Advertisement
Published: April 6th 2016
Edit Blog Post
My first visit to Cambodia was back in 1997, less than a week after the military coup. That was 19 years ago, and that week, they sold 20 tickets per day to Angkor Temples. We had Angkor for ourselves at 3pm! Times were also slightly different. You could not see the sunrise that week, as they would mine the road between Angkor Wat and Siem Reap at night. They, yes, we speak about the former Khmer Rouge that were still hiding in the forest. Forget also about going off the provided roads...mines were everywhere! Pol Pot was still alive, hiding in the countryside.
Back in 1997 I spent few nights in Phnom Penh. Street were not paved, tourists not yet back, the beer was already 1usd at the FCC bar, and every single mini-hotel had a guard with guns sleeping in front of the door during the night. The road to Siem Reap was not safe. You could take a boat up the river, but they had been fired at regularly the last few weeks. You could also take the army helicopter with a decent bribe...would have done it today for the price asked....but we took a regular
flight, as it was 50% of the helicopter. I was young!
The thing that hasn't changed in 19 years, it's still 20usd for one day visit, and 40usd for a three days pass. And you still apply for your visa on arrival at the airport! Easy!
My last visit was back in 2009. At that time, crowds of tourists had already invaded Angkor...and I told to myself I would never come back. Back in 2009, if you remember, Leslie was already living with me, Tiffany not. Leslie went to visit Angkor few years ago with his Grand-parents, not with me.
Tiffany has now been happily in boarding school in South Africa since middle January. She loves it...and she is back to Asia for three weeks for her Easter holidays. Easter is early this year, so sadly Tiffany and Leslie will only share one week-end of their "April" holidays this year! With Tiffany in South Africa for the next few years at school, and maybe few more years at University there too....her time in Asia is going down to few weeks per year. So I was not letting my daughter being the
only member of the family not visiting my preferred "Wonder of the World" before she turn adult.
We took the cheap return flight to Siem Reap with Air Asia....jumped out of the plane and applied for the visa on arrival. We have ample time, with three days to venture at our leisure around the temples, this time, in one of those fun tuk-tuk! We will be staying for two nights at Le Meridien. The hotel is not the most beautiful...but I'm not paying anything, just few points to get us a warm welcome, a nice suite, nice breakfast and few drinks during the day and at aperitif time, and even a late check-out!
Ta Prohm was by far the preferred site for Tiffany...I admit, I love this place too. Today, most of it has been properly organized with wooden"bridges" to protect the site. Back in 1997, we had to climb all those stones to get around, never sure somebody would find us if a roof did fall on us. They didn't even had people to check your ticket back than!
We woke up at 5am for the sunrise on Angkor Wat.
Sadly, it was hazzy...and what should have been an amazing moment for Tiffany...and for thousand other there...was nothing else than a boring moment at 6am. Well, I guess one reason for Tiffany to come back in her adult future! For me, I've already seen that amazing sunrise!
For three days, I play with the watch to avoid most of the crowds, specially the groups of Chinese tourists. French tourists move in groups of 10 to 15.....Chinese groups, are more like 50++ at once, not the best way to encounter a magic place like Bayon!
Three days for Tiffany to tell me so much about 2 amazing months at school. For info, even being the youngest in her class after "jumping" to the next level, she is still doing pretty well with her first school report....some work to do in English...but serious top results in math and science....and finally a top mark in Geography! You can smile! I do!
This week is for her to enjoy Bangkok...next week it's back to school....and more adventures to come for Leslie and I. For the next two blogs, you'll have to wait the end of
April!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.083s; Tpl: 0.013s; cc: 9; qc: 23; dbt: 0.0612s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Bonne Mamy
non-member comment
que de souvenirs... En effet avec Leslie, un tellement beau voyage avec lui comme guide-extra !!!!