As I mentioned in my previous report, the border between Laos and Cambodia is apparently closed, forcing me to cut back into Thailand from southern Laos, then into Cambodia.  This circuitous route meant several additional border crossings, which are never fun.  Sure enough, at the very first border Laos customs had no stamp for my carnet!  They signed the carnet and wrote a nice note explaining that they have no stamp.  Unfortunately the note is in Lao, which is probably indecypherable to anyone reading the carnet!  I hope the CAA accepts this nice note and returns my motorcycle bond money.

 As usual, the Thai border crossings were efficient and quick.  They are familiar with the carnet, and with a little help from me pointing out where to sign and stamp, I was across the Thai border quickly.

 The next day I crossed from Thailand into Cambodia.  That border crossing at Poipet is a nightmare!  It is very busy with foot and vehicle traffic.  There are trucks lined up at the border, jostling with ox carts, mopeds, pedestrians, and one motorcycle :-)  I gave my carnet to Thai customs, who told me to walk over and get my passport stamped first.  So I got my passport stamped, but then the official didn't want to let me back up the road to get my motorcycle - he wanted to send me the other way into Cambodia!  I had to explain that I was going back for my motorcycle and that customs had told me to leave the bike.  Finally I got back to my bike and got my carnet stamped.

 At the border gate there was a line of trucks waiting to go through.  I really didn't want to wait in a hot line with my bike overheating so I went around the trucks - and around the gate it turns out.  I heard whistles blowing, and saw some waving but I kept going.  One fellow (not an official) stopped me and told me I had to go back.  I shook my head yes, and kept going into Cambodia.  I had done everything legally and I don't think there was much anyone would do about me skipping the official verification at the gate.  I just hope they don't hold a grudge when I pass back through that border in a couple of days :-)

 At the Cambodia border things were even more chaotic, if that's possible.  I got my visa, then I went down to immigration for my passport stamps.  Once my passport was stamped and I was legally in the country, I watched to see if there was anyone processing carnets.  I didn't see anyone dealing with carnets but I had been told that it's necessary to get the carnet stamped in Cambodia. 

 Even though I have a carnet for my bike, I prefer not to get it stamped upon import for a couple of reasons.  First, it takes time, and the officials often don't know how to fill out the carnet.  In fact, the first time I entered Thailand the customs official stamped the wrong spots - those intended for export not import!  When I went to export my bike I had to explain why there were already stamps in the export section.  Second, if my bike is stolen or destroyed in a country that has stamped my carnet, I will have to get all kinds of official paperwork to prove the bike was not sold.  So if I can avoid getting the carnet stamped on import I will.

 Which is just what I did in Cambodia.  After watching the entry gate for a while, I saw that there was little checking going on.  I got in line behind a truck, and when they lowered the chain and the truck drove over, I followed on my bike.  This time there was no whistles or hand waving and I was immediately dumped into a parking lot of traffic that is Poipet. 

 I weaved my way through the traffic and potholes and up the road.  Very soon though I heard someone shouting "hey mister - hey mister".  I turned around and there was a customs official on a moped following behind me.  He waved me over and I got off the bike thinking he was going to make me go back for my carnet.  He shouted something about immigration so I pulled out my passport and showed him my Cambodia stamps.  He said thanks and took off, and I was left to fight my way back into the traffic.  Cool!

 The worst of my day was just beginning though.  The "road" from the border town Poipet to Siem Reap, the tourist town that services Angkor Wat, is horrendous.  It starts out as a bad paved road with more potholes than pavement, then quickly deteriorates into a bad dirt road, then it becomes just bad dirt without the road, before ending in bad pavement again.  The bike and I spent 3 hours getting pounded by the road and eating dust from vehicles going the other way.  It was hot and humid and the inside of my jacket was a pool of sweat.  The narrow one-way bridges were always a treat - racing the oncoming traffic to see who goes first, then avoiding holes the size of my bike that would have spit me into the river below!  At least it wasn't raining, which I've heard turns the road into an impassable quagmire!

 So I eventually reached Siem Reap, which is a crowded tourist town full of restaurants and bars and hotels.  I found a hotel near downtown with secure parking and took a shower to wash off the dirt that had turned to mud on my body.

 The next day I got to visit the ruins.  Angkor Wat is spread over many square kms.  I thought I would ride my bike along the paved temple circuit, but the park officials had other news for me.  Apparently foreign vehicles are no longer allowed in the park.  This is a new regulation that I assume is to cut down on traffic, but more likely is intended to increase revenues.  Instead of riding my bike, I had to hire a driver to show me around.  I could have gotten a taxi or tuk-tuk for $20 for the day, but I hired a driver on a moped to carry me around for about $7.  My "guide" spoke decent english and was quite handy with the moped.  We even did some dirt biking through the jungle to visit one of the remote gates!  At each stop I would dismount and go off to explore the temple for as long as I wanted, then rejoin my guide to go to the next temple.

 In all we visited 7 or 8 different temple complexes, some small and some huge.  The 2 main complexes, Angkor Thom and Angkor Wat are amazing, and all the sites were worth seeing.  I walked through the jungles, climbed the pyramids, and wandered through temples for most of the day.  It was sunny and hot and I was quite worn out at the end of the day.

 One thing that surprised me was the small amount of tourists I encountered.  I expected Angkor Wat to be packed with tourists, but there were relatively few.  In fact, at some of the temples, I was the only tourist to be seen.  The lack of tourists could have something to do with the difficulty in reaching this dusty corner of Cambodia.

 One bad thing about the small number of tourists was that all the touts immediately descended on my like a swarm of mosquitos.  As soon as I got off the moped people came running to sell me water, postcards, guide books, flutes, tours, whatever.  Their favorite introduction is "where are you from?" or "what's your name?".  I started telling them my name was Rambo, since the Cambodian border official told me that my passport photo looked like Rambo!  That always got a giggle from the girls :-)

Speaking of laughs, it seems that my nose is a source of humor, even here in SE Asia.  Lots of the girls had been pointing at my nose and giggling.  I didn't understand what they were saying until one of them told me that they find my pointy nose unusual - very different from the flat noses of most Asian people.  I'm glad that my nose and I are so entertaining :-)

 That night I went into town for a dinner of vegetable and noodle stir fry.  Something in the stir fry didn't settle with me and I was ill most of the night.  I wondered if I'd be able to visit the temples at sunrise as I had planned.  Luckily at 5 AM I was feeling well enough to put on some clothes and hop on the moped to go back into the park.  I enjoyed the sunrise over the main temples and got some pictures before finding a quiet secluded spot to enjoy the magical setting.

 Angkor Wat is as mystical as I imagined it to be.  And even better, because this is the rainy season, I had many of the temples to myself.  It was definitely worth battling the bad roads and bad food to visit this magical place.

 Story