Siem Reap, Cambodia

Well I had a fun first day in Siem Reap, home to one of the many wonders of the world Angkor Wat.

On Sunday I went to a Mountain about 1.5 hours outside of Phnom Penh, where there is a series of beautiful temples that overlook the flat Cambodian landscape. It was a day filled with a ton of hiking, free range monkeys, and dozens of little kids following me around with fans pushing each other out of the way trying to be the one fanning me the most. None of them wanted to sell me anything, they simply walked every where I did while holding Chinese fans, and occasionally using them to blow fresh humid air in my general direction. By the time I got back to the tuk-tuk to head home I had about 6 kids following me, two girls of which had followed me all the way from start to finish. I decided to tip the two of them 5 dollars each. By the time I got back to the hotel I was desperate for a little rest, so I found a place to get my reflexology done and enjoyed being pampered a bit.

I took the ferry yesterday from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap, and have decided it is definitely the best way to get between the two cities. It took about 5 hours to speed up the Tonle Sap River, but the journey was filled with incredible sights, fun people, and you could literally sit wherever you wanted (which for most people meant on top of the ferry). The wind rushing through your hair, the scenery constantly changing, and a fun group of westerners sailing along the river made for a lot of fun. I just made the mistake of packing my sunscreen deep in my pack that was stored in the engine room so I got a bit of a sunburn. When I say a bit of a sunburn, I mean my face is on fire... hahaha. Luckily, though, my sunscreen (that I am now applying quite liberally) has aloe vera and vitamin E in it, so it relieves some of the pain as well as protecting from any further burning.

This morning I got up to start exploring the numerous temples of Angkor Wat, one of which is the location where Angelina Jolie filmed the first Tomb Raider movie, where she developed her love of Cambodian orphans. I joke that this place must be like a Costco to her where she can buy in bulk because the children will literally follow you everywhere in packs hoping you will buy something. I am sure if you made an Angelina offer they would sell you themselves as well, anything for a couple of bucks.

The temples here are incredible. Beautiful, massive, and so ornately decorated that all of the stone walls have worm hole carvings in them. I walked around a lot today, looking at the ruin, wondering what these structures would have looked like 1000 years ago. The place is filled with tourists, but it is so beautiful and so secluded that I didn't seem to mind too much. While having lunch in a little place near the first temple I stopped at, I met a group of kids from Australia and New Zealand, surprisingly all named Chris (well the three boys where, the girl was named Kirstin, but it is close to Chris). We all had a couple of beers together, shared stories, and decided to hike around a bit more together. By the end of our time there, we all agreed that we had probably taken WAY too many photos seeing as how there is no way to capture the magnificence of the place in any photos. But alas, we all have a couple of hundred photos of Angkor Wat, and we only visited a couple of the temples of the site.

Tonight we are all meeting back up to have a couple of drinks and experience the Siem Reap night life. I am going to go find a cheap place to have dinner before I have to meet back up with them. Cambodia is definitely a must see for any traveler. It is a place like nothing I have ever seen before, and due to its lack of tourism is a place most people will never see either.