Siem Reap was our first stop in Cambodia, after a 18 hours odyssey from Laos. By far, Siem Reap is the most heavily touristed place in Cambodia, and for a reason; the temples of Angkor. Almost single-handedly putting Cambodia back on the tourist radar after the atrocities of the Khmer rouge, the temples of Angkor are truly one of the wonders of the world, a spellbinding sight. Unfortunately, as with all tourist centres, the bad and the ugly go alongside the good. Beggars and children hawkers are at every street corner and behind every temple stone. Poor buggers though, trying to make a living in one of the poorest Asian countries where the average salary is $20 a month. A $1 transaction would mean the world to these people. Unfortunately, one of the golden rules of responsible travellers is not giving money to children.
That didn't bother me nearly as much as the 'guesthouse mafia' did. An army of touts and shady characters roams around Siem Reap, trying to make a quick buck from the stupid falang. Every price is hyperinflated, guesthouses, tuk tuk and even water or drinks. One finds that the person negotiating is never the person providing the service; rather, they are just middleme, charging a dollar or two just for 'being there'. I hated it. We did arrange a tuk tuk with the seemingly personable guest house receptionist which claimed to be a driver, only to find a surly teenager waiting for us on the following day. After he did not want to take us back into town for respite from the heat, we sacked him. There was no argument at our refusal to pay him for the day; he probably had another job lined up thanks to Mr Tout.
But the temples more than made up for it. From the eerie early morning quietness of Prea Khan, to the faces of Bayon, the struggle with nature at Ta Prohm and the carvings at Banteay Srei; the Temples of Angkor are perhaps the most spectacular man-made wonders I have ever witnessed. But one beats them all. Angkor Wat. There are no words to describe the sheer majesty of the place, the feeling of seeing it appear beneath a pink sky at sunrise. It is the largest building of the world, and maybe the most spectacular sight ever conceived by the human mind. Surrounded by a moat 190m wide, and a wall 3.6km long, it is not comparable to anything else I have ever seen. It made me want to bow to its majesty, at the same time being as welcoming as a mother. Angkor Wat is a dream.
There's nothing more to Siem Reap than the temples. Actually, for us there was the great Rosy Guesthouse. We arrived tired and cranky after the fight with our tuk tuk driver, and got nice room, a wonderful steak and guinness pie with mash and gravy, accompanied by a lemon slushie. Nice. And plenty of kindness and smiles from the English owners and the lovely Khmer staff. That's what a guesthouse is meant to be.
Talking about Khmer kindness, let's fast forward a couple of days to Battambang. We were drawn there by the desire to spend Khmer New Year somewhere not overrun with tourists. Battambang is a nice little town, but there's nothing much going on. Plus, the real celebrations go on in the countryside, in the myriads of small temples dotted around each village. We were in need of a vehicle, and we found Philay, a 50-something tuk tuk driver who agreed to take us out for the day. He was a great guide, and a great guy.
We spent a day cruising around country temples, taking part in the celebrations and enjoying the friendliness of locals. Nick tried to blow up balloons with darts (not a great success), we watched locals playing games reminiscent of pinata and greasy pole. We even stumbled into a wedding. Then we appreciated the religious side of Khmer New Year, witnessing the washing of Buddha and blessings by monks and nuns. We saw countless water-and-talcum powder fights going on amongst kids, but locals were reluctant to have us join in. Until a little girl came up to me and gently, on tiptoe smeared my neck and chest with talcum. From there started a whirlwind of smiles and giggles accompanied by clouds of talcum powder; all the children wanted to cover us with it. We had to run away from the crowd as we resembled something between snowmen and crazy bakers. We headed for the bamboo train, for a ride into the sunset. That's where I saw it; Angkor Wat may be amazing, but Cambodia's real treasure is its people.
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