Angkor what??

Enough island hopping…let’s kick things into high gear on the mainland! Following a detour through Bangkok, a sketchy border crossing and a terrifying taxi ride, we finally made it to Cambodia. First stop – Siem Reap. The area near the old market is very tourist friendly, with many upscale restaurants in beautifully restored French colonial buildings. Since the local currency is in constant flux, most people use US dollars instead of the local Riel. Even the ATMs dispense dollars and for some reason, in a country where a meal costs around 50 cents, they give you fifties – go figure. In general, this place is not exactly a happening town, most people are here for the culture or to sleep with young local women. As a result, the bar scene is mostly tourists stopping in for a quick drink or two after a long day of sight seeing and middle aged white guys with young Khmer women…not the most inviting atmosphere to let loose.

So after a few unremarkable days, we hopped on the next bus out of town…just kidding! No self-respecting traveler visits Cambodia without seeing Angkor Wat. While Angkor is the most famous, the whole area is filled with other ancient and amazing temples. We spent three full days bouncing around in a remorque-moto (motorcycle-pulled trailer) and barely scratched the surface. Unlike other “places you must go before you die”, this area is almost completely undeveloped, and that might be the best part. One minute you’ll be riding on an unpaved road and suddenly a 1000-year-old temple the size of a few city blocks will emerge from the jungle, still choked with vines and trees. Once inside the crumbling structures, there are no ropes protecting the ancient carvings or manicured walkways indicating which way to go. You’re pretty much free to climb around and check out whatever you want. TD was in heaven.

We leave Siem Reap and Angkor Wat with our expectations surpassed. Within this great experience, however, the sobering effects of this devastated country are omnipresent. On one side, there are the amazing ruins of one of the most successful civilizations of it’s time. On the other, there are mutilated land mine victims asking for money, street kids begging for food, and one woman who held out her child and pleaded with us, “Buy my baby”. Recent history has not been kind to the people of Cambodia but for now we are still on a high from the relics of its past.