On Angkor and Siem Reap

Or, how to make your next visit a little less painful (or how to help you figure out if it's the trip for you).

I should preface this by saying that quite apart from the horror stories I read about Cambodia in general and its border crossings in particular, I was already disinclined to like it, and for a very embarrassing reason.

Anthony Bourdain didn't like it.

(Apparently he's been back and has since come around.)

Anyway, I don't think that my lack of enthusiasm can be chalked up to that, but I offer it as a possible explanation.

What I can tell you is that the Poipet-Siem Reap journey is dusty and not particularly scenic. (See my border crossing post for details about how excruciating it is to enter from Thailand by land. Maybe you'll love it.)

Siem Reap is, to quote a favourite, doing nothing but pimping for the scenery.

In fact, my first sighting of Angkor Wat was strikingly reminiscent of Niagara Falls (and of my mental images of Vegas). The crush of tourists and tour buses and tuk-tuks and vendors was overwhelming. It was less bad at the other temples and got better the further you went, until you came around to Ta Prohm, which was thronged with tourists even just before closing.

That said, I figured something out today. Do NOT, under any circumstances, plan to arrive in SR by land on a Saturday during the high season. And do NOT, under any circumstances, visit the temples on a Sunday. If you must, do yourself a favour and skip the main temple entirely.

Apart from that, if you like/don't mind tourist ghettos, stay where you like. If they're really not your thing, riverside (Wat Bo Rd.) isn't a bad bet, though I've heard good things about the far west side of the ghetto.

Happy travels.