Siem Reap 6N7D

We landed in Siem Reap early morning and our first impressions were of a hazy heat with the sun rising behind the points of the airport that is built in the traditional Khmer style architecture. It was small, relatively new and rather quiet. No doubt due to the rising pandemic in China which continues to have a huge impact on the tourism of the area. You need a visa to enter Cambodia and attempting to be organised, I’d arranged E-Visas whilst in the UK. You also need to complete immigration paperwork. This was all new to me so I diligently spent some time on the flight preparing everything to make our entry smooth and problem free…..

Our first encounter in Cambodia was of a lesser spotted bulldog chewing a wasp, more commonly known as a Cambodian immigration official (I encountered similar on our exit so I think it’s a prerequisite for the job. (No doubt training consists of lots of wasp chewing). It seems that I didn’t understand the system and in trying to hand my carefully ordered papers and passports to the immigration official I upset him greatly. I had some parts thrust back at me with an unnecessarily loud and aggressive ‘No. No. No!’. He dodged all eye contact and the request for any further instruction. Not quite sure what I’d done to rain on his parade I took our paperwork and carried on through the airport. Just before the exit there was a little box for us to drop in the immigration slips that I’d had thrust back at me a few moments earlier. My crime became clear… I think that perhaps somebody just needed a nap or maybe an attitude adjustment.

I’m pleased to report that at no other time during our 4 weeks in Cambodia did we come across another unpleasant character (except for the immigration official on our exit. Its the darn wasps I tell you 🙂

Outside the airport we were met by a lovely, smiley young man sent by our hotel. He guided us to our taxi and on to our next stop, The Kulen in Siem Reap.

As we entered the hotel we were met with a beautiful display of lotus flowers. The flower petals are folded and the display refreshed by the hotel staff every few days. Every Cambodian we met seemed to have so many traditional skills. I loved that so many of these traditional crafts and skills are still used in everyday life, keeping their culture and traditions alive. The hotel was incredible. Our ‘room’ wasn’t a room but an apartment with a huge open plan lounging, dining and kitchen area, large bathroom and bedroom along with balconies on all sides. It was huge! We settled in, enjoyed the fruit bowl of fresh mango, lychee and mini bananas then had a mid morning swim before going to explore this vibrant little city. The hotel staff were really helpful in giving us advice about attractions, customs and security. The location was on a bustling street in a neighbourhood within 10 mins walk of the city centre. Siem Reap city is tightly packed, full of temples, palaces, restaurants, parks, hotels, markets, museums, shops and tuk tuks. The sights, smells and sounds are an assault on the senses but in the best way possible. The dusty air seems always to be full of the smell of insence and we grew so fond of it.

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We took our first ever tuk tuk ride to the nearest Hindu temple and went to explore. The art, detail and stories in these temples is always wonderful. We’d asked in the hotel what the protocol was for being respectful when visiting temples of varying faiths so we felt comfortable exploring them. The boys loved working out the stories being told in vast colourful murals along the walls. Each depicting another scene, some more gruesome than others!

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So from here we were semi abducted by another tuk tuk driver desperate for some business. He wouldn’t take no for an answer and I guess at that point I was too polite to keep turning him down. With so few tourists everyone was desperate for customers. He tool us to another couple of temples, showed us where the monks slept, some of the artifacts and antiques kept by the temples and our trip finished by him getting told off by said monks for encouraging the boys to play the temple drums. Eek!

We ended our first day in Siem Reap by getting another tuk tuk with Mr Bun Neng who took us to buy our passes for the Angkor Wat temples. Access is tightly controlled but we just managed to visit as the sun set behind Angkor Wat itself. What a first introduction. It’s mesmerising, peaceful, awe inspiring and so spiritual and we were so fortunate to see it at such a quiet time.

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We did so much in Siem Reap that I’m going to break the posts down in to the days.

Having been in Malaysia, a predominantly Muslim country for a month, we ended our first day in Cambodia with a game of UNO and mummy had a big glass of wine! We were totally relaxed and completely in love.

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Up early tomorrow to watch the sunrise over the temples at Angkor Wat!