Dara Guest House Siem Reap

... fish massage place (Dr Fish) and jumped in. The fish eating your dead skin cells is, in a couple of words, just freakin' amazing. So good. Price comes with a cold beer so that was enjoyable too.
We checked out the rest of the night market, picked up some gifts for people, and then went to a pizza place, as we were craving Western food. Full of nom.
Headed home, tired but happy. Hasn't been a full day but it was exhausting. More templing tomorrow, methinks!

... late,reputedly a great place to view the rise and fall of the sun over the distant Angkor Wat.The 10 minutes walk uphill to the pyramid like building was a waste, by the time I reached there, almost all available spaces have been taken up by hundreds of tourists.I have to scrap my idea of photographing the sunset which require the use of a tripod.If you want to watch the sunset, go a bit early, early bird catches the worm.

Ta Prohm, where the jungle ...

... airport.

Straight into the terminal, after filling out a visa form I handed it to an official, along with $20 and a passport photo, and within a few minutes had a shiny new Cambodian visa. I headed down the corridor then outside, where Thuer, a tuk-tuk driver from my hostel, was waiting, holding a board adorned with my name. I hopped into his vehicle, and, delighted by the cool box on the floor containing some fizzy refreshments, I selected a 7Up ...

... Srei playing all kinds of instruments most of which I've never seen but I'd love to give them a try sometime. A large instrument in the front row captured my eye and I couldn't figure out whether it was a string instrument or some form of percussion. The only "instrument " that I recognized and I've actually played before was the 'leaf'. Yes there was a guy up front with a leaf in his mouth. If you've ever played the leaf ...

... t think it seemed really necessary and as my head was full all the gruesome stuff I'd just seen at Toul Sleng (skulls with holes in them), I found it rather chilling.

It's worth remembering that the last of the Khmer Rouge was only rooted out at the end of the 1990's and their hide-outs were here in this province, so it has only known peace since 1992, when the UN stepped in to broker a peace of sorts.( After the Vietnamese had left in ...

... it very easy to visit here. (Hint, everybody. Don't change money at the airport. The exchange rate is not very good. In general, it's 4000 riel to the dollar. 4100 to be exact. The restaurants and shops all use 4000 to the American Dollar - much easier math! Four 1000 Riel notes to one dollar. There is no metal change here, only paper notes.)

The food is all in one section of the old market. The smells are quite odd ...

... star resorts and colonial-style buildings full of sidewalk cafes and restaurants. This was a stark contrast with the bamboo shacks nearby which hung over the severely polluted river where children swam in. We finally arrived to our hostel which is run by an Aussie couple (or Kiwi, I still can't distinguish the accents) which was like an oasis amidst the desperation all around. We checked in and decided to check out places around the city for the rest of the day ...

... the tuk-tuk driver took us back to the hostel for a well-earned (and most appreciated) cool shower. Never felt so good to not have hot water...
We both think it was one of the most amazing experiences you can have (granted no, neither of us have been through child birth) and we reckon everyone should see it. Kind of makes you feel pretty small and insignificant in the whole scheme of things. And really impressed what humans ...

... of Ta Prohm.



I've forgotten which gate that we entered, only remember either from East to West or West to East ...

... makes Angkor and its Khmer architecture an eighth wonder in itself. Cambodians and the temple don't just pride themselves on it but also the money and profligacy it generates.
Angkor Wat has a feel of 'see Naples and Die' to it so it was inevitable that I'd throw in the towel and buy a ticket. However, $40 for three days wasn't a bad deal, even though on day three you have to make the effort to get out and see the last of the temple's complexes ...