The Kingdom of Cambodia - The Rest of the Story

I know it's been a while...if you need a refresher on Part One of our trip to Cambodia, you can find it here.

The majority of our time in Cambodia was spent exploring the famous temples. We saw the sunrise at the famed Angkor Wat. We visited the Bayon Temple where 216 faces of King Jayavarman VII are carved throughout. We saw the Elephant Terrace and climbed a million steep steps to the top of Baphuon to enjoy the views of the countryside, as well as the giant reclining Buddha. One of my favorites was Ta Prohm. Ta Prohm was discovered buried under the jungle and still has many roots and trees intertwined through-out. 

The local people are ready and willing to sell everything and anything. Cristina quickly learned not to show any interest or you get bombarded. We also learned that the local kids go to "school" for a couple hours per day simply to learn enough English to impress the tourists. They ask where you are from and start spouting off facts about your country. Then they ask for a donation or "scholarship." The youngest kids follow you around with trinkets saying, "one dolla, one dolla."  By the end of our time in Cambodia, Dustin was bringing us little trinkets and asking us for, "One Dolla, One Dolla?"

At several temples, there are areas where people would stack rocks to signify they had been there. Dustin had fun adding lots of rocks to the stacks!

If you visit Siem Reap and see newly placed "NO PLANKING" signs throughout the temples, this is why...

We climbed a few stairs to see some breathtaking views. Dustin was not allowed up to the top of most of these areas. Luckily Grammie was more than happy to forgo the heights and hang with Dustin while we worked on our Buns of Steel...

Uncle Smelly seems to have a knack for finding some pretty cool places to take a picture.

Our TukTuk drivers hung out with us for our entire trip. One of our favorite things was when they took us on an impromptu visit to a local night market. The locals set up little stands every evening and sell everything you can imagine, and a few things you can't possibly imagine.  We saw everything from textiles to fried crickets and bugs. Tourists do not frequent this market, which made it even more fun for us to see this "real life" side of Siem Reap

When we weren't out exploring temples, we took in a local musical theater show (which is almost as indescribable as traditional Vietnamese singing). We took a pottery class (complete with a scene from the movie Ghost), got Grammie her first ever foot massage (which she giggled through the entirety of), and had our feet nibbled by hungry fish during a stroll along Pub Street.

Of all the AMAZING places we have been lucky enough to visit, Cambodia is one of my absolute favorites. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend a few days in this wonderful Kingdom!