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Published: April 3rd 2009
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Hello again!!
We managed to find a really cool hostel in Siem Reap, run by a Swiss guy who knew everything there was to know about seeing the temples.... when/how etc., which was really helpful although it meant that we had we had some very hardcore sightseeing days ahead of us with much earlier starts than we usually would have managed! :o)
On the first day, most of the temples were quite close so we made the most of the hostels free bikes and cycled around visiting the different temples! We were up at 4am, breakfast at 4:30 and then we were sent on our way with a map at 5am! From the first temple we were supposed to watch the sun rise but unfortunately it was too cloudy so we couldn't see a thing, and soon enough it was absolutely pouring with rain so we had to shelter under a hut for about an hour! We then cycled along the river to Ankor Thom, looked around and climbed the temples, watched the elephant rides and then had a local lunch at one of the little street stands, and then on to the more secluded temples further away! We
got back at about 3pm (having just done a 12km stretch in the baking sun with no shade!) soooooooo tired and hot - it was absolutely boiling and we had been cycling/walking around for 10 hours! Luckily the hostel manager told us that the temples we were to visit on the second day were too far away to cycle otherwise I would probably have been dragged out on the bike again!
I enjoyed the second day a lot more - mainly because we rode around visiting the different temples on a tuktuk which was a lot cooler, although walking around and climbing the temples in the boiling heat was still hard work, but also because the temples were a lot further away so we got to drive through lots of little villages and saw so much culture (some good, some bad - mainly animal-related!)! Again, we didn't see the sunrise because it was too cloudy, which was a bit annoying, especially because an hour later when you almost want it to be cloudy so it's not as hot - there is not a cloud in the sky and you are about to pass out from the heat! We also
had the option of visiting a few extra temples or driving a bit further away where we could hike through the jungle to see old riverbed engravings which was supposed to bless the water travelling to the villages and temples, as well as some waterfalls! We decided to do that as we were starting to get a bit bored of temples to be honest.... they were all starting to look the same! :o) It took us about 2 hours there and back and was a really nice walk in the jungle! Michi was in his element at the waterfalls, trying out different long-exposure functions on his new posh camera - although I have to admit the pictures were very very cool! :o)
We were supposed to be visiting the biggest and most famous of the temples, Angkor Wat, on the third day, but as we only had 3 weeks to see as much of Cambodia and Laos as we could, we squeezed it on to the end of our second day! It really was very impressive and we enjoyed it despite the heat and the ridiculous number of tourists everywhere! :o)
Oh and I nearly forget.... an unexpected
highlight (for me at least!) was randomly stopping to see monkeys on the way to Angkor Wat! There were loads of them on a grassy patch on the side of the road so we bought bananas to feed them (I keep saying we but really it was just me acting like an over-excited child at the zoo hehe!).... one came and climbed on to my shoulder which obviously made my day! :o) Although, it made Michi's day too as the monkey appeared not to have any table manners and kept dribbling the banana out of his mouth on to my shoulder - of which Michi of course has about a thousand photos and a video (travelling with Michi and his new camera/toy was honestly worse than travelling with Japanese paparazzi tourists!!) although I am suprised he could hold the camera still he was laughing at me so much! (I was a bit of a mess afterwards!)! :o)
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Alexander
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Great !!! Wonderful !
My sister, who passed away almost two years ago now, loved the temple of Ankor Wat. She's been there a few years ago.