A visit to the stunning Angkor ruins

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Don't you love it when out of the blue a new travel opportunity presents itself? Oh yes, I know I do ... and continuing from the previous journal here's my story. My friend from Quebec and I were strolling around the Laos capital of Vientiane when a sign in a travel agency caught my eye. They were offering a direct bus trip to Siem Reap in Cambodia to view the world famous Angkor ruins. Was this for real, a single bus ride to the border, then all the way south through Thailand and into Cambodia? This opportunity was a dream come true, and I was galvanized by a sense of excitement.

My friend was quickly won over, dear reader, but the agency said a minimum of four people were required for a guaranteed departure on the minibus. Then in one of those magic travel moments an English couple walked by the travel agency. I think I spruiked as much as the travel agent about the bus trip, and incredibly within thirty minutes of seeing the sign for the first time all four of us were booked on the bus departing next morning. The border crossings were a breeze, and once we'd arrived in Cambodia even the notorious road from the Thai border to Siem Reap was manageable. Our touring party were in boisterous spirits, as we'd won the equivalent of the travel lottery in getting there in the first place. We checked into a quality hostel in the impressive tourist town of Siem Reap which services the Angkor ruins, and the four of us organised our initial foray to the ruins to commence the next morning.

The fact we were in a group of four had it's advantages, as we could afford to hire an air conditioned car to explore the site which comprises over a thousand ruins. Most tourists go on the back of a bike but we were visiting in the hottest time of the year; when the heat and humidity were really punishing. The scale of the ruins has to be seen to be appreciated, and we quickly settled into our routine. We'd be in the car early, explore until lunch time, head back to the hostel for a few hours to relax over lunch during the midday heat, then head out again for the afternoon. We spent two full days at the ruins and the experience ranks as one of the most memorable in all my years of travelling. I have been to many countries, and seen many tourist attractions yet for me the Angkor ruins are awe inspiring. The scale is staggering, the variety stupendous, and the intricacy of the carvings stunning. Stone the crows, the Angkor ruins are s-s-s-sensational! I don't know why so many superlatives start with s, but these majestic ruins could almost own that letter of the alphabet ... they are superb, scintillating, sublime!

The most famous site is Angkor Wat, a massive temple built around 900 years ago on a scale to rival the Taj Mahal. The temple is very well preserved, and one can wander around the ruins for a half day or more. A must for any visitor is to climb the very steep stairs to the central shrine. They are designed so you are forced to clamber up on all fours like a monkey which means your head is bowed down as you ascend toward the gods. Another highlight is the Bayon temple which features massive faces carved into the stone, and many other sites have astonishing detail in the carvings along the stone walls. Another temple Ta Prohm is being reclaimed by the forest, with enormous trees and their searching roots gradually overrunning the temple, which makes you realise that over time mother earth can effortlessly crush the best efforts of man trying to assert his dominance over nature.

We had an unforgettable visit to Siem Reap and the Angkor ruins, but had to move on so we all boarded a high speed ferry down the Mekong river to the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. We paid a visit to the Tuol Sleng genocide museum, and were left shaken by the depravity and inhumanity of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge regime. However, Cambodia is a wonderful country that deserves a successful future in the region despite the horrors of its recent history. The quality of the hostel helped to make our stay more enjoyable, and as we weren't interested in a day trip to the country to blow up cows with a rocket launcher ... instead we spent an enjoyable couple of nights in and around the hostel area. This culminated in a final dinner for our travel group from Laos, before my friend and I retired to our room for an intimate and private farewell.

I hadn't considered Cambodia as a realistic option when planning this particular trip, so visiting the country proved to be an unforgettable stopover and an unexpected bonus. The Angkor ruins of Cambodia are a must see destination in the world where, basically all of you should be here now!

Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom." Thomas Jefferson

It's home time so until next time, I'm signing off for now

Tom

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Photos

Ta Prohm temple, Angkor ruins
Massive banyan trees are gradually reclaiming this temple in the forest.

Cambodia travel crew, Phnom Penh
Relaxing at a restaurant during our farewell dinner.

Angkor Wat
The biggest attraction at Siem Reap.

Comments

[LivingLife]

Wow
Those ruins look amazing!! Glad you lucked out on the opportunity to see them! Have fun in your travels!