After spending a few days in Thailand we headed by bus on a scenic 6-7 hour journey to our first destination in Cambodia, Siem Reap..On the way we had to clear customs at the Poi Pet border where we disembarked from our bus, took our luggage, waited on line about an hour, showed our visas and passports, and then found our new bus that would take us to our first hotel in Cambodia.
In the evening we took a Siem Reap “Tuk Tuk” to town.
It was dinner time and we found a vegan restaurant with rave reviews called Hey Bong | It’s Vegan Baby. And it was AMAZING.
After a delicious meal, we walked to Pub Street. There were colorful lights EVERYWHERE.. This is the major border town attracting lots of visitors while providing plenty of entertainment to separate them from their money.
You can get your feet treated by fish. There’s nothing quite like having little fish nibbling the calluses off one's feet. We can’t actually attest to that, having forgone the opportunity. In fact, this particular spa treatment, if you will, has been banned in Britain because of the continual fungal outbreaks. Although we were assured that “things are different here”, discretion remained the operative rule of the day.
Siem Riep is very old and very young. The revelers are young, the mood vibrant and alive until all hours. But it is not just about the party scene. One of the world’s most remarkable places, rich with history and antiquity is Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument on the planet.
We set off to see the most significant temples in the Angkor Complex and to explore the ancient capital, Angkor Thom, enjoying the unique decorative towers of the Bayon Temple.
While in Thailand, we had to take our shoes off almost everywhere, and so I decided to wear flip-flops on the temple tour. That was a very big mistake in the Angkor Wat temples. Part of the area is still used for religious purposes but more of it can be thought of as a dusty version of the acropolis with very steep steps. Beautiful to look at, but I highly recommend a sensible pair of shoes, sneakers or trainers as my friends from the UK call them.
Angkor Wat was dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu during the early part of the 12th century by Khmer king Suryavarman II . Later, in the late 13th century, it became a Buddhist temple. The temple has five causeways. Upon entering the temple grounds via one of these causeways, you are greeted by a row of benign gods carved of sandstone on one side of the road, and demon warriors on the other.
As we approached the Tonie Om Gate that led to the Banyon Temples, our guide cautioned us to stay with the group as the temple was a labyrinth from which we might never find our way out. Not sure if that was fact or fiction because we stayed with the group.
What an incredible place, so much to see, so many temples. The splendor of the 12th-century Preah Khan Temple was unfolding in front of our eyes
Like the Banyon temple, The Preah Khan’s maze-like interior is one you may have trouble finding your way around and out of.
One of the most famous images of Cambodia is one with enormous fig tree roots growing through the middle of a temple. Eager to see this first-hand, we headed to the Ta Prohm Temple. This temple was built in the 12th century and was once known as Rajavihara. This Buddhist temple was dedicated to the mother of Jayavarman VII.
Typically I use a long lens when shooting wildlife, not a wide-angle. This monkey was so close and so cute that I had to capture him with the camera I had on me.
We finally arrived at Angkor Wat, the world heritage site and most revered of all the Cambodian temples. It features the longest bas-relief in the world and I heard that it is a wonderful place to watch the sunset. Hot air balloons are often visible in the nearby distance.
One needs a ticket and id tag to visit the Angkor Area with proceeds used to maintain this World Heritage Site.
The next day we did some exploration and found that we could rent a tuk-tuk for the day for $5
Here is our tuk-tuk and wonderful driver.
Of course when people see me, they want their picture taken.
We walked around one of the largest markets if not the largest in Siem Reap, the one the restaurants use.
In the evening we went with our tour group to a classical Khmer show and dinner. Both were extraordinary. The hands and facial expressions of the actors conveyed a story that transcended language barriers. The Apsaras dance is based on the water and cloud spirit of Hinduism and Buddhism.
The next day we visited Chong Kneas Floating Village Chong Kneas is a 300 year old fishing village which approximately 1000 families call home. .It is located in the Tonie Sap Lake, the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia where 200 species of fish can be found.. Even though it was a period of drought, many of the buildings were still afloat.
The muddy river is the result of silt that flows in from larger rivers. In the dry season, it is difficult for residents to obtain fresh water for drinking and even washing clothes. As a result, villagers need to buy water from outside sources, or decontaminate by filtering, adding chemicals and boiling.
On to the : Chong Kneads Village, Lotus Fields
I couldn’t resist transforming this image into a digital watercolor
To see more digital art::
So many markets, so little time.
The memory of the dinner at Bong Vegan was so vivid that we had to go back for more, just to see if the other offerings on the menu were as good as the ones we had a few days ago. And they were so yummy. I think my non-vegan husband enjoyed them as much as I did.
Attached to the vegan restaurant was an animal rescue. Seemed appropriate.
We hope you enjoyed your virtual visit to Siem Reap, Cambodia and that you join us in our next blog segment when we travel to Phnom Penh.
Cambodia | Moving Forward| Phnom Penh
If you missed my previous blog segment: Bangkok, Thailand |Land of the Golden Buddha
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