We headed to Siem Reap, the doorstep to the ancient Angkor Kingdom, with mixed feelings.
Labeled as the definitive highlight of any Cambodia trip we were more concerned with finding another tourist theme park, complete with armies of hustlers and stalker tuk tuk drivers. Plus we had our doubts over how long we could walk from old temple to old temple without getting bored.
No need to have worried. What an amazing place.
Yes the main temples had plenty of street sellers, but they came in quite handy when you wanted a cold beer to sup as you watched the sun set over an ancient civilization from the top of a temple on a hill. Plus they were only allowed up to a certain point, so you were left in peace as soon as you got close to the temple.
The first morning we set off with our tuk tuk driver at around 4.30 am. Now, we all know Angie can sleep at the drop of a hat, but what most people don’t know is when she first awakes she begins her day like a half sedated rottweiler, friendly enough if left well alone.
So, when we first approached Angkor Watt, with the black night slowly being replaced by deep purple so you could just about see where you were walking, Angie wasn’t in the most inspired of moods, in fact she was tired and grumpy. Check the pictures though, it was a unique feeling watching the blurry outlines of this monster temple sharpen into view as the sun rose and continuously changed the colours that surrounded us. Angie was more keen on the café.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/62402778@N06/6068406928/in/set-72157627462416901
So, we bought a huge cup of Cambodian rocket fuel and took a breather, and it certainly did the trick. Within minutes we were bounding around the Watt with Angie giving a guided tour from our Lonely Planet (the official guides were expensive and lacked the wild eyed caffeine fueled gusto that Angie provided).
It would be pretty dull to detail the rest of our day but check out the pictures to get a sense of what a crazy incredible place it is. Over 1000 temples covering an area of over 1000 squared kilometers created over 1000 years ago and now you can wander about them freely. We took way too many pictures by the way just to warn you.
We soon found ourselves squeezing through tight spots and climbing up to walk on the roofs that were still intact. Really good fun but we cut it short due to the blistering heat and headed home.
I guess a highlight would be the second day. We took an electric pink wearing tuk tuk driver to a temple way out from the rest, about two hours drive but worth the effort. Almost taken over by the surrounding jungle, the temple is half in pieces. Giant trees with roots the size of our flat strangle the walls and dark deserted hallways stay intact and lure you in for a peek.
We spent ages scrambling around and climbing about, it was great fun to explore. Later a small kid found us and offered to show us around some of the less accessible parts. He’d grown up playing there and ran around like it was his back garden.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/62402778@N06/6068501576/in/set-72157627462416901
We soon found ourselves squeezing through tight spots and climbing up to walk on the roofs that were still intact. Really good fun but we cut it short due to the blistering heat and headed home.
