The Brightest Green

The Temples at Angkor, my reason for visiting Cambodia, were spectacular.  The complex was much bigger than I thought and included many unique temples.  I loved the views from East Mabon, the Jungle Book trees gripping Ta Phrom's crumbling walls, and of course the majestic Angkor Wat.

My favorite part of our short venture into Cambodia was the tuk-tuk ride to Banteay Srei.  It poured the night before Andrew and I planned to see Angkor Wat at sunrise.  When the alarm beeped at 5am, the rain was still thundering down.  Though our early plans were washed out, the weather cleared into a beautiful day.  We grabbed a tuk-tuk and continued to explore.  Tuk-tuks are the way to travel around Siem Reap and the temples.  You feel the wind in your hair, wave to smiling kids, marvel at the apparently unlimited hauling capacity of a single motor bike, and inhale the exhaust along with everyone else.

During the 21km ride to one of the farthest of the Angkor Temples, I marveled at the scenery as we zipped by.  Thatch roof houses perched on stilts, tall palms, kids throwing nets to catch fish in the swollen canals, and my personal favorite: fields and fields of flooded rice patties.  They are so green!  Brilliant, alive, green.  4pm until sunset (6:30ish) is the most beautiful time in my opinion.  The sun is a little lower, the clouds are puffy with the night's rain, and the water in the fields shines.