Long Weekend in Siem Reap
 

I've always wanted to see Angkor when the moats were full and everything was green. Be careful what you wish for.

As we had a three day weekend in Thailand, and Lori assured me we'd have good weather, I booked a short trip to SR to catch up on things. As we flew in, there was water everywhere. The little hill that for me marks when I've reached Tonle Sap is now an island.

However, the city is [mostly] dry and back to what passes for normal. The ATR I flew in on was little more than half full, but there seems to be plenty of people around. I chose the Steung hotel for this trip. It was cheap and right around the corner from the old market. It's nothing special, but it's clean (new fixtures in the bathroom) the room is big, the A/C works and there's a pool.

I had planned to "rough it" this trip and just use a tuk-tuk, but at the airport decided to get a regular car into town, and, well, those that have been here know how it goes, I ended up taking the car for the next three days. Thing is, it's a van, with plush velour seats and air conditioning that would freeze an Eskimo. I love it.

This morning I had the van drop me off at the Bayon, I followed the route Dara showed me last time, walking from there through the Baphuon (should be finished in another 10 years), the palace and up to Preah Pailay, which is becoming one of my favourite temples, in part because I have it all to myself. I continued on across the road to the Kleangs and other buildings that face the elephant terrace. It seems like nobody ever visits these ruins, even though they're quite impressive.

After that, I went to Ta Keo, which I don't thing I've seen before. It's similar to Pre Rup, but a bit less restored. In the largely intact chapel at the top, there was a little boy handing out the joss sticks for those that wanted to leave an offering. He was singing, dancing, sweeping the floor, all in his own little world at the top of this mountain temple.

Rather than break for lunch back in the city, the driver suggested we have lunch at one of the places facing Sra Sraeng. It was quit good. I had a Khmer dish I'm going to have to develop a recipe for. It's like Thai pad krapao, but with the addition of lots of lemongrass. I'll have to give it a try and post it on TravelingChili.com if I can get it right.

After lunch I went to Banteay Samre, which I don't think I've visited before. It's a small little temple that has some nice features. By this time, I was pretty knackered, so I decided to call it a day and head back to town for a shower and some rest. Now I'm in Blue Pumpkin using their free wi-fi and fortified with a cappuccino.

More tomorrow.

wow thanks, am heading to siem reap for 6 days at the end of november and am staying at the angkoriana near the old markets cant wait for the rest of your trip report.

Michael, we found the Kleang interesting also, when we were in Siem Reap in March. Dara was our guide, we really enjoyed him.

Glad you mentioned that area, there wasn't anyone around when we visited either.

Enjoying your report. Thanks.

It is wonderful to visit the temples most people miss. We enjoyed the Kleangs and Ta Keo and a number of others that had no other visitors.

One of our favorites was Ta Som, which had no other visitors when we were there. I loved the tumbled stones and teh tress simultaneously holding it together and tearing it apart. We re-visited it on our last day in Siem Reap and found that a crew had moved in to "restore" it. I'm sure it is very different now.

The Baphuon was not accessible whne we were there. Can you go into any of it now?

Sounds like a great time, Michael.

Please post that recipe--it's sounds wickedly good! ...AND you're at Blue Pumpkin? Hope the food there is still as good as it was 2 years ago.

I often dream of going back to SR, since our time there was so amazing. Always seems like one of those internal debates: to go somewhere you've been that you connect with or to try something new. I suppose if I lived as close as you did, it wouldn't be much of a debate though. :)

Cheers...hope all is well in the Big Mango.

great trip Mbkk.

as i can't post about other places anymore on the asia forum, i will sidetrack here to call attention to my trip report on the africa board, under south africa...Selwyn has now posted some photos too.. sorry michael--see you next month

Book-marking

Michael, thanks for your report. Sounds like a nice trip. Will we see you in the next 10 days while I'm here?
Carol

Took it easier today. Still a little tired from yesterday (or maybe the Martinis with Lori last night).

Started off at Thamanon, just outside Angkor Thom. It's very small, but quit well preserved with some quite intricate carvings, and I practically had the place to myself.

Next was Preah Khan, one of my favorite places to get lost in. Thanks to its tumble-down nature, big groups can't even think of going here, so there aren't more than a hand-full of people around. Although the site office is still there, I didn't see any signs of new stabilization work. Thanks to all the rain, many of the fallen stones are covered in green moss. Morning light on stone and moss: very atmospheric.

Last stop for the morning is Neak Pean. This is where my desire to see places with the ponds full is almost a nightmare. This temple actually sits in the middle of the remains of a large baray due east of Preah Khan. Normally it's dry, but not any more. The recent rains have left a substantial amount of water in the reservoir, and washed out a goodly portion of the raised pathway to the temple. To get to the inner compound of Neak Pean, you have to walk across a plank walkway - don't try this if you easily lose your balance.

As I walk along the path and planks, I note that there are huge schools of tadpoles in the water. I expect a plague of frogs will soon descend on Siem Reap (of course, the Khmer like to eat frogs, so this probably won't be seen as a problem). On reaching the temple, I see that both the central pond as well as the four surrounding pools have water in them, in between the frogs. At every step, dozens of baby frogs scatter in front of me. This is very different from what I've seen on my two previous visits.

It's quite hot today, so I find a shady spot by one of the side pools to rest. There's quite a profusion of life around, thanks I'm sure to the rain. Not only are there frogs and fishes in the water, there's a lot of small lizards scurrying around the stones, and butterflies of every color flitting through the air. I've also seen a lot of large and colorful dragonflies around.

I have lunch at Solentra, one of Lori's recommendations. I just have a sandwich, but it's very good, and I'm the only one there. The menu looks quite good. They're open all day.

After lunch I go to the museum, which wasn't open the last time I was here. The exhibits are quite good, although the $12 entrance fee seems a bit steep and the English on many of the signs is quite bad. The first room is the most stunning. It's called the "Room of 1,000 Buddhas" which should give you a good idea of what it's about. The room is lined with small niches, each holding a different Buddha image. There's one whole room dedicated to Angkor Wat, with a rather impressive light and sound show as well.

There's a shopping mall attached to the museum. The design is quite nice, but I'm afraid the business isn't there and it's obvious that several shops have already failed.

So, back at the Blue Pumpkin to check email and get a coffee. Then decide where to have dinner. As Lori has posted, there's lots of good options in Siem Reap now. Had dinner at For Life Thursday night, and it was very good (as well as cheap). I'm having a hard time resisting the call of the chimichangas at Viva! but I'll try.

Will, you need to get in the mood for Bali soon, so wrap your lips around this:
http://travelingchili.com/articles/2...eet-soy-sauce/

It's pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Thanks for the quick report. Sounds wonderful. Clearly timely, no penalty.

Kathie, you can go up to the first level of the Baphuon, but are restricted to a small area at the top of the east stairs, where you can get a closer look at the work in progress. They're more or less finished with the second level and mostly working on the third. Maybe when the third level is complete they'll give you full access to the first.

The huge reclining Buddha that forms the back of the second level is the only part that still has some stones missing. I wonder what it will look like when it's done, because the stones on this part are so worn and badly joined that it's hard to make out the image.

Sounds fantastic, Michael. We'll be making it tomorrow!

BTW, 5-6 bird chilies?!? You're crazy, man...I love spicy, but I need a fire extinguisher just thinking about that many.

We'll probably go less on those for the 1st attempt ;)

Amateurs

Good wi-fi at the airport in SR, but no Bangkok Airways lounge.

Oh I'm so happy to hear the frog prices will be going down soon. Been thinking they would be; for the last few days I've had frogs all over the lobby every night.

Nice to see you here in SR. Glad you got to knock around in your favorite temples with everything green and lovely; sorry about the condition of the roads at the moment....wonder how many years before they get repaired...