Angkor Wat Day 1

Today we woke up and ate breakfast on the top floor of our hotel. It has a pretty spectacular view. We were getting excited to go to Angkor Wat! We went downstairs and the tuktuk driver Koy was waiting for us there. Brad bargained with him and we ended up hiring him for two days.

We drove into Angkor park and the first thing we saw was the massive Angkor Wat temple. Seriously, it probably tops the most impressive thing I had ever seen. We planned to visit that later today, so a driveby is all that we got.

We went to our first temple, and were seriously blown away. It was corridor after corridor of amazing old bricks, sculptures and carvings in the stone. I can't even begin to describe how impressive it is. These temples are a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and there are tons in the park. They are one of the only things the Khmer Rouge left behind when they were in power. They range from 800-1000 years old, and it's incredible they are still standing with their carvings so ornate still visible in many of the temples. We climbed in them and explored, completely mindblown.

I think we must have went to six or so temples that day, ending with Angkor Wat. This was assisted, of course, by many shade and water breaks. We had some good friends go to SE Asia over Easter, and they said you avoid the sun at all costs. We totally understood this as we hopped from shades area to shaded area!

When we got to Angkor, my camera died. Luckily, Brad had his so we were still able to collect many images. This building has been in constant use since the time it was built. It is still a very sacred place, and you had to make sure you wore long pants and shirts with sleeves. All the Buddha heads are cut off the statues in Angkor. This is due to the Khmer Rouge.

We ended our day with dinner and a half hour foot massage each at the night market. Guess how much it cost us? $5 for both of us, including two beer. So crazy. The girl who did mine was named Gim, a 16 year old who works harder than any teenager I have ever know. She told me she goes to English School from 8:30-12, has Khmer school until 5:30, then works at the massage place until midnight. She is off Sundays, but still works. It is crazy. We have it so good in canada it's unbelievable. High school friends, need not complain. You've got it damn good.

Traveling here has made me appreciate so much what I have and how privileged I am to be able to travel the world. These people here are also so incredibly friendly and happy. They appreciate you doing business with them and are so polite. They don't have nearly as much as we do and yet they complain so much less than we do. It's sort of a reality check. I need to stop complaining about all the stupid crap... The are not issues.

I've become a better person these past few weeks.