transaction lawyer as we often do (not really), we headed off to our first adventure, a hike up Wadi Shab. We left Muscat, driving southeast through a clean, green (thanks to substantial irrigation), modern city out into the rugged coastline of Oman. I saw the occasional stray goat foraging under the blazing sun in the barren landscape – how do they survive? I don’t know, but they are a common feature in landscapes where less robust creatures wouldn’t make it.  A thick coat of fur under a blazing sun, and they just walk around chewing on anything they can. I couldn’t tell if they belong to someone.

Wadi Shab

After about a two-hour drive, we arrived at Wadi Shab.  A wadi is dry riverbed or channel that generally only contains water during periods of rainfall and subsequent runoff, but this wadi contained a nice stream of clear jade-colored water thanks to some natural springs. After a short ferry ride across the river, we headed up the wadi for about 45 minutes following the palm tree lined stream and occasionally crisscrossing it before reaching the first of a series of pools. We were hot by the time we reached them, and Lynn grabbed the first opportunity to fully submerge and refresh.  We left our bags and headed into the pools, some shallow, some deep, and all beautiful against the rocky cliffs and blue-sky background. We meandered upstream, taking our time playing in the water and enjoying the day. Local youngsters managed to find their way up to openings in the canyon walls where they smiled and laughed at us. This is just the latest example of friendly foreigners for us.

local youngsters on the cliffs of Wadi Shab

After another hour or so, we reached the end of the pools, where we are now treading water as the pool is over our heads. A small slit in the back of the pool, barely enough for you to keep your head out of water, leads back to a partial cave (one corner opens and leads to daylight) where about a 10-foot waterfall is enticing people to jump. This was not at all what I expected from Oman.

We took our time returning downstream and stopped for a mango ice cream before loading up for our next stop, the small port city of Sur about another 45 minutes down the coast. This town of about 120,000 is an important port, and has a factory that still builds dhow ships, the traditional wooden fishing vessel of the Middle East. We checked into the simple but adequate Al-Ayjah Plaza hotel with a nice view of the bay for a short rest before heading out on for an afternoon boat ride. As we approached the shore, I noticed a small fishing boat, maybe 6 meters long, with their afternoon haul. A net full of fish were piled up on the boat, and a group of men were removing the fish from the net one by one by hand. Fishing by manual means appears to still be the primary way of fishing in this town as we were to see many times.

Fishermen unloading their afternoon catch in Sur, Oman

We loaded on the boat and headed out into the harbor.  Sur is on the Gulf of Oman. The influence of the Indian Ocean makes the water here much cooler – a refreshing 81° compared to well over 90° in the Gulf of Arabia (known to many in the west as the Persian Gulf, something else I learned when I came here), and riding on the water was comfortable. We cruised around for a while, seeing dozens of turtles swimming about and a similar number of dhow vessels in the harbor and out at sea fishing. We had a late lunch on the water before returning to the hotel.

A local dhow in the harbor at Sur, Oman

After another rest, we headed out for our late-night turtle excursion. Forty-two kilometers east of Sur on the far eastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula is the tiny town of Ras Al-Jinz, an ancient city where copper smelting and melting working remains from as early as 2200 BC have been found. It is now known as the home of the Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve, an important nesting site for green sea turtles. A hotel is located here, as well as a small museum, gift shop, and welcome center for tourists looking to see the turtles. Five of the seven sea turtles nest on Oman beaches – Green, Leatherback, Hawksbill, Olive Ridley, and Loggerhead.

Our group was assigned a number and we waited patiently for our time on the beach. The Omani do a good job controlling beach traffic to help keep overzealous observers from upsetting the process. When our time came, an Omani with a small light led us to the beach. As we approached the beach, we were all instructed to leave our lights off except when he allowed otherwise.  As we neared, the dunes took on the appearance of a bombed-out beach front, with sand pits and craters in abundance.  The green turtle averages around 130 kg (~290 pounds) and about a meter long (the largest on record tipped the scales at a whopping 395 kg (875 pounds)). They don’t begin egg laying until they are well over 30 years old. This is a much older age than other sea turtles owing to the diet of sea grasses and seaweed for green turtles compared to the more carnivorous diet of the other turtles.

We watched the mothers craft, with great labor, a pit with a perimeter somewhat larger than their bodies, about a half meter deep, and a second smaller egg chamber another half meter deeper where she deposits the eggs. The female lays about 110 eggs in each clutch. This process takes about 45 minutes. The nest is then methodically covered by flipping sand with her front flippers. Then, in a move intended to foil predators, she continues to push forward, sweeping the sand behind her for another several meters, giving the appearance that the nest is in a different location.  Her task finished, she turns and works her way back to the surf. The whole process can take two hours or longer.

Green turtle laying her eggs at Ras Al Jinz Turtle Reserve

Green turtles may lay eggs several times in a season, then not return for two or three years. The sex of the hatchlings is determined by the temperature of the sand.  Eggs incubated in sand below 28°C will be male, above 31°C will be female. In between will be mixed. All eggs are laid above the high tide line – how far above the line is one factor that will affect this temperature, along with seasonal variations.  Global warming will also affect this distribution in another example of how far reaching the effects will be. Mortality is quite high – as little as 0.2% will survive all the hazards that come their way to reach adulthood.

Tired lady just about finished with her task.

We observed about eight turtles at various stages of nesting, along with a couple of stray hatchlings that our guide got back on course. One female inadvertently destroyed another nest while preparing her own, a consequence of the high number of nests on this beach.  It was almost 11 PM by the time the show was over.  We returned to our hotel at Sur for a late dinner.

Net fishing by hand off the coast of Ras Al Hadd

We got an early start the next morning for more turtle observations at the small village of Ras Al Hadd, splitting the group into two boats to head out into the Gulf of Oman. We spotted several turtles, but they were more spread out than I hoped. The water clarity was decent but didn’t really support good underwater pictures. No matter, the water was a very refreshing alternative to the very warm water at our local beach in Ruwais, and we enjoyed playing around in the water with our snorkel gear. Lynn was quite excited to get a close look at a turtle.

Shore net casters deliver their catch to the back of a waiting pickup truck.

I enjoyed watching the locals catching fish with hand thrown nets, both from boats and the shore. Guys from the shore pulled their trucks in close and lined the bed with a tarp. They then waded out into the water and cast their nets. They pulled in what looked to be a couple of bushels of fish which they hoisted over their shoulders and carried up to the bed of their truck.  The boats had a couple of guys standing at the bow physically looking for fish by a change in the color of the water, the sea color taking on a darker hue where fish were present. I think this was due to the school of fish blocking the lighter colored sand below.  Our guide took a few minutes to motor us around a couple of such spots, and over these darker areas you could look down and see the silver flashes of thousands of darting fish just a couple of meters down.

Eye to eye with a green turtle underwater.

We moved down the coast to another location and chanced upon a couple of turtles having a private moment. I marveled at the coordination and enthusiasm the pair needed to complete the process with their bulky bodies in an ocean current. The male turtles have small claws on their front flippers to aid in grasping the female, but this was definitely a team effort.

After a short swim and snorkel in a bay with lots of fish, we moved to an inland bay for our last stop.  I had seen enough turtles to be pleased and consider the trip a success, but the best was yet to come. We entered the shallow bay, ranging from as little as a meter to a few meters deep. Looking down through the clear jade green water were hundreds of the dark gray masses darting about. The slow labored movements of these gentle giants on the beach were replaced by strong graceful swimming, an occasional stop for a curious look, and sudden sprints at an alarming speed.  Their movements reminded me of swallows in the sky darting about for insects.  I moved through the water trying to get closer and was finally rewarded with a face to face encounter from just a few feet away. We made eye contact for a few seconds. This was the highlight of the trip for me and a special moment I will remember.

Hawiyat Najm “Star Hole” park.

We returned to the hotel for a quick cleanup and lunch before we had to hit the road to the airport, but there was one more highlight for the trip. The Hawiyat Najm park (“Star Hole” according to one of our Arab speaking friends on the trip). This is a deep limestone sinkhole just a few hundred meters from the sea set in a small park with picnic tables.  The sinkhole is filled with a deep pool of water from a mix of fresh and seawater that give the water a beautiful aquamarine hue.  We would like to have gone for a swim, but our timetable would not support it.  We moved on to the airport for our return flight home.

This was a short but eventful trip, and another wonderful Omani experience.  Total expenses for the trip were $1414 for the two of us including the Trekkup trip costs, snorkel gear, a 12-month Omani visa, and carpool contribution.

Thailand and Cambodia – August 2019

Thailand and Cambodia – August 2019

August 6-13. 2019

“There is no path to happiness. Happiness is the path.”

  • Buddha
Temple of the Sacred Sword, Siem Reap

As we begin to approach the end of our time in the United Arab Emirates, we have started looking around the travel landscape to identify those spots where there is a real advantage to travelling from here instead of the USA.  With the recommendation from some friends and after considering several options, we decided on Siem Reap, Cambodia, in southeast Asia, home of Angkor Wat.  As we started investigating flights, it was apparent most had a layover in Bangkok, Thailand. Further, we noted there are several flights each day between Bangkok, so we decided to add a couple of days in Bangkok as well. The die was cast. We would have about a 6-hour flight to Bangkok with 3 time zones difference compared to an (insert big number) hour flight from east Tennessee with an 11-hour time zone difference, and we would make separate arrangements for the one-hour flight from Bangkok to Siem Reap.

As is often our custom, we chose to make the trip from our fair city of Ruwais to Abu Dhabi, the night before our 8:45 AM departure on August 6.  This allows us to have an easy morning for our flight and sets us up with parking arrangements. By staying at the Park Inn on Yas Island the night before we leave and the night we get back, they allow us free covered hotel parking while we are gone.  “Covered” parking may not seem like a big deal to some but spend a summer in the Middle East and you’ll appreciate it.

The flight to Bangkok was my favorite kind – uneventful.  Thailand requires no visa for tourists from the US, so entry was easy as well.  I withdrew 10,000 baht from an ATM (~$332) for two nights and one full day.  This turned out to be way too much, but I was able to change back $80 before the return flight for a fair exchange rate.  The US dollar still enjoys a more favorable exchange rate than most currencies where we have travelled.  In some countries dollars are widely accepted, but should not be considered an automatic de facto currency.  Study ahead of time and plan accordingly.

Thanks to Lynn’s research, we bypassed all the taxi hawks with their booths set up at the exit to customs and headed downstairs and out the air terminal doors to the public taxi forum.  You get a ticket based on whether you want a small or large car (number of people in your group), and whether you are travelling a short or long distance. You are issued a ticket with a number, which you take to the corresponding parking lot number.  A licensed driver with a metered taxi takes you to your destination. All very clean, professional, and reasonable.  Our 30 km cross town taxi to our hotel cost 450 baht, about ~$15.   This was my first time to southeast Asia, and I enjoyed taking in the landscape as we drove through the night to our hotel across town. I noticed many 7-11 convenience shops, the first of probably 50 or more we saw in Bangkok. As a reminder that we were in a country where about 95% of the population are Buddhist, billboards proclaimed “Buddha is not a decoration.  Show respect.”

Theater Residence, Bangkok

Lynn found us a room that was beyond the reach of the current metro system, which required the cab ride. But it took us to a perfect spot.  We had two objectives for our Bangkok stay – to see the Grand Palace and adjoining sites and visit some local markets (a routine that has become one of my favorites).  Lynn found us the Theatre Residence ($67/night) for a comfortable room with a kitchenette, good Wi-Fi, a nice pool, and free breakfast. The walk to the boat launch to take us across the Chao Phraya River to the Grand Palace was less than 5 minutes in one direction, and the walk to the Wang Lang markets was even less than that in the opposite direction along the riverfront.  A school yard was next door that was busy and noisy during the day, but we weren’t there anyway so no worries.  Perfect.

The Royal Pantheon at the Grand Palace

We headed out early on the morning of August 27 to visit Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace.  The 5-minute boat ride across the river cost us 7 baht for both of us, less than 25₵.  We worked our way through an area of street vendors.  I read that Thailand has the best street food in the world, and I saw ample evidence of that before the trip was over.  We pushed on to the Grand Palace, built in 1782 when Thailand was still known as Siam.  Entrance to the palace cost 1000 baht for both of us (~33$).  This is a large complex of buildings including Wat Phra Kaew, also known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. This is the most sacred Buddhist Temple in Thailand.  The Buddha was carved from a single piece of jasper, probably in the 15th century.  The statue is clothed in fine garments made of gold and jewelry that are changed for each of the three seasons – summer, rainy, and winter.

Asurapaski in front of Chapel of the Emerald Buddha

We visited several other features of the Palace including the Demon Guardians (six pair of statues up to 6 meters in height guarding the Emerald Buddha from evil spirits), Phra Si Ratana Credi (a golden bell shaped tower housing relics of Buddha), the Statue of Cheewok Komaraphat (the doctor of Buddha and the father of Thai herbal medicine), and others.  Crowds were thick, and signs to show respect for the Buddha did not seem sufficient to slow the stream of selfie snapping tourists in front of venerated objects.  The stress of the crowds and the heat required a passion fruit ice cream to recover before moving on.

The Reclining Buddha at Wat Pho

We headed down the street to the Wat Pho complex, home of one of the world’s largest reclining Buddhas, but first we had to get by a huckster that tried to convince us Wat Pho was closed until later that day and we should take a tuk-tuk tour with him.  Lynn saw right through him, and we were soon viewing a truly impressive gold leaf covered Reclining Buddha. At 46 meters long and 15 meters high, this highlight completely dominates the inside of the building.  His gigantic feet are adorned with 108 mother of pearl symbols representing the 108 positive actions and symbols that helped lead Buddha to perfection. Likewise, 108 cups line the exit route for contributions to the monks who maintain the grounds. 

The Phra Ubosot at Wat Pho

We also visited Phra Ubosot while at the Wat Pho. This is the most sacred temple of the complex and the main hall for performing Buddhist rituals. Inside the ubosot is a gold and crystal three-tiered pedestal topped with a gilded Buddha made of a gold-copper alloy. The complex is an educational site for the general public. The temples are religious sites for Buddhists, so clothing should not leave exposed shoulders or skin above the knee, and your shoes must be removed before entering the temples.  Entrance to the complex containing Wat Pho cost us 200 baht for both of us.

Lunch from a street vendor in Bangkok

After leaving Wat Pho, I found myself being drawn down a side alley by strange and interesting shops. We had been out for a while, and the aroma from the hibachi grill of a small vendor was enticing.  The smells of grilled pork and chicken mingled with banana leaf wrapped roasted fish. I bought a bamboo skewer of pork for 50 bhat, about ~$1.60 that was heavenly.  We washed this down with a local Singha beer that was very refreshing after our morning walk.

We returned to the Theater Residence to relax for a bit, then headed out into the Wang Lang street market shops next to our hotel.  By virtue of being in a residential neighborhood, we saw absolutely no tourists, just local Thai plying their wares, and of course, plenty more interesting food. In contrast to my Ethiopia experience, people enjoyed having their picture taken, giggling and laughing when I showed them their photo. The people we met during both our Thailand and Cambodia visits were as genuinely friendly as any I have met anywhere. They are not materially blessed, but this is not a distraction from what seemed to be a general contentment. I considered that 95% of the country is Buddhist, and that followers of Buddhism focus on achieving a state of inner peace and wisdom (enlightenment) rather than worshipping a supreme god or deity. Connection between inner peace and contentment?  An easy conclusion for this unenlightened traveler to reach.

Friendly street vendor selling fish in Wang Lang street markets, Bangkok

We enjoyed another visit through Wang Lang the next morning before heading to Don Mueang Airport for our flight to Siem Reap.  Our cabbie spoke to a translator box and ‘Alexa’ asked us questions about our trip as we drove.  We listed to English language pop music on the radio on our way, with scooters constantly weaving around us.  Our 40-minute ride cost us 500 baht.

We arrived in Siem Reap Airport in about an hour and worked our way through this small, clean, modern airport in no time. We had obtained evisas in advance at $36 each for a 90-day visa (www.evisa.gov.kh). Even for countries with visa on arrival we have decided it is better to have visa in hand. We moved quickly through customs. I withdrew $250 of local currency, 933,000 riel, from a currency exchange booth.  I typically pay between 2-6% to convert money.  With a little effort I could probably economize here, but those rates don’t bother me compared to the overall trip expenses.

Borei Angkor Resort and Spa, Siem Reap

We found our hotel driver waiting for us just outside the terminal.  He took us on about a 30-minute ride into town to our home for the next five days, the Borei Angkor Resort and Spa ($62/night). This was a lovely tree shaded hotel with teak wood furnishings and a beautiful pool we took full advantage of.  All the hotel staff were exceedingly kind and cheerful in a way that seemed genuinely sincere, not in a “I work at this hotel so I will be nice to you” way.  We were treated this way everywhere we went.  I pondered this behavior from a population that was reduced by a quarter a generation ago by the genocide of the Khmer Rouge. In a nod to reducing the generation of plastic trash, the hotel provides water bottles in your room, but encourages refills from a 5-gallon water dispenser in the foyer.

Tuk-tuk pulled by motorcycle

We settled in, then took a walk down the street to a market to pick up a few snacks for the room. Tuk-tuks were everywhere. These people transports that were pulled by hand or bicycle a generation ago are now largely pulled by a small motorcycle.  They are in abundance; all you do is raise your hand and one will be ready to go.  We paid our driver $2 from our stack of dollars we brought with us for just this purpose to take us for about a 10-minute ride to our dinner at the Siem Reap Brew Pub.  The drivers were always happy to arrange a pickup time as well.  I enjoyed another first for dinner, sweet and sour pigs’ ears.  The flavor was fine, but there wasn’t much meat and a lot of cartilage.  I think I will pass on that one next time.  Lynn had a traditional dish, beef lok-lok, while a Cambodian instrumental version of The Beatles “Long and Winding Road” played in the background. The bill (which comes in both riel and dollars) was about ~32$, typical for the week for a full dinner of drink, an appetizer, and entrees.

Angkor Tom

The next morning, we were met by our tuk-tuk driver and English-speaking guide for the first day of our temple tours.  Visal was our guide, a native of Siem Reap who has been serving as a guide for 11 years.  These tours were arranged through the hotel for $70/day.  This is another opportunity where you could probably cut your costs in half if you wanted to put some effort into it. I didn’t.  The first day agenda was the “Small Circuit”.  We started off by heading to the ticket center where we picked up a 3-day pass for almost all the Siem Reap historical landmarks for $67. A nice feature of this pass (that we didn’t use) is that you don’t have to use it in 3 consecutive days. Visal said the advent of the internet and the popularity spike that followed Angelina Jolie in the “Tomb Raider” movies resulted in an explosion of tourism in this formerly sleepy little town.

Angkor Tom Bayon Temple

The word ‘Angkor’ is derived from the Sanskrit word for city and was used to designate the capital city of the Khmer Empire which flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries.  There are dozens of temples in the area, we only saw a few.  The first stop on the Small Circuit was Angkor Tom.  This was the last capital of the Khmer Empire, built in the late 12th century, and occupies almost 4 square miles. The Bayon Temple, the Terrace of the Elephants, the Terrace of the Leper King, and the Phimeanakas Temple were some of the highlights here. We noticed several of the engravings had elongated ears. Visal explained that elongated ears meant long life so they would stretch their ears.  I couldn’t verify everything he told us, but it made a good story.

Petrol bottles at roadside stands

As we headed to our next stop, Ta Prohm, I asked Visal about the constant stream of roadside stands we saw with bottles of a golden liquid.  They were in all shapes and sizes of bottles, some plastic, some glass, some soda bottles, some liquor, etc.  Perhaps some popular regional beverage? He explained that was petrol for the fleet of scooters that buzz around the country.  Ta Prohm is the temple of “Tom Raider” fame, characterized by the gnarled roots of giant trees fighting to reclaim the land from the ancient temple. This was perhaps our most crowded venue, requiring patience on my part for taking pictures as selfie snappers required lots of time to shoot various angles and examine the results before moving on.  Most tourists are from Vietnam, China, and Thailand followed by other mostly Asian countries. The US has the most tourists of the non-Asian countries with 238,000 in 2016, about 5% of the tourist population.

Ta Prohm

A band of disfigured men that played instruments and sold CDs at the entrance to the temple were a poignant reminder of the land mine history of Cambodia. The Cambodia Mine Action Center estimates there are between 4 and 6 million pieces of unexploded ordinance in Cambodia remaining from 30 years of conflict. With no records of where the explosives are buried, removal is a time-consuming, expensive process, with decades more effort needed to complete removal.

Angkor Wat

Our last stop of the day was the highlight of the trip, Angkor Wat. This colossal structure was built in the 12th century as a Hindu temple. The region went back and forth between Hindu and Buddhist control over the centuries. Visal explained that Hindu would sometimes modify Buddhist displays to a Hindu figure, but that Buddhists would not do the same during their periods of control. The whole region eventually became Buddhist by the 16th century.

Preah Kahn

That wrapped up our touring for the day and we returned to our hotel. We continued our week- long ritual of spending the afternoon by the pool. I even converted to drinking tea with a bit of milk. We studied our dinner options and finally decided on Marum.  This restaurant supports several causes associated with the underprivileged of Cambodia by supporting schools and providing training and jobs. I enjoyed a beef dish garnished with red ants while Lynn had a crocodile burger with sweet potato chips. Lynn also picked up a nice silk scarf from the on-site shop that supports the disadvantaged selling Cambodian made crafts.

Buddhist nun

The tour for the next day was the Grand Circuit. This was a stop at five more significant temples, but by no means most of the temples in the area. The first stop was at Preah Kahn, the Temple of the Sacred Sword.  Crowds were almost non-existent compared to the previous day, making for a much more enjoyable experience. As we worked our way through the passageways, I noticed a small elderly person tucked back out of the way.  I went on a little way, then turned back to make a donation to this pleasant little nun. I donated a dollar, in return, I had a string of blessing tied around my wrist, followed by a warm hug, and my hat removed to kiss my forehead. And I still had no idea if this was a man or a woman. It didn’t matter. This sweet person was the absolute picture of contentment.

Ta Som

Our visit to Ta Som was similar to Ta Phrom with the massive tree roots fighting to reclaim the ground, but with virtually no people. Some people that were present though, were small children selling goods.  We had seen virtually none of this the previous day.  They followed you with barely audible voices but were very persistent. Young men were quite talented with their artwork. Perhaps under other circumstances I would have bought a piece, but on this day, I only left with a refrigerator magnet.

The last two temples we visited, East Mebon and Pre Rub, were also built as Hindu temples but were a couple of centuries older. (10th century).  They also varied from our other visited sites in that bricks were used in construction of some parts. Pre Rub also contained a crematorium.  Visla said all through history Cambodians have preferred cremation over burial.  The government restricts building in the area of the historical landmarks which adds to the charm.

Selling eggs at Phsar Leu Tom They markets.

We wrapped up our touring day a little early and returned for another afternoon by the pool.  But first, there was a market visit to make. Just down the street from our hotel was the Phsar Leu Thom Thmey street markets. I had seen these from the road but was totally unprepared for how large they were when you headed down the passageways off the main road.  They are not tourist markets either – this is where Cambodians shop. All manner of fruits, vegetables, meats, household products, jewelry, and of course, insects. Fine trays of roast silkworms and crickets were on display. We did not eat those on this day. That would soon change.

A flight of rum at Georges Rhumeria, a French fusion restaurant in Siem Reap.

Dinner on this night was at a fine French fusion cuisine at Georges Rhumeria.  The highlight of this dinner was the rum.  We each bought a sample flight containing 12 different varieties of rum such as mango, lime, caramel, coffee, and coconut. The grand finale was the “Electric Daisy” that came with a flower that you ate with the rum, leaving a tingling sensation in your mouth akin to touching your tongue with a 9-volt battery.

Extracting the silk thread from the cocoons in hot water at Angkor Silk Farm

The next day, August 11, we took a break from the temples.  We spent the morning on a tour of the Angkor Silk Farm.  This farm is part of a larger network supported by public and private enterprises to provide training and jobs for local Cambodians in all sorts of crafts.  A system of 48 shops provides hundreds of jobs and free training (which is also unpaid) for jobs such as stone carving, woodwork, metal working, painting, etc.  We observed the silkworms eating the mulberry tree leaves and the racks where they weave their cocoons, and watched the workers unwinding the cocoons (~400 meters of yellow silk in each cocoon!) by soaking in hot water and weaving the thread. Our guide said fully trained women who weave the cloth using complex manual looms make about $250/month and are provided health care and a noontime meal.

Customers getting a foot massage from fish in Siem Reap.

We had lunch on Pub Street, home of 50₵ beer, $5 restaurant entrees and $8/hr massage parlors.  Several vendors offered fish foot massages where the customer sits on a bench and puts their feet in a big aquarium full of fish that immediately start pecking away at their feet.  Satisfaction was guaranteed according to their ads. We walked back to our hotel along the Siem Reap River.

Fish for sale at Pouk market.

Lynn booked us a morning cooking class for our last day at Siem Reap Countryside Cooking Class.  This turned out to be a real treat.  Ben, our host, is a native of Siem Reap. His cooking class includes a trip through the markets at the village of Pouk where he was well known. The ever-friendly Cambodians had fun with us, waving wriggling fish in the air for our approval and offering a spoonful of prahok (fermented fish at least a year old) for us to smell and admire the bouquet.  We also finally had the opportunity to taste the roasted silkworms, crickets, and water beetles.  Crunchy, a little salty, with a hint of teriyaki flavor – not too bad! Or as Ben described – “Finger licking good!”. The people working in the market would make around $5 to $7 a day.

Ladies selling produce at Pouk market.

Ben runs his cooking class to support an orphanage with 98 kids, over 40 of which have HIV.  As we drove, it was clear he had political views that did not favor the Cambodian government.  He relies entirely on NGOs and profits from his cooking class and a few craft sales to avoid changing and conflicting government regulations associated with government aid.  He met a man in 2002 from San Luis Obispo in the US that was touring Cambodia.  This man became his godfather and enabled him to start this work. He seemed to be sincerely passionate about his cause and the work he does for the children, so it really raised my eyebrows when he said he liked Pol Pot, who was responsible for the killing of about 25 % of the population between 1975 and 1979.  Clearly, something was missing here – his education or mine, or maybe some of both.  He shared an interesting Cambodia saying on crooked politicians – You must cut off its head to kill the snake.  But if you can’t find the head, cut off the tail and the head will find you.

As we rode to Ben’s kitchen, we passed a market with cages selling small songbirds.  Ben said people purchase them to release.  The act of giving the bird its freedom is considered a compassionate act that cleanses your sins and brings good karma (this act is called fang sheng).  This practice is over a thousand years old, but is falling out of favor due to the unsavory black-market practices associated with capturing the birds in the first place.

Our cooking class chef Ben Nine describes some of the street food at Pouk Market.

We arrived at his outdoor kitchen with wood fire stoves, and for the next two hours had fun making pumpkin custard that we cooked in the gourd and rolling spring rolls.  We also pounded our own Kroueng, a spice and herb paste made from lemongrass, garlic, shallots, turmeric, and peanuts that are ground in a heavy mortar and pestle to a paste,  This is a stock item in many Cambodian dishes, and on this day we used it in making Chicken Amok that we cooked in banana leaf bowls we made. We had fun and felt like we were helping a good cause as well.  I recommend his class for anyone interested in a similar adventure (www.countrysidecookingclass.com).

Pumpkin custard we baked in the gourd over wood fire

I would like to have seen a nearby landmine museum that afternoon, but the schedule was too tight, and we were left to spend another afternoon poolside. I was quite comfortable with this routine.  We checked out the next morning and had an uneventful return to Bangkok and on to Abu Dhabi.  Lynn found an available free shuttle service between Don Mueang and Suvarnabhumi Airports that saved us the cab expense for the 45-minute drive. Total cost for this trip was one of our cheapest for a full week – $3135 for airfare, taxis, hotels, meals, tours, visas, souvenirs.

Roast silkworm.