Kevin and I made our honeymoon into an extended vacation. My parents were looking to go on a family trip and I told them if it was in South East Asia and the week after my honeymoon I'd be happy to go. We ended up changing our tickets the day after we booked them to include another week or two of traveling. Seriously, the best idea.
Our first stop was Cambodia. We met up with my parents and Josh & Kathryn in Siem Reap. Our honeymoon was the best and so we were extremely happy we didn't have to go home quite yet.
Siem Reap was only a village when the Angkor ruins were rediscovered in early 1900, and it quickly grew as tourism to Angkor grew. The main purpose of visiting Siem Reap is still it's proximity to the Angkor temples. Even with the tourism and proximity to the temples, the city has remained very traditional and retained its culture well.
The first evening we arrived a little earlier than my parents. We met up with Josh and Kathryn and went out to explore the city.
To get anywhere in Cambodia you take a tuk-tuk, which is a small trailer that fits 4 people pulled by a motorcycle. They are common in most parts of Asia, and they vary a little by country. They are definitely the best form of transportation because they are so cheap.
Siem Reap has both the Old Market and the Central Market. I know I always write this, but I love markets. I love fruit markets, because everything always looks so tasty. I love meat markets because everything looks so gross. I love seeing all the the items bunched together in beautiful color schemes. Pretty much, I love everything about local markets.
I can spend hours looking through the food and the trinkets in markets. We spent most of the evening roaming through the endless rows. Even Kevin was loving it and of course got stuck at the candy portion. He came away from here with nuts and dried fruit of every kind.
For dinner we saw a lot of people eating what is called Khmer BBQ, which is where you cook your food in front of you on a charcoal burner in a cast-iron pot. You fry food on the center and the edges create a broth with veggies. It turned out really good, but cooked super slow. I still felt hungry afterwards, but it was all about the experience and enjoying the company around you. I think next time I'd need to ask for more pots for the group!
The city is extremely affordable, and we were able to get massages, pedicures, and manicures for a few dollars each. Kevin and Josh were so happy. It was pouring down and we were all huddled under the tent getting massages. As they ended, if it was still raining, we would add another dollar and they would continue for another 20 min. It was perfect.
The following day we explored more outside of the city. The city is surrounded by a never ending thick jungle; which is why the ruins were hidden for so long.
We also came by some crazy bugs. This guy was about the size of Kevin's hand.
Of course Cambodia wouldn't be complete with out riding elephants.
We really played the tourists here and made our ride short. We got our photos and then continued on our walk. They are the worst form of transportation, but are so fascinating to watch.
Cambodia is primarily Buddhist, and it currently practices a form of Theravada Buddhism. You'll see beautiful statues and temples even outside of Angkor, almost anywhere you go in Siem Reap. The markets are also full of these lovely statues that you can purchase.
Nepal and Tibet practice Mahayana Buddhism and so most of my first hand knowledge of Buddhism comes from what I've learned there. It was super fascinating learning much more about Theravada Buddhism throughout this trip, and how its practices differ.
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