3. Arriving in Siem Reap
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| Chenda |
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| Chenda's Wife, Phalla (L) and Her Sister, Sam, Part Owner |
Those long
flights are terrible. It took us 22 hours from door to door. Chenda, the Hotel General
Manager, picked us up at the airport. We arrived in the morning, around 10 AM.
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| Seyma, Receptionist, Doing Sampeah (see below) |
Chenda is the
husband of the part owner of the Hotel and he does everything. A hard working
young man, father of 2 children, his whole life is the Hotel and its clientele.
He is very friendly and we had a nice chat and hit it off immediately. He
speaks English, it helps a lot.
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| You Only See About 3/4 of the Room in this Picture |
At the Anusa
Hotel we were greeted with smiles, bows, fruit, a refreshing drink and a nice
hello. Our room was ready even though we were super early. No matter, Seyma,
the receptionist, guided us to our domicile for the next month.
First impressions count? Well, we were very impressed.
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| Huge Bathroom |
The room was
very large, had a sofa to hang out and read on. It had a very large bathroom
with a fancy, large shower and even an additional large tub. Space galore!
We also had a
small patio with 2 lounge chairs in front of the sliding
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| Our Patio |
glass doors to our
room; but it was too hot sitting there in middle of the day (34C). It was a
great place to read or watch the activities in the early morning, though. Early
morning temperatures dropped to about 24 C. It cooled down nicely at night.
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| Beautiful Coloured Orchids |
The temperature
for us went from -5 C in Toronto to 34 C in Siem Reap, all in one day. These rapid
temperature changes added a bit to feeling stunned, too.
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| Lovely, Refreshing Pool |
A large
swimming pool, a small bar with an outside dining area, an inside dining room,
tropical plants and smiles all around… we arrived in a tropical paradise.
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| Unusual Orchids |
Now if only we
can get through this arrival day without feeling sleepy, the flight does take
its toll on the body. Since we arrived in the early morning, it was essential
to not
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| Outdoor Dining Area Overlooking the Pool |
sleep, no matter the long hours we had been up already. It helps me a
lot to adjust immediately to the local time; the activities in the place of
arrival are now part of our daily routine. No naps, no snacks, we will sleep
and eat when the locals do it. Drink lots of water! The first day though; the
arrival day is a bit tough.
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| Unusually Coloured Orchids |
We just unpacked
then sat, drank lots of water and vegetated for a while. (The hotel had good,
clean drinking water in bottles in our room, an essential part of finding a
good hotel in Asia. Never drink the water from the faucet.)
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| Probably 22 Rooms But Less Than 1/4 Filled |
Sampeah: is the art of greeting in Cambodia. I
would suggest you learn it; it is part of Cambodian life. It’s a bit difficult
to explain so I let this video explain it. A lot of behavior is very different
in Cambodia and if you are interested then watch the whole video on YouTube,
it’s helpful to be aware of how different Cambodia is, and knowing the difference
in their culture avoids getting upset.
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| Bar and Dining Area |
But, above all
be yourself and be respectful, Cambodia is a great place. And a very,
very exotic place. You will not get the cultural fine details; Cambodians think
differently, they are much more formal than you would believe on first sight.
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| Bird of Paradise Outside Some Rooms |
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| Spirit House Outside Every Home to Gods that Protect It |
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