Siem Reap - temples galore

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In my estimation, Cambodian hospitality is on a par with that of Ghanains, broad smiles and on numerous occasions have surpassed my expectations when I've asked for any sort of help, be it with travel, accommodation, food etc. My Khmer is still limited to a few words, as many Cambodians I have met speak some English; I am just glad it is not a tonal language, as this would lead to more embarrassing mispronunciations than I'm having at the moment!

Siem Reap is another bustling tourist city that sees people stay for 2 days to 1 week to explore all the temples in Angkor Wat National Park. The crumbling temples are spectacular, with Angkor Wat itself being the largest temple in the world. Many are being restored with international help. Most were built from the 9th-12th centuries as monuments to god-like rulers. Many of the carvings depict Hindu mythology, but a few were built as Buddhist temples. The jungle has encroached on many, and the first priority of the restoration teams was to clear the trees from the immediate vicinity of the temples. Some tree roots have grown pushing about the massive stone blocks that were mined from mountains 50km away and floated down by river. The steps up to the temples are very steep with short footholds, and it was precarious work in the midday sun! We took it easy and spent 3 days visiting the temples guided by a lovely tuk tuk driver, who we suspect thought we were "bad tourists" for not seeing all of the numerous temples, despite his best efforts.

We also took a trip in a boat out to the floating villages on lake Tonle Sap. It was fascinating to see a community of houses, schools and churches. Most of the villagers depend on fishing for a livelihood.

After our heaviest day visiting temples we luxuriated in some pampering too, trying out Khmer foot massage.

I think the pictures speak louder than words, so I'll stop here... x

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