Disney Wat, Day 1

Yesterday we loaded into our tuk-tuk and headed out to Angkor Wat for sunset.  Though we didn't actually go to Angkor Wat, instead we went to Phnom Bakheng, a smaller hilltop temple where every one and their mother goes for sunset.  It was a little absurd to see the number of people on the top, (including what appeared to be a Korean boy band) and we also didn't get much of a sunset as the dastardly clouds got in the way.  They weren't kidding about the whole rainy season.  We did see some nice colors in the clouds, though not until we got down from the temple mount.  Or am I not supposed to use that phrase?  The Norwegians we've been running into everywhere since Chiang Kong and I decided to blame Adina for making us come down a bit early, but she blames the guy in uniform who told us the site was closing.  It's always about finding the scapegoat with her.  On our way up (and down, for that matter) we were hounded by locals selling various pieces of crud beyond belief.  Even more than what we got in Bangkok, though at least here they do take no for an answer eventually and you don't get the feeling that they are trying to trick you into something.  They also speak WAY more English here than any other place we've been, so they understand when you explain that you don't want a magnet because you've already bought two on the day.  They just don't care. 

 

Back in town we were pleasantly surprised by the veggie options, and had some more Indian food.  3 days in a row turned out to be not a great idea, but it was definitely delicious.  We then went to the night market (after warding off about 80 guys trying to get us in their tuk tuk) and browsed through some of the same old stuff we've seen everywhere.  The downside of their increased English is they are able to call after you much more emphatically.  And frequently.  And loudly.  "Buy something Madam!"  "You want to buy something?"     "You think, maybe change your mind later."  "BUY A SCARF!!" One guy even managed to sneeze, raise his arms at us, start hacking and coughing, then, while keeling over and almost dying manage to eke out in a weak voice,  "tuk tuk sir?"   At least he was polite.  One guy actually jumped off the sidewalk right in front of us and yelled "TUK TUK?"  Scared the bejesus out of Adina, but he was nice enough to apologize.  One crazy thing we saw in a few places at the market was a fish massage - dip your feet in a pool with little tiny fishes inside and let them nibble away at your toes.  Apparently it tickles therapeutically, or at least the handful of very white people we found actually doing it seemed to believe.  We did stumble upon some guys playing a form of Khmer chess.  Apparently there are two different kinds, and this one is the version that is less like international chess.  They were playing pretty fast so it took a while to catch on, but the rules are, as it turns out, actually pretty simple.  I'd be happy to play with you, Josh, as long as you don't get crabby if I win. 

 

Today we slowly got out of bed a bit later than we wanted to (noticing a trend here) and rented bikes to head out to the main circuit of temples.  We rode around and didn't fall all day!!!  Slightly less impressive considering they were actually bicycles this time, but Adina hasn't been on one since our honeymoon, so we're proud of her all the same.  And we did get to use our fist aid kit (of course we bring it along on the days we stay healthy) when a little Cambodian girl got her foot stuck in her moms bike.  The bikes were our 20th different mode of transportation on this trip.  I'd be happy to share the full list with any one curious enough to ask.  (You have a lot of time to think when Adina is in the shower, you smell too badly to leave the room until you've showered, and the only thing on TV is 13 going on 30  (on three channels).)

 

We jumped right in and started the day at Angkor Wat itself, the so called "Mother of all temples."  We were again accosted in the parking lot "Buy cold drink?"  "Buy my postcards?"  "I watch your bike, you buy my bracelet?"  We had a nice little chat with a few Cambodian boys, one of whom claimed to be named Spider Boy.  The men sitting around nearby got a kick out of that, but the kid wouldn't tell us his real name.  Instead he said, "When you come back, maybe you buy my book?" 

 

The temple itself manages to be simultaneously more and less impressive than I had expected.  The most impressive part is the detail work and intricate carvings that are absolutely everywhere.  When something is absolutely everywhere in a ginormous complex, there must have been a lot of work put in.  Nearly every visible stone is etched or carved in some way.  The sheer scale of the place is also a bit numbing.  The temple is in the middle of a huge walled area surrounded by a very large moat.  There are pools all around, along with smaller structures dotted here and there.  Then you get to the actual temple (after walking half a km up the causeway), and it is both larger and taller than anything else we've seen here.  On the other hand, in a lot of ways it's quite ugly.  Perhaps it was because we were there at the wrong time of day in bad light, but the coloring of the stone isn't as pretty (and it looked more scorched) as I had expected.  But as it turns out, I think the size, scale, and detail work are kind of the point.

 

We then got back on our bikes (Spider Boy did come running after us when he saw us heading through the parking lot.  He said we promised we'd buy something when we came back, we tried to gently remind him that it was, in fact, he who said those things.  At first I was impressed that he remembered us, but then I realized he probably says the same thing to every one who locks up their bike, which saves the trouble of having to remember who he tried his little pitch on) and headed out towards the next temple area.  We did stop along the way to have lunch on the banks of the moat, where we thought we could be left alone for a while.  That was silly.  About two minutes into our delicious lunch of Tuna B'Sakit (our bread went moldy overnight - I hate humidity) two more local boys rode over and started chatting us up.  On the bright side they did not try to sell anything (they even gave us their real names), but they did kind of ruin our nice quiet lunch.  Even the Oreos we gave them weren't enough to shoo them away.  Though I suppose the goodbye hug he gave us made it all better.

 

Our next stops were Banteay Kdei and Ta Prohm, two jungle wats that have been pretty much left to the elements.  Aside from all the restoration work, that is.  Ta Prohm is the one some of you may think of when you picture Angkor Wat, it's got loads of trees growing out of the ruins, with the roots wrapping around whole buildings and moss covering most of the stones.  It's also the site where they filmed part of Tomb Raider, as Lonely Planet loves to point out.  It was dark, eerie, and beautiful, though still overrun with people.  I think they need to start charging higher admission.  I also don't understand how whole families come here - there is no way kids can appreciate this.  I say put them all in pop-up trailers in the Adirondacks, let them learn what a family vacation really is.  The crowds aside, these two were our favorites of the day and both exactly as we imagined and incomparable to anything we've seen before. 

 

We also rode through Angkor Thom, the huge city which they say housed up to a million people over 600 years ago.  All that's left standing are more temples and fragments of the royal palace. The highlight of that leg of the day was the Bayon temple, which has a few dozen towers scattered around the grounds, each with four giant faces looking down over you.  We rode back to town just in time to catch a gorgeous sunset along the way.  Unfortunately, we saw it from the street, right over a dirty construction sight.  It was a little sad that we didn't get to see the pretty sunset from our hilltop wat yesterday, but no worries.  Or, as Adina said, "That was BULLSHIT!"  You can take the girl out of the Steins (sorry, Gary), but you can't take the Stein out of the girl.  Dinner tonight was in a fancy veggie place which was delicious but out of our price range- our meal cost $13!!!!  We could have bought 110 meals (plus five extra spring rolls) at our vegan buffet in Luang Prabang with that kind of money.  This town is expensive. 

 

Tomorrow we're headed farther afield to some of the other more isolated temples, which should be a nice break after the hordes today.  We've booked a tuktuk with our guest house's receptionist who, by the way, is Ari Moskowitz's long lost Cambodian twin.  It's uncanny.  Well, only a little in appearance (same shaped head), it's more of a demeanor/attitude/hand gesture thing.  I'm still waiting for ideas for something to do on Thursday.  (Wednesday should be more temples in the area, including a sunrise at Angkor Wat at what is apparently the exact time of a nearly complete solar eclipse.  What are the odds?) 

 

Pictures from today will have to come some other time, I don't think the free computer at our guest house can handle that.  It's already shut itself down once tonight, though that may have been because I kicked the plug.  Whatever.  Till then, keep watching the skis.