Temple hopping at Angkor!

Our second full day in Cambodia started before sunrise - 5 am to be exact!  We were picked up by our "tuk tuk" driver in the darkness and then dropped off at Angkor Wat, ready to watch the sun rise along with tons of other tourists!

Unfortunately, somehow my sickness had gotten worse after it seemed like I was cured the previous day... :(  In denial that I was still sick, I got on the tuk tuk and waited for sunrise which seems like forever when you have stomach pain!  I immediately regretted going to Angkor.  Why hadn't I stayed at the hotel?  I had seen Angkor Wat before... been there, done that, got the t-shirt...

When it comes to travel I can be very stubborn.  I didn't want to pass up a day of touring a UNESCO World Heritage site for laying in bed watching Cambodian dramas on TV.  As long as I could walk, I was going!

I spent the first several hours doing minimal walking around the temples - just finding a shady spot to sit and take in the views while John, Roger, and Ann walked around.  At one point I even had a nap, curled up on a rock in a 12th century Khmer temple... I was doing Angkor Wat my own way!

Luckily, after taking some more medicine, I started to feel better in the afternoon and was able to enjoy visiting the temples, including Bayon - our favourite temple, with the huge stone face carvings.

While my second visit to Angkor Wat was not as pleasant as my first, I'm still glad that I went.  The Angkor temples are massive and can only be seen in person to appreciate.  A day pass to Angkor will cost $20 (not including tuk tuk driver).  The best thing about this place is that there are hardly any barriers or signs that say "no entry."  You can climb up the huge temple rocks and explore nearly every place at your own pace, without anyone telling you that you can't.  Angkor is definitely a place that brings out the explorer in you... I can't help feeling a bit like Indiana Jones when I'm there!

Biking around the Cambodian countryside

Just got back from our 2 week holiday to Cambodia and Thailand - there were many ups and several downs, but mostly it was a great trip as usual!

The trip started with a short one-hour flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia on Friday evening.  John and I were lucky to be travelling with his parents Roger and Ann!  It was our second time in Cambodia, and their first time, so we wanted to show them a good time there.

Unfortunately, things did not start off very well.  I got some kind of stomach bug Friday afternoon before I left Vietnam, and I managed to pass it on to everyone else on the trip... sorry!

Luckily, the next day I was feeling better and we were all well enough to do a 30 km biking tour around the Cambodian countryside.  We booked the tour with a company called Camouflage Adventure.  The guides were friendly and they were happy to show us a different side of Siem Reap.  It didn't take long to pedal outside the city.  Before we knew it, we were surrounded by rice fields!  It was very peaceful riding on the dusty dirt roads early in the morning, with Cambodian wedding music playing from homes as our soundtrack.

Early on in the tour we stopped at a market to see how the locals go about their daily business.  There were definitely some funky smells in there, but I always enjoy going to markets because there is so much to see.

Our guides also brought us to a school where the kids were playing outside for recess.  They seemed a bit shy but enjoyed having their photo taken.

Later on, we visited a lotus farm which was very interesting since we got to watch the process of lotus fiber being harvested.  After scrubbing the lotus stems with steel wool to make them smooth, the stems were cut with a knife.  After twisting and pulling the ends apart, we could see the lotus fiber inside.  It was then smoothed down over a wooden board and rolled into a delicate thread.  At another area, a woman was using a traditional loom to make a scarf out of lotus fiber.  While beautiful, I definitely passed on buying the lotus fiber scarves since they were quite expensive due to the process it takes to acquire it.

Our Cambodian biking tour also included a visit to a temple, a short hike up a mountain, and a quiet stop at an abandoned Angkor temple.  Overall, I would recommend this half-day tour for anyone visiting Siem Reap.  I feel like spending time in the countryside gave me a new appreciation for Cambodia.  It was beautiful!