Angkor history visited

Where is Rachael now: Chiang Mai, Thailand

Siem Reap, Cambodia. 

view from a tuktuk

After a long hot bus ride through the middle of Cambodia, I arrived at Siem Reap, a small town developed to hold the tourists visit nearby Angkor Wat: the gem of Cambodia. At my hostel, I saw three beds all next to each other. Well, we were about to get cosy. I was placed with two other single girl travelers. They off the bat invited me to join them in biking around Angkor tomorrow. I jumped on the chance to get in some exercise instead of riding a tuk tuk (read: rickshaw) from place to place. I picked up my $1 bike and headed downtown. The girls wanted to catch the sunrise over the main temple (Angkor Wat) so I didn't plan on staying out late. I met a new friend from the bus ride and we grabbed some drinks. My downfall was next going to a dance club. Soon it was 3am. I hurried home, climbed in bed (in between the other girls) and slept soundly: for about an hour and a half. At 4:30, they woke me and I hopped up. I had committed myself to this! We took our bikes to Angkor and settled in with a few hundred others to watch the sunrise. After we explored Angkor Wat: the largest religious structure in the world (Hindu) and built in the 12th century. After, we hopped on our bikes and began a circuit to see the other temples that had caught our eyes. Namely Ta Prohm (where some of Tombraider was shot) and Bayon (with over 200 faces carved into its rocky spires). It was a hot day so we often stopped at the lesser temples, glanced around a bit, and then propped up our feet and sipped on fresh coconut. It was a fantastic day. That evening after we washed off our sweat and grime, we went to the Night Market and got massages! I couldn't believe at 11pm I was still awake! But I fell asleep as soon as we got back to the hostel. 

Angkor Wat

 

blissful

 

Bayon

Remember those pants I bought in Phnom Penh!?

The next day, as I still had more days on my pass, we headed via tuktuk to another temple much farther out. One of the older temples from the the Angkor times (900ad), Banteay Srei is intricately carved of pink sandstone to depict different Hindu stories. It was breathtaking. 

Later, we stopped at the Cambodian Land Mine Museum and Relief Center. It is the personal collection of a child soldier of the Khmer Rouge who has dedicated his adult life to finding and disarming land mines like the thousands that he set while in the army. Land mines are a plague in Cambodia. More often than not, unsuspecting children or farmers step on them left over from the war and are maimed or killed. That night, we went to a famous ice-cream joint called the Blue Pumpkin. I got Raspberry Yogurt and Ginger with Sesame seed...now that's a flavor that I would like to taste more of!

Banteay Srei

the old method of detecting mines: poking it with a stick

The next day, I awoke early to sadly leave Cambodia and cross over to Thailand.

*A great moment: at a restaurant we asked about Happy Hour. "Oh yes," the host said "we are all ver happy you. Come in, you can be happy!" Not only were we happy, we managed to introduce them to the drink special that is That 'Happy Hour'