Siem Reap and Angkor

21-08-09

The flight to Siem Reap stopped at Savannakhet where we all had to get off, go through arrivals and then straight back out through departures so we could legally depart from Laos. Could we not have done that in Vientiane?

We arrived at Siem Reap and it was completely flat – no mountains for miles. It seemed so strange after Laos. Getting the visa was quite straightforward although our temperatures were all checked before we were allowed through. I had to take a taxi from the airport - the two options were the back of a motorbike (yeah right) or a more expensive pick-up truck. The driver stopped at the King Angkor guesthouse where she wanted $10 for the quite large room with fan and TV – only cold shower. I offered $7 and we settled for $8. I booked a tuk-tuk for the next morning at the enormous expense of $13!

I had a lovely meal at a restaurant over the road. It was a whole (smallish) crab and vegetables. The waiters had a right laugh at my expense as they watchd me struggle with the shells. It was delicious though.

Angkor Wat 22-08-09

I was up at 4:30 am to go and watch the sun rise over Angkor Wat - me and about 5,000 others! It was absolutely magic watching the sky lighten and the temples come into view. It was everything I expected and more. I went in to the temple complex from the back – I thought that the entrance would face the sunrise but it didn’t as it was dedicated to Vishnu, the god of the evening (or something like that!). It was a good move though as everyone else went in the front. The Lonely Planet said that some of the steps were at a seventy degree angle and they were not kidding. I passed on that – my mountain goat days are long gone!!! I met a Scottish lady as I was coming out and we got talking like you do. She was going to Luang Prabang with her daughter and I said that was another world heritage site, as was Edinburgh. She didn’t know that!

The tuk-tuk driver was waiting for me to go to the next temple which was Angkor Thom. That had a bridge leading to it which is lined with giants handling ‘nagas’ – giant snakes. It reminded me of the song where you all sit on the floor and row boats (something like oops inside your head?). Ta Prohm temple was where some of Lara Croft’s adventures were filmed and there are trees with giant roots growing through the buildings– 1-0 to nature over man!

The temples were just amazing but I really needed the tuk-tuk as they were so far from each other. By midday I was all templed out and it had got really hot so we called it a day. I’d bought a three day pass so I could go back whenever I wanted.

I went into town in the afternoon and had a look at the market and shops then had buttered shrimps for my evening meal at the restaurant over the road. And then another early night to get ready for the next day’s excursions.

23-08-09

Up with the lark and walked into town for breakfast. The staff at the guesthouse were so slow at serving I couldn’t be bothered waiting. After I had eaten, a tuk-tuk driver asked where I wanted to go so I pointed to the temples at Roluos and asked how much? $8 was the reply so off we went. These were quite a way outside Siem Reap and were much older but just as interesting. Fortunately there weren’t too many of them! I then went to the museum whilst the driver waited outside. I booked him to go the Angkor to do the sunset thing and he arranged to pick me up at 4:30 pm.

The driver said that the sunset was best from Phnom Bakheng, which was up a hill – a very long one as it happened. I could have had an elephant ride up for $20 (down was $15) but passed on that. I climbed up and up and finally got to the top. I watched people literally scrambling up the temple steps and looked round all four sides for an easy way. There wasn’t. It would have been bad enough going up in daylight but coming down after sunset would have been a nightmare!! Down I came and went to Angkor Wat for the sunset. It wasn’t a good one as there were too many clouds. I learnt later that the people had been cleared off the temple before the sunset so I didn’t miss anything.

I ate at the guesthouse next door then went to bed. It felt like midnight but it was only 8 pm – I still went to bed!

24-08-09

The driver picked me up at 7 am and off we went to see the flooded forest of Kompong Phhluk. When I found out the boat trip was going to cost me $30 instead of the $12 it said in the Lonely Planet, I decided against it. It was because I was on my own that it was so much and it would only have been $30 for four people. Anyway, I didn’t go so it was off the Banteay Srei to see more temples. This ‘Citadel of Women’ was the best one after Angkor Wat as there were many beautiful carvings. It was also quite small to look around!

I was taken to several more temples but the steps seemed to get steeper and steeper so I called it a day and went off to do my packing as the bus left at 7:30am the next day.