Into Siem Reap #3

Last day in Cambodia, we travelled a little further from Siem Reap town to see Banteay Srei.

More ancient sites en route to Banteay Srei.

Welcome to Banteay Srei, people. It's known as the Pink Sandstone Temple. Sorry if you're expecting something like Barbie doll pink or candy floss pink. Compared to other temples, this one has a slight shade of pink, thus the name.

Intricate carvings. Very detailed. Banteay Srei is famous for its carvings because they are so beautifully and meticulously done that every wrinkle found on a flower petal is carved out, making it life-like.

Till today, Cambodians still believe that Banteay Srei was built by females. That's because only females can be that meticulous and painstakingly detailed.

However, archaeologists pointed out that records of the time said that the temple was built by the king's guru (mentor, prime minister).

Visitors weren't allowed to traverse every inch of the temple due to its fragility. The middle part of the temple is the restricted area.

The outer courtyard of the temple.

1 queer thing about that day was that it was extremely cold. It was as cold as Cameron Highlands. And Brian found me a pain in the ass because I whine about the cold and yet complained about the heat for the past 2 days.

I can't stand cold, I can't stand heat either.

Our guide, Chann, showing us homemade palm sugar.

Palm sugar. Palm tree sugar. Not gula melaka sugar.

Lunch = steamed rice + amok fish + chicken with assorted vegetables & cashew nuts + sweet sour pork. We've been eating that forever.

If you ever go the Siem Reap, you must have Sach Krork. It's like the traditional Chinese sausage, but tastes so much better.

Quite cheap. 1 plate with about 6 slices = 37 cents.

On the way to Lake Tonle Sap, we stopped at Wat Thmei.

Wat Thmei is a temple attributed to the memory of the victims who suffered and died under the Khmer Rouge rule. The white monument contains some bones of the deceased. Photos of the dead on the notice boards, from old men with missing teeth to babies still suckling at their mother's breasts.

Lake Tonle Sap, from the bus. It's so big that when you gaze at the horizon from the centre of the lake, it's only sky and water. No trace of land at all.

Floating villages, the villagers are all Vietnamese.

Child begging for money from her tub-boat.

Some villagers exploit their children by forcing them to beg money from visitors. They come in speed boats, with 1 on each side of your boat they got you surrounded. The children hopped on to your boat despite the danger of falling into the deep waters.

They walk around the edge of your boat asking for USD 1.

1 fucker of a tourist dangled a piece of USD 1 at a group of beggar children. All the boys hop from their boats trying to get the money. 1 of the boys was so near to touching it but another kid jumped and snatched it. The fucker of a tourist just laughed. The boy who missed was beaten by his mother with a paddle.

Saw this genius of a person selling Banana Milo Pancake whilst shopping around Old Market.

You see, we haven't tried any authentic Khmer dish safe for Sach Krork. The food was either Chinese or Thai. Hungry, at the same time fearing diarrhea, mom and I took a brave step forward to try out this pancake.

Chann warned us that it may not be good.

It's something like roti pisang. Picture roti pisang on a plate, pour some condensed milk on the roti pisang, sprinkle a generous amount of Milo powder on it and lastly roll it into a scroll.

Yummy. I'm sure Adam will love it.

Basically, that's all for Siem Reap. We boarded the 8am plane out of Cambodia the next day. Apart from airport tax, you'll be required to pay a 'Passenger Service Tax' of USD 25 before you exit the country.

Why? I don't know.