Last words

Cambodia has been a wonderful place to visit due to its superb hospitality, aside from the magnificent Angkor Wat and the cheap budget too! Due to my limited days of vacation, we started from the capital Phnom Penh to adapt ourselves to the Khmer culture, before heading off to the pre-Angkorian ruins of Sambar Prei Kuk near Kampong Thom, and finally rounding up our trip in Siem Reap for some tomb-raiding in the Angkor Wat Archaeological Park.

Well, despite my apathy towards Khmer food, amok still will be the favourite Khmer food.  The cheap and clean massage parlour where I had my full body massage and scrub done  almost everyday was a real bargain, and I think it's the cheapest one can get in Southeast Asia.

Anyway, to wrap things up, Cambodia was awesome; it's cheap and it's friendly!

The big circuit

The following day, we explored the big circuit instead, with the same tuk-tuk driver that we hired the day before as we were quite pleased with his services. The temple complexes we visited along this route included Pre Rup, Eastern Mebon, Banteay Samre, Ta Som, and Preah Neak Poan. By the time I have finished writing this blog I had already forgotten which photos are from which temple!

The nicest temple complex of the day was Banteay Srei, which is somehow different from the other temples in Angkor Wat Archaeological Park. It is mostly devoted to Shiva, instead of Vishnu, and is made up of stones of a pinkish hue. 

By the time we were done with Banteay Srei, it was almost noon. That ends our so-called tomb raiding along the big circuit of the Angkor Wat Archaeological Park, and we headed back to our hotel to rest again.

The following days it poured heavily so we spent most of our time hanging around in Siem Reap down town and in our hotel room. The room was cosy enough so we had no problem lazing for the remaining days we still have in Siem Reap. 

The small circuit

Angkor Wat, or I should say Angkor Wat Archaeological Park to be exact, comprises of many other temple complexes, aside the world renowned Angkor Wat. It is impossible for one to visit all the temples in just one day, unless you rush yourself and pay your tuk-tuk driver a large sum of money. Plus, the best time to visit usually is the early mornings and the late evenings when the scorching sun isn't at its best. 

For instant, tourists will swarm the Angkor Wat for a glimpse of a Cambodian sunrise, but they would usually head back to their hotels for breakfast before coming back again to resume their tour. Thus, the best time to explore Angkor Wat would be the moment after the sun has risen, which is what we did basically!

After leaving our foot prints all over Angkor Wat, we started off with the small circuit, with Banteay Kdei temple as our first destination. Bantey Kdei was a Buddhist monastery built in the 12th century, but it is now left in ruins. Each of its entrances is guarded by the four faces of Avalokiteshvara as shown in the photo above. 

Just east of Banteay Kdei is the Sra Srang (Pool of Ablutions), once a royal bathing pond, and now the royal mosquito breeding pond. LOL!

The next temple complex is the famous Ta Prohm, which gained fame after Angelina Jolie ran around sniping everyone in The Tomb Raider, which was filmed here. This temple has been gradually reclaimed by the forest, and you would see trees sprouted from the structures within. The most famous spot would be the "Tomb Raider" tree and probably everyone who visits here takes a photo with this tree, and so did I. 

We stopped by the other two small temples, Ta Nei and Ta keo, followed by the twins Chau Say Tevoda and Thommanon, where we explored a bit, and took some snapshots of these temples, before heading for Angkor Thom.

Passing through the Victory Gate, we finally arrived in Angkor Thom, the last great capital of the Khmer empire. Angkor Thom, despite its lesser fame, is actually much bigger than Angkor Wat. 

The most visited temple in Angkor Thom would be the mesmerising Bayon, famed with its 216 faces of Avalokiteshvara. Wherever you go, you would be beheld by one of the huge heads from each and every angle!

By then, the weather has gone from breezy cool to scorching hot with the just above us, and we have started to develop temple fatigue. Hence, it was time to call it a day and head back to Siem Reap for a nice nap. Nonetheless, we finished up with the remaining temples inside Angkor Thom - Prasat Suor Prat, Preach Pithu, Terrace of the Leper King, Preah Palilay, Phimeanakas, Baphuon and finally Terrace of the Elephants.

Back in the hotel, the first thing I did was have a quick dip in the nice little salted pool. Ah.... how divine it is to be able to dip yourself in this cool little waterhole after sweating like a cow!

We spent the rest of our day resting in our room after lunch and by night fall, we toured Siem Reap's night markets and pub street. I guess one can never get bored with Siem Reap; it's full of pubs, massage parlours, manicure kiosks, souvenir stalls, etc.. There's always something to do here at night. :)

The amazing Angkor Wat

We woke up very early that day, and by 5.30am we headed off towards the Angkor Wat Archaelogical Park around 8 km away in a tuk-tuk that our hotel hired for us. It was still pitch dark but then along the way, there were swarms of tuk-tuks, taxis, tourists buses and even bicycles heading the same direction as we did, hoping for a glance of a sunrise in Angkor Wat.

"Angkor is the earthly representation of Mt. Peru, the Olympus of the Hindu faith and the abode of ancient gods", so said my guidebook. Looking at these ruins that have withstood the test of time, I just could not help but stand amazed by these architectural wonders, as well as the temple-building fervour of the Khmer people. Whoever who has rediscovered Angkor Wat from the lush jungle which reclaimed it centuries ago, definitely has my gratitude. No wonder everyone from every part of the world flocks here just to catch a glimpse of the Angkor Wat.

As we arrived at the moat bridge that led us to the entrance of the Angkor Wat, we were not alone; there were like hundreds of tourists trudging across the bridge into the ruins. My research advised us to keep to the left as the view of the sunrise would be better, hence we kept to it. Nonetheless, the weather gods were not in our favour, as we did not manage to catch the red fiery sunrise that we expected, just like in Bagan almost a year ago.

While waiting for the sky to light up, we were besieged by pedlars showing off their wares and coaxing us to get one of the scarves, books, souvenirs, paintings that they were trying to sell. Fortunately, they seemed to be more interested in the affluent Chinese tourists than 2 rugged backpackers like us!

After the sky has brighten up, most of the tourists left in their tour buses and private vehicles, leaving only a third of the throng that had blockaded the entrance of Angkor Wat. For us, this were the best moment to explore Angkor Wat as we are kind of sociophobic. 

And the roof does look like a giant corn!

Off to Siem Reap

I woke up after a nice sleep in this little cowboy town, and my walk to the nearest restaurant for breakfast was somehow tranquil with no signs of traffic or crowds anywhere. Soon, this little town would get rejuvenated by buses, minivans and rented vehicles which transit here from either Phnom Penh or Siem Reap. Since our bus ride to Siem Reap would not be there until 12 noon, we just hanged out in our room watching tv until it was time to check out.

The four hours ride to Siem Reap somehow seemed like just an hour, as I dozed off immediately due to the rain outside, and the nice chilly air-conditioning in the bus. When I woke up, we were already at the outskirts of Siem Reap. I just could not wait to check in at our hotel and rest my butt! Since it was already 4pm, I decided that it would be better to just relax for the day and start our Angkor Wat exploration the day after.

I was totally taken aback when we arrived at our hotel in a local took-tuk; it was simply amazing. The entrance to the hotel was amazing, and I could see the hotel management trying really hard in their landscaping. We were greeted by orchid plants and lush greeneries, as we crossed this little bridge into the main patio as Lord Ganesha sat there welcoming us. 

The only word I could think of Cambodian hospitality is "AWESOME". Well, I am not affiliated to this hotel, but it would be blasphemous for me not to recommend this little jewel in Siem Reap. The room rates are acceptable and the rooms clean and cosy!

And check out the bathroom!

The first thing I did on that day after arriving in Siem Reap was to take a dip in this lovely salt-water pool, and then savoured my 1 hour foot massage. Massage services offered by hotels aren't cheap, but then you can be reassured of its quality and one doesn't have to be worried of being ripped off or burgled while being massaged!

There is no need to worry bout food here as there are zounds of foot outlets and restaurants, offering all sorts of local and international cuisine to the swarms of tourists who flood this town. After filling up our tummy, we explored the night markets in hunt of souvenirs; since it was just our first night here, we basically went around scouting for stalls offering the best deals here, since different stores offered different deals for the same stuffs!

We rested early that night, as we have an early day ahead. It would be our first sunrise in Angkor Wat! 

The Ruins of Sambar Prei Kuk

We left early to Kampung Thom on a minivan; it costed us USD10 per person for an air-conditioned minivan with wifi (but it wasn't working!) and the trip took around 4 hours. I was a bit phobic of journey in buses and minivans since I get motion sickness easily, especially when we were give the back seats this time, hence I prayed hard not to puke during the 4 hours drive!

The journey was again uneventful, and we reached in Kampung Thom for lunch, according to schedule. We were picked up by a local driver whom we booked online to drive us to Sambar Prei Kuk, located around an hour away from this little cowboy town. He dropped us to our hotel where we put down our backpacks, and we started our journey in his antique black Toyota Accord.

There were not much people there when we arrived at its public car park, and we were already being greeted by official tour guides who offered themselves for a trivial amount of money in addition to the compulsory entrance fee. Well, to help out in the local economy we agreed doing so, since we needed explanation on the ruins anyway! 

The ruins in Sambor Prei Kuk are totally different from the ones in Angkor Wat as they are off a different era; it was originally known as Isanapura, the capital of the Chenla Empire in the early 7th century. They are mainly constructed by bricks, and with its extraordinary construction methods it is standing solidly after 1400 years! 

 

Sadly, the statues inside the ruins were already transported to the National Museum in Phnom Penh (which we visited 2 days ago!). Hence what is left there are hollow shrines and temple complexes, standing still in the rustling woods of the Cambodian jungle. 

One of the temple complexes has guardian lions which I find is distinctive from the others; the lions have braided hair! Rastafarian lions, awesome! 

Honestly, I was somehow worried that we might be attacked by tigers or leopards since we were in the middle of nowhere in the jungle visiting abandoned ruins, but seeing these tour guides wandering around the area with little children pedlars, I figured we might be safe. 

We were trailed by this kid trying to sell us off his wares; I was touched by his persistence but then the scarves he was selling was of poor quality. I thought of just giving him a USD1 for being adamant but then it would properly encouraged him to beg next time. So I just smiled and shook my head whenever he pop up the question "Sir, you want to buy scarves?" 

We journeyed back to Kampung Thom and it was already evening; like any other cowboy town it was almost empty but night fall except for the well-lit hotels and restaurants along the main street. We walked from our hotel to forage for food but was left with limited choices so we just picked the one next to the Strung Tsen river. And the amok was again delicious. :)