Hello from Siem Reap! We've been in Cambodia for a couple days now, flying into the capital Phnom Penh on 26/12. Must say, my arrival here did not start off too well. Could say it has been adventure-filled, or another way to put it is just plain dodgy! At immigration control, the lady stamping my passport asked for a bribe. Welcome to Cambodia! I asked her what the fee was, she said it was to buy her coffee. Ahh yeah...well I wasn't a charity case so I told her no. She bargained her own bribe down and after some tense moments of just waiting each other out, I asked for my passport back and she reluctantly gave it after some vicious stamping on my passport.
Next our taxi ride to our guesthouse - the taxi driver wanted to drop us off somewhere else where he could get commission. After repeatedly telling us he didn't know where our guesthouse was, we told him to drive around and we eventually found it ourselves. Glad we stayed there, it was a great place with a view to the National Museum, nice way to wake up in the mornings. So after our little adventure to our guesthouse, the entire city power supply shorted out! So...no shower or air-con for us. What was most disappointing was the power cut out just when they were about to announce who they were going to cut on America's Next Top Model! Ahhh! Yeah, so we're really slumming it with cable tv and aircon =) Coincidentally enough, the power shorted out again the following day just when they were showing the repeat of ANTM - at the same crucial moment! It's a conspiracy!
We booked a tour around the city including a boat trip along the river, but on the day of the tour our guide tells us the boat trip was not included! After much arguing and speaking to the manager halfway through our tour, we got our boat trip and were so glad, it was really worth seeing the sun setting on the river and seeing the minority villages living in the houseboats. A ot must be said for the customer service in this city though. Never mind, it was a packed day where we saw all the major sites, very glad to be leaving Phnom Penh though-just another polluted developing city with aggressive touts.This morning we got up really early for a slow boat from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap (city where the Angkor Wat temples are). Long boat trip but absolutely worth it bc I really love it here so far. Siem Reap is more laidback and the place we are staying in is great, a little out of the way but clean, quiet, great food and the owner is very helpful. We've already booked our 3 day pass to the temples, our airfare to Laos, so we're set for the next week that we are in this city. We're planning on just chilling for our last couple of days here before flying out to Ventiane, the capital of Laos.
So we got to see one of the temples at Angkor Wat today for sunset, it's breathtaking here, just the sheer scale of it all. I can't wait to explore more of this place, we''ll be back for the next 3 days to fit in as much as possible.
Probably won't be updating as much as the internet connection here is very slow..there is only one place with fast DSL connection and I don't see us traveling out this way unless we get internet withdrawals.'
Thanks for reading, have a fab new years eve! Pommy and I are going to some beach party for new years eve over here, should be fun!!
