Mon 23 Mar – Siem Reap, Cambodia

Some consider that we are lucky as our native tongue is the world’s common language. Sure, it does make it easier for heading around the world, but I’m happy to argue that I’d rather be one of the unlucky ones. To have been required to learn another dialect for travelling would be a welcome burden. Everywhere throughout our travels we have encountered tourists and local people communicating in their second languages – Germans and Malays, Swedes and Thais all engaging in commerce with English. The English world’s lack of need to develop such an alternative means that we aren’t as multi-skilled as all these people that I’ve just listed and the many others like them.

We’ve only got one full day in Siem Reap and that means that today’s itinerary is non-negotiable– a trip around the nearby Temples of Angkor. In fact, these structures, considered a contender for the wonders of the world, may sit at the top of the list of must-do things on our entire Asian tour. There are hundreds of temples around Angkor, built between the 9th and 13th centuries, which makes them much older than Machu Picchu. For much of its prime, Angkor was a city of 1 million people, dwarfing little London’s 50,000 populace, and was the centre of an empire that stretched from Myanmar (Burma) to Vietnam, so we’re not talking about a small remote civilisation here.

There is literature which suggests spending up to a week browsing these temples, but that might be directed to those who love ruins more than Barney Gumble enjoys a Duff. Our solitary day (actually, it was only 8:30am to 2:30pm) took in the three ‘big boys’ – in order, Ta Prohm, Angkor Thom (including Bayon) and the daddy of them all, Angkor Wat.

Although it was hard to appreciate at the time, all of these sites, which were not just temples but also settlements and communities, were remarkable, considering how advanced their structural engineering was and how they have stood the test of time. Not even Pol Pot and his devastating Khmer Rouge policy of no religion was able to defeat them.

Summarising the first of the three, Ta Prohm is a 12th-century Buddhist temple that has had little restoration or maintenance since its construction. As a result, nature is gradually deafeating it; vegetation such as strangler fig trees are growing within it with startling consequences. It has been used as a set for Tomb Raider and one of the Indiana Jones flicks and thus does look somewhat familiar to the first-time visitor.

Angkor Thom is a fortified square city, with huge stone walls around 2.5 km long on each side. A lot of the area inside it is occupied by small forests, however it also holds Bayon, a temple built around 1200 AD that was my personal highlight of the day. The temple looks more like an imposing fort than a religious monument, such is its commanding nature, particularly with 216 gigantic faces having been carved into its stone edifices. You could imagine this temple under siege during one of the many wars fought in this area, with the local peoples using its steep and complicated structure to defend it from the invaders, much like the beachside hills of Gallipoli were used by the Turks against our Anzac soldiers.

Last but certainly not least was Angkor Wat, officially the world’s largest religious monument (but arguably passed by Flemington?). This temple is a national source of pride for the Khmers (the native Cambodians) and we were to see its image throughout the country, particularly in the capital Phnom Penh, on shirts, souvenirs, art, the national beer’s can label and many others. It differs from the preceding two temples as it’s outstanding feature is its symmetry. Including the first walls encountered upon entrance, which sit across a moat which would ‘make European castles blush’, there are 4 distinct areas, each feeling isolated from the others. Indeed, it was only when we saw a miniature model of Angkor Wat in the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh that we truly appreciated this feat of construction.


Tues 24 Mar – Siem Reap to Phnom Penh, Cambodia

After our shortest stay of our tour (one day, two nights), it was back on the road to Phnom Penh. This bus trip was better than our preceding one in the same country two days ago, as the private sector here seems to be quite reliable and honest in its dealings with tourists. As suggested by the fat little guidebook, Cambodia’s progress occurs despite the government, and not because of it. Today’s bus ride did nothing to disprove that thought.

Bringing back memories on India, the dusty, dry conditions of Cambodia make every open-air vehicle trip (i.e. tuk-tuks) a battle. The best method to handle the dirt that gets blown into your face is to wear sunglasses and to wear a face mask to filter the air, as the locals often do. I’ll pass on the second option, without any logical reason, and instead hope that I can avoid a doctor’s appointment upon my return to Australia to help clear any lingering particles from my throat.

Our accommodation here in Phnom Penh is interesting to say the least. The Boeng Kak lakefront area is one of the two most popular backpacker haunts in the city. It has numerous rickety guesthouses, thin but long, stretching out over the water on stilts. The atmosphere amongst the travellers is relaxed, possibly indirectly caused by their need to have faith that the many imperfections in the guesthouses’ structures won’t lead to a catastrophe.

But there are some quite shady characters on the streets of this area for sure. Already tonight I’ve been offered products like weed and opium multiple times. Even though I’m as drug-resistant a person as there is, I’d think that the jaw-droppingly beautiful sunset view from Boeng Kak, particularly from the rooftop restaurant and lounge of our guesthouse (the Grand View), would be intoxicating enough to make superfluous the need for any such social items.