The Kingdom of Cambodia - May 2015
What do we know about Cambodia? Is this a place we want to visit? This received a mixed response. As a school child, I remembered that Cambodia (or Kampuchea), the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot were a hot topic. The ole man's memories are more vivid and poignant, as he lost a school friend, Mark, in the 90's, who was innocently backpacking with friends in Cambodia. So deciding whether this was a place we should include on the family Bucket List was one open for lots of debate.
But being me, I got my way, with the caveat that we avoided Phnom Penh, the museums, The Killing Fields, and all things 'modern history'. So I booked us in for a short break in Siem Reap and I promised them Lara Croft type temples, peace, and a touch of relaxation.
We arrived in Siem Reap airport and purchased our visa on arrival. As a Brit this was a
30 day Tourist visa for approx. $37. US dollars is
the recognised currency, as the local currency - the Cambodian
Riel - is too low, compared to most other currencies, to use
effectively: one GBP is 6,152 KHR. The heat hit us right
away and we exceptionally grateful to the hotel drivers who were waiting to
collect us in their tuk
tuk with a supply of ice cold water for the short journey into
town.
On arrival at our hotel, we were each presented with a traditional Cambodian scarf called a Krama. They are worn around the head and neck to protect from the sun and to offer some absorption when perspiring: they work a treat!Our hotel, Chronicle Angkor Hotel, was lovely. As soon as we could, we changed, grabbed a Chang, a good book and went for a dip. This was the perfect start to the trip.
There really is ONLY one place to visit at night time in Siem Reap: Pub Street. A mecca for tourists wanting to visit 'pubs', cafes, restaurants and more pubs. We enjoyed local cuisine, Aussie burgers, and Thai curries - all tastes catered for. One firm favourite for us was The Red Piano.
It had it all: cracking cocktails, cheap cold beers and attentive service. The food was okay too. Another was Beatnik. Great burgers and fab prices on beer and local spirits - that saved the $$$. Not forgetting that we did love the local fare at the Khmer House Restaurant, and visited more than once. For a brunch or 'dry' lunch we enjoyed, the array of cafes and coffee shops.
We spent a couple of lazy days in Siem Reap just relaxing around the pool, sightseeing and cafe hopping.Typically for us, we couldn't miss a visit to The Hard Rock Cafe. This is the best one we have been in so far in the East. The food was good and tasty, the drinks were typically priced, but the service was over and above anything we have had anywhere else. Cambodians know how to treat their patrons - well done!
This is a social project, which was set up 20 years ago by 9 children and their art teacher when they returned home from a refugee camp after the fall of the Khmer Rouge. As survivors of the war, empowered by the creative self-expression learned through their art-making, the group wanted to share this gift of the arts with the underprivileged children. A school soon followed as part of the project and today they offer much needed free education.
Still today, although they strive to change this, there is a high level of illiteracy in Cambodia. This stems back to the Khmer Rouge regime, in which, the educated - along with monks, the rich, soldiers and government workers - were executed. Others, not executed, accustomed to urban life, were taken from the cities and were forced into slave labour in Pol Pot's "killing fields" where they soon began dying from overwork, malnutrition and disease, on a diet of one tin of rice (180 grams) per person every two days. Two million people died in this genocide.
A visit to Siem Reap would never be complete without a visit to the Temples. There are so many, a guide is a must. Our guide, organised by our concierge, was named, Robin Hood. He told us all about the training to be a guide, the hours and hours of history he had learnt over many years to qualify as an 'official' guide. His family, like all educated families in the 70-90s, suffered during the communist rule and as a young child he witnessed the loss of many male family members at the hands of the Khmer Rouge. His story is tragic, and while his voice falters and a tear appears in his eye, he soon shakes it way and is back with a laugh and a bounce in his step - He is an inspiration to those with woes and worries in the first world. His knowledge was priceless. We wouldn't have wanted anyone else. He is a gem. 
The main religion is Cambodian Buddhism and it almost seems that every village was built around a temple. What I think of as simply massive temples, and a tourist magnet, are actually cities of the ancient Khmer empire. We only did one day at the temples. We were picked up from our hotel, boarded onto our tuk tuks, and within 30 mins we arrived at the main gate to the compound containing all the historical sites.
We didn't make it for a sunrise arrival, but the approach was still breathtaking.
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| From a distance, it is still impressive! Angkor Wat. |
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| The outer wall |
Every inch of every wall is decorated with bas-reliefs. It must have taken hundreds of stonemasons and many hundreds of years to complete.
Our guide was able to tell us about every nook and cranny of the place. His knowledge is infinite.
The lady to the left is smiling - she is showing her teeth. We were told she is unique, as the others all have their lips closed. But every dancer, every soldier on every inch of wall is unique. I can only imagine that the masons modelled them on member of the community.
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| Heading towards the inner buildings |
Walking around Angkor Wat is not for the faint-hearted. No vehicles are allowed so the tuktuks wait at the outskirts and met us on the other side of the enclosure.
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| Apsara Dancers |
Temples are used and worshipping takes place each and every day on site.
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| My big boy is so small in there surrounds |
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The path to the East Gallery and saying goodbye to this ancient site.
We stopped for a little lunch; I'm sure this was prearranged with Robin and the local restaurateur, as they seemed to be expecting us. Why not? 'I'll scratch your back...'
Ta Prohm - or to you and me, and Robin Hood, the Tomb Raider Temple.
Where nature is definitely taking its land back. The trees are growing through the foundations of the temple.
This dates from the 12-13th century and is one of the major temples of Jayavarman VII the Khmer Empire ruler. This is believed to be a monastery.
The partially collapsed state of the site makes it complex to navigate. While we were there workmen were placing struts and scaffolding around to add support to the main structures.
Throughout the different sites, signs informed visitors by whom the financial support is provided. I think it was the Indian Institute of Technology working on restorations here.
Another site was supported by the German government and one by Hilary Clinton.
There are approx 150 trees across the site, each of which is embedded into the temple and there is causing corrosion and disturbances daily.
From here we travelled to Angkor Thom.
But first we had to stop and look at a colony of ants who had built a nest in the leaves. Unfortunately another tourist jabbed it with a stick causing the ants to disperse. It took maybe 20 seconds after the incident, while I was taking these pictures, for them to have dropped the 3 metres to the grown and start climbing my legs - ARRRH!
The gateways or five entry towers - the most photographed of the ancient ruins in Cambodia - are each topped with four faces. These face to the four compass points and, according to Robin, represent the virtues of the ruler: honesty, compassion, [can't remember the third] and no jealous!
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| Victory Gate |
All along the road bridge / causeways over the moat towards the gate are statues on the city walls. Some have been chipped away at, some removed by scavengers, some have been repaired. They are all monumental.
By this time we were exhausted and decided to give the Bayon a miss close up. The 216 faces on 49 towers sounded, dare I say it, samey. So we took some pictures from the roadside and decided, as it was now 4pm, we would call it a day.
The journey back to town takes in the view of Angkor Wat once more. Breathtaking!
After a day at the Temples it's only fitting that we visit Pub Street's The Temple Bar, to eat, drink and watch the Khmer Apsara dance show. The drinks here are more than other watering holes nearby but this is the place to watch the 'free' show.
The next day we decided to sit around the pool, walk into town and just have a lazy day.
Then just to make things a touch different, we spent a few hours Asana making and drinking cocktails. For a reasonable $ you get to make three cocktails from scratch with the lovely Pari. The kids enjoyed it - they made mocktails - and we enjoyed being waited on and watching the show.
A final evening and another visit to Pub Street.
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| Not my picture - I seem to have lost a whole load from this holiday :( |
This is a very busy place to be at night, so its best, with kids, to set out early, grab a seat and relax, drink Chang and people watch.
This picture just doesn't show the extent of the chaos of the overhead cables in Pub Street.
We decided to return to Beatnik, as the children enjoyed the burgers (and we did) and the drinks were really well priced.
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| Another stolen picture |
The Blue Pumpkin
Visit the night market - and eat bugs!
The Bug Cafe - we never made it there but wished we had.
New Leaf Book Cafe
- http://www.lonelyplanet.com/cambodia/travel-tips-and-articles/76632
- http://www.tourismcambodia.org/
In the end we are glad we visited. With hindsight we would have done the temples over a few days - but to do that we would have needed to leave the kids in the hotel - next time!
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