Less than a month ago, I returned from a trip with a particular taste, in fact, I returned for the second time to Siem Reap to see the temples of Angkor and at the same time also returned to Cambodia to the first time in 7 years. So what can we see about the tourist development of the places in almost a decade?
The solicitations: 1 dollar, 1 dollar vs tuk-tuk tu-tuk?
For those who have visited the place, you probably have not escaped it, these groups of children crowding around you as soon as you approach or leave a temple were more than common. This is what had particularly tired me during my first stay in 2007, to the point that I had come back with the rather frank feeling " I don't like Cambodia... »
We still have to put the context back a little, at the time it was my first trip outside Thailand, I was therefore discovering another Asian country and it must be admitted that while its neighbor is doing rather well in terms of economy, Cambodia is still haunted by the ghosts of its heavy past and the Cambodians are there to remind you of this...
Good news, it has improved! So there are still some children of course, but much less than before, plus there were also all these book sellers and other merchants at every temple who were eager to try to sell you something (which worked, because I ended up buying a book just to say to others, "okay, I have it"), which is less the case today.
On the other hand, on the other side of the scale, there is now more tuk tuk drivers that the demand… As a result, you are constantly harassed as soon as you go to eat near the old market (next to the pub street in Siem Reap), you barely get up after finishing your meal before you already have 3, 4 drivers watching you, ready to “jump” on you…
It's quite annoying, and even I, who am usually calm, got "gently" irritated twice, explaining that if I wanted a tuk-tuk, I would just ask for one. There's no point in hailing them aimlessly like that, and it bothers everyone. The problem is that they're probably aware of this, but lacking work, they can't think of anything better to do… at least that's my impression, because I can't understand any other mechanism that pushes them to do something that, in my opinion, is counterproductive.
Chong Kneas, an unrecognizable floating village
I knew it had become very touristy; it already was in 2007, but the famous floating village of Chong Khneas, the main one visited for excursions to Tonlé Sap Lake, still had a certain charm, from where you took the boat to go see the floating villages Vietnamese.
But when I arrived, it was a bit of a shock. I didn't recognize the long road at all, or only vaguely, before the hill bordering the quays. I discovered a widened road (even if not yet paved), the "street" now deserted or almost so, whereas houses full of life once lined the area.
A little further on, you can see a large parking lot being built. It was there, in front of this building serving as a dock, that I felt downright uneasy… Where have all those little boats gone that used to pick you up right on the lake shore next to the houses? Where has the village life gone?
Once there, I hesitated for a few seconds about going all the way and going back, but I knew there was another village further on. Decision made, heading to Kampong Phluk (I mentioned this in my article on the...) Tonle Sap villages).
Angkor temples still under renovation
Last time there was little to no renovation underway apart from theAngkor Wat, where its top floor was inaccessible, this year the work was in full swing. In addition toAngkor Wat which was still under construction (front facade), they were rebuilding the walls and galleries of Ta Prohm, refurbishing the Phnom Bakheng and Bayon.
It's a long and painstaking task because it's arduous and the number of sites to manage is colossal (don't forget that it was a city, not a large village...)
The old temples are like giant puzzles. Some parts have completely collapsed, putting it all back together requires a lot of dexterity, especially since they generally try to respect the operating procedure of the time in order to preserve the know-how, meaning that they don't glue it all back together with concrete and other things.
I recommend you watch this video which explains in part how the renovation of a temple actually takes place and the requirements to be met.
Sometimes stones do not fit and are placed in a row near where they belong.
But I must admit that while preserving these sites is obviously important and even essential for the region, which lives almost entirely off of it, too many renovations somewhat diminish the charm of the places… When I see at Your ProhmAll these wooden walkways, the completely renovated galleries, it's sometimes as if they were trying to erase the years that have passed.
So yes, I know that on the one hand, without sufficient maintenance, everything could collapse. But I think there's a happy medium between restoring things "as new" and preserving some of the sites "in their original state," especially when you deliberately replace old stones with new ones or even add entirely new statues, as here at the temple of Banteay Srei:
Another example: to avoid damaging the steps of the various temples, it is becoming rare to be able to use the original steps, which nevertheless added a little something to reaching the tops of the temples "as in the old days".
I remember, for example, the Phimeanakas templewhich one could climb via its narrow, steep steps on the side of the temple. Today, this is impossible and only accessible via a wooden staircase built behind it. A woman made me doubt myself by bluntly saying, "This is the way down," when it's clearly a double meaning, as there's no other way out until proven otherwise…
Overall, I should have looked at the 2007 photos beforehand, to get the same angles, but it still gives an idea of the possible changes between 2007 and 2014.
One last comparison before we go, the Pre Roup temple which, I remember, had to be paid for separately from the pass at the time, so we didn't visit it in 2007 (maybe the guards were just looking to make some extra money, who knows…) but it was done this year.
What about the number of tourists in Angkor?
Well, August isn't really peak season; it's supposed to be the rainy season (supposed to be, because that year we didn't get a single drop of rain, even the Cambodians, including our driver, said it wasn't normal), and it was scorching hot!!!
For this latest visit, I followed the excellent advice of Tugdual (from the now-defunct Visapour blog), which I will detail later. my version herebut overall, it is imperative to get up early hoping for some peace and quiet. There, between his advice and the almost "off-season" weather, it was pure bliss. overall few people, sometimes the feeling of being completely alone and clearly the best way to fully appreciate the place.
It turns out I was returning to Angkor a third time a few months later, this time in March (roughly the end of the season), and I can confirm this impression. The crowds can be avoided.
In other words, despite the ever-increasing number of tourists, it's still possible to avoid the crowds and visit without feeling like a sheep (this article is a few years old, I thought I'd mention it, as things may have changed). I say this especially because I'm thinking, for example, of Amandine from the blog Unsacsurledoswho, precisely, was unable to appreciate the place as he should have.
So yes, Angkor remains a must-see that still (I hope) has a bright future ahead of it, despite mass tourism.
Have you visited the temples of Angkor? What did you think of them? Were you able to avoid the crowds?
2 Comments
Well! I'm surprised to read that in 2007 there were a lot more children than today, it must have been really tiring at the time! Children or not, the sellers at the temples have always annoyed me with their systematic "buy one sir", but again, if it works, it's because there must be people who like that junk. I think the worst was the clothes sale at Ta Som with a mannequin stuck in the middle of the ruins. Or is it just me who's not normal because I don't like souvenirs?
Interesting comparisons with the 2007/2014 photos. Same, I have trouble positioning myself between conservation and over-conservation. Besides, it is said that many wooden platforms were built to preserve the stones but the other time, a guide also gave them another reason for being by unreservedly tackling certain tourists: "well yes there they made stairs because the Chinese could not go down by themselves", "here too the old people had difficulty so we put in footbridges".
Indeed it was worse… to say if not only was it actually tiring but it had disgusted us a little with the country… Even there the sellers there were few. On the other hand I came across a guy who offered me a Buddha (a real one, original, in a temple!), $10, I thought it was a joke at first…
I had indeed heard that the platforms are used to preserve the stones, unfortunately the sites being victims of their success I do not see how the sites could not be damaged otherwise...