A short story about a large pig

Along with around 500 other tourists, there we were standing our ground at the pond in front of Angkor Wat getting ready for the glorious sunrise.  

We had been up very early to get to Angkor Wat and had secured a great spot to watch the emerging sunrise.  Notwithstanding the crowds, it was a silent and peaceful experience......until.

To our right there was quite a commotion as the crowd heaved and moved as if some swamp creature was emerging from the pond.  The movement quickly came to us, and the crowd separated to reveal a very large pink pig snuffling around and bowling a couple of people over in the process.

We quickly danced away from the pig, and as it made our way past us a resourceful Chinese tourist launched a karate kick to its flank while another swung her handbag in to action.  The pig made a temporary retreat to assess the situation and plan its next move.

Not to be outdone, the pig returned and made a bee line for a nice muddy spot on the edge of the pond.  Pig and tourist having established some appropriate demarcation now settled in to enjoy the spectacular sunrise.

Unfortunately we didn't get our spot back and our view was not as good as pre-pig.  I am not sure if it was some random act by the pig or it was working  in concert with a band of Chinese tourists who improved their spot?  Perhaps the pig was simply a sunrise enthusiast? 

The mystery of the pig remains, we enjoyed the sunrise and the Angkor Wat experience.  I don't think you will find the pig on Trip Advisor - keep an eye out for it if you are at Angkor Wat at sunrise!

The pig!

Top 5 travel highlights in Cambodia

With 12 days travel split between Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, and a lot of experiences packed in it was a difficult task to come up with 5 highlights.  I hope you find this list of value, and to note consistent with this blog, I have focused on experiences that are fit for families travelling in Cambodia.

#5 Ta Prohm

The temple made famous by Tombraider is a mystical delight of Khmer architecture, twists, turns, vines and trees.  Get there at 7:30 AM and enjoy this mystical temple.

#4 Urbanforage 

Expat Australian Sonya Duck leads an awesome tour of night markets and much more in Phnom Penh.  Get the insiders view and experience an interesting and exceedingly tasty side of Phnom Penh

http://urbanforage.co/

#3 Engaging with the Cambodian people

Not one experience, but multiple.  For all of the hardship they have been through, the Cambodian people are engaging, optimistic and decent.  Whenever you can take a minute to talk to a local, they are really interested in foreigners and love sharing stories about family.

As a predominantly Buddhist nation they believe in Karma - they will give to you, so giving back, sharing a smile or a kind gesture is just a small way of engaging, showing respect and a great part of your holiday in Cambodia.

#2 Tonle Sap Floating villages

Like  being in another world.  We did this impromptu with no expectations and it delivered in spades. Combine your tour of the floating villages with the sunset on Tonle Sap lake for a magical and truly fascinating side of Cambodian life.

#1 Angkor Wat Sunrise

If you do one thing in Cambodia, get up early for the Angkor Wat sunrise.  You won't be alone, but there is a reason for that it is one of the great travel experiences our world has to offer.  Followed straight up with a tour of Angkor Wat you will be in Temple heaven.  Fascinating, scenic and magical.

Angkor Temples

Ta Prohm

We have spent 6 days in Siem Reap, and have made sure we have spent a good chunk of our time at the main attractions - the temples of Angkor.

I won't try and describe their grandeur, as they truly have to be experienced.  Suffice to say they are more than you can imagine.  What you don't comprehend until you get to Siem Reap is the scale and diversity of the temples.  The headline is of course Angkor Wat, but this is only one of the many temples and monuments you can visit.  If you are interested in the temples, my advice would be to spend an extra day or two to enjoy the diversity and history.

We visited the temples in three different blocks of time. This allowed us to manage temple fatigue (it can be hot work!), and travelling with kids it allowed us to get some down time and explore Siem Reap.

Before you visit to the temples, you have to buy a pass. You have a variety of options - we brought a 3 day pass, which allowed us to visit temples over any 3 days in a 7 day period.

If your not a part of an organised tour group, the best option to get around is via Tuk Tuk.  We organised this from our hotel, and found our driver to be incredibly helpful and knowledgeable.  We paid around $20 for a fair chunk of the day.

Baksei Chamrong

Our first effort at Temples on our first evening in Siem Reap.  This is the recommended temple for the sunset, and unfortunately a miss for us.  Not because it's not spectacular, but because only 300 people are allowed on the temple at one time.  I think we got our timing wrong with a public holiday and a Saturday evening.  Put this on your list, but make sure you are there at 3:30.

Angkor Wat Sunrise

If you do one thing in Siem Reap, do this.  It is spectacular, and followed by time to explore Angkor Wat before it gets too hot.  It was an early start at 4:30 from our hotel, but simply breathtaking.

It can be competitive for a great sunrise snap given the popularity, so get your spot and hold your ground!  Noting that when we were there, the natural order of things was disturbed by a large pig that came for a drink, and to see what morsels it may claim.

The dress code is strict, and in particular women need to cover shoulders with a a longer shirt, or wrap.  This is particularly the case with the royal temple in the centre of Angkor Wat.  You have to line up for the royal temple, so consider heading in earlier to avoid the line!

Enjoy Angkor Wat and the surrounds, it is spectacular.

Angkor Wat Sunrise

Bayon temple and Angkor Thom

We made a good call at Angkor Thom by paying for one of the official tour guides at the Bayon temple.  You can do this at all of the main temples, and is worth doing at least once because of the history and insight you can't otherwise get. This included an understanding of the machinations between various Hindu and Buddhist times of rule, wars, alliances and the sheer magnitude of what was required to build the temples.  

I think Angkor Thom and the Bayon temple is a must see.  If I had any advice it would be to visit earlier in the day - we were there from 10AM and it was hot and over run with other tourists.

Ta Prohm

We got to Ta Prohm at opening time (7:30 AM), and this is something I would recommend.  Ta Prohm, made more recently famous by the Tombraider movie is a special experience.  Vines, and tree trunks intersecting and growing through the temple, which has numerous nooks and crannies to explore and a delight around every corner.  Brilliant!

Prah Kahn

The main temple is set out in a series of corridors, and allows for some great photos.  Didn't grab me as much as the other temples, but if anything the bridge to the temple is worth the visit.

Banteay Srei

The mini Angkor Wat is quite spectacular and worth the visit if you have time.  Banteay Srei is a further 40 minutes from Angkor Thom, so it's a bit of a hike.  Its a much smaller temple and doesn't take a lot of time to visit.  There are a number of local market shops and a visitors centre in the complex, so you can cool down with a drink and as we did purchased some local craft work!

Overall, we found the temples to be a fantastic experience.  My advice is to get to them early to avoid the heat and tourist flocks and if you had time for only two it would be Angkor Wat and Ta Prohm, with the Bayon temple a very close third!

Ta Prohm