Oh hey Taipei: Siem Reap

After a busy first week of class (9-5:30 everyday)... we had our first weekend trip! I was extremely excited to get out of Phnom Penh.. but didn't realize how terrible the drive would be. We left the hotel around 1 after class, and after hours of bumpy roads and little villages, we made it around 10pm... Next time I would ask if I can fly! I suppose it was good group bonding? The best part of the drive was stopping at spider village. As soon as we walked out of our van we were swarmed by children selling fruit and women carrying buckets of live tarantulas and bags of fried ones. I was hesitant, especially when she tried to put a live one on me, but figured I needed to try one. Surprisingly not bad! They were crispy and covered in garlic... I only tasted the legs though.. we were all too nervous to see what squirted out if you bit into the body!

Our "hotel" (I use that term was loosely now)... was ok.. but it was Fourth of July so we didn't stick around long before going out to celebrate. Luckily my amazing 2nd grade team made sure I had some vital American gear. We ventured out onto Pub Street, and had a blast. It was the most "westerners" (white people) I'd seen since being in Cambodia. It was a great time, and really cool meeting people from all over the world.

The next morning was a little rough getting up, but it began our temple tour. I was a little hesitant about going back.. (I did the same temples last summer), but it was still a great time besides the heat. While we were in Angkor Wat, a monk was motioning for us to come over to another temple, so we decided to check it out. We all ended up getting blessed by the monk, and received different beads. The awkward part was when he started asking for money.. Maybe we were being cheap but aren't monks supposed to be living the minimalistic life? He was not impressed with our dollar donations.. maybe next time we will be better prepared!

That night we ventured to the night market and back out to pub street. Attempted to try another bar.. the worst service ever. I don't think Ive ever seen someone walk so slow to get a drink! My friend ended up leaving before getting her change because it took that long.. Ended back at the same bar.. "Angkor What" and ended the night dancing in the street with the girl selling bracelets.

After a long weekend.. we assumed we could just sleep on the way back. After about 3 hours of complaining about how hot we were the driver finally told us the AC needed coolant... Why he made us suffer for three hours.. wish I could tell you.

Pictures from the weekend :)