Siem Reap is
the gateway town for the multitudes of tourists visiting Angkor Wat and the
Angkor Temple Complexes. It is hard to believe that it has been only 30 years
or so since the last of the wars, killings and misery finally ended for these
wonderfully nice people. Siem Reap has huge resort complexes and really nice
boutique hotels (like the one I stayed In) and everything in between. The
downtown tourist section was a pleasant revelation, totally unexpected and lots
of fun. The food in the restaurants and hawker stalls was very reasonable or
downright cheap and all delicious but I was confounded by the number of places
offering pizza on the menu. The tourist population came from all over,
especially Europe and Australia. (The usual large contingent of Chinese tourists
had left due to the corona virus).
Tonle Sap is
the largest lake in SE Asia. Lying in a depression in the very flat Cambodian
landscape, it is a very unique waterway as its depth fluctuates from 3.5 to 35
feet depending on the season. People live in floating house boat villages using
specialized motor boats for fishing and getting around. I did a birding tour in
a wildlife preserve in the northeast corner of the lake.
