We are staying in a little guest house called Angkor Villas, an web though this is the low season, there aren't many people here and we've gotten in credible service. We opted for the budget type room, but it was a big bed, comfy and it was a good place to sleep after climbing around an up and down temple ruins all day. The food was excellent, the staff greeted us by name every morning, and they were great at recommending a tuk-tuk driver to drive us around all day on our temple excursions (Jut-nee was amazing by the way, he waited patiently for us at each temple, recommended places for lunch, came back and drive us to dinner, and one of the nights, successfully navigates us through about 2 feet of flooding rain water in the streets of Siem Reap(Ahhhh!)). They also recommended a dinner buffet/Cambodian traditional dance show one night and a really yummy Cambodian BBQ place another night (yum- grilled Tiger Shrimp!). All that said an done, my memory of our guest house will be severely eclipsed by the fun and adventure we had wandering around the temple ruins of the Ancient Angkor times. They were phenomenal, I am sad to see the last one because I would live to see them all. We took 3 days of touring and we still haven't seen every one! Most people know of Angkor Wat, the biggest and most famous temple grounds, but that wasn't my favorite by far. We had a blast pulling up in our little motorcycle driven carriage, fending off, ignoring, or actually buying water/postcards/scarves from the hawkers outside the temples, children asking, "lady, you buy silk scarves? You buy from me? I sell you good price". It was hard to say no to the little girls (one actually just set her bracelet on my shoulder so I would come back and buy from her on the way out (which I totally did...sucker).
The temples themselves were unbelievable. We walked in through a gate to one of the temples that has amazing banyon trees growing up from the walls, an I actually commented to Ryan about how it looked fake, it actually looked like a movie set!! It was so surreal! You could basically just wander around to your hearts content, snapping pictures (which will never do it justice) and taking in all the ornate sandstone details that are found carved on almost every wall, pillar and tower you could see. The moss and trees, the sun beating down, sweat running down as you climb heart-stopping steep steps up to the 'heaven' level of a temple...it's so out of this world. It was actually easy to imagine the kings, the wives, the harrams, servants, guards, elephants all of them living in a place so divine. I can see why they built it. Completely breathtaking beauty and awe.
The countryside, although poor, was inviting, and warm. We passed many rice fields, dotted with palm trees, water buffalo and cows grazing as we zoomed past, stilted houses and people selling fruit, goods, water, palm oil. I love seeing how others live.
Cambodia, I have fallen in love with you and your history. I don't know if I'll be back, but I'm pretty sure you changed my life. I go to sleep dreaming of faces on towers, and it is peace.
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