mila | adventure . angkor wat

what was it????  was i tired from all the traveling?  was it the oppressive heat? did we get up too early?  i'm really not sure.  all i know is, despite the inspiring beauty of the temples at angkor wat i just wasn't in the mood to take pictures that day.  it was enough for me to walk the halls of those ancient temples catching the occassional breeze as it blew through the columned windows, listening to our knowledgeable guide.  there was so much history in the corridors of that stoned monument.  even the condensed version would have taken 3 days to tell.   ah but i'm compelled.  i have to take a few photos.  it would be remiss of me not to.


there were so many temples to see, each one a legacy to some king.  each one with its own story.  angkor wat by itself was HUGE!  the artwork was intricate, detailed and almost perfect.  it took less than 40 years to get what they had done and they weren't finished.  everything was done by hand.  the stones laid in perfect symmetry.  the lines between them were nearly invisible.  it was seamless.  no amount of words could accurately describe the place.  my lame pictures can't even touch the surreal 3D effect that the stone masters of long ago were able to achieve.  it's like i walked onto an HDR canvas.  i've seen photographs of this place and they didn't prepare me for the vastness and the beauty.  artistic depictions of the temples and the stone faces litter the streets of cambodia.  i've seen posters that capture the serenity of the temples in the early light and the quiet of sundown.  i've seen haunting variations printed on silver gel paper.  so many artists trying to voice their experience through art in all the various mediums and still... the reality remains elusive.  you just have to go there and experience it for yourself.

the sunrise stalkers convene...

and finally... it arrives ...

this made me sad.  treasure hunters and theives have ransacked the temples throughout history.  taking what they can sell.  the buddhas have their heads cut off because that is the most valuable part of the statue.  these heads are found in the black markets around the world.  

the next set of photos is at Ta Prohm also fondly known as the "tomb raider temple".  so much of these temples are destroyed.  in some cases it's nature taking its course and in some cases it is a product of war and the ugliness of genocide.  a government trying to wipe out a culture.

mila | adventures . cambodia

it started out with our luggage not showing up.  somehow our luggage decided it wanted to take a more adventurous route.  it went to bombay from bangkok and no one knew when it would make it's way to cambodia.  groan.  guess it was time to go shopping.  then petra comes out of the bathroom with this statement... "the green stuff in the little bottle isn't mouthwash".  silly girl tried to gargle with shampoo.  rofl.  it was a great start.


we decided to spend the first day shopping.  gee... i wonder why?  we went to the "old market".  it's a tourist trap quite honestly.  several stalls of the countries local goods.  everything from metal and wood works to fabrics and fish.    we bought enough clothes to get us by.  i would have purchased more but they trade in US dollar.. dollar as in the paper money.  no coins here.  so the smallest denomination they are willing to trade on is a buck.  even for the smallest toy they want to charge a dollar.  it gets ridiculous in some cases.  i don't think i'll be coming back for the shopping.  


we took a trip to a place called floating village.  it's amazing!  everyone lives on "house boats".  people here learned how to swim and maneuver boats before they learned how to walk.  many of them never even learned how to drive or ride a bicycle!  although i should be one to talk, curtis just taught me how to ride a bike last summer.  

cruising through the neighborhood and peeking into their homes you see that they have everything they need.  gardens are found out front and music in the back.  some homes have TVs and monitors.  the village has a floating basketball court, a church, post office and a school.  behind each of these you see little boats parked out back.  the local restaurant is well equipped and the bathroom is cleaner than the ones on land!  the best part of all this is that the shopping is a window service!  the floating produce store comes right up to your doorstep where you can make your selections in the comfort of your home. 


that night we hung out at pub street.  it's the local bar hopping hang out, hence the name.  it's a colorful strip with art shops mixed in with restaurants and pubs.  kids walk the streets peddling goods to the tourists.  street artists -- i only saw one guy actually -- performing daring stunts complete with speakerers on wheels.  down a little ways are food stalls selling local favorites and next to that a 3 story restaurant with a skate ramp on the roof!