Bird’s Nest Bevarage – 25% bird’s nest

“Sir, you buy?” a woman asked with a plate of food balanced on her head.

An audible “Eeek!” escaped my lips. I don’t recall ever making this noise when confronted by a women selling food, except perhaps in McDonalds. But this was no ordinary snack.

We were on route to Sihanoukville. Originally Ruth and I were to leave Siam Reap and head to Vietnam. Sihanoukville, a beach in Cambodia was on route and the others in our group were to spend two days there. It was not i our itinerary, but we oth wanted some beach time and there seemed little point leaving the group when they were heading in exactly our directin for the ext month. So, as the best travellers do, we changed our minds at the last minute. flexibility.

It was to be a whole day travelling. First we needed to backtrack to Phom Penh. The bus was packed but comfortable. Our lunchtime break was at a small roadside cafe in the middle of nowhere. As the bus stopped the usual hordes of women with plates of food balanced on their heads flocked around the bus waiting us all to diembark. Some of the plates caught my eye – the women weren’t selling bread or fruit. What was it? I couldn’t identify the black mass. Or perhaps i didn’t want to.

I peered closer. Legs? Spindly, but chunky legs. Lots of them. But what of?

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Please note: There will be no Angkor What jokes in this post.

Sad i know, but i really do have a ‘100 things to do before i die’ list (remember Tara and Amelia?) This year has seen me tick off a fair few. One of the entries was to visit Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Ever since i saw their majestic splendour in photographs (which fail to them justice) i knew i had to visit them. So now i was back in Siam Reap. It was a pleasant five hour journey from Phnom Penh, but only because i refused to have no leg room and laid down the aisle much to the bemusement of the Cambodians on the coach who proceeded to stare at me laying on the floor for the next half hour.

After a day when the other five (Ruth, Susan, Louis, Tony and Raymondo) visited the Landmine Museum, which i had already seen on my previous trip, we hired two rickshaws for three days, a bargain at 15 dollars each.

Angkor is the heart and soul of Cambodia, a source of immense national pride. The largest temple is featured on the flag, and the name appears on businesses, hotels, guesthouses, restaurants and even the national beer (which is one hell of a tasty sud). They are world-class monuments on par with the pyramids of Giza and other wonders of the world that have survived into the modern era.

The temples of Angkor were the ancient capital of the Khmer empire and were constructed over a period of five hundred years, from the 9th to 13th centuries. They represent the pinnacle of Khmer art, architecture and civilization. Although the maverick psuedo-archeologist Graham Hancock argues the main temple was built by a progenitor civilization predating the age and empires of antiquity, it is unquestioned that the temples were the sacred political, religious and social heart of the Khmer empire whose economy, culture and military dominated the region until the 1200’s. Ironically these fusions of creative vision and spitirual devotion weakened the empire; the effort, materials and sheer cost of such epic endeavours undermined and bankrupted the imperial crown.

Secular buildings, including houses, palaces and public buildings have long since decayed as the right to dwell in stone was a privilege reserved solely for the gods. As such it was hard to appreciate the epic scale of this city which, at its peak boasted a population of one million people. In comparison ‘mighty’ London numbered around 50,000.

The temple ruins number in the hundreds. The Cambodian god kings (devaraja) strove to better their ancestors in size, scale and wonder culminating in the world’s largest religious building, Angkor Wat. It was here we would begin our journey.

Few who have seen Angkor Wat in the flesh would argue that i am being hyperbolic when i call the temple one of the most spectacular monuments ever conceived and built. It is artistically and aesthetically breathtaking, evoking power, harmony and balance through its sublime arrangement and proportions.

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After visiting S-21 in the morning, Phnom Penh delighted us in the evening as the country celebrated Bon Om Tuk - the water festival. Bon Om Tuk is one of the largest events in Cambodia and marks the end of the ... [Continue reading this entry]

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Sightseeing with a group of people can be stressful. Thankfully we were all in agreement - we would take it easy, give the national museum a miss and concentrate our day on the Cambodian Grand Palace and Silver Pagoda; the ... [Continue reading this entry]

Our first destination in Cambodia was the capital, Phnom Penh. Every backpacker you meet pronounces the name differently: 1) Penom Pen 2) Fnom Pen 3) Nom Pen 4) Fnom Fen (?) The locals pronounce the name similar to number one but with the stress ... [Continue reading this entry]

So, back to Cambodia. A small country of almost 15 million people with a chaotic modern history that reads like an international relations textbook; chapters range from colonialism and indepence to war, coup d'etats, invasions and mass genocide. One could ... [Continue reading this entry]

LAOS TO CAMBODIA - CORRUPTION AT THE CROSSING ============================================= Ruth and I were once again part of a group. We all rose early and set off in the minibus to another town and another country. Cambodia. After some thrilling card games (travellers ... [Continue reading this entry]

Si Phan Don. The name literally translates as 'four thousand islands'. Here the Mekong, until now a wide expanse of water, branches out into an intricate web of channels producing a 14km wide mosaic of sandbars (see definition below), islets ... [Continue reading this entry]