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Published: June 19th 2006
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Worship
Found this little set-up in the middle of the ruins. So beautiful and judging from the burning incense, it is obviously well used. Okay, so we are not intrepid travellers. After 12 hours on the train from Chang Mai to Bangkok we were straight off to the airport to catch our Bangkok Airways flight to Siem Reap Cambodia. We were going to do the border crossing as it is so much cheaper but we had heard conflicting stories about how uncomfortabe it was. The flying option is so easy - just remember to have two passport photos ready for your visa.
Anyway. Cambodia surprised us both. Little do most New Zealanders realise how popular Cambodia is. The temples at Angkor are really some of the most amazing things you'll ever see. The guidebooks say that you'll always remember the feeling of seeing Angkor Wat for the first time. They aren't wrong. You get a lump in your throat as you drive out of the bush for the first time and see the massive temple surrounded by water. Words cannot describe it. On our first night we joined hundreds of others and climbed up the amazing Phnom Bakheng to watch the sunset. The fading sun made some really crazy patterns in the sky which we had fun trying to photograph. Later that night and
Faces at Bayon
The smiling faces of the Bayon temple. A great temple complex to explore... but so so HOT! every other night, we were treated to the most amazing lightening storms that lit up the sky. Funnily enough it never rained.
The heat was unbelievable. The owner of our guesthouse took the temperture gague outside one day and the mercury went up to 50c degrees! So so insanely hot. Thank god we found a fantastic guesthouse with air con!The next morning we were picked up by our fantastic tuk tuk driver and taken out to Banteay Kdei which was beautiful and the most amazing Ta Prohm. I'm sure everyone knows about this one. Used as the setting for the movie 'Tomb Raider'. Was abandoned hundreds of years ago and left to the jungle. Massive trees have taken it over and grown on top of it in some places. We were glad that we did these two ruin complexes in the morning as we were able to explore them and enjoy the peace and quiet of the jungle. You really do feel like you have stepped back in time a few thousand years. We could have stayed and explored all day if it wasn't so hot.
The monkeys are cool too. There is a troop that lives near
Frangipanis
Siem Reap is full of frangipanis the temple that is very comfortable around people. Little girls on the side of the road sell lotus flowers and sugar cane that you can feed them. Their little hands are so soft. Just like a human baby.
Bayon is another fantastic ruin. The faces looking down at you are so bizarre. Unreal to think that these were constucted over 1000 years ago! With what technology? It really makes you want to learn more about the history of the Cambodian people. They are amazing.
We explored Angkor Wat over two days and we able to enjoy a fantastic sunrise at 5am one morning. We had an excellent drive out to the Banteay Srey ruin. Was neat to drive out though the little villages and see the locals getting ready for the day. I will never complain again. The ladies breast-feed two kids at once while doing the washing in the well, feeding the chickens, moving the cattle, selling fruit and handcrafts, weaving a new mat and sweeping up the dirt yard with a stick broom. All of this before 6am! Hard chicks!
By the end of the 3rd day the heat had really got to me and
Monk at Angkor
Monk having a breather after climbing the steep stairs up Angkor Wat. I sat down in a remote part of a ruin and left Chris to explore by himself. That afternoon we had two little girls, no more than five years old trying to sell us postcards and braclets. The whole time you are in Cambodia you will be set upon by kids selling stuff. We tried to buy as much as possible from them but it gets to a point where you have to draw the line. This little girl was so skinny and exhausted. We told her I didn't want to buy anything but she wouldn't leave. We sat down and rested from the heat. She sat next to me and kept chanting "you buy please.. only $1".. the poor little mite, she was exhausted. Before too long she had fallen asleep against me with little tears coming out the corner of her eyes. Heartbreaking. (We did end up giving her money - couldn't help it..)
Other great things in Siem Reap include the landmine museum which is a set me off bawling again. (Honestly - we loved this trip but I did seem to be crying a whole lot!) I didn't realise that there we still so many
Monkey
Feeding the monkeys near Angkor. Cheeky little mites! people suffering through unexploded landmines. The children who have been injured are amazing. They have been horribly disfigured with scars and lost limbs but they are just so greatful for the chance to go to school. Wish we could have visited as a children as we would have realised how lucky we were to grow up where we did. We made our donations there and were able to buy some very cool tee-shirts supporting the removal of landmines.
We were also taken to an area where the remains (skulls generally) of the victims of the Pol Pot regime are. Minitures of Angkor is also good if you can meet the artist himself. He is so proud of his work and will tell you how he had to hide all his sketches underground when the Khmer Rouge came. Unreal.
We were lucky enough on our last night to be invited to a wedding with the owners of our guesthouse and another neat couple: Vickie from Leeds and Tony from NZ! What an amazing experience. Groovying on down to the serious sounds of Cambodian pop in the middle of Angkor. Over 500 guest and enough beer to make you very
Peace
The children of Cambodia. These kids will steal your heart. ill indeed. The men have a serious love of beer and they are very competitive drinkers. The boys were in fine form in the drinking department, while the girls tried to escape the men who we rather excited to have two white girls to dance with. After we made it clear that we were not available for marriage, we were able to have a most excellent night - apart from my experience of being locked in the toilet and being kissed and grabbed by the old lady who had never seen a white person before... ahhh travel.. nothing like it to broaden your horizons...
Cambodia - you are amazing.
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