Brian and Jackie Cross: Sweltering in Siem Reap

Wednesday 25 February 2015

Sweltering in Siem Reap

The Battambang bus

Well Doug the pug didn't work out either, we never heard from them at all which is most rude, every other sit we've applied for has said something, usually that they are overwhelmed with replies so it could take some time! So obviously rather than think there are better people out there for both of these sits I've decided there was a conspiracy and they know each other and because we applied for the second one while still in communication about the first they took the hump! In the meantime we were actually contacted by a couple in Ledbury who put up a posting a while ago for five cats and possibly one or more of their dogs while they go to France for a month. So we are coming home slightly earlier than planned but both really looking forward to it now we have a plan!

Ta Prohm (Tomb Raider) temple at Angkor

This seems to be the iconic photo to take, was it used in Tomb Raider?

Anyway, on with the blog. Left Battambang an hour and a half after being collected from the hotel! On the worst bus we've seen in Cambodia! The AC worked for some of us, but for those it didn't impatience reigned and windows were immediately opened!

Ta Prohm Temple

Arrived in Siem Reap quicker than expected though (always think the worst and hopefully it won't be that bad!) only to drive through the centre, but you don't realise this till it's too late. The penny dropped when the bus stopped at the side of the road and tuk tuk drivers swarmed on saying ‘far to city, get off now bus going to another province’ etc. All the white people moved and all the Cambodians stayed seated. So having fallen foul of this before and because our hotel was sending a pick up, we along with a French group, had some words and were told to stay on the bus which then stopped about 200m further down the road and all bar one of the Cambodians got off! Hoping we were right we stayed on till the bus station and were very pleased to see a tuk tuk man with our name on a sign. It's just all so irritating, the bus went really close to the city centre and people actually got off but telling everyone to get off here would make the tuk tuk cartel lose money so it's not going to happen! Shame our last bus journey had to be soured like our first couple in Cambodia!

A bit blurred, but he's got his front legs up in a menacing manner

Ta Prohm Temple (it's big!)

Arrived at the hotel, quite new, nice pool which we are SO grateful for as it has suddenly got hideously hot and arranged to meet our driver at 0600 the next morning, not for sunrise just to miss some of the heat and crowds. (For Diane and Simon our hotel the Angkor Pal is down the same dirt track as the Rose Apple which we couldn't afford but was full anyway!) I know I'm not renowned for getting up early but in general I've been waking before six, sadly in this instance we both had a bad nights sleep, a mixture of the large group of Russians in the restaurant just outside our window, thinking about the flights home we'd just booked for £200 each (if something looks too good to be true is it always wrong?) And the mossie that woke B whining in his ear about 0100 but not before giving him a good savaging!

Ta Prohm Temple

So a little jaded we met our driver and set off to Ta Prohm the temple referred to as the Tomb Raider temple having been used in the film, which neither of us have seen. It was lovely to be there before the crowds and it was an amazing place with the sun just coming up and the atmospheric sounds of the dawn chorus and jungle. There were actually parrots in the trees, the first of that sort of thing we've seen since our arrival in November. We did at one point have to pass a very aggressive tarantula on the walkway rising up on its back legs as you got near! At least I did go passed unlike the girl trying to go the other way who couldn't!

Ta Prohm Temple

I'm not going to say much because a picture speaks 1000 words and he's got an awful lot of pictures!
We then headed off to do the Grand Circuit before retreating back to the hotel about midday and the joys of the pool and AC! I was ready for lunch before B having only had my take out half chicken biryani from the night before for breakfast between us (some things never change) so thought I'd go look for cat I met the previous day. I opened the door and there she was in the corridor, very pregnant and obviously struggling with the heat too. She came in and loved the cool tiles in our room so I felt very guilty about turfing her out!

Pregnant kitty in our room

Our hotel this morning. You can just see the swimming pool

Dinner last night was very nice, BBQ and a bottle of wine. Our first since Christmas! I hope we were still making sense to the waiter we were having a long chat with! One of the things we learnt from him is that Angkor Wat is owned by the Vietnamese, so the $40 each we paid for a three day pass doesn't go to help the local economy at all which is really very sad!

Chilled today psyching ourselves up for another temple day tomorrow!

The first glint of early morning sun at Ta Prohm Temple

Ta Prohm Temple

Last one of Ta Prohm Temple. It was a Buddhist temple built around 1190 by the ruler Jayavarman VII and dedicated to his mother. After being completely engulfed by jungle it is now being conserved and restored by the ASI (Archaeological Survey of India), who are trying to strike a balance between nature and the buildings, preserving the trees as well as the buildings on which they are growing

Pre Rup Temple

One of the restored elephants at Pre Rup Temple

Early morning sun at Ta Som Temple

Ta Som Temple

The man-made reservoir surrounding Neak Poan

The central fountain lake at Neak Poan. This is surrounded by four square lakes and our Lonely Planet guide says 'It's a safe bet that when the Encore Angkor Casino is eventually but inevitably developed in Las Vegas or Macau, Neak Poan will provide the blueprint for the ultimate swimming complex'

The north entrance to the Preah Khan Temple

Managed to snap this very colourful dragonfly (one of many) outside the Preah Khan Temple (Jackie said 'don't be stupid' when I set off in pursuit with my camera!)