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Published: February 25th 2007
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Siem Reap, Home of the Best Known Temples in the World
Surprises in Cambodia After a few days in Bangkok it was time to get on the road again. Due to the fact we had skipped Cambodia to get back to Bangkok in search of corn starch, we decided that we would take a quick “weekend” trip and see the famous temples near Siem Reap, Cambodia. Since Siem Reap is parallel to Bangkok and only one country over, the flight is very quick, e.g. less than an hour.
After scurrying to the airport, we checked in and got to our gate. Bangkok Airlines is the only airline with rights to fly to Siem Reap (from Bangkok that is) giving them a monopoly on this very popular flight. This was our 7th flight in less than a month so we have learned what to expect from these small SE Asian airlines. Unlike the American air carriers, all of these airlines (we have flown Lao Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, PB Airline, Air Asia and now Bangkok Airlines) give you a cool, wet towel at the beginning of the flight, a drink and surprisingly a meal, even if
you only fly an hour. Bangkok Airlines stuck to this standard procedure and we landed in Siem Reap 50 minutes after we left Bangkok.
We were immediately impressed with Siem Reap as soon as we left the plane. Siem Reap has a brand new airport which is better than any of the small airports we have seen in Asia. Not only is it clean and well laid out, it is a beautiful building that is true to the local architecture. But, more than the building was impressive: the visa process was smooth and well thought out and Cambodia is the only country (Thailand excluded) in the area that has an e-visa program. For a country that is well behind some of its neighbors economically, they have taken their tourist trade very seriously and have invested money in ways that will ensure that visitors feel comfortable in welcome. Smart move Cambodia!
We made a small mistake when it came to our hotel bookings in Siem Reap. We thought we had booked our three nights at a highly recommended hotel, Villa Siem Reap, but found out after we booked our flight that the first night of our stay the hotel
was fully booked. Therefore, we were forced to stay at a different hotel the first night so we chose to stay at the Peace of Angkor hotel.
Immediately proving why they were the preferred hotel in the area, Villa Siem Reap arranged for our pickup and for a driver to help us the first day despite the fact we weren’t even staying in their hotel. When we arrived at the airport, Mr. Han our personal Tuk-Tuk driver was waiting for us outside the airport. Mr. Han would be our driver for the duration of our stay in Siem Reap because we were staying in a special new setup that the hotel had just opened. The Villa just opened a new “tree house” outside of town that was a fully modernized house on stilts similar to the ones locals use. The price was a little more than a room at the hotel but the personalized attention we received from Mr. Han immediately made us aware of why the money was worth it.
Visiting the Temples: Angkor Thom Mr. Han drove us to Villa Siem Reap for us to get some information about the area. After our
quick check in with the Australian owners of the hotel we went to our one night stand hotel, Peace of Angkor, and checked in. After dropping our bags off we set off to see one of the temples for the afternoon.
Mr. Han suggested Angkor Thom; knowing little about the area we took his word and set off. Since we hadn’t eaten lunch we asked if we could stop and get some food. We started by picking up our three day pass for the whole Angkor Wat area and then stopped at a restaurant near Angkor Thom. Kel and I each had a local dish, mine was chicken with ginger and Kel’s a vegetable dish, and then jumped back in the Mr. Han-mobile to see the area.
Built between 1181 and 1220, Angkor Thom served as the capital of Jayaverman VII’s reign as King. The original capital had been destroyed by an invading army. The site where the enemy was conquered was used as the site for the rebuilding of Jayaverman’s temples. Angkor Thom is an impressive site stretching 3km on a side. The city is perfectly aligned with entrances at each of the compass points.
We
started along the ruins of a procession ground which was used for festivals. We started by walking through some of the walls and looking at the intricate carvings. The carvings range from elephants, to gods, to multiple headed horses. The intricacy of the carvings is incredibly impressive considering that most are close to a thousand years old. Its hard to imagine what the city must have been like with close to a million people living in the area and the buildings brand new. It must have been an incredibly impressive area.
Next we walked through the terrace of elephants, named for the carvings down the front wall that depict elephants being used for various forms of work, from moving blocks of stone to hunting and carrying game. This terrace was used by the King as a place to watch the festivals that were held within the city. Its size is staggering. It stretches for nearly half a mile of carvings and stairways.
After about an hour of walking around, Mr. Han picked us up in the Mr. Han-mobile and took us to The Bayon which is one of the most photographed temples in Angkor Wat. The 54 towered
religious monument contains one tier for each of the states in Cambodia. Each tower has faces that face each direction of the compass which are suspected to be the god-like image of Jayaverman VII looking each direction to protect his kingdom and people.
The temple is very impressive and takes quite a bit of time to visit. One you cross the bridges into the temple the site seems very confusing but actually consists of passages that go from each entrance toward the center. As usual in this complex, the entrances are perfectly settled at north, south, east and west. While we were in the temple the sun was in the process of setting which made everything feel very cool. We spent an hour or more walking around and finally found our way back to Mr. Han who suggested that we head back to home since the complex was closing soon.
On our way out we stopped and took some pictures of the setting sun as we left the south entrance to Angkor Thom. With statues all around it was a neat place to see a spectacular sunset. Even Mr. Han took a picture with his mobile phone camera.
After heading back to the hotel for a quick shower and rest, Mr. Han took us to the Villa for dinner. The owners had set up a full Australian barbeque for dinner which was tough to pass up. We had salad, sausages, hamburgers, and baked potatoes for dinner which hit the stop after eating so much Asian cuisine. You’d be surprised how much you can enjoy a hamburger after not eating one for a while. Yum!
After dinner we went back for an early sleep. We had set up an early morning (6.30am) with Mr. Han so wanted to ensure we got some rest.
Hope you are all well back home. Things here are great!!
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Meredith Berger
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I tuned in last month and now I am hooked on your wonderful adventure across the Globe. Keep up the good work and great pictures....be safe and take care.