Angkor Wat - Siem Reap

My new French traveling friends and me in front of Tha Prohm

The faces at Bayone

Angkor Wat

Too many Wats to remember which Wat this was...What Wat?

Bantey Srei at sunset

I finally made it to Cambodia after quite a few days diving and bumming around the beach in the Gulf of Thailand. Of course no one wants to hear about the beautiful beaches etc when it is crapping from the sky in NYC so I will spare you the details....

My border crossing into Cambodia was quite an experience where I was asked to pay a "special stamping and border crossing tax fee" I negotiated my fee down quite a bit but still had to pay ten extra dollars.... I got ripped off but not too badly. This exchange pretty much sums up how things work in Cambodia. Nothing has a set price. On a side note, the agents offered me beer and fried beef (that was delicious) while I waited for my cab. Strange sharing a beer and toasting with people that just ripped you off...

So, after traveling by ferry, night train, bus and cab, I arrived in Siem Reap to fulfill one of my childhood dreams. The dream of exploring Angkor Wat. Of course in my childhood fantasy, I'm wearing a safari hat with a machete strapped to my waist whilst riding on an elephant. Unfortunately this did not end up being the case... What remains true to my fantasy are the majestical temples and the heartbreakingly beautiful carvings out of pink sandstone that are stunning and bewildering. (The photos that I have posted really do not capture this well enough... the glaring sunlight and the fact that all I have with me is a cheapie point and shoot... I made do... on another note, per some of your requests I posted more pictures with me in it)

As for the rest of the fantasy.... in lieu of the elephant I opted for the more practical bicycle. I do have to mention that riding a bicycle in Cambodia is a harrowing and frightening experience. First of all, the population of Siem Reap is over 90,000 and there are only two traffic lights....... Supposedly, people drive on the right side of the street.... So far I haven't seen anyone following this basic rule of traffic. My entire body is flooded with adrenaline every second while I am riding and I have to vigorously turn my neck to look around so that I can stay alive! Yesterday, I got caught in rush hour traffic and my mind switched over to a trance like state where I became one with the traffic (not really in a Zen like way... it was more like my mind sheltering me from the stress and trauma....) I was dodging upside down pigs strapped to the back of a moto, motorized food carts, people running out into traffic, a five person family riding on a single moto etc. I maneuvered with such fluidity that I believe it was divine intervention of a traffic deity that got me home in tact.

Some folks have been asking me about what the food is like here. The Khmer food here is deeelish! Yum! The food is not very spicy in comparison with Thailand. The sauces are more black pepper based and is a bit thicker almost like a gravy consistency. They have a special black pepper that is called the Kampot pepper that is a bit more sour in taste than the ones we get back in the states. The most famous dish in these parts is called the Fish Amok which is fish with onion, coconut cream, slivers of red pepper and some other spices (not sure which ones exactly...) wrapped in a banana leaf and steamed. Very tasty! I have to say that my favorite is a very simple dish called Beef Lok Lak which is beef (cubed fillet) with a thickened garlicky black pepper sauce. It is served on a bed of green tomatoes and sliced onions and it comes with a spicy lemony sauce that is to die for!

Now I am now off to Phnom Phen!

By the way, thank you for all your comments and your words of encouragement! It means a lot when traveling alone :)

XO-M