We've been lucky with weather so far (knock on wood) and Cambodia was no exception; however, it didn't seem like that at first. When we got on the plane, the captain announced (almost nervously) that we were going to be going through stormy conditions. At one point, it looked like we were about to cross into Mordor, the storms were so thick and dark. The weather held out, however, until we landed in Cambodia. The entire time we were waiting in customs it was torrentially downpouring, only to let up for our Tuk-Tuk ride to the hotel!
Cambodia is a much poorer country than Vietnam and Thailand, a fact which is readily apparent as you descend to the airport. Whereas in the other countries we landed into a developed part of the country, in Cambodia all you can see is green swamps interspersed with a few small villages. Once you get to Siem Reap (the town near Angkor Wat) you stumble into a tourist mecca that has been constructed solely for travelers seeing the ruins. There are large Western-style bars, restaurants, and massage parlors on every corner, along with relentless Tuk-Tuk drivers seeking a fare and street vendors trying to sell you a hot meal.
The hotel we stayed at was very close to all of the bars and restaurants, and we got a great deal on it because it's a very new hotel (only 3 months old). The hotel had a pool, free breakfast, and nice rooms, but you could definitely tell they were still working out the kinks. For example, we rarely had hot water, and the staff at the front desk seemed confused by the simplest questions that we had (e.g., "how do we get a bus out of the city?"). I suppose you get what you pay for, and $25/night is not bad!
Our first night in Siem Reap we were tired but explored the town for a bit. We managed to find a restaurant called Cambodian BBQ that had come highly recommended by a Norwegian couple we met in Vietnam. The idea is similar to The Melting Pot, in that they bring you raw meat and you cook it at your table. Where Melting Pot has chicken and steak, however, Cambodian BBQ specializes in exotic meats. We had kangaroo (delicious!), shark (also quite good), frog legs (not enough meat on them), and snake (too chewy). It was quite an interesting experience!
After we ate the strange food, we had strange fish eat our feet!
The main attraction in Siem Reap are the ruins of Angkor Wat. About 20 minutes north of Siem Reap are dozens of ancient ruins of the Khmer empire. These temples and cities were built in the 11th century, and most of them are still in tremendously good condition. The Khmer empire spread Hinduism through the region, so most of the temples were built as Hindu places of worship, although most were converted to Buddhist shrines later on. The temples are massive, and it's quite amazing to think that such an ancient civilization could construct such buildings that would withstand the test of time.
We had heard that the best way to see the temples is to hire a Tuk-Tuk (a covered cart being pulled by a motorcycle) for the day. For only $15, we had our own personal driver (Bunthun) who knew the area and could take us between all the temples (some of them are several miles apart). On the first day we saw Angkor Wat itself, which is truly a sight to see. This massive temple is covered with intricate Bas-reliefs carved into the stone walls depicting various Hindu traditions and stories. The temple keeps on going, and at its center is a central shrine composed of five towers. Really amazing to see and explore!
The other remarkable temple we saw on our first day was Ta Prohm. When the French discovered this temple in the 19th century, they decided to leave it largely the way it was discovered, with some minor renovations. The result is a site that has merged almost seamlessly with nature. Gigantic trees grow around and throughout the temple, with giant roots growing out of walls. This site was actually where a lot of the footage for the movie Tomb Raider was shot, a fact that we heard a dozen times that day.
Although we were skeptical at first, we decided to brave the popular sunrise at Angkor Wat. A popular activity for tourists, the sun rises behind Angkor Wat and reflects off of the moat that surrounds the entire complex. We are so lucky that we woke ourselves up at 4:30am to see it, because it was an absolutely magnificent sunrise! The pictures don't do it justice, but here are a few:
After the sunrise, we headed over to Bayon and Angkor Thom, another temple complex north of Angkor Wat. If Angkor Wat was the religious center of the region, Angkor Thom seems to have been the political center. First we saw Bayon, a temple complex within the walls of Angkor Thom where the Khmer constructed dozens of giant face towers (towers with giant faces on them). The towers are beautifully constructed and imposing, and we greatly enjoyed walking around and seeing the different ways the early morning light hit the various faces:
Finally, we explored the Royal Palace area of Angkor Thom. The palace grounds are gigantic, and must have been truly impressive when they were contstructed. The centerpiece is the actual palace, hundreds of feet tall with three levels of covered walkways: it is quite a site!
There were a few other sites we went to, but those were definitely the highlights. After staring at old rocks for too long, everything kind of starts to blur together (sorry Dad). Still, we had an amazing time; it was an adventure that is one of the highlights of the trip.
I'm writing this on our bus ride from Siem Reap to Bangkok, but obviously won't be able to post it until later. It's about an 8-10 hour bus ride, after which we spend the night in Bangkok near the domestic airport. Tomorrow we fly to Chiangmai where we're spending the next week hiking, playing with elephants, learning to cook Thai food, and whatever else comes our way. Lee-hi! (Cambodian for "good-bye").
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