Siem Reap and Battambang (6 - 14 October 2007)
Siem Reap - home to the magnificent Angkor Temples! We arrived in Siem Reap late afternoon and checked into Popular Hotel (which is really only popular due to the recommendation in the Lonely Planet guidebook (if there is one thing I have learned on this trip so far, it is not to rely on the guidebook’s recommendations).
The next morning Eon went on a bicycle search and found four for $1 each. So Alan, Rob, Eon and I took on the 7km road to Angkor Wat. I was struggling to contain my excitement! At first glance it was not nearly as impressive as the guidebook made it out to be. The next day we went there for sunrise and that made up for it, there was a real mystical feel to the place!
The temples of Angkor were rediscovered in 1860 and research found that they were constructed form 800 to 1200 AD. Angkor Wat is only one of the several temples in the Angkor Archaeological Park. Two other Temples that truly impressed us are Bayon, the temple with 216 huge smiling faces carved out of sandstone and Ta Prohm, the jungle invested temple were the movie Tomb Raider was filmed.
I really do not have much to write about the temples as the photos tell the story! We ended up spending three days at the temples and in Eon’s words: “we are templed out!”
The town itself is not worth writing about (just expensive food and drinks), but the temples are worth the while.
Due to a one week public holiday we couldn’t get our visas for Laos for overland travel. So we were forced to catch a flight to get the visas on arrival at the airport (or stay another week in Cambodia). So we had a couple of days to spare before flying to Vientiane, Laos, we did a bit of a detour to Battambang. I caught a nasty flue and spent most of the time here in bed. Due to a one week public holiday, celebrating the All Souls day, most of the shops, bars and even restaurants in Cambodia were closed for business.
One thing I just have to tell you about is my doctor-experience. We were on our way to lunch in Battambang, when I saw a ‘pharmacy’ and decided to ask for some cold and flue meds. I turned out that it was a doctor’s room and not a pharmacy and the kind doctor with very limited English insisted on examining me. I quickly realised that my protesting was not getting me anywhere and my desperation to feel better was too great, so I gave in and sat down for the doctor to examine me. I tried to explain to him that I had a sore throat and body ache, and that I just needed some meds for this, but he just smiled at me. I had a huge fright when he pulled out (what I thought was) a syringe, but luckily it was a thermometer. He put the thermometer under my armpit and had a look at my throat with a huge flashlight and metal stick. He diagnosed me with Pharyngitis??? He gave me so much meds (12 pills a day!) and even though I tried to explain that I already have paracetamol and something for the sore throat, he insisted that I take his version of them! Well, in the end he charged me $5 for the check-up and meds ?
EON:
While Chantell was taking some time-out we went to explore the town and its surroundings. Me, Alan and Rob got ourselves a moto guy each and had a real Cambodian adventure! We visited Wat Banan on a mountain top, all the locals visited it because of the public holidays, and some of them obviously haven’t seen a lot of westerners because of the giggles and the photos that they took of us!
We had roast chicken for lunch - this was probably the nastiest chicken ever! Chewy as hell and the head was still on the chicken! (It also didn’t help that I saw it getting killed) In one of the local restaurants that looked like a mix between a high school prom and a karaoke bar there was “Burnt Chicken with Rape” on the menu - you gotta love the translation!!
We also had a whale of a time riding a norry (bamboo train). If two carts meet each other on the track, the smaller one must unpack, disassemble and get off the track before the bigger one speeds by! Felt really good to experience real Cambodia.
Click on image below to view the gallery:
