Lazy Days in Cambodia - Exploring the Ruins! (the ignored temples of Siem Reap)

Of course, every traveler's #1 destination in Cambodia are the famous, beautiful Angkor Wat and surrounding temples. Unfortunately, it seems that some of Siem Reap's best kept secrets are held in its luscious, rice field studded countryside away from the snaps of the average tourist's cameras. With rock and pothole ridden roads, it's not an easy feat to explore the back roads of Cambodia, especially if your main mode of transportation are tuk tuks with broken English and bumpy carts. Trying to glean information about unmarked temples on unnamed roads is nearly impossible being that there are so many scattered among various groves of trees, easily overlooked while shooting by. Luckily, I have a guide who also happens to be my boyfriend. He was able to turn my head and help me recognize that scattering of bricks peeking out from behind some plants as the outside of an ancient site.

Never would have realized on my own. These are more of a close up, but from the road, its almost indiscernible from anything else.

The little whispers of history facts as we took turns at random really added to the experience I believe. Props to him. I was able to learn some good stuff. Apparently, The massive craters beside the crumbling temples are the result of villagers unearthing the treasure buried beneath. The temples are blessed and the floors lined with gold and jewelry at the time of construction, a fact known to those looking to get ahead now.

I always try to be aware about what I touch when I visit places like these, but I happened to almost stumble upon an especially cute little toad that I wanted to carry around for a minute or two. Before I could touch it, I was warned to keep my hands off anything in this general area. Villagers are known to find and capture extremely large snakes and frogs from sacred temples, and then become plagued by bad luck after they sell them at the market. Being as easily spooked as I am, I only stayed around enough to take a few photos and then we all booked it out of there just in case. Luckily, we were put at ease by a passing villager who told us that we have nothing to worry about and that this temple is a-ok to explore a bit.

With the sun hot and the ride a bit cramped (three on a motorbike), we turned around and headed back to town, on the way, passing khmer traditional houses, a silk factory, schools, and farms. Getting lost a few times before finally ending up on the right road a bit far from where we expected. I only wish that my camera were better and that I wasn't as shy about taking photos!