11.7.09
Mackenzie and I woke up at the butt crack of dawn this morning (0430) and stumbled half-asleep down to the bus. We made our way to Angkor Wat to watch the sunrise. We got to the temple and went down to the reflecting pool and waited for sunrise. Sunrise wasn’t nearly as pretty as it could have been. It was pretty cloudy so a lot of the light was blocked out, but even so it was still really fantastic. We met a couple from Colorado. They were really nice and they had had some friends do SAS.
After walking around the temple for a little while longer, we boarded the bus and went back to the hotel for breakfast. They had cereal and fried rice, which is not exactly the best combo, but I still enjoyed it. We had about 30 minutes before we had to leave again, so we went back to our room. I set my alarm from 0755 because we had to be on the bus by 8. I woke up, looked at me watch and it was 8. I fly out of bed, yell at Mackenzie, we grab our stuff and we literally run down the stairs to the bus and we made it just in time.
Our first stop of the day, well actually it was the 2nd, was Ta Prohm Temple. It was by far the most spectacular thing ever. It was set back in this jungle and it was huge! They are constructed in a similar way to Angkor Wat, where they are huge stone blocks and built over 800 years ago. It was absolutely gorgeous. Mackenzie and I were acting like little kids. We climbed around on all the rocks and took all sorts of pictures. Our guide warned us that it is really easy to get lost. Well of course we got lost. After wondering around and taking more pictures, we somehow stumbled upon our guide and the rest of our group. This was really lucky or I don’t think we would have ever gotten out of there. That would have been bad because it was super hot and humid. It was like Florida after it rains in the summer hot. It was basically a sauna times 10. Since it is a really big area, Mackenzie got lost and we decided that she needed a leash. We bought these coconut clacker things so whenever we got separated she would ring the clacker and we would be able to find each other. It really worked out quire nicely.
After we had gotten our fill of climbing around and being little kids, we climbed back on the bus and went to our third stop of the day, which was Angkor Wat. This time we went through the back entrance. We then walked around through the actual temple and our guide gave us the history and we got to see the detail of the carvings on the walls. At one point, we were walking through an area that I only know how to describe as a courtyard, and there were rocks sitting on top of a huge boulder. These rocks kind of looked like a huge version of the Indian money stones that you find in the rivers at home. Mackenzie touched one and it fell over, off the rock and broke into about 10 pieces. Way to go Mackenzie…you broke Angkor Wat. It was pretty hysterical to see her reaction. She was so worried that she was going to get into trouble.
We had an ungodly amount of free time. We chilled in the archways and took in the scenery and just relaxed. After spending some time taking in the view, we decided to check out the vendors and got mobbed. There were people selling post-cards, t-shirts, paintings and about pretty much everything else you could imagine. Mackenzie got a dress and I got a coke and some banana chips. As we were walking along the reflecting pool enjoying our cokes, these two little girls came up to us selling postcards. I didn’t want any, but we started talking to them. I didn’t really have anything, but I remembered that I had these two rings that I had bought before we left Vietnam. They were kind of like the old school friendship necklaces where they break apart and they form a heart or something when they are put together. I found rings in the market that formed mickey ears when they are put together. I had bought them originally for Ebonee, but I decided to give them to these little girls…sorry Eb. Don’t worry I got you something else. But anyway, I sat down with the girls and gave them the rings. They got so excited. Mackenzie then remembered that she had a bunch of plastic necklaces that she had intended to give away at the orphanage that we never went to. So she gave them to the little girls. They were adorable. They posed for the camera and when we got up, they ran back to admire their new jewelry. We met back up with the group and headed back to the hotel.
We grabbed lunch at the hotel and had a little time to relax. We changed into the dresses that we bought because it was so hot outside and we didn’t have to dress conservatively anymore. We gathered up our belongings and checked out of our hotel.
Our last stop of the day was Angkor Thom. This is another stone temple that is made up of over 250 stone faces that remind me of Olmec from Legends of the Hidden Temple. Once again, Mackenzie and I transformed into little kids. We took prom and senior pics in the windows and doorframes. There was also a freak rainstorm, but luckily I had my rain jacket. It ended up just turning the entire place into a sauna. It was pretty gross. At the temple, there was this annoying high-pitched buzzing noise. Turns out that it comes from a form of cicada. It was probably one of the most irritating sounds ever. The way the templeis laid out is that it has 3 levels. It is really old and it has a lot of steps and they have worn down over time so it was a little treacherous. I was a little concerned because I was in a dress and topsiders, but it all worked out.
After we had explored the temple we got back on the bus and drove by the Elephant Terraces and the Terraces of the Leper King. They were really not all that exciting. They were basically terraces with elephants carved into them…not that exciting.
After the terraces, we went back to the airport and the best thing happened at the airport…there was a Dairy Queen! We all ran in and bought blizzards. I would have never got an Oreo blizzard at home, but in this time and place it was delicious. We ended up having 2 hours to kill before our flight. I sat in the terminal and ended up just facebook stalking everyone on Mackenzie’s phone while she wrote her postcards.
We boarded out big (thank god) plane with about 800 small Asian women and it was pretty hilarious to watch them all get aboard the plane. The plane ride went quickly and we landed in Saigon around 1700. We ended up not getting back to the ship until 2000. Our guide that was with us from the airport to the ship was hilarious. He entertained us with some kara-o-kay. He even busted out a harmonica at one point and taught us a song. All it said was “Viet-Nam. Ho-Chi-Minh” clap clap calp. Yep great song.
Once back on the ship, Mackenzie and I literally ran from the gangway to my room and dropped our stuff in the room and ran to deck 7 for the BBQ. When we got to deck 7, they told us to go to Deck 6. I was really disappointed in the BBQ. Plus, they didn’t even have enough ribs for everyone. So I just grabbed a salad and about 5 pieces of corn on the cob.
After dinner, I went back to the room to figure out what the heck I had bought and clean my room. We ended up just watching a movie and catching up on everyone’s stories from Vietnam. We also had a mini fashion show of all the clothes people had made in Vietnam. Katie and Kristin’s dresses were beautiful and Jeremy and Bryan looked so handsome in their custom suits. I kind of wish that I had gotten a dress made, but I guess that gives me a reason to come back.