Lost City

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Siem Reap was friendly laid back little down in those days so after breakfast we walked down to the markets near the river it is a hot 35-degree day and we can walk the streets with out the harassment we received in Hanoi.

The markets were ok I bought a few bits and pieces and gave a little money to the land mine victims and lunch was pleasant, we returned to the hotel to chill until dinner time. We ventured back to a restaurant bar in the town centre for dinner that night which was apparently a favourite haunt of Angelina Jolie when she was filming Tomb Raider. Mark is sick again, so he decided to return to his hotel while I headed on to a night club, not sure what I expected but old perverts and young local boys was not it, so I attempted to walk back to my room in the dark eventually hailing down a local on a motor bike.

At 4am we rose to travel out to Ankor Wat the hotel arranged a car to take us, and by 5am we were watching the sunrise over one of South east Asia’s great ancient monument. For nearly six hours I walked amongst the most amazing archaeological ruins I had seen at the time. The major temple built by Khmer King Suryavarman II in the early 12^th century is accessible by stone bridge and sits on its own island. It is a remarkable site with its exquisite bas reliefs and stunning statues.

There are dozens of other temples that have over time been hacked out of the jungles some of which still have large trees growing out of the foundations, there was so much to see but by 11am the tropical heat was intensifying, and we returned to the hotel for breakfast. The rest of the day we relaxed Mark is still not well.

Next day after breakfast (20 December 2002) we headed down to the new two-week-old airport and boarded our prop plane for the bumpy ride to Bangkok. We ended up checking back in to the same place in Soi 11, before going to pick up the suits we had been fitted for when we first arrived here around 5pm.



Next morning was mostly about wandering through shops and stalls, later in the day we went to a bar and played pool and other games until, Mark went back to the hotel. I went out for dinner with one of the waitresses and her boyfriend mainly because I was drunk at the time bit of scam really, they just wanted me to pay for their meal, the restaurant though was authentic, and the food was good if a bit spicy. The next morning we travelled to the airport and home.

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Photos

Siem Reap Circa 2002
Changed a lot since then