the majesty of Siem Reap

When I was plotting the Asian destinations that I want to go to a few years back, I must admit that Cambodia wasn't on my priority list. Therefore I was glad that the deadlock in the family meeting on where to go resulted more on, “which places that I haven’t been to that are accessible by Philippine passport that is palatable to the rest of my family”, than “where do the rest of my family REALLY want to go?”, which then translated to this amazing place that will be stuck in my mind for many years.

Going to the different ruins in Siem Reap was like an onslaught to the senses, it really is too much to take in at first glance that it warrants a second (and a third) look. Because of the tight schedule, we only have 1.5 days for the trip, and I think that would suffice to go to the main ones (but obviously you must not expect to go through the entire floor area of each site or else you’ll spend a night there), both for the Grand and small circuits. I’m awe-struck by how huge everything is and how intricate and carefully-planned everything is. The weather was also perfect at that time (December), I swear if it was summer I would’ve passed out despite the heaps of cold towels that our reliable driver has in his tuktuk.

So here’s a brief run through of each site we went to (in order, hehe):

• Bayon – it’s hard to take a decent picture here with all the tourists, the large stone heads are overwhelming (and I bet scary at night)
• Baphuon – I love how there’s a bridge going to the area, makes it more grand. It also looks like a bigger English mansion for me, without paint.
• Terrace of the Elephants – this was a doozy, we were wondering where the elephant reference comes from and apparently we were at the side of the Terrace and therefore didn’t see the elephant carvings (we turned going to Phimeanakas)
• Terrace of the Leper King – I just remembered being in a hurry to take a picture so that I can get out of the sun. the backstory of this place is fascinating though.
• Phimeanakas – My sister and I are the only ones who went here, ‘cause my brother and mother are already tired from all the walking
• Banteay Kdei – It’s interesting to see the different structured halls and visualize that this was a place of learning during that time
• Ta Phrom – okay the only thing I remembered in this place is that this is where they shot Tomb Raider and also the giant roots with the matching platform.
• Pre Rup – this is my favourite since it has a burnished red glow when I saw it (we went there late afternoon) and therefore stands out from the others (it’s made from brick instead of stone).

Before climbing the stairs at Pre Rup  
• Ta Som – all I remember again is the tree at the end with the big roots, hehe
• Neak Poan – I like the fact that we have to go through a long wooden bridge going through mangroves (it was really long) before seeing this place…change of scenery
• Angkor Wat – what can I say, books are not enough to fully appreciate this place. The sheer size and imagined opulence is just astounding. I’m happy that we saw this right after sunrise and therefore we don’t have to contend with large tour groups

Early morning, just "chilling" at Angkor Wat

• Preah Khan – Sadly, I can’t remember much of this place, maybe I was still hung over on Angkor Wat :|
• Baksei Chamkrong – this is a small ruin that serves as a guarding post of sorts for Phnom Bakheng
• Phnom Bakheng – wow, this is an apt conclusion to the entire route we took. The fact that we have to walk up a mountain to see this one makes it more satisfying. We spent a lot of time here since the fact that it is a mountain temple gives us a grand view of the other structures below.

High up at Phnom Bakheng

What I love about the whole experience is that it really lends itself to go beyond what you see and imagine the history behind it. I’ve seen a lot of ruins and cultural sites before but nothing tops this so far. It’s like the structures are still breathing and it won’t take an intellectual discourse or even a very thorough guidebook to fully appreciate and respect what these structures are and what they stand for.

I felt that although we covered A LOT of ground, it is still not enough to fully take in how wonderfully complex the Khmer culture is. The moment we left Siem Reap to go to Phnom Penh I was already raring to go back again. Thank God that we finally have direct flights going to Siem Reap, I can’t wait to experience it all again (this time by biking) and go to the far-flung areas which our guide said also feature awesome carvings. I am fully appreciative of the painstakingly detailed restoration work that they’re doing to the different sites, I can just imagine the future generations having a more fulfilling experience than I had when all of these are finished.

And, as a testament as to HOW MUCH we enjoyed our trip, here's a video showing the highlights of our trip. Just for pure fun, thank God that my siblings and mom got on board with the idea. Kindly do not share though, I might take the video down after a month or two and just put it on private since my sister doesn't want it publicized (you'll see why). Play at your own risk :D



Thanks to Sam (facebook.com/samtuktuk) for being our trusty tuktuk driver. He comes highly recommended: speaks good English, very patient and gives all the necessary information, and has unlimited cold water and cold towels (a must!). We stayed at Angkor Pearl Hotel, which is also highly recommended (definitely value for money).

on the way to Siem Reap...

My travel log last year was relatively anemic (and it looks like I’ll rebound this year), so I’m glad that my mom told me to book a trip for the family by the end of the year. After much debate, we settled on going to Vietnam and Cambodia, all in 7 days (you can just imagine the itinerary I made) since it’s one of the few left in SEA that I haven’t been to and both places are interesting to my siblings. As usual, I’m the designated planner of the trip (and this is the most challenging so far since let’s just say that each member of my family have different expectations of a “trip” compared to my friends).  

Going to Cambodia

We had to take a 12-hour bus ride from Ho Chi Minh to go to Siem Reap since there aren’t direct flights from Manila (Cebu Pacific started offering flights the month after we left, talk about timing). Arriving at HCM at midnight with 7 hours to kill before your bus leaves was a strain. Thankfully, there’s a roadside joint where we ate pho and drank lots of coffee (which smells nice but not strong enough for me), while my brother (our designated ambassador) chats up with one of the guys in the shop. Hanging out at Pham Ngu Lao at midnight was a startling reversal when you get to see the chaos during the day. Thanks to the helpful tips, I decided to book with Mekong Express (primarily because of the built-in CR, hehe), and thankfully they took care of the border passage for us (because it was definitely confusing). It was a long bus ride and we slept most of the way (and slept more even if we already felt that we had enough sleep). The crossing of the Mekong River was definitely a highlight, not really because of how it looks (with its murky waters) but more because of its significance in the lives of the locals. We arrived in Siem Reap at around 8pm where our trusty tuktuk driver Sam was waiting for us.



  Quick picture from the Vietnam-Cambodia border...don't know why my pose is so weird...
Going Around
We only had limited time in Siem Reap (2 days) and moreso in Phnom Penh (1/2 day) so we tried to cram and go to as many sights as we can (which I’ll expound on the next post). We mostly hired Sam (aside from going around the ruins) to bring us to Pub Street (where the Christmas Eve festivities were lively and crazy) and also to the Catholic Church in the area to attend Christmas mass (which was also interesting and provided a unique twist to our yearly Christmas celebration). Since most people in Cambodia are not Catholic, I appreciate the fact that we still get to feel the Christmas spirit away from home. Different nationalities under one roof sitting on the floor celebrating the mass was definitely a prized encounter. We also managed to squeeze in some time to go shopping, which warmed-up my mom’s bargaining skills (she gets to maximize them in Vietnam).


  Blurry picture of the shepherds (coz they're dancing) during the Christmas play...the kids were adorable!
The vibe in Cambodia is more like one of the provinces in the Philippines, and I’m glad that we went there during the cold season because I can’t imagine going around the temples thoroughly enjoying myself if it’s summer. The people are very welcoming and are used to the influx of tourists in the area. Our hotel in Siem Reap (Angkor Pearl Hotel) was astoundingly better than what you expect from the price. We only got to stay for a few hours in Phnom Penh (just to cut our travel time going back to Ho Chi Minh), but we also got to chat with interesting people on the way. There is still a lot to discover about the country and I’m glad that it will be easier to go there unlike before.


  With our tuktuk driver, Sam (samtuktuk@yahoo.com)