« Easyriders - Dalat to Saigon | Main | Vientiane & Luang Prabang »
Cambodia (Phnom Penh & Siem Reap)
August 4 | Comments (1)
The flight to Phnom Penh was uneventful, we arrived late afternoon and found a decent hotel for a couple of nights. Most travelers stay around the lake area, we decided to skip the rats/roaches and stay just off of the river. We lucked out as the Paragon Hotel (on Sisowath Quay) was great, small room but only $15/night and very friendly and helpful staff. The next day we took a trip out to the killing fields and the Tuol Sleng museum (S 21). Both are equally disturbing and made for quite a heavy morning. After the killing fields we were offered the opportunity to go to a shooting range only 200 metres away. Somehow it just didn't seem right, so we gave it a miss. In the afternoon we went to the Russian market and the Palace (which is virtually the same as the one in Bangkok). There isn't much else to see in Phnom Penh so we decided to move on quite quickly. We heard lots of bad things about Phnom Penh before arriving, but it's not as bad as people make it out to be. Most of the main areas felt quite safe, although the difference in wealth was noticeable compared to Vietnam.
In the morning we took the fast boat to Siem Reap (5.5 hours) and compared to a bumpy bus ride the price was worth it ($23/person). Our trip included a short ride through a floating village at the very end. Watching life on the river was great, they even have a school. Siem Reap is a tiny place in comparison to the other cities we've been to on the trip, it has a nice feel to it. Our hotel is the Green Village Palace hotel, the rooms are clean and it has a great pool. On the way into town from the boat launch we met our tuk-tuk driver (Mr.Bean) for the next 2 days. Note to travelers: He's a great guy, lots of information about Angkor and very friendly. His number is (855) 12 762 085 or email thoeuncomedy@yahoo.com.
We both had huge expectations of Angkor and it hasn't disappointed. Angkor is definitely in the same league as the Taj, Pompeii and the Great Wall. All of the temples are amazing and well worth the steep entrance fee ($40/3 days). Our favourite is Bayon, its many faces seem to be watching your every move and walking around feels like being in your very own Indiana Jones movie. We've spent nearly 2 full days visiting all of the temples; we could visit tomorrow but I think we're both a bit templed out.
The next couple of days are going to involve eating copious amount of Amok (I've had 4 already), perhaps taking a cooking lesson and getting more massages. Tuesday we fly to Vientiane.
Comments
We loved Amok too & tried making it when we got home to varying degrees of success. We found this recipe pretty good: http://www.frizz-restaurant.com/recipes3.html
I'm looking forward to seeing some photos of Cambodia.
Posted by: Pete | August 6, 2007 11:22 AM