Spring Break (Part III) - Siem Reap,Cambodia

Home, sweet home... or at least back in the familiar Hong Kong. It's great to be back, although the trip was everything I hoped for and more. It's going to take a long time for these experiences to really sink in.
Last time I posted, I was about to embark on a kayaking adventure down to Viantiane, the capital of Laos. As I had anticipated, my arms were a more comfortable mode of transportation than any of the buses I have ridden on. The views along the way were magnificent, and highlights of the trip included a great bar-b-que and cliff diving. The dive caused my ear to hurt for the rest of the day, but the pain was well worth the exhileration of the leap.
Our time in Vientiane was short-lived, as we were quickly on our way to Siem Reap, Cambodia- the final leg of the journey. Having read up on Cambodia, I was expecting to find some great Khmer food in Siem Reap. The local cuisine has gained increasing recognition among Southeast Asian countries. My tastebuds were delighted by a local spot called the Khmer Kitchen, a restaurant that came highly recommended by every guidebook that I flipped through. One night I had a Khmer Sour and Spicy Soup with Shrimp, and the next day I tried another dish that was fantastic. Aside from the Khmer Kitchen, I also had the local Amox (a vegetable) Curry with pork around the temples. Overall, the food was delicious, and brought closure to a trip that was filled with lots of culinary experimentation. Any uncomfort was well rewarded with some amazing meals.
While the food was delicious, it was by no means the highlight of our trip to Siem Reap. The Angkor Temples were the main attraction, and have worked to singlehandedly put Cambodia on the world tourism map. In trying to explain one of the seven "wonders of the world," I am at a loss for words. That is why I intend on posting a lot of the pictures from the Angkor Temples. They were uniquely awesome, and I constantly found myself second guessing the laws of Newtonian Physics. The temples were primarily constructed of huge rocks, often weighing over 1 ton each. As I stood witness to these humbling structures, I constantly had to remind myself to trust my senses; in no way did they seem real. I felt like my mind must have been playing tricks on me. Construction of these temples seemed impossible.
The temples were marked with ornate stonework and were enormous. The most famous of the temples, Angkor Wat, is believed to be the largest religious structure ever to have been built. Chris and I spent over two and a half hours exploring this temple alone. Around the perimeter of the Wat, the walls are adorned with "bass reliefs"- essentially, these are 8 meter x 100 meter murals of carved stones that portrayed different Gods and mythological characters in various stories. We were dumbfounded by the consecutive series of these 8 reliefs: In particular, we were amazed to see the intricate details that were on each of the chizled characters (whether they be Gods, or simply one of the hundred thousand infantry). Equally amazing was the way the stonework was continuous over interlaid stones. The patterns were never interupted. It was incredible. I'll let the pictures explain more about these temples. I really can't do them proper justice.
We spent two days roaming and exploring these temples, witnessing both the sunset and the sunrise within the confines of the park. Although we didn't sleep- there was no reason to. It was simple enough to work off the energy that the temples radiated. Climbing freely through some of the world's most incredible man-made offerings (unobstructed by queues, restricted areas, or paths for tourists) dwarfed any other somewhat comparible experience I have ever had. In trying to explain this adventure to others, Chris and I adopted another favorite phrase of ours: "you think you know, but you have no idea."
Our time between sunset and sunrise was marked by a final massage. Chris and I were being pressured into the "ten-hour massage" by the employees, but we remained steadfast in our desire to stay only one hour. That was plenty for both our bodies, and our peace of mind. The body massages were fabulous, helping us recover from a long day and prepare for sunrise.
The following day, we jumped in a taxi to head for the Thai border. Accompanied by two others, the cab was the best way to make the 100 or so km trek to the border. Although the terrain was completely flat, the journey takes about 4 hours by taxi, and up to 11 hours by bus. This is not due to traffic either. The roads are simply that bad. Mostly dirt and plagued by potholes, it is often a struggle to stay on one's seat. After 4 hours, and one flat tire, we arrived at the border bruised and battered. The supposed "three hour" bus ride into Bangkok then took us 6 hours, but we eventually made it in time to do the one thing I regretted not doing in my other trips to Bangkok (no comment- feel free to ask about it in person).
The journey was finally complete. I boarded the plane back to Hong Kong, and spent my entire journey home in a daze. While I was trying to bring clarity to my experience, I simply could not. Everything was still too fresh, and I was unsure how I would be affected by what I had seen. This process will continue for the next several weeks I am sure. In retrospect, I am still overwhelmed by what I saw, tasted, and lived through. The only thing that I do know is that I am no longer the same person as I was before the trip. Despite my withering body (I ate 6 times a day and still lost weight), my mind has been enriched with invaluable lessons. I look forward to trying to explain to you what this trip was all about, but I think this will be impossible. I hope you are openminded enough and adventurous enough to take the trip out here on your own. Until then, "you think you know, but you have no idea..."
Signing off,
Kevin