Day 2, Part 3

The final temple we went to was at Ta Prohm. This temple was were they filmed part of Tomb Raider. There were TONS of people present at this one. We had to move with the crowd, wait to take pictures, and work really hard to get pictures of the temple WITH OUT other people in them.


We decided that if we come back we would do this temple as one of the first ones and that way there would be less people and we could better explore and not feel like cattle being herded through a gate. It was amazing to see the trees over taking the buildings and how they are allowing it as part of the charm for this temple. You can tell that the movie crew was here because the path to the temple is wide and well build as well as the wooden walk ways inside parts of the ancient structure.


By the time we were done looking and walked to find our driver we had been out for 6 hours! So we headed back into the city and arranged for our driver to take us to a Fishing village after we ate lunch and rested. While we were eating Heather made the comment that you know you are hungry when you don't talk while you eat. I laughed because we both were over half way through our meal and hadn't said one word to each other since our food arrived. But 6 hours on almonds, 1 banana, and water I can't imagine why I was so hungry :)

Day 2 Part 2: Bayon, Angkor Tom, and Ta Nei

After you pass through the South Gate you enter what once was another city like Angkor Wat. The temple in Angkor Tom is called Bayon. The main drawing point for this temple is all the stone faces. All the towers or spires have 4 faces looking each direction. The temple is being restored in some parts but we were able to climb up to the top and take some fun pictures. Like most of the Temples they still are active and there is a small shrine usually somewhere in the building, it can be found by following the strong smell of incense that permeates the air. I should also mention that I have never been solicited as much as what I encountered while in Angkor Wat. Everywhere you go you can see people with bags, scarf’s, books, food, and other items. They are also smart sellers because they can offer you’re their goods in a couple different languages besides English such as French. Here are pictures of Bayon:





After Bayon we walked over to see the Elephant Terrace which has carvings of elephants on it and is a wall/walkway that surrounds the entrance to the royal palace. The palace is now gone as it would have been built from perishable material but there is a temple in the Royal court yard and we climbed the steep stairs to the top. As we left the Royal palace area we watched kids swimming in one of the ponds and bought banana’s from an adorable old woman.



After walking all over for a couple hours we were tired and very thirsty. So we went and found our Tuk Tuk driver and got rehydrated as we traveled to the next temple. We decide to see a temple one of my other friends here told me about. She said it was a ways back in the jungle but worth the walk. Our Tuk Tuk driver tried to drive us back but there was deep sand in parts of the road and it prevented him from going very far. So we got out and started walking. We laughed and talked about feeling like true explorers and hoping we wouldn’t get lost. It was amazing to turn a corner and see a temple caught in nature. Trees and other plants were slowly reclaiming Ta Nei.


It was also cool because no one else was there! We walked around and slowly kept hearing voices getting louder which was strange because we couldn’t see people. As we walked around the last side of the temple we encountered a HUGE group of guys from a type of Engineering School who were coming to tour the Temple. We seemed to have this kind of luck all day, we would see something and as we left a tour bus or large group would descend on the temple. We left and headed back down our sandy path back to our Tuk Tuk driver.

Day 2, part 1

The second morning we got up and left at 5:30 to watch the sunrise over Angkor (anchor) Wat. There were TONS of people and I am the type of person who would rather see everyone disappear so I could enjoy my time there with out the crowds. But I am sure everyone feels that way :) We were waiting and waiting for the sun to rise so we decided to head into the temple and start looking around. It was amazing as we walked through the hall ways, courtyard type area's and followed the steps higher inside. At the top of the temple in the main courtyard we got to see the sun rise and hardly anyone was there! Here are some of the pictures I took:





The second place we went was to Angkor Tom which is set up similar to Angkor Wat with an outer wall that surrounds the temples inside. These area's were cities where the people lived and worshiped. In Angkor Tom they also had the Royal Palace and some other buildings. As we approached from the South I got pictures of the South Gate. On the sides of the bridge are "gods" on one side and "demons" on the other with a multiple headed snake at the end. Heather and I had fun with the statues on the bridge before we headed inside the city wall.





My next post will be of the rest of Angkor Tom and my favorite Temple!!!

Work and the Weekend

Today I filed paper work. As I filed away precious pictures drawn by little girls I felt caught in their life. I put in pictures of sunsets, people dressed up, and people being beaten. The picture that grabbed my heart was one drawn with such clarity I didn't feel surprised when I read her story. Her pictures were amazingly drawn and I hoped in my heart that she is using her artistic ability somewhere out there. It is strange to think that an event in your life can be compiled and filed away in an office. I felt honored to see the pictures and read their stories, to feel my heart break at the pain and brokenness they have had to endure at such young ages. It was a reminder of the Truth of why I am here and why others are here too. I don't know what has happened to those girls and I may never know. But my heart was touched. This past weekend I was able to go up to Siem Reap with a friend. The purpose of the trip was two fold. 1) visit the city I have heard about and 2) reconnaissance for the team that is coming up in August. It was nice having a friend with me and we had a great time. There is a lot I have to post as well as pictures and videos! Be ready...but this means there will be several posts over the next week. Day One: Getting there was via bus. We even got water, a snack, and watched GI Joe and Live Free or Die Hard. I was surprised because they love watching their Khmer Karaoke video's. We stopped once and here are some of the food you can buy to eat as a snack :) and here is what I bought. I love they way they cut the Pineapple! Siem Reap is a much slower city then Phnom Penh and it was a very nice change. There is not as much traffic and no one honks their horns all the time. The street we stayed on was close to all the main things in the city such as great food and a couple markets. We arrived a little after lunch and found an Irish Pub to eat at. They even had a sign for The Fighting Irish! Who knew you could find that in Cambodia! We then got to see the new office and center that World Hope is opening there, which were also great. We then headed out to Angkor Wat to watch the Sunset. The way we traveled by by Tuk Tuk and we had a great driver who spoke excellent English. Here are pictures from the Sunset: One of the cool things on that first night was seeing Elephants!You can take a ride up to the top of the hill where the temple Bekheng is. This is one of the popular places to watch the sunset and I have to say it was really cool. Here is a video:

We returned to the city to eat dinner and then went through their night market which was really nice and fun to see.

Conversations

Conversation with a guy I work with at lunch (we were waiting for someone)...

I had asked him how he met his wife...

Guy: Are you getting married?
Me: (laughing) I would like to but I have not met him yet

Chewing of food

Guy: Do you like Asian Guys?

I laughed about this one...Thank you for asking.

My new Bike

On Saturday (March 6th) I bought a new bike. This was something I wasn’t 100% positive I wanted to do, but Friday as I was walking back to my house it dawned on me that I no longer cringe as I walk through the traffic. A bike means more freedom, faster from point A to point B….humm maybe it is time. So I went to the street that sells bikes found one I liked (see picture) and was off riding it home. You can imagine the thrill in my heart this morning(Tuesday 9th) as I prepared for work. I packed my bag and made sure the straps were looped around the handle bar so it won’t get stolen (yes, that happened to someone in my house). I jumped on my bike and then realized I was not going to make it to work biking in my cute skirt. Don’t worry the people on my street got to watch me attempt to bike in a skirt before I went back inside.
I quickly changed into nice pants and was ready. I should mention that I do not have a biking helmet…just my moto helmet. Again I feel that only seeing a picture of my previously mentioned helmet can only make this all come together in your mind.

Now with my Moto helmet on I started my ride to work. I was excited and found that it really isn’t that bad biking along. I was enjoying the breeze in my face and the speed at which I was going to work. I was thinking about how this is great because I can get to work twice as fast as walking. As I made my way through a light my right foot felt air and I heard a clunk…my peddle fell off! On the side of the road I had to stop, turn around and fetch the peddle which, thankfully, was lying on the side of the road. Once I retrieved it I put it in my basket, took off my helmet and walked the rest of the way to work.

For the ride home I had secured my peddle on hoping it would make it. Alas I did not make it far from the office, but this time my peddle fell off in the middle of traffic and the Cars and Moto’s were all swerving around it. So there I was with my Moto helmet turning my bike around to get my peddle, praying no one would run over it! (if you aren’t laughing at me right now I don’t think you have the right picture in your head…I looked REDICULOUS!!!). I kept thinking that it would only happen here…and I will always remember this bike. It also reminded me of the guy one of my friends tutored our Junior year of college…he rode a bike with only one peddle, oh John…I became John-o today!

International Women's Day

March 8th is International Women's Day...for those who don't know. This being the first time I have celebrated this holiday I wasn't sure what to expect or plan. One of the ladies I worked with invited 8 of us over to her house this morning and her husband made us breakfast. It was a lovely time of good food, fellowship, and delightful conversation. It felt good to laugh with other women and be a part of good fellowship. The other ladies were from India, Scotland, South Africa, UK, USA, and another South Asian country (I didn't have a chance to find out). I learned a few things this morning too. One of them being that I have been spending too much time with Australians and New Zealanders...someone asked me about one of the pastries and I said it was very nice (not that it was good or delicious...nice). Second I learned that some people think Americans ask too many questions. We are on a hunt for information, which I realized is true.

When asked about this (to the person who said it) they said they didn't want to feel as though they were being grilled for information...and they don't want to be asked personal questions right away, save those for the second or third time you spend time together. I also learned Brit's don't like having conversations early in the morning or to be asked questions early. I feel that this explains why I don't mind a lack of conversation in the morning...my British roots are coming out! Before we left we each were given an Orchid ( I was quite delighted). They only cost about 1.50-2.00 here which is crazy! So now I have to learn how to take care of my plant!! I have included a couple pictures...


The rest of the day was spent looking at plants with Kristin (my boss) who wanted some for her house. I enjoyed every moment being surrounded by life! I also had to laugh because there are no Greenhouses here...it is a natural Greenhouse here! I then went and picked up the pants I was having made in the market, bought a movie ( Percy Jackson and the Lightening Thief), bought some fresh Mango Cheese cake and headed home. I sat and ate my wonderful Cheesecake while I watched my movie. I don't think holiday's can get much better then this. I found myself enjoying my time here and was glad I could be with the ladies this morning and even in my house later today.

Speaking and Friends

Learning a language is like eating something new. I find these strange words in my mouth and I am not sure how they taste. Some of it is smooth and sweet on my lips, others are harder to swallow. My mind isn’t sure what to do with some of the rough edges as I try to chew on it…thinking through every bite. Yet when I do eat some of this new cuisine I find that it fills me with confidence and independence. True some of the things others try to feed me fall out of their mouth and never reach me; like watching food fall out of someone’s mouth. Sorry, I don’t have any idea what you are talking about…at all, but if you would like to keep repeating it to me that is up to you. (knowing they might not understand my English if I said this to them).

In the complexities of learning a language and not being able to communicate I have found that we do find a way to be heard with each other. If it is pulling out money so I know how much they are asking, waving your hand or arms to indicate going forward (it is rude to point with one finger)…thank the good Lord for non-verbal. Well I am off to eat more alphabet soup so I can try using these strange new words when I meet with people. Part of what keeps me going in all of this is the hope of knowing that I do know sentences, can ask simple questions, and express myself…just slowly :)

Also last week I had a friend here! She was passing through on her way to a conference and we were able to meet up for lunch! It was very random but so great to see her. I was worried it might make me more homesick but I found it very encouraging and great to be able to see her and spend a few short hours together. Here is a picture of us at the restaurant.