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. :) 

More of Phnom Penh

We woke up early as he had another long day ahead; breakfast in the hotel was scrumptious and I even contemplated of having a dip in the small salt water pool, but nah, I changed my mind.

We walked towards our first destination of the day, towards Psar Thmei - Central Market. It was nothing unusual, so we made a quick turning southwards towards the National Independence Memorial, the symbol of Cambodia, then towards the grim Tuol Sleng genocide museum.

This infamous prison, converted from a school, was a grotesque site of torment and murder during the Khmer Rouge regime. I can't deny how troubled I felt while visiting this historical place; the buildings are old and rather dilapidated, but you could somehow feel the tragicness in its atmosphere. Somehow you could feel the walls were wailing with despair and agony, and the blowing wind echoing the cries of the victims who die decades ago. I just couldn't wait to get out of this horrendous place!

Outside the prison lies rows of tuk-tuk drivers offering to take you to the killing fields of Choeung Ek, which I didn't feel like going. There was just too much negative "chi" to take in one day! Hence, we decided to go to the Russian Market for some shopping and catch lunch somewhere on the way. 

The Russian Market or known locally as Psar Toul Tom Poung was far more interesting; you could just get anything there! Groceries, textiles, cooking utensils, hardware, etc., in addition to stalls selling souvenirs for tourists like us, you name it! We bought a few souvenirs, had lunch at a nearby restaurant, then took a tuk-tuk back to our hotel for a short nap before a late evening stroll.

It was then when I discovered "amok" and fell deeply in love with it! While foraging for food, we stopped at a restaurant along Sisowatch Quay. I wasn't that keen on having anymore Cambodian food as it just wasn't my thing, but I decided to give it another try since everyone says "amok" is Cambodia's national dish. And thank God I did try! I instantaneously fell in love with it! This creamy curry, rich with coconut milk and herbs, is just awesome, and so addictive that I'm starting to suspect they add marijuana into it! Since then, I had amok like almost everyday until I left Cambodia!

Phnom Penh

My flight from KL to Phnom Penh was uneventful; we landed down in Phnom Penh's resort like airport around 930 morning local time and breezed out from the arrival hall unhindered. I was rather surprised that there were not much touts ambushing us at the exit door, and hence we took a tuk-tuk and head towards our hotel. 

Known as Paris of the east, Phnom Penh still has some of its French colonial buildings but the city is rapidly being modernised with the mushrooming of new buildings scattered in the city. The area around Sisowath Quay still thrives as the tourist hub, with rows of bars,  restaurants, "fish doctor" masseur kiosks, travel agencies and cheap hotels lining along the riverside. Our tuk-tuk ultimately brought us to this lovely H Hotel that we booked online, which is located at one of the small alleys off Sisowath Quay.

It doesn't seem very impressive from the outside with the high walls, but the moment you stepped in the ambience is wonderful. We had our welcome drinks while awaiting for our rooms to be made up; we arrived pretty earlier than expected so I did not fault them for not having our rooms prepared. The rooms were spacious, cosy and very clean! Although it was a bit way above my budget but I had no regrets!

We rested for an hour (more like flipping through the tv channels and rummaging through the cabinets), and headed out for our first adventure! 

Unfortunately for us, the Royal Palace has a lunch break hiatus, hence we took a detour for lunch at a restaurant that serves Khmer food. Again, the shops and restaurants here took great length decorating their premises that I could not resist the temptation to just stop by and have a look. Nonetheless, I eventually found out that I have no affinity for Khmer food (except for amok!), hence to me that lunch was just mediocre. 

After dwindling for 2 hours in that restaurant, we headed for the royal palace. Well, Cambodia's royal palace isn't as grand as Thailand's, yet somehow it is more harmonious in its layout and rather easy to navigate through. There is no way one would get lost! 

While I was lost looking for the silver pagoda (of which I thought it was constructed entirely by pure silver!), I eventually realised that its just the floor tiles that are made of silver. What a misnomer! 

We finished touring the Royal Palace in just an hour's time and made our way towards the National Museum, which is just a stone's throw opposite the palace. There's nothing much to see in there except for sculptures and statues and ruins. It was there that I grasped the concept of "lingga" and "yoni" in the Khmer's Hindu-Buddhist culture; it's something similar to the oriental concept of  "yin" and "yang", just that they are represented by genitalia. LOL. 

Our next destination was Wat Phnom, or "temple on the hill", almost a kilo away from the royal palace. It's just a small buddhist temple on a mount with no tourist significance, but the locals do gather here for prayers due to its historical significance. 

We walked along Sisowath Quay heading back to our hotel, scouting for potential eating outlets for the night. We barged into a night market, full of vendors selling clothing, mobile phone accessories and street food, made a quick tour in it before resuming our walk back.

Fortunately, just opposite our hotel were a few stalls selling local food. I wasn't sure what to order, but the stall owner just made something decent and edible for me, which was quite sumptious. I wanted to try the Cambodian Fried Chicken, but somehow I hesitated and opted for dessert elsewhere in another shop.

We were somehow exhausted with all the walking, hence we ended the night pretty young, preparing ourselves for another hectic day ahead!

Why Cambodia?

Why Cambodia? It's cheap and it's amazing!

Having visited Myanmar and it's renowned ruins of Bagan, I have enlisted Cambodia's Angkor Wat and Indonesia's Borobodur as the next destinations in my bucket list. Fortunately, I have saved enough shillings for this new trip.

Cambodia, especially Angkor Wat, has always been a tourist haven, owing to it being cheap and easily accessible; hence, most of my friends or colleagues have already been there, some even 10 years ago! So, when MAS's started promoting its cheap air ticket deals, I immediately booked a trip to Cambodia with my ever-so-loyal travel mate, Mr. Lee.

The month of July signals Cambodia's monsoon season and the beginning of its low tourist season, yet this did not hinder my determination to add this lovely country into my "Been there, Done that" list. Since I could only get myself 9 days of holidays, we had to limit our itinerary to just a few places.

A year ago I was in raw Myanmar for 12 days; hopefully this time I will get swept away by Cambodia's magnificence!