Danu Toba to Bewkit Lewang: Public Transport

It all seemed so easy... a 3.5 hour bus to Medan, then a 3 hour bus to Bewkit Lewang. But the journey, via public transit, was an experience in and of itself. The local buses should have only cost 26,000 rupiah, which is about 3 US dollars. It was the only way, as private transport would have cost more like 700,000 ($80) and a tourist bus with delayed times, was 80,000 ($9). It started with the ferry back across the lake (7,000 rp).

It was 9 am and for once the sun was shining over the lake. I new a local bus would be waiting when I stepped off the 20 minute boat ride. There were abot 15 other tourists going in the same direction so I was not too worried. But when the boat "docked," which is to say it nose ended into the cement wall and we all jumped off the front, everyone scattered. I saw a bus and headed towards it. A local man said that bus was not going to Medan, but he had a bus that was for 18,000 rp... the price I already had been quoted. But I had to wait "just 5 minutes." As I waited, I learned the bus that was already there was going to Medan, so I got on it. A huge argument broke out between all of the bus opperators over who would drive the American to Medan. The man tried to pull, litterally, me off the bus twice. They started throwing luggaage off the bottom of the bus. I had taken both my backpacks with me onto the bus. There was an Austrailan man with his new Indonesian bride (they were on their honeymoon) sitting on the bus watching. She tried to politely tell the man that we had the choice to go on whichever bus we wanted. They had to go get their luggage off the ground, as theirs was pulled off too. Finally, the bus left, the man accepted that he lost a customer, and I was on my way to Medan. The bus was 18,000 rp in the end.

(to be continued...)

Danu Toba

The bus ride to Danu Toba took 16 hours overnight through the middle of Sumatra. Thanks to a Dramamine and a sleeping pill it was not as bad as I thought. Then is was a quite opulet ride and ferry across the lake to the large island in the middle. I am staying in Tuk Tuk which used to be a resort area for travellers. Now is is quite depressing as there are no tourists and quite a lot of locals who have not been able to change their mindset/profession away from tourism.

The lake (danu) is the largest in Southeast Asia and is high in the mountains. It was created by two volcanic explossions and is quiet deep and large. There is a large island in the middle about 290 km in circumference, and Tuk Tuk jets out of the eastern end and is about 7-10 km in cercumfrence. The main island is like a plateau with the sides climbing up high like a mountain, and then is is flat all the way accross to the other side. I defineately feel like I am living in the sky as the clouds hand all around, and we are inside mountain creaters.

It rains her quite a bit, so it is turning out to be a good place for drinking. Yesderday I rented a bike with the hope to make it to a market about 40km arourd to the north. About an hour into the ride it began to rain, so the ride turned into a pub crawl on the way home in between showers.

Overall, the locals are very friendly and the food is quite good. I am continuing to learn and practice Indonesian and I am begining to hold conversations of 4-8 sentences. This part of my trip is very relaxing and perfect after a long bus ride. I think it was worth it.

West Sumatra

I made it to Padang, the main city in West Sumatra, Indonesia, on the 12 th of July. I was feeling quite ill after a night layover in Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown. Let's just say my walk about turned into a fun evening sharing beers and buckets of Red Bull-Vodkas with a few very kind and generous Aussie boys. So, my 7 a.m. flight, and 3:30 hotel departure were quite hard on the system.

All-in-all, I made it alive, but was not too excited about the city. I quickly departed for Bonkus Beach, about 20 km south of the city. This was the Indo I remembered. $10 bungalows, on th e beach, facing the Indian Ocean. I spent a day snorkeling o n deserted beaches off the coast. I hiked a trial up to a waterfall and went swimming. I ventured about 30 km south to some surrounding villages and towns via motorbike. I began to use my Indonesian language skills and felt it all coming back to me.

On the 15th, I took many little opulets and a mini-bus to Bukkittinggi, about 100 km north of Padang. Opulets are the local vans that stop whenever someone is standing on the side of the road and you ca n h itch a ride for about 25 cents. They comfortably seat 7-8, but we fit 13 in one, with a bike on the roof. Bukkittinggi is in the "mountains" between 2 volcanoes. It is a bit cooler and very Muslim. The prayer chants started at 5:30 this morning and continued on and off until about 9. I trekked through a canyon ravene in hopes of finding a local village. The hour walk took about 2 and a half. Needless to say I am still practicing my Indonesian and getting LOTS of exercise.

Padang food is quite spicy compared to other parts of Indonesia. Additionally, if you walk into a restaurant serving local food there are no menus. After about 3 minutes, they will bring you a plate of rice, a warm tea, an d about 5-8 dishes of food. Usually there will be a few different meat choices and a few veggies. You pick what you want and e at it. When you are finished , the server counts the number of bowls you took food from and makes your bill accordingly. I find the food is good, there's defineatly a varriety , but often you don't know what is in front of you or how long i t has been sitting out . Who says good food has to be sanitary, anyways???

Tomorrow, I hope to take a motorbike around the area and see the surrounding villages and rice fields. Then it is off for a 3 o'clock bus north to Danu Toba, a lake in the middle of the northern half of Sumatra. I will cross the equator over land for the first time and leave West Sumatra for North Sumatra.

The Children of Angkor

As you walk around the temples, children approach you to buy their wares. This can be anything from a beaded bracelet to a bamboo bell or recorder to a good quality- photocopied guide book of Angkor. There business tactics are amazing and their bartering ability is far stronger than mine. At first, everything is "1 for $1" If you are at all interested and begin to discuss the item in question, the price instantly goes up to $5.

As you enter or leave a temple you hear shouts from across the road " Lady, you need cold drink!!?" which is more of a statement than a question. The sellers haggle and push their items as you try to enter. Then comes the key phrase. "OK... you remember me and buy when you leave." One evening, a little boy, who looked 4 ( who was probably 8) followed me around wanting me to buy a flute. When I say followed, he was not really behind me, rather, every 5 minutes he would pop out from another corner. Obviously he knew his way around much better than I.

The sweetest girl wanted me to buy a bracelet while I was leaving a structure inside Angkor Thom. She was proabably 4 based on her language abilities. W hen she understood that I was not going to buy, she asked for candy. (Whenever the children realize they will not get any money, candy is the next best thing.) I told her I did not have any so she w anted money. I offered her 500 riel for a bracelet and s he confidently shoo k her head and said it was more. I gave her another thousand which should have been good. She cal led her brother and motioned if it was enough. He confidently said "another 500." I only had 1000, so the little girl got 2500 riel (about 62 cents) when the going rate among the temples is 4 for $1. I got taken for a fast one, but she got money for food and now I have a cool beaded bracelet. All in all it was a win-win, but I never bought an other thing while exploring Angkor.

On the t op of Ta Keo , I spoke with a girl at length... after she understood that no money would be coming. One o f her lines was "I need money for school." This was actually quite true. I asked her why she wasn't there at that moment. She informed me that school is in the afternoon and she comes to the temple every morning before school. I asked about her age which turned out to be 12. She did not look a day over 8. She said foreigners always think Cambodian children are younger than they are, simply because in Cambodia they are "too small." She told me she would gladly accept pens from me if I did not have any candy or money to give her.

Besides the place being spiritual and moving, the people and children who make it their home live lives I cannot even imagine. They know the tourists have money and it really is an income that they work hard to get. I personally could not bring myself to give money, although I did let myself be over charged by children for little trinkets. Rather, I would give water or food whenever I had it. With this I was comfortable and believed I did some good.

The Temples of Angkor

I came to Cambodia to see Angkor Wat. When I arrived in Siep Reap, I found out what this truly meant. Rather than an amazing temple, I discovered that there are many, many temple ruins dating from about 1000-1350 AD. Angkor Wat is only one. In actuality, Angkor means city. There are two big "Angkor" cities among the ruins discovered in the area, and other ruins scattered around the jungle in all directions.

The idea of Angkor Wat is like Disneyland in the US. Many tourists from all over, especially northern Asia come on packaged tours to be bused around the area with their cameras and guides. They stay in monsterous hotels and travel around in packs, scrounging for the best spots to take pictures.

My experience was quite different. To get into the park, you must pay $20 a day, or get a 3 day pass for $40. I did this route. I hired a motorbike driver Prom (with a very rolled R, and an elongated short O) for $10 a day to take me at my liesure around to the temples of my choosing. I later found out this was a good price, as the going rate is $12. He was not allowed to enter any site, but would dutifully drop me off at the entrance and wait in the shade for me to reemerge. He wore an official vest that mortorbike drivers in the park must have, which costs him $20 a month. He gave advice as to what to see at what times, and at first this helped tremendously. But as the days went on, my knowledge of the area grew and my tastes became more specific.

I had cammera troubles the first day and ran out of memory by 10:30 am. I got to see all of Angkor Thom and one other temple called Ta Keo (I think) We came back in the evening for the sunset. Instead of going strait to the temple for a sunset view, we stopped at a flat long temple which was very overgrown. The insects at dusk were too much for me to handle while beating back the crowds, and I decided to had back to town.

The second day I started at Angkor Wat, in hopes to catch the sunrise. I got there at 6... about 15 minutes late, to find about 500 people inside the gate watching the sunrise over the temple. It was still a great site, and most of them left right away. I spent 2 hours inside Angkor Wat, and climbed every peak I could find. We then continued to Ta Prom (with over grown trees and a wreck of a ruin), and then we headed north to Banda Srei and the Cambodian land mine museum.

This day I discovered that the ruins could be broken up into 2 categories: 1) temple mountian, and 2) flat ruins with a central temple sanctuary. The flatter ruins were overcome more by the jungle and I found them very creepy. The temple-mountains were more like fortresses reaching to the sky. I loved these and would cautiously climb up every stair and sit perched for hours looking at the scenery, writing my my journal, and even read.

The third day I completed the "grand circut" which was 26 km around. I discovered that in the middle of the day... the hot part... most of the tourists go back to their hotels for lunch. I was able to see many sites virtually alone. I visited some of my favorites again and ended with a temple-mountain up on a hill overlooking all of Siep Reap and the surrounding area. I spent my last two hours here watching, looking, reflecting.

I cannot describe with words what I saw or how intense and personal this experience. I think I took over 700 picutures, but those are just images (probably never to be printed). The area of Angkor Wat really is a natural wonder that can only be understood by a personal visit.

Boat Ride from Battambang

When I left Phnom Penh, I took the bus directly west to the city of Battambang, which supposedly is te second biggest city in Cambodia (I'll have to check on that.) I spent the night there so I could take the "fast" boat up te Stung Sangker River, into Tonle Sap Lake to go to Siem Reap. There was a transfer from the hotel directly to the boat. But when we got to the river, motor bikes with tourists were leaving, shouting the boat is down river. 3 Cambodians jumped into the van, although I never found out if they worked on the boat, or were just hitching a ride. We trided a few bridges in searc for the one that the boat was tided to. Finally we drovedown a muddy path which lead to the boat.

I got a seat on the roof, which was nice because it was cloudy and not too hot. We took off... 12 or so on the roof, 25 + down on the inside... heading north with the river towards Siem Reap. We passed houses and shacks along te river in between the green trees leading into the river. Children would wave and yell "Hello" out of each group of structures. We occasionally met a boat in the middle to pick someone up or once for a boombox tied shut with a rag for a handle. There were schools and wats and small semblences of neigborhoods with people selling goods, boats for work and for trasport, wood collectors, motor bikes and bicycles. The part took 1.5-2 hours.

The river narrowed and began tomeander with sharp curves. The landscape turned to marshland with tall dried reeds, heavy bushes and plants, and rice fields in the distance. We got stuck at thin stretch about 3 feet wider than the boat on each side. Pieces of wood and debris got caught up and we hit bottom. The skilled boatmen pushed us free in about 10 minutes. Shortly after we had to stop again for a group of cows, 7-9, walked into the river, got caught in the current, and were swimming down stream from side-to-side. Eventually, with much use of the horn, they managed to stay on one side, just long enough for us to pass. The rier widended a bit and we had to play bumper boats at each corner. We'd get as close as we could to the inside corner, slow down, and honk the horn like mad. The boat man at the front would use the pole to stop of from running into te brush on the opposite river bank. We'd push off backwards, gently spin into the right direction, the motor would start up again, and we'd be back down the river. This system worked great except for when a turn would coinside with oncoming boat traffic. At one such turn, we could not hug the inside corrner as planned. We had to cut our engine, as not to hit the oncoming boats. We then drifted quite quickly into the jungle brush on the opposite bank. I was standing during the crash, and fell to my knees to grab my bag. At the site of impact, there were scratches and stunned looks. The boatmen did not even srug and continued on our journey.

Finally the river began to widen and become more poulated. Now there were patches of floating stuctures tied togther or to land. Not quite boats/not quite house shaped. We docked at a "convienence" store, this floating groups version of 7-11 for a 10 minute break. The locals piled onto the deck and quickly got a bowl of local fare: glass noodles and a watery meal/vegetable-like broth. The forigers bought platic sealed breads and water. I thought I was getting a local packaged iced tea... but it turned out to be an Asian (not sure which country) version of take-away Red Bull. I had to pour most of it into the river. I sat on the top with th locals and they quickly chowed down their food. Cell service was very good, as a few chatted on the phone, no doubtedly telling friends when the boat was expected down the river.

We took off, only halfway finished with our journey. The river widened some more, and sparatic housing groups of 3-9 would pop up on each side of the river. On top of fishing, I learned that the people grow green leafy vegetables on the river. By this, I mean they use bamboo to mark off the edges of their garden, and grow plants whoose roots form in the water. Besides making the initial stucture and planting, these gardens require no work. We continued to stop sparaticaly to let people off on awaiting boats, or occasionally, if none came out to meet us, we would dock just long enough for a Cambodian to hop onto a structure. It was us to them to find a way to get to the shack they wanted, as going onto the land was rarely an option.

Eventually, we came to the great lake in the middle of Cambodia: Tonle Sap. I knew we had to cross to the northern side to dock at Siem Reap. The lake was massive and brown, desolate, dreary, and baking in the sun. It took 45 minutes of eager waiting to get to the other side. Many of us fell asleep during the previous portion, and I had awoke to a bad sunburn on my lower shins. Dispite my eforts of sublock and bug repellant, I could not excape the forces of nature.

A last, our crossing was over, and we had to make way us a tiny channel through the Floating Village of Phnom Krom. This was an extensive group of houses, boats, shelters, and buildings where people lived along the river. We passed a floating school, filled of children reciting chants, some running outside to watch the boats (what kind of classoom management is that, I wondered). Next came their floating playground yard: a flat strcture with volleyball net and court painted on the floor, surround by chain link fense so no children would fall into the water. Every type of store or service could be found on at leas one of the boats. The true mysticism of this place is that is has a name, but not a location. As the water levels rise and fall through the wet and dry season, the village floats along the rivers and and aournd the edge of the lake.

All-in-all, the trip took just of 7.5 hours. We were told 6, but the Americans I met in Phnom Penh said it took them 10.5 in the opposite direction. Overall, I am very glad I got to see these remote dwellings and experience the hidden aspects of Cambodia not seen from the standard bus route. This will truely be the Cambodia I remember.

Cambodian Confidence

I have been in Phnom Penh for just over two days now. When I first arrived I was taken aback at how uneasy I felt. On the drive into town from the airport, the level of poverty was much more than I expected. For the first time, I quickly lied when asked the question "Where is your husband?" Usually I say I am single and discuss briefly how strange it is for a woman to be traveling alone or not married at all. But on Tuesday morning, all I could think was... you better not think I am alone.

I was shone my room upon arrival and it has a "view of the river"! It also has a view of the 10 moto drivers and 8 tuk-tuk drivers that sit around all day looking for customers to drive around the city. I did not feel that comfortable. I promptly fell asleep (it was about 9:45 am) and slept until 7 pm. The jet lag had finnaly gotten to me upon arrival at my destination. That and I was unsure if I even wanted to venture outside. I manage to stir up enough courage to make it one block down the street and eat dinner. I came back, completed some emails at my hotel, and then had a drink at the restaurant adjacent to my hotel. I think my go anywhere"" attitude got stopped at the boarder and was still awaiting a visa and a clear customs check. I decided to sleep it off, keep reading about the city, and in the light of day (if I could get up) things should be looking better.

Well, on Wednesday morning things started to feel more comfortable. I did a short run along the river to get my bearings in the other direction. I ventured 3 blocks to breakfast, through a local market to a charity gift shop. I negotiated a moto ride to a different part of town to try and meet up with a girl I had met in Bangkok. By the end of the day I was haggling in markets, refusing rides that were too expensive, and back on track to see what I had come to Phnom Penh to see.

Today was much of the same. The moto drivers outside my hotel listen the first time I say no, and only 50% ask me after they here my first no. (Although they think I am a bit crazy always running, walking, and looking for no assistance of theirs). I can finagle my way to different parts of town and find alternate routes back. I found REALLY cheap overseas calls and refused expensive ones many times. I chatted with a local who runs and open reading room and does read alouds for local children. I even bought a bus ticket out of town for tomarrow, as I feel that I have conquored the capital of Cambodia and am ready to move on to something new!

A Tale of Two Cities

The first think I need to point out is that I am in Bangkok and cannot for the life of me figure out how to get blogger.com to appear in English. I have tried on multiple computers, but it just won't happen. SO, I am actually do this post blind.

My trip began about 2 days ago in LA. It was Saturday at noon when Rebecca picked me up for the airport. My flight took off exactly 48 hours ago. For me, it is actually Tuesday the 3rd at 5:30 a.m. I have been through immigration in 2 countries, spent less than 14 hours in each, and am about to get on another plane heading for a new country.

About 11 hours after I left LA, I landed at Narita airport outside Tokyo Japan. It was about 6 pm local time, but did not make it to a hotel shuttle until 7:15. It was a quite, dark ride and I was exhausted. I settled into my room by 7:50 and could barely stay awake for 30 minutes. I got a good night sleep, spent 2200 yen on breakfast (which I think is at least $15), took the bus back to the airport and prepared to head for Thailand. The drive was green and it was clear I was in a town like setting in the midst of the countryside. Maybe that's what my dad meant when he said "Urban Sprawl"?? Japan was clean (accept in front of the airport- it reminded me of LAX), organized, very efficient, and quite modern. My 14 hour lay-over was actually quite pleasant. The plane was empty and I had a very nice flight to Bangkok.

I flew into the new airport in bangkok and it was immense and new. However it took me an hour to clear customs. I guess that part isn't so efficient yet. I took the bus into the city and headed for KhoSan Road- Backpacker central. This visit began much better than my last 2 years ago and I really felt like I knew where I was going and what I was doing. I did some "window" shopping, had a beer during a down pour, and met a few fellow American women travelers at dinner. Couldn't find my hostel in the rain for the 2nd time in Thailand. The evening was... well... lets just say you've never been to Bangkok until you see the locals throw out a guy from a bar and beat the crap out of him. Sleeping didn't go so well after that. I woke very early, yet again, and shared a ride to the airport. I am actually quite glad to be leaving Bangkok. It is just how I remember it: smelly, humidity, dirty, and you don't know who to trust.

I am flying to Phnom Penh in just a bit and I am quite happy that I only spent the $40 dollars I changed into baht.