Wait for me! [in Siem Reap]

The Malaysian Star

Saturday November 20, 2010

My partner and I made our maiden trip to Siem Reap, Cambodia at the end of July. We were looking forward to the much needed break and of course, to visiting the temples of Angkor.

We landed in Siem Reap early in the morning and were quickly whisked off to our hotel (that I had pre-booked through the Internet) on our first tuk tuk ride — which was both scary and exciting.

Above: Buddhist monks at the famous Angkor Wat in Siem Reap, Cambodia. — AP PHOTO

The place is very dusty. After checking in, we spent the rest of the morning resting and planning our visit. In the afternoon, we went on a trip to the floating villages enroute to watch the sunset and dinner on board the “Friendship Boat” on Tonle Sap Lake. Needless to say, the view was spectacular.

The adventure we were waiting for finally arrived. As the weather was far too hot to bear and the road was dusty, we hired a car with a guide. We didn’t realise until we arrived at the first temple that our driver was in fact our guide.

So without a proper tour guide, the visit to the Pre-Rup temple wasn’t that interesting as the driver wouldn’t tell us the history behind each temple. After Pre-Rup, we were to visit the Bayon temple.

As there were many interesting sights for photography along the way to Bayon, I asked the driver to stop at the side of the road for me to take photos.

Thinking that I had finished with the photo taking and was back in the car, the driver sped off. I was worried being left stranded without my wallet which was in the car. It was a few minutes later before my partner realised I was not in the car. They turned around to pick me up.

Nevertheless, the visit to the other temples went on without a hitch. I’ve learnt that I should take my belongings with me whenever I get out of the car in a foreign land.

Mel

Kuala Lumpur

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