Siem Reap - Day 4

There were so many things we had hoped to do in Siem Reap. There is a very cool silk farm we wanted to visit; Tennie sent a picture of a waterfall that is considered the most sacred waters in Cambodia that we hoped to make it to, called Phnom Kulen; there are some butterfly sanctuaries around (can you imagine how beautiful they are here?); we could have explored more temples and taken a canoe ride down the river along Angkor Wat, etc. etc.

Alongside all of the adventure and service and sites, there are logistics to deal with. Booking hotels, airbnbs and flights (and checking in and checking out), arranging transportation or rental cars, researching what to do in a place (since we didn't do it before!), exchanging money, buying and figuring out local Sim cards, finding food we can eat without getting sick, and figuring out how to get some clean clothes!

I washed my cloths twice in the month we were in Cambodia. The first time was at the bungalows and they were left out to dry, enduring a few rainstorms before I snuck over and took them down to "dry" inside our bungalow. The second was the Marriott laundry service. It was a pricy load of wash, but they came back looking like they were brand new! Here is our most adorable laundry guy. He was stooped down every time we talked to him, but in the picture he is standing up straight! I think the stooping posture was a submissive, service-oriented posture. Oh, he was so lovable (and not just because he did my laundry)!

I'm a minimalist packer, but my minimal wardrobe for this trip, all clothing for sweaty and dirty island life, has been a bit of a problem. Three pairs of shorts is not enough for doing laundry every two weeks and getting very dirty in between! A handful of shirts causes the same issue! Then there is Geoff who packs just about everything under the sun "just in case" (which actually came in quite handy on the island). If we can meet in the middle, we'll be just right!

Our luggage, our EIGHT bags, have taken a lot of time. Like a house with too much stuff, the bags need to be organized and reorganized and sifted and sorted into places. We've seen a lot of backpackers with their one bag and admired their simplicity. At a market the night before, we found some knock-off backpacks and got a couple.

And since our bags were filled for the unknowns of the island, we decided to ship two bags home to lighten our load. Then we had to pack with just the right weight amounts to get on our flight to Thailand and then New Zealand.

This was a major undertaking and took all morning and afternoon. Our nice Song Saa friends went way over the call of duty to find cardboard and help us pack up our two extra suitcases. They researched shipping options for us and found scales, measuring tape, packing tape and more.

Meanwhile, Adele and Ceci were having fun gambling with Cambodia monies over a game of jacks, only with small rocks (throw a rock up and see how many rocks on the table you can grab before catching the tossed rock).

The shipping ended up being so outrageously expensive that we decided to take it to Thailand with us and see if shipping would be less expensive there.

We did make it to our 4:00 ceramics class at Khmer Ceramics. None of us had done this before, so we were looking forward to the experience. The teachers were deaf and couldn't speak, but they gestured how to do it with hand motions and hands-on help. Their initial demonstration made it look so easy! We got to make five items. The first three they helped with, the last three they stood by, only helping if we asked.

I've thought a lot about that class. In Isaiah, the Lord is likened unto a potter, a masterful creator. As I watched my teacher, she easily moved the clay as she wished. Her sides were even and smooth, her shapes as she wished them to be. When I took over I was pleased with myself, liking how my bowl was turning out. She would come over and change the shape, creating something different than I wanted. At first I was frustrated, but I soon realized that she knew what would last through the baking and glazing process. She wanted the final product to be solid and usable.

When I was on my own toward the end, I was going along and made a wrong move, and the side of my creation completely buckled. When I asked for some help, my teacher immediately knew what to do to quickly form it into something balanced and beautiful again. I would watch as she masterfully controlled the clay. Sometimes her corrective moves would stretch the clay outward, but only until the inside was perfect, then she would easily form the outside back to its original shape. In a matter of moments she took what I thought was a ruined mess and turned it into something workable again.

I imagined God and me working on my life (the clay). When I let Him lead the way, things seem to go more smoothly. When I mess up and ask for help, He is quick to come in and set me on track. When I rely on myself and get a little over confident, he lets me go until I make a mess and, again, is quick to help me find a solid balance and peace when I seek His help. It was a good visual lesson for me.

We loved this class and have already looked up how much it would cost to buy our own potter's wheel!

We woke up early the next morning to get to the airport. At the desk we found it was going to be $880 for our extra bags! We quickly arranged for our driver to take our bags back to the Marriott where our friends agreed to send them home.

So long Cambodia. We hope to see you again sometime!

Siem Reap - Day 3

After schooling in the morning, we set out to see a floating village. There are three in the area, but we chose Kompong Khleang because it is predominately Cambodian instead of Vietnamese. In addition, the money for the boats to the village goes directly to the village, not private companies.

The drive there was the best part. It was a long, dirt road with stilted homes lining each side, one side with a manmade canal behind that dates back to the Khmer empire (they created it to move sandstone inland), and the other side was bright green rice fields, irrigated by the canal.

This whole area completely floods in the rainy season and the only transportation is by long boats, but it is dry season, so we rode down the dusty road. This village was thriving. People were industrious, homes and streets were trash-free, many homes had flowering pots and planters, everyone smiled and waved. There was so much to see and absorb. We wanted to take a 1000 pictures to try to capture it, but we didn't want to look through our camera! We did get a few sights.

Every once in awhile Geoff asked our driver to pull over so he could take a picture of something, otherwise the pictures were taken from our moving car.

This is predominately a fishing village. They smoke and dry small fish that last 6-12 months (unrefrigerated) and sell them in the local market. Notice the small child without pants on. Diapers are clearly unrealistic for these people, so small children run around without pants. These are racks of fish smoking.

And here are the fish drying in the sun.

If a family can't afford a male child they'll take him to the monastery where he'll be raised by the monks. Unfortunately, girls are left on the street, and that often leads to slavery.

The village Buddhist temple is in the background, with the monk's housing around it. The monks were repairing the bridge.

We arrived to a cleared area where we got on our boat.

Along the canal the water rises up to the houses in rainy season! And the long boat is how they get around for a few months of the year.

The tower in the background is a spirit house! All of the children here capture my heart!

As we arrived in the floating village we saw small children zipping around in their family canoes.

I thought it would be a floating "island", but instead it was homes lined along the canal that just rise with the water.

A typical store, just floating.

Look at these children playing in the tin tubs like little boats!

Would this be considered living on the outskirts of town?

Here is the view down the canal of the town.

And the town school.

And then we headed back past the farm fields where the soil is rich from the annual flooding. The farmers rent the land they farm on. They grow green beans and watermelon.

Here is a little farm house. These must be built anew each year, as this is completely covered in water during the rainy season. Notice the mother bathing her little child. They use this brown, gross water to bath in and cook with! We saw several people taking a bath with it by pouring bowls of it over themselves.

And back along the road through the village.

A village cemetery at sunset.

The village school.

Geoff walked right up to the classroom and, when seeing it was an English class, walked in asking if he could talk with the children. He had a basic, introductory conversation before waving goodbye.

A school got out!

As we got back on the main road to Siem Reap we saw this familiar contraption, a 2-wheeled tractor.

We stopped at one of literally a hundred stands selling these bamboo cylinders filled with coconut rice and black beans. After roasting over a fire, you peel back the bamboo. A layer of the bamboo remains attached to the rice and I could taste the wood, although the rice and bean mixture was delicious. We didn't each much for fear of, you know, the cha cha chas, but we wanted to try it. It was $ .75.

We went straight to the downtown area of Siem Reap which was a hoppin' place with restaurants and bars and live music to serve the many tourists who come to town. We found a delicious place for dinner and then, at Adele's urging, I agreed to have my feet cleaned by FISH with her and Ceci.

For some reason they really liked my feet! It was super ticklish at first, and then it felt like a little vibrating sensation.

Ceci boldly went in and tried the bigger fish.

How bad could it be? I gave it a try.

It felt like sand paper bites and was uncomfortable enough that I couldn't stand it. Ceci just hung out with those big mouths munching her feet!

Fresh seafood anyone?

We had hoped to make it to the Night Market, but it was late and we were tired. A very good day overall!

Siem Reap - Day 2 - Angkor Wat

We woke up at 4:30AM to see Angkor Wat at sunrise. We met our awesome driver, and a tour guide arranged by the hotel, and we were off. It was outright chilly at 70 degrees, so we were bundled up in our warmest clothes.

Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument in the world. It was built by volunteers as an expression of faith. It took 37 years to build and is made of sandstone that was shipped by water and over land. 50,000 stone workers shared their skill during construction.

It was originally a Hindu temple, but when the king of the Khmer Empire was exiled for four years in the late 1100s, he converted to Buddhism. He wanted to unite his people, and he wanted to get rid of the caste system that is part of Hinduism. The temple kept its Hindu elements, but it was turned into a Buddhist temple.

The Khmer Empire was incredibly powerful in this region for 500 years. In its time this temple was magnificent, as can be imagined in the incredible details. We perched on the side of the ancient temple's library, where records were kept, to witness the sunrise. We arrived when it was dark and patiently waited.

I took a time lapse video, which didn't capture how spectacular the light was.

Our guide was so good. His English was easy to understand and he was very knowledgeable about Buddhism, Cambodia's history and current events and politics for his people. I wish I could remember all that I learned from him!

Our guide had all sorts of photo spots and tricks. One trick was the vertical panorama.

At 7:00 we began to explore inside the temple.

We stopped for a Buddhist blessing.

He flicked water in my face with his little brush!

The dancers on the walls are heavenly dancers, as Buddha's last life was one of "enlightenment". As Christians might envision heavenly angels singing, the Buddhist nirvana has dancers.

Buddhism has it's own ancient writing called Pali.

We stood in a 30 minute line to climb to the third level, which isn't always open.

It was full of courtyards and colonnades. Every turn was something familiar (similar design elements) and yet surprising. We took a bazillion photos (and believe me when I say that I'm only posting a portion!) It may all seem the same as you glance through them, but each view felt magnificent and awe inspiring.

This temple was relatively cared for over the centuries by the local Buddhist believers. Luckily it was not damaged during the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s.

Original Hindu god Vishnu statue still stands.

Back down...

The stairs to the higher worship places are steep and narrow on purpose - the climb to "enlightenment" is difficult and requires great concentration and effort.

There are a lot of visual similarities to the Mayan temples of Central America. Not only in the steep stairs to the top, but also in how the buildings are situated to the sun's movement. If I understood our guide correctly, the Khmer people arrived in the area around 400 BC, but they aren't sure where they came from at that time. Very curious from a Mormon perspective!

As we left the temple we saw two wild monkeys picking from each other. Our guide told us people think they are picking off lice, but in fact, they are picking of salt from their sweat!

Next we went to Ta Prohm, a recognizable temple from Angelina Jolie's, Tomb Raider. It was also constructed in the 12th century, but as a Buddhist temple. After the powerful Khmer Empire ended in the 15th century, it was abandoned and forgotten until the French began to discover temple ruins in the late 19th century. At that point, nature had taken over man's former power.

It is a most mystical experience to walk through the jungle and ruins of this once great structure. Luckily, there are many trying to preserve the structures. At this point it is not certain whether the buildings are holding up the trees or vice versa!

Another vertical panorama, courtesy of our guide.

Oh man is that place magical! I hope it holds up until everyone I know gets to see it!

Last stop was the royal temple in Angkor Tom. Angkor Tom was the walled city of the Khmer Empire, with 10,000 people living inside and 1 million in the surrounding city! They had a complex and organized infrastructure that later empires (China, for example) learned from. It too was abandoned and rediscovered by the French.

At this point we were hungry and tired (but thankfully it was not a hot day!) We breezed through this temple fairly quickly, but still got a glimpse of its magnificence.

There are several towers with enlightened Buddha faces on four sides. Our guide told us we had to see the "kissing Buddha". At one point he set us up for a picture, and when we saw it, we were kissing the Buddha.

Knowing the trick, Ceci puckered up.

A wedding photo shoot...

Each tower had a Buddha inside, and a little chimney for incense smoke.

Hundreds of years of history is carved into the exterior wall. There are all sorts of clues as to dress, games, food, lifestyle and war in these stories of the Khmer empire. Our guide pointed several details out that we wouldn't have noticed. He was so good!

Our guide, whose name is pronounced "Dahling", as in, "How are you this morning, Dahling?" posed in a picture with us.

And the last photo trick of the day...

Geoff won the champion award for hobbling around the whole day like this.

And in case you were wondering, this is what tuk tuk drivers do while waiting for you to do whatever you are doing (meaning, they give you a ride to Angkor Wat, wait for you to tour around, then give you a ride home). Notice his warm coat!

This was one of the coolest places I have ever visited. If you have a bucket list, make sure you put Angkor Wat on it!

And if you made it through this long post with all of these pictures, you get the champion award too!

Angkor Wat Tour Guide
Dalign
Email: sengdalign@yahoo.com
Tel:(+855)12869365
FB: angkorhappytour

Siem Reap Van Driver
Mr. Loy
Tel: (+855)12710207