Siem Reap - Cambodia

After a fantastic time in Laos with so many friends it was time for Greg, Shandy, Clyde, Laise, Lara, V and I to make our way by minivan to Vientiane for our flight to Siem Reap in Cambodia. After a coffee and read in this very pretty part of town we hit the airport by tuck tuck and boarded our flight, arriving in Siem Reap in the early evening of Wednesday 20th January. The airport itself is beautiful and is designed in traditional Cambodian architecture; unfortunately it was a little too dark to get any photos. We made our way by minivan taxi to our hotel, which as luck would have it was actually full. It was up to the boys to wander the streets of this town to find a decent hotel or hostel for our 2 nights here. This was no easy task as most were full and some that weren’t were pretty undesirable, but undeterred and while the girls relaxed and sipped wine, we managed to find accommodation at the aptly named Popular Guesthouse. At £10 a night including aircon and hot water (the hot water was rejected by Greg before we mentioned that Shandy might not be too happy about that!) it proved a bargain.

We then went back to find the girls and helped ourselves to the local beer here called Angkor Beer – not too bad. Then we checked in and quickly made our way out to find a nice restaurant in the picturesque centre of this town. The place is packed with tourists, which is why most of the hotels and guesthouses are so busy. The main attraction is Angkor Wat and the various other temples nearby, which we were to find out later are absolutely stunning! After a brief walk we settled on a lovely Indian restaurant called Samsara – the food was excellent and after a few games of cards it was bed time for a busy day of exploring the following morning. On the way home Greg and I were completely suckered by a little boy begging for milk instead of money. We were duly dragged into a shop where he selected the most expensive baby milk powder available – once we made our way home we turned to see him run back into the shop and swap it for the cash – a huge scam here and one we were sure to avoid in future!

We woke up nice and early on Thursday morning and caught our private minivan tour around the temples. It is an incredible sight which was a result of ancient rulers trying to outdo their predecessors by building larger and more audacious temples. The Khmer civilization was a dominant one in this part of the world at their peak, and the scale of their work is hugely impressive! The day was spent visiting as many as we could, although most people spend several days here so we had to be a little selective. One of the highlights was an old temple which has been overgrown by trees, whose roots lie over the of it – spectacular. We stopped for a quick lunch and then made our way to visit 1 quick temple before the main attraction – Angkor Wat itself. This giant structure is surrounded by a massive moat filled with water, and an outer wall and gates which are all impressive in their own right. Once you enter though you are blown away by the temple itself. Built in the 12th century for King Suryavarman II, it is the definitive symbol of Cambodia and even appears on its flag.

A lot of the temples and ruins here are being maintained by foreign aid, and each project has a board highlighting which country is sponsoring this work – it’s amazing how many countries are involved in this area. We walked around the huge temple and stood around just soaking up the rock sculptures, Buddhist statues, and architecture. After an excellent finish to the day it was time to head home for a rest before making our way out that evening. The only negative about the day was the constant haggling and begging. There are lots of children haggling for money or to sell you goods and most are such a pleasure, desperate to know where you are from and all about you – a great way for them to practice their English. Unfortunately like everything there are some who go too far and you are relentlessly hassled by them. Anyway you soon develop a thick skin and it certainly doesn’t ruin the day.

That night was a very relaxed affair as we went out for pizza and a few beers, followed by the usual game of cards. Then it was home for a very early night as we were up before 5am to get to Angkor Wat for the sunrise, a recommended highlight.

The alarm went off at 4.50am and as usual there was a real struggle to get out of bed. Anyway we all made it down in time for our tuck tucks which took us out to the temple. We passed plenty of market traders getting ready for their day so we weren’t the only ones up! We arrived while it was still pitch dark and navigating our way through the steps and corridors of the temple was a nightmare, resulting in much tripping and laughing – no lights or mod cons here! Finally we made it to the best spot to wait for the sunrise, and couldn’t believe how packed it was with tourists. It was a cloudy day so there was no magical sun rising over the top of the temple, but it was still amazing just to watch it come to life as the light dawned. There were plenty of local entrepreneurs offering chairs, coffees, teas, and milo’s – all for the right price and we were quick to accept.

After a great start to the day it was back to our tuck tuck (a father and son combination) and back to the Guesthouse for a quick nap before checking out and making our way by bus to Phnom Penh

So it was a quick couple of days in Siem Reap, home of the famous Angkor Wat. Here are our highlights and lowlights:
- Angkor Wat and the surrounding temples are clearly the major attraction here, and are unbelievable
- The centre of Siem Reap is really pretty, with a very French feel to the place
- Watch out for begging scams, they are rife!