Take travel reviews with a grain of salt

Today was our last full day in beautiful but hot Siem Reap.  We had planned in advance to pretty much do nothing during the day and then go out for dinner and an Aspara Dance show before our move over to Kuala Lumpur.  We stuck to plan excepting a couple of swims in what always seemed to be a very warm pool.  Tony also had the challenge of finishing off the contents of our mini bar.

Mr Kim San had recommended the Angkor beer as it was locally made and it was the beer the locals drink if they wanted a nice beer IE for weddings etc.  Like most Asian beers it was dirt cheap but actually quite drinkable.  They Bayon beer (named after the temple at Angkor Thom was also not too bad apparently).

Our hotel was really quite nice, although sometimes the food service was a bit slow and everything was warm - cold drinks werent really ever cold, the food was always just warm and even the pool water was always warm.

While we were out yesterday we had asked Kim San to recommend a good restaurant to us that has a cultural show with dinner.  Of course he knew just the place - a restaurant called Koulen II.  As he had a friend that worked there, and he most happily had him books us a table - right near the stage.  Of course me being me, I had to google it in advance and see what the reviews said about the place.  Unfortunately across the board they were pretty scathing.  So much so that we had decided late morning that we wouldn't actually go there and we would forfeit the deposit we paid so that we could go somewhere else.  We thought about it some more and decided to take a chance and go anyways - it was only $12 a head for the buffet and show so if the food looked dodgy at least we could have a decent show and we could get food back at the hotel later if needed.

So at 6 30 we went and grabbed a pair of tuk tuks and made our way to the restaurant.  On the way there we went past a wedding celebration.  At 9.30 this morning, when we first went swimming, we heard this loud but beautiful Cambodian music start up and it sounded like it was coming from the street.  Now we had found the source of it.

Anyhow, on arriving at the Koulen we soon discovered that the reviews were very wrong.  The food was hot, plentiful and really tasty.  The universal favourite was the noodle cart when he made fried noodles in front of you....mmmm so yum.

I really liked the dancing, the others not so much he he.  I think I like them because they always tell a story.  There were three main dances tonight - one Id call the crazy coconut dance, the second was Nate's favourite because the main character held a small axe the whole time, although I think he was disappointed that no blood was shed, and the last definitely had a fishing theme.

The tuk tuk drivers we had take us there had promised to come back to pick us up after the show and take us back to our hotel (probably because they overcharged us and wanted to do it twice).  As we walked outside the restaurant there must have been 50 tuk tuks sitting there - all very eager to get our fare.  We started to get into the one with the driver that looked most familiar and then we heard a panicked yell at us - our original driver was sitting on the roadside and was terrified we were not going to use his services.  It was kinda funny as the other driver tried to keep us in his vehicle instead and a short argument ensued.  The original driver and his friend won and got our fare.

Into the past with Lara Croft

Todays adventure was one that I had been looking forward to since first thinking about coming to Cambodia.  We were off to see Ta Prohm temple which featured in the Tomb Raider movie in 2001.  Not surprisingly our guide Kim San was a wealth of knowledge about the time they spent here filming.  The film was made before tourism really fired up here so it would have been quite a different place then.  At that stage there was only 3 hotels around Siem Reap - now there is well over 100.

The temple was built in the late 12th century and was later to serve as the tomb for the mother of one of the ancient king's (she actually died at 89 years of age which I think was remarkable.  It differs from the other temples we saw in that it is a) mostly flat - really only one level, b) the central tower is quite plain because originally it was covered in silver and gold (of course that was all stolen in the past) and c) it is over run by these gigantic trees.  In fact, these trees have become interwoven with the stones and bricks of the temple so have become part of it.  It sits about 1 km off of the road, and as you walk down the jungle path to the temple its incredible that they ever found it again here.  They are still in the process of restoring it - its been nearly 10 years so far and they've been granted another 10.

The temple itself is very serene and peaceful.  Quite unlike the entry outside the temple which has swarms of souvenir sellers.  I think the look on my Dad's face says it all!

Next up was a little journey to the river village in Siem Reap where people live a very simple and yet happy life.  The road through the village is alongside a small river so the houses on one side of the river are built up on stilts to accomodate the annual flooding.  Once again the conditions in which these people live makes me very grateful for what we have.  Many of them combine their work and their home so their front room will be full of containers of dried fish, or machine parts or whatever their trade is.  Some homes were just that - a small, probably 2 - 3 metres square little hut constructed from wood and palm tree fronds.  Most often a couple of hammocks strung up in a small little shack.  There were a handful of very large and expensive homes built in the area too, but the majority were certainly not like that.  Apparantly the government is trying to move some of them away by offering them $8k US.  At first that sounds a lot, but considering that most of the land here is about $1k a square metre it doenst go a long way.  Some people choose to move if they have somewhere cheap to move to.  Looking at most of these houses Id think you could pack up the contents and put them in the boot of a car. 

We drove for about a half hour to a little marina where we boarded a small river boat to go for a ride up to the Tonle Sap river.  This is a living fishing village - everything here is on the water, including schools and a volleyball court.  None of us was overly excited about getting on what looked to be a very dodgy boat, but it was well worth the time.  Lots of kids here, some rowing to school, some swimming in the brown muddy water and some helping their parents with the fishing nets.  Most of the people here fish for a living - the dad fishes at night and sleeps during the day, the mum processes and sells the fish during the day.  Theres no running water or electricity here - they get free bottles of drinking water delivered from the govt, and their tv's are run off of a car battery.

We finished up around lunchtime and that was the end of our time touring Siem Reap.  One thing I can say about tourism here is that its pretty clear that most of the tourist attractions are pretty expensive (ie the boat ride was $20usd each, entry to Angkor Wat was $40 each))  They do however make it pretty clear that the money you spend is getting put back into developing the local communities so that takes the sting off of the prices a little.

Getting closer to Buddha

Once again slept rather poorly as the room now was too cool ha ha - the fantastic air conditioner blew right onto Tony's newly balded head.  I'm sure that at some stage during these 4 weeks we will get the room climate just right.

For our first two days here in Siem Reap I had organised a tour guide to take us around Angkor Wat and the surrounding areas.  I kinda just stumbled upon some recommendations about him on Tripadvisor.  His name is Kim San and he is a native to these parts.  During our tour when we remarked about the bullet holes in the sides of the temple walls, he casually remarked that as a child he suffered a bullet wound to his knee while out riding his bike.  A stray bullet.  On returning to the hotel this afternoon he told us that both his Dad and his Granddad were killed in 1977 in the killing field that was here in Siem Reap.

We started off to Angkor Wat at 8 30 this morning.  And damn it was hot.  We struck the double whammy today of hot sun and humidity.  Our hotel is actually on the road that goes straight to the complex so it was only a 5 minute trip.  We purchased our 3 day passes for $40 US - its like an ID badge complete with photo.  Oh yes the main currency here is USD.  You even get change in US dollars - unless the change is under a dollar and then they give you local currency.

Angkor Wat itself is a) huge and b) totally breathtaking.  It dates back to the early 12th century and has been added to, parts of it broken off in civil wars, rebuilt, damaged by gunfire and yet it still remains solid.  Tony took some amazing photos so Ill chat a bit and then show you just a glimpse.
 
We walked across the bridge and into the main area. The temple grounds is about 1 km square but we only saw a little bit of it.  The artwork on the walls and statues have both Buddhist and Hindu deities.  In a couple of areas he explained the stories that they depicted and it was incredible.

After about an hour we all rested at what was a very spiritual place.

My poor mum had been feeling poorly all morning and the added heat didn't help.  We were sitting on the edge of what used to be a pool of water when she suddenly went white as a ghost and passed out.  Our wonderful tour guide grabbed her first and stopped her from falling face first onto the concrete.  My dad moved quicker than Ive ever seen.  You see he thought she was going to vomit and didn't want to get it on his pants!.  Later when mum had come to enough to figure out what was going on she said she thought she was dreaming.  I think maybe it was one of the ancient spirits trying to contact her...

After that excitement we went on to the Angkor Artisans workshop.  This is a place for the disabled and the very poor to get training in arts and crafts.

They also train people here to do the repair work on the temples.  They learn their crafts over about a year, and then the best get the honour of being able to work at the temples.  At this workshop they get food, lodging and a minimal amount of pay.  They also get the honour of contributing to their community.  Such a shame that the Aust Gov couldn't do similar for those willing to take their regular gov paycheck to do nothing.

Our day had been planned with the weather in mind so next stop was lunch and a rest break at the hotel.  Our guide was ready and waiting again for us at 3pm to start off again.  This time was Angkor Thom.  This place was just down the road from Angkor Wat, and was for some time the main city here in Cambodia.  The Kings and over 1 million people lived here from the 12th century onwards.  They all left when Phnom Penh was born.  The largest temple area inside the compound was called Bayon and the 52 parapets all have faces of the king on them.  Obviously it is similar looking to Angkor Wat and is equally as astounding.  Tony, Nate and I climbed up to the higher level and it was well worth it.

Changing Country

Not much to say today, the only thing we scheduled was a flight from Ho Chi Minh to Siem Reap in Cambodia.  The boys were worried about the quality of the airplane, in fact they were convinced it was going to be a biplane.  It wasn't, but we did have to start the trip by catching the little bus to board the plane out on the tarmac.  We flew Cambodia Angkor air and although the flight was only 40 minutes they still managed to serve us a snack - a bologna and sauerkraut roll, yes very Vietnamese.

Leaving Ho Chi Minh City

Arriving Siem Reap

The trip from the airport to the hotel took about 20 minutes.  Its actually quite close, our van driver was ambling along at about 40 kms and hour.  It certainly fit well with the first impressions of the place - very laid back.  We drove through the city centre and it feels very similar to rural thailand.  Lots of cows on the side of the road, lots of little kids playing in the street, families moving about in their tuk tuk.  I know were going to love it here.  Pretty much everyone didnt really ever feel at ease in HCMC - already this place feels very familiar.

Were staying at the Tara Angkor hotel which is really nice.   When we arrived we scored welcome drinks which was lemongrass tea - complete with a straw made from lemongrass ; really really delicious.  The folks were just a little miffed that we seem to have scored a bigger and better room than them - complete with an air conditioner above our bed that is the same that cools the hallway here.  I'm glad it doesn't have a reverse setting or I'm sure we'd get sucked up into it.

Random Bits

Were off to Cambodia today, but before we do I thought Id just post some of Tony's photos that didn't really fit into Blog posts, but add to our impressions of Ho Chi Minh City. Like in a lot of Asian cities there is a very obvious contrast between those people who have little and those who have a lot more.  The locals transport ranges from rusty old bicycles to a brand new Bentley Supersports.  Their houses range from a few sheets of plastic on a bridge to a multistory mansion.  Where they shop varies from a cart on the side of the road to a sparkly air conditioned shopping plaza.  Its really what we love about traveling in Asia - the contrasts are everywhere you look.

On our own

Today was the first scheduled rest break day.  I am well aware that I like to pack as much as possible into the few days we have in any one place.  I am equally aware that not everyone likes my 'scheduling'.  So, Ive done my best to put in a rest day for my troop to recover every few days.

We had nothing pre-organised today but opted to take the free hotel shuttle bus into the centre of the city in search of a supermarket as there were a couple of things we needed.   We went out at 11 so that my need to shop could be disguised as an opportunity to get lunch. We drove past the Ben Thanh market where Poppa got 'assaulted' 2 days ago.

Tony was also desperate to get a head shave.  I had figured out the name of the barber shop a few days ago, but finding a "Hot Toc" near where we were proved more difficult.  After getting dropped off by our bus we walked to some random street and came across a little lady handing out beauty shop brochures.  I flicked through it and a men's haircut was $7.  So we told her that Tony wanted a haircut and the adventure began.  I don't know why I didn't pay attention to the name of the salon - if I had I might have reconsidered it. 

We were lead in through a camera store up two flights of stairs and into the 'salon'.  It had one hairdressing chair in the front room, and beyond that was another room with 6 lounge chairs.  The rest of us were ushered into the back room and forced to 'relax' in these great big chairs while Tony went into the salon.  They bought out glasses of what I hope was water - I didn't drink mine in case it was supplemented with a special 'vitamin' to help relaxation.  They kept telling us to relax and lay back.  Nate of course thought it was great as they also had bowls of lollies.  I sat on the edge of the chair the whole time so I could go and see how the head shave was progressing.  In the end she didn't really shave it, but it was certainly shortened, and it was the longest time ever to cut a head of hair that was already short.  We paid the $7 and got the hell out of there.  As we were leaving she said to Tony - "you come back tomorrow at 10 o'clock".  I'm thinking that was the "lucky" part of the service.

Thank god for the Internet as I was able to find one of the very few supermarkets in HCMC in advance and was then able to successfully navigate us to it.  We decided to try the KFC for lunch as I have this thing about comparing the junk food in each different country we go to.  There's no McDonald's here, and actually remarkably little western named stores in the streets.  Id seen one Gloria Jean coffee place, one Pizza Hut and only 2 KFC outlets in total.  Theres certainly none of the 7/11 stores that are everywhere in Thailand.  I was doing some reading about it and its because the government here doesnt want the western look here - they want to look Vietnamese.  I must say I do have to commend them for it.  I do think though that if we came back here in 20 years the place will look quite different.  At the moment there is a distinct lack of high rise buildings and there really isn't much of a skyline to look at.  We did go past a few building sites with pictures out the front of what they are planning to erect and it does appear that some mega glass fronted buildings aren't too far off.

For our last night in Ho Chi Minh I had organised for us to have a dinner cruise on the Saigon river.  We ventured out into the night in a 6 seater taxi which not surprisingly was dirt cheap.  We boarded a replica 19th century royal Vietnamese Dragon Boat called the Bonsai 1.  We were greeted by the staff in traditional costume and were handing cocktails and canapes as soon as we boarded.

Dinner was an amazing buffet of western and Vietnamese foods, but the highlight was certainly the atmosphere.  Cruising up and down the river, being entertained by traditional music and dancing and a mini massage on the upper deck made for a very memorable night - a perfect end to our visit here.  We caught a taxi back to the hotel again, and the only reason I mention that is that the traffic is no better late at night, in fact in some areas it was worse - heavier and lots of people don't bother to use their headlights!