I was not really supposed to join the extra trip to Siem Riep.  But one last ditch effort to get a ticket 2 days prior to departure paid off and there I go!  I got my tickets on August 18, the day before we left!

I went with Drs. Benjo Campomanes, Joel Romualdez, Rudy and Nette Rivera, and Tony Chua (my roommate at the Angkor Hotel).  The Siem Riep International Airport was very impressive, with its architecture and statuary on display.  Also in its technology at the Immigration Counters (complete with video cameras).

We arranged for a rented van for US$30, and US$25 for the tour guide for the whole day.  They wanted to catch the sunrise at the Angkor Wat.  We left the hotel at 5am!  Despite this, there were already a lot of tourists at the ticket center.  A one-day pass costs US$20. 

Unfortunately the sky was overcast so the sun did not show up.  Joel and I were able to wander into the temple itself and did some initial climbing.  It was OK to climb up, but the climb down was more precarious.  This activity was interrupted since we had to come out and go back to the hotel for breakfast.

After breakfast, we met out tour guide Mam.  He first brought us to the South Gate of the Angkor Thom complex.  The causeway leading to the gate was very impressive with its 39 heroes and 39 demons pulling on a Naga (snake) lining both sides.  The gate was topped by a four-faced structure, representing the four cardinal directions of winds.  Funny how the guide remarked that our group might not be able to see much since we surely took our time in walking and taking photos!  Mam took us to specific sites for what he called "Kodak moments," obviously based on his many years of experience running this beat.

Next stop was Bayon temple.  According to the guidebook, it post-dates Angkor Wat by about 100 years.  It boasts of vast stone heads which gaze out in all directions.  Mam said these faces also represent four virtues.

We took a quick tour of the Prasat Baphoun.  It is a temple-mountain near the scenter of the Angkor Thom complex.  It is presently being  extensively restored by the French government, using sandstone from the original quarry source 10 centuries ago.  Right beside it was the Royal Palace.  This is a huge pyramidal structure, marked by two enormous swimming pools at the back.  When we got out, it started to rain.  Had to make a run for our van to bring us to the next temple.

We were brought to Ta Phrom.  This temple ruin was made currently prominent by being featured in Angelina Jolie's "Tomb Raider."  According to Mam, Ms. Jolie merely shot five scenes there (all of which were detailed to us when we got to the specific spot).  But the camera crew stayed shooting scenes for three months!  We all resolved to watch our copies of Tomb Raider when we got home.  It would have been better to have seen the movie before we went though.  The remarkable feature of Ta Phrom were the enormous gnarled roots of the local 'sprung' (or silk-cotton) trees.  It rained again while we were there, thereby completing the entire tropical rain jungle scenario the place evoked.  On the way back, we dropped some donation on the box of a group of roadside musicians, who were all land mine victims.

We had lunch at a Khmer restaurant.  The Khmer cuisine is basically similar to the more familiar Thai or Vietnamese cuisine.  However, it was much less spicy, which suits me quite well.  A favorite we discovered was their 'morning glory,' which looked a lot like our 'kangkong.'  After lunch, we just had to go back to our hotel first to rest and freshen up.


By 4pm, there was only one more temple to revisit, the Angkor Wat itself.  After Mam's lecture, we headed for the reflecting pool on the left side, to take our requisite classic photographs of the five spires complete with reflection.  Then we proceded to visit the interior.  It was amazing to discover that there was no cement involved in the construction of any of these temples.  It was just one stone on top of the other.  the stones used were wither hard laterite or the softer sandstone (where the delicate carvings of Apsara were done).

When we reached the climbing part, only Dr. Benjo and I went up with the guide.  Mam enthusiastically pointed out his "Kodak moments" for us.  He certainly enjoyed taking our pictures.  There was a small jutting ledge where he wanted both of us to stand together!  We politely, but adamantly, begged off.  Since it was already my second time to come down (since that early morning), it was not that uncomfortable this time.

This was a truly memorable day.  Never in my wildest dreams as a child did I even imagine myself actually seeing, what more climbing, the legendary Angkor Wat!  This was a most exhilarating experience.

Since we are flying off to Saigon the next day, we had to finish our shopping.  We had our fill of Khmer food already, so the group decided to have pizza (of all things, hahaha!)  We ate at Pissa Italiana in the Old Market area.  "Pissa" is not a misspelling.  It is the actual polite form of the verb "to eat" in Khmer.  Smart alliteration there.  Their food is good yet, yet not that expensive.  We spent less than US$10 each for 4 great tasting thin-crust pizzas (including the specialty) and 2 pasta dishes.

(to be continued.....)