Cambodia

After obtaining a Cambodian visa and a crazy cab ride where the driver and I debated where he would actually be dropping us off (despite having paid in advance at the airport taxi stand) we made it to our guest house in Siem Reap, Cambodia.










We had left Laos at 6:00 a.m. so after having checked-in to our guest house we still had most of the morning and the rest of the day to explore Angkor Wat, the single largest religious structure in the world. We arranged a tuk-tuk driver to take us for the day to explore Angkor and after driving through wooded and tree-lined roads, we approached the large moat surrounding the temple.







Thousands of people from all over the world come to visit Angkor Wat each day and it is believed that in the not too distant future, the government will have to impose regulations restricting people from certain areas and from climbing and / or touching the temple grounds and architecture, but currently, you are able to explore at will - occasionally being notified that you are climbing the rater steep staircases at "your own risk" (I had read in the guide book that many a tourist falls to break bones and sometimes even death...).









We spent the day exploring the temple grounds which were so big that despite the number of tourists, you could find your own section and find yourself alone for lengthy periods of time.









Large murals are carved into the outer walls of the temple, reflecting stories of the Gods and of the history of those who inhabited Angkor and their battles with surrounding forces.















We decided to take a quick break from the heat and a rest before further exploration, and on our way to a cafe across from the temple, we were accosted by Cambodian children. Literally, we each had around five or six surrounding us and after asking where we were from and immediately telling us, "Oh, the capital of America is Washington D.C.!" they tried to sell us whatever they had in their hands. We had read and heard that you shouldn't buy anything from them or give them any money as they give it directly to their parents who then make the kids go back out begging / selling, which only perpetuates the problem, but it is not easy when an adorable little girl who looks about five-years-old is holding on to your arm and telling you she likes your hair and earrings... no wonder Angelina Jolie adopted from here.






Before heading back to our guest house, we spent more time wandering the grounds and watching wild monkeys run from the surrounding woods and through the ruins. We made sure to stick to the paths as we had all read that much of Cambodia is still covered in land mines and it is advised that you never leave a well-worn path. I'm sure that Angkor Wat is 100% safe, with the number of tourists that visit each day, but the warnings were enough for us to only follow the paths.













That night, after a swim and dinner in the main part of town, we called it an early night as we had a 5:00 a.m. wake-up call the next morning in order to explore some of the other temples (there are so many in Siem Reap, I don't think you could adequately cover them all even in a week's time).



The next morning, we made it to Bayon, an ornate temple at the center of Angkor Thom, before sunrise as we had heard that catching a sunrise at the temples is amazing.

Unfortunately, the day turned out to be slightly overcast but that did not take away from how spectacular the grounds are.

Bayon was my favorite of the temples as it is much more isolated than Angkor Wat and the surrounding forest combined with the ornate carvings in the temple walls, and faces carved into the facades of the tops of all the pillars in the temple, causes feelings both eery and awe-inspiring.


Two local women who looked to be in their eighties, handed the three of us sticks of incense and instructed us to bow our heads as they said a prayer aloud, telling us as we left that we should now have, "good luck".



We spent a bit of time exploring some of the other temples in Siem Reap, before jumping in our tuk-tuk to head back to the airport and our flight to Bangkok.

Once we landed in Bangkok Airport, I had to say goodbye to Jen and Kari as they were headed home to San Francisco and I would be leaving S.E. Asia to head to The Middle East. Next stop, Cairo!