Cambodia

We made a quick trip to Cambodia (just a few days) to visit the ruins of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap. We heard from other travellers that a lot of hotel construction was starting around Angkor Wat, so we wanted to see this site before it changed too much. The bus ride took us through the northern part of Cambodia. The land was very flat and most of it was full of rice paddies. The fluffy, white clouds and bright blue sky made for some of the most spectacular sunsets! Although we were here for only a short time, both Lon and I found the people of Cambodia to be genuinely friendly. Children were always waving "hello" at us ...and they were so happy when we would wave back.

One thing all the guide books (and other people) tell you about Cambodia is to always stay on the roads or main pathways due to landmines...even around the temples. We had constant reminders around us ...there were many people that were missing limbs or were maimed.

We spent two days touring the ruins of Angkor Wat. The temples are very large and spread out ...some as far away as 23 km. We hired two motorbike drivers to take us around. Motorbikes are definitely the easiest mode of transportation on these "roads". We were so overwhelmed that first day, we ended up taking over 200 photos! These sites truly are impressive ...they have a mystical feel and look about them. Some sites felt like a Disneyland theme park or Hollywood movie set for Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider (especially at the Ta Prohm temple).

Angkor Wat was built between 7 and 11 centuries ago. There are approximately 100 temples (we only visited the major sites). This "lost city" became popular with archaeologists (mostly French) around the early 1900's. A massive project was started in 1908 to clear away the jungle vegetation that was breaking apart the monuments and to rebuild the damaged structures. The project was interrupted in 1970 by the war. Today, the rebuilding still continues ...and it's a very popular site with the tourists.

Cambodia is relatively expensive compared to other countries in South East Asia (still cheap by Western standards). There are no ATM's in Cambodia. The currency is supposed to be the riel, but all prices are in U.S. dollars. It was a surprise to us when I cashed a traveller's cheque ...and the Cambodian bank gave me U. S. dollars. There were several high-end hotels in Siem Reap (which we passed while riding on the motorbikes getting dirt and dust kicked up into our faces). It looks like we chose the right time to visit, because with all the new construction about to start, there will be plenty more hotels.

region	lodging	$US / night	rating	notes
Siem Reap	Green Garden Guest House	$20.0		Clean, comforatble, refrigerator and A/C