Blogs from Siem Reap, North, Cambodia, Asia - page 209

Cambodia is an amazing country. Its suffered so much in recent years and the people still have smiles on their faces, and are genuinely happy to see foreigners. They just seem to be grateful to have a bit of peace and stability in their lives. We never knew that Cambodia was once an enourmous empire with lands stretching from Vietnam, accross Thailand to Burma. It was a very proud and prosperous kingdom, and even after French colonialism ended there, it was a successful independent country, until it got embroiled in the Vietnam war and its stability was wrecked. The takeover of the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s killed 2 million Cambodians in 5 years, and guerilla fighting against the remaining Khmer Rouge soldiers continued until 1998 when their leader Pol Pot died. I had no idea ... read more

This week was spent at Wat Damnak working with the monks to teach the children and to build an extension onto their organisation's building and repaint, to store rice and supplies for the poor. I was a little worried when we had to build our own scaffolding from sticks and a few nails on which I had to learn how to climb up onto the 3rd level without a ladder to scrap the paint off the outside walls. None of the platforms were secured so we had to make sure we balanced 2 people on each level to stop it tipping...slightly terrifying but became easier after 4 days. Otherwise learnt how to brick a wall and make cement. On Monday I went to help cook for lunch in the Wat's kitchen for the monks and ... read more

Hey everybody!So finally I have the time to write a longer blog and even put up some pictures :D yay! Ok so where have I been... Luang Prabang: I left Vang Vieng last sunday, after getting up 1 hour late and the bus was waiting ONLY for me! Got a seat next to the busdriver and go to see the whole road all the way! IT IS JUST STUNNING!! I have never seen more beautiful nature in my life! Laos is so beautiful, the road to Luang Prabang was high up in the mountains on really small roads. I got nervous every time the busdriver was driving close to the edge (yeah it was a long way down...)Arrived to Luang Prabang after 6 long hours, found a tuktuk with Marita and her man. The guesthouse was ... read more

Our last day at Angkor was spent visiting the ruins located farther away. Our first stop, Banteay Samre, has an unusual theme. Instead of the usual battles and conquests by egotistical kings, its elaborate ornamentation tells the story of a poor farmer of Samre origin, who specialised in the cultivation of sweet cucumbers and who eventually became king after the ruler died, leaving no heirs. It's a smaller place, but certainly worth seeing. Kbal Spean is farther away than the main set of ruins. The road isn't paved the whole way there, but it isn't bad either, just a bit dusty when trucks or cars pass by. It is not actually a temple, but carvings of Vishnu and other Hindu deities in a riverbed. It was a steep hot hike up the hill. We skipped the ... read more

Siem Reap is a nice town with lots of guesthouses, restaurants, bars, etc., but everyone's main reason for going there is to see Angkor. The park is absolutely huge, and there is a lot to explore. It doesn't sound like we did a lot on our first day, but keep in mind that these places are massive. We woke up at 5am to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat, which is probably the largest religious complex in the world. Angkor Wat was Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu that was used as a funeral temple for Suryavarman II. It has some gorgeous apsara carvings that are currently being restored by a German team. Even though it was crowded for the sunrise, we were able to find some deserted areas in the temple when we explored the back ... read more