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Published: December 23rd 2009
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Merry Christmas (I can't remember Hello in Khmer)!
We travelled for 30 hours (Varkala-Cochin-Chennai-Bangalore-Bangkok-Siem Reap) before landing in Siem Reap. It felt like a 36hr race...same same, but different. Instead of biking/running it involved carrying heavy bags, going up escalators and getting searched in security.
Siem Reap was amazing! First, we ended up staying in the best guesthouse EVER called the Shadow of Angkor - wow! We had a beautiful room with A/C and the kitchen made the most divine banana pancakes 😊
We spent two and half days visiting the various temples in the area by bike and tuk-tuk. Every temple had something amazing about it; like the 54 huge head statues at Angkor Thom, the jungle atmostphere at Ta Prohm, the delicate carvings at Bantei Srei, and the 1.2km of bas relief carvings at Angkor Wat. It was very hot, so we really enjoyed the hotel pool.
Khmer cuisine is outstanding! Really! Our best meal was at Angkor Palm: Fish amok, beef skewers, and banana shakes. But most restaurants produce tasty food. Foot massages...ONLY 3 DOLLA! So cheap and so relaxing on your feet after a day of temple touring. We spent evenings eating and
bargaining for souvenirs at the local night market.
From Siemp Reap we took a five hour bus ride to the capital of Phnom Penh. Accomodation was tough to find so we caved and checked into the Royal Highness hotel. Believe me, there was nothing regal about this place. We had no windows, our air conditioning broke down and there were posters everywhere warning about drug use. Why? Well, we found out that 4 people died from overdoses in the last two years. We decided to move. We found a great room (drug free)...with a window and A/C at Welcome Guesthouse. They even had their own bakery so I had fresh baguettes every morning (yey french colonialism!).
"You did not look to the right or to the left, only straight ahead never noticing anything." This quote is taken from a documentary we watched at Tuol Sleng Prison in Phnom Penh and describes the attitude that cambodians had to adopt in order to survive the horrible years under Pol Pot's dictatorship.
The main "attractions" here were the prison, the Chuong Ek killing fields, the royal palace and the russian market. We only had time for three of these (skipped
Smile!
Large face statue at Angkor Thom (Siem Reap) the palace). When the Khmer Rouge took power in 1975, their aim was to create an agrarian utopia where Cambodia would be completely self-sufficient. To do this they abolished the class system, money, schools, religion and culture (they destroyed monasteries and temples). During the Pol Pot regime (1975-1979), almost 2 million cambodians died as a result of war, starvation or execution - 20 thousand of them in Tuol Sleng. After our hard morning, we decided to lighten things up and headed to the Russian Market. Here you can buy anything and everything under the sun. I spent most of time in the silk stalls drooling over the pretty fabrics while Dean went hunting for sandals and a fake watch.
Food here was also most excellent! I highly recommend the Khmer Borane Restaurant along the river.
Christmas trees and decorations are out, but we feel strangely unchristmas like. Probably because the weather is so tropical.
We flew into Bangkok on the 20th and decided to stay on the famous Khao San Rd, also know as backpacker central. It's a site to see, but I would probably not stay here again. The restaurants have crappy food and zero atmosphere. But
you can buy ANYTHING...you can even get a fake MBA diploma printed.
People warn you to be wary in India, but don't let your guard down in Thailand! We were approached by quite a few wily strangers eager to help, but who deliberately gave us incorrect information. I missed out on seing the royal palace because of one such incident. We still managed to see quite a lot and eat lots of tasty thai food.
I am writing this from Beijing where it is currently -5C! When we landed last night, we were in shorts in sandals. We are now wearing every layer we own to keep warm. What a shock!
Only a short time before we leave for the airport marking the end of our amazing adventure. We have had a wonderful time and can't wait to tell you all about it.
Have a merry Christmas and see you soon! Cath and Dean.
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