SIEM REAP Day 1 (26/07/06)

Actually I'm still a bit tired from my trip. Plenty of things to do..I haven't even finished uploading my pictures. My time online is quite limited..been trying to catch up with reading, work. Also have a whole stack of dvd's to clear but I haven't had the time! Been trying to catch up with friends and Caramel too. Anyway, here's a (short) account of my trip:

View of Tonle Sap from the plane

Siem Reap International Airport

11.15am
Arrived at Siem Reap International Airport. It’s a lot more modern than I had imagined, even better than the Hanoi Airport. The exterior looked a bit like the Minangkabau structure. Immigration was slow, slow, s l o w. If you think Malaysian immigration is inefficient, this is even worse. They kept experiencing technical breakdowns.

The scenery on the way to the hotel looked like that in the east coast in Peninsular Malaysia. I felt like I had not left home. Weather was very very hot, very similar to Malaysia. One strange thing my travel partner and I noticed was that while the cars were right hand drive, they drove on the right side of the road!

We stayed at Sydney Angkor Hotel, which was a budget hotel at USD15 per night.

1.50pm
We hired a tuk tuk driver, Mr Sam whom I had emailed to prior to our trip. He was a lot younger than I had expected and could understand English quite well. We went to Borey Sovann, a restaurant where tourists frequent. The food was ok, I thought the best dish we ordered was the fish soup. I was hoodwinked into eating frog’s legs. I always felt a bit queasy eating frogs as vivid pictures of frogs being skinned would flood my mind. Nevertheless I tricked my mind into thinking it was chicken wings and I fared ok.

View from the tuk-tuk

2.30pm
Arrived at Angkor Wat. Angkor means “city” and Wat means “sacred”, hence “sacred city”. To be honest, I wasn’t impressed at first glance but after looking at the intricacy of the carvings, I began to be amazed. Most of it had been reconstructed as it is really ancient. Most of the balustrades were broken.Good thing it wasn’t all that crowded.

Angkor Wat was built for king Suryavarman II in the early 12th century as his state temple and capital city. It has become a symbol of Cambodia, and even appears on the national flag.

Angkor Wat

Angkor What?

The peak

When we got to the centre, I got really excited as I saw the steep stairs! Looked like a good adventure! Anyway I really enjoyed the climb up..it was a lot easier than I had expected. Beautiful view from the top!

4.15pm
Washed out at Angkor Wat! It poured cats and dogs. We were forced to buy cheap disposable raincoats and had to seek refuge in a Buddhist temple! Children in Cambodia love water. I guess that is their only means of entertainment. They were seen playing in the rain and swimming. They swim anywhere and everywhere, wherever there is water…lakes, river, even puddles. We should really count our blessings. Missed sunset at Angkor due to bad weather.

5.15pm

Shoparama at Central Market! Bought shirts and souvenirs for friends and family.

7.45pm
Dinner at Bayon restaurant. As usual, had a go at the local beer..Angkor beer..tasted a lot like Anchor beer really. The spring rolls were delicious. We were entertained by “wayang kulit”! The last time I saw a wayang kulit performance was probably in secondary school! Imagine going all the way to Cambodia to watch it!

Angkor beer

Wayang kulit

10.00pm
Went back to hotel to shower. Decided to call it a day. Rested our bodies, entertained myself with “Black Hawk Down” with Eric Bana on tv.