You may need to set aside a little bit of time for this post....sorry lots to show you!
Leaving Phnom Penh by bus at 2pm for another 6 hour trip, you wouldn't think it could take 6 hours to go 312km would you?
We arrived in
Siem Reap in the dark. Our hotel was a little different this time, more like a European Hotel versus the more Asian resort style of the last one.
http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Hotel_Review-g297390-d1007138-Reviews-Soria_Moria_Boutique_Hotel-Siem_Reap_Siem_Reap_Province.html
Again in was in a good position and we very rarely had to take transport to get to restaurants and places we wanted to go.
We did a tour around the city the first day to get our bearings, a precursor to the many temples were were about to visit.
Hand making silver trays...you just forget that things aren't all made in a factory the easy way.
How many people can you fit in one Tuk Tuk? Apparently 10!
Quite the collection baskets, brooms, decorations and dusters on 1 bicycle!
You can just see the wheel in the middle of the photo.
And a cup of tea in what was to become our favourite viewing spot in a corner restaurant before bed.
DAY 2 - Temples
(Hope it's not too overloaded with temple pics?)
This is how we got around with our favourite Tuk Tuk driver
Mr Yang Sam Rach, he always had a bottle of water for us when we were dying at the end of a walk around a temple.
First to
Ankhor Wat, the most famous of them all. It is the largest Hindu temple complex and largest religious monument in the world. The temple was built by King
Suryavarman II in the early 12th century to be the capital of the Khmer Empire as his state temple and eventual mausoleum. The temples are heritage listed and really were beautiful...they can blur into each other over time though....
Ankor Wat behind us
Some of the intricate carvings, these figures would be 150cm tall and carved thousands of years ago.
There was a wedding party getting photos taken on the day. This is a traditional style for the bridesmaids. We saw a bright green one at a park a couple of days later. You can choose your colour.
and the Bride and Groom
We then moved to
Ta Phrom which is also famous, it has large trees growing throughout the buildings.
I took this photo with someone elses children to give you some idea of the size.
Next to
Bayon which is Phil's favourite. It has faces carved into the sides of the towers....a little like the American president look. You don't notice straight away but as you get closer you can see it.
Phil almost rubbing noses with that one.
On to Preah Ko and the long bridge in and out.
I think we were 'framed'? Not that funny?
Lastly to the Temple of the Elephants Ba Phuon
Above is where the King would meet fortnightly with his subjects and listen to their problems and concerns and hopefully solve them...politicians could take note hey?
Underneath where the King speaks there are huge high walled walkways with amazing carvings.
These walls are probably 3 metres tall?
Sorry still going........... Day 2 to the Floating Village of Tonle Sap
(Only problem was it's DRY season so it's not really floating)
On the way we always enjoyed what we could see from the Tuk Tuk such as this huge truck load with a few people loaded on top!
The long dusty road we took to the village, usually you would travel by boat through this area but it was dry.
Another loaded truck with the workers on top of a pile of sand. Safety? Unsure if they thought of it...
About to get on our boat, one of the many on the left.
So this was our driver for a bit, he could hardly see over the bow. His Dad was behind us playing with the motor.
A couple on their way somewhere down the dusty road....
The village would usually be under a LOT of water as you can tell by the height of the stilts holding up the houses.
We got onto a small boat to have a look around the lake...this was our driver, surprisingly good English for the middle of nowhere. Below Phil having a row....
Us on the boat.
A family at work.
On the ride home, the water buffalo were plentiful. Very dry everywhere though.
Little boy on his way home from school.
This is a small temple we popped in to on the way back. think this is Lolei
And another one...Bakong? Getting blurrier....
Also on our travels we saw just how many people you can squeeze into vehicles. Below a ute.
All of these people below got out of the bus. We saw this everywhere and I tried hard to get a photo but it was tricky. It has a built out spot where you lift up the back of the minibus that you put extra luggage and 20 kg bags of goods. Some people get to sit on them too. The back door doesn't get closed.
and 4 on a bike...helmets are not mandatory in Cambodia.
And that evening....I had yet another Banana Roti....YUUUUUMMMMM!!!!! It was my regular routine each night.
Day 3 of touring...more temples but more than half an hour away, enjoyed the drive.
One of the 'tractors' we saw everywhere. You could join anything on the back even people, see below.
Kids on their way to school.
Another heavy load with people on top.
Bateay Srei and Banteay Samre temples, well worth the trip, the best organised areas and some of the prettiest temples.
The carving after thousands of years is still amazing.
You can see by this picture how the ground has subsided over the years and why the temples are all having trouble standing up still.
Posing!
This little girl was looking through all of the rubbish bins to recycle water bottles, enterprising.
Last days in Siem Reap were spend riding around on bicyles and relaxing in our favourite bars and cafes, of which there were many.
The river that flows through the city.
Pub street at one of the restaurants.
What???Did Mr Meng come over and open a restaurant? Is that his retirement plan?
Just behind our hotel...only found it on the last day?
Cycling around.
Happy Monks.
Getting set up for a wedding, we saw these around everywhere, they just decorate a space with a marque and curtains and they're off. He is spray painting a bunch of bananas gold.
One of the beautiful colonial buildings in the city.
Last coffee at our coffee shop and home time.
What an amazing place, glad we came!
