Peddling in the dark

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Up in the dark at 5 AM for a bicycle rental & peddle about 35 minutes out to catch the sunrise at Angkor Wat. Yes, I should have looked harder in my pack for the flashlight I brought, but the light of the moon suited me just fine as I expertly avoided all large, bicycle-swallowing potholes & cargo trucks. Sunrise at Angkor was phenomenal and unfortunately my photography skills do not do it justice. A true empire in the middle of the Cambodian jungle. I spent the next 5 hours climbing & wandering around the ruins reaching every level & attempting to explore every bas relief & statue. By 10 AM I was done, tired & incredibly hot. I rolled up to a little plastic table & Cambodian family & ate a very excellent concoction of who knows what. I rather prefer for them to just keep it to themselves!

On the way back from the ruins in avoidance of large tourist buses, I turned onto a dirt road & found my way to the Landmine Museum. Museum by definition is rather lacking, as it is truly just a wooden/bamboo shack with handwritten notes & caption underneath a few digital photos. The amazing part is that the Cambodian that founded the museum has taken it upon himself to rid the country of landmines. Little bit of a daunting task. Unbelieveable.

That evening the happy Dutchman, Sander, came into the picture & took me out for drinks. After a few beers, an offer of $600,000, travel funds for the rest of the life & a marriage proposal, I called it a night. Tempting...he's tall, but I just don't think I'd ever get over the happy, bobbing head accent 😉

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