Advertisement
Published: March 15th 2007
Edit Blog Post
We pulled into the bus depot just outside Siem Reap in the early evening. The large gates of the depot were closed behind the bus as we entered. Our bags were unloaded, before the gates were opened again. At which point about 100 Cambodians came running through the gates towards the bus all shouting. They were Tuk-Tuk drivers. They all had cards reading "Go anywhere for 100 riel". We wanted to get our bearing and work out where we were but it was impossible. They kept tugging at our shirt sleeves and shouting constantly. We had to make a decision, which Tuk-Tuk driver to go with. Mr Sovann won the job! He quickly guided us to his Tuk-Tuk, a moped with trailer, fighting off the rest of the drivers who sill thought we might change our mind. We looked around a few places until deciding upon one, it was $5 a night and had cable TV. At this point Mr Sovann asked us about our plans for the next coming days and if we wanted to take up his offer to take us to Angkor Wat. It suddenly became apparent why the Tuk-Tuk drivers had wanted to take us to
a hotel for nothing so badly, re-peat business.
We took his number and said we would get back to him when we decided which day a visit to the temples of Angkor would suit us. That night we went out to the most happening place in Siem Reap, Bar Street! It was kind of dead. We did run into Ryan and Candy again though. The next day we just lazed around and decided that Mr Sovann price for the Angkor Wat taxi was reasonable, so we called him up and said we would like to go the next day.
We woke up the next morning and walked out of our guesthouse and there was Mr Sovann waiting for us bright eyed. We climbed into the seat and took off. It was about 15 minutes before we reached the pay gate, and another 10 until we reached Angkor Wat. We crossed the moat and went through the main gate to give us our first proper view of the magnificent temple. We walked down the long straight walkway passing crumbling old library buildings on each side with donkeys resting in the shade provided. We spent about an hour, maybe more
exploring the temple and taking in atmosphere before returning back over the moat and to the waiting Mr Sovann. Next on the route was the temple complex of Angkor Thom which included the many faces of Bayon, Baphoun temple and the Terraces of the Elephants and the Lepers. By this point it was the hottest part of the day and the heat had started to take it's tool so we decided to re-charge and get some lunch. It seemed so much hotter out here in the bush land there was hardly any breeze at all. After lunch we went to the temples of Phimeanakas, Thommanon and Ta Keo. We climbed to the top of Ta Keo a steep climb of around 100 or so steps then rested for a while at the top. Next was Ta Prohm. The jungle had reclaimed this temple complex and huge tree roots amazingly grew over the stone walls. This was my favourite place of all the Angkor temples, just to see the nature combining with the history gave it a mystical feel. We returned to the Tuk-Tuk and Mr Sovann was all ready to take us back to Siem Reap, we asked however if
we could go back to Angkor Wat for the sunset. He took us to the backside of the temple where we said he would wait for us on the other side. The sun was just being to set behind the silhouetted central towers as we walked towards the structure. From the other side the temple was lit up with warm colours by the sun fading light until the sun had gone. It had been a long day but very rewarding.
That night we ended up in the Angkor What? bar where it looked as though visitors had written their name on the wall at some point. We had another day to hang around in Siem Reap as I couldn't re-enter Thailand until the 16th or my visa would run out before I could get my return flight home. We had been told about the terrible journey from Bangkok to Siem Reap and vice-a-versa, the appalling state of the roads leading to the Thai border so we knew what to expect. It was bad but not really as bad as I thought it may have been. After about 7 hours to the border (it wasn't that far but we could
Temples of Bayon
The many faces of Bayon, Angkor Thom only average around 20 miles an hour because of the dirt roads) we hoped off cleared immigration and waited around for a bus to Bangkok. When we did get a bus it was such luxury compared to the Cambodian bus and the roads so smooth that the 4 or 5 hour journey fly by as we arrived in Bangkok for the second time on our trip around 9pm.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.159s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 14; qc: 72; dbt: 0.0595s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
Sharon Tomasi
non-member comment
Love it!
Angkor wat is spectacular, but I love the toilet sign photo the most - especially your comment!!! LOL!