Temperature:32 Degrees Celsius
Track of the day: "Big me", Foo Fighters
"No it can't be time to get up yet," I whine as Alecs turns the lights on, "we just went to sleep." Last night we joined a group of Filipino expats at a local cafe where a Filipino band played well into the night. When they closed at midnight the band joined us and the party moved to 'Pub Street' (a short street in the city centre with tons of pubs) where we packed into a local bar cutely named 'Angkor What?' and continued having a great time. However, we arrived home at
2A.M and now five hours later we are heading back out to Angkor Wat. We manage to drag ourselves out of bed in time to meet Rattana, still rubbing our eyes and trying to adjust to the daylight. Our first stop is the impressive temple of Ta Prom which showcases the strength of the jungle which has largely taken over the towers, sprawling courtyards and narrow corridors. The jungle has swallowed and reclaimed this temple and it still looks very much like
it would have when European explorers first found it. "That's the Tomb Raider tree," I say gesturing to the large tree with it's roots hugging the stone temple. Alecs smile and asks where Angelina Joelie is, clearly dissapointed she is no
longer here. The temple is quite busy and we both agree that an early morning visit at sunrise tomorrow would provide the perfect atmosphere. "Where are we going now," I ask Rattana as we cruise down the road, warm wind blowing in our faces. "Preah Neak Pean," he tells us, "and just past there we will see Ta Som" he adds. Preah Neak Pean is a
sprawling temple with four pools surrounding the central pool. The four pools represent the elements, fire, water, wind and earth and water once flowed from the central pool to the four others through spouts on four different statues. We buy a mango and sliced pineapple on a stick to subdue our hunger and sit in the shade of a large banana tree listening to tour guides talk to others about the temple. As tour guides are an added expense, Alecs and I opted not to hire one and instead occasionally follow a tour group listening to key bits of information before heading off on our own. We finish exploring the temples surrounding Angkor Thom and move on to the Rolous group temples which served as King Indravarman I's (877-889AD) capital and are among the earliest large temples built by the Khmers. "Look at all those stairs," Alecs says as we enter through the walls of Bakong, the largest of the Rolous group temples, "and it's exactly noon," he whines. We climb up the first impossibly narrow set of stairs which requires us to crawl up the completely vertical steps. Perspiration runs off our foreheads and we finish our last 2 liter bottle of water between one of the five central tiers of
the pyramid. After resting for a few minutes we continue crawling up the uneven and broken stairs towards the highest tower. Once at the top, accomplishment rushes over us and we forget about our thirst and exhaustion as we stare out at the land sprawling below us. "We're actually here," I say to Alecs, "here in Cambodia doing exactly what we set out to do," I add feeling blessed to be able to experience such wonders of the world. After we catch our breath and explore the temple thoroughly we set out to conquer the even more difficult descent. I walk to the top of the stairs and look down at the most narrow and steep steps of any temple we've seen yet, butterflies fluttering in my stomach. Alecs goes before me, crawling backwards down the stairs and I follow as he gives instructions about where to move and which steps to avoid. "Ah, we made it," Alecs says as we cross over the moat and through the outer east entrance. "Mam, you want a book," a young girl, no more than 7 asks me as we search for Rattana. 'Ten bracelets - one dollar," says another, "sir you need a post card?" a little boy asks. The hoards of children that follow us out of every temple is heartbreaking and although it is difficult we never buy from them. Many organizations and periodicals warn about buying from children at the temples as it encourages their parents to keep them out of school because it is more profitable for them to work the temples. This is easier to follow in theory, but their pleading eyes and dirty shirts tell a different story and we
remind each other it's for their
best. "Over there," Alecs points to an older lady selling water close to Rattana's tuk-tuk, "let's get some water before we head out." With two large bottles of water in our backpack we set of eager to see more temples. Preah Ko and Lolei finish off today's tour and we head back to the hotel for a nap before dinner consisting of local food. "I think i'm going to have amok," I tell Alecs as we scan the menu, "I need to eat something unique to Cambodia while i'm here," I add. Alecs orders fried rice with coconut, oranges and banana's in it and I order the Amok (baked fish with coconut, lemongrass and chili served in a banana leaf over rice). The food arrives shortly
and we both eagerly dig in, taking our first bites and each having a slightly different reaction. "This is so good," Alecs says spooning another heap of rice in his mouth, "you should try it." My amok, however has VERY strong tastes, one being chili which leaves my tongue on fire. "I can see what the appeal to this dish is," I say taking a long drink of water, "but I don't think it's going to be a favorite of mine," I add. We try each others dishes and concur that Alecs' is worth ordering at least a few more times. "I'll try another traditional one next time," I say sneaking a few pieces of fish under the table to the resident dog, "maybe Loc Lac." We head to bed with food in our stomachs and a lifetime of experiences under our belt and since we need to be at the temples before sunrise tomorrow Alecs and I both agree an
early sleep might not be such a bad idea.
The sound of singing birds and crowing roosters has us up before dawn and heading back out to the temple complex. The tour masses head to Angkor
Wat while we drive Ta Prom where there isn't a soul around (there is also no view of the sun). It's still dark and learning from our experience at Angkor Wat sunrise we pull out our flashlights and walk down the long dirt path. We can no longer see Rattana and only the jungle now surrounds us on all sides and a plethora of birds and other unknown creatures fill the air with sound. Unwilling to admit we're a little nervous about being in the middle of the dark jungle with no one around, we stick impossibly close together. The temple is mystical with dew covering the walls and tree roots creating an eerie glow like something out of Jurassic Park. We find a spot in the centre of the temple to wait for the sun to rise and suddenly something rustles behind a wall. I look at Alecs a little fear showing in my eyes when suddenly from behind a massive tree that twists around a stone wall leaps a giant brown man-eating.......puppy. Followed closely behind this beast is a local man who after seeing the scared look on my face explains to us that
he and the dog live in the temple. A sudden wave of relief came over us and there was now enough sun to fully explore the temple. Ta Prom is unmistakable, as jungle vines, tree roots and lush forest reclaimed the land once taken away by man. There are many impassable corridors and fallen walls that Alecs and I carefully maneuver through finding something remarkable with every turn. "Imagine being the first one to have stumbled upon this place," I say to Alecs as we find yet another gnarly snake like tree root that makes Ta Prom so famous. Feeling like those first explorers we continue climbing rocks, walking corridors and relishing our seclusion from the rest of the world. We both wish we could freeze this moment but the reality is there's more to see and more to do. The final temples on our grand tour are some 50 km away from the main complex meaning a blissful one hour sleep on
the tuk-tuk. Bantaey Srei is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva and has some of the finest stone carvings on earth. Many of the carvings are three dimensional and are carved in pinkish stone. The name of the temple means Citadel of the Woman, and is said to have been built by a woman, as the carvings are too fine for any man. Tourists visit this temple in masses only rivaled by Angkor Wat (at least in our experience) and as much as we try we are unable to escape them. A few more temples fill our day and we head back to Siem Reap for lunch at
Good Na Restaurant. Seeing all the ancient ruins here in Siem Reap was awe inspiring and Alecs and I feel so lucky to have the opportunity to have visited them. Tomorrow we are doing a 'Day in the life of a Cambodian villager' tour that starts early in the morning.
Until next time, so long.
Alecs and Meg in Siem Reap
Reference: Lonely Planet: Cambodia
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