Angkor Wat First Day: Small Circuit Temples

Posted by Stuart at 06:22 PM on February 07, 2006

Stephen and I arrived in Cambodia late last night. Our plan for the three days we are here is a very similar schedule to the one that Mark and I had three years ago. The first day (today) we hired a tuk-tuk to take us on the "Small Circuit" of temples at Angkor. We visited the Banyon, Baphuon, Phimeanakas, the Leper King Terrace, the Elephant Terrace, Ta Keo, Ta Prohm, Banteay Kdei, and finally to the grand-daddy of them all, Angkor Wat.

Luckily, the crowds weren't TOO terrible, and the weather was not TOO hot. And we found the tuk-tuk a great way to get around. It was slow enough to be able to take in the sights, sounds, and smells of the area, comfortable enough with a nice padded seat and a roof to block the sun, and certainly cheap enough at only $12 per day for an all-day tour.

We are staying at the Auberge Mont Royal hotel in Siem Reap, where my friend Martin is the General Manager. It was a decent hotel with a great little pool area. After touring the ruins today, we rested our weary bodies next to the pool and snacked on beer, fried spring rolls and fruit.

We are noticing that prices are a bit high here in Siem Reap -- even more expensive than Bangkok. Most meals are $3-4 and our mid-range hotel is $30 per night. And also thanks to all of the tourists, we are getting a lot of offers from tuk-tuk drivers, book sellers, massaeures, and restuarant employees. We are also getting a lot of attention from dirty little children and amputees who are begging for money. I have mixed feelings about this kind of begging, since I know that most Cambodians have had horrible experiences over the last few decades.

But on the good side of being in a tourist bubble is that most everyone speaks fairly good English. I've also seen a lot of Cambodians leading tours in French, Japanese and Korean.
I don't know how the rest of the education system is, but the language skills are
quite impressive!

Angkor Wat Second Day: Kabal Spean and Bantey Srei

Posted by Stuart at 06:22 PM on February 08, 2006

On our second day in Cambodia, we took the same tuk-tuk out about 30 kilometers to see the "River of a Thousand Lingas", or Kabal Spean, and then stopped at the tiny but intricately carved sandstone temple called Banteay Srei. The road out to Bantey Srei has been paved, but the remaining distance to the river has not. By the time we arrived, we were coated with a thin layer of red dust.

In the afternoon, we went in the opposite direction to visit three temples near the town of Roluos. These temples date from the 9th Century and therefore pre-date the 10th-13th century temples around Angkor Wat. They weren't as impressive as the Angkor temples, but they were still fun to climb and admire.

After another long day in the tuk-tuk, we again found ourselves at the pool eating snacks and relaxing. We headed out for a little "night-life", which in Siem Reap it consists of drinking beer at foreign-owned pubs surrounded by white people. This area is truly a tourist bubble, like a dirty, run-down Disney World. But unfortunately, we don't have the time on this trip to break outside the bubble and to see what real life is like in Cambodia.

Angkor Wat Third Day: Sunrise at Angkor and Floating Village

Posted by Stuart at 06:22 PM on February 09, 2006

On our third and final day in Cambodia, we woke up VERY early, caught the tuk-tuk at 5:45 AM and headed to Angkor Wat. The idea was to experience a calm peaceful, solitary sunrise, but we were amazed that many busloads of tourists (most of whom were Japanese) had beat us there and were setting up their camera tripods in front of the temple and were noisily waiting for the sun to appear.

We quickly walked past the tourists and up to the very top of Angkor. Even there, a few people had gathered, but everyone was quiet and respectful. The sunrise was quite amazing -- not so much the way the sun looked as it rose above the horizon, for I have seen many sunrises and sunsets before. But instead it was more of a spiritual feeling this time with my back propped up against this amazing ancient temple, looking out over the trees, listening to the birds calling to each other and watching the yellow light dancing on the grey carved sandstone.

The afternoon of the third day was spent at the floating village on the great lake called Tonle Sap. When Mark and I visited last time during the rainy season, Tonle Sap was much wider, and the floating village was closer to the main road. But now in the dry season the village is out on the lake. We hired a boat for $10 each to get a closer look at the floating houses and restaurants. I recognized a few of the same buildings (like a Christian Church) but it was funny to see them in a different location.

So all in all, it was another great trip. The temple ruins of Angkor are still as impressive as they were to me three years ago. This time around I knew a little bit more about the context of SE Asian history, which made the experience all the more richer. Unfortunately, though, the tourist bubble of Siem Reap don't allow one to learn much about modern Cambodian culture, but perhaps I can explore the country a bit on my own at some later date.