Angkor Wat, pavement visits and Craig

Today was simply an extension of the thrill and fun of yesterday. The fun just has not stopped. After our daily briefing we were once again thrown onto the streets of Siem Reap. Once again experiencing riding side by side with Cambodians and once again breathing, smelling, experiencing all that these streets have to offer. We cycled in single file - although we all became a bit confident at times and virtually took over the road. It is safe to say that we feeling a little more confident on these streets! One thing is for sure, the 1.5m rule is not in place here. I am developing a fast appreciation for Auckland drivers!

Each day there are two awards offered, one is for the 'do gooder of the day' and the second is called the 'nuffy'which is for the person who had the most impressive fall/mishap of the day. Well 1.8km into the days cycling, Katy applied a little too much pressure on her breaks and went flying head first over her bike onto a very busy section of city street. Other than a grazed elbow and impressive bruise on her leg she is okay although it did get me to thinking - 'gosh it's scary how far one will go to win an award' ;).

Each day I am going to get a different participant to contribute to this blog. It is quite interesting to hear another's perspective on the experience of the day. Today it's Craig's turn:


This morning we started out at 7am and hit the chaotic and dusty streets of Siem Reap once again. We made out way to the Angkor Wat temple complex and visited Ta Prohm (of Tomb Raider fame) Bayon, Baphuon and the incredible Angkor Wat.

As we weaved through all kinds of bustling traffic and felt the warm breeze on our faces it felt surreal to be here, surrounded by centuries old archealogical and artistic treasure on a grand scale. Today was an amazing day.

I also learnt and practiced the phrase, 'Te aw kohn' or 'no thank you'. Young kids would approach us in swarms and give us a hard sell. It was annoying but also I felt it was part of the experience of this place. One little girl asked me my name and where I was from. After telling her I replied, 'New Zealand, capital city Wellington' and then she quizzed me to see if I knew Cambodia's capital. Very cute.



Craig Haythornthwaite