17th May 2015

Breakfast was curry today, and it went down a treat. In full daylight, we finally understood why our room seemed so spacious and the balcony was so plush; we had been upgraded again, this time to one of the best suites on the top floor. I’ve noticed that Asians often have an excellent sense of social standing.

We had arranged for a car and a guide to take us around the temples today, so we were up early, showered, dressed, and ready by 8 am. There was a minor hiccup when a guide introduced himself, only for it to become later apparent that he wasn’t ours until our actual guide turned up. Our vehicle turned out to be a mini-van; I had specified air conditioning, and it was wonderfully cool when we took our seats.

Many of my assumptions about Angkor Wat were dispelled today. Our guide was excellent, his English and knowledge were spot on. The area around Siem Reap is dotted with countless temple complexes, most of them vast, measured in square kilometres! Angkor Wat, the first and most famous site we visited, fully lived up to its reputation. It is surrounded by an enormous moat, which makes every photo look postcard-perfect. Exploring the site took us three hours, and if the temperature had been more bearable, we could have easily spent the whole day there.The next temple, while slightly smaller, was equally impressive. To reach it, we drove another fifteen minutes, passing many other temples and complexes of differing sizes and states of preservation along the way.

It was pointed out to us that extensive renovation work is underway on most of the structures. Countries such as France, China, Japan, and Germany have each taken responsibility for one or more temples, funding their restoration. The UK, however, is not sponsoring any.

The second temple took us just over an hour to explore, walking from the East Gate to the West Gate. From there, we gratefully made our way to the car park of an air-conditioned restaurant. Our guide recommended my meal, and what an excellent choice it was! It resembled a Thai green curry but was served in a fresh coconut, a perfect match for the icy beer that swiftly accompanied it. Sue opted for the tried-and-tested sweet and sour chicken stir-fry with rice.

After the meal, while waiting for our driver, we chatted with three young Cambodian girls who were trying to sell us trinkets. One of them, just nine years old, spoke near-perfect English. I mentioned to them that there were posters inside the restaurant advising diners not to buy trinkets from children, only from adults.

In the afternoon, we visited two more temples. The first was famously featured in Raiders of the Lost Ark, a film our guide had seen countless times. It is currently undergoing restoration (led by the French), though the iconic, twisted, snake-like tree roots, often seen in documentaries and magazines, are being preserved in their original state. We photographed the tree made famous by Angelina Jolie and saw the small holes in the central room of the temple, where hundreds of enormous precious gems were once embedded. Those treasures, however, have long since vanished.

Our final temple was adorned with countless faces and was particularly impressive due to its intricate carvings, which depicted battle scenes and the daily life of the various cultures that had occupied the site over the centuries. Over time, all the temple complexes alternated between being Buddhist and Hindu, with each transition causing significant damage to the carvings of the preceding culture.

 

 

 

 

 

After a brief stop at Victory Gate to photograph the Bridge of Heads, we made our way back to the hotel.

After showering, we took a leisurely stroll around the hotel grounds before venturing across the busy road outside to explore the local area. We passed a restaurant that caught our interest and, since we were considering where to dine later, decided to investigate. A waiter approached and informed us that a buffet was on offer, accompanied by a performance conducted by Cambodian dancers and musicians at 7 pm. Curious, we stepped inside and discovered a large banqueting hall with a stage. We promised to return, and he promised to reserve us a table.

Back at the hotel, we changed and returned to the restaurant at 6:30 pm. True to his word, the waiter had saved us a table to the side and directly in front of the stage. By then, the room was already bustling, mostly with Asian diners, who we later discovered were all Korean.

Still, in an adventurous mood, I sampled every dish I hadn’t encountered so far, and all ranged from acceptable to excellent. Some of the Korean dishes (all labelled in English and their native language) were a bit of a challenge, reminding me of our trip to Korea a few years ago! Sue, meanwhile, played it safe, sticking mostly to Thai chicken dishes.

The dancers took to the stage with slow, deliberate movements and elegant, meaningful hand gestures, reminiscent of Balinese dancing. Sadly, most of our fellow diners had left long before the performance ended. By the final dance, Sue and I were the only ones remaining, and it was a privilege to witness the conclusion. In acknowledgement, we were invited to photograph the performers on the stage, which was a lovely way to round off the evening.

Back at the hotel, we watched a bit of BBC News before turning in early, ready for another early start tomorrow.