Siem Reap, to be exact, in the shadow of the great uncle wat - which I shall visit once Chomaine joins me on the morrow. I'm here with 25 pounds of camera equipment and an open mind. Yesterday I ate something made from pickled fish - a dipping kind of thing - into which I deposited lemon grass, chillies and peanuts, and then dipped (I (I said it was a dipping kind of thing) banana flowers (horrible), long beans, sliced carrot, leaves of varying descriptions (presumable from the surrounding jungle) and fried beef. I've been assured that there is a variety of this dish that contains fried stomach, as well one that has ants in the dip. Hmmm. I'm not sure about that one. I've not seen the fried spiders yet, but I can safely say I won't be trying those either.
A note on the formalities. Getting through customs is a breeze. Visas are available on arrival (same as Laos), but the Cambos have 6 guys to process the thing, licking, sticking, signing, stamping, chopping and taking your money as they breeze through the process at a production line speed that would impress even Henry Ford.
There's none of the stern paranoia of Vietnam, and none of the inefficiency of Laos.
Siem Reap itself is incredibly laid back. In another life I could live here. Of course, having said that, I'm aware of the diabolicalities that have plagued Cambodia's history.
On the other hand there is this:
Internet is quite fast and stable (take note Malaysia) and cell phone towers litter the landscape.
Oh, interestingly, the ATMs dispense USD. And mostly you can get change in the same; unlike Vietnam, where they certainly will accept your dollares, but ten give you back 50 zillion monopoly notes.
The street food is good (what I've had of it, anyway). Contrast this against Vientiene, where greasy, fat-ridden sausages greet the weary traveler at every turn (Anthony Bordain lied when he extolled the virtues of the same). Perhaps more on this later.
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