Sunday, June 6th
Had to wake up early because we (Laura and I) wanted to have breakfast at the place where we had dinner because it was AMAZING - although the waitress was a meanie, it was worth waking up early and going back to (for more on that read my blog on Vietnam...). We had breakfast and met up with everyone else there (everyone else includes: Nate and Lindsay (who were already there and had ordered), Tiffany, PBuck, Rich and Dave). We headed over to the travel agency where we had all purchased our bus-boat-bus tickets to Hanoi the night before. The first bus ride would have been uneventful, had Dave not realized he had gotten ripped off and jumped off the bus to run back and fight for his money. Needles to say, even though he confronted the woman about ripping him off, he was not able to recover his correct change, but he did run off with three large room temperature waters! Way to show them Dave ;o) Unlike the previous days (where we had to ride boats that went "at the speed of Vietnam") our boat ride consisted of a speed boat!
After a LONG bus ride, where a few from the group had to use a restroom that was occupied by pigs, we arrived in Hanoi. Ahhh!!! Attack of the taxi drivers! We had to take two taxies that were probably each the size of a minicouper but less spacious, and got to the hotel that PBuck and Nate had picked out. Lindsay and I walked away as the boys argued with the taxi driver about him charging over 200% of what we were suppose to be charged, deciding we were probably useless when it came to negotiating compared to Nate and Dave. I proceeded to get my phone out to steal some wifi (after they informed us that they were booked) to chat with my lil sis. The hotel offered us a free taxi ride to their other location so that we could check out those rooms.
Where's my phone? No seriously, where's my phone?? We were in the lobby of the hotel. Dave asked me if I checked every pocket in my backpack. Yes I checked every pocket, but still continued to empty it out (again), emptied my purse (again), NOTHING! A million curse words ran through my head (and probably came out of my mouth as well). The receptionist called the taxi company, maybe it had fallen out in the cab? After about 20 minutes of waiting for everyone to come down (they had all decided that they were staying there, I was flying to Saigon that day so that I could take a bus to Cambodia the next day) I asked the receptionist if he had heard anything. In his asian accent he said "No no, later later. Take time to look." My phone was gone, lost forever :o( My new phone, with my collection of contacts from the past five years. My phone, with my bbm.... I guess I was going to have to call Sprint and tell them to send me a new one for when I got home.... I was never going to be able to call all of those people I always say I am going to call and never do.... No one could cheer me up on the way to lunch. A few people asked if it had showed up. No, it hadn't. The receptionist had called the taxi company, but in this country (and after the recent experiences with its people), what were seriously the odds that, even if the taxi driver found it, it would be returned? Close to none.
I had to head back early from our late lunch so that I could head to the airport to catch my flight. Tiffany and I had not paid attention on how to get back (she was going to take a nap), but we could figure it out right? One more block, ok, maybe the next block... or the next.... did we walk this much? Yeah, we did right? Ah... here it is.... walked in the lobby... "oh miss, here is your phone." What?! Seriously?! I could kiss you right now!!! I don't think the short little vietnamese receptionist knew how to react to that. He just said "no no." Jajaja! My phone! And off I was, got a drive to the airport, stole some wifi from the business vip room (thanks to Sophie and her wonderful advice), got to my room in Saigon and passed out.... I had to wake up early the next day to get on my 12 hour bus to Siem Reap.
Monday, June 7th
I was not hungry this morning on my way to the bus. It's going to stop right? After a nap we crossed the border and stopped at a restaurant. What is that that they are selling? And why are the flies landing on it? Ummm.... oh, ritz cheese crackers. I'll have that. Slept the entire way to Phnom Penh (which is probably a good thing b/c I do not remember where I had put those napkins so that I could go to the restroom). I didn't know we were transferring buses. Ok... seriously, I need to stay awake! Nope, slept the whole way to Siem Reap. After a quick dinner with Tiffany and Lindsay (who had flown in from Hanoi), we were off to bed - deciding that we would save the sunrise for Wednesday and sleep in on Tuesday.
Tuesday, June 8th
Sleeping in was only until 8:30 AM. Yeah... and that was only after I woke up at 5:30 AM and forced myself to go back to sleep! We had breakfast (with the mosquitos who ate us alive) and decided that we better get going (around 11 AM....) or else we weren't going to see anything! On a side note, if you are ever in Siem Reap, consider staying at Encore Angkor. It has the friendliest staff and is so clean and spacious. It's amazing!
Where are we? I mean, we can walk through all these ruins and everything? But of coarse! :o) Siem Reap is seriously one of the most amazing places I have ever been. I almost didn't come. Lindsay didn't want to rush Vietnam, and Tiffany wanted to hang with the group (which is completely understandable since they are probably a lot more fun that I am!), but after a brief chat with Jake, I decided I couldn't miss out on a place he recommended so highly. I was coming with or without people. And boy was I happy that I did! This place was amazing. No, I am not an archeologist, and we didn't get a guide, so I had no clue what the carvings meant, or what each temple was for - and there was no way I was buying a tour book because then I was going to have to carry it and pack it, and honestly, my bags were full! - but irregardless it was still AMAZING.
Our first stop was Angkor Thom. From what I read, Angkor Thom was the capital at one point, and used to house around 1 million people (don't quote me, I'm writing this without my book) when Paris only had about 50k. That's impressive. What we see now is only the temples, for the people used to live in houses that were built out of wood, since stone was only considered to house the gods. Therefore only the temples remain. I spent a lot of time with the girls, but on a few occasions I was left on my own (either because they did not want to climb another temple, or because they turned right, I turned left, and then I didn't know where they went!).
On the first occasion I was left completely by myself was when we went to two small temples (after the main ones in Angkor Thom). They looked identical, one on the left, and one on the right... so the girls hung out while I went to the second one. There was hardly anyone there, and as I walked a little in to the forest I thought about what it must had been like to have lived here 2000 years ago. I walked in to a small area of the temple that had a small buddha.
An older woman walked up to me and handed me three incense sticks. All she could say was "three... good luck," as she bowed three times with her hands clasped towards the buddha, signaling me to do the same. I did, "donated" to her a dollar, as she tied red string loosely around my left wrist. Then we were off again, I got separated a few more times because I would walk one way and them another, so I got tons of pictures of the temples, or of me taking my own picture, and would meet up with them at the end of the temple. After a few hours of sweating (did I mention it was humid and hot!) we went to lunch along the "kings swimming pool." I wanted to get in the kings swimming pool (a huge man made lake next to the temples)! But, unlike the locals that were in there swimming, I wasn't willing to get in the muddy water (I know, how American of me....). It started POURING while we were finishing our lunch, so we headed back to the hotel, then proceeded to get massages, take naps and eat dinner. Overall, a good day :o)
Wednesday, June 9th
Alarm went off at 4:15 AM. Please God, let it be raining. Lindsay gets out of bed to check the weather, "it looks cloudy."
To which I reply, "It sounds like it's raining." Wishful thinking out loud I guess.
Faeder replies, "No, I was just outside, it's not raining."
"Are you sure? Because it sounds like it's raining."
"I'm sure, I was just outside. But you can get up and check."
"One of us should go ask the driver if it's worth going." No one replies or gets up. Ok... I guess I'll go, although honestly I am crossing my fingers praying that the driver isn't there, or that it starts raining, or that he says it's not a good day to go... that way I can go back to bed. zzzzzzz. They get up as well, and we get dressed, brush our teeth and head downstairs. No such luck, our driver is there and ready to go. Wish I was as alert and awake as he is.
After a quiet 30 minute ride out to Angkor Wat, we drag ourselves out of the tuk-tuk (our preferred mode of transportation) and start walking towards the temple. It is pitch dark. There are a few other people walking ahead of us. They brought flashlights. That would have been a good idea. Tiffany comments that "I have a head lamp in my bag.... should have brought it." Too late now... oh well.... We're walking, walking, trying to avoid the puddles that are reflecting in the moonlight. We get to the entrance to the temple and the sign says "Do not pass." Hmmmm.... what do we do now? We passed a lady who said "Coffee lady? Watch sunrise here and drink coffee. Have breakfast." Maybe we should go back to her? I wonder if she serves pancakes? Then a few people pass us up and just go in... ok, well then, I guess the sign is just for looks? We proceed to go in as well. It's pitch dark in here! It's ok... some moonlight is shinning through and it is now dusk... so there is "some" light. Another sign that says "No Entry" or something to that respect, and it's WAY too dark to go that way. We end up at some stairs with a smaller temple in front of us. Lindsay and Tiffany go up that one and I proceed around to find a possible higher point to watch the sunrise. Found one! Crap, there's the main temple.... I walk back and scream at Tiff and Faeder that I found some place higher and that I was going to try to find somewhere else. I walk around a little more. Hey, there's a man up there with a dog! Yes! Go back to find Tiff and Lindsay... Hey, where did they go? Shit, I'm going to miss the sunrise, forget it... I'm going up.
The guy is no longer up there, him and his dog are chillin' at the bottom. I ask how he got up there and he said something (it sounded like $5) but I did not understand him. So I jumped the fence and climbed the stairs. Oh my gosh, this is AMAZING. The sun is "up" (as up at it can be at 5:15 AM) and I decide to walk around and try to find the girls. The place was nearly deserted. I walked, took a few pictures and had the place to myself to explore. I walked around the temple twice. Ran in to a guy I saw/talked to on Tuesday. He missed the sunset because he didn't get there till 5:30 AM. Hmmmm.... it's been about two hours and still no girls. Run in to one of the girls that was walking in front of us when we walked in. "Did you loose your friends too?" I ask.... "Yeah, but I think I saw them over there. Yeah, here they come." Well that's nice, I wonder where mine are! Well, I'll just head out and see if I run in to them? I leave the temple and walk across the street, figuring I'll ask our tuk-tuk driver if he's seen them and if he hasn't then I will go back across and take some more pictures. Oh look, there they are! Eating pancakes :o)
Tiffany's back was bugging her from the crappy massage she got on Tuesday (Faeders' and mine were great!), so she headed back and Linds and I headed to the country side to visit a small temple. The drive out there and back was AMAZING, and given that it was 8 AM and there was still not that many people out and about, we got some great shots. On our way back we truly saw how the people lived. We passed three little kids on the mini-trailer of a motorbike. They looked so happy.... buggers running down their face and all. They waved and got so excited when Lindsay and I waved back! Our tuk-tuk driver had to answer a call, so we pulled over on the side of the road. There were about seven women working in the area on the side of the house. Easily four generations of women. "Even the little girl is working," commented Lindsay. After a few more temples, we were done. Our tuk-tuk driver said there were still more to see... but Lindsay and I didn't think we could do it anymore, so we asked it there was anything special about the rest. He said no, not really, they were all made from the same rock. Jajajaja! After checking on Tiffany and eating lunch, Lindsay and I took the tuk-tuk out to the lake. $50 for a boat! No way, $20. "No... $45." Nope, no boat trip. "$30." Nope, we'll only pay $20. "No." Ok then... no boat ride. We walked away and took a picture. We'll just tell people we went out to the lake ;o)
After a nap, and Tiffany's miracle massage, we got manis and pedis, and then had dinner. I had to get up at 5:45 AM to get ready for my boat ride to Battambang, so I called it an early night.
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