Bits & Bobs

Traditional Khmer scarf known as a Kroma, to keep the insane amount of dust and pollution, around all cities in Cambodia, from giving you a smoker's cough.

Here's some pics from the last few days that won't really fit into the other posts.

Hope you enjoy! :)

Our Mossie killer:

People extending their home:

Balancing acts:
Toads on Arid & Dave:Roadside fruit sellers, the big green fruit is Durian. The most pungent fruit you can find:Markets:
The view from outside our guesthouse in Siem Reap:

- OK I've been four hours at this malarkey, time to pee and get some food. Bye! :)

Insects & Inflammation

"But Bean, how do Ants build nests in trees?"

First they climb up the leaves and begin to peel the top ones back. By forming great tug-o-war lines, they can pool their strength:

Whilst this is going on, other dudes are pulling the bottom ones together using a similar method:
- They then 'employ' Silk Worms(By grabbing them in their jaws and pressing them to the leaves!) to bond the leaves in position. You can see up in the top left corner of the pic.

- There you have it, an Ant nest! :)

- The giant swelling on my arm, after much discussion with others(And sadly, the process of elimination from other insects that I had already been bitten by) turns out is more than likely a Spider Bite. Bastards...

Angkors Away!

Angkor What?!

Angkor Wat.

- Pretty much the only reason tourists go to Siem Reap. Granted a few go to head off into the jungle at the top of Cambodia, but with our time ticking, the temples was enough.

Some of you will remember my http://www.beansontour.blogspot.com/ had a post with said temples, but this post will be done with a new camera! Combine that with my new zeal for sepia photography(and hopefully this net connection can handle uploads - fingers crossed!) and I will give you a new and improved Angkor update!

In case you're wondering what it looks like from a satellite's point of view:


View Larger Map

Here's some pictures from a handful of temples scattered throughout the area:

Angkor Wat itself:

- they were doing some work up that stairs there...fair play ta them.

- the largest religious structure in the world(Giza eat your heart out)

Bayon:

-from Tomb Raider( I must watch this after being there - although I said that the last time too.)

Ah , fuck this...

Temples Continued....

Sorry it took about an hour to do the other part, so I said let's start again.

Where were we....

Ah yes, Bayon continued:

- it's so great to see victims of US mines out and making an income for themselves. There's no social welfare in Cambodia, or no insurance for that matter. So you get sick, you're fucked basically. In other SE Asian countries, you see people begging for no apparent reason, most are legit, but some aren't, and are making a great wage for themselves. As a result of this sort of shite, you tend to become slightly numb to them after a time. In Cambodia, you can't become numb, nor should you, the reasons for their poverty are all to evident most of the time...and with no help from their 'Government' it makes life pretty tough.

- a quick shower and we had to pull in. I should point out at this point(Get it!?) that a tuk-tuk(above) is $12USD for the day, no matter how many you squeeze in. The temple's require about 35km of driving, and a whole lot of waiting around! Fair play ta Shuga(Or Shuga-Daddy as I called him, well I didn't really, but it would've been funny!)

- the Terrace of the Elephants.

- about the only normal picture of me in the whole bunch. No funny faces or anything!

OK, it's getting slow again, I have discovered small posts are OK, but big ones, and the computers tend to freeze up.

Temples Continued Again....

Ta Prohm:

- the most famous picture.

- Dave in the light.

- mainly left to the jungle. Although some trees are cut out for safety reasons.

Final Temples

And finally, Preah Khan:

- I think this is the only photo someone else took of the two of us so far!!

- the police are present here and there around the temples, not really sure if any of them are actually on official business. This particular cop decided we needed a guide around one of the temples, and he was going to be it. Being the most corrupt police force around this part of the world by a long stretch, we didn't want to argue. $4USD we gave him, and to be fair he was very good! :)

- the 7-headed serpent guards.

- the Greek looking two storey structure is the only example of round pillars in the country during the time, no one really know's what the craic with it is... This temple is in the shape of a cruciform, the east entrance has equal-height doors(For the king to walk down) whilst all others require you bow sucessively lower as you progress towards the centre.

- we ended up getting soaked to the bone in this.