Posted by: Jonathan
Upon arrival in Siem Reap (6 AM) we were bombarded with tuk tuk drivers fighting over our business to take us to a hotel. I had about 12 men surrounding me, each one tugging my shirt or bag and waving guest house signs (the one that pays him commission to take us there) in my face. This was the most harassed I have ever been and it sure didn't help that I had barely shut my eyes, much less slept on the overnight bus. Jenn is significantly advantaged in these situations as she is completely ignored. The culture here heavily leans toward the man as the decision maker, so when we are together she just steps back and watches the circus while I am left to fend for myself.
Our visit to Siem Reap centers around the temples of Angkor. From the 790's to 1350's twenty-six different Khmer rulers built new or added to existing temples to honor their gods. The result: hundreds and hundreds of religious structures varying in size, craftsmanship, and current state (from piles of stone strangled by the roots of large silk cotton and ficus trees, to completely rebuilt pyramids with intricate engravings) scattered throughout the area. These temples are not a meeting place for the faithful and were never used as a dwelling place. Instead, they were palaces for a god, who was enshrined there to bestow beneficence. In particular to those who took part in erecting the temple. The dominant religion flipped flopped between Hinduism and Buddhism depending on the current King's devotion. This resulted in many temples being altered to accommodate the change in religion and then years later, converted back at a new ruler's command.
We spent hours a day exploring temples and monuments (two days on bicycle and two days with a hired tuk tuk driver, catching two sunrises and two sunsets over the temples). In that time we visited only a small percentage of the temples in the region but those that we saw were hand picked for their size or splendor.
Upon arrival in Siem Reap (6 AM) we were bombarded with tuk tuk drivers fighting over our business to take us to a hotel. I had about 12 men surrounding me, each one tugging my shirt or bag and waving guest house signs (the one that pays him commission to take us there) in my face. This was the most harassed I have ever been and it sure didn't help that I had barely shut my eyes, much less slept on the overnight bus. Jenn is significantly advantaged in these situations as she is completely ignored. The culture here heavily leans toward the man as the decision maker, so when we are together she just steps back and watches the circus while I am left to fend for myself.
Our visit to Siem Reap centers around the temples of Angkor. From the 790's to 1350's twenty-six different Khmer rulers built new or added to existing temples to honor their gods. The result: hundreds and hundreds of religious structures varying in size, craftsmanship, and current state (from piles of stone strangled by the roots of large silk cotton and ficus trees, to completely rebuilt pyramids with intricate engravings) scattered throughout the area. These temples are not a meeting place for the faithful and were never used as a dwelling place. Instead, they were palaces for a god, who was enshrined there to bestow beneficence. In particular to those who took part in erecting the temple. The dominant religion flipped flopped between Hinduism and Buddhism depending on the current King's devotion. This resulted in many temples being altered to accommodate the change in religion and then years later, converted back at a new ruler's command.
We spent hours a day exploring temples and monuments (two days on bicycle and two days with a hired tuk tuk driver, catching two sunrises and two sunsets over the temples). In that time we visited only a small percentage of the temples in the region but those that we saw were hand picked for their size or splendor.
The most notable of the temples we visited was Angkor Wat, the largest religious structure in the world.
All these hours spent trudging through temples left our tootsies in need of some serious TLC. Not to worry, Dr. Fish Massage to the rescue. For $2 you can sink your legs knee deep into a tank of a thousand ravenously hungry fish, who gladly clean and exfoliate them by eating the dead skin away. At first it tickled so bad it hurt as the hundreds of hungry mouths closed in, jockeying for position for the "good stuff." After about ten minutes the initial shock was over and it was quite soothing; we ended up feeding the fish for just over an hour.
And, as it that wasn't enough, we treated ourselves to a couples massage. Which was incredibly soothing and relaxing - minus the part where she alternated between softly rubbing my head and then karate chopping it hard enough to make Chuck Norris blush.
On a side note, we have neglected to document what we have been eating thus far, so here is a snap shot. Most mornings we get eggs in some form with bread, or banana pancakes ($1), for lunch we eat noodles with vegetables and a meat ($1), and for dinner we typically opt for another noodle plate ($1-$2). In the tourist cities you can find all the comfort foods you miss from back home as well. We happened to take Bianca 2.0 with us one day and snapped a few shots of what we ate that day - bon appetit.
From Siem Reap we have booked a bus into Thailand that terminates in its capital - Bangkok.
Although our time in Cambodia was a bit shorter than we would like, we agree that it is an enchanting place. The people are exceptionally kind and the country extraordinarily beautiful.
A few facts before we cross the border:
- Cambodia is one of the poorest countries we have visited thus far on the trip with the average person making just over $2,000 dollars a year. Tourism is taking off here and is the largest growing industry.
- 40% of the population is less than 15 years old.
- The language is Khmer and the people typically call themselves Khmer people, not Cambodians.
- Cambodia's official currency is Riel but the dollar is just as common. When you pay for something you are almost guaranteed to get change in a combination of Riel and dollars so you have to be quick with your mental math to make sure it is correct. The western side of the country also mixes in Thai Baht to make it triple confusing.
- The country seems overwhelmingly positive even with the horrendous past that happened not to long ago. A great book that tells the story of the Khmer Rouge takeover from a child's point of view as she grew up trying to survive is "First they Killed my Father" by Loung Ung.
Although our time in Cambodia was a bit shorter than we would like, we agree that it is an enchanting place. The people are exceptionally kind and the country extraordinarily beautiful.
A few facts before we cross the border:
- Cambodia is one of the poorest countries we have visited thus far on the trip with the average person making just over $2,000 dollars a year. Tourism is taking off here and is the largest growing industry.
- 40% of the population is less than 15 years old.
- The language is Khmer and the people typically call themselves Khmer people, not Cambodians.
- Cambodia's official currency is Riel but the dollar is just as common. When you pay for something you are almost guaranteed to get change in a combination of Riel and dollars so you have to be quick with your mental math to make sure it is correct. The western side of the country also mixes in Thai Baht to make it triple confusing.
- The country seems overwhelmingly positive even with the horrendous past that happened not to long ago. A great book that tells the story of the Khmer Rouge takeover from a child's point of view as she grew up trying to survive is "First they Killed my Father" by Loung Ung.