Siem Reap, Cambodia

Taxi - Train - Tuk Tuk - Mini Van - Taxi  

Train tracks at Village Stop

On the train

So what a ride! We set our alarm clocks and where checked out and in our taxi at 4:30am.  We arrived at Hualamphang Railway station at 4:50, purchased our tickets (Thai Baht 48 per person - around US$1.60) and stood around for a long time with the locals and a few dodgy looking foreigners. Around 5:10am we heard a train arriving and moved out to our platform 6 - good thing because as soon as it stopped and the non-existent passengers disembarked - it was open for open seating boarding.  We lucked in!

The train left station at 6:05 (only 10 minutes late). We commenced through the densely populated city of Bangkok and out into the outlaying countryside. A completley flat landscape from Bangkok to the Cambodian border. With Cambodia continuing the endless flat views.

The Tuk Tuk from the train tried to drop us off first at a spot to get a Cambodian visa but we were already prepared to tell him "no - to the border - we already have visas!". It worked and we exited Thai Immigration and proceeded into the Cambodian border control area. Our suspicious natures got the better of us here as we ignored valid advice on where we would actually get our visa on arrival so ended up doing a loop around the compound on a hot sticky day before we were back at the correct office. Handed the passports over and US$20 per person (no photos required). Waited a while and off we went to the actual Immigration queue which took a lot longer. Then it was out to a free shuttle bus service to the transportation zone outside of border control. Options then to get to Siem Reap were taxi (US$12 per person but would only take 4 people); shared van (US$10 per person and would take around 2.5 hours); or bus (US$9 per person and would take around 5 hours). We took the van - and that was fine all the way into Siem Reap but then they changed us over to a private car for the final run to our hotel telling us that it was also covered in our fare (at the hotel we had a bit of a "discussion" with the driver as he tried to get more money from us - but without success).

Our Hotel - Steung Siem Reap

The Steung Siem Reap is a lovely hotel across the street from the main river through Siem Reap and adjacent to an active Buddhist Temple and the tourist areas of Old Market and Pub Street. Equally nice is that the staff are all nice and helpful. We then arranged to use the services of the hotel driver (Main) to take us on our journeys around the temples and lake. He too was a wonderful person and made great suggestions on the order to see the temples in but was also very accommodating on our desires.

Siem Reap River at Night

Prices

Cambodia is inexpensive! Starting with the 3 day (good over a 5 day period) at US$20 per person (children under 12 are free - but you need to carry their passports in case you are challenged). Then food all seems to be fairly large portions for prices under US$6.00 per dish; and beer from US$0.50 to US$2.00; and wine at a wonderful US$10 - US$20 (in the restaurant - and cheeper at the market). Ending with clothes: US$4.00 or less for a T-shirt; US$6.00 or so for ladies soft pants; US$10.00 for polo shirts in sizes that fit westerners.

Food

In one word: WOW.  We did not have poor food while we were in Cambodia. The flavours were always interesting and tasty. The prices were great. Curries, soups, vegetable/meat combos, we tried a variety. You get French influences but a lot of unique Cambodian twists. Unlike Thai the heat profile was not nearly as high. One could visit Cambodia for the food alone.

Siem Reap - city area

Siem Reap old city area is quite a small footprint and easily managed on foot. Our hotel's location made it super easy to head out to a variety of pubs, restaurants, bars and shops. We explored from our front door to the new markets area across the lovely footbridges over the river - this market area is more open, clean, and inviting that the more cramped Old Market. But since the Old Market was just across the street we went though it several times as well - with its mix of meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, spices and rice adding loads of character to the more touristy goods of clothing, precious stones, jewelry and arts and crafts. Equally along the other streets and alleys shopping opportunities as well as massages and "fish massages for the feet" abounded. Pub Street and the adjacent alleys were favourites.

The Temples and Tonle Sap

And now for a bit of culture. The primary reason people visit Siem Reap is for Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and the other ancient temples. Over the 4 days we visited the majority but not all of the temples. At all locations locals were just outside and in some cases inside the compound areas trying to get you to spend your US$1.00 for postcards, guide books, musical instruments, T-shirts, scarves, sarongs, soft drinks, water, etc. They could be quite persistent but eventually move on to the next tourist.

We saw the temples in the following order: Day 1 - Angkor Thom (causeway, south gate, Bayon, Baphuon, Phimeanakas, Elephant Terrace, Leper King Terrace), and Angkor Wat; Day 2 - Preah Khan, Neak Pean, Ta Som, East Mebon, Pre Rup, and Ta Prohm; Day 3 - we went to the river and Tonle Sab Lake with the Kumplong Floating Village; Day 4 - Banteay Shrei, Banteay Kdei, Sras Srang and Prasat Kravan.

For those of you interested here is some more detail on the temples.

Angkor Wat: across the bridge

Angkor was the capital of the Khmer empire which dominated Mainland Southeast Asia for centuries. Here the kings built temples for the national gods, Shiva, Vishnu, and the Buddha, in succession. Today temples make the only visible remains of the capital.

Timeline: Prelude in Sambor Prei Kuk (7th century); Hariharalaya, the first Angkorian capital in Roluos (from about 800); Yasodharapura, the capital from about 900; The Koh Ker episode (921--941); Return to Yasodharapura; The era of Angkor Wat; The Bayon era. Read more at The Temples of Angkor

East Mebon & Pre Rup: King Rajendavarman (944-968) made a new core of the capital near the East Baray. He built the East Mebon as his ancestor temple, and Pre Rup (961) as his state temple.  Both are pyramid temples made of laterite and brick. The five towers are at each temple again arranged in a quincunx, and well preserved.

Baphuon: King Udayadityavarman II (1050 - 1066) built the Baphuon (1060), just south of the Royal Palace. There was a huge pyramid, topped by "the tower of bronze, even higher than the golden tower [of the Bayon]", as a Chinese chronicler remarked.

Narrative bas-reliefs: Beginning with the Baphuon, there are large tableaux of bas-reliefs presenting scenes from the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, and other Hindu epics. The most extensive are at Angkor Wat and at the outer and inner galleries of the Bayon.

Angkor Wat: King Suryavarman II (1113 – c. 1150) built the greatest temple in the world.
Dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu, the preserver of the World, Angkor Wat is the climax of Khmer architecture: A gigantic three-step pyramid is adorned by nine slender towers of enormous height. The steps of the pyramid are capped by galleries. Framed by a majestic moat and an enclosure wall with the large West Gate, the temple covers 2.5 square kilometres.

Devata at Angkor Wat: In Angkor Wat are some two-thousand Devata reliefs. In the beauty of eternal youth, Devata are guarding and embellishing the temple. Their outfit is stunning: fantastic hairdos, heavy jewellery, effectively designed and draped sarongs, their hands in charming gestures. According to the customs of the period they are bare breasted.

Monastic cities and temples: Towards 1200 AD, King Jayavarman VII (1181 – c. 1215) made Mahayana Buddhism the state religion. He built a series of monastic cities and temples: Ta Prohm (1186),  Preah Khan (1191) and the nearby water sanctuary Neak Pean, Banteay Kdei and Srah Srang, Ta Som, Ta Nei , as well as Prasat Prei Prasat and Banteay Thom, just north of Angkor Thom.

Angkor Thom: Jayavarman VII also built  Angkor Thom, the royal city inside of the extensive metropolis Yasodharapura. Angkor Thom is framed by a moat, a wall, and five imposing gates with face towers. Bayon: In the centre of the city King Jayavarman VII built the Bayon as his state temple. In a confused construction innumerable face towers grow up like trees in a natural forest. The walls of Angkor Thom make the outer enclosure of the Bayon. Read more at Angkor Thom Temples

Banteay Srei: is a 10th century Cambodian temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. Located in the area of Angkor in Cambodia. It lies near the hill of Phnom Dei, 25 km (16 mi) north-east of the main group of temples that once belonged to the medieval capitals of Yasodharapura and Angkor Thom. Banteay Srei is built largely of red sandstone, a medium that lends itself to the elaborate decorative wall carvings which are still observable today. The buildings themselves are miniature in scale, unusually so when measured by the standards of Angkorian construction. These factors have made the temple extremely popular with tourists, and have led to its being widely praised as a "precious gem", or the "jewel of Khmer art." Read more at Banteay Srei - Wikipedia


And on the day we did not go to the temples we headed out the Asia's Largest Freshwater Lake: Tonle Sap and spent a long time both in motorized long boats and being paddled around in flat bottomed skiffs. The most interesting time was in the Kampong Village built on top of the lake. Read more at Tonle Sap

Floating Village in Tonle Sap

Return Journey

We enquired about options to return to Bangkok and chose the bus (at US$14 per person). What that actually was to have meant was that we would have a bus to the border - walk across clearing immigration and then board a new bus for the trip to Bangkok. Departure was to be 7:00am.  We were up and ready and waited... Finally at 7:30 2 tuk tuks showed up to take us a short distance away where we were to board the bus. We get off at the Backpackers Hostel and join people that are already waiting. More and more arrived for the next hour. We finally were divided up and the 5 of us were once again in a mini-van which bumped along with break stops to their terminal in Poi Pet where once again we waited until a Thai national arrived to take our tickets and give us a stick on for our Thailand destination - and explaining that we would now go to the border crossing and we would clear through and he would meet us after entering Thailand on the other side.

Finally at around noon we actually entered the queue to exit Cambodia - and took 45 minutes to clear through that queue. On to the other side of the compound and enter the queue to clear immigration for Thailand - that took a mind-boggling 2 hours! Thankfully the day was clear and not pouring rain as we were standing around under a mesh sunscreen that would have not stopped the rain.

As advertised we were met at the other side and were put into the back of a truck for the short trip to the  agency's bus terminal where we had lunch at waited some more. Once more into another mini-van and off we headed to Bangkok. This time we had a speed demon for a driver and he took all sorts of short cuts to overtake traffic. A pit stop and a stop for petrol and finally at 7:00pm we are dropped off at the Khao San Road area of Bangkok. A quick exchange to a waiting taxi (and a wonderful safe driver) and we were checked in at the Grand President on Sukhumvit 11 by 7:30pm.

Land transfer was an interesting way to go - but once was absolutely enough! I will fly in next time and save the 2 days taken up travelling - even if we got to see a lot more countryside than most people ever encounter.