Cambodia

I went to Cambodia for a few days as my visa was about to expire. I had heard from many people both in the U.S. and while traveling that Angor Wat was not to be missed. I stayed in Siem Reap which is home to Angkor Wat- a collection of 900 year old temples and the area is known as a lost city. I had my own tuk-tuk driver for only $15 a day to take me around to all of the temples and to wherever I needed to go. We sometimes had a hard time communicating but he was so very sweet. He was only 18 and had never left the city which is pretty much the standard.

Commercial break: Cambodian monkeys prefer Coke to Pepsi in nationwide taste tests.




I have done my fair share of traveling but I have never seen the level of poverty that I witnessed. There were amputees in the street begging for money, moms with babies with empty bottles of milk who would pitch them when a foreigner would walk by the make them cry, and then there was the kids. I gave one boy who was about 6 years old running naked in the street my leftover dinner and he ran away happily until an older boy grabbed it from him. I was so mad I yelled at the older boy who didn't understand I word I said. I scolded myself later as he didn't know any better either. The positive thing is that these kids have to go to school, it is the law. The more poverty stricken ones I think somehow get out of it though. As soon as they are out, many of them are out hawking postcards, bracelets, you name it out on the street after school. They are quite clever and speak very good english. As soon as I said I was from California, a chorus of them said "Sacramento!" all at once as they were learning their capitals. One day two girls wanted me to buy bracelets which I declined but then asked me to buy them rice and I agreed. Before I knew it there were seven kids asking me to buy postcards from them or buy them food, all yelling at me at once. I had to duck into a massage shop to figure out what to do. I ran back across the street into a bakery, bought some packages of cookies for them to share but then told them they had to go. I had to learn you have to be firm with them otherwise you will be tailed all day.

So back to the temples. Here are some pics of one temple who has trees growing over it, another with faces all around that was super cool and another of one of the beheaded statues due to thievery years ago.




India Jones and Tomb Raider were both filmed at the various temple sites and I half expected a snake to pop out of nowhere. Everything inside the temples is accessible and nothing is roped off unless they are doing restoration. I was glad to visit these temples now as their popularity is increasing so my guess is soon enough they will be harder to openly access.



One of my favorites was checking out a temple surrounded by water. Who doesn't like a moat?


This sweet older lady didn't mind posing at all. In fact I am not sure she realized I was taking a picture.

So right now I just got to Koh Chang, my second to last stop in Thailand. It is an archipelago island that I won't see a ton of because I am staying at a resort and doing a fasting program. Today is day #1, let's see how I do on day #5 without any solid food. I am doing it for seven days in total, don't ask me why. I think I just might be a sadist.