And I thought the people in Thailand were nice… Smiles upon smiles everywhere I turned. Cambodians are the most appreciative and kind people. I couldn’t have been more at peace or more relaxed. I arrived in Siem Reap with my personal Tuk Tuk driver, Kimchon, waiting for me. He was basically at my beck and call every minute I was there. The River Garden Guest House, recommended by Erika, was adorable. The cutest rooms, tranquil gardens, a beautiful swimming pool with a waterfall, and hammocks and lounge beds all around. I was in heaven. My first night I got a nice tour of the town, visited the Angkor Artesan Center, which is a professional Khmer Art training center for young Cambodians who are sent to school for 6 months and then employed to create local crafts, painting, carving, sanding, and chopping. They even let me participate in the woodcarving room. Such intricate detail, the amount of labor that goes into every piece is unbelievable.
After learning the lay of the land, getting the feel for the local markets, Kimchon took me to Angkor Wat for the sunset, which is supposed to be amazing. Unfortunately, it was sort of hazy, so there wasn’t much of a sunset, but I got a sneak peak of Angkor, took some great pictures of the monks hanging around, had a nice bottle of wine and some snacks that the River Garden had packed for me, and befriended a few local kids who were roaming around and appeared starved. I shared the rest of my snacks with them and tried to exchange a few words in English and Khmer (the local language). After the sunset, I went to a traditional Cambodian Dance Show (Apsara Dancers).
The next morning was my big Angkor Tour Day. Angkor What? Angkor was the capital of the ancient Khmer Empire. Located in the jungle of Siem Reap, it spans 77 sq. miles. Although the wooden houses and palaces were destroyed over the years, the stone temples still stand with over 70 temples, tombs and ancient ruins. The temple walls include intricate carvings, telling stories of warriors in combat, the Apsara dancers (celestial dancing girls), and everyday life of the locals. It is said that the temples were built by the King and the architecture was inspired and in honor of the Hindu Gods.
Angkor Wat is considered to be one of the wonders of the world and the most remarkable architecture of S.E. Asia. It was hidden by the jungle and rediscovered and restored until the Vietnam War and rise of Poi Pot’s Khmer Rouge in 1975 – a genocide that killed almost 2 million Cambodians. The collapse of the Khmer Rouge in the 90s and death of Poi Pot in 1998 allowed Siem Reap to mend and tourism has boosted the Cambodian economy since. It's amazing to me how much has taken place in this part of the world, yet we never really learned much about it in History class. It wasn't until Erika told me a few years ago what Angkor Wat that it sparked my interest. Still sort of a hidden gem, I’m glad I got to see it when I did, as I imagine it will only continue to become more of a tourist destination.
In addition to Angkor Wat, I visited the temples of Angkor Thom, including The Temple of Bayon, which was my favorite. There were carvings of Buddha facing in every direction (54 total towers, 200 total faces). We also visited the Terrace of Elephants and Ta Prohm, where Angelina Jolie’s movie, Tomb Raider, was filmed (when she adopted her first child – a Cambodian Son named Maddox).
The temples were all incredible. It’s amazing to me how much work was put into the temples. The detail, the size. To think they were able to accomplish this thousands of years ago… My personal tour guide, San Park, was great. He knew every detail of Angkor from top to bottom. Any question I had he could answer. He told me that he had just recently graduated from the tourism school that allowed him to be an official tour guide of Angkor. With a wife and 2 sons at home, he was so happy to be working, especially in their slow season and he told me he was saving up for a car. He became my buddy by the end of the day. He was a great guide and picture taker. :)
After my long day of sightseeing, I headed back to the River Garden for a swim and a nice nap in the hammock. It was perfect. For dinner I went into town and ate a few local Khmer dishes at Khmer Kitchen, did a little shopping, some gelato at Blue Pumpkin, and got a fish spa pedicure. I had heard about this, but had yet to try it. As I walked past, a little girl and her Dad were cracking up laughing with their feet in a fish tank, the little fish nibbling at their toes, convincing me to try it. Let me just say it was one of the weirdest things ever. So ticklish, so awkward, and such a spectable for the people passing by. I’m glad I tried it and have some funny pictures (and really soft feet) to show for it.
My last day in Siem Reap, I got up at 5:30am for the sunrise. Again, I was a little disappointed, especially because Kimchon took me to a different location rather than Angkor Wat and the sun just wasn’t completely shining that morning. Another thing that disappointed me at the sunrise and at the Angkor sites in general were the kids coming up begging me to buy something. It's one thing when I'm asked once or twice, but they continued and followed me until I had to ignore them completely. It broke my heart to turn them away, but it's just too difficult to help them all... After the sunrise, I went back to my pool and took a nap for a few hours before I went to my Cooks and Tuk Tuks cooking class. The chef took us to the local market where we got to see the locals purchase anything from spices, to milk, to fruits and veggies, to poultry, to fish. I did not enjoy walking through some of the stinky rows where women were sitting on their stools, skinning the scales and chopping the heads off the fish. Ick! There was a nice Canadian couple in my class and we got to make Amok, which is a coconut milk curry Khmer dish, banana flower salad, and a sweet potato, sago and coconut milk dessert with fresh hibiscus tea (the hibiscus flowers were picked right off the trees in the garden). Yum!
My original plans were to stay in and relax my last night in Siem Reap before heading to Laos the next day to meet Erika. One of the guys at the River Garden insisted I see the nightlife in Cambodia. I hesitantly agreed and waited for him to get off work at 10pm. All I could think was how I promised my Mom I would be extremely safe in Cambodia, it wouldn’t be a place I would “go out” anyway, and I would have my own personal driver everywhere. I felt so guilty, as if I were 16 breaking the rules. Lol! A little afraid, I jumped on the back of his motorbike and off we went to the local dance club. We had a couple of beers, I learned a little about his culture and background, and I got to do some great people watching. I was home safe and sound by midnight. A little risky, but like Audrey Hepburn once said, "If you don’t break the rules, you miss all the fun". Sorry, Mom!! :-/
As usual, I wished I had more time in Cambodia. Even though I saw so much in 3 days, I still felt relaxed. I got some good Sarah time in and it was outside of a crazy, bustling city. Next stop was Laos, where I would meet Erika in Vientiane. I knew she was just dying for her trip and I could not wait to see her.
After learning the lay of the land, getting the feel for the local markets, Kimchon took me to Angkor Wat for the sunset, which is supposed to be amazing. Unfortunately, it was sort of hazy, so there wasn’t much of a sunset, but I got a sneak peak of Angkor, took some great pictures of the monks hanging around, had a nice bottle of wine and some snacks that the River Garden had packed for me, and befriended a few local kids who were roaming around and appeared starved. I shared the rest of my snacks with them and tried to exchange a few words in English and Khmer (the local language). After the sunset, I went to a traditional Cambodian Dance Show (Apsara Dancers).
The next morning was my big Angkor Tour Day. Angkor What? Angkor was the capital of the ancient Khmer Empire. Located in the jungle of Siem Reap, it spans 77 sq. miles. Although the wooden houses and palaces were destroyed over the years, the stone temples still stand with over 70 temples, tombs and ancient ruins. The temple walls include intricate carvings, telling stories of warriors in combat, the Apsara dancers (celestial dancing girls), and everyday life of the locals. It is said that the temples were built by the King and the architecture was inspired and in honor of the Hindu Gods.
Angkor Wat is considered to be one of the wonders of the world and the most remarkable architecture of S.E. Asia. It was hidden by the jungle and rediscovered and restored until the Vietnam War and rise of Poi Pot’s Khmer Rouge in 1975 – a genocide that killed almost 2 million Cambodians. The collapse of the Khmer Rouge in the 90s and death of Poi Pot in 1998 allowed Siem Reap to mend and tourism has boosted the Cambodian economy since. It's amazing to me how much has taken place in this part of the world, yet we never really learned much about it in History class. It wasn't until Erika told me a few years ago what Angkor Wat that it sparked my interest. Still sort of a hidden gem, I’m glad I got to see it when I did, as I imagine it will only continue to become more of a tourist destination.
In addition to Angkor Wat, I visited the temples of Angkor Thom, including The Temple of Bayon, which was my favorite. There were carvings of Buddha facing in every direction (54 total towers, 200 total faces). We also visited the Terrace of Elephants and Ta Prohm, where Angelina Jolie’s movie, Tomb Raider, was filmed (when she adopted her first child – a Cambodian Son named Maddox).
The temples were all incredible. It’s amazing to me how much work was put into the temples. The detail, the size. To think they were able to accomplish this thousands of years ago… My personal tour guide, San Park, was great. He knew every detail of Angkor from top to bottom. Any question I had he could answer. He told me that he had just recently graduated from the tourism school that allowed him to be an official tour guide of Angkor. With a wife and 2 sons at home, he was so happy to be working, especially in their slow season and he told me he was saving up for a car. He became my buddy by the end of the day. He was a great guide and picture taker. :)
After my long day of sightseeing, I headed back to the River Garden for a swim and a nice nap in the hammock. It was perfect. For dinner I went into town and ate a few local Khmer dishes at Khmer Kitchen, did a little shopping, some gelato at Blue Pumpkin, and got a fish spa pedicure. I had heard about this, but had yet to try it. As I walked past, a little girl and her Dad were cracking up laughing with their feet in a fish tank, the little fish nibbling at their toes, convincing me to try it. Let me just say it was one of the weirdest things ever. So ticklish, so awkward, and such a spectable for the people passing by. I’m glad I tried it and have some funny pictures (and really soft feet) to show for it.
My last day in Siem Reap, I got up at 5:30am for the sunrise. Again, I was a little disappointed, especially because Kimchon took me to a different location rather than Angkor Wat and the sun just wasn’t completely shining that morning. Another thing that disappointed me at the sunrise and at the Angkor sites in general were the kids coming up begging me to buy something. It's one thing when I'm asked once or twice, but they continued and followed me until I had to ignore them completely. It broke my heart to turn them away, but it's just too difficult to help them all... After the sunrise, I went back to my pool and took a nap for a few hours before I went to my Cooks and Tuk Tuks cooking class. The chef took us to the local market where we got to see the locals purchase anything from spices, to milk, to fruits and veggies, to poultry, to fish. I did not enjoy walking through some of the stinky rows where women were sitting on their stools, skinning the scales and chopping the heads off the fish. Ick! There was a nice Canadian couple in my class and we got to make Amok, which is a coconut milk curry Khmer dish, banana flower salad, and a sweet potato, sago and coconut milk dessert with fresh hibiscus tea (the hibiscus flowers were picked right off the trees in the garden). Yum!
My original plans were to stay in and relax my last night in Siem Reap before heading to Laos the next day to meet Erika. One of the guys at the River Garden insisted I see the nightlife in Cambodia. I hesitantly agreed and waited for him to get off work at 10pm. All I could think was how I promised my Mom I would be extremely safe in Cambodia, it wouldn’t be a place I would “go out” anyway, and I would have my own personal driver everywhere. I felt so guilty, as if I were 16 breaking the rules. Lol! A little afraid, I jumped on the back of his motorbike and off we went to the local dance club. We had a couple of beers, I learned a little about his culture and background, and I got to do some great people watching. I was home safe and sound by midnight. A little risky, but like Audrey Hepburn once said, "If you don’t break the rules, you miss all the fun". Sorry, Mom!! :-/
As usual, I wished I had more time in Cambodia. Even though I saw so much in 3 days, I still felt relaxed. I got some good Sarah time in and it was outside of a crazy, bustling city. Next stop was Laos, where I would meet Erika in Vientiane. I knew she was just dying for her trip and I could not wait to see her.
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