vBloga collection of my notes and thoughts…

Though probably not the most authentic experience, I’ve managed to tick off several desert experiences today. Dune bashing, camel riding, and sand boarding, checked! I’ve also managed to try shisha, which I’ve been meaning to do for some time.

I paid AED 290 to join a half day desert safari to the Al Khatim desert, organised by Emirates Tours & Safari LLC. The price included pick-up and drop-off from any Abu Dhabi accommodation, the desert experiences listed earlier, as well as food and drinks at their desert camp. Dinner was served under the starry night sky, followed by some belly dancing.

The best part of the experience will have to be the dune bashing, where we went on an exhilarating ride up, down, as well as sideways in the dune covered sandy desert. The vehicle of choice for the task seems to be the Toyota Land Cruiser. We were travelling in a convoy of around a dozen Land Cruisers. The drivers showed off their skills in manoeuvring the vehicles along seemingly ridiculous paths, tracking the ridges of the dunes, and then rolling head on or sideways down steep slopes. The ride was exciting, yet pleasant. I guess that’s a testament to our driver’s awesome skills and the suspensions on the Land Cruiser.

The camel ride was designed to be an ‘I’ve done it’ experience. I got to hop on a camel for a tiny loop beside the camp. To be honest, it was good enough for me.

My attempt at sand boarding was rather dissapointing. Sand is not as slippery as snow. That, coupled with my poor weight placement on the snowboard means I can stand on the board, with it pointing straight down on a slope, without it moving at all. Try that on snow and I would fly down the slopes. Well, that just means I will have to have another go at it in the future. I would even try to make it an overnight desert experience. It has also motivated me to plan a snowboarding trip to the ski slopes of France before the winter ends.

A bientôt, France!

Crossing the roads in Cambodia can be a real challenge for the uninitiated. As with many south east Asian countries, where motorcycles are the primary mean of transport, the traffic can appear chaotic. Motorcycles have a tendency to snake through traffic, sometimes on the wrong side of the road. Even cars do that; and the oncoming traffic tends to just navigate around them, instead of demanding their right of way. This means that you constantly have to keep an eye on both directions when crossing the road. On one occasion, I saw what happened at an intersection when the lights turned. It was like watching a very fast-paced chess game, where all the pawns from both sides try to advance, some going straight while others turning, all at the same time. Somewhat miraculously, there was no accidents.

If there are lane markings on the roads, it means absolutely nothing. The number of lanes is determined by the width of the vehicles that are currently there. So if a two laned road can fit three vehicles, it is effectively a three laned road, and you should treat it as such. Occasionally, if there is usable space on the side of the road, an additional lane or two will form. The traffic in Cambodia seem to know to self-organise in order to fully utilise the road.

On my bus ride from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, the bus driver was tooting the honk as though he was playing whack-a-mole. Accept that it’s for your safety. Other than the honking, the Mekong Express service was good. The bus itself was not as modern as what I’ve imagined; but it’s clean and the air-conditioning worked flawlessly. They provided a complimentary bottle of water and some light snack for the 7 hour journey, with a break halfway through for the passengers to grab a bite, and stretch their legs. There was also an English speaking bus attendant onboard to keep you informed, and assist you with anything you may require.

I wasn’t expecting the bus ride to take as long as it did. The flood damaged roads, and the peak season traffic may have added to the travel time. There is an express boat option that will get you from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh in 4 hours. Perhaps you should consider that. The boat ticket is more expensive than the bus, but it should be a smoother ride than on the pothole ridden roads. Neither option, as I understand it, have much view along the way. The bus travels through small towns and along fields, but the scenery gets repetitive after an hour or so.

I was in a tuk-tuk on the way to the killing fields, when I saw this motorcycle with three people on it. It appears the mother was driving, with the teenage son in the middle, and the younger daughter in the back. The odd thing was that the girl was holding a black bag in her hand with the arm stretched straight up the whole time. It took me several minutes before I figured out that she was actually holding a drip bag for her brother. Such is the way of life in Cambodia.

The motorcycle has well and truly proven its worth in many situations. The tuk-tuk being one fine example. By adding a cart to the back of the tuk-tuk, it can comfortably carry up to four passengers in the cart. The power to weight ratio is obviously compromised, as I observed earlier when my tuk-tuk was struggling up an overpass. However, it works well in most instances. The tuk-tuk trip to the killing fields is the only tuk-tuk ride I regretted. Sections of the road from Phnom Penh was badly damaged by recent floods, and consequently I was eating dirt half the time. Many stalls on the side of the road sells face masks for this exact reason.

I have seen another variation in Cambodia, where a more powerful motorcycle is attached to a larger cart, effectively turning it into a mini bus. The passenger seats, which are basically narrow pieces of planks, are cramped so tightly together that practically every inch of space is utilised. I have seen at least a dozen people fitting in on one of those.

After numerous stories about creased US notes being rejected in Cambodia, I made sure to bring mint condition US notes. You can request this from the money changer. All my notes were practically fresh out of the printer. Then, there is the question of how to keep the notes in perfectly mint condition. I end up just putting them in my folded wallet. It ‘curls’ the note, but does not crease it.

The first time I was given less than perfect notes as change, I was slightly apprehensive. The reality is, I have never had any problems with US notes being rejected. Since then, I have received and passed on US notes with creases down the middle and/or the corners without the blink of an eye.

Now, I’m not saying there isn’t any truth to those stories. I did notice some Khmers who keep their notes perfectly flat in their ‘wallet’. I also have noticed some Khmers that nonchalantly fold their notes in their pocket. My point is you shouldn’t have any issues with the notes unless it is in really bad shape, or if it’s counterfeit. Yes, there are counterfeit US notes in circulation; not that I would know the difference.

“You buy postcards? Only one dollar.”, a little boy by the side of the road pleaded.

“Magnet, sir? One dollar.”, another girl said repeatedly.

The price of a canned drink? You guessed it. One dollar!

In tourist frequented areas of Cambodia, you are bound to come across numerous items being sold for just one US dollar. It’s like one giant dollar shop. The US dollar is the predominant currency in Cambodia, for tourists at least. They don’t use US coins, so the smallest US denomination is one dollar. Anything less than one dollar will be marked up to one dollar. For a tourist, it is likely still a bargain. Having lived in New Zealand and the UK, one US dollar to me isn’t much at all. However, if I switch into my Malaysian consumer mode, one dollar is three ringgit, and that is a lot.

In Cambodia, one dollar can actually go a long way. Police officers, and textile factory workers both earn an average of two US dollars a day! Arguably, that makes for tough living, and there has recently been protests and riots to demand that the pay be doubled. You’ll quickly realise that food and drinks shouldn’t cost as much as they do. If you walk into a store that doesn’t cater primarily for tourists, you’ll find things are actually pretty cheap. I don’t see why things in Cambodia should be more expensive than in Malaysia.

This leads to a tipping conundrum. One US dollar by Malaysian standard is a lot for a tip. You’ve probably also just tipped them half their day’s pay. However, I’ve come to the conclusion that even half a dollar means a lot to the Khmers (Cambodians) and would make a difference to their lives, so just tip whatever you’re comfortable with.