Fast Forward to Cambodia – Siem Reap (the text transferred across but the pictures didn't! I'll get another new plan for next time!)
We are now in Cambodia – our connections have been minimal! I had a great commentary written out last night, ready to hit send, and the power went out for a minute! Uggg! Lost the whole thing so gave up and went to bed!
Our journey to Siem Reap was uneventful and we arrived after dark to a fabulous reception at the Sofitel hotel! My goodness! A full buffet of local and western food, under the stars and a great Cambodian Dance folklore show to enjoy while we ate.
The hotel was in fact, a golf spa and resort and wow, we enjoyed the luxury of it all. The rooms were spacious and well appointed and the property lush, modern and you felt like the Queen herself! The pool water was somewhat hot, but then, what can you expect when the air temperature is 32C plus every day?!
Our tours of Siem Reap started with a visit to the Angkor Thom – a huge complex of ancient temple ruins with exquisite stone carvings, arches, staircases and stories-the history of early Cambodia etched on every rock. In the afternoon we headed out to another temple site, Bantey Srei, which was a little easier to walk around as it was on the flat, but still very interesting and informative.
We ended the day with a stop at an orphanage school, where we were entertained by the children with traditional dances. Again, the stories within the dances were easy to follow and it was most enjoyable to see the children so happy and willing to share. They opened their home and showed us around the very minimal home, with just a boys room and a girls room and multiple bunk beds in each, a basic kitchen and all power created through a very rustic generator. The school also teaches art and many of the children are very talented with pictures depicting local life, the nearby temples, and flora/fauna of the area.
The next day we went to the famous Angkor Wat – the largest Buddhist temple site in Cambodia (it did start as a Hindu temple). We walked up a long causeway to the site, through many doorways and across ruins to finally ascending an extremely steep set of stairs to the main temple heights. There are monks who still live on the property, easily recognizable by their bright orange robes, bald heads and very weathered skin. They collect alms in the early mornings and are invited to all family events at the family's home.
We left Siem Reap and travelled to our embarkation point down lake, because the Tonle Sap Lake levels have dropped too low to accommodate the boat. The rainy season will soon be upon us, and we are grateful not to have rain, but of course, everywhere was particularly dry. The fields in Cambodia were not lush green or in cultivation because they do not have the irrigation systems in place that Vietnam has. Farmers are lucky to get one crop of rice whereas the Vietnamese can get three or four, we are told. On this trip we had an interesting stop…..to see (and try!) local survival foods – by that I mean spider legs and crickets. Ugg. Not up my alley at all and although interesting to see, there was no way I was going to try either! Several of our group did and survived (as I knew they would) but I have to say I drew the line for me. Instead I continued to enjoy trial cans of local beer (the Hanoi, the Tiger, the 333, and Angkor have been good so far - Chuckle!
More next time when the internet is up again! And hopefully the pictures of the above events!!!!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment