Angkor WHAT?

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Sua s'dai!

That's hello in Khmer! (I learned that from a 22 year old Buddhist Monk at Angkor Wat today).

Siem Reap is simply amazing... I can't even begin to express what it's like to be here. The 11th century temples of Angkor and the complex history of the Khmer Empire is one thing, but the feeling I get from the people here is undescribable.

I'm not sure if that comes from being a small town in the province of Siem Reap, or if its simply the Cambodian way. I have an inkling its a little of both.

Yesterday, I hired a local man named Vigol to take me to Angkor on the back of his motorbike. (Now, Nanny, don't worry, the thing couldn't push 20 km/h if it wanted to), Angkor is made up of dozens of millennia-old temple ruins that are in a class with the Pyramids and the Taj Mahal. The main ones are spread out over several kilometres -- hence the reason for hiring a motorbike. I thought about a bicycle, but in this heat... not such a wise idea.

So, Vigol whisked me around for the day, from temple to temple. He'd give me a little history about each one and then let me go on my merry way to explore. He'd sit and wait (for however long it took) with all the other moto and tuk tuk drivers. I felt like Miss Daisy.

I visited Angkor Thom, Bayon, Preah Khan, The Royal Palace and the Terrace of Elephants, just to name a few. The stone structures are absolutely breathtaking. The intricate bas-relief carvings, all done by hand, are magical. Each tells a story. You could spend hours and hours and hours at every temple (I guess that's why they sell passes for 1 day, up to several weeks... I got a 3 day pass). Sure made me wish I paid more attention in Mr. Bergeron's history classes.

I had planned to spend the whole day at the temples, but the heat and my malaria tablets were making me woozy. I asked Viglo to take me to a hotel with a pool (my 7 dollar guest house room doesn't even have windows). So he did. I spent the afternoon, lazing in true 'just came from Southern Thailand beach-bum' style at the Royal Grand Angkor Hotel. 😊 And since I paid him for the day, Viglo insisted on waiting for me to take me home. All this transportation, for 6 dollars. He kept thanking me and thanking me. The man has 4 children and a wife to feed. He kept apologizing because his moto didn't go as fast as others. Such a sweet man.
He probably makes 6-10 dollars US a day.

I met a German girl at the temples named Heidrun. She's 33, and a vet working and living in Hong Kong, also travelling alone. We made plans to meet for dinner. We went to a traditional apsara Khmer dinner and dance performance... and then for drinks. It's so easy to meet friends on the road.

Today, we met again to explore the markets. These markets are so different than those in Bangkok or Chaing Mai -- the wares are real Cambodian handicrafts: Silk scarves, wood carvings, etc. You won't find Von Dutch or Tommy knockoffs here, let alone pirated CDs. I broke down and bought a few things... I'd rather spend my money here than in a bigger city. I'm gonna have to ditch some of my things from home tho... my pack's getting hea---vy!

We returned to Angkor to see la piece de resistance, Angkor Wat (it's the biggest and best temple of all). Don't be afraid to google it, I didn't know much about Angkor, okay, anything about Angkor before planning to come to Cambodia. 😉

On our way, we stopped at this unofficial landmine museum. I say unofficial, because the government of Cambodia doesn't support it (not exactly sure why). It is run by volunteers -- some full time -- others are westerners who drop in for a week or two or three to give tours. The place isn't really advertised... just by word of mouth.

A man named Aki Ra opened the museum about 6 years ago. He was a former child soldier of the Khmer Rouge and Vietnemese Army and was apparently forced to lay landmines. When he left the army, he worked for the Cambodian government clearing landmines for awhile, and then went out on his own. He built the little museum (read: bamboo hut down a dirt road next to a river) to house the thousands of landmines he's collected and diffused, to teach people about their danger and destruction. The 'museum' is also home to several children who have lost limbs due to landmines. Their parents have taken them there because they can't work for them anymore. I met a 14 year old boy who lost his leg when he was 8. He's been living there ever since. His mom moved to Thailand to make more money. He's happy though. Western volunteers are teaching these kids English.

It was really amazing to see how many countries on a map that don't support a ban on landmines. Yay Canada. We do.

After that, we went to Angkor Wat. This thing is massive! Built in the mid 12th century. It's a three tiered pyramid crowned with 5 towers that look like beehives. It's about 65 metres high. We climbed to the top. Mel, my knees got wobbly...

Talked to 4 monks ages 16-22 for awhile as well. Say they come to Angkor to practice their English with foreigners now and then. They've been in the monestary since they were 13. They go to temple for 5 hours a day, and study for the rest of the day. One says he likes his life, but he's frustrated because he's not allowed to touch or be touched by women. I thought that was very telling... Said he'd likely spend another 5-10 years as a monk, and then he wants to learn about the world. He says he doesn't even read newspapers and knows nothing outside of Angkor. He'd like to travel -- even just to Thailand, but could never afford a passport.

Spent several hours wandering around. Had planned to see the sunset... but it's the rainy season and for the crucial hour of the day, it clouded over. Dang. So, we bailed and went for dinner. (YAY - cook your own soup at your table!)

Tomorrow we're heading to a floating village on the Tonle Sap Lake. I was thinking of heading to the capital of Phnom Penh on Wednesday... but I might reconsider since I'm enjoying Siem Reap so much.

Sorry this is so long... But remember, no one is forcing you to read this!!!!! 😊

Ta for now.xo

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