Cambodia
The people of Cambodia are rightfully proud of Angkor Wat. Its towers are represented on their national flag, and the temple at sunrise looks otherworldly.
Our group arrived before dawn, and so did hundreds of other people. Tourism is one of Cambodia’s main industries, and most tourists come to see the ruins of Angkor, the capitol of the Khmer Empire between the 9th and 15th centuries.
The temple complex is the largest religious structure in the world, and the moat surrounding it is 3 miles long.
At a nearby temple, Ta Prohm, many of the structures are overgrown with fig, banyan and kapok trees. When restoration began, it was decided to leave as many of the trees as possible, both as a “concession to the general taste for the picturesque” and because the trees were helping hold up the walls. As restoration continues, some trees have needed to be removed when they threaten the structural integrity or safety of the temple, but as many as possible are being preserved.
The Bayon temple is known for its massive, blissful, four-sided faces. A member of the Backroads local crew showed Lisa the best place for a photo, then pointed to himself, closing his eyes and smiling. “It’s my face!” he declared, and it was.
Ta Prohm and the Bayon are also featured prominently in the movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001), which was filmed on location. Locals credit that film with boosting tourism to the area.
While at the Bayon, Bill had a close encounter with one of the monkey occupants. Bill watched as the monkey climbed some steps, then positioned himself to be close to the monkey when it came around a pillar. The monkey found a nut to eat, then wasn’t thrilled about seeing someone squatting quite close.
On the way to the Bayon, our group received a Buddhist water blessing. In answer to readers’ questions: 1) It lasted for several minutes, 2) The water was on the cool side, and 3) No one shrieked or giggled.
We bicycled through nearby rural areas, past neatly planted rice fields and through small villages. Nearly every home had some sort of roadside business, from prepared-food stands to a few pieces of fruit set out on a table.
One day, our lunch stop was at a private home. The appetizer was KFC: Khmer Fried Crickets. We both tried them. Tasty! And full of protein.
Tourists on bicycles are an unusual sight here, and we attracted a lot of attention, especially from children, who popped up everywhere to wave and shout, “Hello! Hello! What your name! Where you from!” Lisa tried responding with “Hello! Xin chào!” which made everyone laugh, kids and adults alike. Our Backroads guides assured her that it wasn’t her lousy Vietnamese, that they were laughing in surprise.
From our hotel in nearby Siem Reap, it was a short tuk-tuk ride to Pub Street, filled with bars offering 69-cent draft beers and $2 USD cocktails. We declined the opportunity to have a “fish massage.” We had very good cocktails at Miss Wong and ate delicious pumpkin curry and ginger pork at Khmer Kitchen, adjacent to the expansive night market.
