Cambodia Part I

So, getting up at 2am is not fun at all. We were so tired but also excited about seeing Cambodia yet also really nervous. We had no idea what it was going to be like. You have an image of a place in your head but it's not until you actually get there when you can really visualize it for yourself.

We decided to walk to Central train station instead of taking a taxi to save ten bucks. We had walked the majority of the route the day before. So I had a good idea of what to expect. It was dark however and no one was out. It ended up being a 20 minute walk and we found the station without a hitch. We got on the airport bus which left the train station at 3:15 sharp. Once we arrived at the airport it was all a breeze. Checked in on the computer kiosk, hopped on our flight, and landed in Siem Reap, Cambodia. It was dawn at this point and the country side looked so beautiful. The airport was a quite small modern hut and immigration was an assembly line of visa officers that only accepted US currency. The wait was not too long to get our visas on arrival.

Our tuk tuk driver was waiting for us when we got out of the airport. For those of you don't know a tuk tuk comes in many shapes and sizes. This one was a small motor bike with a two wheeled covered wagon. Our driver was really nice. He took us straight to our hotel to check in.

The manager was very nice and helpful. He told us a little about the area, set up our tuk tuk tour of Angkor, and got our bus tickets for us to Phnom Pehn and Ho Chi Min. We
quickly threw down our bags and headed to our driver. It was 15 dollars for an all day driver around Angkor. Angkor was not far from our hotel, only about ten minutes or so. We arrived at the main entrance and bought tickets. Our driver showed us the area map and together him and I mapped our route. We both decided to keep Angkor Wat for last. Angkor Wat is the most famous of all the temples of Angkor. As we drove we were amongst many other tourist also on tuk tuks, tour buses, and tour vans. This is the most touristed site in Cambodia and we could already see why.

We headed for the area known as Angkor Thom which was the capital city at one point. It was great to see these temples which were over 800 years old. Each time our driver dropped us off at a temple we were able to climb, hike and touch the history. It was so amazing to be up close and personal to these historical monuments. All of the temples were pretty much free of any original statues. They were replaced with replicas because of theft. The grounds of Angkor is just too vast to be able to protect against thieves. My favorite temple was Ta Prohm. This temple is so magnificent. The jungle has not been removed from the surrounding area and over the years it has taken over the structures. Humongous trees are growing over and through the walls. It really was an amazing sight to see and made famous for it's backdrop in the first Tomb Raider movie. Ta Keo was another interesting temple. It was never completed because it was struck by lighting. The lighting was a bad omen and the people refused to complete it.

After a about 10 temples or so a lot of waking and climbing we were ready for Angkor Wat. We entered from the back and were taken back by the sheer size of it. Each conical tower resembled a lotus flower bud. They soared high in the sky. We began our ascent and took in each little passage way. It was really fun just to get lost. We eventually made it to the top and took it all in. We sat for awhile and just relaxed knowing that we are sitting in a true wonder of the world. After taking it in for awhile we slowly made our way down. We checked out other areas and passage ways. When we went out the front and down the main path we were able to be amazed once again. The whole view from the front was just beyond words. We finally found our driver after a few minutes of searching. It was pretty hot at this point. He drove us back to our hotel. Man what a long day already. After Angkor we took a much needed nap. We were so exhausted.

We woke up and took a tuk tuk into town to grab some dinner. I read about a good little restuarant called the Khmer Kitchen. It serves up some good local dishes. We had a Khmer Curry and Loc Lac, as well as a beer to share. It was delicious!!!! We were already planning our meal for tomorrow. After dinner we strolled for a little bit had another beer at a resturant serving up 50 cent draft for happy hour. How awesome is that!!! Oh and dinner was 8 dollars for two dishes anda big beer. Boy do we love it here. After our happy hour drink we grabbed a tuk tuk to our hotel and called it a night. What a sucessful day. Tomorrow was going to be a little more relaxing for sure.