Siem Reap

Pub Street at Sunset

We arrived in Siem Reap with the foresight to pick a hotel that had a pool. After long sticky days in Phnom Pehn and  Saigon, we decided we needed somewhere that we could jump in some water and cool off! A friendly tuk-tuk driver drove us around to a few hotels within our budget that had pools until we found the perfect hotel. Mekong Angkor Palace Hotel. A bit of a mouthful, but a pretty nice place... I don't think I would quite call it a palace. The rooms were nice with big comfortable beds, and Air conditioning is always a necessity. The hallways were a bit of a dodge game and before we went into the hallway from the stairs or elevator we made sure we had our key out and in hand to quickly dart into the room, slipping through the smallest opening and quickly slamming the door shut. The hallways buzzed with mosquitos! After the hunting spree to ensure no bugs had followed us into the room, and killing any that may have (they always did, and we never got them all), we would shower off the sticky sweat or chlorine from the pool, however you had to be careful not to step in the hole in the bottom of the bathtub, that had been patched with a flimsy piece of fibreglass. The funny part is it was actually a pretty nice hotel and beyond the bugs and tub holes one of the nicer places we stayed!! Anywhere that has a bathtub is a "fancy" hotel. In Cambodia and Vietnam a shower or bathtub is a rarity. Instead often the whole bathroom is tiled, and a drain is placed either in the center of the bathroom or in the corner. The shower head is often found on the wall opposite the toilet. Not being proficient at the "whole" bathroom shower, we would usually place the toilet paper outside the room to prevent it from being soaked.

neon lit bridge, reflection and lanterns in the water

We got in mid-afternoon when the sun was at its hottest, we decided the best course of action was to wait out the heat by the pool and check out the downtown city area at dusk. I think it was a fabulous idea! Pool side service with our favourite snack of spring rolls, banana shakes, water, or beer all within steps from the water. It was nice to be able to cool off and rinse the sweat off. I have never sweat so much in my life than on this trip!!!

That night I explored the down-town area, and never quite got out of the tourist circut of the city. Bright neon lights directs you to "Pub Street", "Night Market", "Old Market", "Art Market", and so on.  Tam was not feeling the greatest and stayed in to rest up. Each market seemed to offer the same items, with people asking you every 5 feet if you wanted a $1 massage, manicure, pedicure or Dr. Fish pedicure. I'll come back to Dr. Fish.

Back of Angkor Wat

The next morning we woke early to head out to Angkor. Angkor is one of the most important archaeological sites in South-East Asia. It is 400km2 and within the Angkor Archaeological Park holds numerous Hindu temples built from the 9th - 15th centuries, including Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat was built by king Suryavarman II in the early 12 centrury. It is the largest religious monument in the world, and is the best preserved temple in the park, and the only one to have remained a significant religious center. It is the symbol of Cambodia and is on the counties national flag. We arrived here to explore through the grounds for the day. Tamara still was not feeling up to snuff, but was a trooper and wanted to go exploring.

Inside the Angkor Wat

Buddha's within the temple which had been
decapitated by the Khmer Rouge during Pol Pot's
reign of horror over the country

 We spent 2 hours wandering through the grounds of Angkor Wat. Unfortunately the combination of the heat, absolutely no shade, and thousands of other tourists pushing through the small hallways and grounds, was not helping Tam shake her illness. We decided we would have to return to the hotel so she could cool down and rest up.

Myself and Tamara...and another tourist

Tamara and I had to split up for 2 days of our trip as we were planning to finish the trip on the beaches of Sihnoukville on the Gulf on Thailand in southern Cambodia. We were unable to get a flight on the same day and there was only one flight on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of each week. Tam was heading out 2 days ahead of me. As she was flying out the next afternoon, she would not be able to return to the temples. She really wanted to go to Ta Prohm, the temple complex made infamous by the Laura Croft Tomb Raider movies with the tree roots growing down and and covering the temple ruins. She felt she could muscle through another hour or so before having to head back. We skipped the rest of the day we had mapped out and took our tuk-tuk to Ta Prohm.
Both temples were beautiful and if not having to share the moment with a hundred other people nestled up next to you, sweating on one another, I can imagine would be absolutely magical! I tried to be very tricky and get pictures without all my fellow

tourists in them. Tamara was very patient with me waiting for me to line up the shot and wait for the perfect timing where people had wandered out or the borders of my frame.

I'll let the pictures tell you about how the beauty and magic that the temples hold.

Ta Prohm

After visiting Ta Prohm Tam was ready to get cooled off in our A/C room and rest. Happily once cool she felt better and with some rest and getting herself out of the blazing sun, by dusk she was feeling up to food and wandering around the downtown area. We wandered through the market places, people watched on pub street, and went to visit Dr. Fish. 

Heels In!!

Along with every street side massage parlor and salon, which is a series of overstuffed leather chairs and foot rests which have been dragged from some hidden spot onto the sidewalks, with 5-10 masseuse/aestheticians asking every passerby if they would like a massage or pedicture. Foot, shoulders, head and neck, and foot reflexology tend to be the typical massages available at these little parlors, as well as manicure or a pedicure. Most also offer a pedicure by Dr. Fish.A large square shallow tank filled with water is home to close to 100 small fish. A wide bench lines he top of the tank. Patrons sit along the top of the tank and put their feet in the water. The fish recognize the submerged body part as food and come to graze the dead skin off. For $1 you got a 20minute Dr. Fish pedicure and a beer. I figured I had to do it. Tamara decided it was off her radar of life goals so focused they typical manicure, and I dunked my feet it. It is a strange sensation to have a 100 small fish about the size of your thumb rush up to your feet and start nibbling. A series of giggles erupted from me and I kept pulling my feet out. I was only able to get the heels of my feet in the water as it was quite ticklish to have the fish  eating my calluses away.