Siem Reap

We arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia after a very trying journey and border crossing from Bangkok. Tired and hungry we were pleased to see our friends Toria and Adam and meet their friends Gary and Lucy on the first night and head out for a few drinks and some dinner.

We were to spend the next week in Siem Reap with our time split evenly between exploring the temples at Angkor and volunteering at a local orphanage. It seems wrong to lump the two together and with that in mind I will do a separate post on our time at the orphanage.

Where to start with the glories that are Angkor...

We were lucky enough to arrive a day after Toria and Adam and so benefited from their judgement of not hiring an overpriced, under-enthusiast tour guide. Instead we hopped onto a tuk-tuk, only $13 for four of us for the day and headed over to get our first look at this varied complex of ancient Khmer architecture.

First stop was Ta Prohm, the tomb raider temple made famous by Angelina Jolie. Perhaps one of the most well-known temples it is also the most protected and equally one of the busiest. Ta Prohm is as you expect it to be, cloaked in shadow with roots and vines of centuries old trees bursting through the stonework and carvings. It is very atmospheric, and if not for the crowds, would have been one of our favourites. It is certainly a great example of naturing taking back what is hers.

Next stop was Sra Sang the royal bathing pool which far from its original status as the 'royal dumping' ground - quite literally - is now a beautiful, ethereal spot were sky meets water. We chose to walk around the lake, diverting to the local township on the banks of the water where we got to meet some charming children playing and on their way back from school.

Opposite Sra Sang was Banteay Kdei a Buddhist monastery and our joint favourite temple. Similar in atmosphere and structure to Ta Prohm but with very little crowds it is a great place to explore slowly and enjoy the ambiance. So easy to miss in the vast complex of larger temples but make sure you don't if you get the chance to ever go there.

At this point, I mustn't forget to point out that Adam, our excellent guide for the trip was giving us a great insight into the history and story-telling of each temple throughout our visit, courtesy of Lonely Planet. So big kudos goes to him.

Day two of temple sight-seeing started with an early morning to catch the sunrise at Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat is considered the jewel in the crown at Angkor and it certainly fills that brief in terms of size and grandeur. Certainly at sunrise, absent of large crowds the splendour of the place is really displayed as the sun rises behind its three central towers.

The rest of the day we spent exploring Angkor Thom, the last great capital of the Angkor empire. Angkor Thom is an immense complex that is made up of many temples, Buddhist shrines and elaborate viewing platforms. By far the most impressive is Bayon, the legendary state temple of king Jayavarman VII where 216 faces bear down on his subjects. The faces are meant to represent Hindu god Avalokiteshvara but are said to bear a striking resemblance to the king himself and as they glare down from every angle it certainly is impressive to behold.

Angkor in general is truly awe-inspiring and breathtaking. Its individual temples each tell a small part of the great empire's history and as a collective they testify the skills and intellect of a civilisation that dominated Cambodia, Laos, parts of Thailand and Vietnam for over three centuries. Curious is its origins in Hinduism which is still clear to see in the carvings on the temples despite a conversion to Buddhism. The delicacy of the buildings really is in the detail as you examine the Aspara, Bas relief and Buddha carvings and statues on each and every block that stands (and in some cases have fallen) from each temple.

Aside from Angkor, which is why most people visit Siem Reap, the city has a lot to offer. The riverside with its night market is a great place to wander. If you want to shop this is the place to do it. Watches, wallets and an assortment of goodies took up hours of our evenings and helped hone our bargaining skills.

Pub street is a good place for food, Khmer and western and we, along with Toria, Adam, Gary, Lucy enjoyed a multi-cultural week of food including Indian night, Italian night and Mexican. The cocktails weren't too bad either!