Last Day in Cambodia


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Asia » Cambodia » North » Siem Reap
November 6th 2019
Published: January 9th 2021
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Today was the last day of our tour around Cambodia. From the outset, we have been going non-stop to see as much of the country we can in our limited time here. This final day was no exception as we started out well before sunrise in order to catch the sunrise from Angkor Wat. Stepping out into the pre-morning darkness, we made our way past hundreds of other tourists as well as vendors selling coffee and breakfast items in order to stake out our spot for catching the sunrise. As sunrise was approaching and we started seeing the faintest glimpses of light above the towers of Angkor Wat, we along with a few hundreds of other visitors gathered tightly together along the edge of one of the reflecting ponds. It was here many of us were hoping to get a good photo of the towers reflecting into the waters of the pond below. However, with everyone packed in so tightly it was hard to get a decent photo without lifting the camera above our heads and just hope for a decent shot. As the sun rose, the morning light illuminated the crowds and we saw exactly how crowded it was. The sunrise over Angkor Wat was beautiful however the crowds were too much to really appreciate it all.

We returned to the hotel where we had some time to rest and have breakfast before setting out for another full day of exploration. First stop for the day was about an hour's drive away at the Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity. The first nature conservation center in Cambodia, they seek to conserve and protect the wildlife biodiversity of Cambodia through animal rescues, rehabilitation, release, breeding, environmental education, and conservation research. We had to wait a bit for our tour to begin and some of the girls took advantage of this time and purchased some scarves from the local vendors. They must not get very many visitors here as some of the vendors appeared to be fighting with each other to make a sale. It was a little awkward to say the least. For the next hour, our guide lead us around where we visited all sorts of animals and were given the story behind each one as well as the work they were doing with each animal. We were able to see the animals up close but this tour did not feel like we were at a zoo. On our tour, we saw all sorts of birds, turtles, monkeys, and even an otter. Most interesting for me was the Asian Palm Civet and the Leopard Cats. The Asian Palm Civet is well known for the coffee cherries that are harvested from it's feces in order to create kopi luwak, the world's most expensive coffee. Not only was this organization focused on the rehabilitation of animals but they are also focused on educating the Cambodian population on the importance of protecting the wildlife of Cambodia. As we were feeling a little templed out after all the temples we saw yesterday, visiting the center was a great way to break it up. However, once we were finished touring the center, we were off to visit one last temple, the nearby temple of Banteay Srei.

Banteay Srei is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva and Sreymon explained to us that the Banteay Srei Temple is also known as the lady temple. Immediately upon arriving we noticed that this temple was much different than the others that we saw yesterday. The site was much smaller than yesterday's temples but most notable was the pinkish hue of the stones used to build the temple. What Banteay Srei lacks in size, it makes up in stature. It is remarkably well preserved and the intricate stone carvings are some of the finest that could be found anywhere in the world. We arrived in the late morning and it was already quite humid. Thankfully, there were not too many other visitors and we did not feel crowded while exploring. Johnny and Sreymon lead us around to explain the history of the site as well as the significance of the carvings. We also had a lot of fun with Johnny showing us how to take some amazing and fun panorama shots. Unlike the other temples, we were not allowed to just freely roam in and out of temples. This is probably why the temple was so well preserved. Although this temple was amazing, it was here that I started to feel temple overload and began to mentally check out. During much of Sreymon and Johnny's tour, I simply just sat on the side while waiting for the tour to finish. One notable thing that I did see that was rather unnerving were signs warning visitors to stay on the paths as there was potential for hidden land mines in the fields. Placed during the 1970's and 1980s, many of these hidden landmines had been forgotten and still not removed. Even today there are many people in Cambodia with missing limbs who have survived being victims of these hidden land mines. From Banteay Srei, we made our way back to Siem Reap for a much deserved lunch.



For the remainder of our final day in Cambodia, we were presented with the option of visiting a floating village which everyone eagerly jumped at the chance. The floating village was a small waterway leading to Tonle Sap Lake, the largest lake in Cambodia. We drove down a dirt road covered in red dust from the red clay soil before arriving at the dock where we all hopped into a colorful narrow boat that would take us down to the floating village of Kampong Phluk and to Tonle Sap Lake. Our boat driver was accompanied by his young son and many in our group enjoyed playing with him during our ride down the waterway. I would like to say the ride down the brown muddy waters of the waterway to the floating village was peaceful. However, the boat was so loud that it was difficult to even hear someone sitting next to me. I found myself having to enjoy the scenery of the ride from the very back of the boat in order to get as far away as I could from the boat's engine. As we approached the village, the first glimpse of homes came into view perched high above the waterway and held up by stilts. Looking at these homes, I couldn't help but wonder how hard life must be living here and thankful for my first world privilege. Most of the villagers here relied on fishing during the wet season and farmed the land during the dry season. The people of the village were going about their daily lives. We saw people transporting goods on boats, children playing in the water, and we even saw some people bathing. The village was much larger than I had envisioned and I was just so very fascinated by it all. Although we saw many other boats with other tourists, I felt like we were able to get a good glimpse of everyday rural Cambodian life away from the hustle and bustle of the touristy Siem Reap. Our boat eventually pulled up to a place that looked like a restaurant that clearly catered to tourists where we would disembark and transfer to smaller boats. There were about 30-40 smaller boats waiting here, each one lead by a local who would paddle 2 people in the boat into the flooded mangrove forest. It was nice and peaceful as we paddled through the forest which is flooded due to the high level of the river at this time of year. We even encountered a few monkeys high up in the forest canopy. Eventually we were returned to another floating platform which also served as a restaurant and a gift shop. We had a few minutes to explore and check out the resident crocodiles which were kept below as well as to climb a high tower for up high views of the surrounding mangrove forest and Tonle Sap Lake. Returning to our main boat, we were then taken out into Tonle Sap Lake where our boat driver turned the boat off so we could enjoy the silence on Tonle Sap Lake. Sreymon provided us some interesting information regarding the lake and we also saw what looked to be a Buddhist ceremony on a nearby boat for the cremated remains of a monk. As we were all trying to figure out what was happening, to my surprise we were approached by a young local vendor who was selling various items like chips, sodas, candy, and beer from her boat. A few of our tour mates purchased beer from her to enjoy on the ride back. It was a gorgeous early evening on the lake but it was now time to start heading back to Siem Reap. On the return trip, we rode through the same floating village where we were able to enjoy the sights of this unique village one last time. Arriving back at the van, we made our way back up the dirt road towards Siem Reap. Along the way, Sreymon was kind enough to stop to give us a brief look into the lives of local rural Cambodians. We stopped at the home of a local where we had a quick look at their home as well as an explanation of things they grew in their garden. Many people here grew lemongrass in their gardens which is not only used in
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Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity
cooking but also to help ward off mosquitos. Sreymon also brought us to a local wedding where they were preparing for tonight's festivities. We visited the people who were in charge of preparing the meals for tonight's big party as well as meet the parents of the bride. It would have been nice to meet the bride or groom but as expected, they were too busy preparing themselves for their wedding ceremony. It was a nice quick visit to see local rural life but it was time to get back into the van for our final night in Siem Reap. Arriving back at the hotel, we literally had just half an hour before we were to meet back up again for our final group dinner. Dinner tonight was a short walk to a nearby high end restaurant called Malis. We had a set meal featuring some pork sausages, green mango and smoked fish, and chicken curry steamed in a lotus leaf. All washed down with a few lemongrass martinis. Although the martinis were delicious, I found the meal to be rather bland and judging by the comments of a few other, I wasn't the only one. Tonight we all chose Phil to present our group tip to Sreymon and speak on behalf of the group. It was a very touching moment when she was presented with her tip and she started to get a bit emotional. Sreymon was easily one of the best tour leaders that I have had during all of my travels. She was so enthusiastic and passionate about showing people her country and it showed over these last 5 days. Her enthusiasm and passion were clearly reflected in her tip. After this last meal together, everyone in the group agreed to have one last drink together. We wandered a few of the back alleys of Siem Reap looking for a bar that was still open and could serve our large group. We eventually settled on a place called Miss Wong Cocktail Bar. Sreymon was not able to stay for a drink as she had an early morning to make her way back home. We all thanked her for the wonderful last 5 days and gave our final hugs before she was gone. We all had a few drinks and enjoyed each other's company one last time. Half of the group was continuing on an extended version of this trip into Vietnam. The other half including Shea and myself were off to do our own thing. After about an hour, we made our way back over to the hotel to call it a night and gave each other our final goodbyes and hugs and just like that, our trip to Cambodia had come to an end.


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Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity


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