Kampong Cham - Bamboo Bridge to Koh Paen | Cambodia

Setting off from Siem Reap early, we arrived in our next Cambodian destination of Kampong Cham, next to the Mekong River. This is a relatively quiet town compared to the last one, and not so dusty. It is famed for the bamboo bridge which is constructed every year for the dry season over to Koh Paen Island. Myself, Adam, Angela and Jo decided to hire out bikes and go for a wander. We came across the bridge and decided to cross it. I have never been so nervous. It makes this rattling sound as you pass over the slats, and I seriously thought I was going to end up in the Mekong. There were a few hairy moments, especially the busier it got at parts but we made it through to the other side.

We paid our $2 bridge fee and cycled up through the sand into what seemed like paradise. It was a lovely island, full of lush greenery and lots of fruit. We stopped and chatted to some of the local people and children. It was a stark contrast to Siem Reap.

We cycled through all the villages and kids kept shouting 'Hello' everytime they saw us pass. It was very cute. Jo gave some of the kids pencils, which they seemed really happy with.

We came across another temple, and were immediately surrounded by kids on bikes coming out of school. They followed us along, and we even stopped to help some get some fruit from a garden by throwing sandals. I failed, but Adam managed to get some.

We came across some more rice paddy fields.

Realising the time, we cycled furiously back to the bridge for sunset.

Across the way we met some monks. They were happy for us to take photos, but I was conscious not to touch them. Women cannot touch monks.

That night we went to a local house and were given homemade Khmer curry. I decided to be veggie for the night. Cuisine in Cambodia is very much fried noodles, fried or steamed rice and lots of curries.

Our host gave us some tarantula whisky, and his son put one of the dead spiders in his mouth. He has done this ever since he was a baby. It was actually not bad tasting, but I think I prefer Scottish whisky!

Angkor Wat, Bayon and Ta Prohm | Cambodia

The day had finally come where I would get a chance to see the highlight of Cambodia, the wonders of Angkor Wat temple. 

The group wanted to see the main temple at sunrise, and I was more than happy to go along. We had to decide the best way of getting to Angkor Wat. Some of us opted for the bus tour, which came to collect us at 5am, others had a personal tuk tuk driver. I don't think they had the same experience as us. We then entered the compound which was enormous and had to queue up to get the pass. As you can see, I look a little tired but was so excited to find out about the history of Angkor Wat. 

We then positioned ourselves between all the other tourists, some quite annoying, to wait for the sun to rise. On the way there it was pitch black, and I tripped on a hidden stone. Continuing on I felt fine, and then moisture began to build up on my flip flop. Everyone got their mobile lights out and my foot was covered in blood. Our tour guide for the day made sure it was cleaned with bottled water and plastered up. It turned out it was only a small nick so panic over.

We waited for quite a while, and the sky began to get increasingly lighter. Here is a picture of my awesome group.

We weren't so lucky to experience the famous fiery red sunset of Angkor Wat, but I did manage to get this shot...

We actually went off to explore other temples in the meantime and returned to Angkor Wat later that afternoon.

A question which came from the group was, how was Angkor Wat temple built? The most amazing thing about this temple was that it was built without cement. The stones all lie on top of each other perfectly and it is still standing to this day. All down to incredible engineering.

We even saw some monks chilling out on the steps at the back entrance.

We revisited the spot where we had been in at sunrise, and I feel I got a better shot of the temple with the reflection.

Even the Budgie made an appearance at the temples!

The second Khmer temple was Bayon, which has lots of Buddha heads. Some of the towers have four heads and a lotus flower at the top. The lotus flower is very significant to the Khmer people. 

Whenever the king died, and a new king replaced him, the temples were modified to reflect the religion of that king. This reminded me of the religious struggles in British history, particularly after Henry VIII reign. Sometimes the Buddhas would be destroyed, or turned into Vishnu for the Hindus. It turns out the Khmer Rouge also destroyed a lot of temples, as they didn't believe in religion.

Onto the next wonder, this time the one famous because of the Angelina Jolie movie Tomb Raider, Ta Prohm temple. The other two temples had shown amazing strength and resilience, whereas this temple is a strong reminder of how powerful nature can be. 

Interestingly, in the stonework, a dinosaur can be seen. The Ta Prohm stegosaurus. How amazing to think those who built this temple were even aware of the dinosaurs.

This is one of the more peaceful entrances to the temple.

Overall, the entire day was exhausting and trying to beat what seemed like the whole of South Korea round the temples was a bit of a challenge. It is all quite disorganised, and there really should be a one way system to avoid blockages of people. Other than that, I would highly recommend visiting these temples, perhaps not in the peak season like I did...

Our tour guide for the day was also extremely good at English and gave us an excellent insight into the history of Angkor Wat, how the temples were constructed and about the different religions. It turns out in Cambodia, if you have a good grasp of English, you are more desirable for the tourist trade, which is a big income generator here.

Siem Reap - Cycling To Tonle Sap Lake | Cambodia

Travelling for most of the day across the border, we finally arrived in the dusty city of Siem Reap, Cambodia. My immediate impression of Cambodia was complete chaos. There were so many motorbikes, scooters, tuk tuks, and there seemed to be no road system whatsoever. Everyone drove where they wanted on both sides of the road. It was incredibly difficult to get across, and every five seconds I was being hassled to ride in a tuk tuk. You can actually buy a t-shirt which says 'No Tuk Tuk'. By the time we left, I wanted to imprint it on my face. Looking back on it I felt bad, as the drivers were only trying to make a living. It is just so saturated with so many tuk tuks it must be difficult to even break even.

Plastic also seems to have ruined this country. It is apparent there is no public bin disposal scheme, so everyone just throws their rubbish out into the street. All you see are plastic bags and bottles everywhere and it is depressing to look at.

The first night we were taken to a Cambodian restaurant and I ordered Fish Amok. I was excited to try Cambodian cuisine and this was a lovely creamy curry, and I really enjoyed it.

I love this photo as I think it captures the religious elements of Cambodia, along with the different modes of transportation.

The next day we all went to Angkor Wat and the temples. I have written another blog post about that day.

Finding ourselves with a free day, myself, Angela and Kim decided to rent out bikes and cycle to the Tonle Sap Lake. Managed to secure a bargain and get them for $1. In Cambodia, the currency is either local currency of Riel or American Dollars.

We set off on our mini adventure, while the rest of the group went to visit a local fishing village. As soon as we cycled outside of the tourist area, everything became a whole lot more relaxed and friendlier. There were a series of villages we passed through, some with very bumpy, dusty roads. My bum did not forgive me for that! We came across traditional Cambodian stilt houses, and an amazing colourful Cambodian temple in the middle of nowhere.

We decided to have a better look at the temple and walked around here for a bit. It seemed like we were the only people there, but we could hear chanting.

Continuing our journey to the Lake, we began to pass through areas where there was a large amount of construction work. This was making the roads even more dustier. Eventually we reached the lake, or what we thought was the lake. It turned out we had arrived as a bus depot for tourists who are then transported to the actual lake via boats. Feeling slightly disappointed, we decided we would just bike it there. Going along the side of the waterway, we were stopped by some uniformed man who said he was the guard of this road, and we must pay him money. Looking a bit dodgy, we turned back up the track and stopped to get a fresh coconut in one of the local shops along the bank.

On the way through we had cycled by lots of rice paddy fields. There were a few stilt houses along this way, and some bars with hammocks.

We stopped off in one of the bars, and this was the view we had. Rice fields as far as the eye can see.

The owner was very friendly, and told us all about why the houses are on stilts. During the rainy season, the water rises quickly and quite high. This helps the harvest of rice, but also means all their belongings don't get damaged.

This little guy also took a shining to me and decided to sit under my hammock.

Angela had been volunteering for a few months in Burma and in Cambodia. She knows way more about life here than our tour guide. She told us about sticky rice sticks which is like a treat here. We asked the owner of the bar about them, as they were not on the menu, and he was so surprised we had asked he gave us three for free.

That night we went out into the centre of Siem Reap on Pub Street and to the Red Piano bar. This is apparently where Angelina Jolie used to drink when filming Tomb Raider or was created in hommage to her. Naturally I got the Tomb Raider cocktail. Every 10th drink is free, but unfortunately for me I wasn't so lucky.