north to siem reap

the most difficult part of the journey north to siem reap is simply getting out of phnom penh. the traffic is terrible, though highly entertaining. the journey lasts nearly seven hours, at least one of which covers only a few kilometers leaving the city. once the traffic clears on national road number six, the landscapes and various visual stimuli are wonderful. on one side of the road, which is only intermittently paved, you will see families cooking food and on the other will be a young man on a moto trying to herd his few cattle away from the busy thoroughfare.

the countryside is truly beautiful and almost completely undeveloped as international aid organizations continue their efforts to clear the country of land mines so that people can begin to cultivate the vast open spaces.

after the sun set, the adventure became particularly interesting as those who were previously responsible for monitoring the road crossing habits of the thousands of loose cattle were no longer vigilant. it most certainly makes for an entertaining few hours. driving into siem reap is a welcome respite while sat in the comfort of an air conditioned van, but as soon as the protection offered by the car is gone, the heat, dirt and smell of the city hit you simultaneously. for whatever reason, siem reap is noticably more dirty than phnom penh. most of its side streets are not paved which leads to massive amounts of dust in the air and increase the temperature on the ground. to say it simply, siem reap is not a pleasant place.

ten minutes of driving takes you to the angkor wat temple complex. the series of temples at this site that date back to the 11th century are very difficult to describe and their size and complexity are disrespected by photographic representation.

i found the bayon temple to be the most interesting, as its thiry four towers are each capped by four indivudal faces, each with its own expression. it is especially fun because you are able to climb to the top level of the temple to stand very near to the towers. even though it was incredibly hot, it was better to visit the temples during the low season, as there were relatively few fellow tourists to deal with.

the angkor wat temple itself is massive and something that you have to see to believe!

i was very glad to have visited the temples but i could have done without siem reap and the hellride that was necessary to reach them. coming back to phnom penh was quite a relief - i never thought i would say anything like that!