Singapore and Cambodia
Background
I was turning 40 this year and decided that instead of a party I wanted to do something special. As traveling is one of my great passions, it seemed appropriate that a trip to somewhere on my wish list should be considered. The criteria was that it had to be relatively close to home and of short duration allowing Judy and I to travel without the children and it had to be 'special'. Angkor Wat in Cambodia seemed to fit the bill and planning commenced early in 2005.
We explained to the children our plan and that Cambodia was not a good place for them to come to, what with the landmines, disease and poverty etc. That was a mistake! Andrew told us in no uncertain terms that he would be very upset if we got ourselves killed. We reassured both of them that it was very touristy and we were going to stay in a nice hotel, so there was very little chance we wouldn't make it home.
The biggest decision was how to get there. There are no direct flights and we wanted to avoid Phnom Penh and fly directly to Siem Reap. We chose Singapore, firstly to see if it was a reasonable place to take the children for a holiday and also because we had been once before on a 1-night stopover from London to Sydney in 1992 and have very little memory of it.
Day 1 to 3 - Singapore
Arrived in the afternoon and caught the MRT into town. We were helped by 3 people on the trip in, which was a surprise. Luckily our luggage was fairly light as the train became quite crowded by the end of the trip. It was hot and humid as you would expect and after dragging our luggage 1/2km up a hill to our hotel the sweat was flowing freely. It was a non-descript hotel, but close to Orchard Rd. We did get a nice room though. Upgraded to a pool-side cabana.
Our first task was to get the 'real'' touristy stuff out of the way. So, it was Singapore Slings at the Raffles Hotel. At S$20 a pop it's not something that you would do too often. The other 'tourist' must is the chili crab. Even though I usually insist on doing all the food requirements we did not manage to accomplish this. The one place we were recommended was in our guide book as gouging tourists and every where else seemed to involve a lot of effort. I did hear later that it's not as good as it used to be, so I don't feel so bad. We did eat at the hawker stalls and this was cheap and cheerful.
The 2 days we were there were spent wandering around sweating and getting wet in the rain on the second day. A visit to Sentosa Island was probably more bearable with the rain as I think it kept the crowds down. The gondola ride is a little hairy if you suffer from vertigo as it starts on the 15th floor of a building. The highlight of Singapore was a trip to the night safari - it's a part of the zoo which you visit at night to see the nocturnal animals. Walking through steamy rain forest in the dark looking at leopards, tigers and all sorts of beasts is definitely something you will remember.
Singapore was clean and tidy, packed with shopping malls, restaurants, plenty of cheap food and very expensive alcohol.
Day 3 to 7 - Siem Reap and Angkor Wat, Cambodia
I have heard plenty of people wax lyrical about Angkor Wat, and without doubt it lives up to the hype. Angkor Wat is just one of a multitude of temples over a huge area and each would be worth the trip alone. Together they are overwhelming. The work that has gone into these buildings is incredible. Wall-lined moats a kilometre long and 100 metres across, intricate carving on every surface, and the sheer size of the temple walls and buildings.
We arrived in the afternoon and the hotel was magnificent. It was only 3 years old, but built in French Colonial style. It was very open and the stair wells were protected by dark wooden shutters. A pond in the atrium had a colony of baby crocodiles. Our room looked over trees and the pool.
I took a walk along the river into the market to change some money. Some young girls approached me selling postcards. They asked where I was from and after I told them Australia, they proceeded to tell me the capital city and national population (this was very impressive until after a few days we learnt that every child selling something knows this). She also wrote down her e-mail address. Seemed she didn't have enough money to go to school, but could afford to frequent internet cafés. After much discussion about how I had no Cambodian, Thais or US currency I promised them I would return to buy some postcards. Of course true to my word I did, which surprised them I think, I did come back. Not one to miss an opportunity the girls told me I had to buy postcards from each them. I said 20 was way to many as I didn't have that many friends. Out came the bracelets...I was a soft touch.
For our first day at the temples we decided to hire remorque-moto (like a tuk-tuk). It cost US$12 and he would take us out the temples and wait around for us, then take us to the next. It was great way to go and we were lucky with our driver. He was just trying to make an honest living. From his $12 he would pay $4 for the rental of the carriage we sat it, and about $3 for the petrol. He didn't work everyday and the taxi-stands seemed to be controlled by a kind of mafia. We subsequently shouted him lunch when we ran into him in town one day. He offered free trips to us and it was humbling to witness his spirit.
The temples were crowded with tourists at different times during the day. It appeared that the bulk were older French package tourists. This was a bit of a blow to me as I thought I was pretty intrepid going into the wilds of Cambodia. Seeing geriatric mass-tourism in action certainly changed that opinion.
There were the expected souvenir stalls dotted outside the temples. There also surprisingly a large number of people selling books. Lots of books about Angkor Wat, the Pol Pot regime and politics (saw Michael Moore's books). Overall though, taxi-drivers, touts, shopkeepers and beggars were the most non-aggressive we have encountered in a less developed country.
Our first night happened to also be my birthday. Judy had already booked a table at the restaurant of the Raffles Angkor Hotel which we'd seen on a TV show. The Khmer food was meant to be very good and it was. We tried the national dish, amok. It's Thai style curry cooked in a banana leaf. Typically it contains freshwater fish from the Tonlé Sap Lake. This lake is very large and shrinks and grows depending on the flow of the Mekong River downstream. Basically, the Mekong is so full that water backs up on the Tonlé Sap River forming the lake.
On the second and third days we hired a car for the day. It was a lot more expensive than the remorque-moto, but we wanted to see some temples that were further out. Once we hit the dirt roads and saw the passengers in the remorque-moto we knew we'd made a wise decision. It was great to see some of the countryside. We tried to find some palm wine along the way, but it wasn't ready yet.
As well as temples we also visited the floating village of Chong Kneas. This is made up of floating houses, schools, shops and hospitals which follow the shore line of the Tonlé Sap lake. It is actually three distinct villages - Cambodian, Muslim and Vietnamese. On the way back our driver found a roadside stall selling palm wine. I also spotted something orange drying in the sun. It turned out to be snake and was the preferred snack to have with your palm wine. I was a little worried about the cup I was given to drink the jug of wine from, but had little alternative. The driver also asked some locals to spare a piece of snake for me. It tasted a bit like a cross between jerky and barbequed flavoured chips. I don't know if it was the blow flies buzzing around the drying snake or dirty cup but the next day I paid the usual price for my adventure. Then again it may have been the meal we had with the remorque-moto driver at a local restaurant. Plenty of flies there as well.
For beer drinkers this place is paradise. Happy hour can be had for US50 cents a beer. I felt lonely at a bar that charged $1. I couldn't move to a cheaper place as I had to meet Judy later on. One night we splurged and drank at the hotel - $2.10.
On our last night we attended a free cello recital. It is conducted by a Swiss doctor who has set up 3 children's hospitals. 2 in Phnom Penh and 1 in Siem Reap. They are all funded pretty much by donation, hence the concert, which comes with a talk about the health problems in Cambodia and his problems with the World Health Organisation and the Save the Children Fund. They advocate basic health care whereas he says you need the same standards as in the West. It was very insightful and if you want any more information I'd be happy to point you in the right direction.
In all Cambodia was a revelation. Amazing historical ruins, a safe and friendly town in Siem Reap, amiable people and great food. I'd have to say it is on the shortlist of all-time favourite destinations. If you haven't been and you get the chance I'd heartily recommend it. Of course I absolve my self of any responsibility.
Photos
Have pared down to 39 from over 300. Take the slideshow
Shane.