Tuesday 7 May 2013

Laos to Cambodia


Luang  Prabang   -  Sunday  28  April



I fell in love with Luang Prabang.



I have no idea whether other parts of Laos are the same but I would love to come back and find out !

Now it's time to move on again so, breakfast at the bakery for the last time and a ( rather posh !) tuk-tuk to the airport.






















Cambodia,   Siem  Reap   -  Sunday  28  April


I flew in to Siem Reap late in the afternoon, tired and a little bit sad to leave Laos.
Siem Reap airport was fine and I had no problem getting a taxi but I started having some doubts as we drove into the town.
Traffic was very busy, roads were not very good and it was very dusty. I started remembering Delhi !!
Then, as we got close to the hotel I got a bit of a shock,  everywhere was like a building site !

The  " river "
????
The side road
leading to my hotel
The Riverside Road
near to my Hotel

So we drove along the river on a very bad unmade road and then turned off on to an even worse and narrow side street  !
What have I let myself in for ?   At this stage I can't imagine doing much walking around here.

And then   ..........







The Angkor Villa

My  oasis !









A great place to stay.








It turns out that I have just been unlucky with my timing.
The whole of the river at my end of the town is being landscaped.  The water has been temporarily dammed and the roads and walkways on both sides have been dug up prior to re-laying.
Later, when I walk into town, I see the results of last years landscaping at the other end of the town.





When they let the water flow back into the river everywhere will look ok again.


 





Siem Reap is classed as a city but it actually feels like a large town.
It is the "gateway" to the Angkor region which includes the world famous Angkor Wat Temple.
Because of this the City has grown enormously and has become quite commercialised.

Central  Park
Raffles  Hotel

















Siem  Reap  comes alive at night.   No shortage of electricity here !!

The Night Market
The Old  Market  Bridge



















Tomorrow it's  Ankor Wat,   Ta Promh,   and the floating  village.