rolling hippo

Ill never forget the day that I first set eyes upon the majestic ruins of Angkor Wat. Situated in the heart of Cambodia and once the center of the ancient civilization of the Khmer Empire, it is an architectural wonder that totally deserves its spot as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

It was my second day in the amazingly inspirational country that is Cambodia. I had never been surrounded by such optimistic and happy people, even though they have gone through a tough political history and face economic hardships. Yet still, you can taste the opportunity in the air, the tourism industry is booming and everybody is excited to experience the changes that the future will bring.

I had come to the country to spend the next 3 months as an English teacher at a training college for teachers. The start of my adventure could not have been any better after I met all the interesting volunteers from around the world who I would be living with. I was residing in a volunteer house called Thidas, our place had no real address, we just affectionately called the mud road which lead to it Chocolate road.

After the first night of introductions, we woke up early to take a 20 minute tuktuk ride from our village to the city of temples that is known as Angkor Wat. We paid the $20 entrance fee to get in for the day, which is a bargain considering it is the most beautiful man made structure I have ever seen. We arrived at dawn, just in time to see the sun rise above the ancient temples.
We spent the rest of the day exploring the many other buildings hidden in the jungles that have been the settings for famous films such as Two Brothers and Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. We walked behind Buddhist monks dressed in vibrant orange cloaks and would encounter monkeys playing in between the vines covering the stones. Not surprisingly, the Cambodian people are very proud of Angkor Wat, it is an iconic symbol and part of their flag.

After an exhausting, but exhilarating day of hiking across the ruins. We headed to the modern town of Siem Reap, a backpackers paradise full of hippies, bars and adventure. Our energy levels were quickly boosted after a delicious meal of Fish Amok, one of the nations most famous dishes. Served in a banana leaf, it is a fish mousse mixed with coconut milk and a curry paste. The icing on the cake was that including a few beers this cost me less than $5! So we decided to carry on to pub street where at a budget we were able to get very merry and dance the night away.