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Published: July 12th 2008
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Angkor Wat
Beautiful reflection We made it to Cambodia after a busy day in Bangkok! The trip over to Siam Reap was painstakingly expensive. We had to fly as taking an overland route would involve 3 different buses, 2 tuk tuk rides and take 2 days on top of the road being in awful condition. The only option for a flight was on Bangkok Airways- not only do they have a monopoly on the route but it is rumoured that they have a bribe deal with the government to keep the road in bad condition so more people fly. Alas we paid the $400 total for the hour long flight and made it to the home of the Angkor temples.
We decided to stay in a nicer place a bit outside of the center of town called 'La Maison d'Angkor' and it has been worth it! We have a great villa right next to an infinity pool with a cute restaurant (breakfast included) on the other side of the pool. They also have a couple of guys who are great drivers- we took a tuk tuk around the temples and town and the two drivers are very serious about growing their business. They made
our time touring very enjoyable- thus after they showed us their website for 20 minutes we thought we'd post it here- if at all interested in coming to Angkor these guys are very kind: http://www.taxiangkorwat.com/
Onto what we came here for-- the temples!
They are simply amazing. For those of you who may be reading this and have not heard of them: they are huge temples built over 1000 years ago- some from as early as the 9th century. Many of them were just re discovered in the 1850's when the French came to Cambodia. However these temples were abandoned in the 1970's when the Khmer regime came to power and the genocide began. Many of them are in ruin and the stones lay where they have fallen through the centuries. On the other hand- restoration is an amazing process and some temples are back to their original layout and the carvings are now well protected. Ok enough architecture and history talk... back to how fun it was to climb around and explore these sights.
The first day we were here we went on the small loop which included Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm and Angkor Thom. Angkor
Wat is the most well preserved temple of all of the archaeological sites and the most famous. We went there first and surprisingly there were barely any crowds. It was breathtaking especially after seeing the crumbling of other sites-we were able to appreciate how well the temple has been preserved. Ta Prohm was one of my favorites as it is most hidden under jungle shrubs- it is also where Angelina filmed Tomb Raider- something kind of cool even though neither of us has seen the movie... the other major temple we visited was Bayon- the temple of over 50 huge stone smiling faces.
Surprisingly later that evening we still had enough energy to head over to town. Our hotel was on the outskirts of town so we got a tuk tuk ride over to Le Grande Hotel in town to start the evening at the Elephant Bar for Happy Hour- it reminded me of an old cigar room where middle aged white explorers from the age of Joseph Conrad would gather to talk about the days adventures. We played three games of pool (sadly taking forever b/c we weren't the pool sharks we normally are...ha.) and enjoyed 50% off
of drinks for their happy hour specials. Its a great place to go- one of the classiest bars in town. A great place if you want to experience the high life for a few hours while still living on a budget. Wandering about Pub street for the rest of the night was great as every place has a different vibe- a fun night!
We got a late start to the next day and decided to head about an hour outside of town to one of the oldest temples- Banteay Seri- which also has the most ornate details. It was just so hot everywhere we went- Adam and I both basically sweat through our clothing- attractive yes- and drank numerous bottles of water. Later in the day we came upon one of our most favorite spots of the ruins. It wasn't because it was the best display of construction or attention to detail, but Preah Khan had the most luminous feel to it. it was awesome to explore while the sun was setting with a storm brewing in the distance distance. Also- there was literally no one around at that time of day- the heat, oncoming threat of rain or
the lateness of the day must have sent most people home. Climbing on the moss stones through the ancient hall of dancers and old swimming pools was an experience I wont soon forget. We settled in early to awake for sunrise at Angkor Wat with a nice dinner on hotel grounds- a bit pricey- but good for a local dish called Amok.
We awoke at the ungodly hour of 4:15am to meet our tuk tuk driver with a picnic breakfast to head to Angkor Wat for the sunrise. It was very gorgeous- we both just could have done without the crowds. Everyone was standing in the exact same spot trying to capture the moment- don't get me wrong I can see why (gorgeous!) but it still was more people we had seen through the temples in the past two days! We headed back for an afternoon swim and into town to eat at the 'silk garden' restaurant. Good ambiance with low tables and pillows on the ground- but just OK food choices that are a bit pricey.
Enjoy all the pics- the most yest- hooray for a computer that can upload quickly.
Well we are now in
Phnom Penh- quite a touching but crazy city which Adam will take over for on the next post. All I can say for now is that it is SO HOT- no air conditioning, no clouds, 100% humidity.
Onto to a cold shower, Christine
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huiming
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I meet a great driver in siem reap
I had very great time in siem reap , I was very lucky because I had met a driver who can speak both English and mandarin chinese. If you in cambodia please not to missing him , he very nice and good price driver in Angkor wat. you can contact at : my7everyday@yahoo.com (+855 11 922 783) If you with him you unforgatrable hom. He can you about history of the temple by free of charge. Thanks Meng