ToaSG: No. 2

I had drinks with a girlfriend tonight at Fennel Lounge (very nice place btw, with great cocktails and very charming bartenders) and she bemoaned how technology made courtship too sloppy and casual. Whatever happened to picking up a phone and making plans together? Versus "hey, what's up?"..... [cue another 34 minutes before the next reply. LAME!]

I really couldn't agree with her more.

People these days prefer texting because of editing protection. For example, a person with Turrets will certainly sound normal over text. Obviously that person will be much less persuasive over the phone (ha!). But if you're going to always hide behind texts then to us it just signals that you don't have the ability to be direct. If you're going to text, best leave it to information only -- like a time, date, address, and other logistical details.

There's something to be said about a guy who can pick up the phone and call. It's exciting! I mean, who gets nervous texting?! Just compare that with dialing a number waiting for the many rings before hearing a "hello?"... of course you'll then completely fumble words and sound a little squeaky. Sometimes your voice will even crack! But that's charming, and honest, and goofy... but most importantly it's YOU.

Don't be wishy washy, it's unattractive. And it's harder for a girl to reject a guy's advance when she's ambushed with a call vs. texting. Think about it, fellas. If you get a date out of this, treat me to an elderflower drink at Fennel. :)

Frivolous Birthday Wish List

Just because it's fun to imagine a situation when people finally realize that I would not appreciate a Bath & Body Works lotion set or a Starbucks gift certificate. In fact, that is a sure fire way to get defriended become my arch-nemesis [that's you, Ikea!!!].

I am very particular about gifts in general because I do not like clutter in my life. And if it's not something I can use or love (and I mean LOVE), then it must be something extremely thoughtful and sentimental (i.e. NOT a shot glass you picked up from your last beach holiday). You can be sure that anything that you put thought into will end up being something I will appreciate! It's not about how much something costs, but whether it adds value or happiness. If you know me, then this should be a doozy. :) Honestly, a nice heart-felt handwritten letter would earn a spot in my forever shoebox safe. I love those.

BUT I will understand if you have Carpel Tunnel syndrome. In fact, since I don't want to aggravate your debilitating medical condition, here is a list of shit I want (I am so considerate!):

1. 1-year subscription to NYTimes.com... or you can make that a perpetual subscription if you never want to waste any additional brainpower figuring out what would make me happy every year. :) [Friends showed me hax, woot.]
2. A new tennis racket, I'm thinking probably a Babolat. I will have no more excuses for not kicking ass.  [Mom got me a new racket, yay!]
3. If a house elf could magically appear and re-string my new badminton racket. And my new Babolat. [Dobby came and lent a hand.]
4. Vocal lessons.
5. Tennis lessons.
6. Dance lessons. [Just took my first Salsa class last weekend!]
7. Spanish lessons. [Does RosettaStone count?]
8. Flexible roundtrip tickets to Taipei.
9. A domesticated silver fox.
10. An Ayi to take care of said awesome pet's shedding and excretion. 
11. A fire engine red scooter with reflector strips so I can ride in style and safety in Shanghai. With a fighter pilot helmet. And handle bar streamers. Oh, and a fog horn. [I got a bike, that's good enough. I wear my helmet and it has blinking LED lights for extra safety.]
12. French press and coffee grinder. I can't believe I don't have these already. [THANKS CHRIS, YOU'RE THE AWESOMEST HOUSE-GUEST EVER!!!]
13. A home-cooked 5 course meal. I won't even care if it tastes like Elmer's Glue.
14. Satellite cable so I can watch garbage shows like Housewives of Staten Island or whatever.
15. That ginormous Samsung Note II smartphone to increase my productivity to world dictator level. [Used the power of persuasion to have my company upgrade my smartphone, which I now realize will take a bit of a learning curve to use, hahaha.]
16. An ultrabook? [I think getting a Samsung Note2 is like a mini-Ultrabook]
17. Laser eye surgery??
18. A two-bedroom apartment???
19. A three-bedroom apartment????
20. A tropical island?????

Okay my brain is exhausted. This was fun, good night!

Put-Put, Tuk-Tuk

I did some quick math in my head, and estimated that I spent almost ONE WAKING DAY on tuk-tuk in Cambodia. 

4 days of school x 2.5 hours tuk-tuk

1 day of school x 5 hours tuk-tuk

5 non-school days x 0.5 hours tuk-tuk (at least, not counting tour time)

= 17.5 hours on tuk-tuk?!?!!!!!

Wow, this deserves a post on its own. :p

Cambodia in the dry season is not the jungle that you would imagine, especially when the land is cleared out for agriculture.

Dusty fallow rice paddy fields until the rains come again.

Face masks are recommended to block out all the dust that gets kicked up on the road.

I very much enjoyed sitting on the tuk-tuk alone for hours. It was active meditation letting your brain relax and watching the world whiz by. But just because you were sitting in the tuk-tuk didn't mean that you were confined in a mobile box, you could also interact with people at the same time -- children would wave "hi!" when you passed by, adults would smile at you if you smiled at them. People worked on their fields, sat by their roadside stands, went about their daily lives. It was great having Pesete drive me anywhere around the whole Angkor area without worrying about any logistical details.

A more interesting stretch of the road through a village.

One afternoon after a lunch pitstop back from school, I had the brilliant idea to enjoy a coconut on the one-hour ride home. I thought, "Hmm, wouldn't it be such a luxury to sip fresh coconut water on the way back?". The vendor chose a really nice one for me, and Pesete and I set off back to Siem Reap. #winning!

At that moment, I was so engrossed in my tropical dream that I failed to remember that tuk-tuks are very bumpy. I also failed to remember that coconuts are basically the size and weight of bowling balls.

Instead of a relaxing and hydrating ride home, I spent the entire one hour ride juggling the stupid (yet awesome) coconut from spilling out its contents all over myself and the tuk-tuk. If coconuts were to compete in the State County Fair, then this one definitely would have been awarded a blue ribbon. It was brimming to the top with water, and every little bump and jostle sent waves of coconut juice flying out. GAH!!!!! What could I do?!? Sipping was not an option, I had to GULP.

FRANTICALLY.
USING A STRAW.
WHILE BALANCING AN EXTREMELY HEAVY OBJECT.

Just imagine this -- you HAVE to hold the coconut up to drink it. It's not like you can put it on the ground and drink it like a dog. The coconut flies everywhere whenever the tuk-tuk hits like, a pebble. Your arms are also flying everywhere. Your face, connected to the straw connected to the coconut, is flying everywhere too. And of course, you are subsequently doused with coconut water. O_O

This coconut must have been AT LEAST 15 pounds or something. 

Imagine holding a bowling ball like Baby Simba for an hour.... hahahahaha

Don't mess with coconuts, guys. They will pwn you.

Day 5: First Day of School

I said goodbye to Nat and Korwin very early Monday morning, walking back to Seven Candles by myself. My hostel was just a few easy blocks away, but it was still very dark with little activity on the streets. Even though I felt fairly comfortable with Siem Reap after being there for 3-4 days, knowing that I was actually alone definitely heightened my awareness of the surroundings. Aka I was a bit scared, hahaha. I also freaked out when the hostel's gates were completely closed and I was locked outside, but a bit of frantic dialing did the trick. Good, I have self-preservation skills. I'm not a dodo bird! 

Remember how I was saying one of the purposes of this Cambodia trip was to try to experience what it was like being alone? Well, now I know that in the beginning it felt like someone suddenly took off my training wheels, and I was both free to fall and free to navigate my surroundings without constraints. Do you think that being alone is freeing? 

But I wasn't really alone the rest of the trip, because Monday was my first day of school. :) 

Like I mentioned before, PLF volunteers basically create their own curriculum with minimal direction from the school and foundation. There aren't many constraints for art classes because it's not like you're going to be teaching them nude charcoal sketches. The teachers should just use their best judgment on what's suitable for the children, and try to make their class as thoughtful and meaningful as possible!

Basically, the guidance I received was:

Teach two art classes each day.

Each class is one hour long, and has approximately 20 students.

The students are 4th and 5th graders.

You can use whatever materials are available in the supply room. Or buy your own in town.

Most of the things you teach may take a few classes, so you probably only need to prepare a few projects.

Have fun, bye! :D

P.S. Your tuk-tuk driver is your translator. And maybe the librarian if he is present. 

[Eek...... okay......]

I really really really wanted to do a good job. No, not just good... I wanted teach a supercalafragilisticexpialidocious class where the kids really came away with something special. A few Christmases ago, I took an element that I learned from elementary school and implemented it in part of my handcrafted cards. THAT sort of everlasting memory was the impression that I wanted to make. So I thought about what I wanted achieve for the children, and broke it down to the following criteria:

• Something completely novel. I want to add value by widening their understanding of the world.
• Something educational. I want to add value by opening up their mind and making them think.
• Something fun and interactive. I want to add value by adding color and excitement to their lives.
• Something they can be proud of. I want to add value by establishing self-confidence.

That's a lot of checkboxes to tick off.

Class #1: Pinwheels

I prepared a finished prototype of what we're making before each art class to help the students understand the project better. It took a lot of time to think about the best explanation, work through the appropriate steps, and organize all the materials every day.

For the first class, I decided to teach the children how to make pinwheels. Why pinwheels? Well, pinwheels are fun toys that give children immediate and tangible satisfaction from the fruits of their labor. They get to have some self-expression by drawing on the pieces of paper, and then learn a bit of mechanics too (the propellers capturing the wind, rotating around the pin). It's a easy lesson that will hopefully help Teacher Miffy earn some brownie points so they're extra good the rest of the week. :) 

I was also told that I had the option of providing food for the children before each class, a meal of bread and milk. Well, I decided to up that by adding fruit to their diet, so I requested my driver Pesete to pass by the market every morning and grab enough bananas for all the kids. Potassium is important!

On the way to school, with art supplies all loaded up in the boxes!

There is a lot of scooter traffic around the market area.

Here is Pesete with our treasure.
Bananas, baguettes, and condensed milk. I think it cost around $20 USD to provide lunch to 40 children each day.

Oh boy, what was I getting myself into? The drive took one hour, and by the time we puttered into the school's dusty driveway I had become genuinely nervous. There were children just hanging out in the schoolyard, and some of them smiled and waved to say "hello!" as we pulled up to the classroom. That made me smile... and you know what? I smiled a lot that day, and a lot more the rest of the week. :)

When the clock struck 11, the kids literally BOUNDED their way into the classroom. They were laughing, smiling, teasing each other, and staring at me unabashedly... who is this new teacher? PLF has sent many a foreigner to Knar Primary School, so these children were probably used to the rotating United Nations at their doorstep. But what would THIS one bring? Well students, I am Ms. Frizzle!

We first spent around 10-15 minutes distributing the food, and waiting them to eat and calm down a bit. They were extremely well-behaved, putting their hands together (as is Cambodian custom) looking you in the eyes while saying "thank you" (in English!!!) as you handed them lunch. Some children even remembered my name after I had introduced myself in the beginning, and said "thank you [Miffy]". Such angels. After finishing their meal, the students got up automatically to throw away their garbage and swept the floor of crumbs. I was very impressed, and this motivated me to do my best. They deserve it.

I explained to them the day's project in English just like how I would teach a classroom full of American students. It was surprisingly easy for them to quickly get the concept with body language and gestures, even if my tuk-tuk driver Pesete didn't manage to translate everything successfully. Smart kids... the only thing holding them back is their lack of exposure and resources.

Coloring their pinwheels.

Helping them staple the propellers securely and pin the stick in.

This sweet girl put quite a few decorative touches on her pinwheel.

It was pure joy watching the students run around playing with their new pinwheels! :)

Ta-da!

I can't tell you HOW relieved I was when we were done for the day -- I can teach! :) Whew.

We ended class at 1pm and headed back to town for lunch. Pesete took me to this food stall on the way back to Siem Reap, which sold fish paste coconut curry noodles. It was delicious!!! And only 5,000 riels (appoximately $1.25 USD).

Doesn't look like much, but this is good stuff.

Cambodian curry is not spicy at all. You can add this mouthwatering chili garlic sauce that really hits the spot.

You would think that the day is over and now I have lots of free time to do vacationy stuff, but nope -- tomorrow is another class day and I have to think of another awesome project for the kids! Now this second class was giving me a bit of a headache since it was going to be Christmas Day. I wanted to take advantage of this holiday and teach them something related to Christmas, but what could we do? Korwin had suggested cutting out snowflakes, but I vetoed it because 1) would they know about snow, and 2) surely they've never examined a snowflake under a microscope, so how would they know that the unique patterns they were cutting out was supposed to be snow? See... it's not easy to come up with a good curriculum! After lots of brainstorming, I came up with a better idea... a fantastic one, if I may say myself. SNOW GLOBES. 

Why snow globes? These children have never seen snow in their life, so I'm going to bring "snow" straight to them! But, how was I going to find the material to make snow globes? o_o My friends at Seven Candles pointed me towards the Old Market. Pesete... helpppppp meeeeeeeee....

Markets are pretty much the same all around the world. Just mounds and mounts of STUFF.

I was able to source everything I needed to make 40 snow globes at the Old Market. Plastic jars, Santa ornaments, green tinsel, and glitter (at the beauty store pictured above). I used a guilt-trip bargaining method with the vendors, "It's for the children!!! DO IT FOR THE KIDS!!!"

After purchasing all the supplies, I had to now make the first prototype. This all made sense in my head, but it is very important to give it a whirl yourself because you'll end up discovering a lot of problems that would have been pretty awkward had you not troubleshooted it first. Like how "Santa" actually floats so you have to glue him to the lid sideways. I had poked lots of holes into this one Santa ornament to let the air out (unsuccessfully). When that didn't work, I squeezed his body like one of those bath toys. Santa ended up looking like was gunned down by a AK-47 and then run over by a dump truck, hahahaha. :p

Glub, glub, glub?
Prepping for the snow globes took A LOT of time. I had to prepare all the Santas so they didn't look like floating dead bodies, cut all the tinsels to the right length, make the snow globe prototype. Basically working right through dinnertime.

All right, dinner! Where to go, where to go... surely I'll find sustenance near Pub Street! So off I went armed with my trusty map, and found myself a Vietnamese restaurant where I ordered a hearty pho and delicious avocado shake. I went back again for that avocado shake a few days later.

Siem Reap's Pub Street.

It's pretty much the same deal in every South East Asian city.

Cambodian shadow puppet show.

I passed a free shadow puppet show while walking back home. It was very entertaining, and the perfect day to end a very long and eventful day.

Thoughts of a Single Gal

I think it's a good idea to use this blog to get annoyances about lame dudes out of my system. Consider this fair warning!

Pet Peeve #1: Do not summon me, for I am not a genie. I absolutely love spontaneity, but hate casual bypassing conveniences. And I can tell the difference.

Battle of the Beers - Cambodia

When I went to a local deli to stock up on junk food, I noticed that Cambodia actually had a dizzying array of local beer. And only for 50 cents each! Why not do a taste test? :) Here are the results... you can probably guess who said what.

Kingdom Gold, Black Panther, ABC, Cambodia, Angkor, and ANCHOR. 

Korwin eagerly shuffling the Monopoly Deal deck in the background.

• Kingdom Gold -- "Not refreshing." "Weird aftertaste." "Tastes like piss." 
• Black Panther -- "*grimace* Tastes like expired coffee" "60% of the time, it works all the time." "Coagulated piss.. Mmmm, I love it" 
• ABC -- "I like it! Chocolates!" "Coffee!" Piss and mud." 
• Cambodia -- "Heavier than Japanese beer." "Not fragrant, no aftertaste." "Clean like piss" 
• Angkor -- "Bitter" "Okay." "Flat piss like when you haven't drank water that day." 
• Anchor -- "I don't like it. *sneers*" "It's the least offensive, not bad." "It tastes like piss after a night of drinking a ton of different beers. It's definitely beer but doesn't necessarily have it's own flavor." 

WINNER: Cambodia, closely followed by Anchor (whoa?!)

Well, Nat and I never called ourselves beer connoisseurs, that recognition definitely goes to Korwin. But at least we're not experts in pee tasting either... ha. :p

Day 4: Temple Tour (Part Two)

Destinations: Angkor Wat, Banteay Srei, Neak Pean, Preah Khan

[drumroll please]

Ladies and Germs...

... now, comes what we've all been waiting for

the wonderful,

the magnificent,

the spectacular,

the one and only...

Angkor Wat.

:)

Our tour guide picked us up at 5:30 in the morning so we could catch the sunrise over Angkor Wat. I think we managed to clock in just 4 hours of sleep that night, but I practically jumped right out of bed pumped with adrenaline (but that wore off in like half an hour, haha). Watching the sunrise over Angkor Wat is one of the most popular things to do. Like a beeping conga line of fireflies winding through the same dusty road, we were joined by hundreds of equally eager tourists riding on buses, vans, cars, tuk-tuks, and even on bikes all headed towards the temple. We found a nice spot along the wall and nestled together to watch the scene unfold.

Khmer "Starry Night"

Angkor Wat means "the city which is a temple". It is the representation of Mt. Meru where the gods live with its 5 top sanctuaries and the moats symbolizing the cosmic ocean. This Hindu "Mt. Olympus" is believed to be situated near real-life Mt. Everest. So this is what I meant when I said that these temples are figuratively, Heaven on Earth.

I know this may sound crazy, but it was incredibly moving to walk through these temples knowing that these structures were man's attempt to bring heaven down to earth. Can you imagine being a pilgrim in those days visiting Angkor Wat in its original state of glory, both beckoning and intimidating as it represents the entire universe as you believed it to be? It's as if a Christian were able to go to a church where you felt like you were actually going through the Pearly Gates and then worshiping while being surrounded by everything you believed Heaven would be. From what I know, there is no where else in the world like Angkor Wat. It is a superstructure, larger than I could have ever imagined. The amount of genius, conviction, and passion required to build Angkor Wat can only be driven a beautiful mission such as human faith.

... um, and a lot of gold from King Suryavarman II, of course. :p

Mt. Meru on top of the cosmic ocean.

Angkor Wat and its moat.

Lining the walls of Angkor Wat were these INCREDIBLE bas relief galleries depicting everything from legendary battles, royal processions, heavens and hells (you see all these nasty punishments for various sins, just like Dante), and churning of ocean of milk. I have to admit I was a bad girl and would sometimes forget the "no touching" rule. :( Boo.

The Battle of Lanka -- whereby an army of monkeys defeated the demons to save Sita, wife of Rama.

Haha I liked how the monkeys were biting the demons. Good monkey.

Devatas, guardian spirits that guard the temples (seen everywhere!).

They're purty -- big boobs and fancy bling.

This is it -- the central tower of Angkor Wat at the very top level.

I felt like I missed a lot of important details, so I actually went back to Angkor Wat twice after this particular tour -- once for another sunrise before school, and again for a round of closer investigation.

Next, we headed towards Banteay Srei, the most exquisite temple of them all. :)

Banteay Srei is actually not in the Angkor temple area, but about 45 minutes away by car (or 1.5 hrs by tuk-tuk). It was commissioned not by a Khmer king, but a Brahmin, a very powerful royal adviser and religious figure. The carvings in Banteay Srei are simply unparalleled compared to any of the other temples, and is considered to be representative of the height of ancient Khmer art.

The demon Ravana (who seems like the main antagonist in a majority of Hindu mythologies) shaking a mountain because he's angry that he cannot enter a holy area. Shiva calmly crushes Ravana effortlessly under the mountain with just his toe, even with his wife sitting on his lap.

What a baller.

There are many children running around the temples selling trinkets.

Tourists are strongly advised NOT to buy any souvenirs from children because it encourages them to spend time selling cheap goods vs. going to school. The money goes to their handler anyway, and the children pocket a paltry sum. In the long term, these children will grow up uneducated and lacking a bright future. This situation has improved greatly from years past due to continuous efforts from NGOs such as the Ponheary Ly Foundation.

Door jambs with ancient Sanskrit.

You can stare at these carvings for days at end... just look at this detail!!!! O_O

A frieze depicting Indra riding his mount, Airavata the three-headed elephant.

We took a spin around Neak Pean, which is a complex of 5 large water basins believed to have magical healing powers for the faithful. Unfortunately the area was closed off and we couldn't see the water fountains up close, but what is interesting is that you pick which water basin to "bless and cleanse" yourself with based off your natural element (fire, wood, air, earth). These water basins can also be found in large temples such as Angkor Wat... but they're now empty of course. I don't have any really good pictures of Neak Pean.

Preah Khan, also known as "Sacred Sword", is a Buddhist temple dedicated to King Jayavarman VII's father (Ta Prohm is dedicated to his mother). Now I will say that I really really really enjoyed Preah Khan. When we arrived in the afternoon, there were very few visitors. We were able to enjoy the structure in peace and quiet, and the roofed enclosures provided pockets of cool air during the hot day. It also had the crazy trees and rubble like Ta Prohm, and its more complete state gave me a better idea of what these temples may have looked like (and functioned) in the past.

There are not many temples with their galleries and ceilings intact like Preah Khan.

Khmer architects never managed to figure out flying buttresses, so temple roofs were also very angular and narrow.

 I really need to replace my camera lens... those scratches are unforgivable! :(

Err, Korwin... how did you end up on the roof? HAHA. Seriously, only you...

We were then told that the fine for each shifted/collapsed block would be $10,000 USD. Yikes!

And thus concludes the temple tours with NKJ. :)

I had a great time exploring Siem Reap with Natalie and Korwin, and really do hope that we get the chance to travel again together sometime very soon. Thanks for the company and unforgettable experiences.

(to be continued... volunteering and more scallywagging!)

Day 3: Temple Tour (Part One)

Destinations: Angkor South Gate, Bayon, Baphuon, Royal Terraces, Ta Phrom, Kampong Phluk Floating Village

It's Saturday 6pm and I've essentially wasted the entire day nursing a headache. Horrible! A good reminder that even the mightiest can be toppled by too much gin and soda. Hahaha....

Day 3 in Siem Reap, and finally time to head into the Angkor Temples. Like I mentioned earlier, I had no time prior to this vacation to sit down and read up on the history and significance of this place. This is highly irresponsible for an adventurer!!! :( Knowledge preparation is totally key to maximizing your appreciation for a new environment, otherwise it's just another quick loop through Disneyland's "It's a Small World". Tour guides are kind of like geriatric nurse aides holding Spark Notes -- they bring you around in white vans, help you when you're disoriented, and know exactly where all the bathrooms are. They really are quite useful when you don't know the language and don't have much time to spend on that area. A crappy tour guide, however, is really just a seeing eye dog. Out all the amazing people that I've met in Cambodia, I can't believe that we got lucky and rolled a HORNY seeing-eye dog. :( I don't want to delve into the details, but all I can say is thank god I had 10 days in Siem Reap to redo the temples myself again.

At the same time, perhaps it wasn't a bad thing that I came to Angkor as an ignorant blank slate, with no expectations on how it would look and how I would feel. I remember the excitement building up as we pulled up to Angkor South Gate, and then seeing more-than-lifesize devas and asuras (gods and demons) lining the path depicting a celestial tug-of-war... whoaaaa!!! Words cannot describe how AMAZING (here the word is used to the fullest degree) these temples are, even in their weathered and crumbling state. Pictures really cannot capture the feeling of standing in a time capsule created by the collective efforts, thoughts, and beliefs of millions of people... even after thousands of generation cycles. The Angkor temples are proud evidence of man's ancient triumph, materializing imagination into reality, celebrating their faith in the most grand scale possible. Here, in the Khmer Empire, man created Heaven on Earth.

Bayon Temple was Natalie's favorite. It is a intricate religious complex composed of beautiful bas reliefs that narrate historic and religious stories on the lower levels, and towers of 4-sided Buddha faces staring serenely (yet intimidatingly?) down at you on the top level. Built in the late 12th century under the Buddhist King Jayavarman VII, Bayon actually incorporates both Buddhism and Hinduism as an attempt to peacefully meld the King's religion with the people's dominant belief system. Both major Buddhist and Hindu figures are shown in this temple, and although Buddhism lost ground in the short-run (pictorial example further below), modern Cambodia officially considers itself  a Buddhist country with considerable Hindu influences.

At Bayon Temple, one of the few Buddhist temples in Angkor.

Receiving a blessing in the form of a red string bracelet.

Third time a charm? Noooooo.... ok fine, how about the fourth?

If you can imagine this -- the crowd growing and growing as we continued to monopolize the backdrop for each successive failed jump. TOO MUCH PRESSURE!!! Not that a jumping picture is EVER as epic as we think...

From far away Bayon looks like a pile of rubble, but these stones are all intricately carved and once brightly lacquered and gilded with gold.

Bayon is a fan favorite for its towers, which is probably a huge inspiration Hollywood set designers, haha.

Ta Prohm Temple is also the usual must-see on any Angkor loop, a rather "romantic" temple dominated by trees that wove their roots in the temple's stone structures. It's location is convenient and accessible enough for every 2-3 day traveler to make a pit stop, so you will absolutely get your zergling Asian visitor swarms that mercilessly creep into every photo frame you may take. I recommend Bang Melea (to be covered) if you're looking for your Indiana Jones experience.

One of my favorite photos of the trip, if I may say. ;)

Lara Croft... redux? HAHA.

Ta Prohm was also a Buddhist temple constructed by the same king who built Bayon, but this one was dedicated to his mother. Back in the day, kings dedicated temples not only to the gods themselves, but also to their parents, their honored advisers, and of course... to the kings themselves as devarajas (god-kings). Like many ancient civilizations, the Khmer Empire system was one that combined religious and political power. As we know, this is a very effective way to control the people, address their problems, and maintain absolute authority.

The picture below is very interesting -- after King Jayavarman VII passed away, the kings after him may not have prescribed to Buddhism, and there was a massive Hindu movement against Buddhism in the 13th century. This led to the destruction of many Buddhist images in the temples, which ranged from removing Buddhist figures out of stone walls, to defacing Buddha faces, to beheading Buddha statutes, to attempting to "remodel" existing carvings through rather poor etching skills... -_-;;;

Almost all of the Buddhist meditation carvings were defaced to reflect Hindu meditation. The main differences are:

1) Hindu crown (hair) is round, whereas Buddhist is conical.

2) Hindu has beard (possibly for Shiva) whereas Buddhist is shaved.

3) Hindu meditation with palms of hands pressed together in a prayer, Buddhist hands relaxed on the knees in a lotus position.

4) Hindu legs crossed higher, Buddhist legs crossed on the ground.

13th century graffiti.

Dude, you could have done a better job at least. :(

Had to fit a touristy picture in, heh. :)

"Kimchi...."

After a morning of temple tours, we headed to Kampong Phluk Floating Village to see how the locals lived near Tonle Sap Lake, the largest freshwater lake in South East Asia. The people around this area generally either fish or grow rice, depending on the season. The lake expands and shrinks dramatically every year when the rainfall gets so heavy that the Mekong River actually flows backward up into the lake and floods ~NINE METERS high, growing the lake at least 100km wide. That. Is. Nuts. JUST HOW MUCH WATER IS THAT?! So the people live on houses with stilts to accommodate the yearly phenomenon, a necessary adaptive lifestyle. Boats are their main mode of transportation, but Venice it is not.

This flooding cycle is why Tonle Sap Lake has one of the most biodiverse environments in SE Asia. The balance of this environment is highly dependent on the state of the Mekong River, so any major waterway construction efforts (i.e. dams) or seepage (i.e. fertilizer, pesticide, human waste) by neighboring countries such as Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, and CHINA will disrupt this delicate balance. Everything is linked together, who knows what the ultimate collective price will be? Unfortunately, there are no easy answers to this resource development dilemma, a classic public goods puzzle... I would only expect that it will be more and more difficult for these floating villages to depend on their traditional way of life. Thank goodness for tourism, I guess.

"I'm on a boat!"

... and my flippy-floppies! HAHAHA

The villages aren't "floating" during dry season, but I think it's more interesting being able to see what's underneath the houses.

Webs and webs of fishing nets. Bathrooms directly into the water. Baskets to trap food.

Love the colors here, virtually Ps untouched.

On the way to and from Tonle Sap Lake, Nat and I stopped by the road to walk around a nearby rice field. This was the only area around Siem Reap that was growing rice, the other fields were yellow and dusty (probably waiting for the rainy season, whereas here water was still plentiful). We encountered a beautiful sunset, a perfect way to end the day. :)

This picture is so funny/stupid, had to put it in here because I really don't know what the hell we're doing.

Reminds me of those local Chinese officials surveying road constructions, ha....

Oh maybe we were pointing at dog tracks....?

I've never seen the sun so big in my life before, except in those National Geographic covers!

(to be continued...)