AWESOME ANGKOR

Jan 6 - 8

Getting to Siem Reap - The Angkor Temples - The poor but smiling children of Cambodia

My first two photos may suprise you as you were probably expecting a view of Angkor Wat - since returning to Bangkok the images of the children begging and many still seemingly happy had as much an impact as the ancient wonders of Cambodia.

I may add to this blog when I have more time when this trip is over, not much spare time at present to write all my thoughts regarding Cambodia. The lasting memories will be the Angkor Temples, especially Angkor Wat, Bayon and Ta Prohm which have to be seen so that you can comprehend their size and splendour. Part of any trip for a tourist to Cambodia also includes the constant sales pitch of the children to buy books, trinkets, shoe shining, anything to make a dollar - every ten metres in the streets near the tourist areas you will also be asked if you need a taxi which may be a Tuk Tuk or motorcycle - everyone seems to have a taxi. When we went on a boat trip on the Tonle Sap River we saw how the people live by the river in very poor conditions. There are also many amputee bands everywhere here looking for donations, victims of the landmines. Mothers holding deformed babies begging near some of the temples are also a bit concerning but you become a bit oblivious to it all or it will spoil your trip here. Cambodia is a nation which is rebuilding after a tragic recent past in the Pol Pot era of genocide. What does stick in my mind most is the many times the locals would give me a smile and make an effort to communicate without asking for money when I was away from the main tourist areas and the always smiling, fragile looking 80 yo lady who guided me across the madness of peak hour traffic at Phnom Phengh. So there are times you can get very annoyed with the sales pitch and begging etc that goes on in Cambodia but you need to reflect on the situation these people have been put into by events and corruption beyond their control. Don't let any of this put you off visiting Cambodia as it is a rewarding experience in many ways.

I had no problems at immigration or the airport at Siem Reap which suprised me after some of the reports I have seen on the Internet, in fact the airport staff were very helpfull. Save yourself time and get a US $25 E-Visa online from the Cambodia E Visa website. Mine took about two days to arrive via email - when I arrived in Siem Reap I walked straight ahead in the entry hall to the "E - Visa" area while everyone else went to the office on the left to organise their visa. You need one copy each of your visa for entry and departure.

To get to Siem Reap I had to take Bangkok Airways because they are the only air carier on the Bankok - Siem Reap route which cost me nearly $200 while the return journey from Phnom Phengh cost $55 on Air Asia. Apparently there can be hassles at the Thai/Cambodia town of Poipet if you want to bus it and the road from Poipet to Siem Reap is very bad with a less than comfortable trip of five hours and more touts to hassle you to stay at their guesthouse. The flight was excellent and took 40 minutes with great views on my flight of the river system around Siem Reap. An alternative is to take a cheaper flight to Phnom Pengh first up and the take the local bus on the good road to Siem Reap. You could also spend another four or five days here and see Sihanghukville and the North East of the country near Stung Kren - recommended by our guides. Also at the airport there is an arrival tax of US$7 and a departure tax of US$25.

To take a group tour or not?

I had booked a tour for Cambodia before leaving Australia and had 14 wonderful people from Canada and Australia on my trip. If I was going to Cambodia again I would travel independently as you can book a Tuk Tuk for a day for $15 and the driver will take you to all the temples or other sites of interest, wait for you and take you back to your accomodation. My tour was excellent and the people were great but the problem is you are tied to the tour group schedule and there are extra long lunch breaks and tourist trap stops where you lose time which you could be using to do more exploring. I would have spent more time at some of the temples but you have to leave with everyone else at the alloted time - not for me anymore but some of the group were happy to sit around having lunch for 1.5 hours - not for me on such a short trip - anyway thats how I feel but as I said the tour group were really excellent and I had many chats and an excellent time with nearly everyone on the trip.

Sightseeing at and near Siem Reap - The US Dollar

We stayed at the Angkor Holiday Hotel which is located in walking distance to the markets, Bar Street and the hundreds of restaurants and bars in Siem Reap. The food at the restaurants is excellent and very cheap. The currency used here is US dollars which you can get from any teller machine and the valueless Reil which equates to 4000 Reil for each dollar. A taxi for a short trip is a dollar - to the airport which is a 25 minute trip cost $7. You may need to try a few teller machines before you find one that is working. I am over markets although they looked interesting and we dined at three of the local restaurants, the best was in the street next to our hotel and only used by the locals - had a meal with Les and Mark from Perth and Sydney sitting amongst all the local family groups for about $6 each which included big bottles of the excellent Angkor beer and two courses. The baguettes as a side order are amazing if you are hanging out for some crispy bread. Also had two good meals on the next small street after the bar street towards the old market area. Siem Reap is a safe town to walk around and everything seems close. You do get fed up with everyone asking you if you want a taxi or massage or anything else they think you may want - I just keep walking, maybe half a smile or a shake of the head - say nothing.

We toured the temples and the pictures tell the story - they are incredible - you may climb many steep steps so take some decent shoes or very good sandels. It was very hot and everyone was jealous because I had a cute little umbrella from Bangkok to keep the sun off me. Take water everywhere you go as it can be thirsty work climbing and exploring the temples.

We visited a silk farm which was a nice break from the temples for a while and also stopped to see how the locals use palm oil/juice to make sweets and other goods. The best tour was the Tonel Sap River/Lake cruise at the end of the day - many didn't go because they were tired out after climbing temples - I thought it would be a tourist trap but went anyway, a great decision. For $20 we had a great sunset cruise on a comfy little boat which slowed down for us to take pics down the river and into the mouth of the lake. On the way there we drove through the river side local communitty with all the kids running around the streets and a real eye opener with an authentic view of how the locals live in very basic conditions. This was as impressive to me as the temples and should be a "must do" part of any trip here - unfortunate for those who relaxed back at the hotel.

I would say 3 days at Siem Reap would be ideal, we spent two days and I may return again sometime for another look at some of the most amazing ancient man made wonders of the world.

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