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Today we left Poipet early at 6am so we could get to Siem Reap which is the city right near Angkor Wat. The taxi picked us up at the house and we just had coffee before saying our goodbyes. Who knows if we will ever see the people at Poipet again unless it is in Heaven? But the time of fellowship we had was very memorable. Aunt Marylou had warned us about how extremely bumpy the ride was going to be, with the unpaved roads as the main highway. I saw plenty of very thin cows that reminded me of the pictures in the Bible of the sacrificial animals, there were houses built on sticks, red clay roads, children bathing in brown river water, plenty of rice fields and just the humdrum of everyday farm life. J We had to change taxis at the main town of the North-West Province due to some kind of tire problems. There was some rain along the way but nothing too bad that would have kept the ride longer than 4hours. As you get closer to Siem Reap the roadway becomes paved and makes for a quick travel. We found a decent guesthouse that was $15 a night with its own bathroom, two beds, a TV, fridge and Air conditioning.
After putting our things away in our rooms (we had two, one for my cousin and me and the other for Pastor Bastes, our guide/chaperoneJ) Pastor found a tuk-tuk to rent for the whole day. The tuk-tuk or taxi as what they call them here, took us to get tickets for Angkor Wat ($20 per person for a one day pass, no refunds!) and then we had lunch inside. It was at a small café type place across the street from the main temple, Angkor Wat, and our taxi just waited for us in the parking lot. Lunch was Fish Amok and Chicken Amok (a soup type dish that was very delicious!), ginger beef, rice and for drinks fresh coconut juice. The juice was so fresh you had the whole coconut and a straw to drink the juice!
The main temple of Angkor Wat is so huge! We climbed steps, walked in hallways that had carvings on the walls of life in the olden days. It was awesome!!!!! I had only read about this ancient place in Encyclopedias and history books but to be there walking on steps built 1000's of years ago. It is mind-boggling! I must admit when I got my first glimpse of the place I was almost brought to tears. But I didn't cry my heart was just filled to overflowing with the awe I felt. It was the same feeling I had when we walked down the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem almost 10 years ago. Of course Sebastien came along and had his picture taken within the buildings. The tallest temple steps were blocked off and we couldn't climb up to see the whole place. They are building wooden steps so you have a better grip walking up since the old steps are small, steep and being worn out. We saw monkeys that were eating food the tourist gave some people burned incense at the foot of some of the Buddha statues still inside the temple so you could smell that along with the jungle air.
Our taxi then took us to another temple sight where it was mostly a huge wall area you could walk around but from there you could see across the trail some small house-like buildings. The air was thick with humidity and when we got into the taxi to go to the temple where a scene from 'Laura Croft Tomb Raider' was shot the rain fell down. It was short but heavy rain. Fortunately by the time we got to Ta Phrom (the ruin sight of the movie) the rain stopped. At this sight you could see how the forest took over the ruins, the roots taking hold of the stones. Wow!!! It felt a little surreal walking around the forest and seeing the temples with the rock carvings of faces and plants.
By the time we finished going around the whole Angkor Wat area our feet were aching. The nice thing about Cambodia I'm beginning to find out is that they take American dollars. For a one hour foot massage it was only $6! My cousin enjoyed her first experience and I must say my feet don't hurt at all. Now to just get that Thai massage for my neck and shoulders! For dinner we had buffet at this place down the road from our guesthouse. There was a show along with the dinner but we were so tired from getting up in the morning that we left early. The show was okay but it was slow and putting my cousin and I to sleep. Also the battery on my digital camera was dying and I was only able to take a few pictures. So we went back to our rooms and ended up watching a movie on TV before falling asleep.
Tomorrow we go to the capital city of Cambodia, Phnom Phen. It will be another 4 hour taxi ride but this time we don't have to wake up early like today. I hope you will enjoy the pictures I took of Angkor Wat and it can give you a glimpse of such an ancient civilization.
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