Cambodia 15-17 March

On our second day in Ho Chi Minh City we joined with 14 other passengers and left the ship with a small bag each and headed to the airport to catch a flight to Siem Reap in Cambodia. Siem Reap is the site of the Angkor complex which is home to Angkor Wat and many other temples dating back to the 12^th Century.

We arrived in Siem Reap after lunch and spent the afternoon relaxing in our very modern and comfortable hotel and then went to a local restaurant for dinner.

First thing next morning we got on our bus for a tour of temples. Being a small group meant that we could be flexible with timings so if more or less time was needed anywhere it was easy to adjust our program as we went along. The temperature and humidity were hard to bear but the temples were all fascinating.

Ta Prohm, made famous for appearing in the film, Tomb Raider.

Banta Srei, late 10th century

Around midday we took a break for lunch at a restaurant in a little village. It was a new building built in traditional style and is being established as a Home Stay accommodation to Angkor tourists. Lunch was very nice and we had the place to ourselves.  In the background was a boy playing a , a Cambodian wooden xylophone in the shape of a boat.

Ankgor Thom, Bayon Temple

you cannot escape the gaze of Buddha

Angkor Wat, the most spectacular and largest of the temples

View of the gate to Angkor Wat

We got back to our hotel just after 4pm but it felt much later as we had walked miles and climbed lots of stairs.

After a shower and a snooze we went to Koulen restaurant for a buffet dinner and traditional Apsara dance show.  The restaurant is huge and we estimated that there were about 1,500 people there!  At the end of the dance show, people rushed up to be on stage and have their photo taken with the dancers.

Apsara dancers

The next morning we flew from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh and did a short drive around the capital, stopping at the Royal Palace at Bang Pa-In and a museum.

We had a very nice lunch at a restaurant in Phnom Penh and then had a four hour drive to Sihanoukville, the port where the Quest was waiting for us (well, waiting may be overstating it a bit – if we hadn’t arrived by sailing time it would have left without us!!)

As we left we had a magnificent sunset.

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