Aranyaprathet to Siem Reap

Friday 1st August: Aranyaprathet to Siem Reap

Bit more civilised start this morning with breakfast just before 8. Rather disappointing buffet selection. Should have asked for fresh fried eggs instead of taking the ones in the pan which were stone cold. Likewise the sausages which would have been quite good if hot. Not much of an Asian selection either. At least the coffee was hot. Checked out and got tuk tuk to the border for 120 baht. I gave the driver 150 since it was further than I expected. Drove along the railway where it looks like it has been upgraded west of Aranyaprathet, whether in expectation that it will link up with Cambodian side, or to get people closer to the border crossing I don't know. Despite all the warnings of scams I had read about, the border crossing was hassle free. About 5 minutes at Thai immigration then walked across the "no mans land" which seems to function as an informal market surrounding the casinos, before filling out the Cambodian immigration form and waiting in a queue for a while at Cambodian immigration. All the time outside there was a continuous stream of traffic. Cars, pedestrians and hand carts that seemed oblivious to any immigration formalities. No problem with them accepting my e-visa which saved me a bit of time, and a page in my passport!

Tuk Tuk to the Border

Entrance Gate to Cambodia

In between the Immigration Checkpoints

From there took the shuttle bus to the bus station where I encountered the "con" I had been warned about. There are no buses to Siem Reap or at least not until 3.30.  I am sure they do exist but I was in no inclination to try wandering round Poipet in the hope of finding a bus company. Checked with each of the people selling bus tickets "No buses to Siem Reap". So little choice but to pay $40 for a taxi which left about 10. Drove through Poipet, mainly modern, ugly town which doesn't have much to offer the tourist but probably no worse than Aranyaprathet. Once outside we were on a dead straight road through a landscape that could almost be England. Two lane road with long grass verges lined with rows of silver barked spindly trees and fatter ones with dark brown bark. Beyond, green fields, which from low down in the taxi could easily be wheat or grass rather than rice. A few trees dotting the fields. The grey overcast sky contributed to the feeling of Englishness! Occasionally the odd coconut palm or banana plant spoiled the illusion. And of course the buildings. Not so many of them, ranging from shacks made of recycled timber and corrugated iron to palatial mansion and everything in between. A few of the older traditional houses still have walls made of woven atap leaves. For many miles, the road follows the railway  which looks to be in good repair as far as I can see. Found out later that this stretch was rehabilitated in 2012 but progress seems to have ground to a halt since then. Maybe one day I will be able to take a train from Bangkok to Phnom Penh.

From the edge of the town there is an almost continuous strip of huge hotels lining the road for about 2km to the centre. It's about ten years since I was here and I  had forgotten the scale of the tourist industry, or perhaps never realised it. After a while and a few false turns,  the driver found the Golden Temple Villa where I gave him an extra $10. GTV comes highly recommended by  Trip Advisor and my sister and it lives up to its promise as I am offered a welcome drink together with delicious peanuts in a lovely restaurant. The room is excellent and I can't believe I am only paying $25 per night. 

http://www.goldentemplevilla.com/

Golden Temple Villa

Golden Temple Villa Restaurant

Lotus Flowers

Found lunch at a nearby restaurant for about $5 including a beer and then went out to explore the town. I saw Angkor Wat and many of the other sites when I was here before and, fantastic as they were,  I don't have any strong desire to see them again. The town is much more lively than I remember it; there is now a "Pub Street", but the area near the river remains much the same. 

Traditional Eating Place in Siem Reap

Selling Food on the Street

Quiet Area by the River

Buddhist Temple

Buddhist Temple Monks

Back at the hotel realised that the WiFi only works at reception or on the landing, not in my room. Changed to look respectable and headed out to find that it was raining. Luckily managed to get  a tuk tuk quickly to take me to the Grand Hotel d'Ankor, which was opened in 1929 to accomodate the wealthy European tourists who were coming to see the temples. It is now part of the Raffles group. Very impressive inside and I headed for the famous Elephant Bar, where I found myself the only patron! Had a bottle of Kingdom beer, a local brew, and was provided with some nibbles,   spicy dried banana which didn't taste much like banana at all and  pieces of dried rice cake, which reminded me of rice crispies! The theme of the Elephant Bar is obvious and they do have a lot of elephants in all shapes and sizes. I gave up counting at about 50. A total of five others came into the bar while I was there so obviously not the place for after work Friday drinks! The bill for two bottles of Kingdom came to less than $17, far less than I would pay in an ordinary bar in Singapore.

Kingdom Beer

The Elephant Bar

Original Lift in Grand Hotel d'Ankor

Flower Arrangement in Grand Hotel d'Ankor

http://www.raffles.com/siem-reap/

 Rooms start at about 10 x Golden Temple Villa

Got a tuk tuk back to the other end of town where I had dinner at the Triangle Barbecue near Pub Street, wandered round the area soaking up the atmosphere and finally had another beer at one of the Piano Bar. That came to only $1.50! Siem Reap is teeming with young Europeans, mostly in their 20s and early 30s. Makes me feel even older than I am!    And, of course, it has a Molly Malone's Irish Bar. 

Revellers in Pub Street

Paper Tiger