Beng Mealea, meaning “flower in water,” meant exactly that when referencing its design. The temple was constructed over a bed of water, and was one of the first structures built for the sovereign about a century before Angkor Wat. A lot of structures within resemble the early evolution of Angkor art and etching designs. The temple felt a little like Ta Prohm, with the forest was fusing with the temple and trees pushing out the stones and vines, engulfing any bit of sun the structure had left. Projects to restore the structure were not as in full swing as they were at Angkor Wat. It was situated too far away for tourists and just 10 years ago, the Cambodian government was able to drive off the Khmer Rouge from the temple. The Khmer Rouge was a gang in Cambodia that tortured and killed anyone who opposed or disagreed with their actions. The temple at the time was their home, but by 1998 they were driven off by the government and the area was cleared of all land mines. It was nice to see a temple which had not undergone a full salon treatment yet. One of the photos was taken in a dark cave and I got my guide to stand in the light.

It was back to the Siem Reap Airport at which point I also had say my goodbyes to Sokea. The sun was setting over the horizon as the plane was calling for boarding passes to Hanoi, Vietnam. Not a long flight at all, but the weather dramatically changed from warm and sunny in Siem Reap to cold and rainy in Hanoi. On arrival, the dark and quiet airport was a little out of the norm for me. I’d never seen an empty airport before. As I walked out onto the arrival strip, I scanned the scene for my name. A crowd of old taxi drivers lined up with all sorts of names written on paper. From the distance I saw a head bobbing in and out of sight and dashing ever so closer. From beyond the crowd a cheerful young fellow jumped into view with blue jeans, a grey shirt and some new bright white Adidas sneakers. I smiled back, we exchanged nods, and I followed him out.

As I was waiting for him to get his car, a girl beside me was sitting on a luggage cart and across from her was a huge stuffed bear! I was waiting for her to face the bear, but just before I took the picture she turned towards me, saw that I took a photo and let out a blushing smile. In the meantime, the driver pulled up in a Toyota Echo absolutely pounding some sort of Vietnamese house pop! As I stepped in and we drove off I couldn’t help but tap my foot to the beat. He lifted his hand to adjust the rear view mirror. His eyes focused on me, at which point he asked me a question in his broken English: “Where are you from?”. I didn’t understand him at first, but thought he asked me where I was from. “Canada,” I answered back. There was a nod, followed by a quick rummage through his CD collection. He inserted one, and I anticipated something awesome! The song started playing, and I got this blank stare in my face. Great, so for the rest of my 30 minute ride I’m stuck listening to classic adult contemporary. Can I please have the Vietnamese pop back? I posted a photo of our driver, it was shot on film and it turned out a little blurry.

I heard India has the worst driving habits, but I’m pretty sure Vietnam finishes as a close second. The driver practically had his right hand on the wheel and left on the horn. He’d drive right up to a car, flash his lights and honk his horn. At one point of another during the ride, we were able to fit two cars and a bike on the shoulder next to each other in the same lane. I have a photograph of our driver, but it was taken with my film camera. I’ll have to post it later when I get back, unless I find a development lab in Hong Kong. The hotel I was staying at was situated right next to a club, and seeing as it was Friday night, they were pounding some heavy house music. Who needs an iPod when your floors are shaking with Paul Van Dyk and other assorted tracks. The gentle pounding of bass running up the wall was enough to put me asleep.

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Clouds filled the sky above, and only parts of the horizon were clear enough for the sun to peek through. Despite all the wait and anticipation, within minutes the sun had disappeared into the clouds just overlooking the horizon. Angkor was built in the early 11th century, discovered in the 17th century, founded as a Archaeological Park in 1925, and finally made part of the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1992. Angkor Wat is now made of up 52 Temples within the 2,500 sq/km region. So getting around by foot is out of the question. For this reason, the park offers 1-day, 3-day, and 1-week admissions. With only a 1-day admission pass, I had to choose the nicest and most popular temples.

Angkor Wat was the most famous monument of Angkor. Built by Suryarman II from 1113 to 1150 and known as Vrah Vishnuloka, the “Sacred Abode of Vishnu” was dedicated to the second deity of the Trimurti. The present name means, “Royal city [that is] a monestery,” and in the 13th century was transformed from the Vishnuite sanctuary into a Buddhist wat – a word of Thai origin that means monastery. Angkor Wat was by far my favorite Temple. Many of the etchings in stone haven’t faded and much of the architecture stood stood intact.

The heart of Angkor was the Great Capital which the Buddhists called Angkor Thom. The capital housed one million, including courts, priests, high officials, and bureaucrats, while some of the common people lived outside the fortifications. Angkor Thom is enclosed by massive literate walls that delimit a square area of 3km per side. The wall stood 8m high, boarded by a 6m deep moat.

Bayon was the second stop. Considered to be a Hindu sanctuary, only in 1925 was it recognized as Buddhist. No one knows when it was built because it was altered so many times. Many things are said about this temple, but I won’t bore you with them. How about pictures instead!

Baphuon was situated 200m away from Bayon and was built in 1060. This structure was an exceptionally large temple mountain that eventually collaped because of poor engineering that didn’t match their architectural aspirations. A long bridge leading up to the temple was placed near four pools.

It was time for lunch and some quick shopping at the market. I found two amazing Cambodian paintings I just had to have. If you’re ever in Cambodia, and you appreciate their art, I recommend purchasing some.

Banteay Srei was situated 20km away from Angkor Thom. In 967, the small and extremely elegant temple was not built by a sovereign but by two Brahmans, Yagnnavarah and his younger brother Vishnukumara, who were wealthy landowners in the area. Later rebuilt in 1931, it was one of the first Angkor monuments to be rebuilt and is one of the best preserved. I found this temple to have the best preserved stone etchings out of all the temples I’ve visited so far. The temple is small but fascinating, but if you’re visiting for only a day, I wouldn’t recommend seeing this temple.

Ta Prohm was my last stop of the day. It was also close to sunset, so I had a very limited amount of time to go through the park. The temple was first consecrated in 1186, and occupies 2.47 acres of the land on its own. What makes this temple so interesting is the abundance of trees which are choking and overrunning the structures within. “Hi, i’m Ta Prohm! You may remember me in such movies as Tomb Raider and …” (speaking like Troy McClure from the Simpsons).

The Siem Reap Night Market was the last stop of the day. I was exhausted by the end of the night, and my feet just wouldn’t listen either. The local food just outside the market was very cheap. For a dollar I was able to score some Chicken fried rice. I had already done my shopping, so for the rest of the evening I just enjoyed walking around the market during my last night in Cambodia.

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Phnom Penh wasn’t a travel stop for me whatsoever. I had no choice, as the price of airline tickets were a bit steep to fly straight to Siem Reap from Singapore, so I figured six hours on a bus wouldn’t be so bad. To get a good whiff of my first Cambodian experience, on arrival I decided to board a tuk-tuk from the airport and asked to be taken to the nearst bus depot. The culture shock wasn’t too overwhelming, considering I was in Guatemala and Belize last year. I found Cambodians to be a lot more interactive and a lot warmer. I saw plenty of tuk-tuks I saw, and there were just as many smiles to match them.

I arrived at the bus depot pretty early, so I was able to buy my ticket early. Now I’m pretty sure the bible states, “thou first cometh, thou first served”. Perfect — then I should have been seated somewhere in the front, and if not I’d wait first in line to pounce inside. It wasn’t until I got on the bus that I found out we were all assigned specific seats. I couldn’t believe they sat me at the back of the bus, without asking if I’d like it. If I had known where I’d be sitting from the beginning, I would have taken the cargo room under the bus. There was no way to sleep because there was no seperation between the seats, the chairs didn’t recline, there was nowhere to put your feet up, and no view whatsoever because I was in the middle. This was the beginning of a painful 6 hour ride!

So first impressions of Siem Reap weren’t all that great. Rundown roads, cute but hungry and deprived children begging for food or money, and a disorganized arrival. The one person who stood out from the madness was a charming young man who was holding up a sign with my name on it. My tuk-tuk driver went by the name Sokea. He’d be my chauffeur for the extent of my stay in Siem Reap at the Bou Savy Guesthouse. The place was nothing spectacular, but very accommodating for the price. Small perks were internet and free breakfast. Without a moment to settle in, I was out on the town looking for some short-sleeve shirts and shorts for my big Angkor Wat trip the following day. I wasn’t looking forward to the 28C temperature in jeans! Later, back at the hotel, I got ready for the next day while watching The Simpsons Movie on the telly. Once I was done, I lay on the bed and instantly dozed off.

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