Siem Reap, Cambodia

My last night in Southeast Asia. Sitting on the riverside Quay in Phnom Phen after enjoying a decent meal at the FCC. More on PP in a bit. Time to back track to Siem Reap and Angkor Wat.

The Temple complexes of Angkor Wat sit on the outskirts of what was once a small quaint and tranquil tourist village known as Siem Reap. I was here once before in 1999 well before Angkor Wat was on most people's go lists. In 1999 the Khmer Rouge was still holed up in pockets of the country and landmines and other UXO were everywhere. The latter has not changed, but it has improved.

In 99 there may have been two 5 star properties and a smattering of tourist class hotels on the main drag. The numbers of tourists was very modest. It was quiet. Temples could be visited with relatively few other tourists running around. I recall climbing to the top of one of the spires at Angkor Wat and just hanging out by myself in a window overlooking the vast jungle in total peace and tranquility. It was an astonishing experience. Angkor Wat and Siem Reap are tranquil no more.

I arrived by Lao Airlines, a creepy little prop plane that sat about 100 persons which got me to Siem Reap alive, clearly. I knew from others that the town had grown and I had a bit of dread as I got off the plane that the place had been totally trashed and overrun. I was soon to learn I was somewhat right.

A new modern aiport terminal was built to accomodate the now 2 million people a year that come here. 2 million! After pulling out of the airport and onto the main hotel drag I knew I was not in Kansas anymore. This was not the same place at all. Siem Reap has been turned into the Las Vegas of the jungle. Dozens of newer hotels are everywhere, one piled on top of the next all the way into town. There is actual traffic. Mind you, this was a sleepy little jungle enclave.

There are now traffic signals, new roads and thousands upon thousands of tourists in their diesel belching horrific tour buses as far as the eye can see. These weren't the travel savvy tourists who know how to behave themselves either. These were loud, rude, obnoxious groups from all over the world snapping pictures of themselves, their wives, husbands, chidren, etc, etc, in front of every doorway, window, statue or temple they could get in front of with no clue or care about the existence of other people.

My hotel was a newer one close to the Temple Complex which was adequate for the price. Cold air, a necessity in the steamy jungle town, a fairly decent bed and a hot shower. Staff barely spoke english but were all and all very nice. I checked in around 2 p.m and headed straight for Angkor Wat. 40 dollars US buys you an all access 3 day pass to all of the Temples. Angkor Wat is by the far the biggest and grandest, but there are many many more temples all throughout the area in various states of repair. to be seeb. But none of these approaches the size or grandeur of Angkor Wat.

After picking up my pass I headed straight to Angkor Wat by Tuk Tuk. The complex is about a 4 kilometer ride I am guessing. One could walk but the heat would be pretty unbearable, though there were quite a few bicyclists, including packs of bicycle tours...So biking is not a bad option. Given the time constraints I had, I used tuk tuks the whole way. Once dropped off at Angkor Wat there they were. The f'n tourists. Thousands of them climbing over everyone and everything to get in and out of the complex. There were lots of groups. Lots of languages being spoken. The god damned Jungle Book Ride..

I entered the temple gates which are down a long thoroughfare surrounded by vast moats and into the complex itself, cameras at the ready to capture the brilliance of Angkor with all my new state of the art camera gear ready to get THE shot of Angkor Wat I didn't get in 99. And there it was, the horror of all horrors. Scaffolding!!!!!! Everywhere! Scaffolding wrapped around the front of the temple, scaffolding around the sides and scaffolding around the smaller temples. So much for the photos you fuckers! Not to mention that not a one of my trusted guide books managed to mention that the entire complex, apparently, was undergoing a 5 YEAR rehab that blocked any entry into the spires or the majority of the interior of the temple. No doubt a conspiracy meant to protect the Cambodian economy at the expense of the tourist. Fuckin hell! I was despondent...

TBC