Wat Wat Wat...

5 September 2009

Optional boat trip from the second city of Cambodia, Battambang. We opted out, as we've already had one lovely (though just mildly boring after the first two hours) river journey in Southeast Asia, and this one promised to be about 6 hours. Instead of being up at 6am to catch said boat, the Twins, Tee, Alex and us left with the truck at 8-ish, and having made good time, arrived early into Siem Reap, the tourist town centered around Angkor Wat. Hotel is fab, called Lotus Lodge and run by a very nice Dutchman called Andre and his wife. Beautiful deep pool, some of the best food we've had in SE Asia, lush greenery, etc. A bit outside of town, so it's quiet and serene, and they also run a free shuttle into the heart of the city, so really, ideal. Three nights here, Cambodian BBQ (snake and crocodile, see above) for dinner and then pub quiz. Just like home.

You'll know Angkor Wat from movies—Tomb Raider was partly filmed here. Just as you'll probably know that Angelina Jolie picked up Tan Baby Number One here while filming said cinematic masterpiece. Hotpants and hope. She's an angel, isn't she just. Cocktail named for her at the Red Piano bar. Apparently she drank there once.


Up at the deeply stupid hour of 4am yesterday to see the sun rise over Angkor Wat itself. Argh. Why do people insist on thinking sunrise is cool? Will never comprehend this question, personally. Might have been converted...if there had been a sunrise.


Pissing down rain, dark, not super cool. Collectively coerced the guide bring us back to the hotel at 6 for the free breakfast (though I slept for an hour instead), and at the rather more civilized hour of 8:30, we tried again. Much improved!

The temples really are incredible, absolutely a highlight of the trip. The main one with the beehive-shaped towers that is the symbol of Cambodia (quiz: which is the only nation in the world to have a building on their flag?) and is most recognizeable was first—this is Angkor Wat itself. Biggest religious building in the world, I'm told. The Hindu carving is 800+ years old, and looks like it was done yesterday. It was gloomy and atmospheric given the weather, but also relatively empty of tourists, which made it all the better. Still not used to other Westerners. Go home, people!

Next on to Angkor Thom; each of the 54 towers here is carved with a giant face. Sort of Olmec, sort of Easter Island, very cool. It's a big raggedy and tumbledown and you can clamber around and vent your inner Lara Croft. Lunch at a restaurant in the grounds—Angkor Wat was the site of a massive city, possibly more than a million souls (I'm not googling to check this, just trusting the guide. Have become very lazy.)--so eating there is more practical than leaving. We were being shuttled about by a fleet of the very comfy tuk-tuks, as it's kilometers between temples, so the guide, Pissa, picked one place and we had the usual range of soups and curries, all fine. I fully expect to be shafted in tourist places with a captive audience, and yes it was pricier than local food, but super clean and highly edible.

The third main sight is the Tomb Raider temple, called Ta Phrom—amazing. It's crumbling, though stabilized, and the huge stones are perfectly tinged green with lichen, making it really more like a movie set than real life. Huge trees grow through the stones in several places, some shaped like snakes and some soaring straight up...BBC was there filming for a series called something like Human Planet, and obligingly blowing fake mist around, just to make it absolutely perfect.

It's amazing how much more positive I feel about Cambodia today. Staggering amounts of genocide and child prostitution and landmines and the crappy kid who beat on David with a metal pole can really make a place seem less appealing. But Siem Reap is lovely, the temples are evidence of a truly amazing culture, t-shirts are cheap, and the food's good. Also, they have little pools you pop your feet into, and tiny fish eat the dead skin in 10 minutes. How often do you get that on a Saturday night?