Cambodia, after flooding

I really didn't know what to expect from Siem Reap, Cambodia.  After the big city feel of Bangkok, I was pretty exhausted from all day walking, and all night activities.  I wasn't sure if the flooding in Thailand had or would effect our trip, but was eager to check out our next stop.  Cambodia was really the unknown on this whole trip. 

I know I wanted to check out Angkor Wat, but didn't know much else about the country.  I had made it a point to re-watch the movie, "Killing Fields" I had seen numerous years prior.  Pretty much Pol Pot was on equal footing as Adolf Hitler except without the fanfare of Western civilization and the menacing fact of starving and killing his own citizens on a massive scale.

These were the two knowns that I had about this country and the brief mentions in the movie, "Apocalypse Now", which is one of my favorite movies of all time.

It turns out that my time in Cambodia was probably the best part of my trip.  The poverty and living conditions were just eye opening and life changing in retrospect of my own life.  The worries of my own life, how much I'll have to spend on birthdays and holidays for family and friends, pales in comparison to what Cambodians live daily with and without.  Not only that, but there was a sense of sadness & optimism in each persons eyes.  It was a really interesting paradox.

Our trip started off with a first.  We were bused out to a turbo-prop plane for our hour flight to Siem Reap.  This was the first time flying in a propeller plane and was actually much roomier than my originating plane from Phoenix to Los Angeles.  After dropping Jill off at her Hotel, I proceeded to my Guesthouse, "Shadow of Angkor Guesthouse".  I tried using Hostel World this time for Cambodia, but didn't like any of the options they had.  So I did some other searches and found the Guesthouse.  Again, it met my needs of a bed w/bathroom and A/C.  It cost me $25 USD a day and included a balcony with cable TV.  This was far and away a fantastic spot to stay at.  They have a sister location on the other side of the Siem Reap River that is closer to downtown which is nice.  I didn't see the rooms, but I did eat dinner there and was very good.

The Guesthouse had their own tuk-tuk (motorcycle pulling a seating cart) drivers that we utilized.  I believe his name was Po or Pol and was a fantastic and trustworthy driver.  I hired him daily for taking us to the ancient sites and some local spots.  Each morning we would depart to pick up Jill and check out the Wat's or Temples. 

We visited Angkor Thom first which was truly amazing.  The spires have faces on all four sides and it feels like no matter where you are, you are being watched.  The inscriptions and art work in the stones are quite awesome to survive for so long.  While not as colorful as the Thai art, they are beautiful in their own right.  The site was believed to support a population of 80-150,000 people.

We had been told that the flooding hit Siem Reap a week or two prior to our arrival and that some of the sites were still flooded (see the Phimeanakas picture).  In fact the road to my guesthouse was flooded and was just barely low enough to not enter the lobby.  I had a 2nd floor room, so was pretty safe from any further flooding.

Angkor Wat was just awesome, the site is the largest Khmer temple complex in the world and the decor is truly amazing.  The fact that due to the moat around the whole complex, the jungle hasn't overtaken the whole complex.  We were able to go up some of the stairways that gave breathtaking views of the area.

There is a lot of restoration taking place at each of the temples to restore there grandness and ensure they last for a long time.  Many of these temples are in disarray due to them being abandoned during the Pol Pot reign and the jungle reclaiming the area.  In many of  the pictures, you can see the trees growing from the structure.  In fact this is where a scene from Tomb Raider was filmed in Ta Prohm.

We then saw Banteay Srei which is constructed of red sandstone giving it a whole different look to the other temples.  The sandstone allows  for elaborate carvings to be made into the stones.

One of the interesting things of all of the temples here is there architecture and carvings of many Hindu & Buddhist gods and beliefs presented as civilizations are conquered and new religions introduced.

In the evenings, the Siem Reap feel is very laid back compared to Bangkok.  I did go downtown for drinks and still had a very chilled atmosphere.  Most evenings I went out for dinner and some people watching, but I usually adjourned to my guesthouse to relax and get cleaned up.

I was able to get daily massages after hiking all day and were very inexpensive for hour long massages.  A full body massage was around $10 USD and foot and leg reflexology massages were $6 USD.  At those prices, I ensured I had them daily.  They were amazing and every morning I felt refreshed for that days treks!

Our last day we ate dinner at a buffet style restaurant that have Aspara dancers (traditional Cambodian dance) throughout the dinner.  This was an amazing close to our trip as the next day we flew back to Bangkok and then to Los Angles and Phoenix.  Luckily we were able to catch the last flight out of LAX to PHX, otherwise, we would have been sleeping at the airport until the next morning.

Cambodia was a great close to our trip.  It really was a relaxing, National Park style feel.  It was hot & humid, like Bangkok, but much less hustle and bustle.  I was really able to recharge for the 4 days we were there and the vacation really felt like a vacation.

Next time, I'd like to visit Phnom Penh and the southern coast of Cambodia and its islands.