GPSDATA-20140205I started out early by tuk tuk to catch the early morning light at Ta Prohm where Lara Croft had some of her adventures. But I wouldn’t know for sure, because I’m not an Angelina Jolie fan. And Angelina Jolie liked to hang out at a restaurant called The Red Piano that runs on Street Number 8, parallel to Pub Street. So also another reason not to like that whole area, silly as it may sound. I still think it all adds up to a lack of authenticity in Siem Reap. But I digress.
Ta Prohm isn’t really the place to check out for a sunset, since it is surrounded by trees. But I wanted to get there early before the crowds came and and I couldn’t get shots of no one in them.
Luckily I brought a torchlight because it was pitch black making my way to the actual temple. Along the way, a dog started following me and watched me set up my tiny tripod and take photos of a sunrise at Ta Prohm.
He didn’t follow me into the temple.
Unlike a lot of other temples, there isn’t a lot of restoration work going on. Which is real nice. Not to see support beams, structures etc.
Eventually the crowds came and all too soon, I was pushed out of Ta Prohm. It was nice while it was only an old couple and me in the temples. There were two other girls who were early, but they decided to eat their breakfast before going in. Big mistake.
But while Ta Prohm was nice, I found Beng Mealea even better.
Then we headed to Ta Keo, which is all made of sandstone and laterite.
It’s a layered pyramid shape. I would see this same style in Koh Ker and Phimeanakas. They’re in the Kleang style.
There are a few architectural temple styles, from what I gather. Angkorian style, Bayon style, Khleang style… If you’re really into all these things, then read this.
Ta Keo is pretty small. I went in. I climbed up a lot of narrow steps. I looked below from above. I climbed down, which is harder than climbing up, and I left.
On to Thommanon, where the kids were going gangnam style in the temples.
Across the road from that is the Chau Say Tevoda temple.
I think these two temples can be missed.
From there I headed to the walled city of Angkor Thom. Angkor Thom has four gates – North, South, East, West. And this was when I noticed that my tuk tuk driver was telling me nothing. Completely nothing.
Now, I’d been warned that tuk tuk drivers don’t know the history of things. That’s because they don’t have any education. But they’d be able to point out sights etc. Which is fine with me.
The problem with this driver is that he was passing things, not saying simple things like “This is the East Gate. Do you want to stop?” After all, there were tonnes of other tourists stopping to look at things and taking photos and so on. (This is where I want to be with tourists.) And I’d already informed the actual guy that I e-mailed and whom I thought was going to drive me around what I needed from my driver: Point out points of interest. And let me take photos. None of this was happening. By this time, I was 50% sure, I couldn’t have this guy take me around for the rest of my trip. But I bit my tongue.
Part of the whole Angkor Thom complex includes the Leper King Terrace, the Elephants Terrace, Phimeanakas, Baphuon and Bayon.
The most interesting for me was Bayon.
The light was quite nice at Bayon, but it was nearly 5pm and I was tired.
Now, what I haven’t told you is this: Right as I was about to start Angkor Thom, the tuk tuk driver suggested that I had lunch. I saw that it was exactly at lunch time. I wasn’t too keen.
At lunch time, people have left the temples and are having lunch. It’s better to be in the temples when people are out of them. However, he said that I wouldn’t be eating after starting on Angkor Thom and I was already hungry by then. So I agree. As I sit down to lunch, he then tells me to cross the road, start with Terrace of the Leper King and make my way to Bayon where he’d be waiting for me. Fine, I agreed.
So it’s at Bayon. I get out and I look around at the sea of tuk tuks and tuk tuk drivers and do not see him at all. Since previous experience showed me that if he saw me, he wouldn’t call out for me, I decide to give him a call. Only, I don’t have his phone number. I only have the number of the guy I initially contacted. My stupid oversight.
It turns out the mobile phone signal is iffy in these parts. But somehow, after minutes of trying, I manage to get a call out. So I’m told that “he should be waiting there”, but he isn’t. So, I assume he calls his cousin, who then comes riding in. The thing is, he doesn’t come from the sea of waiting tuk tuks, but from another direction. I’m beginning the gather that he went off somewhere else to do other business and didn’t expect me to come back so soon.
Total time wasted: 40 minutes. I’m fuming.
Back at the hotel, I fire him.
This is the route of Day 2 in Cambodia.