Our second to last stop was in Siem Reap, Cambodia. This is the old capital of Cambodia and home to Angkor Wat. If you haven't heard of Angkor Wat, I believe it was named one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, and rightfully so. Cambodia is known to be a dangerous place, however I didn't feel endangered once in the small town of Siem Reap. However, if you venture just a few miles outside of this tourist town, the countryside is filled with run down homes and people living off of a mere $500 per year. The devastation from the mines and killing fields in this country a few years ago is incredible moving.
The first day we arrived we decided to rest from our flight, shop and explore the markets. Everything in this town, like many in Asia, is overpriced. You must bargain to get a price even close to market prices, even then you are still probably getting screwed. The market owners were not quite happy with Amanda and I. Since we had been living and traveling in Asia for a while, we knew that you shouldn't pay more than three USD for a scarf, and only a few dollars for jewelry. They were really unhappy when they asked for $18 and we said $2, but generally we would only pay about $3 for items that were "priced" at $18. Oh, and the funny thing about Cambodia is that they took USD everywhere we went, even the menu at restaurants were placed in USD. The exchange rate to Cambodian Riel is about 4000/$1 and the Cambodian currency fluctuates regularly. It's no wonder that they wanted to use USD.
The meals in Cambodia were about $3 per meal. But the meals were less of a meal and more of a feast - elaborate Western food with many courses, fresh fruit, great wine... a tourist's cheap paradise. Cambodian's speak Khmer and their local food is very similar to all Asian food, but much sweeter. We enjoyed some great curry and beef one night as our local meal, but by this time in the trip we had had enough Asian food. It will be many more months before I can stomach any fried rice, sweet and sour anything, or Indian food.
As we were walking down the busy streets, there were many foot "massage" pools filled with hundreds of little fish. We had seen these in Thailand but been to chicken to try, so before we left Asia we both sucked it up and stuck our feet in. The fish nibbled on our toes ever so lightly, removing the bacteria and dead skin. At first I wanted to pull my feet out and wash them with antibacterial soap, but after a while it became enjoyable until a huge fish decided to suck on my toes. Gross. We ended our first night with a $10 hour massage, and that was even overpriced for Cambodia.
The next morning we hired a tuk tuk for the day to take us all around Angkor Wat. There were so many temples! The first stop was at Angkor Wat itself. Each and every inch of the building was covered in carvings... the Khmer had to have taken years and decades to carve each and every inch of this beautiful structure. We spent the rest of the day hiking up each of the remains of the building and interpreting how the architecture varied from the other Asian cultures. We would return a few days later to catch the sunrise at Angkor Wat, a must see! Check out my pictures, the handy work was absolutely incredible.
The best part of our trip to Cambodia was teaching English at a local orphanage. Our hotel had advertised the ability to teach English and Amanda and I jumped at the opportunity. Each of us had wanted to experience this at some point in our lives, but couldn't find the courage to commit a few years right out of college. But this would be just as good. We arrived at the orphanage to find unairconditioned buildings, dark classrooms, and many, many children playing outside. The owner of the orphanage had lived a middle class life and sold all of his belongings to open this orphanage. He currently sleeps on a mattress in the office and dedicates his life to the children. There were 66 orphans in this area ranging from 3 to 19 years old. Each of them had been sponsored to go to private school and learn just as other kids in the area would.
The manager of the orphanage gave us a tour to show us where the kids ate, how they slept on the floor (which is typical in Asia anyways) and what their needs at the orphanage are. Many westerners come for weeks or months at a time to volunteer teaching. The orphanage arranges living and meals for the volunteers at a discounted price and welcomes anyone who wants to come and impact these children's lives. The children perform a show of typical Khmer dance every night for tourists in order to raise money for their living expenses. Some may find this cruel and unusual, but the kids enjoyed it and rotated performing each night.
The last day of our trip we taught the children all day - playing bingo to learn numbers, reading books, practicing the alphabet, and coloring pictures of English words. I have much, much more respect for anyone who can go to another country and teach children who only know a few words of English. I was exhausted by the end of the day, but felt so rewarded. I really hope I made a difference in these children's lives.
We said our good-byes to the children and headed off to the airport to make our long, long journey back home. More to come tomorrow!
Cambodia Photos
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