Had a fantastic breakfast on a rooftop, my usual fresh fruit and muesli with a rich black coffee. There were some protests on the streets below and we visited with one of the hotel employees about Cambodian politics regarding the Prime Minister and the CPP (Cambodia Peoples Party). It fit closely with the book I’m reading right now, Cambodia’s Curse, a book on modern Cambodia. Afterwards we borrowed the hotel bikes and pedaled the three miles outside the city to Angkor Wat, king of the temples. Words can’t really do justice to this piece of history and architectural wonders. They built it between 700 and 1100 BC, bringing in stones from 25K away! It’s fascinating and alluring, every turn offers a view like no other. I got lost in the stonework, the intricate details of Hindu and Buddhist stories played out in stone carvings. Statues of Buddha are adorned in orange and red robes, with umbrellas shielding them from the sun and offerings of bananas and mangoes sitting at their feet. The sun was something fierce today, something only a shady tree and a cold coca cola can fix. This evening I went to a Cambodian traditional dance, the costumes were incredible. We met a nice couple from Croatia who we’ll go out with tomorrow night for Dan’s birthday. Later tonight I also had a dip in the pool with a gin and tonic, which has been the best way to soak your tired limbs after walking and biking all day. Tomorrow more temple hopping!

Cambodia. This country is captivating and is by far the most riveting to explore. I’m for sure coming back to explore further. The drive from Saigon to Phnom Penh was one of the most scenic drives I’ve encountered thus far. The sun was starting to set close to the capital and everything, making the landscape vibrant in color. We passed lush rice fields and ponds filled with water lilies and pink lotus flowers in full bloom. Children were chasing each other down dirt roads, and many people were working in the fields. White cows grazed by the roadsides and chickens surrounded every home we passed. The houses are often raised off the ground in the countryside, painted in many colors with shutters or plastic awnings covered the windows.

In the capital I’m staying at Okay Guesthouse, off a quiet little side street called Ph 258. There is no rhyme or reason to the way the streets are ordered here and today I went on a walking adventure, trying to make sense of the map the guesthouse owners handed me on my way out. I’m relatively close to center, near the Royal Palace and Independence Monument. A wonderful family runs my guesthouse; they have many shrines and temples in the restaurant and reception area, one to Ganesh and another one to Buddha. I’ve been spending my days with some people I’ve met along my travels lately, two were on my bus to Laos a few weeks back and then I ran into them again in Hoi An, Saigon and again here. The other two are a German couple from Frankfort that were staying at my hostel in Ho Chi Min and took the same bus with me over the border. Yesterday I went with Dan and Fran to the Killing Fields and S21 Prison, both memorials and actual sites of the atrocities from the Khmer Rouge. It was a humbling and chilling experience, and hard to get through. That time was so dark for the Cambodian people and they are just now on the road to recovery, but I imagine it’s a slow process to forget something that horrific. At sunset I walked around the main boulevard, in the center is walking paths around Independence Monument and everyone is out once the sun is down. They are doing exercises to jazz or upbeat music in large groups, children are rollerblading, families gather on plastic chairs and talk and laugh and eat ice cream. Tomorrow I take a bus after lunch to Siem Reap to see the magical temples of Angkor Wat!