see the trees growing aound the ruins...
At the entrance to each of the temples, there are kids selling stuff and mine victims playing music - all looking for money. The kids are very persistent, they follow you around asking questions, these kids were smart - they knew that Dublin is the capital of Ireland! They are selling things very cheap - $1 for 10 postcards or a flute but the problem is when you buy off one of them you are suddenly surrounded by 20 little kids all pleading 'buy from me' and you cant give all of them money.
The kids dont take any cr*p either! I heard one woman lose it with them and told them to "go away", they replied "why you speak to me so mean, I ask you nicely to buy and why you treat me so bad"!
It was really hot walking around the temples - 40+ deg C! Some people spend 3 days going to see them all but the heat was too much for me so I just went there for a day. Today I went on a tour around tbe lake (Tonle Sap) and saw floating villages which was great, really enjoyed it. It was only a half day tour and most of the time was spent in a boat around the lake so it wasnt too hot. The people who live on the river are very poor and any money they make is from fishing, its all they know how to do so they couldnt (and wouldnt want to) survive on land. The water levels are low at the moment and are highest at the end of the Monsoon in October, the changing water levels causes the houses to move up and down the river, they are made of barrels and bamboo and never sink. The water is very dirty at the moment because there is a lot of mud at the bottom but as the water rises it becomes cleaner. Here's some pics of the floating houses...
The tour boat...
There was a lot of people begging - like these people
The boy in red was a character! He had a snake on the boat and put it around his neck and came up to the area where we were standing and he kept saying ' one dollar....one dollar'.
One of the women on the tour was terrified of snakes and she was screaming her head off! The little kid wasnt trying to scare anyone though he just wanted a dollar! Someone eventually gave him one and some sweets - he was thrilled and tried to further impress by doing somersaults into the dirty water!
There's even a Catholic floating church..
and a floating school!
When I got back to Siem Reap I went for a walk and saw these people doing their daily workout..they get together in the mornings and evenings and exercise to music - beats the gym!
I passed a stall selling the famous fried crickets and some other insects and took these photos especially for Christopher....
Fried crickets
Not sure what these insects are - but they dont look appetising to me!
I didnt try any of them but the guy selling them tells me they are delicious!
Hi T. Have to hand it to you but your certainly getting around and making the most of your time. Cambodia looks really poor judging from some of the photos. Love the look of the old temple except it seems as if it's about to fall down. Is it still in use for religious reasons or just for tourists?? How much do you think it would cost to but a two bedroom floating house with shower? - love your description of the bus trip and the pleasent odour of the locals. It makes you thankful of how good we have it even with all our economic problems.
ReplyDeleteThree weeks down and just over a week to go - time flies. Are to going to travel to Laos or spend some time in Bankok or both. Whatever you do enjoy the rest of your holidays. We will have to arrange a viewing of all your photos when you get back. Apples are nearly ripe- I'll swop you a bag for a box of fried crickets. Fair trade.
Yo! the temples are mainly for tourists, they were very interesting but it was hard going with the heat, it was just too hot for me to spend days walking around them. Just arrived in Laos, not sure how long I will spend here (you know Im not a great planner!) but will probably spend 2 or 3 nights in Bangkok before heading back home.
ReplyDeletePS looking forward to the apples - you better save me some!