Kambodza / Cambodia

Imigracni urednici opet chteji dolar za 'namahu', ale kdyz jim Janca rekne o stvrzenku a jmeno, jde to zadarmo.
Na hranicich krome 3 stanku s jidlem neni nic. Nikdo nam nepotvrdil jestli a kdy odtud jede nejaky bus...po dlouhem a tvrdem handrkovani s majitelem auta odchazime opet oskubani a za 22.5dolaru za osobu jedeme do Kratie (bus pres celou zemi stoji 14USD). Krajina je opet uplne placata, ryzova pole cekajici na monsun vyprahla, silnice spatna, hromady vetvi oznacuji diry. Ale i tak je na co koukat - kaucukove plantaze, dvory domu pokryte susicimi se chilli paprickami a dale zavlazene ryzove pole.
Odpoledne dojedeme do Kratie, stejne jako vetsina mest v Kambodzi je spinave, plne prachu a odpadku. Nevim proc jsme meli zafixovane, ze Laos je nejchudsi zeme v oblasti. Kambodza je na tom o poznani hure (pozdeji zjistime proc). Ale jak se zatim vzdy potvrdilo neprima umera bohatstvi a otevrenosti lidi funguje i zde. Lide jsou pratelsti, smeji se na dalku a nekdy i vtipkuji. Deti jsou kouzelne, casto se priplizi ze zadu a jemne jako by jsme byli z porcelanu se nas dotknou aby zjistili jestli belosi nejsou z jineho testa nez mistni. Staci je pozdravit a zamavat a jsou stestim bez sebe. A kdyz je clovek vyfoti a pak jim ukaze jejich fotku na displeji je to pro ne uplna senzace.
V hlavnim meste Phnom Penh se zdrzime na par dni. Vetsine cestovatelu co jsme potkali se tahle smes spinavych ulic plnych chaosu moc nezamlouva, ale me se libi.
Motorka je ultimatni korab co odveze vse - 10 pytlu ryze, 20 fosen 3m dlouhych, 4lidi + 2nemluvnata, dalsi motorku + kolo nebo dokonce typka co si veze tyc a na ni kapacku...nic neni nemozne.
Mame malem ukroucene hlavy jak odmitame nabidky na svezeni od tuktuku a motorek. Priklad jednoho rana - Jeste nez si sedneme na snidani tak ridic tuktuku stoji u stolu a 50x se zepta jestli s nim po snidani pojedeme. Kdyz uz nas nebavi odmitat, staci rict mozna a uz bezi pro karu a cpe se mezi tuktuky co tu uz stali pred nim. Behem snidane z nas nespusti oci a kdykoliv se podivame jeho smerem smeje se a pysne ukazuje na svuj vuz. To vse pro 2dolary ktere mu pak dame za svezeni.
V Phnom Penh navstivime rusky trh (pojmenovany za dob kdy sem poradali nakupove najezdy soudruzi ze SSSR) kde jsou cele ctvrte stanku podle druhu zbozi. Kralovsky palac take stoji za to, zde se opravdu nesetrilo. Dukazem je treba 90kg socha budhy z ryziho zlata osazena vice nez 2000diamanty.
A proc je na tom Kambodza hure nez ostatni zeme regionu? Krome kobercovych naletu americanu ji zastihlo jeste neco mnohem horsiho. Jeden z dukazu je v muzeu S21. Jedno z mnoha mist kde komuniste umucili 21tis lidi. Celkem behem 4 let kdy se dostali komuniste k moci bylo povrazdeno skoro 3miliony lidi. Cilem byli vzdelani, vlastnici nemovitosti, podnikatele a lide z mest. Nekdy stacilo jen nosit bryle a uz byl clovek povazovan za nevhodneho pro komunistickou spolecnost a zastrelen. Jen 4 roky komunismu odsoudili zemi ke generacim zijicich v chudobe a strachu. Dnes, vice nez 30let po porazeni komunistu umi jen 60% muzu a 20% zen cist a psat! Dale odhadem 0.5% populace je diky naslapnym minam invalidnich. Casto vidime lidi, kteri maji treba jen jednu ruku a u vsech pamatek hraji kapely beznohych pro ktere je to jedina obziva (Podle budhismu lide s amputaci spachali neco spatneho v minulem zivote a jsou za to potrestani, takze od spolecnosti moc sympatii nedostanou).
Na pole kde jsou odkryte masove hroby z teto doby ani nejedeme, podle fotek se to moc nelisi od Terezina nebo Osvetimi.
Z Phnom Penh jedeme do Siem Riep. Hlavni archeologicke lakadlo jihovychodni Asie. Chramove komplexy Angkor z Khmerske rise na 3000 ctverecnich km navstivi kazdorocne pres 2mil lidi a hrave se mohou srovnavat s lakadly typu Macchu Picchu, Egyptskych pyramid nebo Taj Mahalu. Koupime si 3 denni vstup behem ktereho se da stihnout vsechny komplexy. A kdyz ridici tuktuku oznamime, ze si ho pronajmeme na cele 3dny, radost je velika (15dolaru na osobu je pritom celkem smesna castka). Je moc hodny a prijemny, ale anglicky moc neumi a na vse odpovida I wait (Ja cekat).
Popisovat kazdou pamatku Angkoru tak by jsme brzy vycerpali superlativy. Ale potulovat se sami brzo rano v polorozpadlych palacich obklopenych a prorostlych dzungli je jak prevtelit se do tel Indiana Jonese a Lary Croft (a kdyby jste nekdy premysleli kde se to natacelo, tak Harrison Ford se honil za poklady prave tady).
Angkor je proste jedna z veci ktera na cloveka udela poradny dojem. Az ke konci 3tiho dne kdy nonstop prolezame kazdou chodbu zaciname byt presyceni a jsme radi, ze jsme si nekoupili vstup na 7dni. Ve Vietnamu budhistickym pamatkam uz asi moc nedame.
Vseobecne na nas Kambodza pusobi jinak nez ostatni zeme co jsme navstivili a lidi je nam lito. Je videt, ze vytrpeli hodne a maji pred sebou jeste dlouhou cestu. Proto vetsinou i kdyz muzeme vic usmlouvat nesmlouvame a sem tam nekomu koupime jidlo nebo dame piti. Kambodzu dosazujeme na pomyslne 1. misto mezi asijskymi zememi.
Posledni vecer jeste nez odjedeme prijde dlouho ocekavany monsunovy prival ktery je tak prudky, ze dokonce zastavi vsudepritomnou dopravu. Vsichni jsou promoceni na kost, ale uzivaji si to. Obzvlast deti, kterym voda na ulici tece po kolena.

Fotky (pouze lehka ochutnavka, upload se nedari):
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=63585&id=1344786025&l=a878f17d05


Immigration officers again ask for a dollar for the hassle of stamping our passports but when Jana asks them for a receipt and name suddenly no fee is required.
There is nothing on the border except 3 stalls with food. Nobody was able to confirm whether and when there is a bus to inland...after long and hard haggling with an owner of a car we end up flayed and head for Kratie for 22.5USD per person(bus crossing the whole country costs 14USD). Landscape is again totally flat, rice fields waiting for rain parched, road bad - big holes in it are marked by piles of branches.
In the afternoon we reach Kratie, as most of the Cambodian towns it's dirty, full of dust and litter. I'm not sure why we thought that Laos is the poorest country in the region. Cambodia is definitely faring worse. But as everywhere the same indirect proportion of wealth and people friendliness applies here. Although the life is hard here people are friendly and never spare a smile. Children are wonderful, often they creep up on us from behind and gently as if we were made from porcelain touch us to find out if we are any different to them. A wave and hello makes them very happy. And when we take picture of them and show it to them it's like showing their favorite magic trick.
Many of backpackers we meet don't like the capital Phnom Penh but I quite like it. Motorbike is an ultimate mode of transport suitable for carrying anything - 10 big sacks of rice, 20 3m long wooden planks, 4 people + 2 infants, another motorbike + bike or even a guy with a pole with his dropping funnel...nothing is impossible.
Our necks are nearly twisted off as we refuse offers from tuktuks. A morning example - Just before we sit down to have a breakfast the tuktuk driver is at the table and asks 50 times if we hire him when we're finished. After a while we say instead of no maybe and that is all it takes to drive his tuktuk and cram in between tuktuks that were there before him. During our breakfast he would keep an eye on us, nonstop. And when we look into his direction he smiles and proudly points at his vehicle. To him it's all worth the 2USD we give him for a ride...
In Phnom Penh we visit Russian market (named from the time of Soviet Union when this was a major shopping destination) where are whole districts of stalls divided by type of products. Royal palace is very nice too, they are not short of money here. Proof can be statue of Buddha made of 90kg of solid gold with more than 2000diamonds.
And why is Cambodia poorer than other countries in the region? US carpet bombing was nothing compared to communist rule of Khmer Ruge. One of the places where 21000people were tortured to death is museum S21. Altogether nearly 3mil people were killed in just 4 years of the terror. Targets were educated, landowners, businessmen and people from cities. Sometimes wearing glasses was enough to be proof as being educated and the person was shot. So now more than 30yrs after the communism was overthrown only 60% of males and 20% of women is literate! On the top of that estimated 0.5% of population is crippled as result of stepping on landmines. And these get little sympathy from the society as according to Buddhism this means they were bad in previous life.
Next stop after Phnom Penh is Siem Riep. The main archaeological attraction of SE Asia. Angkor complexes from the time of Khmer empire visit every year over 2mil tourists. We buy a 3day entrance ticket. When we announce to our tuktuk driver that we'll hire him for next 3days joy is great (15USD per person is not very much. He is really nice and friendly guy but doesn't speak English very well. To any question he answers - I wait here.
It's impossible to describe all Angkor monuments. But to be alone early morning in the half tumbledown temples surrounded by jungle feels like being in bodies of Indiana Jones and Lara Croft (and if you ever wondered where Harrison Ford was chasing after the treasures, it was here). Angkor is one of the things that will easily impress and take your breath away. After 3days of nonstop exploring we're quite glad we didn't go for a 7day ticket as we are quite overtempled. In Vietnam we probably won't visit many temples...
In general Cambodia appeals to us in different way compared to all other countries we've visited. We feel sorry for the people. It is obvious they suffered a lot and still have a long way to go. That is probably why we don't haggle as much as anywhere else and sometimes give away food and drink to beggars on the streets.
Last day of our stay finally arrives long desired monsoon. The rain is so fierce it even stops ever-present traffic. Everyone is soaked to the bone but happy. Kids love it and mess about in knee high streams of water.

Pictures (just a light sample as upload is not working):
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=63585&id=1344786025&l=a878f17d05