We caught a long-tailed boat to Siem Reap from Battambang on 4 December 2012, leaving shortly after sunrise.
The boat ride was noisy and hot but the backdrop of rural Cambodian river life was beautiful and interesting. As we motored up the Tonle Sap and away from Battambang we saw families living in or along the river in simple floating villages, houseboats or stilt houses. I couldn't imagine how it would be to live such a remote life and to grow up on the water.
After 8 hours on the boat we arrived in Siem Reap and, after some negotiation, caught a túk-túk ride to our hotel.
Firstly, about Siem Reap. Siem Reap is the gateway to the Angkor archaeological park. The whole park is huge (400 sq km) and much of it is covered in jungle still. However, there are many temples in the park which can be visited easily from Siem Reap. The centrepiece of the park is of course Angkor Wat, which is the largest Hindu temple in the world and the national symbol of Cambodia.
On our first day in Siem Reap, we awoke at 4.30am and caught a túk-túk to the park entrance. We bought a three-day pass and then continued on to Angkor Wat. Under moonlight we crossed the moat which surrounds Angkor Wat and found a place to watch the sunrise by the lily-covered reflection pool. As sunrise approached the small crowd of people around us grew in to a mob of several hundred camera-wielding maniacs (including myself) each trying to get the same shot. As we were at the front, and taller than most people there, every time I crouched down to take a picture everyone behind me leant forward to snap as many shots as possible. One Japanese lady indicated that she wanted me to remain crouching until the sun had risen (about 30 minutes later). I politely refused via the use of mime and polite gesturing. Honestly.
By 6.30am, the stars had faded and the sun had risen behind the towers of Angkor Wat. We left the crowd behind to explore it in more detail. We clambered all over the site, including up to the central tower, which has a great view of the surrounding area. However, the highlight of Angkor Wat for us were the beautiful bas reliefs which run along sides of the outer temple. These reliefs mainly depict episodes from Hindu mythology and contain very beautiful and intricate carvings.
Over the next few days we visited more of the many temples around Angkor Wat. These included Angkor Thom and Baphuon, both very imposing sites; the atmospheric Ta Prom, where huge strangler figs intertwine with dilapidated ruins; and Bayon, with 54 towers each containing four smiling heads resembling King Jayavarman VII.
The heat and humidity was intense so we tended to temple-hop in the morning and afternoon, and come back to the hotel at midday. We did all this with the assistance of our trusty túk-túk driver Sa Korn, an easygoing and endearing chap. He laughed at my beard and (affectionately, I think) likened me to a monkey.
~Chris