TheOdom4 : December 2014

I just checked out the blog page because it has been a while since I posted anything, and I found out I had never finished the story of Cambodia. So, while my heart is set on getting to NH in 14 days, I have to rewind, and try to remember what these pictures are all about!

When we last left you we were boarding the little plane from Phnom Pehn to Siem Reap. This is the view of Siem Reap from the plane (sorry for the crooked horizon, it was out the plane window).

Another shot from the plane, this is the Tonle Sap, a huge lake/river that makes up the central part of Cambodia.
As we land in Siem Reap we realize that it is a lot different from Phnom Pehn. This is definitely more our pace. While PP is a big city, SR is a smaller town, with a much less hurried pace.

We head to the Old Town for some shopping. The street is lined with little stalls and open air shops, and of course, tuk-tuks.

The kids see the fish massage, and they are in!

Pooks getting nibbled.

This is the inside of the market. There are different sections, this one is the veggies, there are some for meats, fish, clothing, bags, tourist stuff. The food fine and looks great, but the fish area is something else. We had a hard time with the smell, and so we got out of that part pretty quick.

More of the Old Town... we took a photo of this because behind is a Mexican restaurant and we wanted to be able to find it again!

The next day we have arranged a tour of the different Wats, which I think means temple. We start out early and head to Ankor Thom,

Angkor Thom was the last capital city of the Khemer empire, and it was built in the 12th century. If you look, you can see faces everywhere. They built the faces to look to the four directions.

This is the main entrance. All of the walls have amazing carvings on them, but it is hard to take pictures of it and have it come out well.

If you are interested, you can see some amazing stuff from this link:

http://www.lakshmisharath.com/2013/12/05/bass-reliefs-bayon-angkor-thom-cambodia/

This is really what it looks like, and this guy obviously has a better camera than I do!

Next to Angkor Thom is this temple.

There isn't a window there, but the kids were doing this cool pose. It doesn't look real, does it???

These guys were injured by land mines during the Khmer Rouge times, and now are musicians, with DVDs and CDs.

So, I didn't really know anything about the Killing Fields, or the Khmer Rouge, and I still don't know much, but I learned that among other things, the Khmers wanted complete self-sufficiency, and implemented extreme agricultural reform. The yield per hectare was to be three tons of rice. This picture makes me think of that.

If you are curious about the history of the Khmer Rouge, this is a brief summary:

http://www.cambodiatribunal.org/history/cambodian-history/khmer-rouge-history/

One of the most impressive things about visiting these temples in Cambodia is just imagining how much time it took to carve each of these doors, entryways, walls. It is just amazing!

Bandea Srey Temple is made of red limestone.

Finally we make it to Ankor Wat. One of the most famous temples in Cambodia, and a debated member of the seven wonders of the world, it is really amazing. BTW, does anyone know what the seven wonders of the world actually are? What we came up with are: Pyramids, hanging gardens somewhere... and that is about it. Some we thought were wonders, like the Grand Canyon, but not sure if they are on the list. So, if you know, or if you find a link on Google, please share!

Pretty cool, huh?

For all of the beauty and splendor, this is what I take a photo of? I just wish they had made the tail out of a more durable material than limestone! And on that note, it is time to head back to the hotel.

The next day we are back in the van for another round of seeing new stuff.

We head through the woods on a red clay road for about an hour, winding and climbing, on our way to see three things.

The first is this river with a thousand lingas. A linga is a stone carving, like a circle in a circle in a circle. They were carved by monks and the water passing over them is sanctified by the carvings. Also, up a little ways is this natural spring, which looks so cool. Since I can't post the videos in here, I'll put them on FB, and you can be amazed there!

The second stop is this mountain top temple.

With a humongous reclining Buddha.

And on our way to the last stop, we get to feel like an extra in an Indiana Jones movie and walk across this bridge!

Walking by the houses.

To this amazing waterfall.

Back in the van, and heading back into town.

As we are driving, the guide pulls over when he sees this on the side of the road. Honey! And bee larvae. The honey comb is wiggling, as the larvae squirm around.

Here is RMan holding one of the larvae on his finger.

Now, let me just stop for one moment and talk about the experience of being travelers, and growing up far from home, and always being expected to accept other cultures, and to understand that not everyone is like you are.

It is a pretty amazing thing to see that in your kids. Cambodia is not most kids dream vacation spot. They are only 30 years past a devastating civil war that included mass genocide. There are places you can't walk because of land mines. About 1.7 million people died during that time. The country of Cambodia has one of the youngest populations in Southeast Asia, with 66% of the population being under 30, and 19% of children under 5 are underweight. And so, the point of this rambling is that Cambodians have had it rough for the past 40 years.