Today is my last full day in Siem Reap. I have spent a week here. It's a very nice town and I've enjoyed my time here. I visited the Angkor temples, Angkor Wat being the most famous. The temples are amzaing! No wonder it's called the 8th Wonder of the World! I get to cross another item off my bucket list! The Angkor temples were bulit between the 9th century and 13th centuries, covering some 400 square kilometers. Most are Hindu, although some of the later ones were Buddhist. I got up at 4:30 am in order to see the sun rise over Angkor Wat. Omg, that was early! My favorite temple has to be the Bayon inside Angkor Thom. Intricate carvings cover the walls and giant faces are carved into huge stone pillars. Some locals keep up a couple of Buddhist shrines inside the ruins and placed a bracelet on my arm after lighting some incense. I'm not sure what the signicance of the bracelets were, but it was a kind gesture! After exploring Angkor Thom. I followed a jungle path and came across some crumblong ruins with 3 large trees growing out of it. I was all alone as this was way off the beaten path. All I could here were the jungle birds and monkeys calling to one another. After enjoying the beauty and wonder of the site, I wondered back to the main area and found my tuk tuk driver, who then took me to Ta Prohm, made famous by the film Romb Raider with Angelina Jolie. This was my favorite site as it has been left mostly alone since its discovery and has many gigantic trees growing in and on the ruins. Unfortunately, I made it here at 10:00, just as the hordes were descending from their tour buses. I would have enjoyed the beauty of Ta Prohm much more if I wasn't ran over by a hundred Chinese tourists following their flag-toting tour guide! Last I headed to Sang Srei. Here I encountered a little girl selling knick knacks and postcards. We got to talking and she said she was 11, although she was smaller then Reagan. I asked if she went to school and she said, Yes, she would go in the afternoon but had to sell trinkets in order to pay the $10/month fee. I wanted desperately to buy something, or just give her money, but had been warned numerous times not to buy from children as this just encourages their parents to keep them on the streets instead of in school. She followed me around the ruins, talking the whole time. She was so sweet and precocious! She reminded me so much of little Reagan.
After 5 hours of climbing on and over ancient ruins, I was exhausted. I had only slept a few hours since I'd gotten up so early in order to see the sunrise and avoid the crush of tourists. It was time for a nap! I've become quite adept at sleeping in 90 degree heat! Now I can't imagine the cold and snow back home.
I've spent my other days exploring the town, shopping in the Old Market, riding my bike through the countryside and of course getting a Khmer massage and reflexology! While pedaling through the countryside, I almost felt like I could be back in central Illinois, with the farmland spreading out far and wide and little stands of trees and farm houses, except for the water buffalo lazing by the side of the road and the distant sound of monks chanting! And the farm houses are really just tumble-down shacks without electricity or running water. It is harvest time and it is all done by hand with maybe a hand tool or two. It looks like back-breaking work, under the hot sun and standing in rice paddies full of leeches.
Tomorrow I head to Bangkok! I think it'll be quite a change from sleepy Siem Reap!
