Cambodia: Angkor Wat, Day 1

My adventure exploring Angkor began this morning when Erin and I hopped onto our mode of transportation for the day: a motorbike. And it was not just the two of us on the bike this time...we had a driver, an adorable guy named Molde. That's right...three people sandwiched onto one motorbike...proper Cambodian style.

We pulled into the entrance of Angkor, and after much deliberation, settled on a three-day pass for the outrageous price of $40. We hopped back onto the bike for the quick jaunt to the main attraction: Angkor Wat, the largest religious building in the world. We wandered through the monument for a couple hours, climbing up and down extremely steep staircases while gazing in awe at the immaculate ruins. I was mostly entranced with the beautiful, detailed stone carvings that have been gracing the walls since the 9th century.

As we were leaving the wat, we were bombarded by little children selling postcards. Of course, we had to buy a pack each, feeling terrible for the other sad little faces around us. We then found a cafe for lunch, again being hassled by the kiddies. Some noodles, three scarves, and a U.S.A. trivia session later (after I told one child where I was from, she immediately said, U.S.A...capital, Washington D.C. What state? California? Ahhh...your governor is Arnold Scwarzeneggar...he was not born in the U.S., though, he is from Austria...), Erin and I found Molde and headed for our next stop: The Bayon.

The Bayon was my favorite attraction for the day. Built over 800 years ago, it is a large stone temple whose walls and towers are covered in enormous human faces and various reliefs depicting daily life in Cambodia. The eerie shadows that the sun cast over these faces made for quite a memorable experience.

After the Bayon, we headed to three other smaller temples: the Preah Khan, Neak Pean, and Ta Som. By this point we were quite "Templed Out," which coincided perfectly with the impending sunset. Therefore, our last stop of the day included a short hike up boulders and narrow steps to the top of Phnom Bakheng to relax and enjoy the view. Finally, as the sun was dipping low in the sky, Erin and I made our way back down the hill and crammed onto our motorbike. For some strange reason, the sight of a Cambodian and two blonde girls on one motorbike was amusing to not only other foreigners but to the locals as well. I thought it was perfectly normal not to be in a tuk-tuk like everyone else...hey, we had our own driver and a thrilling ride for just $8 a day, so I cannot complain!

Tomorrow we are going to brave the intense heat once again for another trip to Angkor.