Khmer New Year in Siem Reap
Every year Cambodia celebrates more than one New Year. Late December marks the moment that many Cambodians, particularly in urban areas, look toward the count down of the end of the year. The second wave of euphoria comes in January for Chinese-Cambodians, the way that other people in China towns around the world welcome their new year. And of course, Cambodia celebrates Khmer New Year in mid April. Everyone in the country will be formally given holiday, a national one apart from Water Festival and many others.
I am taking a rest during the coming New Year, from 13 through 17 April, from work. For the meantime, Siem Reap, the most famous historical sites of Cambodia, is in my travel destination wish-list. I have been there twice; one was back in late 1999 and the other in early 2001. At the time of writing this, I am thinking to spend my holiday there. Through talking with friends, reading local news and my Lonely Planet guidebook, it is good news that in these past few years the roads to Siem Reap province have been renovated far better than in my first trip. It is noticeable that the first time I visit this spiritual and cultural heartland, where ancient temples standing quietly in jungles, by truck it took about twelve hours to reach there. I can clearly recall that time. Waking up before dawn, the driver had to be smart to navigate and maintain his driving as if damaged roads seem not to welcome visitors, I got there at late night. Thanks to infrastructure development taken; today even bus can make its way to this top tourism destination in less than the duration of my previous travel.
A memento in life
My second time in Siem Reap is not puzzle for me every time I think or talk of visiting there. At Banteay Srey temple, built dedicated to women in that age, I was stopped by the authority. It was a funny story happened to me as they thought I am a foreign visitor and that I had to pay for ticket. Coincidently, at that moment, I was holding Lonely Planet in hand and standing outside the temple site when my other friends entered the temple. A guard came to me, and said that I need a ticket. Of course, local people do not necessarily need it. He was surprised when I spoke to him my mother tongue language, Khmer. Siem Reap Angkor Wat not only attracts foreign tourists from every corner of this planet, for local people, they believe it is a fortune to visit the temple at least once in a lifetime.
March 25th, 2006 10:49
Siem Reap is amazing place,
i go there occasionally for some misson, but i like the place a lot,
for sure it got a lot of templs to visit, but there are more interesting to do in Siem Reap,
like there are a lot of good restaurant like Red Panio, laundry… Moup Po…
i go there again for next monday,
in mean time, wish you have a nice holiday there,
hmmm i plan to take a week ooff too, still thinking where to go.
March 27th, 2006 10:21
Hi Tharum.
We might bump into each other in one of the temples… I am going there myself for the Khmer New Year. Been there twice already and yet the temples of Angkor and the stories behind it never cease to amaze me.
See you there?
April 2nd, 2006 13:04
Probably it will, sooner or later, become the most visited area in Cambodia.
Will see what’s going to happen during those days. Coincidence might come any time.