Today was a JAM packed day!! When we had asked Nath if he'd be interested in coming with us on any of our travels, he quite excitedly jumped on coming with us to Siem Reap, telling us it was one of his favorite places and that Pear had never been. When Jon told him it would be great if he came, he immediately emailed Jon back with a super structured itinerary for 3 days in Siem Reap, outlining all the highlights we'd be seeing and asking if it was ok. Ok??? I LOVE other Type A people!!! I was so grateful that he had already covered all the bases and that we didn't have to plan ANYTHING for Siem Reap - awesome!
So today we set out at 7 am to begin Nath's plan at Wat Thom. While most people begin their journey to Siem Reap at Angkor Wat, Nath told us that Wat Thom is actually MUCH larger than Angkor Wat, takes more time to cover, and because most people start at Angkor Wat, Wat Thom is much less crowded in the morning (hooray for being with someone who knows these things!)
We arrived at the ticket office around 7:15, purchased our 3-day passes ($40 USD for those of you who are curious) and then set off for Wat Thom, with our first stop at Bayon Temple.
Bayon is the largest temple in Wat Thom, which also means it takes the most time to cover. We entered through the south gate, best known for it's warriors protecting the entrance.
While they have deteriorated somewhat overtime (and also the heads have been looted and sold to collectors), Cambodia's government has restored or replaced many of the statues over time. The statues which guard the gates, about 30 on each side, show the guards playing "tug-of-war" with one another, showing the battle between good and evil.
After entering the gates, we were introduced to the wonder that is Bayon Temple.
It's hard to describe just how large the temple is, but you could probably wander it for 2 hours and not reach all of its nooks and crannies. The best way to say how I felt on it is simply to say: it is like an adult jungle gym. The floor and steps are all uneven, you can fall at every twist and turn, but it's super fun and you get to climb on everything :). It's also beautiful, and truly incredible to think about its history (built in the late 12th century/early 13th century).
Having a bit of fun :)
After Bayon Temple, we headed off to the Baphuon and Phimeanakas temples.
Next came Ta Prohm, better known as the "Tomb Raider" temple, since that is where Angelina Jolie filmed the movie in 2001. The temple, which was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992, is best known for blending the 12th century structures with nature. Trees have taken over much of the temple and sprout directly from between its massive stones!
After Ta Prohm, we headed out of the park for a quick lunch stop before coming back to go to...... Angkor Wat! Hooray!
Nath did an EXCELLENT job of scheduling our days in Siem Reap. We got to Angkor Wat around 2 pm and there was nothing on the itinerary for the afternoon...except to hang out at the temple and enjoy :). I can't even tell you how many pictures I took at the temple. Seriously. We climbed to the top of the temple and for about 2 hours I took picture after picture - I was so happy!
After our relaxing afternoon, we headed off to dinner and a show to watch some traditional Cambodian dancing! Our buffet-style restaurant had every type of food you could think of - Western (pizza, sandwiches, pasta, fries, sushi) to Middle Eastern to Southeast Asian and traditional Cambodian. Cambodia is known for a dish called amok, which is when curry is steam cooked in banana leaves, usually with either fish or chicken. While I tried it, it definitely is not my favorite Asian dish (that still belongs to my beloved Pad Thai!) After dinner, dancers presented traditional Cambodian dances.
We came back to our hotel around 9 and decided it was time for a drink. The four of us headed up to the rooftop bar where there was a pool table and jumped right in. Unfortunately, the table wasn't too ready for us. No cue ball (but two 3-balls??) meant that we were playing using a 3 as the cue. The warped table and sticks didn't really help much, nor did the humidity which made it impossible to slide a stick between your fingers.
It was legit the longest game of pool of our lives. While we had been pretty excited to play in the beginning, the odds were stacked against us and we were SOOOOOOOO tired. Jon and I played THE worst game before packing it in. Ugh. Time for sleep.
It has been a long day and tomorrow is only going to be longer. Time for bed!
Jess' and Jon's highlight of the day: Angkor Wat!
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