Thailand to Cambodia to Bali

Cambodian Dancer

 Last impressions of Thailand... The 4 pillars of Thai culture at least from my perspective are 1. the Temple, 2. the cuisine, 3.massage!, and 4.the Royal family. The Royal family attain almost sacred status amongst the people. Although we have our biases based on our democratic background I must say that the monarchy has done pretty well by the people. The Thai people were never colonized, and they managed to stay out of the major strife we created in the region, nosmall feat considering the influence of the US and China being so close. I have extoled on the cuisine ,massage, and the temple in earlier blogs so now to describe our exit from Thailand. One can only spend so much time languishing on the island of Ko Chang esp. considering the rainy weather. Almost on a whim, we checked out a tour package offer to Angkor Wat. I am not much for the arranged tour thing but seeing the ruins was appealing and getting there on our own seemed beyond our personal talents. Angkor Wat is a massive temple ruins that should be on any travelers must see list. The tour was pricy but it included everything;4 days and 3 nights travel, border crossing(no small feat), hotel accomodations, meals and our guide. Travel there took most of a day and as in many travel situations you have to sometimes accept that things are not always in your control and to have faith that they will work out. This day was a perfect example. From one stop and transport exchange to the next it seemed as if by magic the next person would show themselves and lead us to our destination. Having no decisions to make takes a little getting used to, but all along the chain of events we made it across Thailand, the border into Cambodia and finally to Siem Reap, the city nearest the ruins.  Please read Lysa's blog at Lysasbigtrip.blogspot.com for more details and pictures.
       One thing I have discovered is that having a knowledgeable guide can enrich the tour experience profoundly. Our tour guide Art was an exceptional example of this. Without him our tour would have been overwhelming but not nearly as enriching. Art had a true Love for his culture which he shared with us in many ways. His knowledge of the ruins was vast but he also brought his own perspective into his descriptions of the people the environment and the place. The Cambodian people have a complex and often painful history. Art was able to explain it and also share his emotions around it. The reign of Pol Pot and the legacy of the killing fields is still a fresh scar on the psyche of their country. An entire generation of inteligent people was wiped out in a fashion similar to the attrocities of WW2. The US contribution to the pain inflicted here is also very troubling. Given their recent history it is impressive how kind and willing to share the people are.

A Family rooted in history

    Well ,we spent one whole day touring the ruins. One thing I hadn't known is that Angkor Wat is actually a series of temples covering an area approx. 2x1.5 kilometers. It's HUGE. The ruins tell many stories of the Hindu religion but they also reflect the transition to Buddhism that happened there. Cambodia like Thailand is predominantly now Buddhist.

Apsara, Hindu Dance Deity

That evening we were treated to a meal and a dance performance at a nearby restaurant. The dancers did a series of performances in various costumes reflecting the rituals of everyday life as well as more stylized routines.
 The next day Art took us out to the lake where we were able to experience a fishing village floating on its banks. Each year this massive lake swells and recedes with the rain and the village is in movement with it. The lake is responsible for much of the fish eaten throughout Cambodia. The lifestyle of the people here is much unchanged over the generations(save for the boat motors).

Another pretty face

After the village we went to visit an art center where the local crafts of painting, metalwork, and carving are taught to the next generation of artisans. The workmanship was amazing. I now regret not buying anything but our capacity to schlep is limited. Throw in lunch and the cultural museum and we experienced near overload. I almost forgot to mention that we were on this tour with 2 others, a man from Australia and a charming youngish woman from England,on her first holiday away from home. We especially hit it off with Erin and when Anika discovered she is a Doctor Who fan we knew we had a friend.
  It is getting late and I am getting the signal to wrap this one up. So to conclude,yes you must go!  Cambodia was the best part of Thailand.
    After a couple days back in Bangkok we are now on the Indonesian island of Bali! Wow! is all I can express for now. Hindu culture, very dense. We are settled into a house for a month in Ubud, known for its rich cultural offerings. From here we will take day trips with our new best friend and driver Radde. Radde helped us find our house and also rented us a small scooter to get around on(just around town, dont worry Mom). We have already seen a beautiful Kecak dance performance as well as being accosted by monkeys at the sacred monkey forest temple. One aggresive fellow mistook Lysa's camera bag for food, jumped onto her snatched the bag and took off down the hill with me in pursuit. Not sure what I was thinking I would do when i caught up to him. Fortunately one of the locals gave me a cucumber and we negotiated a trade. Dont turn your back on a hungry monkey! More to come. PS Welcome back to the default world to all my friends returning from Burningman. Obey the Awe!  H2ot