[As many of you know, my good friend Bryan & I recently got back from a holiday in the Far East. We went to Siem Reap in Cambodia, Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, took in the Olympics in Beijing and ended the trip in Shanghai.]
Siem Reap is where the world-famous temples of Angkor are located. The best known is Angkor Wat but there are hundreds of temples in the area. I won't reiterate what can be learned from the guide books but I will go over the highlights and other learnings:
- I didn't realize the extent of the Khmer empire. In its heyday, it ruled over modern-day Laos, Thailand and Vietnam from its based in Cambodia. Khmer concepts have been co-opted by others. For instance, the Khmer invented kick boxing eventually became Thai kickboxing aka Muay Thai.
- We stayed at the FCC, which we booked through I-Escape. The rooms are nicely appointed and the service was great. The other recommended place would be Hotel De La Paix. It is in the middle of town but has a french vibe quite different than the FCC.
- We were very lucky to be introduced to some ex-pats living in Siem Reap. We got to do and see things that normal tourists wouldn't be able to do such as horseback riding through the Cambodian countryside via the Happy Ranch. The Happy Ranch is highly recommended. It's a good respite from temple excursions and you get to see a part of Cambodia that you wouldn't otherwise see. Here's a picture with Lucy, our guide:
- We saw 4 main temples: Angkor Wat, Ta Prohm, Preah Kahn and Bayon / Angkor Tom. They were each amazing in their own way. We were lucky in that we avoided the crowds in each visit. Our guide was key to this - we found "John Teng" on Trip Advisor and ended up hiring his brother, whom we were very happy with, and who was able to take us to the temples at the right times to avoid the crowds. Highly recommended. The highlight was probably visiting Ta Prohm, the temple where they filmed Tomb Raider and Indiana Jones. We were one of the only people there and it was a mystical experience to explore the temple by ourselves.
- Siem Reap has been growing exponentially as Western tourists discover its charms. The city itself has seen an explosion in population and property values. And yet the Cambodian people remain earnest and charming - they are geniunely appreciative of your custom and it shows. I just hope they can retain this as they attract more tourism and investment.
- We also got to see a piglet race. It was held at a bar serving ex-pats and each piglet was sponsored by a NGO that benefited from the proceeds. One of the more unusual sights I've seen in a bar!
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