We arrived in Siem Reap after a short forty minute flight from Bangkok. Most of the flight was spent filling in all the necessary forms in order to get into Cambodia. We were met at the airport by our driver in his tuk tuk and driven to the Golden Temple Villa where we are staying for four days.
The weather in Cambodia is sunny and hot. Although Ross complains about it, I tell him that sweating is good as it is detoxifying his body!
Today was spent touring Angkor Wat and the surrounding smaller temples. All were very impressive as you can see by the above picture. This is the sight where they filmed Tomb Raider with Anjolina Jolie.
At the entrance to every temple were many children of all ages trying to sell you cold drinks, books, postcards, jewelery and scarves as well as other assorted goods. I'm sure the first words learned by these children is "'one dolla, one dolla". We also saw groups of musicians playing Cambodian music who were landmine victims. A large sign gave the message "Rather than begging, we are trying to earn a living with dignity".While driving from temple to temple we were amused by the wild monkeys playing at the side of the road and which could be approached very easily.
Siem Reap is a small city that caters to tourists who come to visit Angkor Wat.
There are many excellent restaurants to choose from. Last night we dined at a restaurant called Aha which was featured in Budget Traveller Magazine. Many thanks Renee for the information. The food was delicious, especially the mango salad with dried snake! The snake ressembled small pieces of bacon which were sprinkled on top of the salad. Ross did not have the nerve to even sample this!
After dinner we strolled through the night market. One fascinating booth was where you could get an hour long leg massage given by blind people. Another interesting activity was where you could put your feet in a large pool and have them "tickled" by hundreds of tiny fish. So far we have resisted buying anything.
We are about to pick up our laundry ( 6 items for one US dollar ) and then have a foot massage.
So until next post, keep warm.
Joan & Ross
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