fravina: "Holiday in Cambodia" – Part 2 Angkor Wat, 8/10-8/12

Angkor Wat at sunrise

So in my last post I was aiming for a distraught Western tourist vibe. Before continuing with details on our sojourn in Cambodia in this post, I'd like to first express my utter astonishment and delight at Vietnam, especially Hanoi. Walking the streets of this place with Leslie, I've had the thought several times: "there's absolutely nowhere else I'd rather be." The place is intoxicating and invigorating at the same time. And I just love being among the Vietnamese people themselves. When you consider their experiences in recent decades, it's simply mind-boggling and commands a kind of deference as you walk among them. As many of you know, Leslie and I are both stupidly nervous fliers. But flying Vietnam Airlines on the way from Siem Reap to Hanoi, I thought, just since 1940, these people took care of the Japanese, the French, and the Americans in succession in the name of national independence, before bailing out their neighbors the Cambodians from their disaster in the 1980s and fending off the latter's Chinese "allies" in the north: I trust their airline.

Ok, so back to Cambodia, and on to Angkor Wat. Though the name Angkor Wat refers to a specific temple, the name is often used for an area that is hundreds of square kilometers and includes hundreds of temples. The town of Siem Reap is the starting point for access to Angkor Wat. As a result of its high tourism quotient, it has become somewhat Disneyfied – which makes for a stark contrast with Phnom Penh. We had some good meals, and a good beer at a backpacker bar called "Angkor What?" We declined the two pitchers of Vodka Bull which would have scored us a t-shirt and settled for a glass of beer a piece as we ogled young twentysomethings who had come to Asia to "find themselves" only to find each other.

Thanks to Max and Jess Norman, we scored a great guide for our two days exploring the temples. Ratanak and I are pictured below:

Knox and Nak

Ratanak was a fount of information and a generally charming presence. The best part of having him around was that he set the pace for us. Keeping us moving along from temple to temple, but giving us time to take in what we were viewing. He had a good command of English, but it was clear that somewhere along the way an instructor had told him that the following three expressions are basically interchangeable in English: "that's right" "of course" and "why not?" This made for some strange exchanges. Examples:

Leslie: "So these Hindu temples became Buddhist when new kings took over in the sixteenth century?"

Ratanak: "Why not?"

OR

Knox: "So that tasted like fish in my lunch but I couldn't quite place the flavor..."

Ratanak: "That's right."

At any rate, the temples were amazing sites. My fave was Banteay Srei built in 967 AD, way out in Malaria-town, a good 40km from the center of things. This was the place Andre Malraux looted in 1923 before being busted by the colonial authorities waiting for him in Phnom Penh. Kind of hard to hide stone bas reliefs under your shirt, I guess. Definitely wouldn't fit in your carry-on.

A final note: great hotel in Siem Reap, called the Auberge Mont Royal d'Angkor. $30 a night for absolute comfort and a dope pool.

Here are some more highlight shots of Angkor Wat. Look for the next post from the host of fravina on our time in Halong Bay.