Siem Reap & Angkor Wat (Cambodia)

We are currently travelling around Cambodia, and after leaving Battambang in north-western Cambodia, we headed east to Siem Reap. We had intended to take a boat from Battambang to Siem Reap across Tonlé Sap Lake. However, a drought had so reduced the water levels that a boat was not possible.

No boat travel on the dried up Tonlé Sap, Cambodia

Tonlé Sap is the largest freshwater lake in South-east Asia and a boat trip would have showed some lovely scenery. However, with boats grounded, we were on a mini-bus travelling to Siem Reap by road instead. The trip is around 160 km long and there were many stops to pick up and drop off passengers along the way.

Dusty red village enroute to Siem Reap, Cambodia

Which was great as we got to see the rural villages on the route. But the drought has also had a negative effect on the villages. Everything was dry and covered in red dust and looked tired. When we finally reached Siem Reap about four hours later, we went straight to our accommodation, the Moon Boutique Hotel in Phum Wat Bo Street.

Marg at our hotel, Siem Reap, Cambodia

The hotel is a little outside Siem Reap town centre, but the hotel provided a free remork (tuk tuk) to and from town. Siem Reap grew out of a cluster of small villages along the Siem Reap River, that were originally built around Buddhist wats (temples). These days, it has a population of around 135,000 and is the main starting point to see some of the wats in the area; which is what we’d come to see.

Us at Angkor Wat (UNESCO), Siem Reap, Cambodia

The morning after we arrived, we wasted no time in getting a remork to Angkor Wat. The original area of Angkor served as the capital of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to the 15th centuries. Within Angkor is Angkor Wat, once a Buddhist temple complex, and now a ruin and a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Angkor Wat (UNESCO), Siem Reap, Cambodia

Angkor Wat was built in the early 12th century by a Khmer king. It is the largest religious monument in the world at 162.6 hectares. The style of architecture is that of classic Khmer, which has become known as the Angkor Wat style. The main building blocks are sandstone, but the material used to bind the bricks and blocks together has never been identified, and is quite unique.

Carvings at Angkor Wat (UNESCO), Siem Reap, Cambodia

It is said that up to 10 million sandstone blocks were used, and that the city of Angkor Wat used much more stone than all of the Egyptian pyramids combined. One of Angor Wat’s claims to fame is the huge number of carved panels and murals throughout each building in the complex. Almost all of the surfaces, columns, lintels and even roofs, are carved. 

Us outside Angkor Thom (UNESCO), Siem Reap, Cambodia

Ruins of a thousand temples can be found scattered over farm lands and rice fields around Angkor Wat, so we also visited a few of these. One was Angkor Thom which is apparently the best-preserved of the Angkorean temples. It is believed that it was built in the first half of the 12th century.

Giant stone face at Bayon Temple, Angkor Thom, Siem Reap, Cambodia

We thought that the Bayon Temple at Angkor Thom was amazing. The central shrine is surrounded by 54 towers all with a carved stone image of Jayavarman VII, the king of the Khmer Empire from 1181 to 1220. He was known for building Buddhist structures, and public works including hospitals and highways, and thought to be one of the most powerful and productive Khmer monarchs, unifying the empire and establishing Buddhism as a state religion.

Ruins at Ta Prohm (UNESCO), Siem Reap, Cambodia

Another set of ruins we visited was Ta Prohm. Built in 1186, Ta Prohm was a Buddhist temple dedicated to the mother of King Jayavarman VII. At one stage, this site was home to over 12,500 people, with support from over 80,000 people in the surrounding villages. Now days, this amazing site is being swallowed by the jungle.

Banyon tree roots at Ta Prohm (UNESCO), Siem Reap, Cambodia

Giant trees are growing out of, into, and around these ruins. The trees are mainly Banyan and Strangler Fig that have aerial roots. But, while they appear to be destroying the ruins, in many cases they are also holding them together. It is an absolutely amazing sight and was a great way to finish our visit. After a very, very hot but interesting day, we grabbed a remork back to our hotel.

Psar Chaa market, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Later, when we had cooled down a little, we headed into Siem Reap city. Our remork dropped us at Psar Chaa, the old market area where you can buy anything from chicken feet to shoes. Then we wandered around Siem Reap a fair bit looking at other things, finding it walkable and attractive.

Leigh in Alley West, Siem Reap, Cambodia

The architecture is very similar to Phnom Penh and Battambang, with local shop-houses next to French style colonial houses. On our wanderings, we found Pub Street which is full of restaurants, and we enjoyed seeing the variety of food there. We also got to Alley West which is full of upside-down umbrellas, and the Wat Bo Temple, one of Siem Reap’s oldest. 

Royal Residence, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Next, we visited the Royal Residence which is the home of the King of Cambodia when he visits Siem Reap. It is set in beautiful gardens that are open to the public, and judging by the huge crowds there, they are very popular. Nearby, we found an information centre and booked ourselves a trip for the next day to Tonlé Sap, the same lake that we could not access from Battambang a few days ago.

Drought affected land near Tonlé Sap (UNESCO), Cambodia

Tonlé Sap Lake is an important part of Cambodia. It is a UNESCO biosphere reserve due to its huge diversity of fish, bird, and mammal species. Also, water from its tributaries is used for agriculture, providing food for over 3 million people. So the next day, a remork carried us the 30 km to see Tonlé Sap which is more accessible from Siem Reap. But there was still a drought, and still in the dry season.

Trying to fish in a dry Tonlé Sap Lake (UNESCO), Cambodia

In the dry season, Tonlé Sap shrinks considerably, sometimes leaving water levels to less than 2 metres in depth, whereas in the wet season the Mekong River flows into Tonlé Sap causing it to more than double its normal size, and it can get to 14 metres in depth. As we drove through the area, we could see the devastation the drought had caused. Agriculture and fishing would be impossible.  

Grounded boats near Tonlé Sap Lake (UNESCO), Cambodia

The land was dry, the forests looked like they were dying, the cattle had no fodder, and the fishing boats were grounded. We suspect that its biodiversity was also under threat, and that crops would suffer. The whole area was compromised.

Kampong Phluk, Tonlé Sap Lake (UNESCO), Cambodia

The trip was bumpy and dusty, but so interesting as we travelled through some tiny rural villages. As we drew closer to Tonlé Sap, we saw floating villages where the buildings float no matter what the water level, and others built on high stilts to allow for the changing water levels. Eventually we arrived at Kampong Phluk, a fishing village on stilts at the edge of Tonlé Sap. 

Family home in Kampong Phluk, Tonlé Sap Lake (UNESCO), Cambodia

But the water had completely dried up through most of the villages and in Kampong Phluk, we could see the houses on stilts very easily. The residents (around 3,500) were out and about doing their daily thing as this is a working village not a tourist one. We saw people busy doing washing, mending things, and cooking etc. But the men were sitting about instead of out fishing – there were no fish because of the drought.

Leigh in Kampong Phluk, Tonlé Sap (UNESCO), Cambodia

We found the village surreal actually. Instead of chugging along in a boat looking at these houses, we were walking on the riverbed which had totally dried up. The houses now towered more than 10 metres above us. We soon got to the end of the village, then our remork driver showed us the local church. Not surprisingly, it was also on stilts.

Marg in Pub Street, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Returning to Siem Reap after a dusty, windy, and hot 30 km in the open remork, we were glad to get into our air-conditioned hotel room. Later, we visited Pub Street for dinner, and someone told us about a local circus that was performing that night. What got us hooked on going, was that the show is performed by students from Phare Ponleu Selpak.

Students from the Phare school, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Phare is an art school that helps disadvantaged children and young people escape from situations connected with poverty. So after dinner, we grabbed a remork and went to the circus. It was great fun. The actors used dance, music, acrobatics, juggling, clowning, tightrope and other circus activities, to express themselves, and their culture. We loved the energy, emotion, and obvious talent.

Interesting transport in Siem Reap, Cambodia

What a fabulous way to finish our time in Siem Reap. In fact, it was time to finish this whole Southeast Asia trip. The next day, we headed to the airport, amid the interesting array of Cambodian transport. There, we caught a flight to Bangkok where we had one night before flying home. Later, reminiscing about our trip, we agreed that it had been fantastic.

Unused fishing pots in drought-ridden Tonlé Sap, Cambodia

Sure, the poverty was evident in each of the four countries we visited (Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia), but so was the interesting history. The climate is harsh, varying from typhoons and floods, to heat and drought, and the people and their livelihoods are at the mercy of it. However, the people seemed proud of their culture, and happy to be living and sharing it. We had some great food, met some wonderful people, and saw some amazing sights. What a wonderful trip.

This post is the twelfth in a series about our travels through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia in South East Asia. The first post was about Bangkok and you can read it here: Bangkok post.