Our Fokker took off at around 10.30 am this morning and we arrived safely in Siem Reap, Cambodia, an hour and a half later. Actually it was a pleasant, smooth flight in a modern, smallish jet under the control of a good crew. After passing through the chaotic visa queues at Siem Reap airport we hired a taxi and made for the city centre where we checked into the comfortable, cool Steung Siem Reap Hotel just around the corner from Pub Street.
We came to Siem Reap for the same reason that 98% of other tourists do – to see the 1,000 year old architectural remains of the former great Khmer civilizations in these parts, and in particular the King of them all, the fabulous temple of Angkor Wat. We only have a little over three days to spend here, and that will be barely sufficient to scratch the surface given the number and grandeur of all the other ancient sites around Siem Reap.
This afternoon we began our tour with a quick look around Angkor Wat itself at sunset. It was everything we expected, and much more. Its enormous size in all dimensions, and its intricacy, were mind-boggling. No doubt King Suryavarman II, who had it built to serve as a holy capital city and eventually as his funerary temple, was pleased with his grand, vast creation. When we were there today all visitors were being pursued at the entrances and exits by hordes of persistent but good-natured sellers spruiking books, cards, scarves, fruit, drinks, crafts etc. The weather was hot and extremely humid, and we’re glad we’ve hired a car for the next three days rather than taking tuk tuks around the countryside. We’ve come back to the hotel with copies of the excellent, scholarly Ancient Angkor by Michael Freeman & Claude Jacques for tonight’s bedtime reading, so it’s time to sign off and stoke dreams of Ta Prohm tomorrow.
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