Day 19- Luang Prabang to Siem Reap

Up before the sun this morning to watch the Buddhist monks’ procession through the town collecting food from the believers.  The monks receive rice and other bits of food from the townspeople.  Prayers for food.  This is all the monks subsist on. It was quite a sight seeing a bout 300 monks dressed in orang robes proceeding down a gauntlet of food givers.

After the last monk was fed, we walked through the morning market. Some of the smells and sights were very appetizing 

including these Laotian “donuts” that Jess bought for us to try.  They were really good. 

We also tried rice pancakes that were delicious. 

But there were a lot of nasty smells and views.

Near the end of the market street, we came across Spiderman.  He was very busy blowing bubbles.

We returned to the hotel to pack followed by an early lunch at one of the top restaurants in Luang Prabang (which is actually known as the culinary capital of Laos).  Jess told us that the drinks were spectacular, so we all ordered a variety of frozen bar drinks, juice blends, and iced teas, all with ice.  We were praying that the ice was safe, otherwise the one hour flight to Cambodia would be really, really long.

Then, off to Siem Reap, Cambodia.

End of the rainy season

Flooded rice paddies

Siem Reap was a pretty good sized airport. It serves as the gateway to the Angkor temples. Thanks to those attractions, Siem Reap has transformed itself into a major tourist hub. Jeri noted that it is comparable to a small Orlando. Up until the French discovered the Angkor Wat ruins in 1901 and the L’Ecole Francaise d’Extreme Oriente (EFEO; French School of the Far East) started clearing and restoring the whole site, Siem Reap was a backwater Cambodian village (like Orlando before Walt Disney discovered it). Tourists began to arrive shortly after in 1907.  The brutality of the Khmer Rouge in the 1980’s  set the city’s tourism trade back a lot, but since the mid 90’s, with stability in Cambodia, it has burgeoned.  Hotels have sprung up everywhere, and the population has exploded. 

The name of the city, Siem Reap, means defeat of Siam given by King Ang Chan (1516–1566) to celebrate his victory against a Siamese invasion, slaying Prince Ong, and capturing no less than 10,000 Siamese troops.

After a little relaxation at our new hotel, 

we were off to a dinner show of traditional Cambodian dancing.  The music was very grating, but the dancing was exquisite. 

 The slow dancing was extremely sensual.  We all were trying to figure out how the dancers’ fingers and elbows bent the way they did.  

The last dance was a story about the Monkey King and was very colorful and acrobatic.

Back to the hotel exhausted.  Tomorrow, we will be cycling around Siem Reap.  Dave and Molly and Jeri and I have arranged to go out tomorrow morning at 0-dark thirty (up at 4:30am) to watch the sun rise at Ankgor Wat.  We’re going to do it the day after tomorrow, but I’m afraid the weather may not be good, and we’d hate to miss it.  No one else is game to get up 3 days in a row at 4:30am.  Bunch of whimps (or smart).