The final days of the Cambodian Adventure
Trip Start
Jul 29, 2008
1
21
25
Trip End
Ongoing
Siem Reap, Cambodia
Monday, December 8, 2008
Day 3 started with another early morning. I arranged with my airport driver to be there at 5 am. My goal was to get to the main Angkor Wat temple for sunrise. This is my third attempt at a sunrise in Asia. The first one was cloudy over Bromo, the second was canceled because of rain and this one had clouds over it as well. One day I will get the beautiful clear sky sunrise. Regardless, it was amazing. I know all the pictures look very similar to one another. I couldn't choose what I liked the best. It was a nice peaceful way to start my morning before the race.
I line up for the race and unlike the Bali marathon this is filled with a lot more expats. I see everyone from dinner the night before, which is nice because I feel apart of a little running community for the day. The run was amazing. It was well organized with various water stops. It was flat and the cheering sections were awesome. All the Cambodians came out to cheer us on. The cambodian children got high fives from most of the runners. It was really cute to see. They were so excited that we were there. I wanted to wait to write this until I had my official time. However, it seems Asia and updated race information do not go together. I think I ran in just under two hours. I have never been on a run where I was running past amazing temples. Not only did I see temples; I also saw monkeys, elephants and boars. It will be hard to match the views in my future marathons. The post race celebration was fun. I got the most painful leg massage, but my legs have never felt so good after a run.
The post race celebration was fun. It was just nice to talk to my buddies one last time and get a little food. I went back to the hotel and order room service. Let me tell you that 2 eggs, a bread basket, coffee and fresh fruit came out to be just over 5 dollars. How amazing is that? I hope that I am not getting too spoiled over here. :)
After cleaning up, I head out to see more temples. Today, I see Bayon the temple with all the faces and the elephant terrace. These temples each take about an hour to discover. Next, I need to decide do I finish off the temples or do another activity. Since I love Cambodia and the airport tax for residents is being abolished in 2009. (Currently, if you have a kitas is cost 100 dollars each time you leave the country.) I decide that I am coming back and will finish the temples then. :)
The floating village is about an hour tuk tuk drive away. We get stopped once by the police checking if our tuk tuk driver has a valid drivers license. I tried to take a picture but the police man started glaring at me. I decided it wasn't a good idea to upset the local law enforcement. I pay for my boat ticket, since its only me I get a private boat. The boat that was used to tour the floating village looks like it has seen better days. The gas pedal is just a little string on the side on the boat. I know this because I got to drive the boat! :) The village is pretty amazing. All the houses are boat houses. Some of the markets are similar long wooden boats filled with odds and ends. The village has a one room school house which was in session for a fun day. I was able to talk to the teacher and see the kids. It has a restaurant for tourist which houses the fish and crocodile farm. Crocodiles are not eaten in Cambodia just used for the leather. There was a floating basketball court, which I thought was pretty nice. My guide for this tour was an 12 year old boy. He was great!
I finished the floating village and head to the red piano for my world famous Angelia Jolie drink. It was quite tasty. The food and drinks are incredible cheap. Most beers are 50 cents and no entree cost more than 5 dollars. I really want to stay here! This may be my next teaching post! :)
The next day was a traveling day. The airports brought me back down to earth. I spent the whole day frustrated in line. Oh well, I guess its time for real life again! :)
