Then we got up at 2:30am to make our 5am, 20 hour flight home!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Day 17 - Bangkok, Thailand
Today we flew from Siem Reap back to Bangkok in order to make our flight home. We wandered around a bit at a local market and then got lunch at a rather unique Thai eatery named "Cabbages and Condoms." The restaurant is run by a non-profit to promote and raise money for family planning and safe sex (Thailand's population is increasing rapidly with an average of 7 children per family, and HIV is significant problem). Lunch was good, but we particularly liked the "sculptures" on the patio.
In the afternoon, we took a nap and rested (we had both been afflicted mildly with what Brian deemed "Pol Pot's revenge). In the evening we hit Bangkok's best Mexican restaurant (and it was pretty good), but got stuck in bad traffic on the way home. What should have been a quick taxi ride took over 30 minutes, not helped by our taxi driver's reluctance to put on his glasses to correctly read our hotel address. Additionally, halfway through the ride, he took out an orange and started eating it with what can only be described as the loudest, most smackey, lip smacking I have ever experienced.
Day 16 - Siem Reap, Cambodia
Today we visited the grand-daddy of the Angkor complex, Angkor Wat. The temple is the best preserved in the Angkor complex, but was damaged by the Khmer Rouge during the late 1970s. This temple was constructed in the early 12th century, and is surrounded by its own moat and walls (walking around the outside wall is 2 miles). You enter the temple through 2 causeways and a gate.
There are three levels to the temple, which is dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. On the bottom level of the temple, there are galleries with intricate carvings telling Hindu tales such as the Ramayana (we heard about this one multiple times throughout our trip. Basic jist: Good king falls in love with beautiful girl, evil king steals girl, good king wages war and wins girl back).
We ate lunch and then relaxed for a while. We made a quick trip to the market and saw some locals fishing in the river.
We enjoyed Angkor Wat so much, that we decided to go back to the temple to take in some views during sunset.
Some monks also enjoying the sunset:
In the evening, we headed to dinner-theater, where we enjoyed a traditional Khmer food and an Apsara dance show.
The temple originally had 9 towers, but only 5 remain, and they are shaped to look like closed lotus flowers.
We enjoyed Angkor Wat so much, that we decided to go back to the temple to take in some views during sunset.
Some monks also enjoying the sunset:
In the evening, we headed to dinner-theater, where we enjoyed a traditional Khmer food and an Apsara dance show.
Babies Driving Motorbikes - Part 2
This is part 2 of the continuing "Babies Driving Motorbikes" series. As it turns out, the problem is much worse than we initially thought. BDM has spread its ugly head into Cambodia. From our observations, the babies driving in Cambodia are just as reckless, and maybe even more lawless, than Vietnam babies. Check out the evidence:
Another illegal baby taxi ring. Baby smartly turns his head to conceal identity.
Baby throws helmet into front basket and decides to suck thumb, putting us all in danger. With one hand in mouth, there's no way this tyke can keep his hog under control.
Reckless baby looses control and in collision-course with the curb (bystander tries to help in fruitless effort).
Baby waiting for delivery of "the goods"
Daddy picketh, baby eateth. Not against the law, but should be.
Baby spots me snapping photographs and tries to speed away. This fleeing baby has guilty written all over her face.
Uh oh, this man's been baby-jacked. With babies in the "sandwich" configuration (one in front, one in back) victims have little chance for escape.
Another abnormally large baby completely apathetic towards driving. This is definitely becoming a trend.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Day 15 - Siem Reap, Cambodia
Today we made our first visits to the Angkor temple complex. The temples and structures of Angkor were built between the 9th and 11th centuries during the rule of the Khmer Empire. The city was abandoned after invasion by Siam, and only "rediscovered" by the French in the mid 1800s. Restoration projects were started, though halted after the First Indochina War. Many of the temples were destroyed or harmed during the reign of the Khmer Rouge (Pol Pot) as the Khmer Rouge army used the Angkor complex as a fort and hiding place.
Today, the complex is a UNESCO World Heritgae Site, and many countries are involved in the restoration and preservation of the temples.
Depending on when the temples were built they were originally used as either Hindu or Buddhist temples. Many times the religious purpose of the temples changed over time, and when Hindus took over a Buddhist temple, they would simply remove all the Buddha images and carvings.
Our first stop was Angkor Thom, a large city that was home to the King, his ministers, and other important people. The city is surrounded by both a moat and a wall, and commoners and farmers lived outside the protection of the city walls.
The South Gate of Angkor Thom:
The largest temple within Angkor Thom is the Bayon. The temple has 54 towers, representing the 54 provinces of the Khmer Empire, each with faces facing the four cardinal directions.
On the walls of the Bayon, and many other temples, there are carvings, many telling Hindu epic tales or history. Another common carving is the Apsara, a sensual dancer. Also making many appearances are monkeys, elephants, and lotus flowers.
Next up was Baphuon and Phinean Akas, two more temples inside Angkor Thom. Each successive king of the empire added a new temple to the city. The foundation and walls of the temples are made of lava stone, but the facades are sandstone to enable the intricate carvings. No mortar was used to build the temples, only stones fit together.
Last stop in Angkor Thom were the Elephant Terrace and Terrace of the Leper King. Both had intricate carvings on the walls.
For lunch, we had our first Khmer food, featuring the traditional Khmer curry called Amok.
After lunch, we ventured further from town to see one of the oldest temples, Banteay Srei. The name means Citadel of the Women, supposedly because the carvings here are so intricate and beautiful, they must have been done by women (of course)!
On our way back to town, we stopped by a village to see how palm sugar is made. The local people are very resourceful and use the palm tree for everything - sugar, oil, fruit, roof thatching, and even weapons including very sharp spears. Many locals live in small, thatched, house on stilts.
Our final stop for the day was Ta Prohm temple. This temple is famous for the many silk cotton trees growing out of the ruins, and was also featured in the movie Tomb Raider (which the locals love to mention. They are also generally fond of Angelina Jolie, mentioning multiple times that she adopted a Cambodian child and has done much for humanitarian aid in Cambodia).
Brian was particularly excited by seeing a Strangler Fig, which his project at work is named after. The Stangler Fig grows in the crevasses of the silk cotton trees, surrounding and living off the host (i.e. "strangling" the silk tree), until it eventually kills the interior tree.
Today, the complex is a UNESCO World Heritgae Site, and many countries are involved in the restoration and preservation of the temples.
Depending on when the temples were built they were originally used as either Hindu or Buddhist temples. Many times the religious purpose of the temples changed over time, and when Hindus took over a Buddhist temple, they would simply remove all the Buddha images and carvings.
Our first stop was Angkor Thom, a large city that was home to the King, his ministers, and other important people. The city is surrounded by both a moat and a wall, and commoners and farmers lived outside the protection of the city walls.
The South Gate of Angkor Thom:
The largest temple within Angkor Thom is the Bayon. The temple has 54 towers, representing the 54 provinces of the Khmer Empire, each with faces facing the four cardinal directions.
On the walls of the Bayon, and many other temples, there are carvings, many telling Hindu epic tales or history. Another common carving is the Apsara, a sensual dancer. Also making many appearances are monkeys, elephants, and lotus flowers.
Next up was Baphuon and Phinean Akas, two more temples inside Angkor Thom. Each successive king of the empire added a new temple to the city. The foundation and walls of the temples are made of lava stone, but the facades are sandstone to enable the intricate carvings. No mortar was used to build the temples, only stones fit together.
Last stop in Angkor Thom were the Elephant Terrace and Terrace of the Leper King. Both had intricate carvings on the walls.
After lunch, we ventured further from town to see one of the oldest temples, Banteay Srei. The name means Citadel of the Women, supposedly because the carvings here are so intricate and beautiful, they must have been done by women (of course)!
On our way back to town, we stopped by a village to see how palm sugar is made. The local people are very resourceful and use the palm tree for everything - sugar, oil, fruit, roof thatching, and even weapons including very sharp spears. Many locals live in small, thatched, house on stilts.
Our final stop for the day was Ta Prohm temple. This temple is famous for the many silk cotton trees growing out of the ruins, and was also featured in the movie Tomb Raider (which the locals love to mention. They are also generally fond of Angelina Jolie, mentioning multiple times that she adopted a Cambodian child and has done much for humanitarian aid in Cambodia).
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