Cambodia was a first for both myself and the Beard. With the history of a once great Empire, on the road to recovery from the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge and ripe for investment/exploitation by Western commerce, it was a fascinating and sometimes perplexing place to be.
The main road into Siem Reap is flanked by mammoth, characterless big chain hotels clearly built with no thought to their surroundings or environmental impact. Eventually, Terry turned off down a dirt road, through a little village to our destination,The Clay d'Angkor Villa. It was lovely, an oasis among the dusty commotion that is downtown Siem Reap.
After checking in, we were in full explorer mode and had Terry take us to Angkor Wat. You've read about it, seen your mates' photos, read some blogs but nothing really prepares you, our first afternoon was spent exploring the temple of Angkor Wat. The complex itself, dating from the 12th century at 1,626,000 sq meters, it is the largest religious monument in the world.
We purchased the 3 day pass for 40 USD, top tip when visiting Cambodia, take USD in small denominations and fresh notes. When trying to break even a 20$ many will claim not to have change and if the notes are creased or marked, they won't take those either.
Anyways, back to the temple, next tip: dress appropriately. It was hot and sticky when we arrived, I opted for a strapless maxi dress with a shawl to cover my shoulders and upper arms. This was all well and good, however, Angkor Wat is still a working temple, attempting to enter one of the main towers, essentially a stairway to heaven, I was politely told by a temple attendant that my shawl was not enough. I left The Beard to climb the near vertical staircase.
We continued to wander around the site admiring the decorative apsaras, Vishnu and Buddha and this brings me to my next tip: get a guide! Not sure how we managed to miss this one, in fact, The Beard did ask when we bought the passes and was answered in the negative. Undeterred, we had pressed on only to find that we didn't really know what we were looking at, although occasionally a group would pass being led by an English/Spanish speaking guide and we'd glean a nugget or two!
Then it was time to meet Terry who whisked us back to The Clay for a pre dinner dip in the pool. For dinner, we decided to explore Pub Street. It is exactly what it sounds like, a mini Khao San Road. Nonetheless, we found a little place serving up some authentic Khmer cuisine and were served by one of the best and most experienced waiters I have ever seen, an English speaking child who had to use a step to reach the bar tap. The food was good and we agreed that child labour is in fact to be applauded.
The next day we were back on the the temple trail, me in a t-shirt and jeans. I had high hopes, when I visited the pyramids of Giza, I was left breathless and years later still struggle to find words to describe it. Angkor Wat was a a finalist for the New7Wonders of the world but I hadn't had that feeling yet. We started at Ta Prohm or as we called it, "the trees!".
Here was my pyramid, the temple has largely been taken over by the jungle with conservationists choosing to mostly just stabilise the ruins, keeping it as it is. It is beautiful.
Even without a guide, you are directed by a series of signposts and there are a couple of information boards. We were both enchanted and upon making a donation, I received my red string bracelet, believed to bring good luck and protect against all untoward things in life.
Next, we were off to Bayon or as we liked to call it, "the faces!!". Before Terry had even ejected us from the vehicle we had become a pair of overgrown children, giddy at the sight of all - the faces!!!!!
Entering the site, we were approached by an English speaking guide and decided to take him up on his offer. He was very informative and almost strict with his instructions on where we should sit and what we should photograph. The Beard and I are both areligious but have Buddhist leanings so the opportunity to give thank/contemplate/pray - whatever you want to call it, inside the temple was a meaningful experience for us.
All templed out, we returned to The Clay to freshen up. Wanting to sample some proper local food, I demanded of the young receptionist, "Where do you like to eat?" and had him instruct Terry to take us to his favourite eatery. We were taken into town then down a side road to a hole in the wall joint, again served by a small English speaking child and our bellies were very happy.
That evening we met up with our friend Matt the chef, at the fancy hotel he pretty much takes charge of. I first met Matt in Mallorca just before his wedding to the lovely Vicky but she was away visiting family in France so it was just the three of us for dinner. Matt treated us to some tasty morsels as he told us about his ongoing plans to promote Khmer cuisine as well as returning to traditional and sustainable farming methods. He is very passionate about what he does and his evident success is testament to that.
The next day we met Matt for lunch at Marum a restaurant run by Kaliyan Mith, an NGO that works with street children and other marginalised youth in Siem Reap. Ordering is a challenge as everything sounds, and is, delicious. Next to the restaurant is a shop, Friends 'n' Stuff another NGO working with marginalised urban children. The shop and the restaurant are functional businesses providing vocational training to these young people. The shop also sells curios made by the children. We came out with an iPad case made from an old tyre and a pair of earrings fashioned from some forks, fabulous!
Then it was on to the war museum, an outdoor museum shaded by mango trees. In the tranquil environment survivors and collaborators of Pol Pot's regime now work as guides, lest we forget. There are tanks, shells and aircraft salvaged from the area. Most poignantly are the land mines, thousands have been killed or maimed by them and the clear up is still ongoing.
As the sun was setting, it was time to bid Matt and Siem Reap farewell and head back to Bangkok to start our island adventures.
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