Siem Reap, Cambodia Day 1

Off to see the amazing temples of Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia! Our flight got in around 12:40 pm and we were picked up by a happy man named Sam-na. He took us directly to our hotel:

Soria Moria Boutique Hotel
Wat Bo Road, Siem Reap,
Kingdom of Cambodia
Phone: +855 (0) 63 964 768
$50/night (includes breakfast)
Email: mail@thesoriamoria.com

Website: http://www.thesoriamoria.com/

We dropped our luggage and then headed back into the car around 2:30pm for a tour of a few temples (Bakong & Preah Ko), a visit to Tonle Sap Lake, and the fishing village of Kampong Phluk.

We saw two temples in the Rolous Group: This collection represents the remains of structures from the Hariharalaya which was the first major capital of the Angkorian-era Khmer Empire. According to our brochure, “The ancient capital was named for Hari-Hara, a synthesis of the Hindu gods Shiva and Vishnu.” Jayavarman II established this capital city and it served as the Khmer capital for over 70 years. Bakong and Preah Ko were two of the first four temples built in the capital city. The last King of this empire: Yasovarman I built the first major temple at Angkor: Phnom Bakheng. He then moved the capital to Bakheng in 905 AD.
Bakong

The Bakong TempleBuilt: Late 9th century AD
Religion: Hindu

This temple is located at the center of the old capital. It is quite impressive. It was constructed by King Indravarman I as his state-temple. The temple-mountain architecture of Bakong (the first temple of its type) set the architectural tone for the next 400 years. This temple was built with stone rather than brick. Over the years, this temple has been expanded by various kings—some as late as the 12th century.

A Grand View from the top!

Resemblance?

Preah Ko

Built: Late 9th century AD
Religion: Hindu (Shiva)

This was the first temple King Indravarman I built in Hariharalaya in 880 AD. There are 6 small brick towers on a sandstone base that remain. The brick towers are decorated with lime mortar lintels and other decorative work. A steel foundation was found here under the gopura of the first enclosure, but it has since been removed. Its name means “sacred bull” and it was derived from the statues of bulls at the front of the central towers.

The carvings were so interesting to look at!

Wow!

If you are traveling far distances in Cambodia, the best way to get around is via an automobile. A tuk tuk is great for shorter distances, but due to the heat and dust, a car is usually the best option for comfort. On the way to the lake, Sam-na (our driver) took us through the Cambodian countryside. We got a good visual of what the “real” Cambodia was like away from Siem Reap. The rice paddies were so lush and green. We felt so grateful for everything we have and own after our tour through the countryside and the fishing village. Kids here still find pure joy in playing with the simpler things in life. Shelter is simply a house with a thatched roof and some people did have electricity and televisions. Clean water was retrieved out of buckets—need I say more? We have so much to be thankful for.

There were a few towns on the lake we could visit Kompong Phluk and Chong Khneas—the latter which is mostly inhabited by Vietnamese living on floating villages. We heard Chong Khneas was very touristy and having just come from Vietnam we decided to visit the fishing village of Kompong Phluk.

Sam-Na drove us to the furthest point that the car could go. We parked the car in the little town, and there were two men waiting to transport us. It was now bumpy dirt/sand road for 3-4 miles…and I felt the need to be on a 3-wheeler vs. a 2 wheeled moped. Riding in sand can be a little stressful. I thought we might fall off the moped at one point when our wheel spun in the sand. My little guy tried to ease my fears and kept saying, “ok, at the end you give me tip?” I just kept replying, “If we get there alive.” Thank God for face masks in this country—they really did help keep the dirt out of our mouths. From the mopeds we were transferred to a larger boat which took us through the fishing village. We passed some children getting onto the boat and a part of me wanted to give them everything I had—even the clothes on my back. We gave them water, granola bars, and balloons. They loved the balloons—and it was so neat to see a child’s smile—this was worth it alone.

A little boy helping his father.

On our boat--I felt so bad--It was huge and we were the only 2 people.

The fishing town of Kampong Phluk.

Keep in mind, that these pictures were taken during the dry season.

Seeing how this community lived was more than an eye-opening experience. Their life is the water and this is what they know. Children were playing in the water and helping their families with chores. Some didn’t even have clothes. It just broke my heart to watch the people/children bathe and brush their teeth in the muddy brown river but they don’t know life any differently. On our boat ride through the fishing village we threw the kids balloons—they dove into the water to retrieve them and were so happy and thrilled. I wish we had brought more to give them.

Look at the pig!

At the fishing village we jumped onto a smaller boat and took a tour through the mangroves—this was really neat. We were trying to imagine what it was like here during monsoon season. Sam-na said that we wouldn’t be able to see any of the mangroves because most of them would be completely submerged by the lake’s rise in water.

The kids playing!

Rowing through the mangroves.

Tonle Sap Lake (Boeung Tonle Sap)

This is Cambodia’s great lake and in the “wet season” it’s one of the largest freshwater lakes in Asia. The name Tonle Sap means “large fresh water river” due to the unique phenomenon that takes place here. Cambodia has two seasons: wet and dry. During the monsoon season, the Tonle Sap River (the river which connects the lake to the Mekong River) reverses flow and water from the Mekong River flows up the Tonle Sap river—filling the lake and the floodplains around it creating a rich and diverse ecosystem. This lake provides for half of the fish consumed in Cambodia. The people who live around this lake in stilted homes or floating villages adapt to the cyclic nature of the rising and falling waters in order to provide for their families. These people are the definition of “true fisherman” whose lives revolve around the daily catch.

We watched the sunset over Tonle Sap Lake that evening on the bow of the boat and then headed back to the mopeds for our journey to the car.

Brian with Sam-na!

When we made it back to the car, a group of children were sitting outside and we started to give them all pencils—before you know it their whole family was outside and we were just having a good old time taking photos. The children were so polite and the mothers were very kind as well.

This was one of the best cultural experiences we had during our time in Cambodia—to see the way people lived here and to just imagine what it was like during the reign of the Pol Pot Regime. The Cambodians have been through so much over time and have such huge hearts and so much to give—the people we met were some of the most sincere people we’ve encountered while traveling abroad.

These are videos from our tour.