More Angkor
Well, I guess it is about time for me (Nicole) to write something. Andrew has been doing a great job with the blog, but I am starting to feel a little bit lazy. So, today I am giving him a break from blog writing.
Today was our third and final day in the Angkor temples, and we decided to do the 34 km "Grand Tour" loop by bike. The major temple we had not seen is on that loop and we decided that a nice bike ride away from the city would do us good. After three weeks in Bangkok, Hong Kong and Taipei, we have really enjoyed the simple pleasure of being on a rural road lined with trees. I guess the forest scenery was nothing spectacular, but little things like hearing birds and seeing butterflies made it a nice ride. Okay, it made the first 24 kilometers a nice ride. I probably could have done without the last 10, but it did feel good to get in a workout.
The temples are hard to describe and equally difficult to do justice with pictures. The sheer size and the incredible detail applied throughout is amazing. They sort of rise out of the jungle in a dramatic, stereo-typical movie set kind of way (the temple we visited today was used as a set in Tomb Raider). The temples have been the subject of massive restoration projects and I am impressed by the ability to de-jungle and then puzzle the pieces back together, especially considering all that was lost and destroyed during revolutionary craziness.
Which I suppose brings me to my first impressions of Cambodia. Food is very important to me, and the food here is amazing (rivals Thailand). Today after our long bike ride we were rewarded by an incredible Khmer dish called Amoc- you could probably call it coconut curry with peanuts and chicken, but that would not describe the amazingly complex yet complimentary flavors. We have also had amazing fresh spring rolls, pumpkin and coconut soup, and Khmer curry. We were honestly considering extending our stay here just for the cheap and incredible food.
Food aside, there is a sort of uneasy feeling here. There are the surface issues, like the fact that we were extorted by a government official before we even got into the country, the daily power outages or the stiffling heat. Only slightly farther beneath the surface are the issues of horrible poverty and the history of genocide and war. It is eerie to be in a place where such an awful episode of history occurred and to interact every day with people who experienced it. It leaves me at times not knowing exactly how to feel or act.
Tomorrow we are off to Phnom Penh by bus. Supposedly VIP. . .
13 comments:
Nic and Andrew -
Great pictures of Angkor Wat! Definitely on our short list. Good luck with the VIP bus ride -- as much as I enjoyed the "spew story" it sounds like an experience NOT worth repeating.
Kelly and Dana
Hi honey,
Your writing is super; nice to think I'm hearing your " voice".
The photos are gorgeous ...can't think of new adjectives for their qaulity and how much enjoyment they bring. There's also just some real peace of mind in
" seeing " you as you move through this journey.
Lots of love to you both,
mom and K.
Wow, amazing pictures and descriptions, quite an experience. OK, random question. I heard a story a couple of years ago about a Cambodian midget troup that offered to fight anyone or anything (for a small fee). A wealthy Cambodian offered to arrange a fight between the troup of 40 midgets and a male lion. The lion was flown in from Africa and the government of Cambodia sanctioned the fight and allowed the promoter to sell tickets on the condition that no cameras were allowed in the arena. Apparently the fight was stopped after only a cuople of minutes with 28 midgets killed and the remaining not able to continue the fight. Anyway, I was wondering if you had heard anything while you were there that would indicate if this story was true. These are the things that keep me up at night. Talk to you soon!
Scott
Nicole, what a wonderful entry! My mouth was watering reading your food account. My heart ached just a little reading about your conflicted emotions and the history of Cambodia. My sides ached laughing at Scotts' midget story. What more can a person want from a morning Blog reading!
Happiness to you both and as always, share a hug from me!
love,
Mom Beth
OK, here is the link to the original article about the midgets and lion http://www.newturfers.com/mwf/attach/38/355838/BBCNEWSWorldLionMutilates42MidgetsinCambodianRing-Fight.htm
Apparently it is fake. This site contains an explanation of why it was created
http://lionvs40midgets.uk-directory.com/
By the way if I was forced to wager on a hypothetical fight like this I would definitely take the lion.
Kathy is suggesting we get seperate user names...
Andrew, that tank top you are wearing is awesome!
The primary reason I wanted to come to Cambodia was to discover the truth behind The Midget Massacre. I had heard the stories - of the event and the cover up - and didn't believe them. So, we're here now to ask around and see what the word is on the street. Angkor was just a cover - you know, to get Nicole to go. To be completely honest, I think I would have bet on the midgets. We haven't heard anything yet, but I'll keep you posted.
Keith. Nice Travis Bickle reference the other day. I only wish the driver had a mohawk! A funny addition to that story - when we finally made it to our hostel, the taxi driver got out of the car, hugged me, and, with giant smile, excalimed,"We made it alive!"
A theoretical question regarding the midgets versus the lion.
If a midget stands on the shoulders of another, would that be a more efficient fighting technique - 20 non-midget teams of two combating the lion rather than 40 individual midgets fighting him?
Keith
I think it would be disaster for the midgets to get on each other's shoulders, think of the lost mobility. That does raise an intersting question though, forget the lion who would win a battle between 40 midgets and 20 normal sized men? I need a hobby.
In this "PC" world we live in ---- is this whole midget conversation politically correct???? I mean, I am a sensitive person and I certainly wouldn't want to offend anyone, especially Bill O'Reily!!!
Wow - these comments rival your actual blog! Hilarious! I agree - that is a money tank top. Could I get the name of your DI at OCS? I'd like to send him that picture. That must feel like another lifetime by now. Glad to see you guys are still having so much fun! Oh, I told Alli what you said about Hong Kong and she said Shanghai has more people - crazy! But, she loves Shanghai, says its a very fun city with sketchy things goin on all the time. Sign me up! I'd probably be tall there!
Well Andrew,
I know you have received a few commments about the tanktop already, but I can't help myself.
This is the exact reason why we used to make fun of people that wore them. The huge (jk!) arms and the hint of a belly forming below is priceless. Thanks for the free laughs!!
Hilarious!!!!!!
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