July 6
Phnom Penh to Siem Reap
Time to say good bye to PP. This is not a city high on my list to return to. I thought earlier I was being harsh in my description, but we all agreed it is one dirty, polluted city.
The smells are overwhelming and nauseating. You get to know and remember a place by the way it smells. We needed the face masks.
We walk to the riverfront after the evening of rain and our feet are muck. There is pavement somewhere under the layers of dirt. The mud is sprayed up the back of legs and soaked feet. The side walks are wide but foot traffic is not possible. People drive cars, scooters and set up shops and impromptu restaurants on them.
Toyotas and Lexus make up the majority of cars.
No idea what this is.
Waiting for the bus to Siem Reap in the hotel lobby this morning.
The 5.5 hour drive to Siem Reap was on a well paved, flat road. I thought Cambodia would be more mountainous; not this section. All houses on stilts.
These grass structures remind me of the Zulu beehives.
Arriving in Siem Reap the hotel offered to take us to Angkor Wat to watch the sunset. We needed to purchase the entrance tickets outside of town. Lonely Planet has listed this as the number one place to visit in the world. Apparently many people read Lonely Planet (ha ha). And this is low season. I can't imagine the crowds during high season. We had the photo id created. Nate was free for being under 12. The cashier wanted to make sure we had not made a mistake by classifying Levi as being over 12.
I have been looking forward to this. Not to be let down, the first glimpses as we arrived via tuk tuk were nothing short of amazing. We did not even make it into the temple but just through the main gates and into the grounds of Angkor Wat.
Parts still have dye in the rock that lead to the belief that at one time these magnificent structures must have been very colourful.
The library inside the walls.
The guards were anxious to clear everyone out as 6 pm approached. Along with that came the pounding rain so common during the wet season. Reached our tuk tuk just in time.
We have the 3 day pass so I am planning out the route. An early start is planned for tomorrow. Can't wait!
