Siem Reap

We arrived in hot Siem Reap (35 degrees) to an awaiting tour guide and driver, with signs with our names on them - we felt like VIPs! We were whisked into an air conditioned van and taken to our hotel. After dropping our bags, we had bicycles standing by to take on a tour. Our first stop was a nearby temple. Our tour guide did an excellent job leading us out of the crowded street traffic and into true countryside.

We arrived at the temple and learned about the usual design of them. There are guardian statutes on the walkway, a library to house historical records, and towers for the king and then smaller towers behind them for his wife(s),  grandmother. The materials are different kinds of bricks - limestone for the base and frame, and softer sandstone ones for decorations and covering the frame. There is script on the doorways to tell stories, and visual stories on the walls - primarily of war scenes. The temples have been significantly influences by religions from India, as people came to Cambodia in the first decade. The Khmer (Cambodian) people mainly followed Hinduism first--this results in many images of god creatures. The most prevalent is the snake (for water) and dragon (for the underworld). Interestingly, the main religion then switched to Bhuddism (I can't remember the date for this) which is now still the most prevalent religion, approximately 60% of the population. 20% are Christians, 5% Muslim, and I can't remember the others...maybe 15% Hindu?

We biked to 3 different temples on the first day. While we were biking between, we went through some villages and rice fields. There were lots of butterflies flying around. They have many different kinds here, and its great to see them.

We got back to our hotel and crashed. I (Anna) found this day the most exhausting so far. We were up at 6am to get to the airport and then straight onto the bike tour once we arrived. And it was extremely hot (for me, not for Michael. Who knew--he handles the heat better than me! That was a shock.)

The next 2 days we had the pleasure of being escorted around to the main temples around Siem Reap by our wonderful guide, Riyun. She was very informative, teaching us about Cambodian history and culture and we were so thankful to our wonderful travel agent for arranging this for us. We also had a private air conditioned car and driver who kept us hydrated with cold water from a cooler in the back. Much better than riding in tuk tuks  in the sweltering heat, breathing in car exhaust!

We chose to start early in the mornings, at 7am, to avoid the heat and the insane crowds. There are apparently lines hours long to get into some of the temples which we were very thankful to avoid. It also meant we could spend the hottest part of the day at our hotel, near the pool, rather than under the scorching sun.

It was amazing to see the intricacy of the carvings and enormous size of the temples. All of the carvings depicted either battles or various gods, many of whom are very scary looking. I wonder if the people lived in a lot of fear in these times. It seems so. How thankful we are for our free country and most of all, loving gracious Father!

The Khmer people are lovely-warm, friendly and welcoming. Most speak quite good English, which was a pleasant surprise. They have endured so many atrocities in their history--they are still removing land mines planted by the Khmer rouge. At one time the country was 70% covered in landmines. In one temple our guide told us not to step off the path as there could be land mines. And yet the people are so positive, resilient and beautiful. We would like to explore more of Cambodia in the future. But now we are at the airport, waiting to fly to the fourth country on our list, and by far the one Michael is most excited about because they have tailors who will custom make suits for us! We fly into Danang, Vietnam, and then drive to Hoi An, a beach side colonial town. When we arrive, we get to enjoy a New Years Eve Banquet at our hotel. We wish a happy new years to all our family and friends back home, we miss you all!