Temples

After a great night out with Pross (my tuk-tuk driver for the day in Phonm Penh) which involved several bottles of cheap beer and strange snacks at a karaoke/working girl bar, the only westerner dancing to great tunes in Love Orange Club then cackling to myself while fitting to Temperature at another bar, I have yet another bus journey with different cargo than you'd see on a western bus. In addition to bags and boxes, this time around two scooters are also wheeled on to the bottom of the bus which will take me to Siem Reap.

On board I meet a group of New Zealanders who let me share a tuk-tuk ride with them to a swank (compared to usual standards/price) hotel. It has a pool - bliss! - and is one of the cleanest places I've seen, or maybe it is just in contrast to the dirt and dust outside. Luckily I share with Gretchen, one of the Kiwi's, as otherwise I would need to find a new, cheaper place to stay. Not exactly blowing my budget but certainly pushing it is balanced by finding new friends and sharing transport costs etc. That first night we all try to go to bed early as we have to be up at the crack of dawn for a ride to Angkor Wat to see the sunrise.

Which, in the end, we sort-of miss. It is quite cloudy in the morning but that certainly doesn't diminish this ancient monument's impressiveness and grandeur. A calm, huge moat surrounds Angkor Wat while a long stone walkway leads you inside. The site is truly amazing - it is huge, and every wall bears evidence of old carvings, grand stone architecture and hallways that are as atmospheric as they get. There are in fact many wats in the vicinity: Angkor Wat is just the name of one of them but is often used to encompass all.
Walking around the different temples, it's hard to believe that they are real; it is overwhelming and you often feel like you're on a film set. To imagine that this was built centuries ago - indeed it took 300 years to build Angkor Wat alone - not only its construction but the wonderful carvings that adorn everything...it is hard to let that sink in. As usual there are hordes of children wanting you to buy their postcards, t-shirts, bracelets. It is heartbreaking, frustrating, but ultimately I do not want anything and so refuse their exhortations to buy, buy, buy.

The town of Siem Reap has a lot more tourists than Phonm Penh did, and hence is a lot more geared towards them. After quite a few slices of Ecstatic Pizza (extra herbs) we go down a dark, muddy street to the night market. I'm not sure if it's the effect of the food but for once I see lots of cool things I would like to buy...oh the restrictions of baggage and money!

50c beers, relaxing by the pool and market-hopping are all par for the course; amid constant "no thank you"s to amputees selling books, people offering "massage! massage!", tuk=tuk drivers and beggars walking around with young children in their arms. Next stop is the seaside - Sihanoukville!