As with most of our adventures it all starts with a bus ride and this time we were fortunate to be designated the 'kamikaze seats with full view of the road ahead. So we headed towards Siem Reap and, as it seemed much of the time, oncoming traffic. We've all played 'chicken' at some point in our lives (haven't we?) but we wouldn't have lasted two minutes against Cambodia's finest. Hurtling towards our bus is an onslaught of mopeds, cyclists, farm vehicles and more buses. Cutting in from both sides are moped drivers, laden with passengers and cargo, all eager to out run the bus and reach poll position. Horns blaze for much of the journey as the bus swerves, accelerates and occasionally comes to an abrupt halt leaving our stomachs 200 yards behind. Who needs a theme park when you can reach your destination and have the thrill combined. Brilliant and absolutely no time to get bored!
The guesthouse we check into is owned by Andy (English) and his Cambodian wife Voleak who are both so helpful that we are soon armed with maps, Angkor History book and an army of tuktuk drivers to fulfil our every Angkor whim. We decide on the short tour for day one which includes Angkor Wat, Phnom Bakheng, Angkor Thom, Chau Say Tevoda, Thomanon, Takeo, Taprohm, Banteaykdei, Sras Srang and Kravan. The day was incredible and we were amazed by the organisation given the ENORMOUS numbers of tourists. By the end of the day we were exhausted, this is not somewhere to visit if you have any mobility issues. Stairs which I'd challenge a mountain goat to tackle, each step was of varying heights and depths, looking up or down made your heart jolt and head swim. Matt, who suffers with mild vertigo, really struggled on the highest of Angkor Wat steps but what goes up must come down! A few photos follow:
Angkor Wat
So impressive with its 190m moat and spanning 200 hectares
Five Gates (part of Angkor Thom)
Bayon (part of Angkor Thom)
This was our favourite, Angkor Wat is incredible in terms of structure and size but this little temple had tons of character.
Bapuon (part of Angkor Thom)
Ta Prohm
A firm favourite for us both although cut short by a little mishap early in exploration. Walking through the temple Matt accidentally kicked a rock which proceeded to slice open the top of his toe. Never fear I put all my animal health training and wildlife rehabilitation experience to good use! There was quite a lot of blood and obviously quite painful so I sat Matt down and doused his toe in mineral water before making a pretty nifty bandage out of wet wipes. Toe and Matt making a good recovery.
Srah Srang
End of day one and we finished with a beautiful sunset at Srah Srang only blighted by child hawkers and millions of midges.
The morning of day two bought a slightly rude awakening. At about 06:30 we shot bolt upright in bed as it sounded like a Cambodian Bollywood group had moved in to the guesthouse and were spewing out 'tunes' on massive speakers hidden in our room. Guests were stumbling around half awake and very very confused. All normal apparently just part of a Cambodian wedding due to take place the following day in the house opposite which means they play music and tell stories continually from sunrise to early evening for two days...through enormous speakers. Ah well it made sure we didn't sneak a lie in and delay our grand tour to Preakhan, Neakpean, Tasom, East Mebon and Prerup.
Another awesome day with the added benefit of getting trapped in a small wat due to the sheer volume of Chinese/Korean tourists. It was like a clip from the film Tomb Raider as we ran down corridors and jumped over fallen debris only to meet another tour group who just don't budge. Eventually we made it out and ran for the tuktuk keen to beat them all to the next on the list, Neak Pean. Now this is a beautiful series of ponds at the end of a very long and narrow walkway across a lake. We managed to explore in peace and headed back to the walkway only to see a sea of tourists oozing their way up the walkway. The only thing to do was put your head down and barge your way through, our shoulders and arms were pretty sore by the end but we made it out without any dips in the lake.
We had originally planned to have a break from temples on day three but with Cambodian Bollywood in full swing we decided to head back out for the 25km tuktuk ride to Banteay Srei and Kbal Spean. This was a lovely day, the tuktuk journey through the country side with Nai our regular temple driver was perfect and a really nice break from back to back wats.
Kbal Spean
After an 1800m climb you reach this 150m stretch of river where images of the gods have been carved into the river bed. Following the river bed you reach a little waterfall before making your descent.
Inbetween, during and after our intensive Angkor tours we enjoyed socialising at the guesthouse, in particular with Maja and Nicki a lovely Danish couple who had me cackling on many an occasion. Matt was ready for a haircut again so Nai took us to this brilliant roadside barbers. I have to say I think it is one of the best cuts he's had, the guy took so much care and all for $1.
Whilst rice or noodles usually form our daily diet, Maja and Nicki had told us about this amazing Austrian restaurant and their Wiener Schnitzel experience so we had to see what the fuss was about. Meat sweats imminent we ploughed into the most enormous plateful and very little was left.
The resident kittens enjoying a bit of relaxation time and my sarong!
After 'watting' all day the town was a welcome change of seen. Pub Steet is not surprisingly full of bars, some tranquil and some in the throws of complete mayhem with drunken tourists and paddling pools. The best people watching site as we settled on a corner bar, beer in hand, to watch the antics before heading for a Cambodian BBQ.
The guesthouse is amazing and comes complete with pool, so relaxation in between the watting guaranteed. Andy and Voleak are the owners, nothing has been too much trouble and the whole stay has been fantastic. Andy's mum, Marilyn, has been visiting from the UK and is constantly on the go with Voleak painting, gardening or designing the bar area. Marilyn has kept us all entertained with stories of Andy's childhood and her hilarious antics (much cackling by me.)
Our last day before we fly to Hanoi tonight (28th) and we decided to visit Tonle Sap before we leave. Tonle Sap is the largest fresh water lake in South East Asia which spans 3,000 square kilometers squared in the dry season (now) to 10,000 square kilometers squared in wet season. To accommodate these shifts houses are either built on stilts or floating. Not surprisingly fishing is their major occupation with farming (peanuts, green beans etc.) and crocodile farming. An amazing experience and we were so pleased we went before leaving Siem Reap.
We have both loved Cambodia, all the people we have met have been friendly, open and giving despite having so little. Sad to leave but high hopes for Vietnam.
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