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Angkor Thom Elephant Ride
Rajah and Rahini of Mt Eliza!Having finished breakfast, our last meal on RV Amalotus, we disembarked and passed through a guard of honour manned by the crew. A few gratuities were handed out here and there to our favourites. It was the start of an extremely tiring thirty six hours.
We boarded our buses (we were moored in Kampong Cham) and set out on the five hour journey to Siem Reap (See-em Ree-ep). On the way we passed through quite a few towns and saw Cambodians more dependent on agriculture than fishing and trading on the Mekong.
Our first touring location was the Spean Praptos Bridge (Kampong K dei. A relic from the Khmer Empire). The bridge is a functional survivor from the 12
th century. It was amazing to see the stone structure in such terrific proportions that in some ways match bridges we have seen that were not built until the 19
th century, many of which are no longer in use. In form it was made of many narrow archways in order to handle the floods when they come through.
Our arrival at the Hotel Sofitel in Siem Reap was quickly followed by lunch. A short
while later we boarded our bus to visit the world heritage listed Angkor Archaeological Park. Our first site was Angkor Thom which was built in the 12
th century during the Khmer Empire rule and was in its time the capital city.
Until you visit, it is very hard to imagine the immensity and extent of the buildings. Construction methodology was so different then and the achievements of those people are amazing. When you see the rockwork (with massive hewn rocks) and the carving across most surfaces it is hard to imagine how the outcomes were achieved even in a hundred years. Angkor Thom, the Bayon Temple, the Terrace of the Elephants, and many other features are a lot to take in in a couple of hours.
We decided that Siem Reap was a pleasant surprise. The temperature was very hot in the mid to high 30deg’s centigrade during the day and mid 20’s overnight. It was, surprisingly like Saigon, an Asian city with many western features with wide streets, parks, waterfront dining and lots of activities. It buzzed day and night.
Tonight is a freedom of choice dining event. We decided to go to the Khmer fine
dining restaurant called Square 24. After climbing on board our Tuk Tuk the ride to the restaurant through Siem Reap took about a quarter of an hour. It was a bit hair raising at times forging a path through cars, motor bikes and pedestrians but we eventually arrived to our venue. The restaurant was really well appointed. There were no walls and it was surrounded by water with fish and lotus flowers. The food was fantastic and the drinks were enjoyable.
Our Tuk Tuk driver had waited for us and ferried us back to the Sofitel. It was straight to bed for an early rise.
Tuesday 11th March Oh Boy! It’s 4.30am and we are meeting at 5.15am. After a long day yesterday we are just a little shell shocked! Nevertheless, as always, troopers push on! Today we are visiting the famous world heritage listed Angkor Wat to see the sunrise over the magnificent structure.
On the way our guide advised us that a sunset is not guaranteed as cloud cover can ruin the event and in fact had done so over the last week. But, it was our lucky day. We stood for some time,
Spean Praptos Bridge
A 12th century relic after having champagne on arrival, and eventually witnessed a sensational sunrise over the great structure. To add to the enjoyment, the whole event reflected on the still water between us and Angkor Wat. Cameras were clicking for ages whilst dodging around hawkers selling books (for $1 but they really meant $10!). The sun seemed to take forever to rise behind the buildings but was high in the sky in no time. A fantastic spectacle.
Being a religious site, we were required to have our knees and shoulders covered in certain areas. Like Angkor Thom, the entire site as impressive. When it was first constructed a lot of the areas were decorated in gold but, of course, it has all since disappeared! The time spent examining the various levels (some very steep and high) was really interesting and again we were blown away by the immense effort it must have taken to construct such a massive and intriguing group of buildings.
Angkor Wat was truly a highlight of the trip. Trying to describe such an immense and beautiful site is almost futile. We have ticked off an icon that should be on everyone’s bucket list.
During the afternoon
we were bussed off to visit Ta Prohm Temple and an orphanage.
Ta Prohm Temple is famous for the giant fig tree roots intertwining over and through the very old structures. Like Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, the buildings were amazing although very much run down. There are programmes in place to renovate all of these historic sites but it will take decades to complete (if ever they are completed).
We did strike a very annoying issue on this particular excursion. Koreans felt it obligatory to take turns standing and posing in front of every single feature on the site. It was almost impossible to take meaningful photos. Many people attempted to ask them to refrain but they took no notice. Oh well, it takes all sorts!
Rhonda and I had planned for this visit to the orphanage and we had books, pencils and other gifts for the children. It was set up by a young Cambodian who was taken aback by a group of starving children on the roadside with nowhere to go and no food. He had not long before completed a university course and decided to try and help them.
The orphanage now
houses thirty five children aged from three to twenty and it is done without government support to maintain its independence. We met the founder just before we left as he had arrived back late from a trip on which he had his first aeroplane ride. A really nice young man. In his absence we had been addressed by another young man, raised in the orphanage, who told us that it was his turn to go to university next. An Aussie who, with his wife, has been visiting and supporting the orphanage for many years spoke next and highly praised the founder and the children.
During our visit a group of girls and boys performed a traditional dance for us. It was really good. A feature of the orphanage is that the children are tutored in painting. We (Rhonda) found a nice example of the work and made a purchase. We were invited to wander through the orphanage, including the boy’s and girl’s dormitories and food preparation areas. We were impressed by the efficient use of the area and the cleanliness of the children and the premises.
As the tour is drawing to a close, we were invited to
Too tired to care!
This little fellow slept for ages at the orphanage. the Citadel Restaurant in the Sofitel a farewell dinner. Naturally, different people were leaving at different times the next day so it was opportune to say goodbye.
We went back to our room dead tired after what had been a very hectic couple of days.
Wednesday 12th March Our last day and our last tour. We went back to Angkor Thom for an elephant ride around the complex. As there were only a few elephants, we were taken by Tuk Tuk. Those with early flights went first. It was a nice way to finish off our holiday. The mahut stopped from time to time to allow us to take photos so the opportunity to see all sides of Angkor Thom from a higher level was a bonus.
As is often the case, the trip home seemed to take forever. However, we were contented travellers. It was amazing from a couple of perspectives. The travelling group got along exceptionally well. By far the most cohesive group we have travelled with and we were thankful for that.
Secondly, we saw a diversity of sites and cultural examples. We enjoyed the apparent freedom of Saigon, the friendliness of
Buddhist Monk
Sunrise at Angkor Wat Hoi An, the sense of control in Hanoi and the friendliness and strength of war torn Cambodia. Phnom Penh and Siem Reap were very enjoyable and we hope the Cambodian people reap the benefits of rebuilding with such a young population. The Khmer Rouge have done irreparable damage but the people fight on.
We are not likely to revisit as we have so much more of the world to see. Apart from Japan (and perhaps Rhonda needs to see China) we feel we have done Asia and have feeling of warmth for the region.
Thursday 13th March It really is all over now. We touched down right on time at 10.20am and hired a cab to go home.
The news of the moment is the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370. We flew almost directly over the area that it went missing in the Indian Ocean just a few days before.
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