Angkors Away

After our brief return to Bangkok, we split for Siem Reap and Angkor Wat. Now, before we embarked, we had been warned in no uncertain terms and with all severity that the road from Poipet to Sisophon which makes up roughly half of the journey on the Cambodian side was vicious on the spine and ass. Still, we were optimistic. We were wrong to be so. The road is dirt and in the middle it is covered in tiny, deep, jarring potholes that would be spine crumbling if you had to drive it the whole way but along the sides it is filled with crater sized holes in which our car all but disappeared before rolling up the other side (did I mention we were in a sedan?). The deeper pits saved us from total spinal destruction. However, while this may seem perilous enough, our driver was not at all satisfied. Not only did we have to be bouncing up and down through these pits, but we had to be doing it at breakneck speed, passing any and everything from other motorists to 7-year-olds herding cattle at as close a range as possible. I thought on several occasions that we surely had run someone off the road. To make matters worse, just outside of Sisophon we heard a sudden hissing and our driver pulled to the side of the road. It seems that our car was powered in some way by natural gas and one of his maneuverings had split some tubing so that now natural gas was spewing from underneath the car and the trunk. We had to stop in Sisophon for 45 minutes to get it fixed, which we were glad for because riding in a powder keg down a bumpy road is not our idea of adventure. In the end, we arrived in Siem Reap safe and tired.

What neither of us had thought of or realized was how much of a tourist center Siem Reap is. It's absolutely lousy with tourists of every stripe. From hordes of Asians traveling in packs, flashes constantly going to more subdued travelers months into around the world trips. As a result, the restaurants were superb, but we, as everyone else, were flocked by vendors and beggars. We took to joking with them as most were children. It seems that they must teach US state capitols in school here because everyone began reciting them when we told them we were from the States. We asked one little girl about Oregon and she snapped right back, "Salem," without even batting an eye. We were impressed, but not so much that we bought anything.

Anyhow, more important than the people at the temples were the temples themselves, and they did not disappoint. We bought three-day passes and hired a tuk-tuk driver to take us around (tuk-tuks are motorbike pulled carts). The first day we headed to Banteay Srei which is regarded as the jewel of the temples and is the farthest out into the park. It was as fantastic as advertised. The walls are ornately carved with all sorts of Hindu figures, including Krishna, Shiva and Arjuna. We tried to get there early, thinking 9:30 would be sufficient, but it wasn't. The park does open at 5:30 for sunrise, so many people had long been there.

From Banteay Srei we headed to Pre Rup, another spectacular temple. To be honest, they were all spectacular and you really have to see them to appreciate their beauty and impressiveness. There really is no way we can capably convey what it is to see them in person. Sure we can describe them, the carvings, they measurements, the flora growing from their brick foundations and walls, but none of that would give you a fair understanding of seeing them rise up before you. Suffice it to say, if you can, you should really see them for you self. We saw several more Wats that day and were dizzy with awe by the end.

For our second day we did the sunrise at Angkor Watt... along with 1,000 other people. Our driver insisted that it was the only Western facing temple and thus the only one where the sun rose from behind it. We thought perhaps 5:30 was a little early for most people but clearly we were wrong. Once inside the gate, the place was a zoo. People lined the surrounding walls and every few steps you had to step around a person's tripod. It seemed everyone in Siem Reap was there to get that famous picture of the sun cresting the high towers of Ankgor Wat. We were somewhat disappointed, but made due. Instead we went around back and explored. Finally, when the sun was up, we went inside. I climbed to the top, but Hilary wisely opted to stay on the second level. The stairs are absurdly steep and while going up is easy enough, coming down is damn harrowing. I opted for a lesser used staircase as the one with the recently fixed steps and handrail was packed and if any one fell, they'd take the rest with them. Forget that. Aside from the view, there wasn't much at the top to see anyway. We saw several more temples that day and were exhausted by the afternoon. That evening over a bowl of Korko Soup, we decided that 13 hours over two days was plenty and that we'd move on to Battambang the next morning via river boat.

The river boat was reportedly a beautiful ride on which you could see much of the country side and both were true. What wasn't true was the suggested time of travel. Magically what was supposed to be a 5 hour trip became a 9 hour journey down narrow streams. The scenery was indeed special and we passed many floating villages and other such sights, so we managed to keep our cool, but we were extremely thankful when it finally ended. And that's where we stand now, in Battambang about to head to Phnom Penh.

(Please note that these Wats are in no particular order as I had a hard enough time simply getting them on here.)