Day 2: Templed out!

"...and they use semen build tis lover..." "Sorry, use semen?" "Yes, semen. Keep structure strong". Oh you mean you use cement to build these levels (not lover)!" "Yes, semen to built lovers..."

Okay, so I spent the whole day at the various 'wats' (temples) with my dedicated English-speaking tour guide which I spent half the time trying to figure out if it's just the pronounciation or that he had a vivid imagination with words. But once we got over the whole 'semen' (cement), lover (level), tits (teeth) situation, we were on the roll.

Siem Reap is filled with hundreds of templates with 27 of those worth visiting. Since I planned only a day to visit these temples, Sophean my guide took it upon himself to create an itinerary of 'wats' worthy of the short visit - Angkor Thom (Bayon), Ta Prohm (where Tomb Raider was filmed) and Angkor Wat, one of the wonders of the world.

Instead of boring you with the details, I thought I'll only include some interesting facts about these 'wats' and Cambodia in general:

1) Most of the statues' heads are removed/stolen for sale. Not only is it for luck but also worth quite a lot of money.

2) There's a large stone monument in Bayon which is believed that if a female sits on it, they will fall pregnant (don't worry, I didn't sit on it)

3) In Angkor Wat, there are 1,850 carved images of dancing women, all different, which are seen to represent the number of concubines belonging to the king Only 2 of them have their teeth showing to represent 'cheekiness'.

4) With the Buddists, they believe that good luck comes in even numbers whilst the Hindus believe it comes in odd numbers.

5) In Angkor Wat, the 'steps' to heaven are narrow and very steep, representing how hard it is to get to heaven (except for the king's entrance - it's not as narrow or as steep! )

6) Railings were built onto these steps to the 'centre of the universe' due to a couple of Korean tour guides running down the steps (when showing off to their tour group) and falling (probably killing themselves). Definitely not a way of impressing the gods!

7) Faces of some of the carvings have been removed mainly due to the war against the Buddists and the Hindus. Hindus will removed the faces of the Buddha and put up their own 'god' and vice versa.

8) Lucky last - There are no more landmines in Siem Reap!

After a swim, followed by a traditional Khmer massage, the next indulgence was a buffet and traditional dance show at the Koulen Restaurant. The spread was bountiful with enough to feed about 1000 guests. This included freshly cooked Cambodian soup noodles, pancakes and chive dumplings cooked to prefection (of oil use and crunchiness). Let's not forget the traditional fish amok cooked in coconut milk and spices. All for the low, affordable price of US$12! It only gets this good in Melbourne at a Parma+pot night at your local pub!

Best way to end the night is riding back in the 'tuk tuk', cool Cambodian breeze cutting through the stifling humidity, watching the lightning and thunder cut through in the thick, dark bundle of clouds and thinking about a special someone and his love for this nature's beauty.