Our final day in Siem Reap started with more temples! Despite the high concentration of tourists (I’m not kidding…they were EVERYWHERE!), the Bayon temple (also known as the Temple of Many Faces!) was my favourite one so far. It’s quite a big site, but its built on many levels and the intricacy of the carvings (especially of the faces!) is what made it the most interesting of the three sites (for me, anyway). My biggest recommendation though (for anyone thinking of going) is that you go either super early or later in the day before it closes. The midday sun is relentless (and worse because of the humidity) and with the amount of tourists going round these sites…shade is hard to come by!
Infact, Vanda and I decided we were ‘templed out’ and waited for the others whilst they visited another site. All we could visualise as we stood there melting was how good it was going to feel to jump into the hotel pool. Virtually the whole group joined us in there that day. Andy and Kim (the couple from Bournemouth) had had to move room. We later found out it was because they had woken up the night before to the sound of scuffling….and a rat was eating their backpack. I kid you not….there was a hole through the side of it. The manager of the hotel completely denied it…despite the evidence and we all decided that G Adventures would be hearing our very honest opinions about the accommodation once the tour was over!! To make matters worse for Kim, she had caught amoebic dysentery and was incredibly ill. She actually ended up going into hospital that night and staying as an inpatient as she needed antibiotics intravenously!
I got a tuk-tuk into town that evening by myself (a slightly scary experience but I actually felt surprisingly safe….perhaps its because it has no sides, you feel able to jump out at any moment should they try and cart you off to the middle of nowhere!!) and met the girls to visit the night market…it was huge. It’s basically many smaller markets spread out all over the town (but all within walking distance of each other). The prices are good (haggling essential) but it was a good place for a lot of people to buy gifts (none from me I’m afraid!) before we head to Bangkok tomorrow morning.
That night whilst everyone else chilled, I went out for dinner with both sets of ‘tour parents’ as Juliet and Keith (who were on their Cambodia tour running two days behind ours) were spending their first night in Siem Reap whilst it was our last. We went out for a lovely meal at ‘Little Italy’Â restaurant and it was great to catch up with them. Interestingly, they said their tour group was a bit of a blue rinse brigade but their CEO was brilliant and very well organised. We have had the opposite problem on our tour. Sam is a lovely guy but his organisation skills are beyond awful!
Just Wanderings and Wonderings 