Eating different foods and drinking different drinks in addition to constant heat and more physical activity than usual can play havoc with the inner workings of the body. For David and Amanda the last 24 hours or so has proven to be testing on their tummies, so they decided to take a break from the heat and hang out at the hotel this morning.
With their somewhat unconvincing blessings I set forth on my own to explore some more temples. Banteay Srei temple was originally the ‘citadel of the women’. I knew it was a longer drive out…about 38km, but chose to travel by tuk tuk with Chen rather than go in an air conditioned taxi. It was a long way and a rather dusty, bumpy road but it was good to see the countryside, though a good deal of the way is passing through villages, you could almost consider them ‘the suburbs’ with the houses built on lots side by side, with varied size yards. These homes also varied from the very simple one level hut on high stumps to the triple storey brick home with verandahs and gilded embellishments. The roadside stalls that lined the road sold a wide variety of goods from hats, scarves, baskets, fruit and scooter tyres to the delightful smelling palm sugar sweets…but more about that later. There were also rice paddies though most were dry as it is the dry season now…
Dry rice paddies waiting for the rain to arrive
but a few with irrigation systems and access to water were growing…
Irrigated rice paddies and buffalo
passed a big Mango farm and several smaller fruit orchards too..
Mango Farm
and lots of kids on bikes…
Kids on bikes
vegetable gardens and weddings (lots of weddings, they are happening everywhere, start early and continue late and go on for days sometimes…it is a bit of a competition apparently)…
Wedding Tent
Banteay Srei is a small temple in comparison to the giant that was Angkor Wat. Petite is the word that springs to mind…and given the average size of Cambodian women today I wouldn’t be surprised if their ancestors were tiny. The doorways were built to suit occupants about 5 feet tall. Even I had to duck quite a bit to go through…
Doorways
thankfully though the architects of the time had the foresight to build them wide enough for me! I really enjoyed my time there, firstly for the intricate carvings
Carving above a doorway
and the layout of the temple buildings…
Inner Sanctum
secondly for the sense of serenity that I felt meandering through (though I suspect the later was significantly influenced by the reduced number of tourists there).
Banteay Srei
Banteay Srei
Leaving the temple we drove back towards Siem Reap with the intention of diverting off the road to see another small temple, though Chen must have noticed me snapping photos of some of the roadside stalls, particularly the ones with the small dome shaped ovens in front, so he stopped so I could have a better look. Now, I like sweets, caramel is a particular favourite and there isn’t much i like better than caramel fudge. I learned that the little ovens were actually not ovens at all…
Dome fireplaces
but little fireplaces with an open top just the right size to hold a large metal pan that is used to boil the palm sugar which is then cooled and poured into a round bamboo tube about 1cm deep where it sets hard.
Stirring the boiled sugar
It isn’t really fudge but quite like the Scottish Tablet that I made for St Andrews day…quite short and super sweet.
Palm Sugar treats
So, of course I loved it and had to buy some…they also had some other products made from local produce too, so I bought a little palm wood mortar and pestle.
Palm Sugar Fudge
A little further along we turned off the main-ish road at one of the larger little villages and followed along the path to Banteay Samre. Now this temple had a certain rustic charm that the others didn’t…firstly, once inside the temple walls it was so quiet I thought I was alone and had the place almost to myself…
Banteay Samre
though in a short while a few others visitors appeared though they were all pretty quiet and contemplative as well.
Carving beside doorway
There were also two young men painting watercolour paintings…I bought a small one that one of them had done at the Bayon Temple.
Artist holding his painting
Back to the hotel there was just enough time for a quick swim and lunch…check out and pay for everything…accom plus meals drinks transportation and activities…less than 700…at home that would be the accommodation cost only, if at all.
We had booked a private taxi to take us to Battambang (pronounced bartambong) – Mr Seng. As it turns out only Cambodians are allowed to drive…for a really good reason. Negotiating the traffic, particularly through roadworks where half the road is dug up and there are no barriers, warnings or guidance is a bit tricky. We learned a bit of the hierarchy of the road in Siem Reap and it was confirmed and refined on the highway. From least important: pedestrians; bicycles; scooters; motorcycles; tuk tuks; tractors; cars; small trucks; buses; large trucks and at the top of the tree…cows!
Wedding and Event Hire crew
I managed to nap a bit on the way and we had packed some snacks, both of which always makes the time pass quickly and without any drama we arrived on the doorstep of our hotel.
The taxi was airconditioned, though the day was very, very hot and within minutes of arriving we were all in the pool. To our good fortune, we were allocated a room on the 3rd floor, the same level as the pool and we could see our doorway from the pool, so we were able to leave our key in the room so the power stayed on…air con kept running and phones kept charging.
In the pool we met a lovely couple from the UK who had been travelling since December. They had been through India and Nepal already and were working their way across Asia. It is interesting to hear the stories of other travellers, especially of places you are heading to next! The development of technology as made such a difference to the way many people organise their journey and record their memories…instead of exchanging addresses now (or forgetting everyone you meet) we can now exchange blog URLs and continue to follow other folks adventures!
By the time we dried out is was getting late and the fragile tummies were still requiring special consideration…so rather than venture far afield we ate in the restaurant downstairs. I had a very simple but tasty wok fried noodles with chicken…David ordered the fried rice with vege which was average though he didn’t get through much…Amanda didn’t want anything but did manage to get a few mouthfuls of my noodles in. Great prices here…2 meals and 3 drinks for USD6.40
Fried noodles with chicken
As I was finishing my meal an ice cream cart pulled up on the street outside and people appeared from everywhere in an instant. Unfortunately I missed out as he left before I finished dinner. It turned out he was selling taro ice on a stick…not sure how that would have tasted…maybe I’ll find out another day…