We decided to hire a guide to help us get around for two days and it was a great decision! Sam was knowledgeable, had a great sense of humour and had obvious pride in him homeland, based on his enthusiasm over seeing places he must have seen hundreds of times already. Bonus, he was excellent at pointing out the best picture taking spots and was creative in helping us take some fun group photos! If you are headed here, please let me give you his name!
Angkor Wat was stunning and fun to walk around because it is very large and well restored. There is a point where you can stand in line for an hour (an hour! And this is low season!) in the very hot beaming sun (I think this was the start of my problems) and climb a steep staircase to the top level, where the king hung out. He welcomed all people to visit him, but he made the stairs so steep so that people had to climb up to him on their hands and knees. The view at the top is a lovely expanse of the entire grounds, so worth the scamper.
We went to a few other temples that were noteworthy. I enjoyed going by the Terrace of the elephants, where warriors used to train and practice standing on an elephant, which I would imagine with their very jaunty gait would take some practice for sure! The Bayon temple, or the "smiling faces temple" was very lovely with hundreds of smiling faces beaming down on you from the pinnacles above.
My very favourite one was Ta Phrom or "Tomb Raider temple", where scenes from Laura Croft, Tomb Raider was filmed. This place is still mostly unrestored, with spectacular banyan trees and other trees still taking hold of walls and roofs of the building. Moss on most places, it was serene feeling the connection between man's creation and nature.
The next day we were supposed to be heading back to Angkor Wat to watch a lovely sunrise over the temple and in the reflection of the moat surrounding it. Well, I did not make it out. I was struck down with what I think was sunstroke from the day before. And I was so proud to not be sick at all this trip! So, I bring you guest author, Krystal to talk about their special morning, while I was confined to my bed. "The sunrise over Angkor Wat was beautiful although not quite the same with Jess not being there. We watched the sun slowly ascend from across the moat surrounding the temple. As the light began to seep into the sky the temple gates and temple were perfectly reflected in the still waters below. As the sky changed from navy to pink to red to light blue, a slightly new picture was created."
"From there we ventured to explore four more temples all impressive but none quite as stunning as the three the day before. Coming close was the Banteay Srei temple. It is famous for using pink sandstone creating a unique colour. However what impressed me was not the colouring of the temple but the intricate carvings that were found all around. Everywhere you looked were detailed scenes from ancient Hindu tales, explained to us by our knowledgable guide. The last few temples were unique as they were older by several hundred years. The difference in age allowed us to see how different construction techniques changed over the years, these were the building blocks that granted the Khmer people the experience they needed to create the beautiful cultural treasures Angkor Wat, Ta Phrom and Bayon. Nevertheless, there was something missing from our day and that was Jess with her enthusiasm and insightful questions. We decided to take the long route back to pick her up for the afternoon. With that I will pass it back to her."
I'm back! I rejoined the group for more adventures, but unfortunately I wasn't really feeling 100% the whole rest of our trip. The afternoon we went out to a floating village. Not just a few houses on sticks, but a whole village floating together, suspended on top of the water on bundles of bamboo or empty oil barrels. The whole village mostly consists of illegal Vietnamese immigrants, who support themselves and their movable village by farming. No, just kidding, by fishing. Some enterprising individuals had fish and crocodile farms attached to their houses. There was a floating school, markets, water treatment plant sponsored by USAid, a "restaurant" serving dried fish, alligator and snake, which I was prepared to try, but they were sold out of. It was fun to watch the fishers reeling in their nets and catching the little tiny jumping fish off of them with butterfly nets. That looked like hot work. When the water level is lower, they un-anchor their houses and float out further into the lake, when the water level is high, they bring themselves further up the river. Another geography lesson for Krystal on how where you are born affects your whole life!
Our very last day was spent relaxing, doing some wandering and spending time with Shaun, Catherine and Tony. We wandered a few markets, went for a good swim and got a massage. We finally got up the nerve to try durian, the super stinky fruit that IS better that it smells, but still not really worth getting past the smell. We went out for a very cheap dinner, and while there it absolutely poured a hurricane of rain down. Luckily (?) our food was so slow coming out that it stopped raining by the time dinner was over. Nathan has been trying to keep up with the big boys... where Beer is cheaper than water. (50 cents US)
We are sad to say bye to Shaun and Catherine, but I am excited to be heading home. Two days worth of travelling will bring me back to my bed, and I am ready for a good comfortable night's sleep. Southeast Asia has treated us well, the people (who reside here, not the other tourists from "certain places") have been kind, the food has been good and cheap, and the culture and history to see has been interesting. Overall, it's a recommend. But, next year I think I need to plan a trip to someplace COLD! Until next time!!
I have no pictures of cats for this blog, so I will leave you with a centipede and Shawn's foot!!
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