Angkorian Temples

My first sight of Angkor Wat did not disappoint. The temple is absolutely breathtaking and majestic. Since we are waiting for everyone in the group to arrive before visiting it, we've haven't walked through it yet. Instead, we've gone to visit some of the smaller temples including the oldest temples in Roulos this morning. You can climb through the temples and touch the carvings and the stones. It is an amazing experience. One of my favorites is Ta Phrom, a temple that they decided to leave pretty much how they discovered it. They call it the Tomb Raider temple since Tomb Raider was partly filmed here. It makes you feel like an explorer. The trees are massive and have entwined themselves around the stone structures. Unfortunately, a lot of the temples have been looted or defaced, but it does not detract from the magnificence of the structures.

It's funny how you can run into people you know in the most random of places. Last night, we met up with more people starting at the GSB this fall and a bunch of HBS people. One of the girls is best friends with my freshman roommate. I haven't seen her in almost 7 years and we meet again in Cambodia! Definitely did not expect that one.

It is really hot here, but I've still managed to go to the market in the morning a couple of times. Pure chaos is the only way I can explain it. People everyone selling and buying vegetable, meat, fish, chicken, clothing, breakfast, etc. It is both a fascinating and scary sight since none of the meat is refrigerated, although they do put it on ice sometimes. I try not to think about that when I eat here. I haven't worked up the nerves to try a local food stall - just doesn't seem like a good idea. However, there are a lot of really nice restaurants with surprisingly nice decor and ambiance serving the throgs of foreign visitors. I've tried some local Khmer dishes there, which are quite good. Similar to Thai food with a bunch of different curries, but much more mild. We went to the Red Piano last night, which is supposed to be Angelina Jolie's favorite restaurant in Cambodia.

Off to more temples! There's not a whole lot else to do here. But there are a ton of different temples so we've got a busy schedule!