3 For 1 Dollar - 16th - 22nd Jun 06

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With a brief exploration of the Siem Reap markets completed, and a few token items in the shopping bags, Jo S, Becs and Malibu (Ross) headed back to the guest house to await the arrival of the stragglers. Upon return, it was discovered that they were already there, and so it began ... The girls checked their e-mails for confirmation of Pove and Dani's arrival date, which had unfortunately been set back by 2 days. We decided that this would probably work out better as Whits would not then be left in this beggar ridden town on her own for too long. So, we decided to fill the next couple of days with some R&R. However, with our final opportunity to meet up with Kate and Claire before Melbourne, a big night was on the cards! Later on, the girls headed out into town for a traditional Khmer dinner. We ate at a small restaurant down a cute little alleyway. Smithers and Whits both had really tasty food, but unfortunately Greeny chose the dish faux pas and ended up having to share some food from the others. We weren't quite sure where we were supposed to meet the lads, so we wandered over to the busiest street, had a beer and kept an eye out. Feeling pretty tired and having not yet heard from Kate and Claire, we decided to duck out and head home, but the early night was quickly turned upside down when we ran into Claire and her tour group, who then told us where to find Kate and the lads. Our flailing enthusiasm soon disappeared once a couple of free beers had been downed. Yes, this place, called the Warehouse, offers free beers for an hour at 2 points during a Friday night! Our large group that night filled the bar, and with the help of some pretty decent music, the party atmopshere soon emerged. Derek began blowing up Trojan condoms on his head - obviously Smithers had to help him stretch it, and once it was successfully in place, Derek began blowing - quite hilarious as it looked pretty painful - like his head was going to explode! The party grew louder and with The Killers blaring out from the speakers, a mini jam broke out across the table - drinks were going everywhere! Most of us then carried onto the Temple Club for a boogy, which was quite entertaining once a few buckets had been consumed to get the dancing juices flowing.
With nothing much to do the following day, Smithers spent it in recovery, and Becs, who'd been poorly did pretty much the same, leaving Whits climbing the walls with boredom!
Pove and Dani turned up early the next day and we decided to mooch around town, visiting the market so that the girls could get acquainted with the place. Pove was particularly taken aback with the beggar street children, who would typically crowd around you every time you walked down the street. The children really were a bit overwhelming at times, clinging to your every limb, or simply blocking your path begging for a dollar.
Some of the younger ones were adorable, but bitterness and jealousy were already inset in the older children - a real shame, but what do you do? If you give one something, you have to give to them all, or fights etc break out, which is far from productive towards helping them build a better future.
Being Bulk and Wigg's last but one night, and Pove and Dani's first, there were some celebrations to be had! It was great to have Pove and Dani around, they would fill the void that the lads would leave. Having become so used to their wonderful company over the past few weeks, we would be very sad to see them go. The boys certainly thought ahead, planning their departure 2 days later, so as to be able to fully recover before another hellish bus journey to Pattaya. Ross certainly needed the recovery time, downing buckets like they were going out of fashion, he couldn't even make it out for dinner the next night! Again we hit the dance floor, but this time accompanied by Pove's famous moves! A good night was had with both Pove and Dani feeling extremely the worse for wear the following morning.
One of the highlights of any trip around South East Asia surely has to be the mesmerising temples of Angkor. The stone temples, set deep in the Cambodian jungle, were once part of a vast and powerful kingdom. All of the other buildings such as the Palaces, houses and public buildings were made out of wood and have long since decayed. Only the houses of the Gods remain - some, most famously, the temple of Ta Phrom (featured in Tomb Raider) have been almost completely swallowed up by the jungle, whilst others such as the Bayon, the Bauphon and Angkor Wat are receiving careful restoration. We took it upon ourselves to first conquer the mother of all temples, the largest religous building in the world. After a pleasant trip out from Siem Reap in a couple of Tuk Tuks we'd hired, we alighted at the grand walkway leading up to the entrance of the magnificent towering Angkor Wat. Standing before the temple was awe inspiring. The central tower stands 55 metres above ground level and is surrounded by a third level at 31 metres, which consists of 4 squares interlinked by intricately carved galleries. King Suryavarman II had Angkor Wat built between his reign in 1112 - 52 to honour Vishnu, his patron deity, and for use as his funeray temple, so it is believed. After exploring some of the extraordinary bas-reliefs on the outer walls some distance away from the central tower, we moved in and precariously climbed a set of ancient, smoothly eroded, steep steps. This surely wasn't for the faint at heart, so much so that a chorus of cheers went up as a relatively old lady made it to the top. Once we were up, we weren't too sure how we would get down, so, putting it to the backs of our minds, we set about exploring the galleries, wishing a swimming pool could be set up in each of the squares because it was so hot! We soon dispersed and successfully lost one another as we investigated the enchanting and unique place. Eventually, a descent was inevitable, and with Derek having made a failed attempt to climb down one set of steps, we walked the sides of the 3rd tier looking nervously down to the ground. Thankfully, we fell upon a tourist friendly staircase, which had a metal bar running down one side of the steps with which we could make our escape. Leaving the central temple we wandered out onto the surrounding gardens and found a shady spot in front of a lake to have a drink.
Departing Angkor Wat we relocated our Tuk Tuk drivers who then drove us on to Phnom Bakheng, a temple mountain built during the reign of Yasovarman (r 899 - 910). From the summit, we could look back to Angkor Wat shrouded in dense jungle - an awesome sight, and look west over the Tonle Sap lake to watch the sun set. Sadly, there were a million other tourists there to destory the serenity, but strangely the atmosphere was agreeable.
We said a quiet goodbye to Bulk and Wigg that night, due to Ross's fragile state. It was sad to see them go having had so many laughs - it was certainly going to be quieter, but at least we'd get a chance to repair our livers.
A very early rise the following morning saw us whizzing through cool pre-dawn air, once more in the Tuk Tuks, to catch the sunrise over Angkor Wat - which was very special, before making our way over to the infamous Bayon temple. The Bayon temple is made up of exquisite carvings with 216 gargantuan faces staring out from the towers into the surrounding jungle. It was built around 1200 by Jayavarman VII in the exact centre of the city of Angkor Thom, who's great west gate we'd just arrived through. From a distance the Bayon disappointed, but once we arrived inside its walls we quickly disovered how remarkable and how stunning it really is. We made sure here to circle the outer edge of the temple, guidebook in hand, to explain the historical story depicted in the elaborate and detailed bas-reliefs - a tale of the fighting between the Khmers and the Cham Warriors. How difficult it is to spend such a short amount of time in a place like this - what would be better would be to have it in your back garden to explore at leisure over many years! With more to see, we reluctantly pushed on, visiting the Bauphon, which is under painstaking restoration - it will look fabulous again in a few years. We ambled past the Terrace of Elephants and visited the Phimenakas before being reunited with our drivers to go on to Tha Phrom, stopping at another small temple, Tha Keo, along the way. Ta Phrom defies your imagination. Hundreds of years of tree roots have grown through, around and over this temple. The size of some of the trees is enormous, indicating how long the city remained lost to the world for. This edifice is a 12th century Mahayana Buddhist temple and is one of the largest of the Angkorian era - it has been left to look much like it did as the first French explorers set eyes on it more than a century ago. Inside you can wander a maze of narrow crumbling stone corridors. Every angle is a photo opportunity here, perhaps that's why the place was swarming with Japanese tourists! It did alter the "intrepid explorer" sensation somewhat, but if Ta Phrom can create this spectacle, the least you can do is pretend they're not there! Again, we quickly lost each other among the ruins, your eyes being drawn in every direction, and a long time later, we met up back at the Tuk Tuks with a retinue of small children gathering to try and sell anything they could for one dollar - a fervent drone that would not be forgotten quickly "3 for 1 dollar!" "5 for 1 dollar!" "50 for 1 dollar!"
Having been around the Angkorian temples for nearly 8 hours by midday, we decided to head back to Siem Reap for the afternoon. With nothing much left to do and feeling a little templed out, the following day we spent relaxing - Smithers, Derek, Pove and Dani even forked out a few dollars for a massage! A relatively calm night was had before we were all to head off in separate directions the following morning, with Pove, Dani and Derek bound for Bangkok, Smithers and Greeny for Battambang and Whitters preparing to fly to Hong Kong!
Tootle Pip

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Photos

Ta Prohm Temple
AKA Tomb Raider Temple!

You buy 3 for 1 dollar
Pove and Dani get hassled by the local kids

Beautiful
Monks at the stunning Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat
Jo scales the steps to the top of the temple

Pove and Dani
Riding an elephant to the top of the temple

Sunset at Phnom Bakheng
A monk takes it all in