When the taxi finally reached Siem Reap, after passing mile after painful mile of dodgy dirt roads and about a million straw huts raised on stilts, we were given a free moto service from the taxi drop off point to our hotels, as the taxi driver was not a local from Siem Reap and also could not speak any English.
Although this seemed like a good thing it was all part of the con, as once I arrived at my hostel the moto driver would not give my bag back til I agreed to use him as a guide for Ankor Wat for the next few days, at a price we had yet to agree, and he demanded that we fix a time for us to meet the next day. Prepared for this I agreed whole heartedly and said that we could meet up around 8 or 9am the following morning, already knowing that I was going to be long gone from the hostel and be on my second or third temple by the time he showed up at the hostel.
There is a lot of contrast in Siem Reap, as there were some fabulous looking luxury hotels that we passed, like a Raffles where they had vintage cars on display, possibly as a taxi service, whereas across the street and down the road a few yards are shops and stalls so poor that a years salary would barely get them a couple of nights accomodation in their neighbouring hotel.
The hostel owner was friendly as chatty, agreeing to arrange a twilight tour to see sunset and then a full days trip staing before sunrise tomorrow for me, plus a meal and traditional dance show for the nights entertainment all just adding a few dollars to my bill for my convenience, and when I mentioned wifi he said that this too would cost but possible down in the main reception area.
I am getting fast fed up with having to pay to use my own equipment and despite his smile and friendliness after the day I have had I am starting to not like Cambodia or Cambodians very much.
There was just enough time for me to grab a shower before my tuktuk driver arrived and whisked me off to the ticket booth near the entrance to Ankor Wat, where a moments insanity grabbed me and even though I could see tonight and tomorrow on a one day pass as the time was past 4pm, I asked for a 3 day pass and ended up paying US $40 intead of only the $20 I should have.
The tuktuk driver then took me to the bottom of a hill and said that I had to climb up in order to get a good view of the sunset, but this meant navigating my way past hundreds of other tourists and once I did the sun was in the wrong place for a nice sunset over the main Ankor Wat temple.
What it did give me was a nice view over the area and a chance encounter to meet a group of exchange students from Singapore who were here taking a weeks jollies and after chatting for awhile, it all started over my camera gorilla tripod, we arranged that if I had time I would meet them at their hostel and together we would all go out together for the night.
I did my best to take a few photos but the summit was so packed full that in the end I barely got to take any good photos before giving up and heading back down where my tuk tuk was waiting for me. On the way down I passed a couple of elephants used as transport up the hill, which only took about ten minutes to walk, and for the US $20 that they were charging it was a total rip off.
That is the other problem with things being in US $, they may be small, but as you are being hassled every five minutes and never get any change it all adds up to a lot in no time at all. At one stage one of the many guide book sellers came up and tried to sell me a guide and when I waved the one I was using in his face to prove I didn't need one he totally deflected it and said that yes, I had one but that his was different. What womderful logic ... he honestly tried to sell me a second guide book just because it wasnt identical to the one I already had !!!
Heading on back to my hostel I could feel a headache start to come on and so I was doubting if I would be able to meet the others later on, but the decision was settled when neither my tuk tuk driver nor anyone at the hostel knew ( or admitted to knowing ) where the Siem Reap Hostel was, as this was where we were meant to meet up at 9pm.
Thus, even though I had time to do both, in the end I just went to the meal and dance show and then returned. The restaurant was a lot further away that the hostel guy said it would be, which barely gave me 25 minutes to eat before the show started.
I do not mean to mock the ancient traditions of either Cambodia or England but when I saw a group of them dancing with each other at first I could not help but compare their actions with our own Morris Dancers, and the similie would be even closer if you exchanged coconut shells for beating sticks. The only real difference I could see was in their clothes and backing musical instruments used.
The main dance was more to my liking as it was a demon in red trying to seduce a princess or queen without luck but at least this looked more classical and their movement seemed more oriental in origin.
The final show I stayed for, before heading on back to my hoste with a massive headache, was a love dance between what seemed to be a female rice planter and a lobster fisher boy, with the boy stealing her basket and teasing her before she turned the tables and walked away refusing his attempt to return it to her til in the end they kissed just as their friends arrived to see them.
Although it was only about 9pm I could not help but struggle with the continued heat and even with a fan and air conditioning unit going full blast I tossed and turned for an hour before the paracetamol worked and I was able to rest and get a good nights sleep for the pre-dawn visit to the Ankor Wat.
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