Cambodia

Mike and I traveled through Phnom Penh on our way to Seim Reap a tourist town right outside of Angkor Wat the thousand year old temples of the ancient Khmer. Phnom Penh kind of sneaks up on you as you drive in. Scattered farms coalesce into closer buildings, built up corners and street vendors until dense, multi-story apartment buildings surround you on every side. Sidewalks, which are very prevalent, become scooter parking and outdoor patios. The streets are absolutely clogged with people, every vehicle under the sun, children (who are absolutely, amazingly everywhere; procreation is alive and well in Phnom Penh,) carts, dogs, cats and in the evening huge, ginormous piles of trash that has been collected/generated during the day. I think a person could describe Phnom Penh all day and still not really do it justice. In light of that I will stop trying. Sufficed to say if you have any adventure in your soul you should visit Phnom Penh and soon.

Cambodian countryside

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Trash can in Phnom Penh made of an old tire turned inside out.

We arrived in Siem Reap and were immediately attacked by the hordes of touts, local individuals who represent businesses, rental companies or whatever and get a kick back if they bring in a customer. As we had not arranged for lodging yet we had to quickly choose a random hotel in the middle of town and get a ride. We ended up at the Shadow of Angkor Guest House, a fine option if you find yourself in Siem Reap, close to downtown with excellent guest services.

Friendly Tuk-tuk

Siem Reap has changed considerably over the last 8 or so years since I was here. In 2002 only a couple of blocks had pavement which was poured and paid for by a Korean company to develop and maintain Angkor Wat. They laid pavement around the Grand Tour which is a loop that encompasses the largest temples and sights. Everything else was dirt. Now everything is paved except some of the more remote temples. The town itself has grown immeasurably. There are hundreds of bars, restaurants and hotels who compete fiercely with each other and keep the prices down. 0.50 cent beers are a great example.

We spent the next three days viewing Angkor Wat. Being the adventurous types we decided to rent bicycles to tour the ruins so for 2 dollars we rented a torture machine and headed out. Basically it’s a beach cruiser but it is made for the average Cambodian who is easily 6-12 inches shorter than Mike or I. It’s hard to say how far we went all told but judging from the muscle soreness I am experiencing I would say quite a few over the two days we rode bikes. It is a tribute to those bicycles that Mike and I decided to hire a Tuk-tuk for the last day. I am not sure if I could have faced another day on those machines.

It would be laborious to describe everything at Angkor. There are several excellent books available that describe the wonder of Khmer High Culture better than I ever could. Even the pictures don’t do it justice. Kind of like the Grand Canyon that way. You will just have to visit and see for yourself. Siem Reap is very friendly and safe and I saw many European or American families with children under one year old here as well as innumerable families and student groups from all over the world. If you don’t relish the idea of Phnom Penh madness you can easily fly into Bangkok and be in Siem Reap in about 10 hours by overnight bus or fly into the airport in style.

The site itself has been under reconstruction for about 100 years beginning in 1908. You can pick out the parts that have been recently reconstructed by the fresh looking cement they use. Seems like there is the building reconstruction to ensure that 10 tons of rock doesn’t bury any innocent tourists and then the casting of the statue heads and animals. It is conceivable that in the coming years it all could be restored to an original seeming condition. But part of the draw to Angkor is the age of the structures. You can’t help but wonder what it would have been like in its height. One temple in particular, part of the Angkor Thom Complex, required 80,000 people to keep up. That is not to mention all the individuals who supported the priest class as well as the outlying farmers and artisans. It must have been wall to wall people. Just keeping up on sewage especially in a place with no vertical topography and a water table a foot under the ground would have been an epic task.

Next Thailand and the beach.