Temples!

So I did not give Laos credit in my posts. It is really an absolutely stunning country that has, for the most part, a laid back feel. The landscape consists of hills and rivers covered in lush forests and fields. Vang Vieng had these huge cliffs - a lot like Krabi actually. It was completely overrun by young teenage travelers there for tubing and drinking which distracted from the beauty. We spent one night at the bucket bar (literally drinks are local whisky and coke mixed in a small bucket and you get one free between 8 and 9pm) staying up until 4am watching the world cup final, plus we kayaked by the tubing bars (which had slides and ropes that looked far too dangerous for me) and we had enough of that scene. One guy I was traveling with had a nasty motorcycle accident so couldn't even go in the river for fear of infecting his scraped up knees. The water isn't the cleanest I've seen. But the caving, kayaking, and lounging were all fantastic here and I got some great pictures.

Luang Prabang was a lovely town, full of monks and temples, plus nice restaurants, great French architecture, and fantastic shopping. We dragged ourselves out of bed at sunrise one morning to watch the monks file out of their respective temples and collect alms from local Buddhists up and down the streets. It was very neat to see, although I felt like I was disrespectful just for watching this daily ritual as a tourist. The night market was great, and now that I am in Cambodia, I realize how relaxed it was there. Of course you must haggle, but it was pretty low-key and not too pushy in Laos. In Cambodia people chase you down to get you to come to their stall, incessantly ask/tell you to buy their stuff and don't make eye contact if you don't want to appear as if you are making any sort of commitment. I spent a lot of time (and money!) shopping in Luang Prabang, but an hour at the night market in Siem Reap and I feel like I have had my fill. Luang Prabang is the kind of place where the days just slip away - we often passed the afternoon at a place called Utopia drinking fruit shakes, laying on lounge chairs reading, or even napping.

The traditional food here in Cambodia is definitely more appetizing and varied than Laos. I have had a delicious Khmer style curry for supper the last two nights. Today was my first day at the Angkor temples. I decided to bike as it is the cheapest way to get around, and also, I could use some exercise. I definitely guzzled a lot of water, and sweat buckets, but probably covered about 30km or more. I hit up most of the temples in the main area, saving the 2 major ones for tomorrow. The temples really are majestic, surrounded by tall trees and jungle. If you could find some peace and quiet away from the children and ladies selling books, bracelets, food, and drinks, it was just amazing. One temple I saw was the one from the Tomb Raider movie. The people selling things are as insistent as the market stall owners and its hard not to get frustrated and numbed by the children chasing you down to buy trinkets.

Apart from the people trying to sell me things, I have found Cambodians to be incredibly friendly - children all waved and shouted hello to me as I biked by and when I looked lost (its a huge area), a man came and pointed me in the right direction. The waiter at the restaurant I was at today was also very friendly - its not hard to get a smile from people in this country which is commendable given the violent history of Cambodia.