Siem Reap - Part 1

After a six hour long bus ride, my group finally arrived in Siem Reap.  We were cramped and exhausted.  We found a tuk tuk and made our way to the hostel.  It was dark, dusty and quiet compared to Phnom Penh.As we reached the hostel, I noticed it was quaint to say the least. 

Alexa and I entered our room and I immediately spotted a dead cockroach.  There was no air conditioning (big surprise) and the bed looked quite questionable.  Without fretting too much, we dropped our bags and headed out for a bite.

Katie, Nikki, Nuno, Stephanie, Alexa and I decided on a place and sat down to eat.  I ordered a margarita and began to unwind.  Just as I was starting to relax, a creepy, middle aged white man came in with 4 Cambodian children.  They ordered food and ate as he eyed them.  The whole thing freaked me out and I could no longer enjoy my tequila or my food.  With all the news reports dealing with sex trafficing/slavery, I was watching that man like a hawk.  I never saw anything inappropriate so when we left I tried to think positively.

The next morning we had to wake at 4:00am.  It was rough.  We wanted to arrive at Angkor Wat by 6:00 to watch the sunrise.  Little did we know that the cloud coverage would spoil any and all plans of a beautiful sunrise.  Even without the morning sun, the temples were absolutely magical.  The size and design were jaw dropping. 

As I walked through the stone walls of Angkor Wat, I came across a monk.  I put a donation in his box and he immediately grabbed my hand.  While tying a small, red bracelet around my wrist, he chanted a prayer and blew air on my paw tattoo.  It was nice and made me feel great. 

However awe inspiring Angkor Wat was, it had quite a few downsides.  The beggers and sellers got on my last nerve.  They were all throughout the temples and there was no escaping them.  Imagine being at the mall and all the kiosk workers come running up to you, follow you after you've said no and some get too close for comfort.  All the harassment took away from my experience at the Temple.  By the end of the tour, a few of us were so tired that we viewed the last temple from the comfort of our tuk tuk.  I was spent and ready for lunch. 

Back in Siem Reap, we had lunch at great place called Soup Dragon.  I had a delicious frozen watermelon drink, a salad and veggie spring rolls.    I believe everyone enjoyed their meal!

After lunch I headed tthe markets.  I haggled my way to some excellent and cheap items.  Ready for a nap, I set out for the hostel.  Somehow getting turned around, It took me almost 3 hours to find my way.  It should have taken me 5 minutes...  As I finally got back to the hostel, the girls were headed to get a massage.  I joined them and walked 5 minutes into town.

To be continued...