Cambodia (Siem Reap)
Well, our bus pulled into the Siem Reap station at 2:30pm and the first thing I noticed among all the touts waving signs was a huge sign with CAROL HANNAH on it! Alright! My ‘tout’ (motorcycle guy) greeted me, grabbed my bag and in less than a minute, we were out of there! I think the rest of the folks were still getting off the bus!
Mr. Ra (motorcycle guy) took me to the guesthouse where I ‘supposedly’ had a reservation. Upon our arrival, we learned it was full. They directed us to another guesthouse which was located further out from the town centre than I would like, but I decided to put up with it for a night or two.
The guidebooks all state that the first thing you must do upon arrival in Siem Reap, is to see the sunset from the Temples at Angkor Wat. Okay, then! And, of course, Mr. Ra CONVENIENTLY offered his services as transportation for the week. His English was pretty good, so I accepted his offer.
I leaped onto the back of his motorbike; okay, I gingerly planted my butt on the back of his bike, and we headed off to Angkor Wat. It was all a bit surreal, I have to say. The first thing I saw as we approached was the most massive moat filled with water. We stopped outside Angkor Wat Temple for only a minute because Mr. Ra decided that we should continue on to a mountain top temple located nearby, to get the best views. As a result, I had to CLIMB up a mountain, and then work my way slowly and carefully up to the top of the Bakheng Temple to see the sunset (before it was dark!). The trek up was pretty precarious, as it was raining quite heavily and the soil is that slippery red clay that we all hate so much. Once I got to the temple, its stairs were really difficult to manage – each one is about 1.5 feet high, but only about 4 inches wide (and it was raining!). But, I have to admit the views from the top were quite something. You look out past the ruins, over the top of the jungle of trees to the sky above. A sharp temperature change was taking place due to the rain, so as a result, there was this wonderful mist floating up from the jungle – nice! I hope my pictures can do it justice.
The next morning, I, of course, had to see the sunrise at Angkor Wat! Yes, that’s also in the guidebooks! This necessitated a wake-up call of 4:30am (that’s right, 4:30!). I practically fell asleep on Mr. Ra’s motorbike on the way over there! Angkor Wat was shrouded in shadow at that time, so I don’t think I got the best first impression – I will save that for an afternoon visit later this week. But it was pretty wonderful to see so many people gathered around the ruins, waiting for the sun to rise up behind Angkor Wat. Regrettably, the cloudy sky prevented us from seeing any morning colors – basically, everything just got lighter. It was pretty nice all the same.
Mr. Ra immediately whisked me off for a whirlwind morning tour of some of the temples. My first stop was the “Bayon” which was built in the 12th century. The giant stone faces of Bayon are some of the most recognizable images connected to Cambodian history. The site features 37 standing towers and extensive carvings on each and every surface. The surrounding jungle makes Bayon a bit dark and eerie. In fact, I was there all alone that morning and felt rather uncomfortable. There were no signs to guide me around, but more importantly, no people in case I fell or something. And believe me, manoeuvering around these places is really quite difficult. It’s a place of stooped corridors, and over 50 gothic-style towers decorated with immense faces of hindu kings and such. The steps are all very steep, and this place made me feel quite claustrophic. Actually, it is a really beautiful site (I’m probably not doing it justice with my description). But, I am hoping to return one afternoon, when there are more people around, and perhaps a tour guide! Mr. Ra just takes me everywhere and leaves me to my own devices.
After the Bayon, we checked out the “Terrace of the Elephants” which is a 2.5 kilometer wall featuring carved elephants and strange godlike creatures. Quite nice. I saw several more temples today, but the one that stands out the most is the very famous “Ta Prohm” temple. You see pictures of this one all the time – it was featured in the movie “Tomb Raider” and has trees growing in, around and through the ruins. Massive fig and silk-cotton trees grow from the towers and corridors, and flocks of noisy parrots certainly add to the jungle atmosphere! I was very lucky to find a tour guide at this temple who told me of the temple’s history, and also showed me where to get the best shots!
After one or two more temples, I told Mr. Ra that I was DONE! And it was only 10:30am! On our way back to town, I spotted lots of wild monkeys sitting on the ground beside the road – I really wish I had my camera ready for some pictures. Maybe next time. Next on my agenda was a shower and a nap! 4:30 is far too early to get up!
I spent the afternoon seeking out a more central and cheap guesthouse, with great success I might add! I am now living at CHAO SAY GUESTHOUSE, located right on Phsar Chas Market Street in town (located above Monument Bookshop). It’s a great address, right on the strip above a bookstore, across from an internet cafe, and on the same street as a ton of restaurants, massage parlours (nice ones), and most importantly, across the street from the “Old Marketplace”!
I also had the good fortune of running into a wonderful couple from Leeds, England. She’s a math teacher and he’s a plain clothes detective with the police force there. We arranged to meet for dinner and checked out the “Dead Fish Tower” Restaurant. What a hoot! The architecture is really unique, resembling something out of the Swiss Family Robinson tree house! The restaurant consists of open air platforms on multiple levels, and everyone sits on floor cushions (the tables are only 6″ high!). The staff send the orders down to the kitchen by means of a clothesline which meanders through the restaurant. Deliveries of food and drink are done by way of a manual ‘dumb waiter’ that they hoist up to each level via a rope and pulle8y method. Very different! They have great Khmer and Thai food and featured some Aspara local dancers at various times throughout the evening. Most enjoyable!
Tomorrow, my butt and I have to be ready for a very LONG motorcycle ride. We are heading out of Siem Reap to visit three very isolated temples which are, of course, strongly recommended in my guidebooks!
Tags: Travel
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