Getting left behind at Sisophon

Angkor Wat

Keeping the sun off

Stopping for a cold Angkor beer after bike riding in  95 degree heat

Faces at Banon

Angkor Thom

Angkor Wat at sunrise

Ta Prohm

Ta Prohm-  made famous by Angelina Jolie- Tomb Raider

Banteay Srei

We spent 5 days in Siem Reap, which is a beautiful French colonial town on the Siem Reap River. Pretty architecture with wide boulevards. The river has beautiful old style streetlights and each bridge is decorated with lights. Really nice walking around in the evening with the city all lit up. Also a bonus of a few vestiges of the old French regime- decent coffee, baguettes and croissants as well as delicious Khmer food and cheap (50 cent) draft beers.

The main attraction is Angkor- and its temples- which is the eighth wonder of the world. The temples are spread out over a large area with dozens of huge temple complexes fusing Buddhism and Hinduism. The whole area was the center of the Khmer empire for many years starting over a thousand years ago. The different temple areas were built over hundreds of years and each have distinct styles. The best way to see it is over a few days.

We bought a three day pass which we were able to use over a one week period. The first day we toured (on bikes) some of the closer temples including Angkor Wat which is considered the world’s largest religious building.  I can’t say that I really recommend riding a bike 25km in 95 degree weather but Mike was in heaven and indeed Angkor Wat is thought of by the Khmer people as “heaven on earth.”  The next two days we toured the temples by tuk tuk, which was a much more enjoyable experience for me. It’s so hard to describe how awe inspiring this place is- every temple is more amazing than the one before. It is very lucky that during the civil war that the Khmer Rouge left the place alone- so many other places were destroyed.

After Siem Reap we came to Battambang. Also an old French Colonial town with pretty architecture and a river winding through it although not quite as clean and neat as Siem Reap. You can take a boat from Siem Reap to Battambang but this time of the year the water is very low so the trip takes hours longer and the boat tends to get bogged down (and breaks down.)

We very wisely chose the A/C bus. Half way we stopped at a town called Sisophon to let some passengers off and pick up some new ones. The bus stopped at the bus company office so I (and a few others) got off to use the bathroom. The last thing I said to Mike was “don’t let them leave without me.” As I was waiting my turn to use the toilet I watched the bus pull away. There was another western woman (a Brit) standing next to me along with 6 or 7 Cambodian woman. The Brit and I exchanged glances.

Hmmmm- maybe they’re just pulling up the block…

 She had told her husband the same thing as she got off the bus. We both finished using the toilet and went to the front of the bus office and saw that there was no sign of the bus.  We then did a little inventory of what we had between us. I had about 1200 Cambodian riehls (at 4000KHR to 1USD- about 30 cents.) I also had a little supply of toilet tissue and that was it. No passport, ID or cash card. She had her passport, some hand gel, toilet tissue, a few snacks but no money. We were a pitiful pair. We quizzed some folks sitting outside of the office and finally decided (through sign language) that the bus would be back eventually so we waited and about 25 (anxious) minutes later the bus did return. Mike said that he (and my fellow refugee’s husband) did try to keep the bus from leaving without us.  Apparently the driver goes to a lot close by and eats lunch and takes a break before coming back. Would have been nice to know.  Mike was sure I was freaking out but I figured I would talk my way on the next bus heading to Battambang which was leaving in a couple of hours and we would eventually meet up. We have discussed what we would do should we get separated and had decided that we would meet up back at whatever guest house we’re staying at. Never really thought about what would happen if we got separated during travel days but I’ve learned that while in transit I shouldn’t be without my passport and some cash in my pocket just in case.

We’re staying at a really nice place here in Battambang. Brand new hotel that just opened in January. New linens, minibar, great A/C, a flat screen TV, cheap laundry service and a huge bathroom with a bathtub!!!  Comparable to any 3 or 4 star hotel in the states for $18/night. Wifi is a little sketch and there is always a resident gecko but you can’t ask for everything…

We dropped our passports off at the consulate this morning to get our Vietnamese visas. We were assured that they will be ready tomorrow morning by 9am (for an extra $10 each.) It’s hard to relinquish your passport for any reason. Hopefully it will all go smoothly and we can move on to Phnom Penh in the afternoon. But if not this is a pretty good place to get stuck for an extra day. Rashmi and Anil gave us a little Ganesha statue to help remove any obstacles during our travels so I had a little talk with him about potential issues with immigration. Wish us luck!