Our Thailand visa had run out so it was time to make a move and head into Cambodia, specifically to the town of Siem Reap. While crossing the sketchy land border to get there, we already felt as if Cambodia was going to be different than Thailand. Our feelings were confirmed when the border guards on the Cambodia side asked for an additional $5 to help make our "application go quicker" (luckily we didn't end up paying it).
Although the drive through the rice paddies and countryside was beautiful, as soon as we arrived in Siem Reap we knew we were in a town for tourists and not in a good way! As we walked through the town, we were constantly barraged for tuktuk or moto rides or to give money or to buy something. Serves us right for staying in the touristy section of town but without transportation our choices were limited.
So why put up with such a touristy place? To see the top attraction in Cambodia, the temples of Angkor! Angkor Wat is the most famous temple but actually there are a lot more temples spread out around Angkor Wat and it's impossible to see them all in one day. In a nutshell, the temples were built from the 9th to 15th centuries to honor certain gods by various Khmer kings. Although they were built as part of big cities, only the temples were made of stone so the other wooden buildings didn't survive. To really appreciate the whole complex we decided to get a three day ticket.
The first day we rented bikes ($1.50 each for the day) to see a small portion of the temple complex. We got a late start and after a hot 40 minute bike ride we arrived at the most famous temple, Angkor Wat. As soon as we pulled our bikes over, we were rushed by offers to "watch our bike" (what would happen to them if we didn't pay?!) and bombarded with pleas to buy books, water, jewelry - you name it. Shoving past the crowd, we made our way to the first gate of the temple. I don't know if it's because we've seen so many pictures of it, or all of the touts, or because there was work being done on it and therefore there was some scaffolding, or because it was so damn hot, but we didn't enjoy this temple as much as we though we would. Were we already suffering from temple-itis after our first temple?! We did enjoy seeing the details in some of the bas-reliefs and we climbed up to the top to enjoy the view from one of the towers.
Tom on his bike:
A mystical serpent called a naga; we would see a ton of these throughout Angkor: