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Cambodia – Siem Reap & Angkor Wat

My time in Phnom Penh ended on a bit of a downer – I woke up to find my right arm and shoulder covered in about 50 red blotches. On closer inspection I then found bites all over my body. It was horrid. It looked horrid. And the more I thought about it, the more horrid it seemed. I put on a sleeved t-shirt and tried to forget about it.

The bus journey to Siem Reap cost $11 and took 6 hours. Not bad considering the distance covered and the views of the lush green coutryside that came with it. Rural Cambodians seem to live in homes on stilts with big ditches built out the front; I expect during wet season these fill up and provide a ready-made pool. Or maybe just a watering hole.

My first impression of Siem Reap didnt excite me. The bus station was on a new road with new buildings. But once my tuk tuk drove through a park and over an old bridge and past colonial style buildings I knew I would like it. My guesthouse was just slightly off the main drag and down an undeveloped but busy road. It was bright and spacious and I hoped that whatever had attacked me last night hadnt travelled with me to finish the job 🙁

I went for a wander around town. Although there were still the same offers of rides as in Phnom Penh, it seemed less urgent here in Siem Reap. A bit more laid back. I got some ice cream and walked up to the National Museum across the Royal Gardens.

It’s always when you’re a bit under the weather that you feel a bit lonely. You dont have a friend to check in on you and ask if you’re OK. I hadnt met anyone at my guesthouse and all I seemed to see in the way of travellers in Siem Reap was couples! A bit fed up, I went and sat in a really expensive restaurant. Had I been feeling a bit more up to it I might have braved the market and sat with another solo traveller but at that moment I felt the only way to stop my arm and shoulder itching was to splurge on food. And good Khmer food it was; catfish amok – catfish, oooh I ate one of those cute moustachioed fish! – eel – I tried to enjoy it but the thought of slimy and slippery kept coming into my head, and for afters, sweet mungbean. Slimy but very tasty. I went back to my room and watched some telly. I had a big day the next day.

I was going to see Angkor Wat.

It was a hot, hot morning. A mini bus full of people in the heat with several bottles of water. We climbed all over crumbling temples in the Angkor complex and oohed and ahhed at ancient carvings. I made some friends which was nice; 2 Dutch guys (of course), an Austrian, a couple of Germans and a fellow English person. Oh and some Aussies and an ex-pat American. But guess what? They were all leaving the next day!!! WHATTTTTT!? Anyways, we enjoyed the day, we learnt some history, we got to see the bas relief that told teh story of the churning of the milk (ha haa Rob!) but it wasnt until we climbed a big hill, Phnom Bakheng, for sunset that I fully appreciated how amazing Angkor would have been in its day and of course now. The crazy thing is, about a million people lived in this city when at the time, only 50000 people lived in London. I think the city was deserted when all the resources got used up.

That evening me and my new friends arranged to have dinner and have some drinks on Pub Street which was great fun. The guys got beer. At 50 cents a bottle it was a good deal. My dinner cost $1. Last night it cost me $20.We laughed and laughed and laughed and left in the early hours of the morning.

I spent a couple of more days exploring the ancient ruins and more temples.  I went to watch the sunrise too over Angkor Wat which was just amazing.  I ended up doing a much smaller tour with just 2 other people which was fun too but we just didnt gel like our other group. But a lasting memory Ill have that makes me laugh every time I think about it happened at one of the temples. An old priest if you will, was blessing 2 French girls, tying flowers around their wrists and dabbing them with water that he was blessing. They were like “oooh this is like really cosmic man” and they were really getting into it (funny in itself) and then they asked him if he was at the temple evryday to which he grinned a toothless grin and said in English “No I go home every day”. It had me and everyone else pissing ourselves laughing. Maybe you had to be there..!

I slept with the lights on the rest of the time in Siem Reap. Apparently bed bugs dont like it. I didnt see any more bites. At least I dont think so. But being alone gave me more time than necessary to worry about these things. I was paranoid that they’s dome to Siem Reap with me from Phnom Penh. Sometimes they looked like they were fading. Other times they were super itchy. Getting a mosquito bite was a relief in a strange way. As for the anti malarials, so far so good. No cramping and havent had to use the Buscopan either.

Maybe another reason I was feeling weird was that I was going to miss Cambodia. I had been really affected by the history in Phnom Penh and just so touched by the generosity, friendliness and kindness of the Cambodians. Moving on was always going to happen. I had got comfortable at my guesthouse and liked my little walk into town every day. One evening a woman had asked me to help her feed her baby. She needed milk. Formula milk. It cost $8! $8!! Really??? Does it cost that much at home?! She was so grateful. But it didnt feel good. It just made me feel sad.



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One response to “Cambodia – Siem Reap & Angkor Wat”

  1. Angela says:

    Hope the bed bugs don’t follow you to your next stop! Sounds like a fascinating place. Keep safe darling x

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