SE Asia: Day 6

Siem Reap

Siem Reap is the tourist stop for Angkor Wat, the biggest temple in Cambodia. You can tell. It is entirely built around tourism, full of hotels, shops, agencies, the works. Not authentic at all, and not particularly pleasant, in my opinion.

Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom are spectacular, in a grey, sandstone sort of way. The jungle temple (or Tomb Raider temple) was my personal favourite, as the trees are very much a part of the structure. It was impossible to get a good photograph of Angkor Wat though.

A conversation I had with a young (4 to 5 year old Cambodian girl) selling bracelets to tourists in the Angkor Wat grounds:

"You want bracelets"
"No"
"10 bracelets 1 dollar"
"No thanks"
"15 bracelets 1 dollar"
"No"
"Where you from?"
"England"
"England. Capital London. David Cameroon"
"Ummm ok, great"
"10 bracelets 1 dollar"
"No thanks"
"I don't want your thanks I want your money"
"F*** off little girl! "I don't have any money"
"You borrow your husband's money"
"I don't have one of those either"
"10 bracelets 1 dollar"
*Arghhhhh.....*

ETC.

Photos: 843