Siem Reap, Cambodia
Landing here felt like landing in a Caribbean airport years ago! It looked tropical with Asian style roofs that curl up on the edges and no gangway to walk onto the plane, just walk across the Tarmac and up the stairs into the plane. The immigration officials were very gruf and have no personality at all, they just yell and scowl, a little scary! Cambodia has a Monarchy with a King who has no power. The Prime Minister rules “as a democracy” on paper but it is run more like Communism or a Dictatorship. But after their horrible past and the Khmer Rouge, this is much better. Unfortunately the country is still littered with land mines and many Cambodians have missing limbs. Many NGO’s have done a lot to de-mine areas and Princess Diana was a very strong advocate and supporter of these programs. There has been a lot of progress but you still can’t wander off in rural areas especially close to the border. The tourist areas are safe thankfully. We visited a land mine museum that was very interesting. The money raised helps support an orphanage on the property that houses and schools children victims of land mines. The locals are some of the kindest and most gracious people I have ever met. I really enjoyed every interaction with each Cambodian I met. The staff at our hotel were falling over themselves to help us, our guide and driver were so patient and helpful. The heartbreaking part was the children beggars who try to sell postcards to tourists for $1 each. Some are as young as 4 or 5 and their English is pretty good. They follow you around and you can see their desperation. Many times we gave them part of our meal that we weren’t going to finish and their eyes lit up. It seems that they don’t get much to eat so that is why they push so hard but they aren’t rude. All the people really made an impression on me in a positive way. The main reason for traveling to Siem Reap is to visit the worlds largest religious site and a UNESCO World Heritage Site-Angkor Wat. I have dreamt about visiting here since I was young and can’t believe I am finally here! There was always something that interested me about Cambodia, not just Angkor Wat but the Khmer Rouge regime and the killing fields and the horrors they endured up to the people helping de-mine the country. We hired a guide and a driver for our time here. It is really needed, there are so many temples to see in these complexes that you really need to tailor your visit to what you are interested in and how much in depth you want to go. Plus it is brutally hot so you need to get there at sunrise to get a head start and end by 12. The van is also needed to drop you off and pick you up, hold your bags, keep cold water, etc. These guys do it everyday so they know the ins and outs. Since we have the boys, we kept things easy, I read up a lot the night before so the guide didn’t have to go through too much with the boys. But he did tailor some fun history towards them. He was a very patient and wise man, he is a former school teacher and has many books written on the temples us he loves photography so he showed us all the good shots and at what angle for the current light! Loved it, and he took our pictures. Poor Grant complained the whole first day but I thought he was being a baby because of the heat. We got back to the hotel and he had a 102.7 fever and slept for about 5 hours, poor thing, I felt so bad an apologized to him and snuggled with him until he went to sleep. We got his fever down and he was ready to go to the pool where we relaxed for the rest of the day. That’s how we spent each day, up way too early, sweat at the temples but stand in awe at each one. Nothing else could make me endure that heat, humidity and still air! Then back to the resort for a shower, nap then pool. Visiting the temples took a lot out of you but was worth every minute. The most memorable was making it to Angkor Wat before sunrise, up at 4, at the temple by 5 and sunrise at 5:30….I’m so happy I got my lazy butt up and out. Our resort was really nice, not a large chain but had all the amenities and local charm. The food was great and the spa was so relaxing! The traditional Cambodian massage is so different but just as nice as others. You get dressed in a loosely fitted “uniform” and get on a cushy mat on the floor. Your clothes stay on and there is no oil. They work your body and move and stretch it in addition to massage. It was a great experience, especially the different teas served before and after the massage. The restaurant served local Cambodian food which was really good! They also offered “western food” but who wants a cheeseburger in Cambodia?? Our guide brought us to some great little spots for lunch totally off the tourist circuit-most memorable! The pictures speak for themselves, besides looking at the whole picture, look at the intricate details carved into the walls, columns, window and door frames. Then remember that Angkor Wat was built in 967 AD! They estimate that there were more than 20,000 people who lived inside the complex just to maintain the temple. It used to be covered in red lacquer and you can see some parts of it still. The temples also had a lot of looting over the years since they were uncovered from overgrown jungle in the late 1800’s-early 1900’s. During the height of the civilization they estimate that there were over a million people living in the area. Today there aren’t that many people living here even with all the tourism that is here now, just amazing to think about that! There are almost 400 temple complexes in this area and we only saw 4 or 5!
