Last day in Cambodia

Dear Coco

After a very leisurely breakfast in our hotel,

presided over by some buddhas and this rather Irish looking leprechaun,

we ventured out onto the warm streets of Siem Reap to do some last minute sightseeing and gift-buying.

We walked up the river

past lotus-lily sellers,

and locals taking time off in the shade,

to the Royal Gardens in front of the King's residence, which he uses when he comes to Siem Reap. The gardens are a tad tatty, but at least they provide a bit of welcome greenery in the town. High up in these trees are lots of bats - known as "flying foxes" that hang upside down looking a bit like seed pods.

In front of the Raffles Grand hotel D'Angkor hotel the gardens are called the Royal Crusade for Independence Gardens as it was here in Siem Reap that King Sihanouk orchestrated the successful bid for Cambodia's independence from France in the 1950s.

We went into the hotel for a very elegant pot of Earl Grey tea - served with little macarons, and Simon had a watermelon juice served with banana chips and little rice cakes. Very civilized and beautifully air-conditioned.

The hotel reminded us of the Mount Nelson, although its not as old - having being built in the 1930s (the Nellie was build in the late 1890s).

The Alph had the camera today - and enjoyed taking photos of unusual cars,

and one of all of us reflected in a poster for the Apsara dancers we saw the other night.

We chose some fruit for lunch,

although we didn't succumb to buying one of these large Durian fruits that smell really bad but taste of custard with almonds.

We also found a fantastic looking cake shop. Olivia, eat your heart out

Then Simon returned to the hotel and the Alph and I did a spot more looking around - this is the Old Market which sells fish and other interesting stuff,

like this dragon fruit.

Some people sell from their own tuktuks or bikes - these are live, dried cockles.

Soon it was time to return to our hotel,

have a last few swims and pack up and go.

I am sure I will be able to write you one more letter before we see you, so good night Coco,

lots of love, the FL

Floating villages and smiling buddhas

Dear Coco

Today is our second last day in Cambodia - and our last day with our guide, Nicky. First on the itinerary was a boat ride - and we drove up to the Tonle Sap Lake along the Siem Reap River which empties into the lake. As you get closer to the lake, you go past extensive rice fields that are able to use water from the lake to grow rice in the dry season.

We boarded a small boat and set off up towards the main part of the lake past lots of fisherfolk who live and work on the lake.

Many of them live in floating houses that they move according to the depth and spread of the water at different times of the year.

We were taken to a floating information centre and shop with a few displays about this lake and it wildlife and fishing activities and a rather sad little crocodile farm with a motley collection of crocs that have been bred or caught and kept to be sold to the handbag factories when the price is right. This perky little dog lived on it too.  

It also had an observation deck for us to gaze upon the vast stretch of water and the quaint floating village at its edge. 

It has a floating school.

and even a floating church! Excuse the angle of the photo but our boat must have been pitching rather.

After the tour we returned to where we had boarded, got off our boat, and walked back to the car past these cute little kittens that would have made you and Laddie crazy,

and past a cheery banner - which was funny because I had seen many of these draped over the fishing boats on the river and the lake.

We drove back into Siem Reap, passing this entrance into a modern temple that our guide, Nicky, was quite embarrassed about and said was new and not at all representative of Siem Reap.We wondered what they were - Lionelephants maybe?

He then took us to an interesting arts and crafts centre, the Artisans Angkor, who make exquisite high quality goods including statues for restoration purposes in some of the temples. 

Then on to our final temple, through the gates of the ancient Khmer city of Angkor Thom, 

and into the fabulous Bayon Temple that also had fantastic intricate bas relief carvings around the outer walls. This one is of a dragon boat.

And for you Coco - some monkeys (I didn't see any baboons but monkeys are close enough).

It was a much hotter day than before and we took advantage of some shady seats to contemplate and try and take in the magnificent semi-ruined temple, the last of the Ankgor state temples to have been built.

It is famous for its many lotus bud-shaped towers, each with four smiling Buddha faces, totalling 216 faces in all.

We all rubbed noses with a Buddha.

Quite fun!

I loved these carvings of parrot-like birds because there are lots of noisy little parrots flying around, high in the trees. 

Being midday, it was not too crowded, but is was rather warm

and everyone was taking advantage of shady spots.

But we eventually had to leave, and that was the end of our temple explorations. It has really been a pretty mind-boggling three days! 

We had a cosmopolitan evening in town - having supper and a whiskey and soda at an Irish Pub, passing an American internet cafe on the way in

and a cute old Peugeot on the way home. 

Well the time is flying now Coco and we will soon be home - just four more sleeps.So till then, be good. Love from the FL xx and the Alph xx

Beautiful dancing girls

Dear Coco

This morning Nicky, our guide, came to fetch us at 4.45 in the morning and drove us to Angkor Wat so that we could see the  sun rising behind this mighty temple. All we could see for about an hour was flickering lights on the edge of a lake.

Then gradually it became lighter

and lighter to reveal this amazing silhouette: the great temple of Angkor Wat.

It also revealed the many people who come every morning to do this. We were lucky to have been in the front row thanks to Nicky.

There is a huge expanse of water all around the temple precinct, and the lake in front was covered in waterlilies,

which are collected and eaten by the locals.

Angkor Wat is enormous, and there was just so much to see and take in, that no amount of describing could do it justice. All around the outer colonnades are stories of battle - real and mythical, and inside are lots of Apsaras carved onto the walls and doorways - the same ethereal dancing girls that we encountered yesterday.

We sat in the centre area and gazed and marvelled,

then wandered some more - I especially loved the bas relief carvings along the outer walls - just look at this face of a Khmer royal soldier.

We eventually decided we had spent long enough, and walked back with several hundred other tourists,

some quite young,

and others intent on selling stuff - like this man who is selling potent cane spirit.

We then drove a way out of town, and came to the temple of Banteay Srei - a smaller temple dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. It was apparently built by some king in honour of a young girl and thus has a dainty feminine feel to it.

Simon found some of the doorways very dainty indeed,

and this lass found a cosy corner to do some reading up on the temples.

The surroundings were also lovely - with viewing platforms out onto some fields where water buffalo grazed. Our guide said that as a small boy one of his jobs was looking after his mother's water buffalo.

Another platform looked out over these Lotus Lily leaves.

Then we drove some more through the countryside until we came to the temple of Beng Mealea

which is where some of the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was filmed.

It is a large and beautiful temple, being gradually eaten by the jungle in a spectacular fashion. Just about every step reveals another stunningly picturesque view. We had no trouble finding some dancing Apsaras.

The Alph pretended to be Harrison Ford 

and Simon appeared from the secret broken window. 

Everywhere the jungle was invading,

roots twining and twisting like ghostly limbs.

This visitor was inspired to do a bit of meditation, but most just clamber and climb over the rubble and around the ruins, or use an old rickety wooden staircase erected for some earlier French movie, all gloriously oblivious to the health and safety factors that would have hospitalised the average Health and Safety Officer in the UK.

More lovely apsaras,

their little temple sprouting a giant tree. What an amazing place!

We had a late lunch on the way home, then a rest and a swim,

then Nicky picked us up and took us to a huge airy restaurant, the Koulen Restaurant, where we had dinner and

watched some modern day Apsara dancers

doing some traditional Cambodian dances.

This one was all about a Golden Fish and a White Monkey.

Then at 8h30 the show finished and the restaurant closed, so 

we wandered back down towards our hotel. Everything still looks all lit up and Christmassy and full of life and noise - and people - and tuktuks and buzz bikes..

The kids here seem to stay up as late as the adults.

We found a silver Aspara dancer in a fancy shop too, but I imagine that it is quite expensive.

Anyway, time to say goodnight Coco - and send love to Phil and Kerryn. See you soon.

love the FL and the Alph x x