Melanie and I ventured over into Cambodia to see the famous Angkor Wat ruins. Actually, there are many temples in the Angkor World Heritage park, and but Angkor Wat is the largest and the most famous. We spent a full day in the steamy tropic heat to tour Angkor Thom (the old city), Ta Prom (site of the movie Tomb Raider) and the famous Angkor Wat. The temple complexes built in the 9th - 11th centuries are the country's largest tourist draw for good reason.
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| Waiting in line at Angkor Wat |
Lessons learned in Siem Reap
2. Don’t start your tour at
8AM. Start it at 7 or 7:30 because the hordes of other tours start at 8AM. They
go to all the same places you do. Plus, because Cambodia is close to
China, that means no personal space while you’re surrounded by other
tourists. We found it also means lines magically absorb 5-10 people at a
time when they shoulder their way in. You could start at 9AM, and just
visit after the big wave of tourists moves through - you would still be
surrounded, but less so. Make sure you save at least an hour to wait in
line for the top of Angkor Wat. But definitely
visit it last if you want the picture of it reflecting off the water.
3. Walking through Siem
Reap takes approximately 45 minutes. Attractions included:
* The old royal gardens with a dried up 90 year old
swimming pool, including men soliciting money for their children’s school
on the side of the road.
* The old French quarter, which appears to now be all new
buildings ringed with pointy iron fences, and a keep-out vibe.
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| These were bigger fish than we expected! |
* The main drag called Pub Street. It turns out
there are no actual pubs on Pub Street. We ended up getting a local
beer at one bar/lounge and taking in the local vibe the night we arrived.
TukTuk drivers and motorcycles cruise the streets incessantly, creating an
atmosphere of dusty organized chaos. The 2nd night we were there,
we elected to get the fish spa, just for kicks. It was simultaneously ticklish and
terrifying!
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| The girl in green was way too smart to be rubbing our feet for a living |
4. Cambodia is very very
poor. We hired a driver and a guide for an 8 hour tour for $18 and $35
respectively. That’s right . . . we bought 2 people’s entire days plus
transportation for $53, and one of them probably has a very expensive education
because he spoke good English. TukTuk drivers routinely wait for hours to
get a $2 fare at night. Children beg or try to sell tourists chochkies
along dusty streets. Seeing poverty firsthand is sobering. It’s
also sad that the only way out of poverty here is tourism because our hostess
on Friday night had NO business being in the service industry but would make a
great quality control inspector.
5. People here seem to
speak English better than in Thailand. And by better, I mean their
accents are more understandable.
6. Siem Reap pretty much
exists for tourists visiting the famous Ankhor Wat temple and other surrounding
temples. New hotel complexes are springing up everywhere. If ours
is any example, these hotels take care of everything you could want while
you’re here. Ours was a full service hotel, with a tourist agency and
post office behind the front desk, had 3 different restaurants, a bar (with
happy hour discounts of 50%!!) and pool for relaxing. They greeted us by
name every night and were extremely professional.
7. Service here is a work in progress. And expect all of your food
and drinks to come out together unless you say otherwise.
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| Tuk Tuk drivers waiting for their "people" who are inside Angkor Wat |
8. You can get anywhere in Siem Reap for $2 on a TukTuk. Unless it’s the airport, in which case it is $6.
9. Don’t exchange money at
the airport unless you just want the thrill of seeing the worst exchange rate
you’ve ever seen.
10. You will have at least 5
people processing your passport when you apply for your visa at the
airport. Do not worry – this is normal. Look out for the stamper
whose sole job it is to stamp your passport at least 5 times.
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11. Gasoline is sold by the liter here. Literally. Mel and I
originally saw the plastic bottles and re-used Johnny Walker bottles around town and thought they were brewing their own hooch. Turns out
that's how they measure 1 liter into the TukTuk tanks.
One shout out to the
restaurant where we at Friday night: Marum has food good enough that I'd
recommend it to foodie friends in Houston. And they are doing great work
with Friends International. The executive chef has put together a very
impressive menu and left enough local food in there to be as adventurous or
safe as you want. We elected to be adventurous and picked one made with
ants. It was good but a little intimidating!
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| Marum. Offering safe (salad with papaya and beets) or exotic (beef with ants in sauce). All of it was good. |
The temples themselves were huge and old and amazing! And here's a bunch of pictures that only attempt to capture it.
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| the 4-sided Buddha-heads of Bayon |
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| The national dancing figure It's everywhere |
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| Walking across the Rainbow bridge to the temple |
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| Part of the Elephant Terrace - where the king would stand to address his people below |
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| It's Tomb Raider time! |
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| A shot of Ta Phrom Note the trees in the background. These mammoth trees now grow everywhere - through walls and ceilings They are now an integral part of the temple structure |
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| Mel and I in front of the royal temple - used only by the kings and their families |
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| At the top of Angkor Wat This place is huge! |
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| The stones from fallen roofs and fallen statues have just been stacked in courtyards to make room for the tourists. They are just waiting for when there is funding, time and desire to complete restoration. |
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| The gates to Bayon |
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| The 3-headed elephants |
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| Original carvings around the walls showcase lifestyles of the people who built the temples in the 10th centuries |
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| The inner and outer courtyards, the rainbow bridge and a 1000 year old swimming pool |
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| Angkor Wat is huge! |
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