at about 2 pm and then headed out for food and sightseeing. The food search wasn't so fruitful, but if "sightseeing" can be translated to "buying everything in sight," then we we were a smashing success. We got back to the hotel just in time to put on the clothes we had made while we were gone and head out for dinner at La Fourchette, a wonderful French bistro that turned into a festive meal with some Dutch expatriates and then drinking and live music at a great Irish pub called Sheridan's. Not a great dirty martini, but the little acoustic trio did take requests, and they played some mean CCR.
So here I am, bleary-eyed at nearly 3 am to satisfy your thirst for photos...well, okay, my thirst to provide you with photos...so a snippet of shots from Vietnam will have to wait until my next session...in the meantime, enjoy these...
Incidentally, I've been meaning to report that everyone here wants to know if we like Obama (and they do), but no one has any understanding of the Prop 8 fiasco. You mention gay marriage and they look at you like your head just spun around a la Linda Blair.
More amazing stuff from Ta Prohm. Oh, and to clarify, these trees, which I'd previously identified mistakenly as fig trees, are actually cotton trees, or so the guide told us.
Cambodian guides like to point out vines that double as swings. This is one of several such moments captured in megapixels.
The waters of the River of a Thousand Lingas rushes over the carving that gives the river its name. A linga, for those who don't know, is the, uh, male reproductive organ. (The female is ioni.)
On the hike down from the River of a Thousand Lingas, I spotted this incredible colony of termites, and I aggravated this soldier just so I could show him off to all of you.
One of the many intricate sandstone carvings that have somehow been preserved at the temple known as Banteay Srei.
As we left a more minor temple, I caught this slice-of-Cambodia image. As Sarah said, "there's another one of those freakin' ubiquitous red chairs." I have to admit, there are a LOT of red plastic chairs in Southeast Asia. Someone look into that.
The dramatic North Gate into the city of Angkor Thom, which we drove through on our way back from Banteay Srei. Angkor Thom was the central complex in an ancient city that once was home to a million people.
On the way to far-off Beng Mealea, we stopped for some sticky rice and were treated to a few warm moments with these kids, who were ecstatic to have Sarah giving them bubbles and colored pencils and coloring books. (Great advice from Todd O'Leary on bringing lots of goodies to hand out to kids--that has been a life-saver.)
One of the more striking images from Beng Mealea, a jungle temple that, because it's 65 kilometers from Siem Reap, is much less visited--and thus a much more intimate experience--then Ta Prohm. Discovered just a few years ago, this incredible temple ruin is still very much as it was when it was found.
Beng Mealea is awesome in scale--this was just one room in a multi-chambered ruin that also featured 3 layers of moats surrounding the main structure.
Another one of those vine-swinging pictures I warned you about. This was a room at Beng Mealea you had to climb into to see. Sarah was very proud of the way she caught the light on the pillar echoing the color of my newly acquired Cambodian pants.
This park employee led us around Beng Mealea (a great service, as it would be easy to get lost or injured or both), and he's in hysterics here because he had just shown us that a huge spider above us was sleeping by GRABBING IT IN HIS BARE HANDS and holding it for us, at which point I thought Sarah would leap over the walls of the complex to get away. I thought I'd save you the spider image, which isn't nearly as wonderful as his smile.
A gorgeous pond filled with fully blooming Lotus blossoms outside the walls of Beng Mealea topped off an unbelievable couple of hours.
Then, on the way back to the car, Sarah stopped to drop some money in this toothless man's pot and take his photo.
After Beng Mealea, we headed to the Ruolos Group of temple ruins, and on the way into the best of these, Bakong, we admired this colorful pagoda.
This demonic lion's head was the highlight of our brief and memorable tour of Bakong.
I take that back--this kid's cardboard hat was the highlight of our brief and memorable tour of Bakong.
Sadly, it came time to say goodbye to the warm and utterly helpful staff at Hotel Borann. Mr. Bunna, the second from the left, was a wealth of information, and spoke English quite well.
Before we left town, we stopped for a drink at the Butterfly Garden restaurant, which is literally a butterfly garden. The owners let all the butterflies go a few times a week, and then purchase a replacement collection from local children, above, preparing to release their bounty. It's a heartwarming little arrangement they have in a country where too many kids are forced to peddle crap to tourists.
A wonderful last image of Cambodia--one of the just-released butterflies, sunning its wings on my index finger. A perfect symbol of hope for a people who deserve it as much as any on Earth.As I said, images of Vietnam will come ASAP--tomorrow we fly to Hanoi, where we catch the night train to the mountain town of Sapa, and then it's on to a two-day cruise on a junk on Halong Bay before wrapping up the trip in Hanoi. I have no idea what kind of connectivity awaits us in Sapa, but it could very well be Thursday before I can post again. If so, I'll have lots to share...
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