04.00hrs came round mighty quick but I was up and ready for collection.
A quick chat with the guide as he opened the minibus door and I saw the only seat was next to a young female. “Mind if I sit here?” “No, go ahead”. I noted a strong Australian accent. “Where you from then?” “Newcastle” she replied. “Thats North of Sydney, isn’t it?”, “Yeah sure. You’re from Australia, right?”, “Errr No!” We had a good laugh at me once again being mistaken for an Ozzy.
20 minutes later we all clambered for the best view.
Angkor Wat foundations are volcanic rock and sand. They rely on water to maintain their integrity and not crumble. Both the moat and four big pools in the middle support that requirement.
In the very centre of the complex is the, Buddhist center of the universe. If you put a compass on the floor the North entrance is exactly at magnetic North. Built in the 12th century, that is incredible accuracy.
I’m not going to lie, I really wasn’t that fussed about Angkor Wat at the start but within an hour I was totally sold on it and it’s incredible history. I ended up with over 100 photos, so consider yourselves lucky there’s only a few here
Next was another temple, 2 of 5 we would visit and again I wasn’t sure….
The king of the time built this as a memorial to his mother. The centre attrium had a gold statue of her and in the walls holes were drilled and precious stoned placed in them before being sealed up with clay. All these have subsequently been stolen by actual Tomb Raiders. Another 100 photos. Well it can’t get better than that, can it?
Well it can’t get better than that, can it?
Well yes, the Bayon Temple has no less than 65 towers each with four faces on them.
Nothing will top that, surely……..
OK the last stop was just, a very impressive city gate with Demons and Gods on each side of the road bridge. The BMW club of Bangkok were there and I had a chat with them. That ultimately made us late leaving.
It was now back to the hotel for a rest before the afternoon tour. I showered and dried my clothing as best I could.
Tonle Sap is a fresh water lake measuring 109km long and 100km wide in the rainy season, but now the dry season just 60km wide. That’s a massive difference between seasons.
The village of Chong Khneas sits within the water basin of Tonle Sap. The houses or ‘kampong’ are built on stilts
Back on the boat we headed out onto the Croc infested lake to watch sunset
After sunset, we zoomed back, against fading light, using the very accurate navigation channels marked by bamboo and polythene bags. Did I mention crocodiles?
Day one done…….
Day 2 and I had spoken with Mr Sany the hotel night porter and freelance tuk tuk driver. He suggested a few places and I had one in mind. We met at 10am outside the hotel. I had placed most my clothing in to be laundered, so I needed long trousers and long sleeve shirt. I don’t want to get burnt. Minutes later I was in the market buying said items for less than £12.
To the cashpoint and get a takeaway coffee. I’m sat in the tuktuk, lording it up as Mr Sany takes me through the traffic. Its nice not to be in full riding gear.
The first stop was Apopo, a Belgium based charity, the founder of which had always kept pet rats and knew they were very intelligent animals. With the ability to smell things up to one metre underground. Using positive reinforcement, the rats are trained to detect minute amounts of explosive that would indicate a land mine. The rats are very well cared for and love being handled. Training takes a year and each rat works for up to five years. No rats have ever been lost to a mine. They form a small but vital part of mine clearance, helping return valuable land to the people.
Even now, 25years after land mines were banned, 3 people a month are maimed or killed by the munitions left over from decades of war and unrest. Cambodia is one of the most heavily mined regeons of the world.
I got to hold Greg but not before we all had to wash our forearms. Greg was no fool he knew my upper arms had delicious watermelon sun screen on them, he licked at that as I held him.
The next stop was the killing fields. This was a former hospital taken over by the Pol Pot regime and used as an extermination centre for this area of Siem Reap. The stories were harrowing and the mass graves shocking. I took no photos.
Then onto the war museum. It was an open air exhibit with mostly old tanks and personnel carriers but there were two aircraft. An elderly gentleman sat inside the entrance. “Sir, do you want a guide?” I didn’t really but I crumbled, “OK that would be fine”. He asked me to take a seat in the open as he explained a bit of history. Nothing I didn’t already know but he was engaging. He is known as ‘the cat of war’, having survived 9 attempts on his life. We set off on the short walk through the rusting hulks of badly damaged machinery. It was little more than a scrap yard.
Each weapon we stopped at, the cat, would explain what it was and then roll up a sleeve or unbutton his shirt to show the relevant scar from his encounter.
At the far end was a display of land mines and various write ups on the wall. The cat revealed how he had shrapnell on this left knee cap and had lost his lower right leg to a mine. He didn’t feel the need to show, as he explained how he lost a testicle as well.
After that, he left me to continue alone as he isn’t able to stand for very long. I was glad as the various wounds and amputations were making me queazy. As I left the museum I thanked ‘the cat’ and pressed some dollars into what remained of his right hand, careful not to squeeze or injure him more.
Day three was a lazy one. I took Lilly for an oil change. The mechanic swiftly did that, then used the old oil to lubricate the chain, then adjust the tension. I pointed out that Lillys side stand was worn and she leant over way too far. Quick as a flash, the stand was off, pinched in a vice, then refitted with a washer to take out the remaining slack. The mechanic grinned from ear to ear, proud of his work. Vigorously shaking my hand as he took the equivalent of £7 off me which included a tip.
The day rolled into evening, I had eaten loads, drank more than I usually do and ended up playing pool in a dodgy bar off of beer street.
Tomorrow I move on again.
Earth, Wind and Tyres 