Siem Reap

It might be worth taking a 1 week pass and taking a couple of rest days in between. After 3 full days morning to night exploring temples, they all start to look the same and you lose you appreciation for them. And maybe you can take a hike out to the temples that are further afield.

I loved Bayon. And Ta Prohm. Angkor, while being the biggest and most famous, was not nearly the most interesting.

Best tip: Don’t use dollars. You can’t get change for $1 but you can buy stuff in riel for much less than a dollar. But if you’re not backpacking around several countries at the time, you may not really care.

the warm and friendly people of Cambodia…

siem reap has more to it than Angkor Park, but that’s the major and sometimes only reason why people are there. i admit, i also did not prioritise to see the city a bit more, so i don’t hesitate to take the next chance to be there again.

i was at the temples for about 16hrs/day for 3 days, and wish i could’ve had more time. fair warning to others: this is not normal, and it fits within my interests + “life career”.

prepare for dust and sunburns.
keep the rest free for imagination and inspiration.

on april’08, I went to Siam Reap for business meeting and did make some friends there. It is an amazing city with ancient world history and modern pleasant living. People are very friendly and naive. They tried to talk Thai, even sang P’ Bird’s song to me. Golf courses there are great to play.

Breath-taking beauty.

This is of course the city where the Angkor Wat is located, which deserves its own entry. Siem Riep is a small tourist city with a great little downtown area with good restaurants and shows.

It was a bit weird to have all these big five-star hotels next to these small huts with probably no running water. Tourism is one of the biggest sources of income for folks over there. I really enjoyed these things, much more able to appreciate their culture and history

Please make sure you see some of the other attractions this place has like the floating village and the landmine museum, and not only the Angkor Wat.

Overall my favorite place in all of Cambodia

Because, if anything, it must be experienced at least once in your lifetime. Place is buzzing with history, and though I recommend a full tour of the temples (see bottom) – both small and grand circuit – choose them carefully, go for the ones you really really want to see, so you avoid them all being a massive jumble in your head :)

We bought two guidebooks on the start of our temple tour, and that was more than enough to explain much of what we wanted to know. We made it a point to see the major as well as some of the more intriguing minor temples, and took two days to do it (although the place sells 1-, 3- and 1-week passes). Remember to keep enough USD to pay your airport departure tax (a whopping $25 each!)

After awhile, as visitors to Europe will know, temple fatigue sets in! There is only about that much of 11th and 12th century buildings one’s mind can take in, unless you space it out over a long period of time. However, with Siem Reap, it’s really all about Angkor Wat and the other famous temples like Ta Prohm, Phnom Bakheng, Preah Khan, Banteay Srei (a favourite of many but not of mine) etc. This is not a shopping area, nightlife is confined to a couple of streets.

If you’re from a big city, Siem Reap will slow you down and you’ll learn, that less speed is better. People speak slower, walk slower, which initially took a bit of getting used to. But, I was expecting this anyway! A lot of dust, dirt roads, bring a mask. My nose was really suffering throughout. We went during off-peak season (May), so missed most of the hordes, which was very pleasant.

Because the roads are so narrow, cars dodge bikes, motorbikes at around 25 km/h. Seriously. After about two days I found myself startled when we sped up to about 30 km/h on the way to Banteay Srei!

note: please remember to look the proper way before crossing the road. coming from a left-hand-side of the road-driving country, we had to make sure we constantly reoriented ourselves. though, considering everyone drives so slowly it’s unlikely there’ll be accidents :P

And as mum was telling me, it’s impossible in a developed city, to have the luxury of spending 40-50 minutes lounging in the Blue Pumpkin (a must-visit – I have written an entry about their pommes frites-like french fries, refreshingly cool, peppermint-scented hand towels and impossibly comfy couches upstairs). If you go, tell Arnaud the owner that E-Ling sent you :)

Yes, less speed is better, a slower pace is necessary (certainly, if you have a fast-paced job like I have). You’ll realise this, even before you reluctantly get back on the plane, and have to deal with the noise and clutter of the developed nation. The sound of mobile phones ringing was a most unwelcome intrusion the moment I got back on the plane. It was alien, and I distrusted it.

list of temples to see – i’ll add the suggested order later

• angkor thom
• the bayon
• ta prohm
• banteay kdei
• banteay srei
• ta som
• neak pean
• angkor wat
• preah khan
• prasat kravan
• phnom bakheng

There’s a War Museum in Siem Reap and those who love history should definitely go there.

Didn’t see the Ankor Wat yet!!

=)

no girls, casino…................