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Sunday 25th February
We get up early to see sunrise at Angkor Wat and I'm not disappointed. It's beautiful and quite huge. We walk towards the temple and the cicada's start their morning call just as the sun begins to light up the sky. There are so many people here, it's like making a pilgrimage to mecca. Then the monks start chanting, and the temple is reflected in the water of the lake, so it's all quite a spiritual experience.
We go inside and I climb up (and I mean literally climb up) stairs that you just wouldn't be allowed up in the UK for health and safety reasons. I've included a picture of people climbing down the other side as they have installed a handrail to help you get down again. It's quite exhilarating.
We walk around the massive bas-reliefs and read about the stories which are generally depicting war scenes with lots of demons and gods riding on their garudas (guardians).
We go on the Ta Prohm temple where Tomb Raider was filmed and fight with the Japanese tourists groups to get pictures of the amazing trees.
We talk to a woman with her child who was playing in the dirt and I buy a small ganesh (the elephant god) as she lets us take a picture of her child who is just beautiful (see photo of child in orange t-shirt).
It's just lovely here with the trees growing up amongst the ruins, when you can get away from the Japanese tourists!
We take a ride in the static balloon which goes up 150 metres. The only allow 8 people inside the cage and if you all stand on one side the cage tips precariously. It's very hazy and quite windy so we're relieved when we reach the ground.
We head over to Bayon which features around 100 faces built into the temple stones. Apparently they are in the image of the king who had the temple built - how very narcissistic.
I talk to some of the children trying to sell us postcards and make a joke with one boy that we didn't want his postcards but would pay a dollar to buy him instead. We then offer him the dollar in exchange for a photo but he still thinks we want to buy him and won't take it; after which a very funny and animated exchange happens where his friends (who understand what's going on) try to get him to take the money which he does in the end along with a huge look of relief. Then he continues to try to sell us the postcards! Hilarious.
We head back to Angkor Wat for sunset and talk to one of the book sellers who kindly offers us seats to watch the sunset. The people here are lovely, they welcome the tourists and aren't bitter about them yet. We chat with a monk who comes here to improve his english by talking with tourists. He is going to stay as a monk for the next 4 years as they pay for his education at university, then he'll leave and hopefully do something with his business and economics degree.
Monday 26th February
We travel out to Khompon Phluek today first by tuk-tuk, then motorbike, then we head down the Tonle Sap river to the Tonle Sap lake in a boat. As it's dry season there aren't many tourists and we have the whole boat and whole village to ourselves.
It's amazing to see how these people live with houses on massive stilts as the river floods to 4 times it's size in wet season. They catch shrimp mostly by standing almost submersed in water and using nets. The shrimp jump out of the water as we go by.
They also farm crocodiles to which they keep in wooden crates built with chicken wire, until they are large enough to be sold for bags, shoes or as chinese medicine.
The boat driver is blind in one eye. Apparently it's common for many children to become deaf or blind from untreated infections due to lack of medical care and the cost.
We sit with the owner of the boa and his extended family of 8 who all live in the house. I go to the toilet which is so high up and look down between the loose floorboards to see a pig wander past - nice!
We go up to the school and are asked to buy oranges for the children. What I didn't realise was that we would get mobbed for them. See photo.
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