Siam Rep
Well this will be the fifth time I have tried to write this post. And with luck it will get through this time.
First to answer a fairly common question. Yes I am heading for Australia.
I fly into Perth on the 9th and will be making my way east for Melbourne at Christmas and Sydney for new year. Second no I haven't blown up a cow with a rocket launcher in Cambodia, but the number of people that tried to talk me into it was unbelievable.
Right,
Cambodia,
what a place! So diverse, the friendliest people, with some of the worst recent history. Some of the worst roads in the world, but the most people trying to maintain them.
We crossed into Cambodia at Poi Pet heading for Siam Rep, along the notorious National Highway 6. This road almost all dirt track, with pot holes up to three feet deep and 12 feet wide. In addition this is towards the end of the wet season, and it is completely flooded in many places.
The journey is 120 km, and it was expected that it would take about 3 hours. A long time for so short a distance, but the actual journey was closer to 12 hours! The bus got stuck in rivers and overflowing paddy fields along the way and we had to all get out and push the bus to get it moving, along with 20 or thirty Cambodian truck drivers who where standing around at the time as their truck had washed a few meters down stream, or the wheels had sunk below the mud.
In the end the drivers of the bus just told us to get out and walk as there was another bus waiting the other side of a particularly bad area.
We ended up having to walk in the dark for two hours in water up to our waist to get through it , but it was all OK in the end, just a little wet. A cool beer when we eventually arrived was all that keep us all going.
The reason we headed for Siam Rep (translated to Thailand Defeated, a little cheeky for some where so close to the border of Thailand) was because of the Angor Wat Temple complex. It was featured in the film Tomb Raider, which I imagine most of you will not if not have seen. Lush temples built in the 12th - 16th century, abandoned and reclaimed by the forest.
Angor was the main trading hub for South east Asia when it was built but fell by the wayside some time in the indeterminate (I don't know) past.
It was discovered in the late 19th century and restoration proceeded for many year until war broke out, it has since been ravaged by Pol Pot and a merry band of looter striping away much of the intricate carvings.
The complex is under restoration again, but only in parts. Some are left more or less as they were found, with enormous trees enveloping the walls and rooms. It is a fantastic display of the power of nature.
Anyway enough of the history lesson. It was a superb place to go and I think I have some amazing photos, but you will have to wait for them. I will continue this shortly, but for now a cool beer waits.
PS I am in Saigon now.
