xxxxx
siem reap town is tiny. everywhere in the commercial area (even the angkor archeological park (aap), save for farther temples like banteay srei and roulos group) is within 15 mins tolerance. very few cars; plenty of motos (cambodian version of tuk tuks) and bikes. poverty cries out to u everywhere. beggars, including young children approach tourists with seasoned temerity. some even follow u around. basic infrastructure is severely lacking. there are very few tarred roads and the pavements are mostly in a sorry state of disrepair. a cloud of dust envelopes u whenever a vehicle zooms past. hard not to be asphyxiated!
settled our rumbling tummies at the blue pumpkin in phsar chah (old market) followed by some attempted window shopping (there was some mild confusion between central market and centre market). the old market is like a white man's ghetto. many foreigners own and operate their f&b biz here. reminds me of koh samui. but at least koh samui had a starbucks and burger king, so this place is obviously more remote. ;)
later that evening, we headed to the aap to purchase our one-day tixs for the next day. found out that one of the wats, phnom bahkeng, is foc after 5pm so we proceeded there for a glimpse of the famous angkor sunset. did we hv a surprise in store!
now, dun let our demureness fool ya; even the mini-skirted one conquered this phnom (hill) with aplomb! we might attempt with heels next time. kekeke.
settled our rumbling tummies at the blue pumpkin in phsar chah (old market) followed by some attempted window shopping (there was some mild confusion between central market and centre market). the old market is like a white man's ghetto. many foreigners own and operate their f&b biz here. reminds me of koh samui. but at least koh samui had a starbucks and burger king, so this place is obviously more remote. ;)
later that evening, we headed to the aap to purchase our one-day tixs for the next day. found out that one of the wats, phnom bahkeng, is foc after 5pm so we proceeded there for a glimpse of the famous angkor sunset. did we hv a surprise in store!
xxxxx
expedition day was hot hot hot. 41 freaking degrees C this time. the sun beat down on us with a vengeance as we trekked thro dusty dirt tracks and ancient ruins maneuvering thro throngs of tourists. we explored four temples - angkor wat, banteay srei, ta phrom and bayon. each temple has its own unique characteristic, like the monster trees at ta phrom, the myriad faces at bayon, etc. can't quite decide which is my fave. a pix speaks a thousand words so i shall let my pixs do the rest of the talking.xxxxx
the magic extends beyond angkor to the stories u hear from the locals about their progress from the days of the khmer rouge. sad stories filled with courage and hope. the guerrilla regime ended only recently, in 1998 and the nation is still recovering from the aftermath. it seems that all known landmines have been cleared by the HALO trust, cept for the northern border area but still, foreign visitors are advised to be careful, esp in the more rural areas. cambodia relies substantially on external help, both monetary and non-monetary from richer nations like france, switzerland, japan, singapore, etc for building of basic facilities such as hospitals to conservation of angkor relics and monuments.
would luv to revisit siem reap and maybe phnom penh in future, but perhaps in the monsoon period when its cooler and some temples change colour from a dry russet to a verdant green; the moats and basins swell with rainwater, filled with floating lotus flowers. so anyone who's up for it, count me in! :)
the magic extends beyond angkor to the stories u hear from the locals about their progress from the days of the khmer rouge. sad stories filled with courage and hope. the guerrilla regime ended only recently, in 1998 and the nation is still recovering from the aftermath. it seems that all known landmines have been cleared by the HALO trust, cept for the northern border area but still, foreign visitors are advised to be careful, esp in the more rural areas. cambodia relies substantially on external help, both monetary and non-monetary from richer nations like france, switzerland, japan, singapore, etc for building of basic facilities such as hospitals to conservation of angkor relics and monuments.
would luv to revisit siem reap and maybe phnom penh in future, but perhaps in the monsoon period when its cooler and some temples change colour from a dry russet to a verdant green; the moats and basins swell with rainwater, filled with floating lotus flowers. so anyone who's up for it, count me in! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment