So we arrived long before dawn at Saigon. After an hour's sleep at some benches outside the airport, Mike, Daniel and I trooped over to the backpacker's district to wait for the bus. I can't think of a better way to spend daybreak than hunkered down at a dingy sidewalk, with a good Vietnamese meal spread out before us.
Our ride got rolling at around 630am. We caught our first glimpses of Vietnam in the early morning sunlight. Cambodia, here we come.
Hooking up with Joni and Gordon at Siem Reap, the following day we piled onto a couple of tuktuks and headed for the ancient ruins of Angkor.
For artsy-fartsy photos, check out this link:
http://cargocollective.com/commaspace/Temples-of-Angkor
Bayon
Ta Prohm, where huge trees have swallowed up some of the structures.
Other temples inside Angkor Thom
Angkor Wat
East Baray temples
Cambodia's capital, where we found a palace, a temple, a museum, and quaint little shops selling pretty little things at not-so-friendly prices. There were lots of street vendors though, peddling books (pirate copies!) at just "Three dollars, lady!"
The Royal Palace. Unfortunately, Joni and I were inappropriately dressed and weren't allowed in. (Besides, the entrance fee was a bit too steep for us cheapskates!)
National Museum. All those ancient, serene buddha figures in one room is a shiver-inducing sight. No photos allowed inside, except for the garden where the Leper King holds court.
Scampering about the streets, we stumbled upon a big, golden temple. The monks weren't too thrilled to see scantily-clad tourists, though.
Choeung Ek, or the Killing Fields, is a memorial dedicated to the thousands slain by the Khmer Rouge during their years of power (1975-1979). The grooves on the ground are the mass graves that have been excavated in the fields.
The Buddhist stupa holds thousands of skulls recovered from the site. Visitors leave incense and flowers by the steps.
