Our temple pass expired yesterday and we are feeling completely ‘templed out’. It’s a shame it isn’t possible to buy an Angkor ticket that allows you to spread three-days sight-seeing over a week rather than having to cram it all into consecutive days. The weather is even hotter today and we decide to hire bikes for the ridiculously cheap price of $2 for the day. Our first stop is the offices of Bangkok Airlines to find out more about their Discovery Air Pass which offers discounts on between three and six flights to destinations in south-east Asia. But it turns out that involves picking up connecting flights in Bangkok – not the most direct route for getting from Siem Reap to Luang Prabang and then on to Chiang Mai which are the next stops on our itinerary – after making a short diversion to Battambang – and the fares aren’t that competitive. After spending a couple of hours doing some further internet research we decide that a better option is to use Laos Airlines to get to and from Laos where overland travel is difficult and apparently not advisable – there have been shootings on some of the main routes. We’ll then work our way overland through Thailand and down to Kuala Lumpur where we are planning to pick up a flight to New Zealand. For now we buy a couple of bus tickets for the trip to Battambang leaving on Sunday. A 5-hour trip for the princely sum of $7 each. Oh if only travel could be this cheap at home!
Siem Reap is a pleasant town which straddles the small Stung Siem Reap river. Until recently a sleepy little place it is now an expanding resort town catering for the tourists that come to visit the temples. The old town and the French quarter with its rather faded buildings and quiet, tree-lined boulevards does have a certain relaxed charm. But the town is growing and fast – there is an enormous amount of new building providing accommodation for the locals and 5* hotel and resort complexes for the ever-increasing number of tour groups. All this is apparently putting a strain on the water table which could present serious problems in the future for the stability of the temples. Another manifestation of the tourist conundrum.
We are staying on the east bank in Rosy’s Guesthouse which looks onto the river. We are about a 10-minute walk from the main bar and restaurant area and it would be reasonably quiet if it weren’t for the local temple playing Cambodian tunes at 6.30 in the morning. Nevertheless, this is one of the best hotels we’ve stayed in. It’s run by a English guy from Norwich, who has a slightly hippyish air and a bit of a drink problem, and his wife. They also have help from some Australian friends who have been decorating the pool and TV room whilst we’ve been here. Apparently they are going to be staying on to run the place while the owners return to England for the birth of their first child. The atmosphere is very chilled and friendly and it makes a change to stay somewhere where fluent English is spoken. There are two other advantages: it has a bar so there’s an opportunity for social interaction and a large balcony-cum-veranda on the first floor which makes for a perfect chill out area; and they serve good English comfort food like full English breakfast and beans on toast in addition to authentic Cambodian fare. So of course we had to indulge!