We could have stayed and just eaten our way through Siem Reap, which has a limited number of activities once you've explored Angkor Wat. Just a sampling of the culinary feast to be had includes lok luk beef, Angkor chicken stew, Angkor palm platter with curry, mango salad, fresh spring rolls, and so much more. More importantly, they can correctly produce french baguettes, which have generally been subpar everywhere I've been so far. My theory is the farther away you get from the bastions of France and her former colonies, the crappier the baguettes (kind of like the quality of bagels in relation to their distance from Montreal).
Now the star attraction is of course Angkor Wat, which is both a specific city ruin and the collective name for the area of fortified cities and temples/ruins north of Siem Reap which are (like many other cool monuments) described as the eighth wonder of the world. I can see why. We pried ourselves out of bed at 4:30am to take our 5am tuk tuk to Angkor Wat to watch the sunrise over the main city ruins. By the way, I haven't been reading the news, but if the entire population of Ireland has mysteriously disappeared recently, you'll be relieved to know that I found them - they're all in Cambodia.
And Angkor Wat more than meets its hype, with intricate apsara (celestial spirit dancers) and naga (cobra) engravings.
I was totally blown away. My favourite was Bayon near Angkor Thom, a massive temple with thousands of Buddha faces carved into every surface so it looks like you're being watched by millions of eyes. Baphuon was also impressive, as it is still being put back together after being taken apart piece by piece for study, a giant jigsaw puzzle. I was also suitably impressed with the Terrace of Elephants, which no surprise, is engraved with tons of elephants, as well as garuda, half-men half-bird creatures that hold it up. The warrior carvings in the Terrace of the Leper King were also very cool.
Ta Kao, an incredibly high temple (you can see Angkor Wat from the top in the distance), was never completed because it was struck by lightning.
I never completed climbing it because it is incredibly high with incredibly steep steps and no railings that made me incredibly paralyzed with fear when I looked down. Ta Prohm was used in the filming of Tomb Raider and is famous for being overgrown. Massive trees have sprung up through the gates and the buildings, poignantly demonstrating that civilization can't withstand time and nature.
At each stop we were besieged by adorable Khmer children trying to sell either one of the following: ten bamboo bracelets, ten postcards of Cambodia or two drinks (one for me, one for my driver). I was lucky to have escaped with only 15 bracelets, 2 bottles of water and 5 postcards. Their sales pitch was impressive though. After you say no thank you to start with, they ask where you are from and then show off how much they know about your country. They knew more facts about Canada than I did. Capital Ottawa. Speak two languages, French and English. Comment ca va? Toronto biggest city. Quebec French. Population 32 million. Etc. All the hawkers would leave off once you entered the actual temples though so you could enjoy the ruins in peace.
We refreshed ourselves from our 7 hour day at Angkor Wat with beer o'clock on Bar Alley (actual street name) at a pub geniusly named Angkor What?! Would have got the t-shirt but their slogan also refers to encouraging irresponsible drinking, which we were hard pressed to find funny in light of the problem of drunk driving and alcoholism.
Another treasure in Siem Reap was the craft collective Artisans D'Angkor, a nonprofit project for job traineeships and employment in stonemasonry, carving, silk painting and silk weaving for disadvantaged Cambodians and deaf mutes. The arts centre in the city was impressive, as was the silk farm just outside town where we watched the dead silkworms being boiled and strung. It takes 3 days to weave a single scarf because they still work the looms by hand in Cambodia (mechanized in Vietnam).
The tour ended of course in the gift shop, where we were lucky to escape without spending the rest of our travel funds. So many beautiful fair trade things, so little budget for shopping!
Quote of the Day: "There are a lot of Asians in there." -American man exiting bathroom, Bangkok Airport
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