Friday morning we wanted to try to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat, which meant that Mau picked us up at the hotel at 5 am. The travel guides have been very helpful except that they neglected to tell you that if you planned to watch the sunrise, you may want to pack a flashlight. Without one, you’ll be trying to navigate the causeway that crosses the moat and has no railings in the pitch dark, after which you’ll need to get through the entrance of the gate in the outer wall. Thankfully we were able to latch onto a tour group who had flashlights, so that gave us enough light to navigate.
In theory, we should have been able to stand in front of the pools outside of the main temple and watch the sunrise over the towers, reflecting the image of Angkor Wat into the pool. It was a similar scene to sunset at Wat Bakhery the night before - people lined up everywhere, cameras poised. But just as they started to bang the drums indicating sunrise, it started to rain, not enough to make us run for cover, but enough to ruin sunrise. Most of the people started to leave, but we decided to stick around.
Angkor Wat has a completely different feel in the early morning light, especially considering there was hardly anyone else there. It was very peaceful and almost eerie. It made me wonder if the temple was a peaceful sanctuary or a bustling hub when it was built.
We made it all the way to the rear entrance of the main temple complex when we started to hear thunder. We thought it would be best if we started making our way back to the tuk-tuk. We were half way down the causeway on our way to the main entrance when it started to pour - probably the hardest downpour in which I’ve ever been stuck.
By the time we made it to the tuk-tuk, we were completely drenched. Mau had put the canvas sides down on the cart and amazingly it stayed completely dry inside. He drove us all the way back to town in the rain.
It looked like the day was going to be a complete wash, so we decided to stay in town for the day. In the morning we took a class at the Khmer Ceramics Center. It was the first time I’ve ever thrown pottery on a kick-wheel. I usually take the easy way out and use an electric wheel. The instructors at the Center throw slightly differently than what I’m used to, but I tried to stick to their way. They do almost everything with their hands, whereas I am used to using tools at certain stages in the process. We left our pieces there to be fired and glazed and they promised to have them back to the hotel before we left on Sunday.
In the afternoon, we took a cooking class at the River Garden resort and restaurant. If I ever go back to Siem Reap, I would probably stay at this hotel. They are big on “responsible tourism” and offer many activities through the hotel such as visits to the local children’s hospitals and orphanage to interact with the kids and give them the opportunity to practice their English.
The restaurant area where the class was held is in an outdoor garden overlooking the pool. It was just the three of us in the class so it was very personal and hands on. Our chef had studied at the Sala Bai Cooking School, a tuition-free catering and hotel school that aims to take unemployed and undereducated young adults from the area and teach them a trade connected with the hotel industry. After eleven months of specialized training, all graduates are able to find a job to help them support their families.
We learned how to make Banana Flower Salad, Amok Fish (a Cambodian specialty), Sweet Potato with Sago and Coconut Milk for dessert, and Hibiscus Tea. Each of the dishes was absolutely delicious. I’m going to have to try to find a Cambodian restaurant in Philadelphia. I doubt that we have any in New Jersey.
After dinner we made our way to the Night Market, only about a fifteen minute walk from our hotel. What a difference from the streets and markets in Hanoi. First of all, you could cross the street without taking your life in your hands, the streets were actually clean so I wasn’t afraid to walk around in flip-flops, and the market was well lit and organized. There were actually some vendors selling local crafts, whereas much of what we saw in the markets in Hanoi appeared to be mass produced.
I tried very hard to buy from NGOs. While the items were slightly more expensive as you couldn’t bargain, I thought that there was a better chance that the items were actually handmade out of genuine materials. I also thought that it was more likely that the money was being better spent to provide things like education and healthcare for the people of Cambodia. I read something in one of the travel books that advised you not to buy from children on the streets because you were encouraging their families to keep them out of school so that they could make money to support the family.
Friday ended up not being a total wash, and it gave us time to rest up for another day of temple hopping on Saturday.
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