"MY SISTER DIED OF STARVATION"

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA
Temperature: 30 Degrees Celsius
Track of the day: "Greatest Story Ever Told," Oliver James
"This is Victory Gate," Rav tells us as we stand at the entrance to the ancient city of Angkor Thom, "and this is the churning of the sea of milk," he adds gesturing to a line of statues leading to the impressive gate. A causeway spans the moat in front of each tower with a row of devas (evil) on the left and asuras (good) on the right. This famous depiction of the popular Angkor myth the Churning of the Sea of milk is pivitol to this former capital. According to legend the devas and asuras were fighting over the elixir of immortality around a mountain. Using the king of serpents they played a tug of war around Mount Mandaranchal to churn the ocean. However once the mountain was placed in the ocean, it began to sink so Vishnu in his second incarnation as a turtle came to their rescue and supported the mountain on his back - thus good won. Beyond the towering stone gate are a myriad of temples each unique and impressive unto itself. Angkor Thom was the last and most enduring capital of the Khmer Empire, established in the 12th century by King Jayavarman VII and his succesors. Alecs practices his Khmer with Rattana as we follow Rav to the Terrace of Elephants, a long platform used by the King to address the people. The terrace is named for it's carving of elephants on its eastern face. Rav. takes us through a winding corridor that Alecs and I missed last time and explains the meaning behind the many guardas and lions carved into the stone. During our tour of the temples we stop for a cool drink at a little vendor. Dad buys everyone a cold pop and the vendors gather plastic chairs for us to sit together in a circle. A young man comes by selling books and mom peruses the many titles he has in his basket. "What book is that" Rav asks Mom after she purchases a couple. Mom hands Rav the book titled "First they killed my father," a chilling tale of a little girls struggle to survive through the Khmer Ruge while her family dies off like flies around her. "My family were peasant farmers," Rav tells us, "so we were more okay than the city people." Rav. tells us of how hungry he was, forced to eat live frogs while the all mighty Angkar's head was turned. Rattana talks about how children couldn't live with their parents and Rav. mentions he was in a child labour camp. "My sister died of starvation," Rav tells us he continues to laugh at his own desperation during the time....it's a grim conversation but Rattana and Rav. manage to keep a smile. Sam, Alecs and I speculate that by smiling they manage to push through something we can hardly understand - and it must be said that Cambodian's smile alot! Continuing back to the tuk-tuk's we join Rattana's friend who has been one of our drivers and all of us go to a little lunch spot together. Rav, being the negotiator he always is, manages to ensure he, Rattana and Sinat get their lunches free as a 'finders fee' for bringing the five of us to this restaurant. So after a hearty lunch and a little shopping we hit Bayon temple whose most distinctive feature is the multitude of serene and massive stone faces on the many towers which jut out from the upper terrace and cluster around its central peak. "Looks like me right?" Rav says pointing to the massive carvings visible from nearly every angle within the temple and smiling. Inside the temple an elderly women maintains a small buddhist altar with statues and incense. Alecs decides to light some incence and complete this spiritual ritual. After he finishes the old woman takes his right hand and ties a simple red bracelette around his wrist. Sam and Dad follow suit, while Mom leaves the dark temple cavern after having been stung by a scorpion in a similar place a couple years ago. We venture through many more temples and end the day with dinner at the Indochine.

"Sam!!!," I yell for what feels like the hundreth time this morning, "get up now!!." Today we are heading to Ta Prom again but this time for sunrise - thus Sam is not awake. After many shoes thrown at his head Sam finally gets up and showers and we manage to meet mom and dad at reception only moments before Rattana, Rav and Sinat arrive. Ta Prom is a magical place and nothing beats sunrise here as the hoards of tourists head to Angkor Wat where the sun rises over the temple but here we cannot see the sun. The morning dew clings to the stone, the photogenic and atmospheric combination of trees growing out of the ruins and the jungle surrounding make this place feel like another world. "I think this is my favorite temple in the morning," Ravovine says after explaining more of the history, "it's very spiritual, a place to meditate." The sun creeps into the sky and tourists begin to filter in signaling our time to leave. The morning breeze in the back of the open air tuk tuk is quite chilly and Sam, Alecs and I shiver as we head to our next temple. Beyond this temple lies a mountain with a small waterfall and a number of lingas carved into the river at the top - known as Kbal Spean. Mom and Dad have been here before but since Sam, Alecs and I have not we decide to head up the mountain not knowing what we are getting ourselves into. The first part of the hike is moderately uphill but not overly difficult and Rav entertains us with a brief history lesson. Kbal Spean is commonly referred to as the River of a Thousand Lingas due to the presence of an estimated 1,000 lingas, which are scluptures dug in the Siem Reap river beds. Every 400 meters we pass a sign letting us know how far we've come. Soon enough the terrain becomes steep and uneven, wtih tree roots being used as rope's to pull ourselves up we press on. Sam and Alecs find several branches to create makeshift swings, acting like a couple of monkeys. Roughly 5 km later we make it to the top where simple carvings can be seen under the clear waters of the river. Ravovine, wanting to get a photo on his camera to ask his teacher about a specific carving jumps the roped off area and quickly get's a stern talking to from a couple security guards. Like almost everything he seems to remain completely unphased and laughs all the while. We find another winding path to take us to a nice cool waterfall where we spend quite some time relaxing before our long descent which ends up proving much more difficult that the hike up. "I don't even feel like eating," I say as we sit at a nearby restaurant at the bottom of the mountain having just reached bottom moments ago. "I know what you mean," Alecs says finishing his second mango shake, "I'm too tired to eat," he adds. After our late lunch we crash back at the hotel before dinner as tomorrow we are leaving bright and early for Ko Ker, which is considerably far away.

Mom convinced both Rattana and Rav to bring their wives and children with us today as we have hired a van and driver with enough room for a dozen people. Ravovine has two young daughters, one studious, shy and well-manered, the other rambunctious, clever and cheeky. Rattana's daughter is a small barely walking and very shy little girl who clings to mom and dad. Our driver is another one of mom and dad's friends who has a thoroughly interesting life. During the war, he foughts against the Khmer Rouge with an underground army of former Lon Nol soldiers and set landmines to capture the militia. After the war ended he worked tirelessly in organizations to rid the country of the millions of deadly landmines now killing civilians. We all pile into the car with a myriad of fruit, veggies, baguettes and much much more for a nice picnic. The road is long, bumpy and very dusty but all three kids are brilliantly quiet and well manered for the entire trip. We stop at a number of small temples en route before arriving at the picnic area and final and largest temple. Here we find a picnic table, order some rice and spread the delicious food across the table. "Here you go," Alecs says rolling his eyes handing me pieces of his ham sandwich to feed the stray dogs. Alecs pretends to be appeasing me but I have seenhim sneaking food to stray dogs several times throughout this trip - I think I might have rubbed off on him. After we finish eating I notice the restaurant owners young son sitting with his father, eating a simple bowl of rice and I walk over to offer him a package of Oreo's. He nodds is head as his father whispers something to him and he brings his hands together in thanks. Watching him back at my table it becomes quite aparent that his father has instructed him to finish all of his lunch before he can eat the cookies. Eyeing the package the never takes his eyes from them as he loads spoonful upon spoonful of rice into his mouth. I follow everyone else to the main, massive and almost Mayan looking temple. Unfortunately, due to centuries of unuse and a lack of restoration we cannot climb this temple as there are almost no actual stairs left. After wandering around the temple we head back to the van where I spot the little boy sitting with his younger brother licking the icing off the oreos. I grab a couple Mars Bars and two packages of skittles and deliver them to the boys who nearly jump in the air. Rattana tells me these children who live so far from the city will have never had candies like these and even city dwelers cannot afford such goodies. Hopefuly this small gesture at least gave these little boys some excitement in their day as their home gave me such excitement. "This next temple we're going to is our favorite," I tell Sam as we approach Beng Mealea. "Ya, there's a lot of climbing over walls, through corridors and swining on branches at this place," Alecs adds reminiscing of our last trip here. This temple is around 40 km from Angkor Wat and Siem Reap and Alecs, Rattana, Sam, Rav's wife and daughters climb a wall to the interior while mom, dad, Rav, Rattana's wife and daughter walk around to the main entrace. We make several wrong turns and find ourselves climbing over walls that lead to more ruins, over crumbling bridges and into dark corridors. A single u-shaped vine provides the only way of crossing a particular gap in the temple and although there are ways around it both Sam and Alecs cannot resist the thrill. Finally we enter the main area where a maze of wooden planks and boards connect us with the rest of the crew. The sun sets quickly and not wanting the driver to have to be driving too late we head out and home for the evening.
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and will be a Christmas like none of us have had before. It will be my first Christmas without snow, but more imporantly my first Christmas without our families (except mom dad and Sam). We are sad about this but it doesn't really feel like Christmas time despite the cheesy attempts at Christmas trees and carols that make us smile.
So long for now,
Alecs and Meg in Siem Reap

"I FEEL AT HOME HERE IN SIEM REAP"

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA

Temperature: 27 Degrees Celsius

Track of the day: "Real World" Matchbox 20

"Rattana we're just entering Siem Reap," Alecs whispers over the phone as our bus passes a landmark that Alecs and I remember to be a mere five minutes from the bus stop, "see you soon." We quickly unload our luggage from the bus and wait a few minutes for Rattana to arrive. Back in March when Alecs and I were here in Cambodia, Rattana was our tuk-tuk driver and we quickly made good friends with him and have since kept in touch. As I anxiously wait for Rattana to arrive, wondering if he knew where this exact bus terminal was located my questions are answered as I see him literally running over to us. "That's him," I say, elbowing Alecs as he approaches. We make quick introductions and head to the hotel Alecs and I fell in love with last time - Golden Banana. It's been about 10 months since Alecs and I were last here but within moments of our arrival several of the staff members have recognized us. Rattana is no longer a tuk-tuk driver but rather the supervisor of a Khmer restaurant and we have agreed to have dinner there tonight. "I love this place," I say as we wait on the quiet street in front of the hotel under illuminated Chinese lanterns, while children ride bicycle's past us and the hotel dog rubs against me for a scratch behind her ears, "I feel at home here in Siem Reap." Alecs nods his head in agreement as the dog moves over to him for a belly rub. Moments later Rattana's friends arrive in a couple tuk-tuk's to escort us to Thany Khmer Restaurant. Although we are excited about eating at the restaurant where Rattana works, we assume this restaurant will be a random hole in the wall frequented by mostly Khmer. However we finally arrive at the restaurant we are greeted by a smiling and proud Rattana who guides us up to the traditional styled eatery under a bamboo thatch roof with romantically dim lighting. Rattana has instructed his staff to cook a set meal for us to his exact specifications, which means not-so-spicy (mostly because of me). The meal includes a dish called Amok - the national dish of Cambodia and a food we had tried back in March and thoroughly did NOT enjoy. Both Alecs and I give each other a knowing look out of the corner of our eyes but continue eating nevertheless. My first mouthfull is sensational, the deep rich flavour of the amok spice mixed with the creamy coconut milk and local spices is something I had not expected. Alecs flashes me a quick smile and we finish the amok in a matter of minutes and continue onto the next course. The night goes on with plenty of laughs and smiles before we retreat to our wonderful hotel for the night.

"I hope Rattana and Ravovine get along," Alecs says nervously the next morning over breakfast. Ravovine was Mom and Dad's guide to the temples when they first came to Cambodia and is meeting up with us this morning. A few moments later a friendly and very smily man approaches us and Mom and Dad jump to their feet. Ravovine introduces himself and moments later Rattana arrives. As he walks towards us Rattana stops in his tracks and imediately recognizes Ravovine and the two make like old friends. In fact they played in a volleyball league together and soon we are all headed off towards Angkor Wat thinking about what a small world it sometimes is. "We're almost there," I tells Sam after we purchase our week long Angkor Wat temple passes on the back of Rattana's tuk-tuk. Moments later we round the long dirt road beside the massive temple moat 190 meters wide, within the moat is the outer wall and as we all walk towards it the grandeur of the temple dwarfs us and I imagine what it might be like to have been the King so many centuries ago. Ravovine gives us a mini-history lesson throughout the entire complex, from the extensive bas reliefs, to the intricate carvings, and nearly everything else. "I am learning so much more this time around," I say to Alecs after Rav. explain a particularly interesting story about Vishnu. Standing at the reflecting pond where the awe inspiring temple shimmers on the water Alecs and I can hardly believe we are here once again. The day continues on with more temples including one of Alecs' favorites- Preah Khan. This temple does not have the voracious vegetation that has overrun much of Ta Phrom but still remains largely overrun by the forest. Unlike Angkor Wat, which is completely restored and magnificent in that way, Preah Khan is a maze of partially restored corridors and rooms where the adventurous soul can take flight. Sam gets his first taste at what made Alecs and I fall in love with these temples. Winding through fallen stones and climbing over fallen walls we explore the extensive temple before continuing onto the next. Exiting the temple, we pass one of the magnificent trees that has become one with the temple, pushing it's massive roots straight through the stones, engulfing parts of the outer wall in it's entirety. "Rav. is hilarious eh?" I say to Sam and Alecs as we sit in the back of the tuk-tuk heading to our final temple of the afternoon. Rav. is something of a comedian and has a funny anecdote at nearly every moment and it makes the experience all that much better. Rattana and Ravovine are always laughing while the rest of us are busy exploring the temples and it brings a smile to both me and Alecs. We arrive at Pre Rup, a temple with many many STEEP stairs that Rav and Rattana both decide not to climb. We crawl up the impossibly high stairs to the top where we are rewarded with panoramic views of the Cambodian countryside. "Going down is going to be harder than coming up," I say aloud looking down the stairs. Alecs and Sam nod their heads and we begin our descent.

Back at the hotel Sam, Alecs and I join Mom and Dad on their outdoor balcony for a few beers. Earlier in the day Sam and Alecs discovered they had inadvertently worn the same t-shirt and Mom and I goad Dad into wearing his so we can get a good laugh and of course an ever-lasting photo!Today was one of those days that seem like perfection, the kind of day you never want to end and tomorrow will hopefully be one of the same!Until next time so long,
Alecs and Meg in Siem Reap.