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Destination: Siem Reap, Cambodia
Purpose: Holiday
Period of Travel: 25th to 28th September 2008 (Thursday to Sunday)
More Photo Memories: http://junehols.dotphoto.com/ (password is “guest”)

2008 has been a very hectic year for me, as I had experienced a major change in portfolio at work and was spending the months of May to September adjusting to a new boss and running his project almost single-handedly. I recalled telling myself that I should take a good break after this crazy period, and jumped at the opportunity to holiday at Siem Reap when Claire mentioned that she had two free air tickets there.

Map of Cambodia (taken from Lonely Planet)

My decision to go to Siem Reap was not seen as wise by many: my dance teacher felt that this was not a place he would go even if he was sponsored; one of my ex-bosses gave me that “why that place” look, and my mom requested that I call home everyday to let her know that I was safe. I was also told stories that Siem Reap was a haven for snatch thieves, so I had to be extra careful. Given all these negative comments, I was determined to return home ” unscathed” by having additional security measures (e.g., getting a security neck wallet and keeping cash in each of my luggage in case I was pick-pocketed when sight-seeing) and ensuring that I was on auto-roam even though call and sms charges were very expensive (M1 charges 4.00 SGD per minute, and 0.60 SGD per message). Although I was assured by Teck Guan, one of my colleagues who had gone to Siem Reap last year, that it would a safe destination, I left for the country with some trepidation.

On hindsight, I guess my worries were really unfounded. On the whole, I found Siem Reap a relaxing holiday destination for anyone who enjoys sight-seeing. The main attraction, the Angkor Archaeological Park, was simply amazing, and I found my three day trip to be too short to truly marvel at every monument of this ancient city. The following presents my impressions of this trip.

(1) The Company

All of us in front of Angkor Wat. From left: Phil, Me, Claire and Huiling. (Photo courtesy of Claire)

I decided to start with this, because I believe whom one travels with usually make or break the vacation. I was lucky to travel with Claire, Huiling and Phil, all of whom are friends from my a cappella group, Sounds Easy. They are warm and easy going, and that made traveling together very enjoyable. I am especially grateful to Claire, who managed all the administrative aspect of the trip, such as coming up with the itinerary, booking our flight tickets, and liaising with the guesthouse personnel. Huiling, apart from helping out the planning stages of the trip, also impressed me with her amazing packing skills -she only brought one backpack, while all of us were carrying at least 2 pieces of luggage. I am thankful to her for bringing a comprehensive medical kit, and coming to my rescue with the powerful Tiger Balm when I had some stomach problems on the second day of the trip. Phil was great company during the trip, and I had a wonderful time chatting with him during the long bus journeys, meals and shopping.

There were also two other ladies, Patricia and Huiting, who tagged along with us. They are friends of a friend of Claire’s. Both mentioned that they were not very pro-active people, and were content to follow our itinerary. Patricia proved herself to be real Singaporean shopaholic, and Huiting came across as an introverted but pleasant person.

(2) Getting there

Our JetStar Plane (JK3K599)

My trip to and from Siem Reap was by JetStar Asia, since Claire’s two free tickets were from this airline. Each of us paid 259 SGD for a ticket, but if there was no discount, the actual cost of the ticket was 312 SGD. This was indeed expensive, considering that Cambodia is fairly near to Singapore, and that we were flying a budget airline. I reckoned the price might have been jacked up by the recent increase in fuel prices.

Our flights to and fro took place early in the morning (the to trip was at 6 am while the fro trip was at 7:45 am). This was my first time in a budget airline, and I must say that the plane’s interior was more cramped that the domestic air-planes that I had flown in China. Food and drinks on board the plane were priced exorbitantly, so we were forewarned to fill our stomachs before boarding the plane. The journeys were smooth, but there was really nothing much to do in the 1hr 30 min flight but to read or sleep.

(2) General Impressions of Siem Reap

(a) The Airport.

Siem Reap Angkor International Airport

I know it is really weird to describe an airport, but the Siem Reap Angkor International airport was really unique. The airports that I had visited before usually had ultra-modern yet boring architecture. The design of the Siem Reap airport was very Cambodian, and exuded a resort-like feeI; this immediately put me in a holiday mood.

There were some slight delays getting out of the airport, as we were supposed to fill up and surrender the Custom Declaration forms, which were not given to us on our way there. Other than that, checking in and out of the airport were pretty smooth processes.

(b) Siem Reap City.

Old Market Area in the day (view from Molly Malone's Guest house)

Most good travel guides (I highly reccommend Lonely Planet Guide to Cambodia and Insight Compact Guide to Cambodia) and online sources (wikipedia and canbypublications.com) provide good accounts of the history and culture of the city, so I will not dwell into that. The general impressions of the place was that it has a nice balance of the old and new. Although it is replete with pubs, restaurants, hotels, and guesthouses for international vistors, Siem Reap still maintains its traditional character, evident by the presence of market and roadside stalls that serves the local folk. The pace of life in this area is considerably slower than the cities in Thailand and Vietnam, Cambodia’s closest neighbours, but for a visitor from a fast-paced country like Singapore, this slow pace was inviting. The most popular vehicle type was the motorcycle, but traffic situation in Siem Reap was not as chaotic as that of Ho Chih Min or Hanoi in Vietnam. Not bad for a city that has only three traffic lights:) I am not sure why, but it can be quite dusty as we walked along the streets, but generally the levels of dust was bearable.

(3) Sleep

Molly Malone at evening time

Claire and Huiling did most of the research on accomodation in Siem Reap, and after consulting a friend (Brandon) who had gone there, both agreed that it was best to put up at a guesthouse at the Old Market Area, rather than near the airport. While it was true the Angkor Archeological Park is closer to the airport area, there isn’t much to do in the evenings at that area. So after some searching, we decided on Molly Malone’s Guesthouse, which was at the centre of the Old Market Area. The furnishings of the room in the website bought us over, and for 10 US Dollars per night (it costs 40 US for the family room for four people ), and we thought that was quite reasonable.

Family Room at Molly Malone's

Compared to the pictures in the Molly Malone’s website, it seemed that the colour of the curtains that covered the poster bed had faded somewhat. The toilet was alright, but we could see that wooden toilet door was slightly eroded at the top. There was a safe box in the room, but we did not really use it to keep our money. Beds were made only in the afternoon of the second day of stay, but we did not really mind that. For the price that we were paying, Molly Malone’s was a pretty decent place to bunk in.

Although the rooms were comfortable, I felt there were other aspects that could be improved in our stay in Molly Malone’s. For one, the proprietor was often not around (see point (5) below for additional comments) , so the service staff were often left to do the decision making and running of the house, which was okay, if they were more proactive. For example, we had requested an additional bed to be placed in the room, since there were four of us. That was done via email two months before we arrived at Siem Reap. However, the bed was not in the room when we arrived, and we had to remind that staff later in the evening before the bed finally arrived. Furthermore, this was done with much reluctance by the staff at the counter,which I felt was totally not acceptable since we had paid for that extra bed. This was only one of the instances of the weak service that we got, and I don’t wish to dwell into more of the others.

(4) The Sights

A trip to Siem Reap is not complete without a visit to the Angkor Archeological Park. “Angkor” means “Capital City” or “Holy City”, and it referred to the capital city of the Khmer Empire that existed in the area of Cambodia between the 9th and 12th Centuries AD. During that period, the capital city contained more than a million people, waterworks, and grand temples. The temple ruins gave an insight to the pinnacle of the ancient Khmer architecture, art and civilization.

Entry into the Angkor park cost 20 USD for a day, 40 USD for three days and 60 USD for six days. Given we only wanted two-day visit, we picked the three-days option. Based on the suggestions of the driver (see point (5) for details of our driver), we visited and passed many amazing monuments and temples during the two days. The following provides a brief description of where we went (Day 1 was the 25th September while Day 2 was the 26th).

South Gate, Angkor Thom

(a) Day 1, Monument 1: Angkor Thom, South gate .

The South gate at Angkor Thom was our first destination. Angkor Thom is the last capital of the Angkorian empire, and was build by Jayavaeman VII (one of the Khmer Kings) in the early 1180s. There were five gates to the city, and each gate is crowned with 4 giant faces (see picture on the left).

Me in front of one of the 37 towers in the Bayon

(b) Day 1, Monument 2: Bayon.

Apart from Ankor Wat, the Bayon was the temple that was most recommended by guidebooks and friends. This was not surprising, given that this was possibly the most magnificent and grandest temple in the whole Angkor Archeological park. It contains 37 standing towers, most but not all sporting four carved faces. There were many debates of who the faces represent, but they might be Loksvara (Mahayana Buddhism’s compassionate Bodhisattva) or a combination of Buddha and Jayavarman VII, the king that built this place. I was very amazed by the amount of labour people must have given to create the different expressions of the different faces in the towers (see one on the right for an example).

(c) Day 1, Monuments 3 to 5: Terrace of the Elephants and Terrace of the Leper King and Prasat Suor Prat.

After Bayon, we proceed to visit two terraces – the Terrace of the Elephants, an 300 m terrace well adorned with carved elephants and garudas, and the Terrace of the Leper King, which was carved with nagas(snakes), demons and mythological beings. Directly across the road are twelve nearly identical laterrite and sandstone towers known as Parasat Suor Prat. The functions of the towers were highly debated but one account stated that they were used to settle legal disputes; the two belligerent parties were held in the towers and the party who emerged sick was declared the loser.

From left: Terrace of the Leper King, Terrace of the Elephants and Prasat Suor Prat

One of the "tree-in-temple" examples at Ta Prohm

(c) Day 1, Monument 6: Ta Prohm.

This was originally constructed as a Buddhist monastery in the mid 12th to early 13th Century AD, and was dedicated to King Jayavarman VII’s mother. There were massive fig and silk-cotton trees that grew from the towers and corridors, and this was described in many guide books as one of the best “tree-in-temples”. As I walked through the ruins, I wondered how things were like when Ta Prohm was in its splendor, when it boasted 3000 villages, thousands of support staff and stores of jewels and gold.

On the way to Ta Prom, we passed a group of 6 musicians, all land mine victims playing traditional Cambodian music and enticing visitors to buy their CDs. We didn’t get the CDs, but this was one of the sights that reminded me of the vestiges of the horrible Cambodian civil war that ended in 1975.

(d) Day 1, Monuments 7 to 9 .

Ta Keo, Thommanon, and Chau Say Tevoda. We did not go into Ta Keo, a temple-mountain that was dedicated to Shiva, but i did take a picture of it (see below). The driver drove us next to Thommanon and Chua Say Tevoda, both small temples that are years apart in construction but similar in design.

From Left: Ta Keo, Thommanon, Chau Say Tevoda

Phnom Bakheng: From left (1) Steep stairs and (2) View from the top

(e) Day 1, Monument 10 : Phnom Bakheng.

This was the last but most memorable stop of the day. The Phnom Bakheng (Bakheng Hill) was the fist major temple to be constructed in the Angkor area roughly between the 9th and early 10th century AD. It served as King Yasovarman state temple, and marked the move of the capital of the Khmer empire from Ruluos to Angkor. The defining feature of this temple is its really steep and small steps(see picture on the right for an example) – imagine ascending three storeys of a building with no railings and descending using the very same steps (oh I tell you it’s really really scary). However, once we were at the summit, we were treated to a breath taking sight. We had a panoramic view of Angkor Wat at a distance and the lush greenery.

(e) Day 2, Monument 11: Angkor Wat.

Angkor Wat At Sunrise

The driver suggested that we should see Angkor Wat at sun rise, so we got up at around 4 am (5 am Singapore Time) on the second day of the tour. This very famous temple, which was constructed between the early to mid 12th century, is a big three tiered pyramid crowned by five lotus-like towers. Although much was still intact, the roofs of some of these towers had been eroded. Angkor Wat is surrounded by a moat, and since the dry season was over, we were lucky to see filled up moats.

Angkor Wat's interior: From Top , clockwise: (1) the entrance of the inner tower, (2) Me in the inner courtyard, (3) one of the mini temples, and (4) carvings of apsara dancers

The interior of the temple was very impressive, surrounded by many intricate carvings of apsara dancers, bas reliefs that depict stories from Hindu mythology (e.g., Ramayana) and the historical wards of Suryavarman II, who built this temple. It was unfortunate that many of the inner temples were closed for restoration, so we couldn’t really savour Angkor Wat in its entirety.

(f) Day 2, Monument 12: Banteay Srey.

Another must see in the Angkor Archaelogical Park, Banteay Srey was built at a time when the Khmer Empire was gaining significant power and territory ( late 10th Century AD). The temple is located about 38km (or 30 minutes ride) from Siem Reap. Bantey Srei, whose name is loosely translated as the “citadel of the women” is constructed using pink sandstone and covered with beautiful and intricate carvings. When we reached there, it was close to noon, and the hot afternoon sun somehow gave the sandstone a beautiful glow. I would say this was one of the most photogenic temple in the whole trip (see pictures below).

Banteay Srey: Images

(g) Day 2, Monuments 13 to 15: East Mebon, Ta Som and Neak Pean.

Clockwise from Top: Neak Pean, a carving from Ta Som, and an elephant Statue from East Mebon

We were next treated to three temples -(1) the large temple mountain-like East Mebon, (2) a small Bayon style complex, Ta Som, and (3) Neak Pean, a small island temple located in the middle of a baray (a small water reservoir). The East Mebon was dedicated to Shiva in honour of the then king Rajendravaman II’s parents, and is fronted by several lion and two elephant statues. Ta Som is a small temple that contains carvings that are in relatively good condition.

I liked Neak Pean the most. The central temple is an axis of a cross of eight pools. When we were there, the central pool was filled with water, and it looked very serene. I understand that this was dedicated to Buddha, and I was very impressed by the tranquility of the surroundings.

(h) Day 2, Monument 16: Preah Khan

This was the last stop of our visit in the archeological park. Preah Khan means “sacred sword” and is a huge monastic complex that was built by king Jayarvarman VII. This temple was dedicated to this father. Somehow this temple reminded me of Ta Prohm, which was built by the same king and dedicated to his mother. The ruins of the temple made me marvelled at how life was then. I read that Preah Khan originally served as a Buddhist monastery and school, engaging over 1000 monks. Actually, I found the use of cylindrical columns of the ruins in the west of the main temple (see below) very interesting, as they reminded me of the ruins that I saw in Rome.

Me in front of a ruined building in Preah Khan

(h) Day 2: Killing Fields Memorial. We made a stop at this place before returning to the guesthouse. The actual Killing Fields Memorial is in Phnom Penn, but a memorial was set up at Siem Reap. It was situated in front of two temples, and there was a board that showed the pictures of how Cambodians were tortured by the Khmer Rouge. Most pictures were just sketches, but seeing how people were tortured made me tear. In fact, I went back to the guesthouse and requested to sleep with the night lights on – the chiling images gave me nightmares.

(5) Getting Around

All of us in the van (Photo courtesy of Claire)

In Siem Reap, public transport system is not comprehensive, and most tourists would get into tuk-tuks, jeeps, vans or cars to get around. Most guesthouses also arrange for transport to and from the airports. Prior to the trip, we made arrangements with the guesthouse to arrange for a driver. This cost us 7 USD from the airport, which was alright, given that there were 6 of us.

We found the driver who picked us up from the airport a rather nice person, so when we reached Molly Malone’s whether he could be our driver for our two day visit at the Angkor Archeological Park. He agreed, but he told us he had to charge us 40 USD per day because petrol prices had gone up. This was definitely twice the prices quoted in websites, so we tried to negotiate with him to lower the price. He refused to barge and insisted it was reasonable.

It would be great if the proprietor of Molly Malone’s was there to assist us in searching for a driver and probably a guide. However, he wasn’t around, so we were left alone to make a decision on the spot. The six of us decided to settle for the driver, but not to get a guide, given the quoted cost. The driver then suggested that we should get guide books, since he could not be with us in the temples to show us around. He took us to one of the shops near the guesthouse, and I bought this book called “The Treasures of Angkor” by Marilia Albanese for 4 USD, after much bargaining. The book was well written, and I thought I had a good buy, until I discovered that such books cost as low as 1 USD at places near the temple. I wondered what the real cost price was for such books.

Enroute from Airport to Molly Malone's

The driver’s service for the first day was generally fine. He explained what the temples were before we visited them, and was knowledgeable about the type of restaurants that he could take us to for lunch. He also made good suggestions on how we should go about visiting the Angkor Archeological Park. However, service in the second day dipped. As promised, the driver took us to Angkor Wat in the morning but told us after that that he had to attend to an emergency later, and his brother would takeover for the rest of the day. His brother in contrast was less savvy. He did not communicate much with us during the journey and just did what he was told. When asked to take us to an area for lunch, he took us to a restaurant that was fairly near Angkor Wat, but was a lot less hygienic and more expensive that the restaurant that we had been to in the first day. I was also charged 5 extra USD because I had to return to the hotel to charge the battery for my camera.

On our trip back to the airport, there was a third driver who drove us. Not only was he 15 minutes late to pick us up, he also argued that he was promised 10 USD (rather than 7 USD) for driving us. There were some unpleasant negotiations at the airport, and in the end, he accepted the 7 USD from us with much disgruntlement.

Frankly, transportation was the most disappointing aspect of the trip. On reflection, I think if I were to visit Siem Reap again, I would ensure that there was a confirmed driver and guide. I am not sure whether that was possible, but I believe there should be some guesthouse/ hotel that should offer us with better transport deals. A guide is good to have if one wants a meaningful time at the Angkor. While the guidebooks did give insights into the places, nothing beats having someone to explain what the temples meant and sharing some interesting trivia of the history of the place.

(6) The Food

Le Malraux

During the three days, we went mainly to restaurants in the Pub Street area – (1) Blue Pumpkin for dinner on Day 1, (2) Molly Malone’s and Temple Bar on Day 2 for breakfast and dinner respectively, (3) Le Malraux and Red Piano Bar on Day 3 for breakfast and dinner respectively. Prices were not high at all, and the proportions were all just right. I liked all the restaurants for their ambience: Blue Pumpkin had this white long couch for those who want to relax and stretch their feet, Red Piano bar had a music theme and Temple Bar was filled with little carvings of apsara dancers. My favourite interior was that of Le Malraux (see left), a French restaurant. I like the coffee-white furnishings and the brick walls, all these adding a homely touch to the place. (I wish my future abode looked as comfortable as this, although I didn’t think my boyfriend would like such furnishings…sigh….). Some restaurants, like Temple Bar also offer free apsara performances (see below) , and I really enjoyed the one at Temple Bar.

Apsara dancers at Temple Bar

Many guidebooks mentioned that one must try the amok, a popular Cambodian dish when in the country. The amok is a coconut laden dish and may or may not contain spices. In fact, Khmerian cuisine is full of coconut, something I don’t enjoy. Hence, I was quite unfortunate to be one of those tourists who ate mainly Chinese or Western food during my stay in Siem Reap. The Western food in Cambodia was also nothing to rave about. I think Cambodians like their meat overcooked, for I discovered the meat in most western dishes were really hard.

Perhaps my expectations were too high, but I do find that communicating in English to service staff can be quite trying at some restaurants. Also most restaurants were not equipped with electronic cash registers so if one needed receipt, they were manually produced. Hence, if one was in a hurry, don’t ask for a receipt as the wait could take as long as 30 minutes.

Strangely, my impressions of drinks in Siem Reap were better. I tried a little Angkorian beer, and I found it to be lovely. Siem Reap’s fruit juices (they referred those as fruit shakes; fruit juices are apparently canned drinks) had a richer taste than those ub Singapore. Ironically, I also tasted very good Bubble Tea in Siem Reap. The bubble tea shop was just beside Molly Malone’s and it was was owned by a Taiwanese lady. I am not a fan of Bubble Tea, as I often find that it’s just sugared water with sago pearls. However, the version in Siem Reap was very tasty and contains natural ingredients. They even offerred pre-sampling service before one orders.

(7) Shopping

Central Market in Siem Reap

We reserved the last day of the trip for shopping. In Siem Reap, the only place to shop for souvenirs is the Central Market. The place reminded me of the old People’s Park in Singapore. I don’t really like to bargain, but when in countries like China, Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia, bargaining is essential . Again, shopping in these areas often left me wondering what the real cost price of an item was, as sometimes one can bargain an item from 10 USD to 3 USD.

Generally, I found the workmanship of embroidered products less intricate compared to those in Vietnam, but they were good enough to be given as gifts. I bought embroidered purses and clay coasters for my colleagues, bags for my sister, mom and my boyfriend’s mom, and some straw bags for myself. I did however found it difficult to buy things for men, like my boyfriend,brother, dad, and my boyfriend’s dad. In the end, I only bought a shirt for my boyfriend (which was a wrong choice, as it turned out to be a feminine cut that was too small for him) and a t-shirt for my brother.

So, there you go – my trip to Siem Reap. I will highly reccomend the place to anyone who wants a getaway to South East Asia, and get a taste of its history through its ancient civilizations. I believe I will go back to Siem Reap again, and hopefully, I will get to enjoy more of the historical sights the next time round. (END)