Cambodia, Week 2

Cambodia, Week 2

Monday, June 22nd: This morning we went over to Angkor Wat.  What an amazing place, right at first site.  Our tour guide Ly first took us around to see some of the bas relief on the sides.  The kids' favorite one was called, "The Churning of the Ocean of Milk".  We then went to the second level where our tour guide waited as we went up to the third level (no children allowed).  The stairs up were extremely steep, but we were reward with a great view of the whole complex. The details in all of the carvings are amazing, especially the apsara dancers  that appear all over the temple.

 

 

 

Siena drew a picture and we told her we would put it on here:

After Angkor Wat we went over to explore Ta Phrom.  Ta Phrom was left to nature for hundreds of years and now is a blend of temple and jungle.  If you've ever seen the movie "Tomb Raider", this is where they filmed part of it.  Luckily there is a lot more shade at this temple, since there are huge fig trees growing up through and on the temple's stones.

 

We then took a quick lunch break and then headed over to Bayon.  Bayon is different from Angkor Wat in that it was not as well kept and looks more like a stone mountain.  The most unique characteristic of Bayon are the large stone faces that are featured on towers around the temple.  Our tour guide first had us climb up some very, very steep steps up to one of the old libraries to have a look.

We then went and ascended up through the temple, coming face to face with the large curious faces.  The kids said they liked this one the best.  It was amazing to thing how the ancien Khmer Empire was able to build these huge stone temples with rudimentary tools.

Tuesday, June 23rd:
We left Siem Reap and drove back down to Kompong Thom.  Along the way we stopped to give away more baby blankets.  At our lunch stop Becky and Marcus decided to try some crickets for dessert.  According to Marcus, they tasted just like chicken.

After lunch we stopped back by the high school where Terry and Jennifer are overseeing a project.  This time while we were there school was in session.  Siena and Elise made a new friend.  One of the workman's daughters was there and was playing hid and go seek with the girls.  The work crew had made some progress on the latrines since we were there a week ago.

Wednesday, June 24th: 
This morning we went over and drove on a bamboo bridge than spans part of the Mekong River.  The locals build this bridge every year during the dry season.  With the wet season approaching the bridge was about to come down.  Once we got to the other side, the kids decided to take a nice relaxing dip in the Mekong River next to some small huts and all of their garbage.

 

After our trip back across the bamboo bridge, we drove up to the top of a hill where there was a pagoda.  There is a large group of monkeys that hang around the top.  The kids enjoyed feeding peanuts to the monkeys.  The monkeys enjoyed climbing on top of the car.  A couple of them were a little hungry and aggressive.  One actually bit Becky's mom Jennifer in the hand.  She hasn't started foaming at the mouth yet, so she should be okay.  We then drove back to Phnom Penh.

Thursday, June 25th:
This morning we drove out with Terry to one of their projects. Just outside of the city there are hundreds of people live next to the old city dump and basically scrounge for anything that is recycleable.  The church and other organizations are helping build small houses in a cleaned up area for several of these families.  

After this we went out to the Killing Fields.  Here is where thousands of people were sent to be executed during the Khmer Rouge.  This was truly a somber experience.  As you walked about the various burial pits, small pieces of bone and clothing are still surfacing through the dirt. Over 17,000 people were executed here.  Many still lie in unmarked pits that have not been excavated.  In the middle of the area is a large stupa that contains the skulls and bones of over 8,000 people who were brutally murdered here.