We have arrived in Cambodia, and just when we thought we could experience no more !! BOOM ... the nicest people we have met so far... even getting our visa at the airport was a joy !! and that's a first , most officials seem to think I am going to declare War on their country, rob, steal and pillage their country of all mineral wealth, then give them back their independence with absolutely no infrastructure whatsoever ... I mean for god sake I am British ... So was picked up by 'our driver ' in a motorbike with a trailer which you sit in !! and arrived at another amazing hotel.. Sonalong Boutique Hotel - Siem Reap... have a look on google ... yes of course you all by know everyday is our wedding anniversary and the bed was covered in flowers in the shape of hearts and etc etc ... huge room with huge verandah ... it will quite frankly have to do ....
So next day up and at it with so much to see and do .. Sopa our guide that we had booked to show us the temples was wonderful, we managed to beat the crowds at every temple she showed us ... The first one was Ta prohm.. ( tomb raider film ) It is a temple over 1000 years old... built for a god , it was left to ruin and it is as if the jungle has crawled back over it and reclaiming it, huge trunks and creepers wrapped around whole columns and tree roots and trunks growing up through whole temples , almost a bit eerie , you feel a root is going to come up out of the ground and swallow you up, very atmospheric, lichen and moss growing over perfectly built walls... how they built this way back then is a mystery ..... you can only imagine, elephants dragging huge rocks , slaves chiselling away at the rock with the most intricate designs and stories on them, then ropes and pulleys and more elephants hoisting the rocks into place, no cement was used and the contact surface between the bricks is absolutely sound... unbelievable. I was pretending to be russian posing for photos against this tree in a shaft of light ... when we looked back at the photos ... DAD had been etched into the tree stump..... weird huh ...
The next temple was Bayon.. this is the one where every tower has four faces looking at you.., big smiling buddha faces, not ideal if you are paranoid about people looking at you, or you have just enjoyed a sneaky joint ... you can't move for buddha smiling at you.. The temples went on and on , almost too much ... Ankgor Wat the temple of all temples didn't disappoint , but by now , we didnt care who, why , what or when . Just more oh my god ..... back to the hotel, to rest up before our big night out .. whoop whoop .. we get well excited about going out as believe it or not , there isn't much to do apart from clubbing everynight.. I mean after dinner and a few drinks ... you know what I mean.. But tonight was traditional Apsara dance night, with a buffet meal thrown in... woo hoo... it was actually really good , these girls can bend there fingers right back.. I am struggling to think of a good reason to do that .. Waiters carry big trays maybe ... anyway they can and all seem chuffed to bits with this skill... the buffet was good, but hey you know me ... crap with food.. too much choice.. up and bloody down you use more calories going from buffet to table than you do actually eating the fish , beef and carbonora you have decided to put all on one plate !!!!
The next day brought with it ... guess what ... more sodding temples .... these guys LOVE the temples ,, so many in such a small place .. if you were a stone mason in 800 c you would have been turning work down...
Whilst here and falling in love with the people and the country and their hardships they have had to endure , I or we decided to visit and orphanage ... they were doing a performance and we decided to go along... we were the only guests there ... ( until 2 S.Africans turned up later on) the children showed us there home, a corrugated barn type building with a stage , a few chairs, a dog eared poster on the wall, and a stove . They sleep on the floor in thatched buildings.... they have no shoes, rags to wear, no toys just each other.. they looked well fed and happy...
The show was fabulous.. traditional dance with the odd child making a dash across the stage for laughs or two of them fighting at the side.. a hip hop dance which was really good and the 2-3 year olds copying the bigger kids.. hilarious... we were whooping and whistling, they loved it ... most of the performance was watched with a couple of kids on your lap and a old mutt under your chair.. they even fed us ... at the end we all got up and danced with them , swinging them around and showing them crazy arsed moves .... it was a magical evening , and we all had a great time, we donated very generously and wished them all well, as we clambered back into our trailer and left our new friends behind with a challenging future in front of them, we didn't leave empty handed ..... we were hopping with fleas and mossies, and very heavy hearts.... they have nothing , I am not entirely sure even hope.. we left feeling very benevolent but are we really ??? we can all do so much more... so after a reflective over priced bottle of wine later we went back to our lovely hotel...... it's just doesn't make any sense ......
So next day was the floating village day, and as we made our way through jungle villages, and pigs strapped to bikes upside down and cows on the back of bikes going to market we arrived at the port which is really a swollen massive paddy field which is drowned in the rainy season.. even the road runs out and people leave their bike and walk in the water.. After an hour boat ride.. ( he hot wired the boat to start it and it was steered with rope tied around the steering wheel column) we arrived at the floating village.... everything is built on bamboo stilts and they move the house to more water during the rainy season .... the school, the monastery , the shop, women go from house to house with a floating supermarket, kids swim from house to house to see friends and family... pigs and chickens are kept on floating bamboo cages, dogs swim from house to house... this is not the place to live if you don't like getting your hair wet !!!!! there is no electricity so everything is done by car battery, all lights are strip lights for low voltage, one house has a generator which charges all the batteries, no running water, they all go to a pump and fill jerry cans.. we had a drink in one of the houses and watched from their verandah this watery existence... amazing...
We love Siem Reap ... everyone must try and get here once in their life... the town is hopping, markets, bars, restaurants, it is danger of becoming a Costa del Siem but I hope they make every buck they can in the meantime because they really deserve it ..
So next day up and at it with so much to see and do .. Sopa our guide that we had booked to show us the temples was wonderful, we managed to beat the crowds at every temple she showed us ... The first one was Ta prohm.. ( tomb raider film ) It is a temple over 1000 years old... built for a god , it was left to ruin and it is as if the jungle has crawled back over it and reclaiming it, huge trunks and creepers wrapped around whole columns and tree roots and trunks growing up through whole temples , almost a bit eerie , you feel a root is going to come up out of the ground and swallow you up, very atmospheric, lichen and moss growing over perfectly built walls... how they built this way back then is a mystery ..... you can only imagine, elephants dragging huge rocks , slaves chiselling away at the rock with the most intricate designs and stories on them, then ropes and pulleys and more elephants hoisting the rocks into place, no cement was used and the contact surface between the bricks is absolutely sound... unbelievable. I was pretending to be russian posing for photos against this tree in a shaft of light ... when we looked back at the photos ... DAD had been etched into the tree stump..... weird huh ...
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