Friday, March 7, 2014
We had an early dinner yesterday and went out in search of a bar for a few drinks, which we found just around the corner from our hotel. At the first place we walked into (open air) we got quizzical looks and there was confusion whether the place was open or not. Bit strange as this one (Novotel pub, nothing whatsoever to do with the hotel chain) was actually mentioned on some travel sites. But on the alley just in front of it we noticed some more colorful lights and this place was not only open for business but also very welcoming. We believe they actually changed the music to English stuff when we sat down. Never could figure out the name of the place, pity as it has a good ambiance (also outdoor).
Cambodians party a lot – and loud – and the music is awful to say the least. Apparently there’s this ‘saving face and keeping up appearances’ thing in the national psyche that has people throwing big parties (costing a lot of money to the point of being ruinous). So everywhere we go we see these big colorful tents, set up on the road. And last night there was one just in front of our hotel (Stung Sen Royal Garden) and it was horribly loud. I don’t think earplugs would have been adequate but thankfully the racket stopped around 11pm. So we did get a good night’s sleep as the hotel was set back slightly from the main road.
In the morning we headed to the Sambor Prei Kuk temple complex, about 30km out of town. This time we used the services of a local guide. Part of the fee goes to the surrounding community, which is always a good thing. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable (not just on the standard stuff but Stephen asked quite a few questions on construction matters and got to the point answers) and had very good English which made for a very interesting tour. These were the oldest temple ruins we’ve seen, dating from the 7th century, with one small structure from the 6th century.
