Wrapping up in Siem Reap

Food

The food in Siem Reap has been fairly good. The total bill ranges from 10 to 20 dollars (including drinks) so maybe we’re spending 30 dollars a day on food. One night we ate at Chamkar, a vegetarian place down a pedestrian friendly alley. It was a tiny place with three tables out front and as soon as we sat down, the two couples on either side of us raved about the food and offered suggestions on what we should order. We had the mango salad – which was fresh and scrumptious. I had pesto pasta – probably the best I’ve had yet- and Ian had tofu stuffed with pumpkin seeds with caramelized onions that was really good (although too rich for me).  

The couple to the right are currently living in Australia and we chatted about life there. The fellow is an electrician and his wife a teacher and they said Australia is very expensive to both live and/or travel. The fellow, who is originally from the States, said the taxes are very high but he felt Australia had a horrible infrastructure. He said they pay 100 dollars / month for very little bandwidth. His wife said when her friends go out they take the router with them so the kids won’t go over their bandwidth. With regards to travelling, decent hotels start at 200 a night. Literature says you have to budget 150 a day per person to travel in Australia but the couple figured that was too low.  

The next night we had Indian food – vegetable pakora, naan, mint chutney, rice, dahl, fantastic butter chicken and drinks for 12 dollars. It was an incredible amount of food. We been frequent customers at Blue Pumpkin with a/c upstairs, free WIFI and great cappuccinos.

Local Night Market

Our day off from templing was spent researching, blogging, and reading. Ian and I had to figure out what to do about the holidays because the places we wanted to go were all booked up. As weird as it sounds, we decided to head to Bangkok for a few days. We can catch up on some movies, see a few things we missed (b/c of the flooding), get my hair done, and Ian can buy a new pair of shoes. Unfortunately, his new shoes have proven to be mediocre. The brown ones are a joke; the leather has stretched so they slip off his feet. He is leaving them here.

Ian found a great hotel right on Sukhumvit for 65 dollars and the flight is reasonable so we went ahead and booked it. We’ll be there for New Years.

That night in Siem Reap, Narath picked us up at 6:30 pm to show us the local market. It comes to life around 3 – 4pm and closes at 9 – 10 pm. He drove out into the country and down a paved road. It was incredible. Along the sides of the road on the grass and gravel, people had set up their products to sell: lotions and creams, comforters, clothing, hats and shoes, sunglasses, jewellery, baby clothes, stuffed animals, toys – you name it. People sat on mats sharing food or nursing babies. Further away, large mats (the size of picnic blankets) spaced one after the other sat empty and Narath explained that people can rent a mat to sit and visit or eat their food. Sometimes couples visited the market on a date. Behind the vendors was a large field with simple amusement park rides for kids and rows of gates. It was really neat to see.

Geckos

We have two geckos in our room –one is very shy and I’ve only caught a glimpse of him when I move things and the other is very tiny with a stubby tail. It is quite adventurous and in the evenings I watch it roam around the walls of our room, across the floor and ceiling; quite inquisitive. Sometimes it stops and lifts its head up as if looking around. I tried to get a photo of it but when I get close, it moves away (and our camera isn’t the greatest with close ups).

Last day of seeing the temples

We were headed 37 km out of town to see Banteay Srei described as the “jewel of Khmer art” (Ancient Angkor). Since Narath typically travels quite slowly, we were a bit sceptical of doing the distance in a tuk tuk. He assured us that he could go faster especially if we left early when the traffic wasn’t bad; so up again at 5:30 with a 6:30 am departure.

We were all tired – turns out, none of us had had a decent night’s sleep so we made a quick stop for some juice, coffee, and food for Narath. It was very chilly going fast so I was wrapped in sarongs. It was nice being out of town – we saw a variety of homes and passed many people on bicycles. I managed to snap this photo of a house with palm leaf walls. You can see the cement well for water to the left of the photo – many homes are without running water or electricity.

We arrived to Banteay Srei and the parking lot was fairly empty. Although not a royal temple it is a beauty. It is quite small and the pink sandstone carvings are in excellent shape.

The causeway is lined with stone boundary posts. To the left and right, the causeway is flanked by the remains of galleries.

Off to the sides were doorways without rooms and the remains of walls with windows. A pedestal with a flower – like carving was something we had not seen in any of our other temple visits.

The temple proper is tiny – three towers with ­6 short staircases. Guardian statues kneel on the platform. These are copies (the originals are in the Phnom Penh museum) with human bodies and the heads of lions, monkeys, and garudas (bird-man).

The detailed stone carvings are stunning. Miniature temples sit on the four corners of the temple roof and doorways and walls are beautifully decorated. Pink sandstone is apparently very hard so it has weathered well. Depth and sharpness provide richness in these carvings.

Although a tiny temple complex, it takes time to appreciate all these details...We made our way out of the complex and just in time, the parking lot was absolutely full of tour buses with more coming in. We were very lucky to arrive when we did. I can’t imagine walking around such a tiny place with all those people.

Cambodia Land Mine Museum and Relief Facility

Our next stop was the Landmine Museum.  I didn’t take any photos here – although the intent is good, the museum itself isn’t very well done.  All proceeds go to the upkeep of the museum and for the education and protection of youngsters in need. Many of these have been injured by unexploded ordinance or by landmines.  It isn’t a rehabilitation centre yet they do provide food and board. The focus is on education and helping these victims become self-sufficient.

The fellow responsible for opening the place has quite a story. Aki Ra was a child soldier of the Khmer Rouge, shooting a weapon at the age of 10. He was eventually taken by the Vietnamese army and conscripted with a threat to his life. Through his teens he planted thousands of landmines for the Khmer Rouge and Vietnam army.  In the Cambodian army, still a teenager, he worked with the UN to help clear mines and as a young adult, began clearing neighbouring villages of unexploded ordinance.

The museum displays stories of children injured by land mines, a history of Aki Ra’s life, and facts about land mines. There is also an exhibit of defused mines, bombs and other ordinance.

When I exited the museum, Narath was fast asleep in a hammock…

On the way to our final temple we stopped to learn about palm sugar candy.

At the top of the palm tree, the male plant is cut and a bucket is left for the drippings of palm sugar. At the end of the day the drippings are collected and boiled. The process was similar to our maple syrup at home. Sugar is then poured into small containers and left to harden. Ian and I bought three packs for $1 and gave one to Narath. The packages were quite clever and made of a bamboo leaves. The candy itself was quite delicious, although super sweet.

Not the best picture but hopefully you get the idea....

Banteay Samre was small and not overly crowded. It has a single tower and concentric galleries forming a square around it.

The causeway is flanked by lions without their faces; not sure what happened to those. Inside the central tower was a pillar of stone – with the light shining from the side, it made for a super picture.

There was a lovely breeze coming through and I just sat taking things in. We headed for home and many tour buses, bicycles with students and tourists, tuk tuks and of course, motorbikes were now on the road. I was astounded to see two motorbikes go by with large trussed up pigs balanced on the back seat! Narath said the pigs were still alive and being taken to the market to sell. What people carry on their scooters is incredible. Ian once saw someone with boxes loaded on the back seat and a person sitting on top of the boxes. We’ve also see crates of eggs stacked up behind and in front of the driver – I’ve even seen plates of glass being carried on bikes. The other day I saw a woman riding a bicycle and she had a cloth tied to her handles like a mini-hammock and inside was a baby. I guess when you can’t afford a car, you make do with what you have.

Our time in Siem Reap and Cambodia has been a great experience and certainly a highlight. The people are incredibly friendly and the temples of Siem Reap will always be remembered.