Amazing Voyages: Cambodia

So, we were off to Cambodia. After a crazy border crossing at Prum where we nearly got all our money taken by a border guard, we managed to get a taxi to Siem Reap. What was Leaf listening to in route? The Dead Kennedys, of course. What better time for a lesson in punk music?

Siem Reap, baby!

"I love riding tuk tuk's in Cambodian traffic, don't you? So much better than the beach."

"I don't know. . ."

A young Buddhist monk walks into to a mini mart. He stares at two pieces of candy behind the counter. Finally the cashier walks over to the young monk. "Do you want a piece of candy?" asks the cashier. The young monk shakes his head. "I do not want." The cashier smiles. "Come on, I know you want. I'll give you one piece for no cost. Choose a piece." The young monk nods and lowers his head. "You are very kind. Okay. I'll take the inner piece."

Angkor Wat

We spent the morning touring Angkor Wat, a massive temple complex built by the Khmer Empire. The place had Disney-worthy crowds. We paid for a tour guide and he was very nice, but he kept taking us to the ANGKOR WAT SUPER FAMOUS TOURIST PHOTO OPPORTUNITIES. Here we are in front of the main towers.

And here we are in front of the reflective pond.

Inside the temple, a novice monk was blessing people and giving them friendship bracelets for a donation. Leaf sneered at the monk. "I could do that," he said. "I'd make bank. Way more than that kid."

And here we are in front some other famous something or other. Leaf said, "Yeah, I would totally destroy that little monk. I can even go barefoot for longer than him. He has no skills."

At the entrance of the temple was a giant eight-armed Vishnu statue with a Buddha head. Huh? A frankengod? Yeah, it had the man bun and the big ears and everything. How did that happen? Well, when the Buddhists took over, instead of replacing the whole statue, they just replaced the head. Reduce, reuse, recycle.

Here is a view from behind the temples. On the far right, you can see a monk on his cell phone (a little out of focus). I don't know why, but there is nothing funnier than seeing a monk on his cell phone.

On the grounds of Angkor Wat, there were monkeys that jumped in the trash bins and entertained the crowds. "And I thought this trip was gonna suck. Another boring temple," said the guy with the big lens. "Finally, I get to take some action shots! Woo hoo!"

"Well, that was fun. Now let's get to the airport and buy some tickets to Bangkok. It's time to go home."

Question: Why did the Buddhist monk cross the road?
Answer: What makes you think there's a road? There's no road! That would imply there's somewhere to get to. You gotta let that shit go. . .

Phnom Penh

Before flying back to Bangkok we stopped in Phnom Penh. We didn't have much time for tourism, but we did go to the converted high school, S21, the Khmer Rouge's prison and torture center. It was very intense and sobering (sorry, no photos). We also walked around the Grand Palace, peeked in a museum, and checked out a cool construction site.