An Extended Weekend in Siem Reap

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On Wednesday 6th, Anji and I arrived at the Hotel ‘Mystere D’Angkor’ in the evening after a six hour journey, stopping briefly on the way at a popular tourist destination to look at the guest houses (country style) and the grounds, which showed how people in the country sustain themselves. There was a rather strange contraption which involved a bicycle, pump and a shower so that you get exercise before taking a shower. However, it also means that someone else needs to cycle in order to get the water flowing so they can take a sneak peak - maybe they should think about installing a shower curtain of some kind?! We checked into our quaint little two bed room and met with Bunleat, our tour guide for the weekend, to organise the cycle tour around the temples of Angkor Wat for Thursday 7th January. Anji and I then headed up to the hotel’s restaurant for some Khmer style food, consisting of chicken fried rice for me and pork and chicken curry for Anji (with rice of course). Since the meal wasn’t too filling I ordered some rather interesting flavoured ice cream - a mixture of coconut, ginger and nougat, which was rather tasty, before heading back to our room to catch some ‘z’s’ before the early morning wake-up call.

Thursday morning was a rather early wake-up call for Anji and I, but that didn’t matter as we were both so excited to cycle around the temples. At 8am we met Bunleat outside the hotel and were given breakfast by the hotel to eat on the way as there we hadn’t left enough time to eat in the restaurant. We stopped off at the bike-hire shop before cramming the cycles into the back and continued on our journey to Angkor Wat. However, we were delayed as the back door of the minibus had swung open as the bikes had taken up too much room so we tied the bikes together in the hope they wouldn’t fall out. Alternatively one of us could have held onto the back and used our body to keep the bikes in place - a sight not unusual in Cambodia. When we arrived at Angkor Wat (which means City of Buddha) we got our three day passes as there is too much to see that it would be impossible to do it all in one day before we made our way, via minibus, to Angkor Thom to begin our tour on bicycles. Just beyond the temple’s entrance Anji and I had our pictures taken at the foot of a steep temple, which I was tempted to climb but had second thoughts as it would be hard to get back down again... I had my picture taken with the stone elephants and the seven headed snake which represented each colour of the rainbow that led people to the afterlife.

Bunleat led us up onto the wall surrounding the complex and we travelled along it stopping to see a hidden sewage system. The tall tunnels were wide enough for the vast amount of water to flow through during the rainy season in order to produce the best rice crops. According to Bunleat, Angor Wat had the best irrigation system in the world when it was built - even though most people, myself included, believed Egypt to have the best irrigation system. As we continued travelling along the wall we saw the headquarters of the guards who would have protected the city from invaders along with the crocodiles lurking in the largest mote in the world (to date). We saw the West Gate surrounding Angkor Thom which was only open when execution took place and followed Bunleat to temples hidden within the jungle which were used for prayer for both Hindus and Buddhists. It was the most indescribable feeling walking among the ruins as it felt as though I was walking through the past; and the vast amount of history surrounding the temples was so intriguing I was completely absorbed in everything around me, despite times when we ran into many tourists at the more popular temples. Bunleat informed us that most of the temples were built in honour of the three Hindu Gods (Vishnu, Brahma and Sheba) as well as Buddha to accommodate some of the Kings who were Hindu whilst others were Buddhist. In three of the largest temples we noticed that some statues of Buddha had been scraped off the walls during a feud between the Hindus and Buddhists. We trekked across Bayon Temple; one of the most well-known temples in the city of Angkor and we climbed the steep steps to the top of the magnificent complex and took many photos. Even without the photos I would never forget the experience as it’s one of those once in a life time ones which will stay with you forever!

After cycling through the jungle, feeling like Indiana Jones - an ongoing joke where I was nicknamed Indiana Jo while singing the theme tune - we made our way to the Ta Phrom temple where scenes from “Tomb Raider” were filmed. Walking around the temple I was able to picture the events as they happened in the film and managed to get a few action shots, with Anji of course! After wandering around the temple for close to an hour we decided to head back after a very memorable, albeit draining day. At the hotel Anji and I freshened up before heading over to the restaurant “Nest”, a Thai and Singapore inspired style with rather comfy beds where you are able to eat and drink on a little table which sits in the centre. We headed back to the hotel to see another rough edit of the film, now renamed “Family Life” which was coming on rather nicely!

The morning of Friday 8th January was spent relaxing by the pool side and taking a nice little dip and spending time catching up with Jill who had joined us from Phnom Penh for the weekend. We had lunch by the poolside (fried rice for me again - I’m starting to see a pattern here) before heading off to Angkor Wat to see the great complex since we ran out of time to see it the previous day. It was one of the most breathtaking sights I have ever had the pleasure of seeing and I was more than happy to press my cheek to the cold stone and breath in the smell of it (it wasn't as weird as it sounds - honest!). I absolutely loved looking at its remarkable architecture at every corner! There were many great photo opportunities and we were really creative with them, including ones where I had clambered up onto the great temple, I only wish we could have walked up the ever-narrowing stairs to the top of the complex to see the sunset but we saw it from across the mote which was just as beautiful. I cannot begin to explain the overwhelming emotions that went through me as I stood in all of the temple’s glory; it’s just something you’d have to experience for yourself. In the evening, Anji, Jill and I headed to the “Red Piano” for snacks and a drink where I experimented with “The Tomb Raider” coctail inspired by Angelina Jolie’s portrayal of the character. I must say that the mixture of cointreau, lime juice and tonic was delicious and refreshing and something I would without a doubt order again! I then met up with the girls from ‘Project’s Abroad’ plus a couple of new arrivals who I joined for dinner at the restaurant “Cambodian Barbeque”. Most of the gang ordered DIY barbeque which included snake, crocodile, squid, beef and chicken which they thought was quite fun. The new recruits and I clicked right away (as I had done with those I met on New Year’s Day) and it was a nice feeling to be accepted into a much larger group and I know I’ll stay in contact with them as this trip will stay with us forever! After dinner we wandered around some of the streets before heading over to the Night Market where we perused the stalls and some of the girls bought some clothing - sadly most were too long for me… At around 11pm I left to meet Anji and Jill but before departing the girls I planned to travel with them to the National Museum, Toul Sleng Prison, The Killing Fields as well as the seaside at Kep and Rabbit Island just offshore over my last few weekends. On the way to find a tuk-tuk after having a quick drink with Anji and Jill in ‘Linga’ we stopped to listen to an English speaking band perform on the street and dance with the many people who were in the middle of the road - something which I have never seen in England but should definitely happen because it was so much fun! We listened to a few well known songs, dancing all the while with everyone else before we called it a night as there was yet another early wake-up call for Saturday!

The next day, Anji and I packed up our things in the early hours of the morning in order to move them to another hotel called “Golden Banana”. With Jill, we collected Tom before heading with Bunleat to Beng Melea Temple, which was where some scenes of “Two Brothers” were filmed and also where Steve Irwin successfully caught a flying snake! Unlike the temples at Angkor Watt we were able to climb all over this one. In order to see most of the temple we clambered over its ruins and in doing so got a much better appreciation of the strength of the building - it makes me wonder what it looked like in its prime; it was just so remarkable! From the temple we drove over to Kulen Mountain before making the arduous hike up it to reach some particularly nice sights and the waterfall which was also used in the “Tomb Raider” movie. After walking through the forest we came to a small stream full of Linga’s carved into stone beneath the water’s surface. No one knows how long it took for these worshiped phallic symbols to be carved, but it could very well be around the time of the Angkor Empire, and there were a great 1000 in total! After wading across we had lunch at a Khmer restaurant and then travelled to see the famous reclining Buddha which was actually lying on the wrong side but no one knows why. Walking back through the forest we arrived at a clearing with a great statue of Buddha, guarded by a small pool with quicksand at the bottom - good thing none of us decided to take a dip! We then arrived at the waterfall where I swam around to cool and swim as far as I could go underneath the raging waterfall - no surprises there!

Later that evening Anji, Jill and I checked into our rooms at “Golden Banana”, ordered a few snacks while I swam in the pool for a bit before going back to ‘Nest’ for a drink on one of those comfy, plush garden beds. I had a rather interesting peach and rose essence smoothie which was surprisingly scrumptious. After chilling out (well who wouldn’t after the long hike up Kulen Mountain) we left to find dinner, albeit reluctant. That evening we ended up at the same place I went to eat with the girls on the previous night - “Cambodian Barbeque”, since the DIY BBQ seemed so much fun. The snake and crocodile meat was particularly, and I’ll admit surprisingly nice. While cooking our own dinner, we didn’t realise just how much time flew by otherwise we would have gone to get a fish foot massage. However, we did dip our hands in so we didn’t completely miss out and it was the strangest experience ever, leaving me squirming while Anji took some pictures! On the way back to the hotel we stopped to order the next day’s lunch a “The Blue Pumpkin” - which other than Swensen’s apparently has the best ice cream in all Cambodia - and only when we got back to the hotel did Jill realise she had picked up one of the waiter’s house and moto keys by accident so we travelled back to return them, before heading back to the hotel (for a second time), laughing the entire way!

Sunday was our last day in Siem Reap so we decided to take a boat trip around Kompong Pleuk - the famous floating village in Siem Reap. It was the strangest village I had ever seen, but in a good way - it was like something you would see in a dream or a strange film. We were lucky enough to see someone moving house and all they did was attach the floating home to a boat and row it to where they wanted it to be - if only moving house in England was that easy! The rest of the houses were literally just floating on the water and they kept animals in cages on stilts in the water, unlike anything I’d ever seen before. I mean, I thought there was a huge difference between the City and rural village communities but this was really something else! These were people who really did live off the land and worked hard all day, rising in the early hours and going to sleep early in order to put food on the table for the family because if they didn’t catch anything they’d have to wait for the next day and then go out fishing again. In these communities, girls would have an arranged marriage at a young age and usually have at least three children before turning twenty! Bunleat explained all this to us, but all I could do was stare at the houses and watch as on the areas with no water (with it being dry season) prawns were drying on the ground ready to be cooked and eaten later. It was all so alien to me that I just kept my mouth shut (for once) and observed everything around me letting it all sink in.

From there we travelled via moto through rice fields and countryside to Roulous (the capital of Cambodia in the 8th and 9th century, before Angkor) to see another temple - from afar and have lunch. After lunch, we noticed a young boy, only about eight years old who was being bullied by much older children. Concerned we asked Bunleat to find out what the problem was and it turned out that the young boy had run away from home out of fear of his mother and father who had tuberculosis and took to beating him and his brothers under influence of alcohol and probably depression, because the father could not work and therefore was unable provide for the family. Bunleat was so kind to the hurting child and it broke my heart to see such a young boy who couldn't stop crying and wouldn't look at anyone. Some of the villagers would give him something to drink and eat and let him sleep on a hammock in their restaurant, which was nice of them, but they should have gone to seek advice from the Village Chief so the boy wouldn’t have to sleep outside and eat whatever they could give him. I literally had to fight to hold back tears it was so sad and the children who were bullying him told Bunleat that the mother and father had in a sense hired them to force her son to come home and what they were doing to him was their way of trying to get him to go home and getting frustrated with the fact that he refused. With that we went to see the Village Chief to inform him of the situation and what we would like to do to help the young boy. The Chief was very welcoming and listened to our concerns and made sure that once we were able to get in touch with an orphanage to help the boy (as well as his seven others brothers) we would get in touch with him so he could help. It was so nice that he was willing to help these children and not ignore the situation and we left optimistic that the young boy and his brothers would be in a much safer environment. About 6 hours later we arrived back in Phnom Penh and unpacked our things before Anji, Jill and I went to dinner at Ocean to meet Chas and catch-up.

Siem Reap was absolutely brilliant and I had the time of my life there, no doubt about it. It’s definitely a place I will never forget and happily visit again!

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Photos

Tomb Raider Temple
This is where Tomb Raider was filmed, and where we were standing was where Lara Croft fell through the Earth.

Tree roots
Check out these hench roots! They sorta resemble a serpent too.

Tomb Raider
This is where Lara Croft followed the young girl.

Wall Carvings
These are Apsara Dancers.

Adventure
Just like Indiana Jones or Lara Croft!

Comments

[Carrie]

Indiana Jo !
Really enjoyed reading about your trip to Siem Reap to visit the awesome temples. I knew you would be knocked sideways by it all. It's wonderful down there with so much to see and do and good for you that you swam in the waterfall at Kulen, and visited the water dwelling people at Kompong Pleuk. It is like another world, isn't it!!? Lovely photos but bet you have more to show!