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Published: August 27th 2008
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Pre Rup
One of the many children trying to sell postcards Cambodia continued....
We headed back to the temples in the afternoon ready for sunset. Just before sunset we headed to the top of Pre Rup, however the weather wasn’t behaving and there was no sunset due to the cloud cover. We sat for a while and we met by some young girls trying to sell us postcards and other souvenirs. We ended up learning to count in Khmer and playing patter-cake with them. We gave up on the sunset and headed back into Siem Reap.
The next morning was an early one, at 4:30am we headed to Angkor Wat for sunrise. Again it wasn't a spectacular sunrise due to the clouds, but it was still cool seeing Angkor Wat appear out of the darkness. Angkor Wat is an amazing temple but we were a bit disappointed as the top level is currently closed to the public for renovations.
Later we visited the Landmine museum and Banteay Srey temple. The temple has some amazing carvings (over 1200 years old). The children selling goods by the temples were very persistent (please sir, Madam, you buy this? Etc). It is essential to learn Otay Akun (No thank you) early, and then
keep walking at all times otherwise you will be surrounded by hundreds of kids, it seems they target the most weak willed to try for a sale. It is great fun to see what they offer you and how they can make you a deal.
That evening we did a sunset quad bike ride around the outskirts of Siem Reap. We had a good time, and it was great to see the kids who were so excited whenever we drove past, and all ran out to say “hello”. The only negative was the slightly paranoid guide (a first in Cambodia?) and a couple of other drivers who couldn’t seem to master the ability to stop / start or turn, hence a rather pedestrian paced trip. All in all was fun though.
After Siem Reap it was onto Kampong Cham, a small town on the Mekong river. We arrived just before lunch and jumped on bikes for a tour around the town and the nearby Koh Paen Island. The guide took us to his house for a homestay lunch, which was great, full of delicious curries, stir fries and other Khmer food, which a restaurant just can’t recreate. The
Pre Rup
We didn't buy postcards but we did play patter-cake house was on stilts and it was slightly disconcerting to look through the bamboo floor and see the ground and livestock 4m below.
After lunch we took the local ferry to the island to see the local way of life. Gary took the guides son on the back of his bike for the afternoon tour. He wasn’t heavy, although we don’t know how he lasted so long on a steel seat with no cushion. Half way round the island (all a bumpy dirt road), the kids butt was too sore, so Gary jumped off and let him ride the bike, and he ran alongside it. There were a lot of amused / perplexed locals who wandered why the strange foreigner was running through the village (Khmer’s do not run anywhere).
The next day it was onto Kampot the home of Kampot pepper. We did a countryside tour around Kampot and to the coastal town of Kep. We visited a pepper plantation and Gary tried to plough a field, without much success. The secret is in the balance, but he did not realize he had his feet in the wrong place, making balance almost impossible. At least he didn’t
fall on his arse.
From Kampot we headed to Sihanoukville on the southern coast. We stayed about a block from Occheuteal Beach which was fantastic. The night we arrived we headed to the beach for sunset, this time we were rewarded with a stunning view. We sat at a beach restaurant on the beach for dinner, a wonderful BBQ meal. We had two full days here, the first day we went on a boat trip out to the islands stopping on Bamboo Island for lunch and a walk to the other side for a swim and frisbee. The next day we hired motorbikes to explore the other beaches and the surrounding countryside. It takes a while to get used to fact that you’re supposed to drive on the right, and there is no such thing as stopping at an intersection.
We finished our tour in Phnom Penh and had our final dinner at Romdeng, a restaurant staffed by street youths training for the hospitality industry. As it was our final dinner we decided to branch out a little and try something different so our entrée was tarantula - surprisingly not too bad. The middle is slightly creamy, and
the legs and head are rather crunchy.
Overall we really enjoyed our time in Cambodia, the people are amazing and the sights spectacular. We were surprised by the amount of English spoken, and the resilience of the local people given their traumatic history.
We will update on the start of Vietnam soon.
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Katy
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what a trip!
So jealous - now I really wish I was spending more time in Asia before I head to Europe. You guys have fitted in so much - such a good mix of history, adventure and relaxing. And excellent blogging! See you soon x