Siam Reap - an oddysey -

Part one - The party !

Well. About 6 weeks later than originally planned, I finally made it to the Buddhist Mecca that is Siam Reap, and the incredible Temple structures of the Region - including of course the revered site that is Ankar Watt. This was to be a two day trip, and truly deserves a two part story in my opinion, because each offer a different perspective on what was to be a wonderful experience.

Prior to the intevention of divine providence or whatever you care to call it, I was stil pondering, with no real confidence exactly when I was gonna do the trip to Siam Reap. This was a trip that simply had to be made, but for me involved major drawbacks. This began with an horrific 6 hour coach journey setting of at 7.30 am , on my own , to a region of Cambodia with which I was completely unfamiliar with all the imaginable accompanying fears - Bad hotel, Zero local knowledge , and generally being taken advantage of by desperate Khmair on every corner et cetera. Of course fate was having none of it.

Fate intervened having wandered back into the Pickled Parrot bar early one Sunday morning for a cup of Tea ( just like an Englishman does) and a chat with my extremely good, beautiful, kind, considerate, if unfortuneately, very young, married and pregnant friend Ano. During the course of our discourse, it emerged that her husband was currently being paid a visit by one of his old time mates ( If a 23 year old fella can actually have old time mates ), and that theyd been out on the town etc. She then added that the following Tuesday, they were going to Siam Reap for a couple of days to visit him, the Temples, and as guests for the opening of his new business venture - a restaurant. Having refused a couple of previous offers from Ano to go to the provinces to visit her parents , I said Id love to accompany them. No second request neccesary ! So that was it. I was going - and would be on that coach at the stupid time of 7.30 am , regardless of heat induced insomnia. What further sealed the deal was that Ano had also said she would go and buy me a memory chip for my camera that would hold more than 6 friggin photos ( I was to discover why she took this burden on soon enough).

So without having to worry about just about any of the fears mentioned earlier, and with a truly wonderful couple for company, off we popped. The coach journey wasnt too painless, the reason being plain enough from the first photograph. On arrival at our destination we were met by the aforementioned friends of Kip ( Anos husband) , and taken on what seemed like an epic tuk tuk journey to our hotel where the reservations had already been taken care of. For an old guy like me what would have been nice at that point would have been a shower and maybe an hours R+R. Regretably one doesnt have time for that in the company of all these young bloods, and almose immediately we were off to the lake for a touch of sightseeing, and maybe a dip. Another epic tuk tuk journey later, having arrived at the lake, the itinary changed again, and we were now going to take a trip accross the said lake to visit the home of Kips buddy, and prospective restauranter , Kit.

So having bought a trendy new $2.50 shirt for the evening on the whim of my "sister" Ano, and loaded to the hilt with food, we made the 3 km lake crossing followed by a walk through the jungle in searing heat to our hosts village. But it was all worth it, as we sat at this table and did it all in true Khmair Stylee. We ate frog, chicken ( still emaciated ) and vegetables with various forms of rice - boiled rice, rice paper, and yellow rice more in the form of a pancake. No cutlery required out here ! We popped a few cold ones and sat and talked for a couple of hours. I also got my first taste of the infamous Khmair rice whisky , which im told costs about 50 cents a bottle. Id been forewarned that this stuff was grotesque,but this actually wasnt anything like as bad as reports had indicated it would be , though one small shot was plenty. Then again maybe the problem is more mine given that anything with alcohol in it doesnt taste bad to me.

On the whole, and despite my being partially dehydrated, and giving off an odour akin to aging fruit, I loved every second of it. It was a truly humbling experience amidst such friendly folks and one I will never forget. Ive included a few photos which I hope will give you a better flavour of things. Two hours later however and it was around 4.30 pm and the restaurant opening was at 7, so off we trudged on the return journey. This time a very much needed shower was had and it was party time.

The "restaurant" was an interesting venue, sitting on a side road amidst about 3 or 4 identically similar places. A largish place with a corrugated roof , and just about the most basic of everything - from furniture, to cutlery, to toilets. But of course what was lacking in those departments was more than compensated for as always by the beautiful people ( especially the ladies ) and the incredibly warm welcoming and hospitality. The beer flowed for free, the food also free - fish, pork, soup vegetables et cetera with the mandatory rice was extremely tasty, and the singer was ......well dire......but of course thats from a westerners viewpoint you must understand - Im certainly not a fan of Cambodian music just yet ! Nonetheless, The majority of us just sat on a huge table, and dined drank and were merry for the duration of the evening. Thankfully this wasnt a full blown party, and we left at a sane hour. Tommorow was a big day, with the accompanying early start.

To me the entire experience was just one damn big privilege. These people on the whole show kindness and compassion that simply belies their poverty. A policemen I met a long time ago once told me that there are a******s everywhere in this world and the police are no exception. The same of course applies to the South East Asians. Meanhile however , some philosopher or other once said that the West may show the East how to progress, but ultimately the East will have to show the West how to live ( or something like that ). My experience has been that if you befriend these people, and show them a smile, any reasonable kind of respect, along with extremely modest affordable kindness, they are true friends for sure. May the universe bless the East , cos the West needs to learn a few things very fast if you ask me.

Siam Reap - Part 2 - The temples.

Having returned home relatively early the previous evening, despite having taken 3 small cans of Ankar beer as a supplementary sedative, sleeping didnt come easily. Maybe sleeping the majority of the coach trip wasnt such a good idea now I thought. When the knock on the door came at around 7am therefore, I wasnt a happy camper, even though it was Ano, who had slept, but whose husband hadnt and therefore didnt want to get up early. She had decided therefore to come and take it out on me. I mumbled something about having another hours sleep, and left her to it. Sure enough almost to the minute an hour later the knock on the door came again. I jumped in the shower, threw on some clothes, and joined her for breakfast - "full English" - well thats what it said, but many would have begged to differ. At least Ano, who can eat like a trojan seemed to enjoy it, and made light work of hers. Pip, meanwhile not being a huge fan of western food sauntered off down the road to find some traditional Khmair fare.

Suitably all fuelled up for the morning, it was time to leave for the temple sites, via the shopping mall of course, which my "sister" had insisted on seeing en route. Another very long Tuk tuk journey later and we arrived at our first location, the temple complex of Ankar Thom. As we walked up towards the entrance, a troop of elephants and their handlers majestically passed by. It was to be, it seemed an appropriate introduction to the splendour that lay within.

I had been previously informed of the vast nature of the entire complex of Temples - sprawling as they do amidst miles of beautiful countryside and jungle. As you walk amidst the ageing ruins of many of the buildings, it is nonetheless very easy to imagine just how magnificent these structures would have looked in their original pristine form. Almost all of the external walls were elegantly carved with the faces of legendary Gods of the faith. Many of the internal walls were also carved with various scenes from preceding millenia, depicting famous battles, courageous historical figures, epic tales and so on. Hopefully the accompanying photos will place some flesh on the bones of my inarticulate rambling.

Two hours of meandering around the buildings here seemed to pass very quickly. At this stage it appeared to be food followed by siesta time. As I sat alone under a tree with a bottle of water for company, I was struck for the first time by the sublime serenity of the place. There were quite literally thousands of people wandering around here, and yet it all just seemed so beautifully calm and peaceful. With the rest of our party still snoozing in hammocks in the cafe where they had just eaten, I was joined by Anos husband, and we took a wander amidst another huge temple and its outlying walls. This was enjoyable, not only for the scenery, but also because it afforded me the opportunity to get to know my "brother in law" a little better.

With the other members of our gang now refreshed, it was time to head to Ankar Wat. Kit had strongly reccomended to us that we take a small diversion along the way, to see a temple that had been built deep in the jungle. It was to prove well worthwhile. As we walked up the path to see this incredible synergy between humanity and nature, Ano commented on 2 trees that it appeared to her "had fallen in love" as they intertwined with each other. It was an appropriate time to take a picture of her and her husband underneath these trees. Lovers with lovers.

Despite being ferried around by Tuk Tuk over the vast range of the temple sites, there was still a large amount of walking involved. In the heat of the day, this was clearly going to be a strain for a 21 year old girl with a five months developed child in tow in her womb. As we arrived at the nearest dropping off point for Ankar Wat it was no subsequent surprise, though an immense dissapointment that Ano wouldnt be joining us. This left myself and Pip to complete the oddysey alone. Ankar wat was truly a stunning temple, being the best kept jewel of the entire complex. Again the photographs will offer you a better understanding of what I mean. The panoramic views from inside the temple along with the outlying views were quite simply beautiful. The true Jewel in the crown would have probably been a chance to capture the whole thing at sunset. Unfortunately the opening times didnt extend that far, besides which, it probably wouldnt have been the fairest thing to stay around with my sister being so tired.

Having spent about an hour in the temple, it was time to make our way home. As we walked down the charming pathways towards the exit, a hot air balloon hovered in the distance. A fitting epitome of tranquility to reinforce what had been a great experience. On reflection, I probably need to go back again to fully experience the whole thing in a more spiritual capacity. I have very little doubt that people who have experienced major feelings of love and peacefulness in the heart of this place are not trying to kid anyone. For me this first visit now feels like more of a primer, given that we did it more in conventional run-of-the-mill tourist fashion - photographs, souvenirs et cetera - as opposed to taking the opportunity to truly take in the real spiritual sense and significance of the place. Oh well. Another time for sure.

We returned to the hotel, and I paid the tuk tuk driver. 10 dollars seemed pretty reasonable, and he seemed delighted too with his days pay. I had offered to take the lovers out for dinner , which we subsequently had. If one episode can sum up my wonderful friend Ano it was about to occur. As we sat in the restaurant of their choice, and the menus arrived, Ano was appalled at the prices. She wasnt having me pay 8 dollars for a main course ! Despite my assurances that this was perfectly ok, we left the place settling for something she considered more reasonable. A fiver didnt seem out of the way for me for a main course at dinner. But Ano being as loving and considerate as she is, was having none of it.

The next major planned excursion is to the beach resort of sihunuckville, where, being an ocean person at heart, I plan to spend the majority of the rest of my stay. Reports from the said venue will follow for sure. Phnom Penh has been and continues to be a blast, but the ocean is calling, and Im listening.