Siem Reap

 


  I arrived in Siem Reap via the bus system in Cambodia, the buses themselves are reflective of what you pay for your ticket, which is really pretty darn good if you compare prices to elsewhere in the world. I paid 8USD and had a mid grade, 8 hour, air conditioned ride in a mini van type bus. What you cannot avoid on these rides are the roads. If you remember the last 20 minute ride to your cottage as a kid (where the road ended and the bumpy dirt-ish trail began), that was about a 2 hour portion of the trip. I arrived in town in the evening and made my way to the Ladybug Guesthouse, a $10 a night room with a king bed and air. Great price and super nice staff.

 

This for $8

Or this for less...lol

     I spent a day or 2 acclimatizing myself to the area, going for hours long walks, getting semi lost and finding local eats...usually with street vendors. I found a little restaurant where I decided I would eat my soup everyday for lunch. There was a little girl of 9-10 living/working there. I hired her to teach me to count to ten. Everyday I would go for my soup, she would get me to recite the numbers 1 to 5 (moi, pee, bay, buan, and pram). Khmer numbers are on a 5 count as opposed to a ten count we have. So 6 is pram moi, 7 pram pee and so on, 10 is dop, and you start again with dop leading. I paid this girl 1000 riels each day...equivalent to 25 cents.

Preah Promreath Pagoda, 1371 AD
(that's what the sing said)

Found a nice market that expands to a night market along the riverside, there are many lights in this city at night, it makes for a beautiful sight. Along with these walks I do, my social skills get me in good with many locals, just by saying a few words, and most times surprising them with my ability to mimic their accent when speaking the few words I know.  I think it goes a long way when you try to speak in their tongue. It does for me, anyways :) I've gotten better rates at hotels, on taxis, more smiles, better service, etc.

a walking bridge at night is way prettier
market is on both sides of the Siem Reap river

    Off to Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and to Ta Prohm Temple, When I arrived, I had met a TukTuk driver who was very fair with my fare, so I got his number and hired him to drive me for the day. I paid him $15 for the day...a great deal for me as this was a 5-7 hour trip in all. He arrived at my room at about 9 am. We arrived at the Temple and my driver set a spot where we could meet after.  As I approached the long walkway I felt a little shiver, then I get approached by a guide who tells me $20, I told him $10 and he agreed. It was a good tour and I learnt abit about from the young man, was worth the money I gave him...but not any more. There were many vendors there, it kind of takes away from the spiritual aspect of the journey.

The classic photo of Angkor Wat

   From there we headed to Angkor Thom, we stopped to see some monkeys and I fed them and got a few photos. One guy was on the tuk-tuk and I think I got too close with the camera to him as he jumped at me with teeth bared. I laughed, but driver and monkey sheppard seemed concerned, so I suppose I was lucky I did not get bit.

just before he went on a rampage...lol

   On to Angkor Thom, the temple with all the faces. It was built about 700-800 years ago, by a king who was seen as a demi god, the faces totaled 216 when it was built, each one overlooking each of the Kmer empire's provinces to keep the people honest and true to the king, The guide here was really good, he would point out where to get the best photos as well as give me great historical descriptions. This was a more spiritual event for me, maybe s it was not commercialized here.

the faces of Angkor Thom

my guide pointed out great photo locations

   from there we made our way to Ta Prohm Temple, made famous by the Tomb Raider film with Angelina Joli. This temple are is quite a visual treat, as the structures are intertwined with trees, roots are holding some together, it seems and vise versa, some trees look as if they need the structure to keep them alive. This was a guideless tour, but it was great to just take it in as it is presented. The one problem here is the reparation is in play and therefore some tools such as a crane take away from the experience.

Was quite the treat to see these
buildings and nature intertwined

many of them, I believe depend on
one another to survive

     On Halloween, I was told to go to Pub Street as it will be busy, I went early and had dinner at one of the restaurants. My meal finished, I look out and the masses were gathering. I made my way across the street to a small pub that seemed popular and got a roadside seat.  I chose the right time to move, as shortly afterwards, there were so many people, that there was no movement. I had never seen this live, it was a giant can of sardines on Pub Street, Siem Reap. The pub staff were really nice, and we agreed to meet on the following Saturday for a trip to the floating village nearby.

No trick or treating here

everyone gathers here for Halloween,
adults, children and teens are all present

     I found a gym close to my room, so I got in some exercise, but not nearly enough. The following weekend, I met with the 3 staff and we made our way towards the floating village on their scooters. We pulled to the side and i was amazed at the field we were looking at, lotus flowers were everywhere, it was very pretty, we went into the field and took some photos, and the farmer gave us a a pod of the lotus fruit. The berries from the lotus are quite tasty, I wouldn't have even known you could eat from this plant had I not been with the locals.

The field is wet...like rice a rice field

A lotus pod

We continued towards our destination and met someone who is friends with a boat driver for the Floating Village tours.  I went to the window to pay, and was quoted at $20 for me only, one of my friends quickly started discussing something with the teller and the price changed, now I was paying for five of us, and the cost was $12. My friend explained that we were all together and that I was treating them.  We toured part ofthe Tonle Sap Lake and the village that is housed upon the lake. The lake itself is huge, about 250 kms by 100 kms during the high season. We stopped at a floating restaurant/giftshop/crocodile farm and had a bite to eat....I did not like the taste of crocodile, was like fish and frog mixed, and tough as leather, you peel off a small bit and chew on it...similar to jerky.

one of the homes in the Floating Village

crocodiles, not alligators in this part of the world

I was really happy to have come to Siem Reap to see all it has to offer and will definitely go back there, as it has a laid back feel to it that I truly enjoyed. The people I met there were amazing and among the kindest that I have come across on my journey, and that is saying a lot.