Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2000 22:09:46 -0700 (PDT)
From: Jay Schneider
Subject: Update from Jay
so I played with a hand grenade today. Shot an AK-47, too, but the grenade was more significant for me. But I’ll get to all that in a bit…
Another mass-mail to update you as to the whereabouts and goings-on of Jay. For those of you who have no interest, or don’t know who I am, oops and apologies. For those of you who can’t read English, well, this is good studying for you, neh?
On July 30, under a scorching late-morning sun, pack on my back, flip-flops on my feet, sweat in uncomfortable places, and dust everywhere, I crossed the Thai-Cambodian Border into Poipet. The border official in charge of stamping our passports seemed in no hurry to do so, and was quite content to chat away with friends and leave to make a phone call. His unhurried pace surprised me because in each passport was a 200 Baht bill, which he gracefully slipped into the desk drawer, and simple economics tells me that the faster you stamp the passports, the faster the money comes in. Aah, Cambodia is young in the ways of corruption… Personally, I didn’t put any money in my passport and got through just the same. For those of you screaming, “Jay, you missed your chance to participate in the time-honored tradition of 3rd world bribery!”, fret not. Those who have no international health card to show have to pay 40 Baht. (Hey, it’s cheaper than actually getting the shots…)
Hot, dusty, uncomfortable, shady corruption–I loved every bit of it!
Waited with others for a pick-up truck to fill up, and we were off to Siem Reap. Atop a dozen packs, 8 of us sat/sprawled/held on for dear life as we began our journey on what at one time may have been a road. (There were 5 who paid more to sit inside the cab, but there’s no need to mention them). The first 90 minutes were spent laughing (cause what else can ya do?) at the “pot-holes as large as our truck which each vehicle had to negotiate. With each “crater,” the mysterious hard, objects which somehow managed to find their way to the top of each pack, gouged into our legs, sides, and seats harder and harder. One man was nearly tossed from the truck on several occasions. The novelty and absurdity and just plain outlandishness of our situation resulted in laughter and, at least on the surface, good spirits, among all. Though patience was wearing thin at the thought of another 5-6 hours of it, so the meal stop was well-timed (oh yeah, there was something wrong with the axel). After a long wait (while the truck was checked) the mood was borderline bitter, but before boarding, we rearranged the packs and the remainder of the journey promised to be more enjoyable. As it happened, the “road” was better (that’s a relative term, mind you), we were more comfortable, and perhaps the Mekong Whiskey which some indulged in, helped make the trip pure fun. (Those suckers inside missed out.) We hardly minded the extra man who jumped aboard to share our already cramped space (really cool guy. Cambodian Archaeologist working to restore some temples. He explained to us how this stretch of the road had recently been improved –I’d hate to have seen in before– where land mines had recently been found (that explains the large holes in the bridges), and how the road “security” people rarely robbed tourists anymore.)
The images of rural Cambodia are with me still, and as it grew dark (how would we avoid the holes in the bridges?), the moonless sky showed more stars than I have ever seen in my life.
A brilliant journey.
Nothing brings people closer together than shared misery, so I’ll tell you about the players, with whom I’d spend the next few days. Neil and Gillian — a Scottish Couple, traveling for a few months (Note: the ride to the border left at 6:30 in the morning. So there was constant reference to this time throughout the journey. Though my ear can usually adjust quickly to differing accents, it’s amazing how a thick Scottish accent can make “half-six” (6:30) sounds like “have sex”) Steve and Emma — English couple traveling for a year. Sharon — Canadian student. Inna — Israeli girl, just started her travels. Taka — a 19-year-old Japanese kid who seemed very relieved when I spoke Japanese with him.
7 of us shared two rooms (Taka didn’t stay with us), which I thought was a great idea because I ended up with a bed to myself.
We spent 3 days seeing the temples of Angkor Wat, and I’m not going to go into too much detail, following my philosophy of “If you wanna know, you gotta go.” The temples and ruins were truly amazing, and while I haven’t seen the pyramids, the ruins in Greece, or any such wonders, Angkor Wat and the other temples just blew me away. I was touched on many levels. The sheer size and grandeur of something built so long ago. The carvings and art-work, and the detail of it all. And the Indy Jones in me who loved being able to explore overgrown ruins, in relative freedom and isolation.
One afternoon, we (the seven and our moto-drivers) rode up to a river in which there were numerous carvings. Then we hiked to a waterfall and swam about. We had water-fights with the drivers, and to watch them swim, play and swing from vines, they seemed to have even more fun than we did. (Perhaps we should have charged them?)
Last word about Angkor Wat: I sat under the starry sky, and waited for the sun to rise from behind Angkor Wat. This is easily one of the most incredible moments I’ve experienced.
to be continued…