 Lynette and I in front of the famous towers of the Bayon Temple.17-Dec-2009 04:41, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 4.5, 4.1mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 80 |
We’d arrived back in Roof View Place, Bangkok, after our whistle stop tour of North Thailand to happily find our Vietnam and China visas nestled inside our waiting Passports, the ink still slightly damp. Excitingly, our next stop was the ruins of Angkor; more than one thousand temples spread over 3,000 square kilometres including the largest religious temple in the world, Angkor Wat itself. Interestingly, we’d decided to devote just a day to these magnificent ruins, and that to make life extra difficult we’d cycle the entire thing. Was this an exercise in sheer madness? Would the ancient ruins live up to their impossible fame? Would we even be allowed to cross the border?
 Lynette found this spooky one eyed statue where a spider has made his home.
Lynette found this spooky one eyed statue where a spider has made his home.17-Dec-2009 06:07, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 4.3, 14.7mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 80 |
On the 15th December we had an early start on an all day bus straight to Siem Reap, the launch pad for touring Angkor itself. Even though we booked this 750B bus through our highly recommended hostel (and others had booked the exact same one for 450B on Khao San road), this bus is without a doubt the biggest scam bus we have ever been on in our lives. We expected discomfort; twelve hours on a bus during the day (border opening hours) was never going to be an early Christmas present to each other. Thankfully we’d done a little research the night before, and we will list them below so that you can avoid them yourselves;
- The Express Visa Service: You will stop at a restaurant just before crossing the border. For those forgetful and disorganised souls that haven’t ordered the online $25 Cambodian passport, they offer to arrange an Express Visa for you so that you can still cross, for only $35. They will hassle you, and tell you that it is not possible to buy a Visa at the border any more. They then tell you that it is possible, but only to get a tourist visa that lasts three days. They then tell you that you are the only ones on the bus not buying an Express Visa service, and you will be left behind, having to get the next bus five hours later waiting by the kerbside looking stupid. At this point, we still said no.
The reality: Everybody has to get off the bus at the border with your bags. Push on ahead, there are two cash machines in no-mans land; you need $20 each and 100B. Fill in the form, have your Visa back in five minutes, $15 saved. I managed to cut my toe open, dripping blood to the ATM all the way to find both were broken, walk fifteen minutes to a casino to get a US Dollar cash advance, get a moto back to where Lynette was waiting with the completed Visa forms, and still be not the last people through from our bus.
Verdict: Getting into Cambodia is quick and easy. They talk utter crap. - The Quick Bus Switch con: Just a FYI, the bus from Bangkok is beautiful, air conditioned with leg room. The bus on the other side is a cramped school bus with your bags on your lap. On the plus side though, the new road from Poipet to Siem Reap is completed so once you’re over the border it only takes three hours to reach your destination.
- The Last Minute Hostel Push: You will be only 45 mins from the end of your mammoth journey. They will stop the bus at an expensive restaurant and told you are stopping for an hour. Everyone will grumble, nothing will be done. To pass the time, you will buy a coffee, the cheapest thing on the overpriced menu. While you are sitting comfortably, the tour guide will helpfully come over and ask your plans, and where you are staying.
“Oh, Garden View Place? It is closed now!”, he will say.
“Oh, wow, that was lucky, how long has it been shut for?”, you innocently reply.
“Um, six months or so…”, his eyes shifting.
“That’s weird, when we spoke to them this morning they didn’t say anything about closing down…”, you ponder, as your eyes boring into the back of his skull.
“Oh, THAT Garden View Place, I thought you meant the OTHER Garden View Place that closed down… um… is that a squirrel?”, he’ll whimper, before scampering away.
Dodgy buggers.
- The Tuk Tuk Tussle: You’re nearly there, you can almost smell the tourist sweat as your bus pulls to a grinding halt, and you see the baying crowd of Tuk Tuk drivers awaiting you (as happens almost everywhere). Scanning for a gap to make the standard fast exit, the tour guide creeps into view once more.
“Have no fear”, he advises, stroking his six inch chin spike of a beard with one eye brow raised, “These Tuk Tuk drivers mean you no harm. They are included with the price of the bus, and will take you where you need to go…”. He gestures towards the barking mob with his long, curved fingernails and cackles slowly. Spotting no alternative in this abandoned lay by, we clamber in, and as we set off a nimble lad by the name of Long jumps in with us. His English his excellent, his aim was clear – to sell us a hostel, driver, or tour guide trip and he had fifteen minutes with us where we couldn’t escape. He could even offer a free trip to sunset as a deal sweetener. But our resolve was strong, and our objective equally simple – to confuse the poor bugger by talking about the difference between Mekong Delta Catfish and their European brethren (one being 2m and 200Kg larger than the other), while wandering on to the subject of English football when even he started to lose interest. He didn’t sell us anything.
 Here the tree roots threatened complete destruction of a doorway, it lost its head.
Here the tree roots threatened complete destruction of a doorway, it lost its head.17-Dec-2009 07:08, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.0, 53.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100 |
Finally, having avoided the pitfalls, we arrived at our destination, Garden Lodge Hotel. $8 buys you a large double room, fan and private bathroom, including intermittent internet and shambolic breakfast. Great value. Great looking but hilariously unorganised restaurant outside, half the things aren’t even on the menu as nobody ever buys them so they stopped ordering the stock in. Choosing food is a lottery. They even give you free bikes for your stay which we planned to make use of, they had one available (the rest were broken) so Lynette planned to hop on this while I rented another for $1 from over the road. We spent one day blogging in their great looking outside chill out area, before feeling fully psyched up for a one day cycling sprint around the famous ruins themselves. Only one day may seem a strange choice, but many travellers we’d met going the other way had described themselves as feeling very templed out after just one, while those on holiday seem to be able to cope for several days. We erred on caution and opted for the day. We cycled as I still had fond memories of Ayutthaya, and others had also said the Tuk Tuk journey was perhaps a little restrictive. We would see…
Our Day Cycling Angkor
 The second most famous Angkor ruin, Bayon temple.
The second most famous Angkor ruin, Bayon temple.17-Dec-2009 03:25, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 4.0, 4.1mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 80 |
We’d set ourselves the romantic objective of catching sunrise over Angkor Wat, and set off in near pitch black (with no headlamps) on the fifty minute cycle to the ruins. We learnt several things on this journey. That taking the bog standard city cycles on a speedy 35km trek was going to be tough, and that you should take the Eastern track rather than the rear entrance Western track, which means you have to cycle back on yourself (with a teasing look at the outside of Angkor Wat) another 2km to buy your $20 single day entrance tickets before going back once again to do the ruins for real. So we missed sunrise, but felt elated once we actually got started. 
 We brought these glasses especially. No they didn’t fit. Yes we have a stupid sense of humour.
We brought these glasses especially. No they didn't fit. Yes we have a stupid sense of humour.17-Dec-2009 04:53, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.5, 105.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 100 |
Most people (including us) only think of Angkor Wat itself when talking about the Angkor ruins, but with over one thousand temples over three thousand square kilometres the truth is much more exciting. All were built during the peak of the Khmer empire between the 9th and 12th centuries, Angkor Wat itself being completed about the same time as Notre Dame Cathedral. The Khmer Empire was at its peak and the undisputed ruler of South East Asia during this time, but went into decline after a Mongol push forced the allied Thais to eat into the Khmer’s rule. Angkor then went into decline, before being rescued during the 20th century and restored to its current glory. The Khmer Rouge period, with Pol Pot at its head, set the renovation back decades; of the thousand learned archaeologists working at the site only two survived torture and execution while all paper records of the work left many temples as piles of stones with no instructions of how they should be put together; the largest jigsaw puzzle ever conceived. Nevertheless, through (mostly apologetic French) investment and determination they have become the grand ancient treasures they are today, and even now further renovation (in the form of unfortunately ugly scaffolding) visits again on many of the major temples.
 Lynette striking a Lara Croft pose in Ta Prohm.
Lynette striking a Lara Croft pose in Ta Prohm.17-Dec-2009 09:51, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.0, 40.0mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 100 |
Our cycling tour was through what is considered the ‘Small Tour Circuit’ with a small break out to Preah Khan, and was in total an exhausting 35km estimated twelve hour day. In order, we visited Phnom Bakeng, Angkor Thom, Bayon Temple, Terrace of the Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King, Preah Khan (stopped for lunch), back into Angkor Thom, Ta Phrom and finally Angkor Wat for sunset. So in total around ten temples including the major highlights, and they were all awesome. Angkor Wat, while far from a disappointment, was actually the minor highlight of the day. Every other temple is so impressive, particularly Ta Prohm and the Bayon temple, that each takes your breath away while the sheer size and scale of Angkor allows you to feel very Indiana Jones/Lara Croft in your exploration.
 First stop, Preah Khan, apparently a great place for a sunrise, you just have to be there when the sun rises.
First stop, Preah Khan, apparently a great place for a sunrise, you just have to be there when the sun rises.17-Dec-2009 02:29, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.0, 50.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 100 |
Mostly everywhere is packed, but as there are so many temples you can grab an odd few minutes of peaceful solitude, and while sometimes we would have loved a guide to hear his explanations, we saw many large tour groups where only the keen close few could actually hear what was going on. Biking was tough; especially in the heat of the day which starts at about 10am and lasts till about 3pm. Feeling peckish at the end, we paid a Tuk Tuk driver $2 to take us and our bikes from Angkor Wat back to the hostel, the growing force of traffic exiting the ruins in the dark didn’t look too friendly to a non-reflective cyclist!
 Lynette and I in front of Angkor Wat after a long hard day.
Lynette and I in front of Angkor Wat after a long hard day.17-Dec-2009 11:01, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.0, 28.0mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 100 |
We loved the day there, and are happy that we only did the one. Having said that, we’ll probably go back carrying a few more books and documentaries in our heads and spend a week deciphering the ancient history of the region and how the politics, religion and culture are all depicted here. For instance we’ve since learned that the many variations of the South East Asian classical dance we’ve seen all begin from here, when the thousand concubines of the Khmer king danced ornate sequences, topless, before the eventual decline of the empire itself. When these concubines were taken by other empires as their prize, the dances continued and evolved into what exists today. As the brickwork and dance are the only lasting documentation from the period, the dances themselves are surprisingly important reminders of this ancient part of history. Although they all cover up a bit more now (depending on where you go in Bangkok). The day done, we headed home for our next day bus to Phnom Penh.
The Cambodian Capital of Phnom Penh
 Building A of S-21, where each classroom has been converted to a cell.
Building A of S-21, where each classroom has been converted to a cell.20-Dec-2009 07:54, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 4.0, 4.1mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 80 |
The main ‘highlights’ of Phnom Penh are Toul Sleng Genocide Museum, better known as S21, and Choeung Ek – the famous Killing Fields . These visits will leave you emotionally raped, and we will cover these in the next cheerful post. Other than this, we can sum up our time in Phnom Penh very briefly, so it’s being squeezed onto the end of Angkor!
 Seventeen shelves contain the skeletal remains of over eight thousand dead.
Seventeen shelves contain the skeletal remains of over eight thousand dead.20-Dec-2009 10:13, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 3.5, 30.0mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 100 |
Our $5 bus from Siem Reap, after a unintended sight seeing tour of the city itself, dropped us off smack in the geographical centre. We daringly hiked the streets wih our backpacks for a mile or so, before staying the night in Tat Hostel, which was nice enough but had no wireless and we soon discovered was in the middle of nowhere. It was a surprise to be somewhere so surrounded with streets yet have so little to eat, drink and be merry nearby. The next day we took a trip to the much more interesting backpack area, where good value food, drink, and happy paraphanalia is abound. Seriously, there was more greenery than Amsterdam. Our room in No. 9 Guesthouse was only $5 (but was total crap and got hotter every day), and we ended up in an eternal battle of the wills with the on-site tecchie who pointed out that the wireless wasn’t free (but we figured out his daily password name changing scheme and gratis it was) so any time attempting to chill out in their very nice bar area wasn’t as relaxed as it could have been. We lasted about a day or so while we waited for our Vietnam Visa to become active, and then hightailed it to Saigon on a very good $7 VIP bus. Bring on a Ho Ho Ho Chi Minh Christmas!
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First stop, Preah Khan, apparently a great place for a sunrise, you just have to be there when the sun rises.17-Dec-2009 02:29, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.0, 50.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 100 |
Over one thousand temples spread across 3,000 square kilometres, and almost completely enveloped by jungle.17-Dec-2009 02:16, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 4.5, 4.1mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 80 |
At the top of Preah Khan, our first of many headless Buddhas, sacked by the Burmese.17-Dec-2009 02:20, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 3.5, 28.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 100 |
Looking back down over the lip of the hill, a gentle thirty minute walk.17-Dec-2009 02:23, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 4.0, 4.1mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 80 |
Looking back down over the lip of the hill, a gentle thirty minute walk.17-Dec-2009 02:23, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 4.0, 4.1mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 80 |
Entering Angkor Thom walls, each of the cardinal entrances guarded by a huge stone head.17-Dec-2009 03:01, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 3.5, 30.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100 |
The second most famous Angkor ruin, Bayon temple.17-Dec-2009 03:25, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 4.0, 4.1mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 80 |
With thirty seven towers, each with four huge faces facing each point of the compass.17-Dec-2009 03:28, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 4.5, 6.5mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 80 |
The Bayon temple is huge, and potentially even more interesting than Angkor Wat itself!17-Dec-2009 03:26, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 4.3, 14.7mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 80 |
The ground floor is famous for its carved reliefs, depicting various deities and moments in history.17-Dec-2009 03:41, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.0, 53.0mm, 0.02 sec, ISO 100 |
These are the Vietnamese soldiers attacking the Khmer empire, their helmets representing upside down Lotus flowers.17-Dec-2009 03:44, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 3.5, 28.0mm, 0.013 sec, ISO 100 |
Mass renovation is currently being undertaken across Angkor, a temporary but necessary reminder that everything eventually crumbles.17-Dec-2009 03:58, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 3.5, 28.0mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 100 |
Lots of butterflies flitter around the site, they also love the salt from your sweat. When cycling, this is of mutual benefit.17-Dec-2009 04:08, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.5, 92.0mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 100 |
Entering the temple itself, you are reminded of its continued religious significance as Buddist tourists still pay homage to the man himself.17-Dec-2009 04:17, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.0, 53.0mm, 0.1 sec, ISO 800 |
Up on the first floor of the Bayon temple, looking at one of the four headed towers.17-Dec-2009 04:10, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 5.0, 22.5mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 80 |
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Lynette and I in front of the famous towers of the Bayon Temple.17-Dec-2009 04:41, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 4.5, 4.1mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 80 |
We brought these glasses especially. No they didn't fit. Yes we have a stupid sense of humour.17-Dec-2009 04:53, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.5, 105.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 100 |
This scary little beastie happily posed for a photo, before eating another tourist alive. Not true.17-Dec-2009 05:04, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 4.0, 6.5mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 100 |
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