Hanging in Angkor

Showers after the bus were soooo welcome and necessary. I wouldn't call what I did on the bus sleep...it was more like toss, turn, shiver, repeat. I was tired but not enough to go to bed. I needed to explore and see some of Siem Reap. Uli, Matthias, and I wanted to get 3 day passes for Angkor. Patrick decided to just do one day, so the group was down to 3. There are a couple of ways to tour the temples. Bicycles can be rented for cheap and you can explore at your own pace or you can hire a tuk-tuk for the day to drive you around. We opted for the tuk-tuk and were off. Uli had done some reading on the temples and suggested we start with a group of temples that were a bit further out of Siem Reap. The temples were the oldest and would be a good starting point to appreciate the architectural differences. The sun was out and the breeze was great as we rode along to the temples. After purchasing our expensive entrance tickets ($40), we drove 15 minutes to the first cluster. Impressive doesn't begin to encompass the first temple. The structure was crumbling giving it the sense of being ancient. I immediately felt a sense that the place was holy. The only interruption to my awe was the sound of multiple little kids running up offering to sell me things. I would slowly become immune to the begging, but it was a shock at first. We spent the rest of the day exploring the various temples and climbing up and down. Each was more impressive than the last. Our tuk-tuk driver was a great guide and very patient at each stop. We sat and watched sunset from the lesser crowded of the two spots. I'm not sure what the other place was like, but it was plenty crowded at our temple. We met another couple from Germany and two travelers from the US. I'm hoping to be able to travel with one of the American girls during my last couple of weeks in Asia.
We journeyed back to our guest house with just enough time to shower before dinner. During our wanderings, we had met a french girl traveling alone and made dinner plans to meet up. Gwen was lovely and a totally gentle spirit, but we were slightly late finding her hostel. In the meantime, we had run into Patrick and his new friend, Jane. Let's just say that by this time I was done with Patrick, his upity attitude, and the constant comments against the US and everything American. I was hoping we could avoid him until after dinner, but it was a no go. He is the type of person who thoroughly enjoys being right but is always looking for validation for his ideas. His passive aggressiveness was wearing, and I was ready for a little break. So, Jane, Patrick, Uli, Matthias, and I went in search of Gwen's hostel. After ten minutes of Patrick's grumbling, I left them at a restaurant and hopped on a tuk-tuk to get Gwen. We got back to the restaurant and joined the group. I use the term restaurant loosely; in reality, it was plastic chairs and tables set up on the sidewalk. The first comment from lovely Patrick was that he wanted to eat right away, but Uli and Matthias made him wait for us. He then proceeded to make fun of the US dollar, the new passport pages, and Gwen's accent. I was heated by the time the food came and ate in almost silence. I willed him to eat fast so he could leave, and the gods were on my side. We split up and Uli, Gwen, and I stuck together. We checked out the night market, but headed back to the guesthouse early. We had arranged for a 4:45am pick up, so we could see the sun rise over Angkor Wat. Sleep came easy and was peaceful.
I wanted to throw something when my alarm went off at 4:25am. I am NOT a morning person, so I struggled against the urge to go back to sleep and got dressed. In my tiredness, I did such a great job of dressing that I put my pants on inside out. Yes, I was THAT person. I met Uli and Matthias downstairs and we were off. It was pitch black out as we drove along. Siem Reap was still sleeping except for the backpackers still awake from their night out. Our driver dropped us off and we groped our way along the path to the temple. A vendor took pity on us in the dark and took us to the best place to watch the sunrise. We waited for almost two hours, laughing about the hoards of tired people arriving and the terrible coffee. Slowly, we were able to get a sense of our surroundings. The sight in front of me was incredible. As the sky lightened, the outline of the temple appeared. The sun rose slowly and majestically through the towers. It sounds totally corny, I know. We opted for some sightseeing before our lack of sleep caught up to us. We waited until 8:00am and climbed up to the top area of Angkor Wat. We had to be properly covered, since the Wat is still used by Buddhists and Monks live in the top area.
We took in the temples of the small loop, but I was losing energy fast. Uli was like the Energizer Bunny and just kept going, but Matthias and I were done by 2. I was sweaty, tired, and ready for a shower. Our last temple was intense. The stairs were almost a straight climb up and did not feel safe at all. I blindly followed Uli before getting about half way and realizing how high it was. After pausing in the middle and weighing the chances of falling to my death, I finished the climb. The fear was worth it, since the view was great and the carvings were some of the best. The tuk-tuk driver dropped us off at a travel agent and we were able to make our arrangements for getting to Thailand. I came on this trip with the goal of being more flexible and allowing the trip to take me where it may. I loved traveling with Uli and Matthias, so I opted to skip Laos for now and head to Thailand with them. We were finally escaping Patrick! We spent the afternoon lounging around Siem Reap and grabbed dinner at another street restaurant. My favorite dish in Cambodia was Lok Lak, but we decided to get grilled meat instead.
Uli and I had lobbied for another go at the night market and a foot massage. All over Cambodia there are stands for Dr. Fish. There is a type of fish that nibbles at your feet and removes the dead skin. For $2, I got 20 minutes of fish nibbling and a glass of wine. For the first 10 minutes, I couldn't relax. The fish tickled my feet soooo badly! Eventually, I got to love it. I want a tank of these little fish at home. We did some shopping and I picked up some more gifts from Cambodia. We called it an early night again, since we were going to be getting up early for the bus to Bangkok. Siem Reap was definitely a great stop! I can't wait to go back!