Angkor Wat

Looks a little dodgy
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We booked an all in deal from Bangkok to Siem Reap for our first land border crossing of the trip as we were slightly anxious about it, especially as we’d heard a few stories of petty corruption on the Cambodia side and because we’d heard of people getting huge amounts of hassle once in Cambodia from touts and hawkers... not really surprising given the history of the country when you consider that only 30 years ago they had just come out of a regime that had abolished currency, bartering, any technology, medicines – in fact anything, so we were braced for another encounter like our first day in Delhi.

The Bayon
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So for 30 quid between us we shared a minibus to the border and were guided through and met on the Cambodian side – funny watching a number of people getting ‘fast-tracked’ in return for a small payment, but coming out the other end before them. After border control we got a bus to the taxi rank and shared a taxi with a couple of larger than life Russian guys staying in the same hotel as us who had also paid for the same package. Our 15 year old taxi driver took us at speed in his battered early 90’s Toyota Camry directly to our hotel where we had a room for the night as part of the deal – probably paid a bit over the odds, but hassle free and thought good value for 15 quid each.

Tomb Raider
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After sorting out a tuk-tuk for the following day to take us around Angkor Wat we went out drinking with our new Comrades – we learned about Siberian weather and got an insiders view of the rise and fall of communism – these guys had lived and worked through both sides so told a good story.

Early next day we were picked up by our driver who spent the day with us driving us around the Angkor complex. We’d seen pictures and travel programmes about Angkor, but nothing really can describe the scale and detailing of the place – to have the vision to design any of the temples is one thing, but when you consider the scale of these things and the intricacy of the stonework you can’t imagine how the vast teams of people who must have been required to do the building were actually directed to do it – and all a thousand years ago.

The King
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In a full day we only visited Angkor Thom – The Bayon, Terrace of Elephants, Terrace of the Leper King and The Baphuon. We also visited Ta Phrom (where Tomb Raider was filmed – Charlie did manage a couple of cartwheels and commando rolls), Ta Keo, Ankor Wat and Phnom Bakheng.

There’s a few programmes of work ongoing to restore a number of the temples so unfortunately we weren’t able to enter some parts or climb to the  top of Angkor Wat – a little disappointing, but hopefully the restoration with be sympathetic and keep the place standing for another thousand years.

Ta Phrom
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Next day we left for Phnom Penh.