Evening in Siem Reap

So we ventured by tu- tuk downtown to drop off our bikes...had a minor miscommunication issue though and Hadas forgot where she rented the bikes from! The tuk-tuk drivers were having a difficult time understanding us...they drove us all around looking for this bike rental place...only knowing that it was next to a travel agency and a laundromat...which basically describes Every block in Siem Reap! Anyway, they did eventually find it...and went through all that trouble for just $3...and that was with a good tip! We also dropped off laundry which should be ready for us in about an hour for only $2...

Then we wandered through the night market which paled in comparison to the night markets I visited in Thailand. There were only a few market stalls, and not many customers, and all stalls were selling basically the same things. It's really tough to show any interest in anything b/c then you just get harrassed! And it was especially awkward b/c everyone has the same junk and there weren't enough customers so everyone was seriously just staring you down trying to get you to buy from them...

Despite all that, I somehow managed to get a great deal on a pashmina which came in handy today visiting the temples...after the night market, we stopped at the fruit market and picked up more of these exotic fresh fruits...rambutan, dragon fruit and some other fruit that I can't remember the name of...I am really going to miss the convenience of such fresh fruits!

Made our way back to the hotel and started packing up for check out today. Also watched part of a movie about Angkor Wat which was intriguing...I did learn a lot, wish I hadn't fallen asleep so quickly! But after 12 hours on a bike in this heat, it's almost impossible to keep me awake...What I did learn however, was that these temples were all constructed in the 11th and 12th century and were strongly influenced by India. These fishermen from India would sail across the Indian Ocean every year with the monsoons and land in Cambodia where they would stay for months at a time until it was safe for them to travel back. During their time here they would share some of their culture with the people here...their religious ideas and customs, food, etc. So basically they believe---and most of this is based on diaries of a Chinese man who was a visitor at Angkor Wat way back in the day and who wrote on banana leaves---that the king was just an ordinary guy until he decided he wanted to be a king, and not just any king, but a 'god king'. This meant -by Indian standards- that he had to accomplish certain things...namely, he had to build a temple with 5 peaks, and a reservoir, among other criteria. The main temple at Angkor Wat is breath-taking and surrounded by a huge moat which is filled by the Tonle Sap Lake. The lake is formed from the backflow of a river that originates from the Himilayas...this river reverses direction for a few months every year...or seems to anyway...and is the only river in the world known to do this. Really what happens is that there is so much snow melting that it gets backed up when it hits the sea and flows backwards for a few months per year, filling up this giant lake nearby that in turn, fills up the moat surrounding Angkor Wat. The surrounding area is dense tropical jungle. This king is said to have had at least 2000 female servants...who had a wat all to themselves. There was also one temple that appears to be an entire city unto itself. Also, there were checkpoints at the beginning of the wats...the king's security would inspect everyone's feet before they were granted admission. Apparently, back then, criminals would have their toes cut off...so if someone was missing toes then you knew that they couldn't be trusted. There are also smaller structures that look like houses...these are thought to have been jail cells for criminals. If there was any dispute between 2 people as to who committed the crime, they would lock them in separate buildings and keep them there for several days. Whoever experienced an illness while inside was determined to be the one who committed the crime. In Buddhism, a primary belief is that illness happens to people who have done wrong...and that's about where the movie left off when I crashed...haha

Even a cock roach the size of a small mouse couldn't keep me awake...at one point during the movie I turned towards the door just in time to see this enormous roach running around above the door frame! I did not know what to do. Nothing around me seemed big enough to kill this thing but I certainly didn't want it in my bags!!! Eventually I ended up using the "Welcome to the Indochine Resort guide" to squash the thing...which didn't work completely...I thought it did and went to pick it up with a tissue and it started running again..................ewwww so gross!!! It died (almost) on the 3rd try...ugh, I really hate bugs! Once that was taken care of I thoroughly sprayed the doorway with industrial grade premetherin clothing spray...figured that would do the trick at deterrring any more from venturing inside...then I slipped under the security of my mosquito net and passed out.............