Category: Siem Reap

We get up early early to take the tuk tuk to Angkor Wat for sunrise.  Julien and Sharon show up a few minutes later, and then I run into Louisa and Beth again.  One of the guys from the Plain of Jars tour is also in attendance.  Small world, this Southeast Asia.  It’s too cloudy for a spectacular sunrise, so we get some breakfast before Jess and I check out Angkor Wat. 

It’s huge and amazing, and thankfully not too crowded.  We wander around for a while there, then get in the tuk tuk to Angkor Thom.  Angkor Thom has a bunch of smaller temples, and we check out Bayon first, which is probably my favourite.  Lots of towers, with heads atop them.  Next we investigate the Elephant terraces.  A young kid leads us to a temple, and Jess is certain we’re going to be killed, but instead he wants some money for taking us the long way to the temple.  When we ignore his request, he doesn’t seem too surprised.  Last up is   Ta Prohm, where they filmed one of the Tomb Raider movies. 

In the afternoon, Sarat, the owner of the guesthouse, takes me to book a flight to Hanoi for the next day.  My initial plan was to start in the south and head north, but plans were meant to be changed.

Catherine, Jess, and I meet Pen and Wiki for dinner and some drinks.  We say goodbye to Pennie and Wiki for the forseeable future, and check out the Beatocello film near the children’s hospital.  It focuses on Dr. Beat, a Swiss doctor, who pushes for better aid for the children of Cambodia. 

Next we head to the night market so Catherine and Jess, who both go home tomorrow, can get some souvenirs.  After that, it’s my last sleep in Cambodia.

The original plan is to visit the wats with Julien and Sharon, but Jessica and I are up early, and decide to leave a note and head out ourselves.

We figure we’ll start with the typical day 2 itinerary, so we can bump into Catherine and not have to worry about seeing the sunrise, which is usually done on day 1.  Our first sop is Preah Khan, which is quite nice.  We bump into Catherine on the way out.  We check out Neak Pean and Ta Som as well.  We stumble across a snake at one point, which was cool.  Checked out a few smaller temples too, then headed back to the guesthouse.

We like our driver enough to arrange for him to pick us up early the next morning for sunrise.  After lunch and a rest, Jess and I ehad downtown.  She wants a massage, done by the blind, and I plan on checking the internet situation out.  Hoping for a fast connection.  Instead I get a haircut and trim my beard. Despite the lack of a common language, it doesn’t look too bad.

Jess and I meet Catherine at the Deadfish restaurant.  I’ve left a note with Pennie and Wiki, but I check my email later and have a note from them to meet elsewhere.  I head over to the spot they suggested, running into Louisa and Beth again, but Pennie and Wiki aren’t around.  I assume they’ve headed to the Deadfish, and when I get back there, they’re already sitting with Catherine and Jessica.  Julien and Sharon join us eventually and we have a decent meal.  The restaurant has some crocodiles in it, and some Cambodian dancing, which is interesting.  There’s some confusion over the bill, but it more or less gets sorted in the end.  We have to get up early, so we get to bed pretty quickly.

After breakfast we catch the bus to Siem Reap, minus Catherine who left the day before.  Pennie and Wiki are also a day ahead of us in Siem Reap, and emailed to say the 6 hour bus ride took more like 9.  We prepare for the worst.  I have my own two seats on the bus, until Sharon gets booted from her seat.  She asks if she can sit next to me, and I say no, but she must think I am joking.  She chats my ear off for the next 6 hours.

We stop more often than necessary, and at one stop we’re offered some fried tarantulas, but we all pass.  I only like my spiders warm, and these have been sitting out too long.

At Siem Reap, where we arrive in under 6 hours, thankfully, there’s a sign with our names on it.  The driver whisks us off to our guesthouse and we check in.  Jess and I share a room.  I email Pennie and Wiki, to say I’m going to take it easy tonight, but that we’ll meet up the following day.  Julien and Sharon are heading to the night market to see if they can find Catherine, and I, hoping that I can find some clothes, tag along. 

I’m still a little beat, and the market is all souvenirs, so my hopes of finding clothes are dashes.  We walk back to the guesthouse after a little while, and get some sleep.