Romancing Siem Reap

Two years on and Siem Reap is still charming.

Johsua has never been to Siem Reap so I had to play tour guide. It was easy to play tour guide in Siem Reap cos it is small and the only key attractions are the temples and Pub Street. Heh.

Since I've written much about Siem Reap back in 2006 after I made my first visit to the historical cradle, I shall only share some special moments from this recent trip.

I was a scaredy cat the last time I hit the temples and refused to scale any stairs that were impossibly narrow and steep. I was terribly afraid of falling off and breaking my neck. Also doesn't help that I wore girlie sandles to explore the temples the last time.

This time round, I came prepared with sturdier shoes and a very enthusiastic Joshua.

I visited Angkor Wat, The Bayon, Ta Prohm and Preah Khan on my last trip to Siem Reap. With more time on hand this time, we also stopped by several smaller temples that are scattered around the park.

Here are just only a couple of photos. The complete collection are at Facebook, peeps.



We also hiked up Phnom Bakheng (means, Bakheng mountain) to get to the temple at the peak where one could catch a beautiful Angkorian sunset over Tonle Sap.

It took us some 15 minutes to get to the top of the mountain and our thighs were burning by the time we hit the peak. I thought getting to the peak would be it and I could lie around and wait for the sun to set.

Noooooo.

There is a temple on top of Phnom Bakheng and ITS ROOFTOP IS WHERE I HAVE TO GO IF I WANT TO GET THE BEST SUNSET VIEWS.

So we rested a while at the foot of the temple to recharge.



Then it was a crazy climb up awfully narrow and steep steps. I had to stop myself from looking down, because if I do, my legs would turn to jelly.

Ahh, but the terror is worth it once I got to the top. The sun was already starting to make its descend over the horizon and the skies were starting to get tints of violet, orange and red.

The approaching sunset seems to have driven visitors into an urgent flurry and hordes of them suddenly arrived on the temple rooftop like they were brought by whirlwind.



Like every one else, Joshua and I found a spot to sit and wait for Mother Nature's performance.

And then it came...



For the next few minutes oohs, ahhs and camera clicks and whirs echoed through the air. Then as quickly as they came everyone streamed down the steps and made their way down Phnom Bakheng.

Sigh... even the vast beauty of nature cannot behold impatient humans for long.

Having exhausted our body in a full day of temple trekking, Joshua and I went for a two-hour massage at the luxe Sokha Angkor Resort's Jasmine Spa the next day.

I had a one-hour Relaxing Aromatherapy Massage, a 45-minute Loofah Body Scrub and a 15-minute Milk and Rose Bath. Shiok!

Joshua had a lengthy massage before joining me in the bath. It was some kind of kinky to be sitting together in a milky jacuzzi bath with rose buds and petals swirling around us. The room was lit only by a few tea lights around the bath.

How very erotic. :)

Joshua and I also went around Psar Chaa (Old Market).




We ate and drank too much around Pub Street, where there are plentiful local and Western dining options and busy bars that serve local beers at only US$2.50 or US$3 for a big bottle.



We stuffed our faces with local favourites, such as Amok fish, Lok Lak, Khmer sour soup, braised eggplant with minced pork.



We also found pretty good Italian-styled pizzas at Le Tigre de Papier.



When we were sick of noisy Pub Street, I took Joshua for a quiet dinner at my favourite Viroth's.



Oh, and with compliments from Weng, we got to see The Legend of Angkor Wat Show - When history comes to life. The one-hour show is set within Angkor Wat and actors wore glittery brilliant costumes of yesteryears. Adults pay US$80 to watch the show - darned expensive!



When we are tired, we headed back to our room where I took long baths and Joshua amused himself with Cambodian TV shows.



It seems that Cambodia bought many Hong Kong and Singapore movies and drama, which they dubbed in their language. The funny thing is, one man would dub the voices of several male characters, so everyone sounded alike!

It was also hilarious that the dubbed voice failed to reflect the emotions of the action. There was this scene where the actor was clearly agitated but the dubbed voice spoke calmly. Heh.

And when we departed Siem Reap, the Angkorian sun bade us goodbye once again.