Day 2 started quite early as we only had the whole day left to go to the infamous Angkor Watt before taking our bus back to Phnom Penh the same night.
Before reaching Angkor Watt, we stopped by at Chong Khneas, a floating village on the Tonle Sap Lake, which is the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia. We made our way down to the pier, paid around 5USD for the boat fees, boarded a small boat (fits around 10 people) that took us through a canal and through the floating village.
It was a bit touching seeing how the villagers live their life dependently on the river. Most of them have never ventured out and will grow old the same way they grew up. The tourism industry actually helped the villagers live a better life. It created job opportunities, new infrastructures. The village now boasts floating schools, a floating church, a floating mosque and even a floating futsal court.
Putting the touchy feelings aside, after passing through the village, we were soon greeted by a vast scenery of endless water. No end could be seen from where we were standing. On the lake itself were other floating houses, fish farms, restaurants, and even a crocodile farm. I shit you not! Hahaha! It was quite stunning just sitting at a floating restaurant and admiring the beauty of the Tonle Sap Lake.
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| breeding crocs like a boss |
After touring the lake for a while, we headed back down the canal and to the pier to continue our way. It was time for Angkor Wat.
Entry to Angkor Watt is as follows :
1 day pass : USD 20
3 days pass : USD 40
7 days pass : USD 60
A passport size photograph is required, but you can do it there for free if you want if you don't have one, only takes around 10 minutes to get the pass.
As we were only in Siem Reap for a short while, we took a 1 day pass. Enough to visit the three most popular temples, the Angkor Wat, Bayon and Tha Phrom, the temple made famous from the Tomb Raider movie. There are actually hundreds of temples located around Siem Reap, and if you are a enthusiast and have the time, then the 3 or 7 days pass should be the option.
The sight of Angkor Watt was spectacularly breathtaking. Built somewhere around the 12th century (we're currently in the 21st century for all you dumb-asses), it has been the epitome center of religion for Cambodia, first Hinduism, followed by Buddhism. It had survived centuries, including the wars inflicted upon the country, and remains one of Cambodia's strongest pride.
The only thing that made it a turn off was the temple was being under construction, nevertheless, walking around the area made the whole 6 hour uncomfortable bus ride all worth it.
There's really nothing to say about Angkor Watt, Bayon and Ta Phrom experience, I'll just let the pictures do the talking.
The Angkor Wat :
The Bayon Temple (the temple with a thousand faces) :
Ta Phrom :
We wanted to visit another temple, after being told that the sunset view there is amazing, but because it had just rained, the narrow steps to the temple were slippery, so it would be too dangerous, so we decided to stop by at one of the stalls around the Angkor Wat area, and have one of the best banana shakes I've had ever. It was so good (and cheap, around 1 USD), we had two each. No pictures though as batteries went dead, but it was just a small roadside stall with a nice hammock to rest in as well.
After visiting the three temples, we headed back to the hostel to collect our bags and hang out around the town to buy some souvenirs or whatever before boarding the overnight bus back to Phnom Penh.
Our driver picked us up around 10pm at the town area and took us to the bus stop nearby. The 11pm bus was full of both foreigners and locals. There was barely any space to move around the isle as it was full of boxes and luggage as the bag compartment below was already full. And it was freaking cold! Wearing shorts and slippers was a biiiig mistake.
Then bus was delayed a while as there was some confusion for the seats allocation. Two South American girls were apparently given the wrong bus ticket I think, but eventually got on the bus. For 20 minutes they kept shouting and swearing at the bus driver and his assistant, but I really think the bus driver didn't understand a word these girls said. And couldn't give a damn.
Even after the bus started moving, the two women kept complaining and annoyed people for a solid 15 minutes, then finally they shut up. An important reminder when travelling : Screw ups will bound to happen, no matter where you are. Just keep calm, your head composed so you can think clearly and work your way out of the situation sensibly. Luckily these two girls weren't thrown out of the bus in the middle of the night somewhere between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. I would.
Day 2 expenses :
1 day temple pass : USD 20 (RM70)
Milk shake : USD 2 (RM7)
Food : USD 10
Souvenirs : USD 5
Bus ticket : USD 10
Driver : USD 25
Total spent for day 2 : USD 62 (RM217)
Day 3 to be continued...
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