The plan was to run the Angkor Wat half marathon, but sometimes, even with the utmost care and preparation, plans can evaporate. When we were in Penang about a month ago, I tweaked my left knee. It progressively worsened as the days went on. Finally went to the leading orthopedic surgeons here in Kl.
Diagnosis: compressed cartilage in left leg due to bowleggedness! Yep…he used the term “bowlegged” 20 plus times as he was describing my condition.
Recommendation: break leg bones, realign bones and then use leading edge stem cell therapy to grow new cartilage.
Action: Ran (hobbled) out of the office as fast as I could and made an appointment to get a second opinion in December in Wenatchee. Gonna buy a horse!!!

With hotel and plane reservation in hand, we left for Siem Reap, Cambodia, sans running shoes. In a little over two hours we landed at Angkor International Airport. On the plane we were each handed an entry form to fill out. Just prior to entering the terminal we were given two more forms (health and a different entry) to fill out. Can you guess who forgot to bring a pen? Had to wait to use one of the seven “community pens”. They were attached to the tables with those elastic, spiral leashes, each one hopelessly entwined with another. When another person was writing, you had about 5 inches of free leash!!! Only when we completed filling out each form were we able to enter the terminal whereupon we found out we had to fill out another form for our VISA. We paid our $30.00 fee (they use pretty much only US currency in Cambodia) and then we were able to enter the country….the last ones through from our plane!!!!

Lon Chhin, our intrepid guide, was waiting for us. Chhin is just a jewel of a man. He was brought up in a small village, parents were rice farmers. He showed real promise as a student and was sent on his own to Siem Reap to attend high school. He wound up finding a place to live in a monastery and lived with the monks for the next 11 years. He now works as a guide. For an all day excursion he charges $30.00. He just saved up enough money to purchase a small piece of land where he hopes some day to build a house, marry and raise a family. Just a real sweetheart of a guy and so knowledgeable about the temples.

Chhin brought us to three of the over one hundred temples around Seim Reap. Our first temple was inside of Angkor Thom. Ankor Thom is a walled and moated former royal capital built in the 11th century. In its heyday there were over 250,000 people living inside the 3 square kilometer walled area. In the center is the Bayon Temple. It is known as the Temple of Faces. There are 37 towers and each tower has at least 4 faces. The walls of the temple are intricately carved with tales of battles with the Cham invaders and local life. This temple was our favorite…we wandered up and down the different levels and through catacomb-like passageways.

Bayon Temple

Next we went to Ta Prohm, also known as the Tomb Raider Temple thanks to Angelina Jolie. Chhin said he actually got to meet Angelina but knew very little English at the time and was too embarrassed to try to converse. (He said she was very pretty) This temple is famous for the Fig and Silk Cotton trees that have grown over many of the walls and buildings. It isn’t in the best repair, but little by little it is being restored. They recently had to cut one of the big trees down as it started leaning and the roots were pulling over a temple tower.

Ta Prohm

Last we visited Angkor Wat. It is completely surrounded by a hand dug moat, 200 meters wide and surrounds the 1 square mile of temple land. The dirt from the moat was used to elevate the temple building site. Angkor Wat was first built as a Hindu Temple but later converted to a Buddhist temple. During the 70s the Khmer Rouge occupied the temple..if you look hard, you can find bullet holes from this occupation time. Luckily they did not destroy the temple. The largest tower rises a good 65 meters tall. No building in Siem Reap may be taller. Angkor Wat is well preserved and the carvings and covered walkways are in excellent shape. It was by far the largest of the temples. Chhin made sure we came at 2:00 when the crowds had gone to rest from the heat. All we could say about this temple was, “AMAZING”!!!!

Angkor Wat

Siem Reap
Siem Reap is a great little city. We stayed at a cute little boutique hotel, The Rambutan Resort. Sixteen rooms built around a pool courtyard. It wasn’t five star but truly had charm. It was just two blocks away from the old part of town and all the markets. The center market was a hoot. Jammed packed with everything you can imagine. It is a working market, set up for tourists and local both. You wander up and down the alleyways. We found a working hair salon and right next door, and I mean RIGHT next door, they are chopping up pig’s heads and kidneys. There were live chickens, cooked chickens, chickens legs, skinned chickens, cut-up chickens, chicken innards, chicken eggs…chicken overload!!! Shoes shops, watch shops, manicures right next to vegetable stands. So funny and so much fun.

We wandered the streets and Heidi found several “awesome” clothing stores. She also got her first TukTuk ride. The TukTuks in Cambodia are different from Bangkok. In Bangkok they are one little vehicle, but here motor scooters are fitted with a hitch and a small trailer is coupled to it. They are everywhere….and cheap. For a thirty minute ride to the airport it was $5.00 USD.

We had dinner at a place called HAVEN. It is the number one restaurant in Siem Reap according to TripAdvisor. The owner takes on disadvantaged youth and teaches them how to wait tables and how to cook. After a year internship they are ready to enter the work force and a whole new group begins the training. Not sure how many young adults he has “saved” but fills your heart almost as much as the food fills your belly. We ate with our friends, had a nice bottle of wine, appetizers, main course and dessert and the final bill came to $52.00. You can live cheap in Cambodia.

Quite a weekend….a short two hour flight brought us to one of the true Wonders of the World and a whole new world. Quicker than a drive to Seattle!!! We’re thinking we may need to do a few more of these quick weekend trips….perhaps to Chaing Mai in Thailand, to Myanmar (Burma), or Vietnam. So close and just waiting for us to visit.

Parting Shot

Picture above our bed at the Rambutan Hotel.