The "Road" to Siem Reap

After a day and a half of Phnom Penh, I (more so than Andrew) was ready to move on to Siem Reap. For those who don't know, Siem Reap is home to one of the most awe inspiring structures made in human history - Angkor Wat. While this post will not touch the amazing temples of Angkor (each one will get its own post), I will herein describe the travel to and our first impression of the city of about 30 000 people.

We had to wake up around 5:45 am in order to make it to the boat, which was leaving at 7. We ate breakfast across the street from the docks, where a man arranged for a tuktuk to pick us up when we arrived. The boat was a long eyesore, with seats for 100 people, yet they sell about 130 tickets, so there are a number of people who are forced to sit on the roof for 6 hours in the blazing hot sun. There are advantages and disadvantages to sitting inside the boat. On one hand, you have a (relatively) comfortable seat, and can go up to the roof, and come back in at will. On the other hand, the motor sounds like a banshee suffering through the throes of death, in the slowest and most agonizing manner possible. The ride was pleasant enough, costing a mere $25 each, but the sights along the Mekong River make the journey completely worthwhile. We passed many fishing huts, and small communities before reaching the hour of open water on the lake leading to Siem Reap. As the boat approaches the city, it passes through the spectacular and gorgeous floating village. The entire village is built on boats. About five minutes later, around 1 pm, we arrived at the "dock" to find our driver holding a sign that said "Andrew Weeter" (Andrew's last name is Wheeler). He took us into town, suggesting a place a little further away than we wanted to be, but took us to the guesthouse that we wanted, the Shadow of Angkor. We arranged for our driver to pick us up the next morning at 9:00 to take us opn our first day of our Angkorian experience. The guesthouse had a two-bed room available, and we quickly took it for the low, low price of $8 a night, plus another $8 for A/C, tv and hot water.


The Floating Village.

Since the day was young, we wandered around the town, negotiating for clothes, etc. Most things cost us less than $5. By this point, I had become rather adept at bartering, and had discovered that if the seller didn't say "only make 1000 Riel" you paid more than you had to. Of course, since the country runs on US currency, it's pretty easy to figure out conversion rates. The only time we found ourselves in possession of Cambodian curreny was when something cost fractions of a dollar (e.g. $3.50). The city is very Western-owned and oriented, but a beautiful and lovely place, where all of the locals are happy and friendly all the time. The city has much less forceful peddling. One of the biggest highlights of the city is the Night Market which operates from 8 pm until the wee hours of the morning. Even without the great tourist attraction of Angkor, the city is a worthwhile place to visit.

View from the boat.

Cambodian fishing hut.

Fishing on the Mekong River.

A typical rural Cambodian house.

Traditional Cambodian dancing at the Temple Lounge in Siem Reap.

The "Stairs of Death" at the Shadow of Ankgor Guesthouse. We would discover that these were relatively normal stairs. Notice how none of my toes actually touch the step.