There is also a real outdoor rainforest in middle of KUL which is a cool way to pass some time before your flight.
After a short, and, thank G-d, uneventful flight, I landed in…
Siem Reap, Cambodia(Disclaimer: The following few paragraphs delve into the warped and deranged mind of a crazed traveler. For those wishing to preserve their sanity, please skip to the paragraph which begins with the word “A”)
One needs to purchase a $20 visa to enter Cambodia and can be obtained through one of two ways. You can either apply and purchase one online, and if and when approved, the visa will be emailed to you, which you print out and present to passport control. Or you can apply upon arrival at the airport. The problem with Plan A is that I appreciate/enjoy the stamps in my passport, especially the big beautiful full page visas. Yes, I’m crazy in that way. On the other hand, relying on Plan B could come back and bite me, as in the event that other flights land before us, which I’ve read can sometimes happen, you can end up waiting a very long time. Getting the visa in Plan B is not instantaneous but rather you must fill out a form, submit the fee, and then wait for a different department to issue the visa which can create a backlog.
I figured I would apply online to have a visa with me just in case, and I would rush off the plane to be first on line in the event it would be empty. And so it was. However, when I checked my emails at the DOH lounge, alas, I didn’t see any emails containing my Cambodia visa. I went to the eVisa site and entered my information, and lo and behold I had been approved for an eVisa but for some reason they hadn’t emailed it to me. However I was able to print it out directly from the site.
Arriving in REP, I was first off the plane (I flew up front) and rushed to the visa application desk.
The place was empty. Perfect. Everything according to plan. Or so I thought. As I approached the desk I had second thoughts about shelling out an additional, unnecessary visa fee. Was it really worth $20 just for the visa sticker? I quickly devised a plan.
I approached the officer and told him that I had applied for an eVisa but I hadn’t received the visa via email (this was true). I had the confirmation number, and could he please check the computer to see whether I was approved and if I was, to please issue the visa for me that I had already paid for. He replied that he couldn’t check on the status as he wasn’t connected to that system. He recommended that I go speak with the passport control officer. I figured that the passport officer would check my confirmation, see that I was approved, and have them print me out a visa sticker. After all, I need a visa to enter, right? Well, not quite…
I explained the whole thing to the passport officer and he tells me, “Don’t worry, no problem, I take care of you, and then you take care of me.” Well, that was one scenario I hadn’t prepared for. There was no way I was going to have an eVisa sitting in my bag, and have to tip/bribe the passport official to let me in without a visa at all. Heck no. I told him “let me check my bag one more time just to be sure.” Well what do you know, I “found” it.
So in the end, my plan backfired and I had to suffice with a measly entry/exit stamp. At the end of the debacle, after stamping my passport, as I prepared to leave, the officer still asked me, “What about me?” I had to explain to him that he didn’t do me any favors at the end, and as such, no bribes would be heading his way… I subsequently learned that the average daily salary for a policeman in Siem Reap was no more than $2-3 per day, so I really can’t blame him for trying to get something on the side.
A cool thing in Cambodia is the ability to shoot high powered weapons, which is facilitated through the Cambodian military. Ideally, it would be better to do this in Phnom Penh where there is more availability and the prices are cheaper. There is actually a Western guy living in Phnom Penh that’s able to get really good deals and I was in contact with him hoping he might be able to arrange something for me in Siem Reap; after all it’s the same military. He tried but was unsuccessful.
I actually was considering stopping in PNH for the sole purpose of shooting there, but I abandoned that option since it didn’t really make sense time wise. In the end, I negotiated with the local company and I was able to get the price down a bit, but it was still quite expensive. They also didn’t have everything I wanted to do, such as throw a hand grenade (available in PNH).
I arranged with the company to pick me up from the airport, drive me to my hotel to check in and drop my luggage, and then drive me to the range.
I checked in to the Park Hyatt Siem Reap which was like an oasis in what was otherwise a pretty ugly city. As a category 4 hotel, it was great to be able to redeem an anniversary night for my one night stay. I checked in, got a welcome drink chosen from anything on the bar menu, put my luggage in the room, then headed out.
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