Siem Reap, Cambodia

We spent 7 incredible days and nights in Siem Reap, Cambodia the week before Christmas.  To think of the horrors that the Khmer people (Cambodians) suffered under the Khmer Rouge (the "red Khmer" communists who killed hundreds of thousands), and the involvement of the United States in the terror and tragedy, is just devastating.  Now, only a few decades later, the people of Cambodia are trying to get back on their feet, and their spirit is just incredible.  Everyone we encountered had a ready smile, a warm personality, and an amazing graciousness in circumstances that would be incomprehensible to us.  To have the opportunity to learn about and see firsthand the history and culture of Cambodia was priceless.

The main attractions in Siem Reap are the temples, with the most famous one being Angkor Wat.  We spent 5 mornings exploring several of the temples and ruins, and somehow didn't even get tired of it!  Well, Lacy got tired of it, but the rest of us had a great time climbing over stones, exploring passageways, and playing hide and seek amongst the ruins.  I took an astounding 1500 pictures, so this is just a very small sampling of photos.  Hang in there, it's not all about the temples!

ANGKOR WAT

Any historical information about the temples comes from the book "Ancient Angkor" by Michael Freeman and Claude Jacques

Angkor Wat was constructed in the early 12th century.  It is a microcosm of the Hindu universe, full of religious symbolism.  Bas-reliefs (carvings), one of the most famous creations in Khmer art, cover many of the surfaces of most of the temples.  

It is mind-boggling to think of the time and attention that went into all of the intricate carvings, and the construction of these massive temples with primitive equipment.  Elephants dragged the heavy stones (sandstone) from the Kulen Mountains to the site of Angkor Wat.

There are infinite carvings of Apsara dancers such as this one

We marveled at the way they stacked the stones to create arches

One of 4 pools (no water in it) in the "cruciform cloister"

 Steep steps take you up to the towers.

You have to be 12 years old to climb, so our group didn't go up.

A tired crew makes the long trek back.  It was HOT.

Keith definitely got a workout each day, as Lacy was pretty much attached to him, and sometimes Landon was too!

TA PROHM 

(Late 12th to early 13th centuries)

This temple-monastery is undergoing restoration, as are several of the temples in Angkor.

Ta Prohm's most distinctive features are probably the silk-cotton trees and strangler figs that are taking over a great portion of the structure.  This is actually the first temple we visited.

Lacy throwing one of her many temple fits

Restoration workers

From Ta Prohm, we went directly to 

BANTEAY KDEI

(late 12th to early 13th centuries)

A Buddhist shrine, a common sight in many of the temples

Playing hide and seek

This little girl was selling her wares in the temple, but she joined us for a game of hide and seek, and had a great time, as you can see by her smile

Mid-week we took a break from the temples, and visited the ARTISANS D'ANGKOR, explored some of the CITY, and went to the CAMBODIAN CULTURAL VILLAGE

Our guide, Sok

Several landmine victims become artisans here

 The kids each got to do a rubbing

The very nice shop where the handicrafts are for sale

The kids enjoyed kicking a coconut around in this grassy area in the center of town.  The woman showed me that her baby was naked under the blanket, so I gave her a diaper and some food.

 We think this is a royal residence

Lunch at FCC Angkor (a nice boutique hotel on the river)

 We saw 2 shows at the Cambodian Cultural Village.  While they were not in English, we were still able to get the gist of them, and they were quite funny and entertaining!

A popular Khmer dish: fish amok.  Yummy!

ANGKOR THOM

(Mainly late 12th century)

Angkor Thom means "Great City".  It is a giant walled city, in which a million people used to live!  Inside Angkor Thom are many temples and monuments, including the Bayon, Bapuon, Elephant Terrace, Leper King Terrace, Phimeanakas, and more.

The magnificent South Gate into Angkor Thom, with 4 faces pointing N, S, E, and W.

Statues of gods and asuras (demons) line the bridge across the moat

 THE BAYON

Everywhere you turn in the Bayon there is another face greeting you

Possibly being sacrilegious at TEP PRANAM, a giant seated Buddha

After I put the incense in the urns the old woman blessed me (I guess... she didn't speak English) by tying a red yarn bracelet on my wrist

BAPUON

(mid 11th century)

Keith went in this one while I stayed outside with the kids 

because you had to be over 12 to climb the stairs

The amazing view from the top.  The kids and I are on the far side of the pond on the right.

TERRACE OF THE LEPER KING

 THE ELEPHANT TERRACE

BANTEAY SREI

(2nd half of 10th century)

This is a beautiful temple a little further out than the others.  It's made of pink sandstone with exquisitely detailed carvings on nearly every surface.  This temple was built on a miniature scale, and the name means "Citadel of the Women".

Keith has to duck to get through the tiny doorway

I had to duck too!

Wearing my Cambodian duds

PREAH KHAN

(Late 12th Century)

This was possibly our very favorite temple, and a great one in which to play hide and seek!

The corridors and doorways give it a "hall of mirrors" feel

Searching for the hiders

Like Ta Prohm, Preah Khan is also being overtaken with tree roots

One of the rare moments Lacy spent with me rather than with Keith!

She is a Daddy's girl for sure.

Carvings at TA SOM

(late 12th, 13th centuries)

LAND MINE MUSEUM

One of the most moving experiences we had was visiting the small Cambodia Land Mine Museum.  Founded by Aki Ra, a former child soldier for the Khmer Rouge, he is now on a mission to locate and deactivate the hundreds of thousands of land mines that are still injuring and killing people.

This American couple, Bill and Jill, have moved to Cambodia to assist in the efforts of land mine recovery.  Jill teaches English, and they also help run the children's home affiliated with the museum.

Small world, Jill is from my hometown in Texas, and Bill attended TCU.  

Normally, tourists are not allowed in the area where the children live.  "Orphanage tourism" is a huge problem in Cambodia, and they don't want to promote that at the Land Mine children's home.  However, our kids had brought several of their own clothes, shoes, and toys which they'd outgrown, and Bill & Jill graciously allowed them to personally distribute these items to some of the children.  

Artwork done by one of the children, a land mine victim himself

 Devastating

Recovered land mines

HANNAH'S HOPE

The owner of Tangram Garden restaurant in Siem Reap put us in touch with this small Christian children's home where about 18 kids currently live and go to school.  These are not orphans.  They are street children whose families can't afford to take care of them, so the Church of Christ started this home to give these kids an education, 3 meals a day, and a place to sleep.  They hope to expand and take in up to 40 kids.

Lacy hands over a stuffed animal.  She is not your typical 2 year old!  Bless her.

 Harton measures to see if one of his old shirts will fit this boy.  Yep!

 Happy to have some new shirts

The kids gathered around me as I went through a bag of donations to distribute.

Luckily, we had brought enough for each child to get at least one item.  I was also able to give several baby clothes to a pregnant woman, as the youngest child at the home is 2 years old.

 This adorable little boy loved the hat he got, and he would ONLY wear it sideways!  

Natalie, as always, made fast friends.  

This sweet girl is nearly 15 years old, and was thrilled to get a stuffed animal and a new shirt.

We spent about an hour here handing out our donations, talking with the volunteers that run the home, and playing just a bit with the kids before they had to eat dinner.  It was heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.  The kids there seem very happy, and I know they have much improved lives compared to when they were on the streets.  At least now they have hope for the future.

Unfortunately, there are still thousands of children on the streets, not going to school.  Many of these kids are the ones trying to sell souvenirs at the temples to earn money for their parents.  You're not supposed to buy from these kids because it basically pays them not to go to school.  I will admit that we did buy a few $1 items from some of these kids.  It's almost impossible to look into their eyes and not buy something.  It's better though if you can give them food or clothes.  So we did some of that too.

Natalie handed out toys to these kids.  They were SO patient, and SO truly thankful and happy to get old toys, my kids' rejects.   It really puts things into perspective.  What an experience for our family.

 A TUK TUK driven by MR. PAHL was our main mode of transportation for the week

 Many people, including entire families get around on "motos"

Traffic could get crazy, and road rules seem arbitrary

A couple of nights we sang Christmas carols in our tuk tuk!  

We called it "Cambodian Christmas Caroling", and it was great for our Christmas spirit!

Only about 2 percent of Cambodia is Christian (Buddhism is the main religion), yet they decorate for the holiday and even say "Merry Christmas."

It could get pretty dusty and smelly like exhaust,

 so Natalie and I took a cue from the locals and bought some scarfs.

Mine is a traditional Khmer checkered "krama", 

which some locals wrap around their necks and heads to protect from the intense sun.

NIGHT LIFE

PUB STREET is the place to be for shopping, food, drinks, and entertainment!

We went here most nights for dinner.

Cambodians seem to be proud of their beer, as it's advertised everywhere!

We all tried the fish foot massage.  It was tickly!  The kids loved it, and did it 3 or 4 nights!

This woman is carrying a popular snack on her head: fried grasshoppers!

I'm sorry to say we didn't try one.

The local Mexican restaurant named after my mom: Viva!

 We ate at Viva twice.

It was actually relatively good Mexican food, and very cheap!

 Surprisingly, the currency in Cambodia is US dollars.

There is also a Cambodian riel, but pretty much everything is priced in USD.

Natalie tried to pay for something with quarters, however, and they looked at her like she was crazy.  They only use bills in Cambodia!

At Viva, we got 2 "buckets" of margaritas for $10.  About 3-4 margaritas a piece (for just Keith and me!)  Wow.  Let's just say that particular dinner lasted quite a bit longer than most of our other meals!

 At least we had our trusty tuk tuk driver to keep us safe.

Cheers!  

We went for mojitos on our return trip. 

A popular bar that we passed

We got 15-minute foot massages for $1.00!

The kids were thrilled to find Swensen's

Khmer Village Restaurant

We ate here for 2 different lunches after visiting temples

They had delicious cashew chicken and spring rolls

This is the outdoor restaurant where we met Daniel (the owner) 

who put us in touch with Hannah's Hope Christian Children's Home

 We celebrated Keith's birthday in Cambodia, and got him a piece of chocolate cake

at this little bakery/ice cream shop

One night we went to a buffet and Apsara dance show at Koulen II Restaurant

We loaded a couple of plates with some of these interesting local foods, and dared each other to try them.  I think I actually won the taste test!  Most of it was quite disgusting, unfortunately.

Mmmm...mmmm... not good

This woman was melting sugar cane by the side of the road

She turned it into these praline-like nougats, which were tasty!

Keith bought a grilled banana/rice roll-up thing.

He liked it, but I thought it was too sticky.

 We enjoyed our last night in Cambodia at Jungle Junction

This is a unique restaurant/playground concept that allows children to play while supervised by staff, and gives the parents a chance to relax alone with a nice cold beverage.  The food here was good too.

Jumping on a trampoline

Lacy with her personal companion

The kids with their free bags of popcorn, ready to go into the kids-only movie theater!

 Keith and I taking a much-needed break!  Those mojitos sure are refreshing.  :)

 Except for a small birthday party going on at Jungle Junction, we had the place to ourselves!  We actually didn't see many families in Cambodia (except for the locals.)  Most of the tourists were older adults, or young adults without kids.  Although it would have been easier if Lacy were a couple years older, it's really a great place for families!  At least our family absolutely loved Siem Reap.

Just a few more random pics because I know you can't get enough- haha:

Our villa at Paradise Angkor Villa Hotel

 Christmas tree in the hotel lobby

Some children selling souvenirs outside of the temples.

We couldn't say no to the 10 year-old boy on the right, although I'm sure he's coached to make those sad eyes for the tourists.  He was selling flutes for $1, and the kids really wanted them, so we caved.

Some adults selling too.  

We didn't buy the violin-like instrument... easy excuse: couldn't get it back in our luggage.

It was all a bit overwhelming

 Small groups of people played music outside of several of the temples.

These are all landmine victims, missing limbs and/or blind.

 These same paintings could be found at every temple and roadside stand,

although each person claimed that their father or uncle painted them.

Content to make mud

 Not our tuk tuk, but cool

Kids ride bicycles long distances to and from school

Many hotels and restaurants had Christmas decorations out front

Our kids in a tree

A Cambodian kid in a tree

 This cutie was wearing a Texas bandana on her head!

Several places don't have running water or electricity (such as the Land Mine Museum)

 These kids are real troopers

We are so thankful to have had the opportunity to visit Siem Reap.  It's a place I'd love to go back to some day, but then again, there are so many other places to see in the world!