Day 5: Belgians!

-Just to say there is a minor invasion of Belgians (5 including myself) at the Golden Fish Guesthouse

So back to the main thing to visit the major stuff, but with a -hmmm- not-so-good-bike this time. After 3 hours the knees were a complete wreck so called it a day. Three hours was actually enough to get there/see the 2 major sites: Thom and Wat. Nice, but not overwhelming...but again mostly due to the side animation: a string of tuktuks, tour buses, tour minivans, tour carts, (you may get some exercise with the bike but healthy is another thing...riding between black exhaust fumes)... and the standard "just one dollar sir"

Angkor Wat

I guess this is Cambodia's way of begging...One of the poorest countries in the world but no beggars on the streets here (just twice now: I do not want your money!!! I want milk for my baby!!! - says this 8 year old kid). No, instead we sell (push) everything...for $1. I have not found the proper way yet to get rid of them in an efficient (but not rude) way... Obviously a discussion is a nono and for some reason I don't get away with just ignoring (which seems the only way). I guess it will take a few weeks.

Last day here, bus ticket (at the normal tourist price of $5) for Phnom Penh is in. So far it seems there are only 2 activities for me there: Get the Vietnam Visa and while waiting see the Khmer Rouge horror of S21. Here is the thing: Port of entry/departure must be mentioned on the visa application form. Departure is clear, entry is something else...the easiest way would be to take the direct bus from Phnom Penh to Saigon via Moc Bai but that means that Cambodia is checked off. In addition, this take time I am not going to take the risk of not having a plane ticket ready - Hanoi > Manila - as proof I will leave Vietnam in time.

I guess I was lucky again they did not ask for such proof when entering Thailand...As you can only stay for 1 month without paying... I could not show anything that I would. At Brussels airport they almost refused me (well probably not but it took some time to convince the check in lady it was not a problem) when they saw my return ticket is almost 3 months later. I've met a tourist here who knew a tourist :) who was refused at the Thai border in a similar situation. Apparently they forced him to book a return ticket on the spot (to wherever) in order to 'proof' he would leave the country in less than one month

Anyhow. Decision time. if I do the easy thing and call Cambodia a day it is just Siem Reap and Phnom Penh.
So far I am not sold on Cambodia though. The coast line in the south (Sihanoukville, Kampot) are going to be tourist beach party towns, Battambang seems to be a Luang Prabang clone (tourist riverside party town...which was kinda nice at the time in Laos but no real need to do it over again..just yet) and the east, well, some tourists are bragging about it...how fun it is to ride an elephant... O well, even it means Cambodia is over in a week there is more time left for the rest...maybe to include some islands of all-time-favorite-so-far-except-Bali-Indonesia :)