Siem Reap and Angkor

Siem Reap is the small town where tourists base themselves when visiting the vast number of temples included within the Angkor complex. The town has been purpose built to cater for tourists, and don’t you know it. For us, this is good because we can gorge on decent western food, coffee and ice-cream – yum. But, after a while, it got on our nerves. 

Take three steps out of one’s hotel and you get the following:

“Hello, tuk-tuk?” No.

“Hello, moto?” No.

“Hello, marijuana?” No.

“Hello, opium?” NO!

“Hello, tuk-tuk?” No.

“Hello, splif?” No.

Then, once you have fought your way through the rickshaw men, and reach the main hub-bub of restaurants and market-place, you get the following:

“Hello lady, you want massage?” No.

[Having glanced in the direction of a shop/stall] “Hello lady, buy som-sing?” No.

“Hello lady, you want scarf?” No.

Then you get interrupted by, “Hello, tuk-tuk?” NO!!!!!!!!

Then when you are resting your feet in a café/restaurant within the temple region, you have children selling things coming over to you with the one of the following two:

1. “Hello lady, where you from?” England. “If I tell you the capital, the population and the name of your prime minister, will you buy som-sing?” No, but tell me anyway, and so they reel off the facts – pretty impressive. To test this, with various different children, we were from Germany, France and Holland to which we learnt their population. Finland failed.

2. “Hello lady, here is free bracelet for you.” Errm, no thanks. “No lady, free for you.” [Bracelet forced in my hand] “You buy from me later”. Uh-oh. Of course, we are then hawked down after visiting temple because they gave me ‘free bracelet’. “Please buy, only one daaaallaaaar” they whine.  

To further amuse you, James nipped to the shops on his own one evening, returning a little flustered. I asked why and here was what he was offered, all by the SAME guy:

“Hello sir, tuk-tuk?” No.

“You want joint?” No.

“You want lady?” No.

“Massage?” No.

“Opium?” No.

“Heroin?” Really no.

“Two ladies?” Slight hesitation… NO!

Oh, to be a tourist!

Anyway, so the Angkor complex; the eighth wonder of the world, which is why we are here. The templus (the official word for two or more temples, completely made up of course) were built between 802 – 1200 AD. This once was the capital of the powerful Khmer Empire. The complex stretches 25km wide and 10 km north to south (apparently the same size as Manhattan). Unbelievably, the whole city was abandoned in 1431 due to Thai occupation of Angkor. It wasn't rediscovered until 1860 by a French naturalist, then rather disturbingly, a French archeologist got his grubby mits on many of the most beautiful statues and carved stones in 1873 and took them back to France to 'enrich' their culture. There are still ongoing disputes about where they belong between Cambodia and France today. Ever since then, the templus have been cleared and are slowly being restored, primarily by France, but many other countries have poured money into conservation too, such as India and Switzerland. Many of the temples were modelled on Indian temples, with tall central towers communicating to the Gods above. Most were built with sandstone; easier to carve, with laterite used as the foundations.

We decided to do two days and a half days of the temples. Many would say this isn't enough, but actually it's pretty tiring! On our first evening, we climbed the rocky hill and temple of Phnom Bakheng to watch the sun set. It was absolutely bursting with tourists all trying to get the best picture. I of course managed to nab one of the best and highest (so not to get heads in the way) spots and watched the sky turn from bright beautiful blue to gray to orange, to pink and to red. We watched it disappear behind a cloud to then reappear from underneath it as though it were an upside-down sunrise. Magic. In the dusky light we explored a little and it was easy to see how much of the film 'Tomb Raider' was filmed here. Photos below:

Day 2 saw us exploring the Angkor Thom complex. Angkor Thom is a huge walled square full of dense woods and beautiful trees. The main road into the centre of it was a wide boulevard that reminded us of various royal estates in England. It included one of my favourites of them all, the Bayon. Dramatic, with wall after wall, level after level, passageway after passageway, smiling Buddha faces everywhere you look and intricate carvings in every nook and cranny. 

From the Bayon, we walked through the trees over to Baphuon and Phimeanakas, further through the trees and around the lakes on to the Terrace of Elephants and the Leper King. After lunch we then explored another of my favourites, the temple of Ta Prohm. This one was in the centre of another walled rectangle surrounded by enormous trees, except the trees did not stop growing on the outside of the temple; they had also taken over much of it. It was unbelievable to see such huge, old trees tangle its roots through the walls and bricks. I thought it showed perfectly just how old the temple was by the sheer size of the tree trunks. It was amazing and I felt a little like Alice in Wonderland, totally magical. 

Spot the face in the wall where this tree eerily and conveniently grew around.

Headless Buddhas; the works of the Khmer Rouge.

Day 3 then saw us up at 4.30am to race down the biggest and most impressive all the temples, the one we deliberately saved until last; Angkor Wat. Anyone who knows me knows I am not a morning person and really not my best at anytime before 9am. So, bleary eyed and chilly in the cool air before the sun heated it up, we stood, again with many others to worship the sun.We had one up on most people there though because being the good scouts that we are, we had cans of various coffees and mashed banana and Nutella baguettes! Unfortunately, the sun rise was not as spectacular as the sunset, but nonetheless it was enjoyable and I've never actually managed to get my butt out of bed for a sunrise before!

It was amazing how quickly the air was heating up once the sun had risen. After exploring Angkor Wat in the daylight, we took a tuk-tuk ride 20km north to a temple that was the furthest north of all of them. Banteay Srey is affectionately known as the Lady Temple. What is fascinating about this one, was because it was so far out, it was not discovered until 1914. It is a very small temple, with a walled square and moat surrounding it. The designs on this temple are the most intricate of all. Parts have been restored beautifully and the eye can clearly see Buddhas, elephants, serpents, dragons breathing fire, as well as horse and chariots, kings and servants and their swords, monkeys and the Khmer language. You could spend hours studying them. 

Our last day was spend chilling out, updating blogs and giving our bikes a once over, getting ready for the next day of travelling to Battambang by boat. Stay tuned.

The first days of cycling Cambodia...

So eventually James and I set off from Phnom Pehn all kitted out, to cycle along Highway 6, the main road that took us to Siem Reap. Getting out of PP was the usual crazy-crazy, having to watch the traffic in every single direction, but incredibly easy and once out of the city, the roads quietened down.

Whilst killing time in PP, James and I decided to go out on the bikes for a trial run as we have not ridden together before. We decided to take Highway 1, which is the same H1 that Kris and I followed all the way through Vietnam. Thus, this road is the main connecting highway between Saigon and PP. Thinking that this would be a decent enough road as it gets used by thousands each day, we had a rude awakening when we were met with chaotic road works, pot holes and dust – both the sand and concrete variety. Gulp. Is it going to be like this the whole 200 miles to Siem Reap? Answer: to our delight, no. Phew. The whole highway has been recently resurfaced, meaning no dust.

At first, much of what we saw on the side of the road was similar to Vietnam, but as we got further into Cambodia’s countryside, I could see differences. The road was less busy for a start, which was excellent because it meant it was quieter and less stressful. Buses still screamed past beeping their horns, but it was much less frequent that Vietnam. The road is lined with more trees too, which also means a little more shade. Where Vietnam has town after rice paddy field after town, here the villages were further apart and the paddy fields were open, expansive and very flat so you could see for miles, far further than Vietnam. The paddy fields here are also scattered with palm trees, which makes it just look stunning and far more interesting to look at. The houses in the villages are dotted along the roads, with plenty of space in between them, unlike Vietnam where buildings were concentrated in small spaces and often two or three storey. The houses here are all built on stilts and underneath is the working area for the family during the day. It is a genius design because it prevents any damage when and if there are floods, but also means they have a ready-made shaded area, more storage space and the house is probably cooler as the floor has air circulating underneath it. They are all neatly built little squares with either planks of wood or dried palm leaves on the outside. Some having been painted bright colours, some have steel steps, while others have a ladder. Either way they are incredibly cute, especially as most of them have ponds at the front with pretty pink water lilys.

 

The children out here never fail to spot us a mile away and shout hello as we cycle past, but it is gentler than Vietnam. The children and general people here are happy, smiley and genuine, and not as pushy and fierce as those in Vietnam. Our use of Khmer is greatly appreciated and I am surprised by the English they know. There seems to be more of a level of politeness that we English would know, so communication is not as blunt.


Our worries about drink and food stops were soon diminished as we spotted little huts selling the essentials roughly every 5 miles. Coke has been replaced by the yummy Lychee juice and there are towns equally spaced apart by roughly 20/30 miles all the way between PP and Siem Reap, which all had at least two guesthouses. I soon relaxed about the journey and enjoyed the peace, beautiful views and talking to James.

We had one incident on the road that left us a little shaken, but actually my fault. Whilst cycling along together with me on the outside, I needed to pull in, so I went in front of James but cut in too soon and my trailer completely took out his front wheel, which meant he went from 12mph on the bike to 12mph skidding along the tarmac. This resulted in a jarred wrist, a bruised, cut and grazed shoulder, back, butt cheek and thigh, as well as a ripped pannier and bar tape. Needless to say, I felt and still feel absolutely awful. Thankfully, we are still talking!

I got my first puncture of the whole trip, on the trailer rather than my bike. We pulled over to change the tube on what we thought was a quiet road, but once we were done, we suddenly realised we were surrounded by 8 people watching us, who emerged from, well, nowhere. We also saw our first western cyclists out on the roads. A couple from Holland, also with Ortlieb gear stopped to chat to us for a while. They are doing exactly the same route as I have done from Siem Reap to Saigon, including the Chau Doc border over 4 weeks. It was good to know there are other crazy people out there!

We passed some fascinating villages along the way, including stone masons, who were carving six foot Buddhas, elephants and tigers out of huge chunks of rock, all by hand of course. A four foot solid stone Buddha would set you back $2000 – how one would then get in back to the UK is a slightly different matter!

It took us three and a half days to cycle from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, where we are now. We will rest here for a few days, using it as a base to explore the eighth wonder of the world; Angkor Wat.

Oh Phnom Penh...

It was certainly not the plan to stay in Phnom Penh for two weeks, but I had no choice. Phnom Penh is the final stop where a tourist can obtain a Thai visa for longer than 15 days (probably cutting it a bit fine when the length of Thailand we will be cycling is roughly 800 miles), so a trip to the embassy was a priority. However, geographically misplacing my passport photos saw us on a chase around the city to find a photo booth setting us a day later by the time we found one. This along with the Thai embassy celebrating a national holiday meant that we had to wait an extra 5 days in PP. Although I was originally super stressed by this idea because time was ticking on my Cambodian visa and I am just rubbish at relaxing, I have actually enjoyed my extra time here and I have done things I wouldn't normally do.

I have had lots of days of relaxation, but in that time I still managed to paint my toenails fluorescent pink, eat, catch up on emails, eat, sort my photos, eat, and read a book (and remind myself how much I love reading and that I never had 'time' to read at home). My trousers are now a little bit tight, so as I can't afford to go and buy new stuff because I just have no space left in my trailer bag (may be because I bought another handbag - oops), I am looking forward to getting back on Sally and easing in to my clothes again. I also spent a lot of time researching Cambodia, something I didn't do for Vietnam because it was a given that a cyclist's needs could always be met, as well as the ability to read Vietnamese as they have the roman alphabet.

I have heard lots of mixed reviews on cycling through Cambodia. Speaking to people direct about it and reading all about it online, it seems that the Cambodian roads are atrocious, hotels are scarce, the food is awful and they have a seriously complicated alphabet that to me looks like a bunch of lined squiggles a five year old would be proud of. Hmmm.... a lot of research was needed. Plans have been written and rewritten, towns have been googled and with the help of the hotel guys, essential Khmer words have been written down and how they are phonetically pronounced so we can actually try and communicate.

Cambodia's history is long and painful. Going back to 800 - 1400 AD, Cambodia was once the strong Angkorian empire, but even during that time, they were at war with one another and it's neighbours Thailand and Vietnam. The French then came in 1864 and kicked out the Thais and Vietnamese and ruled for a while, which provided some protection. Eventually, Cambodia declared independence in 1953 but trouble was still lurking. Cambodia was affected by the Vietnam-US war and in the early seventies the prime minister was overthrown, who in turn set up a government-in-exile with the guerrilla group, the Khmer Rouge. And so, Cambodia's worst history happened under the Khmer Rouge rulings. They had incredibly twisted and extreme views on how they wanted Cambodia to be. Essentially they wanted to wipe out all traditions and history and start again with everyone on an equal scale. Whilst under their regime, people were forced to work long hours in poor conditions. Intellectuals (those who speak foreign languages, wear glasses, have long hair, engineers, doctors, academics, soldiers and all relatives of these people, including children and the elderly) were punished, tortured and killed. Just under 20,000 people passed through the S-21 Prison (which used to be a high school, and is opposite our hotel, creepily enough) before being taken 14km south of Phnom Penh to be killed. It has been estimated that 2 million people died directly or as a result of poor health, diet and sanitation during the three years and eight months of Khmer Rouge rule. I just cannot believe that such horrendous atrocities happened just 30 years ago.

As a result of such horrific and recent events, it is not surprising that Cambodia is a little behind in development, especially compared to neighbouring Saigon and Bangkok who have not had such a regime that has prevented the skyscrapers, trendy cafes, bars and restaurants. But, nonetheless Phnom Penh is getting there, just perhaps give it 10-20 years to catch up.

It seems here the people are a little taller than the Vietnamese, a little darker and their eyes are a little wider. They are just as beautiful and they definitely smile a lot more, which just amazes me when you consider what they have been through as a nation. From what I have learnt since being here, certain countries, such as the US, China, Japan and Australia have an ever increasing presence here and it is though they are all trying to compete against one another in who can do the most to impress Cambodia and be seen as an ally perhaps? The UN have a heavy presence here and I think the Cambodians feel somewhat protected by this. I even met an English chap who has worked for the UN in Phnom Penh for the last year whilst cycling through the city. Much to mine and James's confusion, we were trapped inside our hotel for the morning whilst Hilary Clinton and her hundreds of security guards visited the S-21 Prison opposite. It looked like a scene from The Matrix for a while, with agents in sunglasses and ear pieces everywhere.

I think I have done enough talking for one post and I am going to let my photographs tell you the rest...

Having a snooze while business is quiet.

Mmm... chicken

Man with a van... or tuk-tuk

Killer ants.

The beautiful King's Palace.

The SIlver Pagoda.

The four faces of the King's Palace.

Pink toenails! Asian girls love nail art, they put my bare nails to shame.



The buddhas of the King's Palace.



The victims of the S-21 Prison.

The classrooms were knocked through and turned into prison cells.

A high view of the tiny cells, not even big enough to lie down.

Mmm... squid.

Dried fish and snake heads.

Certainly not for the faint hearted!

Nothing is wasted.

Old and young... everyone goes to the market.

No baby chicks in sight but I'm sure they're there if you ask. Also pajama-esque suits are normal here.

Takking a cooking class to learn what actually goes into the delicious Khmer food. Well worth it and very enjoyable.

This is what I made...absolutely stunning fish Amok.

.

Cambodia... New country... New rules... New people...

After Saigon, Kris and I spent four days cycling south to an alternative border called Chau Doc. Alternative because it involved a boat, and to our delight the boat picked us and our two wheeled babies up from right outside our hotel, which was situated on the river front and took us all the way into the centre of Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh. Chaos awaited as we were bombarded my tuk-tuk and moto drivers eager to take us to a hotel. Once they see the bikes, they back off. Excellent. We found the backpacker alley way with ease, once again thanks to the map in the Lonely Planet. We checked in to a decent enough hotel and the relaxing begun.

So much has happened since Saigon, I don't really know where to start, but for what I am about to write, I hope it is received in the way it is meant and I am not judged.
Kris is a very dear friend to me and the last seven years of knowing him have been crucial in our development as people. We are two very stong personalities. Kris has helped and taught me a lot about bikes and touring, as well as other great subjects such as science, English, politics and history; he is incredibly intelligent. Unfortunately though, since cycling together we were scowling at one another more than we were laughing and I could see our relationship was getting more and more strained. Spending every single waking moment with another person for so long is hard. After a lot of thinking, lots of tears, and internal debating in my troubled little mind, I decided that I would end my time cycling with Kris before our relationship and sanity was damaged beyond repair. It has been the hardest decision I has ever made.

As far as I could see at this point, I had two options: I returned to the UK or I carried on alone. Neither I especially wanted to do. James M helped me prepare for this trip and ever since has been my confidant. After discussing my options with him, he told me he had been inspired by what I was doing. Then a third option became available when he suggested that he come out and join me continue on to Australia. After more deliberating and discussing (and much to my Mum's relief), we agreed that James would join me in Phnom Penh once he had managed to sort everything at home.

So for me, big things have happened and the dynamics of my chairty bike tour will change completely. I hope that Kris will continue on to be safe and happy and I know there is no guarentee that James and I will not end up going our separate ways. I now need to pass on all my knowledge about bikes and touring on to James, who has never done anything like this before. Spreading the love for bikes has been great and I have surprised myself with how much I know already.