Is the name of a bar in Siam Reap. If you buy two buckets, you get a t-shirt. I have a t-shirt.
Its been raining. Which is nice because it normally happens in the late afternoon, just when the heat is past my level of toleration. It has meant though that I’ve missed the sunset viewings each night. But, figuring I could maybe catch a sunrise sans rain (it’s just like a sunset, right? but in reverse?*), I got up at 4:30 this morning to catch a cloudy but pretty view of Angkor Wat. I’m not sure when the sun actually rose… but the pictures look quite nice.
[at some point I’ll post pictures on my Facebook. This blog is linked to Calvin’s flicker account and I don’t have his password. And my pictures are too big to load straight onto here. Annah’s videos here and Calvin’s photos here do a pretty good job of summing up what I’ve been seeing]
The temples have been amazing. Each one has something really different about it- Mebon is a maze of corridors, Neak Pean has these pretty symmetrical lakes, Bayon is a jumble of faces. And just when you start to think that you’ve got the hang of it and assume that some small temple (Prasat Kravan) is going to be ordinary or just a primitive version of the Angkor Wat- it turns out to have the most intricate bas reliefs inside. Personally I like the crumbly temples the best. It allows me to run around and pretend to be Lara Croft, or Indiana Jones, or that guy from Apocalypse Now.
As for the town of Siam Reap- all’s good. My hotel is cheap ($7/night), the food stalls are yummy, the temples and jungles are pretty, the night market has some cool handicrafts and pub street is full of people to meet.
*sarcasm. because I’ve always preferred sunsets. For one, they don’t happen at an ungodly hour. And (with the exception to monsoon season) they happen when its nice and warm outside, not cold and dewy. Lastly, the colors and clouds always look prettier (yay pollution particles).
thanks so much jess. that means a lot to me. we will definitely get dinner when i’m on the east coast. i want to hear whats going on with you too!
OK Steph, it’s taken me about 2.5 days to read through all of your trip, but I’ve finally finished. I’ve read every single word, completely captivated/borderline obsessive. I just want to tell you that I’m absolutely floored by your bravery, sense of adventure, and general faith in humanity. I have to admit that a few times, I read what you’d done or where you were going and thought “OMG! IS SHE CRAZY?”, but my envy of the experiences you’ve gained, and the incredible people you seem to be meeting, easily trumps any qualms I have, generated by western media stereotypes, of the places you’ve visited thus far. You absolutely have to promise me that when you get home, we can have a long dinner date where I can pour over your pictures and generally gush about how incredible I think you are. I heart you muchly. Get home safe!!!