Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Saturday 11Nov2006
Ok, my first time to Cambodia, and Rebecca keeps reminding me that Thailand is not a third world country like Cambodia. Little do I realize, what I was in store for, we awake early Saturday and eat breakfast at our guesthouse, best banana shakes ever. Our driver from the airport Somjay picks us up to take us on the "small loop" of the temples in the Angkor Wat complex. They are Angkor Wat, the world renowned, massive temple of a millenia ago, Bayon, Angkor Thom, Terrace of the Elephants, Phimeanakas, Terrace of the Leper King, Victory Gate, Thommanom, Chan Say Thevada, and Ta Reo (and this is the small loop?!). First off, upon stopping opposite Angkor Wat we are literally swarmed by children vendors selling everything under the sun. And very experienced at ripping "tourists" off. They try to sell me a guide book for $30 US that on the back had the listed price of 24.95. Of course this is definately a pirated copy of a legit book and the price would not go to the actual authors but to some sweat shop in China, most likely. I scoff at her, and say "special price just for me right" I must really look that dumb!!!!! Rebecca follows a lady to a shack to buy a scarf and she tells her $5 each scarf, even though the "vendor kids" have been shouting 2 for $1 all the way to her shack. She is obviously cursed to be traveling with the "big dumb white guy". guilt by association. When Rebecca says, "but the kids are selling them 2 for a dollar" she promptly tells her to "please leave". Rebecca gets three scarves for a dollar right outside this shysters shack. Welcome to Cambodia!! Caveat Empour!!
Angkor Wat is everything and then some. It is absolutely immense, grand, and unbelievable in its size and granduer. You get an other worldly feeling while there. We hike up a set of steps that is steeper than some of the slopes I ski back home, I think almost 45 degrees, all with out any sort of safety device, other than a small sign that says "Climb at own risk". Halfway up, the japenese lady next to me starts freaking out stops mid steps starts making some very strange noises and looks to me for help. I am thinking, lady don't take me down with you when you tumble down, as turning around halfway up a 100 foot high, steep set of steps, is not too brilliant an idea. Well, right when I am moving to the left to get out of this "tourists" way Rebecca stops looks over her shoulder and says "look how high up we are already" then looks down. Big mistake!!!!! I look down too when I see the size of her eyes and I freak as well. "Ok", I say, "turnaround, look at the steps right in front of you and lets get the hell to the top of this before this crazy lady screaming next to me decides to grab my arm". Rebecca, good soldier that she is listens, turns around, musters her courage up and we make it to the top. Whew! I admit that was "very hairy". The steps were only big enough for our foot to fit sideways and did I mention VERY STEEP! We tour the Wat and enjoy ourselves for about an hour. Now its time to head down, and we hear from a monk that there is a handrail on the south side, Cool, we think this will make it less "hairy" than the way up. Well the "Hand Rail" turns out to be the thinnest piece of metal running down one side of the steps, and is very loosely attached. Think something a little larger than a strand of barbed wire. All I can think is something a ski buddy, Matt Mclaren, says to me right before taking us up a knifes edge ridge. "Whatever you do, DON"T FALL". We make it down and head back to our tuk-tuk driver. Of course, get "touted the entire way back to him. "mister cold drink, special price for you", "Lady, Lady book for you" "Two cokes one dallar" . We go around our small loop, really too much to discuss here, as am example, we took 180 pictures this day and 364 in two days. We enjoyed sunset at Phnom Bakheng Wat, which is up another set of steep stairs but has an absolutely breath taking view. You can see so far, one can almost see the curvature of the earth as it drops away. We head back to the guesthouse and scrub down, which was quite necessary as our skin pores were in overdrive and in perpetual use all day. I did not mention how hot it was, about 100 degrees with humidity and under a Blazing sun, now I know why Rebecca put up with the touting to get the scarves. We both sweated profusely all day. Those who know me from skiing can attest to my sweating ability, and this was akin to a water faucet contiually flowing off ,my nose for 8 hours. Rebecca of course just glistened!