Angkor Watt

I think we made it to Angkor Watt just in time. Driving up to our hotel you can see how quickly and how fast this place is becoming a tourist hotspot. There is luxury resorts being built one right next to the other. The main city is filled with international restaurants, and clubs that pump out western hits, but visiting the temples of Angkor Watt shows the contradiction of tourism and reality.
The temples are almost indescribable. They are something one would imagine off an Indiana Jones film. Some of the temples were actually used in one of the Tomb Raider films. It actually feels like you are on a movie set, and what makes it more amazing is the fact that these temples are hundreds of years old. There is definitely a mystical feeling one has while walking around the temples. What is also amazing is that you are allowed to climb the steep steps, and explore the temples and get your hands a little dirty.
Some of the general annoyance were the kids swarming you every time you got off the tuktuk. I think I fell asleep to the sounds of the kids saying "You wanna buy, one dolla."
But that brings me to my previous point. That you can see the contradiction between tourism and reality. While the tourists here come in and stay at their 5 star hotels, and eat their Italian food, the reality for the local people is something vastly different. The local people here are generally poor, and don't earn alot of money. So with the tourism taking off the people are trying to cash in, and I'm sure they are. So for them swarming people all day and selling the most useless things to tourists can earn them decent cash. I think selling like 5 things all day would be a pretty good pay day for them.
Sooo I tried to keep this in mind as we went from temple to temple constantly getting swarmed.
The children were cute and friendly, and saw it as much of a game as the tourists saw it as an annoyance.
One little girl came up to me, while I was resting and drinking my coke (that I did buy for one dolla) She was selling paper fish. She was trying to make me a good deal. She started off with one dolla. I didn't reply. She finally said 3 for one dolla. I didn't reply. Then 2 for one dolla. Still I didn't respond. she said ok, I'll make you a good deal. One for One. I had to smile. This little girl must have only been about 2 or three years old, and I would be willing to bet her first words were one dolla. After she realized I wasn't going to buy, she just became a kid again, singing and showing me different things she could draw in the dirt, and just having fun. That is until the next tourist came along, and she was off selling her fish; one for one.
Angkor Watt is a beautiful and magical place. One that I hope to go and visit again.

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