The quintessential tuk-tuk ambled through the last hints of prosperity. A tall white building, which turned out to be a swanky new casino on the no-man’s land, came into view long before the dinghy one-room border check post became visible.

We finished the relatively easy immigration processes at the border post between Thailand and Cambodia and were immediately surrounded by a multitude of people selling everything from clothes to the charms of a woman, and the thing that most people land in Poipet seeking: a passage to Siem Reap, the site of the remnants of the legendary, pervasive and powerful Khmer Empire.

It was around the year 802 that the Hindu king Jayvarman II set about sculpting one of the most impressive empires of the world, Angkor, spread over most of what in modern times forms Thailand, Laos, Vitenam and even parts of Myanmar and Malaysia.

The next 600 years would be the glorious years of Cambodia. It would witness prosperity of the kind never experienced before, and an important shift from Hinduism to Thervada Buddhism. It would also see the construction of the world’s largest single religious structure till date (larger than Mecca Masjid or the Vatican) and what is also the world’s largest pre-industrial settlement complex.

As we trudge through the relatively green and vastly unoccupied countryside of southern Cambodia, it betrays no signs of its ancient glory.

Tan, our driver, is fighting for control along the two-lane, freshly paved arterial highway which powers the country’s tourism capital and connects it to both the administrative capital and border towns of Thailand. He is too young to be ferrying tourists. But as you would invariably discover trundling through this stuck-in-time country, this is very much a way of life: juggling all the things one is supposed to do with what one has to do.

His ageing Toyota Corolla offers one to-and-fro rides every day to the border, ferrying tourists for USD55 a side or better if he can bargain. But he can’t. Foreign words in Cambodia are limited and functional. Quite like the smiles.

There is an eerie quality to the Khmer smile which runs across the face of even the bas reliefs and statues of Angkor, a calm knowing smile, polite but not ceremonial. Wry but not sad.

An early start
The 140 odd kilometres from Poitpet to Siem Reap get covered in a relatively short time and the fabled city unfolds itself. Angkor is one of world’s most visited cities and contributes more than 10 percent of the total GDP of Cambodia via tourism alone.

Aptly branded The Water Kingdom, Cambodia envelopes a vast tropical plateau lined with multiple streams flowing in and out of the great Tonle Sap Lake. It also gets a fair share of the mighty Mekong, flowing at its prime as it enters and passes through.

This combined with the relatively low population density and a primarily agrarian society meant all through the ride we enjoyed amazing vistas of contrasting green fields and azure skies stretching far into the horizon. And the rain-washed colours of Cambodia have a particular pureness about them, leaving you refreshed rather than tired during journeys.

The refreshing drive meant that we checked into our hotel and were raring to get a taste of the evening buzz of what is an unmistakably Asian city. A short walk from our hotel was the tourist centre wrapped between Sivatha Road and Pokambor Street. Pokambor runs parallel to the Siem Reap River and we started our day walking beside it, taking in the sparkling lights on both sides, and their reflections.

The temples of Angkor, put on the world travel map by Angelina Jolie’s Lara Croft, play host to travellers from all parts of the world. It is not uncommon to spot cafes playing football matches on a large screen and serving European food, combined with the chalky smell of freshly brewing conversations.

We were tempted to stop by for a beer, but our objective was to cover most of the massive Angkor Archaeological Park’s popular sites on Day 1 of the three-day pass, making for a really early start the next day. So grudgingly, we cut short the charming walk and made our way back to Sivatha Road to tuck in early with a book I picked up on the street.

Click to read Part 2: From Angkor to Angkar

Click to read Part 3: Taking leave of Angkor Wat