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CAMBODIA
251
October14
The suite was so big that my daughter and I decided
to sleep in the same room as the bedrooms were so
far apart – there was a huge living-cum-dining room in
between the rooms. The beds were very firm, though, so
I’m not sure how “Hils” would have got on. There’s also a
large, deep veranda, so it does feel like you’re staying in
a separate villa. The hotel’s huge swimming pool is only
a couple of hundred metres away, set behind frangipanis
and other plants.
Raffles is only eight kilometres from Angkor Wat, and
it’s easy to get there by
tuk tuk
or car – or bicycle, if you’re
really keen. We passed quite a few tourists on bikes in
the dark at 5am – we weren’t sure if they were brave or
stupid. Regardless of whether you want to cycle or walk, I
wouldn’t recommend going on a long visit to the temples
in July; the heat was pretty stifling, even when we were
on the way back from our first tour at 7.15am. We were
very grateful for the nice cold towels the driver provided
us with at regular intervals (e.g., as we came through the
airport, as we entered the hotel, and every time we got
back in to the car after sight-seeing – brilliant!).
After watching the sunrise at Angkor Wat, we spent
about a further hour there, mainly looking at the stories
carved into the stone walls. While it was interesting
enough for my teenager, the need for breakfast did get
in the way of further exploration. And although the tour
guides are always good, ours was a little too chatty for
5am. We needed time to wake up!
Bayon in Angkor Thom
Banteay Srei
Ta Prohm