Angkor ... Wat the ****!?! Look at all those temples!
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Hello again!
It's been 4 days... 4 long hot days and over 20 temples but it's been worth it! Actually it has been one of the best experiences of the trip so far!
First off Siem Reap: Siem Reap is a great city albeit a little more expensive then we are used to. Our accomodation is very good value at 8 dollars and the food here is excellent! We really have fallen in love with Cambodia! It's not just the scenery ( ... Angkor anyone?) but also the people! Smiling, happy and always quick to say hello and wave... sometimes followed by a hopeful "Sir, Give 1 dollaaaaaa!", but you get used to it very quickly.
After 2 days of exploring the town and fixing Mickis memory cards, we decided it was temple time! We called the tuk-tuk driver who had taken us to our guesthouse the first day and asked if he would like to drive us around for a couple of days. Of course he did and the next morning we met him at 7 am for negotiations. After the formalities we were off! Bunnek (our driver) turned out to be the greatest tuk-tuk driver in all the land. He is blindingly fast, funny, knowledged in everything Angkor and Siem Reap and also new exactly how to get us around the hordes! Basically Angkor (the area not the temple) is huge! I kid you not when I say it is as big as a city. The temples can be as far apart as 60 kms, so the basic idea for getting around was: Bunnek has a tuk-tuk. It is a motorcycle with a carriage at the back that has a roof, a sofa under which you can stow bags, and a place to put your legs up. We pay him by the day and he takes us anywhere we want to go. He would drop us off at one gate of a temple and then pick us up at the opposite gate so we wouldn't have to double back. Everytime we were greated by our own smiling speady gonzales, ready to dash off to the next big thing. He new the right times to be at what temples to avoid most of the tour groups while taking heat and lighting (for photos) into account! I won't list all the temples here, you can see the names under the photos but i will give you are top 5:
1) Bayon - huge faces looking down at you. Chilling and amazing at the same time
2) Beng Melea - Real Indiana Jones style temple. Ruins and jungle that you have to climb around and over to get around! Lot's of fun and stunning!
3) Angkor Wat - Not the most beautiful but the sheer size is incredible. Sunrise and sunset were not bad either
4) Banteay Samre - Beautiful and no tourists when we got there. We had the place to ourselves and that's a pretty big place to have to yourself!
5) Preah Khan - Almost as big as Angkor Wat but with the trees growing in it. The vibe was great!
-Ta Prohm gets a small mention due to the tomb raider tree but otherwise it was pretty boring, crowded and had walkways everywhere... boo!
The best thing about the temples is that there are no set paths (except Ta Prohm and Banteay Srey) so you can climb around and explore wherever you like! Bunnek also gladly waited for us as long as we wanted so we had all the time in the world. After 2 days we were pretty much templed out. We told Bunnek that was it and thanked him.
The next morning I had the best day of the trip. I got up at 5am to watch my Steelers take Superbowl 43 (which Micki also enjoyed) and followed those 5 hours with Liverpool - Chelsea which Micki thoroughly enjoyed (note a lot of sarcasm here). After that we both agreed we had to go back to the temples :) We called Bunnek and luckily he was free so he took us out to Phnom Bakheng, a hilltop temple to enjoy the views and a slightly disappointing sunset (due to clouds). We also decided that we would go out to Beng Melea which was the best decision we have made in a long time. The temple itself (Beng Melea) is 60km away from Siem Reap but the two hour drive went by in a flash. We got there at 8 am and started to explore. The place is made for an Indiana Jones movie! Overgrown jungle and untouched ruins make for a fantastic experience. We had a guide with us and half the time we looked on in disbelief when he pointed to a huge pile of rubble and told us to start climbing, at other times it was descending into a rubble filled tunnel the entrance to which was just big enough to fit through.
Note: I have spent the last 4 days singing the theme to Indiana Jones constantly! It is hummed or wistled in pretty much every video I have taken :D
On our way back we talked to Bunnek about gift shops and how he gets a comission of 1 dollar if we just walk into the shop. We liked him and owed him so much for our amazing 4 days so we said "let's hit some gift shops!" 1 hour later a happy couple and an even happier tuk-tuk driver pulled into Siem Reap and here we are now!
Soon enough we are off to Phnom Penh to get a history lesson that we are not looking forward to(Micki just finished, and I am now reading "First They Killed My Father") but we will hang around here at least one more day.
Best Regards
Robbe and Micki
p.s: Pappa, get on a plane to Siem Reap now! This is your paradise! oh, and bring your camera :)
p.p.s: We have consumed countless liters of Gatorade during the last four days. Our room is littered with empty bottles and I am thinking about becoming a spokesperson for this amazing drink. Climbing sheer faces and walking countless steps around the biggest temples in the world in plus 30 C dehydrates you something awful, ergo Gatorade: The official drink of serious temple explorers.
Posted byRobbe at 10:32
Hej! Härligt att inga bilder gick förlorade, fast minneskortet fick virus!! De e roligt att titta på fotona och följa med er resa! Ni verkar ha det helt underbart.. :)
Ja titta också på superbowl, vi hade kisastudio hos oss. Vitsi 100 yards touchdownen va cool!
Sätt gärna in någon kort video om det alls är möjligt! Det sku va roligt och se er "levande" ;)
Stora kramar till er båda!
Hmm! Låte inte så dumt med at hoppa på planet och komma ner...:o), kanske en annan gång. Har lyckligtvis mycket jobb, så jag är nog ganska stadigt placerad här..:o(. Borde också köpa en ny kamera......Det där med Gatorade är säkert helt cool, mera lockas jag just nu av den potentiella viktdrop ja kunde åstadkomma av att springa i templena. Julen lade sina spår.....:o(
Det är fint att höra att ni njuter och har det bra.
Björnkram av pappa Jankka
hi bobby,
maybe i can watch super bowl LIII in such conditions with you! I would love it!
Tom