Where did I leave off? My parents and I were in Thailand for two days, then flew to Siem Reap, Cambodia, on a terrifying little prop jet. We had four days to explore Angkor Wat and the other temples, so we spent the mornings at the ruins and then spent the afternoons, which were probably ten degrees hotter than they'd been in Bali, in the pool hiding from the heat.
So to start, some pictures of the temples. We started off at Ta Prohm temple, which is notable because the jungle grew into it instead of just around it. As a result, a number of trees are now important structural elements; if they were to be cut down the temple would crumble even more than it already has. (It's also a notable temple because it's where part of the Tomb Raider movie was filmed, but we'll put that aside.)
See what I mean? A tree growing out of the roof of part of the temple.
A closer shot of one of the trees. I don't know if the size comes across: the horizontal root was around the level of my head.
After that, we went to a smaller, probably incomplete temple (dedicated to Shiva, I think). Whereas the walls of Ta Prohm were intricately carved, the carving on this one stopped about halfway up. There were some steep stairs still intact, though, so we climbed up to the top (and bought some bracelets from a girl sitting up there who knew more random statistics about the United States than I do).
If you look really closely you should be able to see my dad, in a blue shirt, in the center doorway at the top.
And, of course, we went to Angkor Wat. The temple complex there is enormous, and everything is intricately carved with patterns, false windows, and images of apsaras, the traditional dancers.
Carvings!
What blog post about Angkor Wat would be complete without the quintessential Angkor Wat photo? The teal fabric is where the temple is being restored.
From the center/top of Angkor Wat, looking out over the west (front) gate. Most Angkor temples are oriented eastward, but Angkor Wat breaks that pattern.
We went to Angkor Thom, as well, which is adorned with huge faces on the towers (of kings, I think? I've forgotten). Outside the temple, they had elephants that you could feed huge quantities of bananas (complete with the peel) for $1. Unfortunately, the photo of that is on my dad's camera, so you don't get that one. Elephants are probably my favorite animal now.
I told you there are big faces carved into Angkor Thom. See?
Siem Reap itself was a neat, if odd, city. Everything is pretty new, since most of the city got rebuilt by NGO's after the fall of the Khmer Rouge. When we were there, it was the end of the dry season; after all the green of Bali it really threw me off to see so much dust and concrete. It was interesting to be someplace that so clearly relied on foreign aid and tourism -- most prices were listed in US dollars, and bikes were a huge mode of transportation. Since we mostly just went to temples, I don't know very much about Cambodia or its political history, but I'd like to know more.
That's kind of a down-note to finish talking about Cambodia, so here's a picture of a tuk-tuk.
After Cambodia, we hopped on another (scary) prop-jet and headed back to Bangkok for a day and a half. In the four days we'd been gone, the city seemed to have picked itself back up. I saw a lot more tourists, and businesses that had been closed were open again. At one point, though, we took the Sky Train past the Siam Center, the building that was burned out. Although all the buildings in its vicinity were clearly functioning, the Siam Center was decidedly charred and empty. People typically referenced the protests as "the big problem" or just "the problem." They never sounded completely convinced that the turmoil is over, although the newspapers seem to insist that it is.
Now, as of Monday night, I'm back home. I've been in Bethesda for a few days, enjoying potable tap water and bread, trying to get over jet lag, and baking up a storm. (If anyone wants a recipe for the awesome pizza I made on Wednesday, let me know. I think I'm making it again tonight, it was that good.) This afternoon I move up to the Philly area, where hopefully I have an internship, although I'll know with more certainty next week.
I've really enjoyed blogging my experiences, and I think I'll keep this space up and running. (Although I suppose I'll have to change the name. Any suggestions?) To start with, I have some Balinese recipes if anyone wants them. I haven't quite decided what I'll write about generally, but no doubt you'll see new things up here occasionally. Let me know if there's anything you'd like to see!
