Siem Reap & Angkor Wat

March 10
Like.... whoa. I don't even know why I'm bothering to write a blog about Angkor Wat because there are no words to describe the feeling of being in such a fantastic surrounding of intricately designed temples and jungle, I HIGHLY recommend the trip, and sunrise/sunset visits to the temples is a MUST!! All I can do is post photos for this one. I really fell in love with the ambiance of Angkor even though I only spent 1 day visiting the temples (you could easily spend an entire week exploring the grounds and there are more temples 40km North that are apparently fabulous as well...) I was also shocked to find that it was very easy to get away from the hoardes of Japanese tourists and find yourself alone exploring the temples and the grounds, and get some superb photos photos.

The nearby town, Siem Reap, appears to be adapting to the surge in tourism quite well, and by that I mean that the town planners are doing a great job developing the area- there is still a HUGE amount of poverty and begging from the local people because there are so many tourists to depend on. The little kids are CLEVER ones too, they know how to count to 10 in about 17 different languages and have all kinds of games set up so that if they guess the country you are from and tell you it's capital you have to buy postcards or something. At first I found this constant begging really irritating, but then I found out that many of the children are kept out of school by their parents to beg/sell items on the street and bring the money home to their parents. There is always so much more to the story, isn't there? Especially in a foreign culture.

I totally fell in love with this cafe in Siem Reap called the Blue Pumpkin- the concept would TAKE OFF in Vancouver!! It is a 2nd floor lounge (with AC- SOO good in the heat of Cambodia!!), decorated completely in white (white floors, walls, tables, chairs, decorations, EVERYTHING!) and one whole wall is this gianormous white L-couch with big comfy cushions that everyone lounges around on drinking iced coffee and reading. It's very IKEA/Vancouver-esque and was a fantastic little taste of home for a few hours one afternoon as a read my book and journalled. A bit of a shock to walk back outside to be surrounded by haggling tuk tuk drivers and children and landmine victims selling postcards and books.

I would have liked to spend more time in Siem Reap and Angkor but it is pretty expensive, and I had to head back to Phnom Penh to pick up my Laos visa and drop my passport off for a Vietnamese visa. Until next time!