It’s 8:00 AM in the morning and my tuk-tuk is waiting for me. Not the only one though. Quite a few people are ready early to explore the famous sites of Angkor. It takes a while until everyone finds the right spot. After almost one week in Siem Reap (Cambodia) I’m treating myself to a final tour around the stunning temples. In a tuk-tuk. For $20 a day. Luxury! But let me start from the beginning…
Cambodia – ANCIENT ANGKOR. LAND OF GODS
My plan was to take the bus from Bangkok to Siem Reap (a popular resort town as the gateway to Angkor region). But, as you might have learned by following this blog… I like to change my plans. After checking and comparing prices, I found out that a flight is much shorter, hassle-free and almost at the same price as the bus journey. 55 minutes in a plane vs. more than 10 hours in a bus with a border crossing that involves a lot of tourist traps. Easy decision and once again I’m boarding a plane. (I’m sorry, ecobalance!) This time it’s Bangkok Airwaves. The machine is really old and really small. The seats have seen better days and some of the overhead compartments don’t close anymore. Most of the seats are empty and I’m sharing the plane with a big Cambodian family and two couples who seem to be backpackers as well. „It’s only a 55 minutes flight“, I comfort myself, „and the weather is great!“ As usual, I worry for nothing. I have a fantastic flight! They even serve delicious noodle salads, cake and some wine. The pick-up at the very modern and new airport works great as well. My tuk-tuk driver is already waiting outside and takes me through the bustling city to my hostel, the Bambu Stay. It’s located a bit outside of the Old Town. Rithy welcomes me with a big smile, a glass of water and all the information I need. He’s a wonderful host and I have to say: I love, love, love my stay at this place! $30 for six nights. Can you beat that? During the following days Rithy, Karen from Australia and I will spend a lot time talking about Cambodian life and suddenly an idea is born: How awesome would it be to give something back to this country? Would it be possible to open a school? An English school maybe? Rithy is very busy writing his ideas down and we’re all excited. Let’s see what we can achieve together…
For now, I have a few other things to do around here. Some temples are waiting to be seen. With Rithys help I feel well prepared to discover as much as possible of Ancient Angkor. I start exploring the main sights the next morning with an organized bike tour by Grasshopper Adventures Cambodia. Som, our experienced guide for the day, leads us to Tha Prom (known as the Tomb Raider Temple), The Elephant Terrace and the Bayon Temple as well as a couple of less visited ones along the way. Covered distance that day: approximately 30 km. Fun: 100%. I’m in cycle mode! Together with a few fellow travelers we decide to rent bikes again the next day and explore everything on our own. What a mistake! First, the rented bikes are really old and uncomfortable. They can’t be compared to the nice mountain bikes from yesterday. Second, we don’t get free water or lunch included. We have to find everything on our own. Third, the area is so big. If you don’t know where to go, it takes forever. We’re all sweating like crazy, our butts and backs hurt, the sun is killing us and we’re covered in red dust. My white shirt is orange. Exhaust fumes put us over the edge and the way back along the busy streets of Siem Reap is just awful. I can’t tell if cars and motorcycles are driving on the right or left side of the road. One-way streets? Don’t exist. Traffic lights? Who cares! Distance covered that day: I don’t know. Fun: 1% (after having enjoyed a really long shower & sipping on an ice cold beer: 75%).
My next trip to Ancient Angkor starts very early the next morning at 4:30 AM. I want to enjoy a mind-blowing sunrise at the most famous temple, Angkor Wat. However, the sun ist not cooperating today. After waiting for hours in the dark, stuck with hundreds of people and their cameras the sunrise lasts… three minutes. Mind-blowing? More mind-numbing! (I got some nice photos, so I don’t want to complain.) I’m ready to take a break from visiting the temples though. In downtown Siem Reap I enjoy a wonderful foot massage, try eating a not-so-great crocodile burger (was it really crocodile or just chicken?) and later… find myself dancing gangnam style with a bunch of Chinese people in a small pup with live music. Let’s forget about the dancing quickly and get back to the beginning of my story. Today, I’m treating myself to a last tuk-tuk tour to some farther away temples. My first stop is called Banteay Srei (Citadel of Beauty), a 10th-century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Routinely described in gushing terms as the „Jewel of Khmer Art“, Banteay Srei is nevertheless a temple of great beauty, and compares with little else in Angkor. Its miniature scale almost always surprises visitors, and the near-total decoration of its surfaces is exceptional. Ok…ok… I admit. The last two sentences were not written by me. I stole them from my totally awesome* guidebook „Ancient Angkor“ by Michael Freeman and Claude Jacques. I couldn’t find better words to describe this place. It’s truly beautiful and one of a kind. What a perfect way to end my Angkor visit. Thank you, Cambodia!
*I don’t know if it is totally awesome. I only bought it, because so many annoying people were trying to sell it. If you ever come to Angkor, I recommend spending the $2. It’s a perfect vendor-protection. Just show your book and say „Everything I need is in here.“ It worked every time and I enjoyed the temples without further disturbances. Fun fact: I met an American guy, who paid $14 for the same book.
MILO UNTERWEGS 