WAT WAT WAT

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Our escape from Bangkok was a success and we landed safely after a massive 40 minute flight into Siem Reap....Bangkok Airways gets a big thumbs up, firstly for actually getting us out as per schedule and then for serving a drink and a meal during a 40 minute flight!!!

We managed to get our visas for Cambodia quite easily without having to pay anyone any corruption money, which apparently is quite common especially at the land boarders....so we spent our unpaid Thai departure tax on some wine and a bottle of Whisky!!

Siem Reap is a small town, with a river running through it, it is extremely dusty with not many made up roads....it has a large number of bars, restaurants and lot and lots of TEMPLES...known as WAT's!!!! The largest being Angkor Wat....constructed in the early 12th century for the King....It was the capital of the Khmer empire and had a population of 1 million at a time when Londons population was 50,000!!!

We decided to spend one day at the temples and saw about 6 out of at least 100 which quite frankly, was enough for us!!

The best Temple was Ta Prohm which has been left as found and is covered by trees and jungle....this was the set for the film Tomb Raider....

The Temples were found by a French Botanist in 1860 ish....Quest que c'est.....he said....(Wats that?)

OK, so after the temples and Siem Reap we took the day bus to Phnom Phen...which left very early and took 5 hours...the trip was excellent and a good way to see the Cambodian coutryside, which was very flat with lots of rice fields, small villages and lots of water.

We arrived on the main steet by the side of the River in the capital city and were inundated by tuk tuk drivers...reminisent of India!! At least the one we chose knew our hotel and where it was!!

The Hotel was excellent (www.pavillion.asia) an extremely welcome refuge from the busy and dusty city and we had our own small private pool!!

We spent a day by the pool and then another exploring the city....Road side markets, City Palace, National museum etc....its a busy city although not huge with a population of just 1 million. Apart from the lack of cattle it was like India; poor, dusty, lots of beggars etc...but there are also some nice parts and we found a French deli, smart bakery and some good restaurants...

The people of Cambodia have had a lot to contend with yet they have been some of the nicest people we have met so far....

Phnom Phen is next to the Mekong which starts up in Tiebet and passes through more countries than anyother river, our flight from PP showed how huge the Mekong is....makes the Dart look like a stream!!

So after six nights in Cambodia we were off to Saigon....

Mark & Sharron

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Photos

Ankor Wat
The moat around Angkor Wat is 5 km

One of the pillars
over 600 pillars at Angkor Wat

Comments

[Lynda]

Finding your roots!
Loved the Pavillion Hotel, not to sure about the one with the roots growing over it!! But you are getting better!

[Mark and Sharron]

Its a great hotel
For "Branch Meetings!!"