It felt to me that it was a must to visit Siem Reap if you are wandering around Asia. Though it was a small city, having only three nights is not enough for me (at least). Sure, you can visit the temples of Angkor in one day but it is not enough to grasp everything there is to see in that compound let alone the whole city.
I arrived in Siem Reap at night and could not wait to meet my best friend and the adventure that awaits us. The tuktuk ride from the airport to the hostel felt so familiar - the crisp and fresh evening air that brushes against your face, the bragging sound of the motorcycle on a highway as if it was the only vehicle on the road, the open fields in between luxury hotels, and the smell of a bonfire on the front yard of some houses, it felt like it was home.
Lok Lak - this was the first food I ate in Siem Reap. It was basically just braised (though not sure) pork and rice. I think this was mostly what I ate during our stay in Siem Reap. We stayed a few steps away from Pub Street so basically it was difficult to sleep at night when you are surrounded by loud music everywhere. I remember they played Usher's Yeah but they also played John Denver's Country Roads. So it was not too bad.
We witnessed the sunrise at Angkor Wat and then visited a couple of temples around Angkor. Here's a list of temples that we visited: Angkor Wat, Bayon, Preah Khan, Ta Som, Pre Rup and Ta Prohm.
We saw a few tourists who carried books around the temple. My best friend told me that some people stay at least five days to see everything and the book might include a history for each temple and some glimpses of the bygone empire. I never really had the chance to read about the temples or even documentaries to explain what happened in such an amazing place before my trip. But after this trip, I drowned myself with some documentaries and therefore I came to know that the whole compound was once a modern town from centuries ago. And some more interesting facts. Such is their water management and irrigation system which is believed to be the reason why it is abandoned - due to failure of maintenance and climate change.
Witnessing both sunrise and sunset was an amazing experience in Angkor. I am glad to witness a whole day of a beautiful distraction from the city life that I am used to. And I am going to treasure this day forever. I've had blisters around my feet (from walking too much and wearing the same sandals since day one in Thailand) and it was getting too uncomfortable to walk around, but seeing the whole day end with a golden sunset, it was all worth it.
This life has too many complexities that sometimes we forget to step back and take another route. For some reason, unconsciously, we kind of like going around the same circle. But I am glad that I took that trip and always grateful for my best friend for coming along, for the strangers we have met, for the friendly tourists who took pictures of us, for the chance to visit another place, and for those moments that make us humble.
By having visited Angkor and witnessed its uniqueness, we celebrated this small victory over a small pint of beer. Actually, two... and then some.
No comments:
Post a Comment