Siem Reap June 2017

You guys! I love blogging when I travel but this time I decided to bring an actual journal. I got four days in before I realized I need to share Siem Reap with the world. No one is going to read my journal but two of you will read my blog.

This was my last "planned/not at all planned" part of the trip. Rachell has said it was a place to see and of course, Angor Wat is just a weeny bit famous. I got my tickets and place to stay with zero knowledge about anything just last week. Now, I'd be shocked if this place won't be my highlight of the summer!

"Why?" you may ask. Let me tell ya.

It's a huge city with a population of just under a million yet it feels reachable.  It's perfect. In a messy, dusty, authentic, friendly, delicious kind of way. It's everything I love about a new place. It has some rough parts, some nice parts, people from all over the world and locals eager to share a part of their life.

David, my airbnb host and a Canadian from another life, had my tuk tuk driver and personal tour guide Nak pick me up from the airport.

I lost an entire day due to my delayed flight but I enjoyed the local dinner at Khmer Grill and the beer at the roof top bar of my house. Did I mention that I have the entire house to myself? Yes, somehow I managed to rent the fanciest house in town. For $36 per night. Hostels nearby are anywhere between $3 and $13 so yes, in comparison I went a little nuts (the air conditioning is always worth it).

This morning Nak took me to a side of the road restaurant where my pork and rice and soup and coffee was an incredible breakfast. Even if that sounds like a lot of food it wasn't and if it was who cares, it was delicious! 

We went to a local market where the fish is still bopping around, crickets are marinated and ready for consumption and you get to decide how you want your frog legs. 

For my morning exploration, off I went to a cooking class by Jean Luc,  a French man who seemingly owns half of the restaurants in  the touristy part of town. Alongside, there was a lawyer from Munich who is quitting his everything as of January 1st and will travel the world for the next three years. A Thai girl who grew up in Toronto and her Australian boyfriend shooting the cooking lesson for her TV show.  And then there was me, just trying to figure out how the &#%@ does someone cut a chilly pepper so small! (Pic of the spicy shrimp salad I made is attached)

The food was tasty and the company great but the heat, OMG, Siem Reap, get it together,  I can't handle 95 degree heat and the same percentile of humidity. 

I had a couple of hours to rest (read above about the AC!) and then it was time to get my 5:30 am ticket to Angor Wat ticket for tomorrow. That ticket also included a sunset entrance for tonight which naturally needed to happen. 

As I approached the temple I asked two guys (one German and one Portuguese) to take a picture of me. I try so hard to not just come home with selfies and that requires some communication! One guy laughingly obliged and we started talking. Rather soon we were told that the sunset is not this way, it's that a-way. 2.5 kilometers to be exact. And this is where meeting people pays off. If I were with a friend I would have whined that it was too far and too late. If I were solo I would have gone home. But here I had two people determined to find this "high mountain" to catch the sunset regardless of my plans. I couldn't miss out! 

Once we found the hill, I was told I couldn't go up since I wasn't covered up. Bad planning! I have my temple wear for tomorrow but didn't think about it for today. No worries, the German guy whips out his sweat handkerchief and up we continue. 

After the 3 mile hike, I no longer felt guilty about my cooking class and the second, third and fourth helping of dessert at lunch. This trek was going to be worth it! And oh man, it didn't disappoint!!!

Pics to come, of course, but in the meantime here are some thoughts in no particular order:

-Breakfast $2, dinner $5, beer $.50. I can do this. 

-Was that a water buffalo that just ran by? 

-Any city that has Gloria Jeans automatically becomes awesome. 

- I should make it a rule to only travel to places where monkeys randomly pop out of nowhere  

-Driving here makes Hanoi look like a relaxing stroll in the park.

Almost a million people here? Zero traffic lights. (Edit: I have since discovered 2 in the 30 km radius)

Traffic in front? Go in the left lane.

Lanes? What? That's just silly. No such thing, even when it comes to which side of the road you drive on.

-Girls, travel alone! Yes, do some homework and make sure to pick safe places but man, there are so many more male solo travelers than female. 

-A student I've had for the last two years wanted to know how she can help with my school supplies fundraisers for abroad in the near future. She is an incredible artist and was hoping we could collect art supplies. I told her I'd think about it and get back to her. Forward to today: walk into a gallery that helps children in poverty create art.  All ages, many villages in the area and the art just beautiful. Read more at http://www.colorsofcambodia.org/m/index.php I can't wait to get back to Logan and make a difference in Siem Reap! 

In the meantime, I need to start planning my next trip here. Yes, it's one of "those" places.