So I haven't been able to regularly post anything because my phone has absolutely terrible battery life.
But as I sit here with my phone plugged into the wall I will attempt a summation of the last several days.
Our hotel is the Angkor Heritage Boutique Hotel. And it has been really wonderful with a pool and ideallic surrounds. It's hard to believe that a few metres away is a dusty lane way leading to an even dustier national highway (highway #6).
View from our room.
The City of Siem Reap is filled with people and being a tourist visiting the tourist locations it's been Interesting to chat to an assortment of Asian, and European tourists. The fact that Cambodia uses the US dollar and the local Cambodian riel means that American tourists can just step off the plane and use their own currency. Getting used to making up the purchase price from two currencies can be a challenge.
Part of Siem Reap is definitely a tourist mecca what self respecting Australian wouldn't immediately be drawn to a place known as Pub Street. Bars, Restaurants and markets with the associated cacophony of commerce make this a must see unless you suffer from Agoraphobia or a fear of people saying you wanna buy....
Of course the draw for most of the tourists are the huge temple complexes, of which Angkor Wat is the best known and if you are familiar with Angelina Jolies rendition of Tomb Raider you will have seen the amazing Ta Prohm with ancient trees growing on top of even more ancient ruins. Make sure you look up and spot the bee hives clinging to the branches high above.
Anyway the central fascination of the temple builders seems to be the Linga... ( a phallic symbol ) each temple seemed to have one, or the remains of one, in a central chamber. Here is an example that exists in the grounds of our hotel:
So besides the fun of riding in tuk tuks, or hiring a bike to pedal through the amazingly random traffic of Siem Reap we haven't done a whole lot. We did however get some massages. Which are needed if you have walked or ridden many kms during a day.
Food available in Siem Reap caters for Western and Eastern tastes. Although Khmer food seems to not stand out against the other neighbouring cultures enough so that you rave about its uniqueness. Perhaps I'm trying say that Cambodian cuisine might have gotten lost in the melting pot of Asian food... This is my opinion. But if you know of a stand out Khmer dish that I should try and be blown away by let me know.
Anyway time to check out, get some lunch, and go through the transfer-flight-transfer process that will get us to Bangkok this evening.
If you get a chance before leaving the country, definitely try the amok (usually served with fish). Its a great dish, and fairly distinctive.