The tuk tuk driver who drove us to our hotel when we arrived in Siem Reap from Phnom Penh was so kind, but he didn't have great English so we wanted someone who did for the next day's outing. I felt so bad not using him, but I also understand only visiting a place once, and wanting to get the most out of it. Unfortunately, the hotel's tuk tuk driver wasn't much better, and he wasn't the nicest guy either. Regardless, he knew where the temples were and he drove us to them promptly. At Angkor Wat- the main, most well-known temple, there were tons of official Cambodian tour guides standing outside of it trying to get farang to hire them for a tour. It looked really shady, but we hired one, and he really knew what he was talking about. It made me sad though, because he literally sighed of relief when we said "yes" to him showing us around...he seemed so desperate and wanted to work so badly. The whole thing just makes me so sad because there are so many Cambodians who want to work and simply can't, especially when Cambodia's main industry is tourism (Angkor Wat!) and it is low season (which May is...because is was so darn HOT!) He took us all around the temple for an hour or so, and explained the meanings of various murals and architectural designs. If you ever make it to Angkor Wat, definitely hire a guide like this :)
On the streets of Siem Reap and throughout EVERY temple, tons and tons of beggar children swarm you- harassing you really. They pull on your arm and shirt and either flat out ask you for money or hold up some really sad looking trinket they've made or knockoff Lonely Planet book asking for a few dollars. If and when you say no thank you they persist. They follow you to your tuk tuk. It is only when your tuk tuk actually starts driving away that they leave you alone. These beggar children speak IMPECCABLE English. When I asked them where they learned, they told me "you!...tourists." While I feel that it is exploiting your children to have them working at such a young age (it is sad that children so young know about money, bargaining, and more, how much different amounts of money are worth) I really got the sense that people were THAT poor. After I said "no" to one beggar boy, he asked if he could at least have a coin for his "coin collection." Total BS, but even that he used that as an excuse makes me so sad because it could be that a boy his age did have a coin collection. I know that he has had many American coins before though, and that he needs the money for his family. How very bizarre to use American dollars in Cambodia.
Siem Reap: We didn't have that much extra time to explore, but Siem Reap seemed like a pretty fun city. There is one street called "Pub Street" that is where all of the fratty people who want to party in Siem Reap head to. I wish I'd had my camera on me to take a sign of a billboard that said "Beer 35 cents." However, on the walk up to Pub Street I was stopped by throngs of women literally seeing me, and any other white person, and RUNNING up to us with a babies on their hips saying "Need money to feed my baby! My baby is hungry!" Again, I know they are poor, but it was very manipulative and the babies may not have even been theirs. I also was approached by a boy who was no older than 5, holding a baby, asking me for "money milk for my baby sister!" "milk she hungry!" To make matters worse, we then randomly ran into the tuk tuk driver we had turned down who had picked us up from the bus, he continued to ask "you make work for me?!" and he asked what we'd done today and who drove us around. He looked CRUSHED. What are the chances we would run into him again?! We felt awful because we didn't want to lie but didn't know what to say. I felt even worse because our present tuk tuk driver wasn't that nice of a guy, so it wouldn't have made a difference/ we could have hired him because the tuk tuk drivers literally just drive you from temple to temple. I took his email and phone number and said I would pass it along to any friends who might travel there (If you want his info, let me know. He really was the nicest, hardest working guy and I wished we had used him instead of the guy we got stuck with). Like I've said, Cambodia's a bit much to handle emotionally because everything is so cumulative, and so frequent. There are also some great night markets and crafts in Siem Reap. Mom, Dara, and I all bought some beautiful paintings.
Even though Cambodia was an all around tough trip, it was entirely worth it and I would do it again. You HAVE to make it to Angkor Wat someday. Have to...
Our first day exploring our first temple: Angkor Wat!
There is this magnificent long walk up to the temple, which
crosses a huge, man-made moat. The renovations left part of the
original walkway (cobbles seen to the left), and renovated the half
of the walkway we are standing on.
Maybe 30 years ago, Indian workers were hired to clean
the temples. They used a cleaning substance that made the
temples sparkling white. However, the rain mixed poorly
with some of the chemicals residue, eventually turning
many of the temples jet black. So unfortunate!
Dara, Mom and our really great tour guide who we
hired on the spot. Angkor Wat looms in the distance.
It was SO HOT! Notice the group (Asian!) with
umbrellas to protect their white skin from the sun.
MAG - NIF - IC -ENT
Can you tell it's the dry season?
Ps- this is the North Pond where Angelina Jolie rose
from in the movie "Tomb Raider"
Our tour guide describing different carved scenes from
Hindu's Ramayana
Battle time! The carvings were so intricate it was unbelievable.
So many headless Buddha's.
The heads, and other body parts, were looted during the late 1970s.
Note- this is the same time that the Khmer Rouge was in power/
the Cambodian Genocide was taking place. Under the Khmer Rouge
regime, all religion was banned, so many temples/ Buddhas were also
destroyed and left aside...perfect opportunity for looters to do harm.
Endless doorways
Oh you know, just playing a little hide & seek in Angkor Wat!
(which would actually be AWESOME, by the way)
One of many looted "blocks" from the ancient limestone murals.
This both infuriates me and makes me sad.
We climbed to the top!!!
The jungle-y view :)
So many tall green trees surround Angkor Wat.
When the French rediscovered the temple several hundred
years ago, it was literally hidden in the overgrown jungle.
Can you even imagine?!
I love this picture.
It shows the absolute grand scale!
More looted pieces of stone mural.
This type of figure, a woman, is called an "Apsara."
A monk (left), and tourists from all over the world, explore Angkor Wat.
Mom and me!
Feet carved into one of the un-renovated walkways up to
the temple. The two holes show that this piece of rock was
carried by elephants (cool right? our tourguide taught me that)
My view from the back of the tuk tuk.
This picture reminds me of just how DUSTY Cambodia was!!!
Magical "jungle" wat; Angkor Thom
Bricks uprooted by tree
Apsara's chilling out, several thousand years later :)
Me and one of the many faces built to look like
the king at the time! (Egotistical, no?)
Bayon
Mommy and one of the king's 54 replica faces!
Bayon
This was one of my favorite temples.
Another surrounding temple in Angkor Thom
(We were the only ones there!) Do you see the
small figure of a fisherman near the tree on the
far right? I remember this image like it was yesterday.
You really feel like you are entering somewhere more than
significant when you walk this long, plank-like walkway to the temple!
Me chilling out with quite the view! This temple is considered the
"largest jigsaw puzzle in the world." Cambodians were in the
process of renovating it when the Khmer Rouge took power. As all
religion was outlawed, the Khmer Rouge destroyed the "maps" of where
each brick/ piece should go. To this day, over 350,000 pieces remain on
the surrounding grounds, as archaeologists try and figure out where they belong
(A nearly impossible task)
View from the top of the temple.
Just LOOK at those clouds. This (and every photo)
has not been photoshopped.
View from 3 stories up, overlooking the longest walkway ever!
So amazing- Cambodian monks came to explore!
They wanted to take pictures with us!
(Never touching us because we're women, of course!)
I caught one quick one of them making their way through
the temple. I love the boy excitedly waving in this shot.
A poor child plays with a basket full of visitor's old water bottles.
She drank the leftover water in them, too.
My favorite temple...
Ta Phrom, Angkor Thom
Me standing in a teeny tiny tilted doorway!
Dara standing next to a ruin with a huge tree growing on it!
Just LOOK at that tree!!!
Dara and I chilling at some ruins :)
Mom takes a minute to soak in the tall jungle trees and
the sounds of birds and monkeys :)
Tomb raiding :)
Dara amazed at a really tall tree.
The way the sunlight danced in Ta Phrom, I will never forget it!
Mom and Dara
Family shot in front of the famed overgrown doorway!
Just spectacular.
Another huge overgrown tree.
Mommy and I are peeking out from behind!
Dara (right) and I play peek-a-boo!
THAT TREE!
A red arrow points visitors on a cobble-stone path of ruins!
Wear good walking shoes :)
Sunlight dancing in Ta Prohm
This was one of the outskirt wats we saw on our second morning.
I don't remember the name of it, but this COW was grazing there, too!
No one was at this wat either.
I couldn't get over that you could touch all of these temples and ruins.
It felt like being in the coolest, largest real-life museum ever!
A serene scene :)
Unbelievable...
Even looking at this photo now I can't believe it's real!
Ruins
This old wise woman tied a beautiful combination of
pink, orange and white strings around our wrists. Then
she softly chanted a prayer in Khmer, blew on our foreheads,
and trickled down our arm until she pretended to "catch it" it in
mid-air. She then looked up with the most wonderful great big
toothless smile. I will always remember that smile. I am so glad I
have a picture of this to remember!!!
Blowing the evil spirits away
The bridge of Buddha's
Notice their arms are "holding" up the bridge!
I don't remember the name of this temple, either, but
it was at the end of a LONG boardwalk, and it was one of
the few that you couldn't actually walk around in.
Our final temple of Angkor Wat.
This picture does not do it justice...it was OVERWHELMINGLY
looming over you when you pulled up to it. You can explore/ walk to the top.
View from the top of the temple.
This was the wat where I bought the book "First They
Killed My Father" from a little boy selling books for $4. It was a great
final temple for our trip, and I will always keep that book to remember.
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