We woke up right at 6:45 and ate breakfast at our Homestay. We hired a guy named Heng Happy Tuk tuk as he was recommended by some people that we met in Chiang Mai. They had all good things to say about him so we signed up for an 8am pick up.
He showed up right on time and we were off. He was extremely friendly and helpful throughout the entire trip and even provided free water. We started with the main temple of Angkor Wat. This is one of the most recognized temple.
We wandered around the site and up and up all of the stairs and meandered through all of the crazy tourists. Walking through these temples and the plots of land they're on is such a cool feeling. These structures are so old and so many people have been in them before us. I always try to picture myself there a thousand years before - what would be going on?
The stone work was incredible as well, considering it was done in the twelfth century. So many details to the characters and also to the story line.
This was the largest temple so we spent a good amount of time exploring it. We also never realized how many steps there are in temples and how long it takes to get around.
We took some pictures, wandered around, and then headed back to Heng. We also saw a monkey getting turnt on the way to our tuk tuk.
We hopped back in and were taken to another group of temples. He dropped us off, gave us a brief explanation of what we should see, and then said to meet over there after you go through all the temples.
This place was packed too, and it was starting to get hot. We started with Ankor Thom, and moved into Bayon Temple. They were both a bit different in the way they looked and had significantly different histories as to why they were built.
(Another one of Banyan Temple)
(Walkway up to Ankor Thom)
(Ankor Thom)
Phimeanakas Temple was the last in the group and we literally just walked passed it, said hey to it, and walked to our tuk tuk. We feel kind of bad about it, but you can only do so many temples. They have different stories behind them, I get that, but when it's 90 degrees they start to look like piles of rocks.
Then we reluctantly but thankfully got into the tuk tuk to head over to the Preah Khan Temple. This is also the temple that Angelina Jolie used for The Thomb Raider. We knew this one was going to be cool because we already knew what it will look like. That being said, it was packed with Chinese group tourists)
I have absolutely nothing against Chinese people at all. I have a Chinese friend that I really like, but when they go on tour groups together it's like they think no one else exists. So we're stuck in this maze of a temple and are getting pushed by old Chinese men and women. I don't even think they know they're doing it. I had enough. I was walking straight for a small doorway and there were two elder Chinese women (one had gray hair). They were standing off to the side and had no intention of moving.
As soon as I got to the door frame they decided it was a good time to start walking. So three of us trying to fit into one small doorway. Remember, at this point I was over it. So I pushed
My way trough and squished two elder Chinese women into the door frame. I only kind of feel bad, but maybe next time they'll wait for the moving object to get through the door instead of trying to smoosh with me.
Aside from the business of temple is was pretty cool. It was hard to navigate and the trees grew all over the temple which gave it a cool thing to look at. Take a look yourself.
(A tree standing strong on top of a rock wall)
Such a cool sight when you see building being taken over by nature...unless it's your own house I guess. Now that I've been to the Thomb that Angelina Jolie raided I have to watch the movie.
We were getting hungry after the last temple and were happy to hear Heng offer lunch at a place nearby. He said one more temple, then lunch, then one last temple.
He took us to another temple, told us about it and let us go. Our legs were exhausted at this point from climbing. Up and down all these stairs so we mutually agreed to just sit on a rock for 15-20 minutes then head out. We wanted Heng to think we went in and saw it, but didn't actually want to keep waking up temple steps.
We limped to the tuk tuk and headed off to lunch. We had Amok chicken and beef Lok Lak. These are two main dishes they make in Cambodia and they are the BEST! They make good curries here too. Anyways, we fueled up and were ready for the last and finally temple.
Heng pulled up and explained the temple and let us go after it. We were happy to see it was a smaller temple with like three total steps. Thank god. Alex's quad had a cramp from before so we were trying to take it easy. Not to mention I was exhausted too. We took some obligatory pictures and headed back to the tuk tuk.
The best part of this deal with Heng is you get an amazing breeze under shade. It allows me to relax and cool down and rest. He drove us through town and then back to our hostel. We thanked him and then he was off. It was sad, he was like our local friend that was super friendly and happy. I would totally hang out with him if he wanted to hang out with me.
After being exhausted from all the temples, steps, and heat, we took a quick break and did nothing at the hostel for a bit. Eventually we left and went into the town again to explore. We wandered some stores near Alley West and ended up in a nice cafe to relax at. Doing things is surprisingly tiring especially when it's hot out.
We took the afternoon to drink coconuts and coffee and eat cookies and RWC. There was a nice breeze on the second floor and the chairs were almost comfortable enough to sleep in. Alex also made a little friend while she was reading.
(How bout a close up?)
After a bit of relaxing we decided to head downstairs for some Khmer Kitchen eats. The main dishes here are the amok (typically served with fish), and beef Lok luk. They also have amazing curries so I got a chicken curry dish. The Lok luk and Anok you will not find anywhere except in Cambodia so we had to end the visit with that.
After dinner we wandered the markets but then headed back to the hostel to pack. We had a ton of laundry done for us and we had to reorganize all of our bags for the flight tomorrow. We bought a bunch of stuff and finding a place to put it has become difficult.
At any rate we finished packing, did some reading and called it a night. I feel like an old man saying this day tired me out but the heat and walking and slow people and repetitive temples got tiring. We've also been getting up at ungodly hours for a week now. Hopefully we'll sleep in a bit tomorrow before we hang and then get on the plane to Phuket.
Our last two destinations (tears) are Phuket and Koh Lanta. Both are beachy town, with Patong (in Phuket) being more of a large city with craziness and last boys.
It'll be a great way to end the trip. Beaches and relaxation. And time to contemplate what we've learned on this trip. About myself, about Alex, about anything and everything.
"There are as many worlds as there are kinds of days, and as an opal changes its colors and its fire to match the nature of a day, so do I."
- John Steinbeck
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