Steven P and The Temple of Doom

June 26, 2011

After prodding, we relented to the hotel and let their tuk tuk service take us on a tour of the Angkor temples for measly $13 US per tuk tuk for the entire day!

First up, the biggie- Angkor Wat. It was very hot at this point so taking on the biggest temple was quite possibly a tactical error on our part but on we went. The temple is impressive though, surrounded by a moat, it is awe inspiring as you tread up the walkway into the front of the temple. Then you realize beyond the facade, there is a lot more to see. By the time, we climbed to the top of the main building we were already drenched in sweat. The view was worth it though.

After crossing through a gauntlet of children trying to sell us crap- one child even offered a half eaten bun he received from a tourist for a dollar, we made it back to our tuk tuks and on to the next temple. We made a short stop at a smaller temple where Linda decided to buy a book from a 'nice girl' at the front of the temple. I'm fairly sure it was a photocopied version of the book but copyright laws don't seem to matter in Cambodia. I had a brief freak out when I thought my Iphone had been stolen, but Andrea was able to find it in a hidden corner of my bag.

The next major stop was to Ta Prohm- the Jungle temple as seen in 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom' and one of the Tomb Raider movies. Tree roots were tangled with the ruins of the temple, weaving in and around every obstruction. It as if nature had reasserted its claim on the land from the long gone Khmer empire. That's when we saw what looked like oversized beehives, thankfully there occupants did not come out to greet us. No snakes or giant rocks followed either!

We climbed another couple of smaller temples and crossed the elephant terrace before reaching the  Bayon temple. The detail in this temple is impressive. Faces of Buddha were everywhere as if watching you from all sides. This was our final stop on the Angkor tour before finding some western food on Pub street.

June 27, 2011

On our last full day in Siem Reap, and coincidentally my 30th birthday. We celebrated by eating at the Blue Pumpkin for lunch- an Apple inspired net cafe and diner. We headed out from there to a tour of a Silk Farm, which wasn't my first choice for my birthday but I went with it.

The Silk Farm was somewhat interesting as you really began to understand what goes into silk production. I got to find out the fun fact of that they boil cocooning silk worms alive to harvest silk thread. This is apparently necessary for the
process. Also, some people eat the boiled worms afterwards, I opted not to try it.

We went shopping at the day and night markets as well, but I was not as enthusiastic to buy anything there. The others picked up a few things, but I was irritated by the constant sales attempts. I really don't need a plastic Rolex.

We finished the night with dinner at the Red Piano- the apparent 2nd home of the Tomb Raider crew during filming. They even named a drink after Angelina but I chose to get beer instead. The food was decent enough and helped cured one of my many headaches on the trip.

The next day we hit the road to Bangkok but that's for the upcoming episode.

Next up..."What Happens in Bangkok Doesn't Stay in Bangkok"...