So Saturday we spent entertaining ourselves trying to kill time in Vientiane in the constant rain. Easier said than done. I don't think Vientiane is exactly reknowned for its indoor activities, but we managed. 2 games of tragic indoor bowling, 4 short and fairly vintage French films with subtitles (the verdicts still out on the quality but we were desperate for entertainment), and an "overpriced" (by Laos standards) full body massage at Papaya Spa, all in all which managed to take up most of the day. Oh and having my self-esteem returned after getting my hair done! (Even Paddy said he'd forgotten what my hair had looked like pre-frizzy bird nest that it resembled most of this trip!).
A 4.30 am wake up call ensured we made it to the airport for our 5 am check-in.2 much smoother Laos airline flights later and we were in Cambodia. Unfortunately fitting in 3 countries in 4 weeks had proved pretty logistically challenging so we only had 2 days in Siem Reap foregoing the rest of Cambodia which I was pretty dissapointed about, especially missing Phnom Penh. Nevertheless, always the optimist (haha), we were determined to fit in as much as we could. Our "taxi" from the airport was actually a motorbike with a sort of tandem trailer, called a 'remorque moto' and this was my favourite mode of transport the whole trip! Our driver, 'Mr T' (yet another imaginative name) also proved a hit too.
After we'd checked in, there was no time like the present, and we were off to the Temples. I hadn't done a whole lot of research (I know how unlike me) except for reading the Lonely Planet (surprise surprise) on the plane, but I was seriously blown away as we drove around and walked through. Firstly, driving past Angkor Wat then arriving at the South Gate... I can't even really put into words, but the history and level of detail, and how things have managed to age so well (considering the circumstances: international and civil war, poor preservation by the government etc), just totally floored me for a while. As we discovered on our 2nd day, every carving had a story or represented a god, a demon, or a person... it was just amazing. Our first and our favourite temple was the Bayon Temple... which is the temple with all the faces that is often in most travel brochures. As we had no guide, we had to walk round rather blindly, however it was enough to just soak up the atmosphere and surroundings. We also visitng Ta Keo, Ta Prohm (the one temple that has been left to nature and is overgrown by the trees - also the temple used in Tomb Raider) and Angkor Wat (it would have been rude to have missed it!).
Always the romantic at heart, I was determined to see a sunset and sunrise at Angkor Wat. But once again, the weather challenged my plans so our sunset was rather cloudy and our sunrise somewhat of an anti-climax! But hey it was the experience all the same, and even a dull mist was still a little bit impressive! By the end of Sunday, we were well and truly exhausted so after an authentic 'Angkor Pizza', I was in for an early night to get up at 4.30 am (again...) for this magnificent sunrise. The room was cosy and clean, with satellite tv in ENGLISH, and I had high hopes for a pleasant evening. But alas it was not to be. About 11.30 pm we were interrupted by a very loud bang. Now whatever the noise was could be open for interpretation, and I had many panicky thoughts running through my head that I did not want to voice, but Paddy did say out loud "Sounds like a gun shot". We heard 3 more louder bangs and then silence. I still have no idea what the noise was but we did not rest easy! When the power cut out also, well that created all sorts of scenarios in my mind! To be honest, it could have been something fairly innocent (????) but we were probably in a cautious mindset after seeing the signs at reception prohibiting guns, prostitues and hyperdemic needles. How reassuring.
Monday we decided to hire a guide which turned out to be a great idea as after our restless night, early morning anti-climax sunrise, we were rather braindead and happy to be lead around. 'Lucky' (another interesting Asian name...) proved to be a wealth of knowledge as well as entertaining. 5 days later (and without the aid of a guidebook) I'm struggling to remember exactly what he taught us, but he did explain many of the carvings and stories behind the temples. We were taken on a 37 km drive (which takes an hour by moto) to see Banteay Srey which also had the most intricate and well preserved carvings. We also stopped at Pre Rup before being again caught in a monsoon and left with no other choice but to sit out for about 90 minutes of thunderous rain. I donned a temporary flattering pink raincoat and we finished at the Bayon Temple again (our favourite) and this time could understand the stories of battle and day-to-day life that were being represented on the borders. We were surprised to find out (ignorant tourists that we were) that most of these temples were constructed under Hinduism in the 10th-12th centuries and then adapted by the Buddhists centuries later. In Cambodia today it is a roughly even split between the 2 religions.
Last night in Asia and we treated ourselves to a dinner and Apsara dancing show at the Sofitel. $30 a head (cheap I know, but more than we had spent on any one thing other than flights our whole trip!) and I kid you not when I say it was a divine experience! I had seriously forgotten what quality service and surroundings were like! Sure, not the real deal authentic Cambodia, but wow were we excited about it! Unfortunately I forgot my camera, but the food, hotel, and show were amazing! The dances were rather slow and subdued but still graceful and impressive, especially the costumes.
And after a whirlwind month, it was finally our last day. Felt kind of strange actually. A part of me wanted to stay on and keep going, but another part of me was so exhausted I was ready to go back to Sydney for a few days! We decided to do some last minute shopping at the Psar Char markets where I went a little loco, but it was a good way to spend the morning. I finally caved and investigated in some 'backpacker pants', not the most visually appealing, but ridiculously comfortable! Next thing you know I"ll be getting dreads and a tattoo... We flew from Siem Reap to Ho Chi Minh 'in time' for our flight back to Sydney... however I had screwed up royally and got our flight time wrong (some scholar I know) which meant a 7 1/2 hr wait in Ho Chi Minh airport, which is by any standard, not a very excting international airport (not even a bookstore!)! But after countless games of uno, and much venting to myself, a delayed flight, we made it back to Sydney in one piece.
And after 2 days of hectic running around on minimal sleep, goodbyes to Paddy for the next 2 mths, I'm off on my own to Africa... Bon Voyage, wish me luck, I don't think the entries will be as plentiful as Asia, but I"ll try my best!
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