Annnd then Cambodia!
After saying a not-too-sad goodbye to Sarah and Jaclyn (I would see them at home in a month or so), Eef and I enjoyed our last bowl of phở in Ho Chi Minh City, killed some time drinking coffee and writing postcards, and then got on our bus to Phnom Penh. The sleeper bus was double, had some nasty blankets and broken air con, and drove for far longer than we had been told it would, but hey, we made it!
In Phnom Penh, we got on another bus to Siem Reap almost immediately, this one totally swank with seat covers, free water, a welcome pastry, air con and free wifi.
I was a little under the weather with a cold/cough at this point, so we decided to take it easy the next day. We wandered a market, bought some souvenirs, and signed up for a cooking class that afternoon, which turned out to be spectacular. Who knew Eef was such a great cook? And our teacher was wonderful.
After thoroughly enjoying the fruits of our labour, we rented bikes for the next day and enjoyed a drink on the balcony at our hostel watching a distant storm, heading to bed a little later than hoped for.
Morning came early, and we were on our bikes, through the gates with tickets and at Angkor Wat just in time to see the grey clouds lighten imperceptibly. So much for a great sunrise. Haha. We marveled at the size Angkor Wat, demolished our delicious panda cookies for breakfast, climbed the hill for some spectacular views, delighted in the huge city gates and 216 faces of Angkor Thom, enjoyed lunch and a nap in our hammocks above the North Gate, loved the Preah Khan fusion temple for its untidyness and ruin, checked Ta Prohm off the list (also known as the Tomb Raider Temple, thanks to Lara Croft running around in it in a movie), and watched the sun set from the very top of Ta Keo. A long day, but a fantastic one. Eefje, you're the best!
Angkor Wat:
Breakfast:
Angkor Thom:
Angkor Thom was originally a palace; the faces are the faces of the king.
There were still some active worship sites scattered throughout the complex:
The outside walls were covered in carvings of daily life outside the palace in that time.
We had a ton of fun.
Selfies on bikes. #noshame
Nap!
Preah Khan:
Ta Prohm (Tomb Raider):
And Ta Keo, my personal favourite. You got to climb the original stairs up! And it was high. At the top, we were above the treeline.
The stairs were so narrow!
We biked back, ate some delicious Cambodian curries for dinner, and crashed. Amazing!
The next day was back to Phnom Penh on a bus, some good Indian food, and plans to visit the Tuol Sleng Prison and Choeung Ek Killing Fields Memorial the next day. Like the Cu Chi Tunnels and the War Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, the prison and Memorial were difficult to visit, but important.
The Khmer Rouge had transformed a Phnom Penh school into the Tuol Sleng Prison, which was now a museum redeemed and used to educate on the atrocities the regime committed. On the ground floor in one of the buildings, the carefully documented photos of victims who had gone through the prison were displayed in wall after wall of scared, numb faces with numbers. They were there to stand as a monument, but also so family members could come to Tuol Sleng and search for the faces of loved ones taken by the Khmer Rouge and never returned.
They had left some of the buildings untouched, leaving them the way the Khmer Rouge had used them - group and individual holding cells and torture rooms.
The Memorial was equally as sobering, and I actually didn't take any photos. It didn't seem appropriate, somehow. The audio guide was very well done, and I found it extremely thoughtful and effective.
That afternoon we did some last shopping, enjoyed some more great food, and prepared to head out the next day. I left Phnom Penh for Kunming, China, the following morning after a very very very sad goodbye to Eefje, my fantastic co-traveler, and she headed to Xi'an the day after. Cambodia was fast, but a great trip, and I'm so glad we made the time for it!!
China is on its way! Be patient!