Angkor

Suas'dei,

Right, Ban Lung. I seemed to spend a lot of time lost and dusty in Ban Lung. The first day I went looking for a couple of waterfalls. They were signed off the main road, but never again. I didn't find any, but I did get a nice 10 km walk through little villages were the kids would see me and come running out screaming "Hello! How are you? What's your name?". In one a little girl actually held my hand for the entire walk through the village. It was kinda cute. That night I met a bunch of really interesting other travelers and reconnected with a few from my bus from Laos. We've been on a similar schedule so I've hung out with them in basically every town in Cambodia. The second day I rented a bike to go to a volcanic lake about 5km outside of town. It was the worst bike ever and walking would have been much easier. Plus I got completely lost in a very hot and hilly area. But all this made the lake that much more refreshing when I got there. It was lovely!

From Ban Lung I headed to Kratie. Our bus broke down three times on the way (not at all unusual in Cambodia). Kratie is located on the Mekong River which makes fo great sunset watching. I joined a couple of other travelers and we took motorbikes (we didn't drive them, rode on the back) 15km north of town to get on a boat and see the endangered Irwaddy dolphins that live in the river. These are interesting in that they look much more like whales than any dolphins I have ever seen. They just kind of skim the surface making taking photos tough but we saw loads of them (and considering there are only about 75 left, that was impressive!). They are endangered because of fishing and also because the Khmer Rouge used to throw grenades into the Mekong when they were in power. After dolphin watching we went to a place called "the rapid"which is a group of bamboo huts on the river where the locals come to swim and hang out. It was Cambodian Women's Day so there were loads of people there. Our tour finished with a visit to a temple on a hill with great views (and about a million steps). I met a really cool French girl who is working for an NGO in Phnom Penh so I totally pumped her for information. I really didn't know much about the terrible things that went on in Cambodia just a few decades ago. When you are here though, remnants, signs, and information are everywhere. If you are interested, I recommend reading "First They Killed My Father".

From Kratie I decided to spend a night in Kampong Cham to break up the trip to Siem Reap. The best part was the bamboo bridge that the locals construct every dry season to link the town to an island in the Mekong. The bridge looks like it will collapse any second, yet motorbikes and horse carts and bicycles ply it constantly. I walked across to check it out. Also worthy of note was massive thunderstorm. I have been traveling in the dry season so with the exception of a quick shower in Khao Sok in late January, I have not seen rain since December. Needless to say, I loved it!

OK, Siem Reap and the temples of Angkor. Siem Reap is a total tourist town with loads of restaurants, markets, internet cafes, bars, and massage studios. It is expanding rapidly and I am glad I am here now and not in a few years. The temples of Angkor, however, are just amazing. Totally worth all the hype. I opted for the 3 day pass (thanks for the advice TK, Kara, Mish, Jaclyn and Erik). Day one I got a tuk tuk to take me on the short circuit where I saw Angkor Wat (incredible, but crowded), Angkor Thom (a group of temples and terraces), and a few other temples including the "Tomb Raider Temple" where they shot the movie. This one is also worth the hype because the forest has totally taken over and it really feels like you are in ruins in the middle of the jungle. There are a couple of smaller temples with a similar vibe and less crowds which were even better! Day two at Angkor I joined some guys from my guesthouse to watch the sunrise at Angkor. They were doing the circuit I had done the day before so I walked up to the Grand Circuit. I only got to four more temples on foot because they are 2-4 km apart (look closer on the map). So I hired a moto and headed up to Banteay Srei which is about 30 km away. My last day of temple climbing I went to the Rolous group which are the earliest temples and then caught the disappointing sunset from Pre Rup. I splurged on a hotel with a pool for my last 2 nights in Siem Reap which was terrific! It really gets ridiculously hot during the day. Oh and I forgot to mention the Doctor Fish. I did it twice. For $3 you get 15 minutes with your feet in a shallow pool filled with little fish who eat the dead skin. It tickles like mad at first but then you get used to it. After your feet are much softer and smoother. Definitely an experience!

Today I left Siem Reap and am in Phnom Penh for a couple of days before I head south to the Cambodian beach and then into Vietnam. I'll try to get a couple of pictures added in the next day or so. All for now.