Angkor Wat. Wat Wat?

After a transit day on Wednesday that involved 10
hours on buses and 3 hours crossing the Thai/Cambodia
border (more fun than it sounds like), I was ready
for some physical activity. It may have been nice to
ease into it, however the 35 degree heat and 70%
humidity around the clock made that idea impossible.

The physical activity itself involved 2 days of exploring and climbing around the ruins of Angkor Wat and it's surrounding temples. The buildings vary in
age between 800 and 1000 years old and are in
relatively good condition, however the tourist
industry is quickly changing their stability as more
and more people climb and jump around the sandstone
ruins.

This morning I dragged myself out of bed at
5am to see the sun rise over the main temple, which
was a calming experience after the outgoing pre-dawn
motorcycle adventure.

On the roads in Cambodia, it is
a case of 'do what you can not to run into
someone/something'or get out of the way if it is
bigger than you. eg truck carrying 40 pigs.

The ruins are very imprortant to the Khmer people
both spiritually and financially, with the nearby
town of Siem Reap being almost entirely dependent on
the tourist traffic. The 'Tomb Raider' films with Angelina Jolie were filmed here a few years ago, which apparently has helped raise the region's international profile considerably.

Apparently it is the quiet time
of the year at the moment, however the town doesn't
seem to shut down, with bustling markets and
thousands of motorcycles in various forms running all
hours I was awake.

The food is fantastic, with the street stall
merchants doing all they can to entice you into their
tent for a meal. Last night i recieved a cooking
lesson with my meal from a 14 year old chef, who also
gave me directions to an establishment that sold 2
litre buckets (literally buckets) of 'whiskeycola'
for $3. Ladyboys were extra.

The accomodation broke
the bank though at $4 per night for a perosnal air
conditioned room. Nice one.