Cambodia - Angkor Wat in Siem Reap--1st day

After arrival, it took 15 customs agents to stamp my passport and visa along with $20 cash. Luckily, I brought cash and a visa photo or they never would let me into the country at the airport. The American dollars entry fee should have been a tip off about the currency. You see, when I changed $100 I received back 380,000 reals(Cambodian money). It was such a wad of money I needed an extra envelope because it could not fit into my wallet. When I got into town everything was in American dollars! I'm trying hard to get rid of the reals before I leave, of course, at a bad exchange rate.

Siem Reap has a much different feel than Bangkok. It a small city, safe, with lots of motorbikes, bikes, Tuk-Tuks(motorcycle towing a comfortable seat for 2 or 3 people) and few cars. I took a motorcycle the 5 miles into town for $2 with all my luggage. It was quite an introduction to the city. After settling into the Golden Banana B&B($20 with breakfast), my motorbike driver took me to explore his village. He lived with a monk in a single, concrete-floor room (10 feet by 10 feet) next to the village's dirty, loud, kerocene-powered generator. He said it got so loud he could often not sleep. I offered to give him earplugs and he was very appreciative. We visited the school where kids (10-16) learn English and a Wat, listened to musicans practicing on traditional Cambodian instruments, and visited with a renowned, fortune-telling monk.

Many people come from Siem Reap and surrounding places come to talk to this monk all day long. When I arrived, there were few people. So, what-the-heck, he gave me a reading. After making a greeting and offering, the main thing he told me was that there would be some difficut times ahead until December and to be careful. Then, in January, things would get much better. Of course he didn't know that I would be traveling most of the time alone until December! While traveling, I try always to be careful, but you never know what's around the corner! Such is life!

That evening, over dinner with my driver, was the beginning of seeing the close up reality of Cambodia's mind-blowing poverty. During dinner, limbless people in all varities, hungry moms and kids begged for money. If you made eye-contact they would just linger while your eating. Later, everywhere, I went, I would be accousted, especially at Angkor Wat, by people selling water, rides, food, trinkets, and tours. This is in a town with few tourists than normal so people here are desperate for business.

Cambodia is a short 50 minutes fleight away from Bangkok, but a world apart.