2 Baby Squirrels Costs $6USD

The rest of my day was filled with exploring more temples. I bought a new pair of temple pants and was ready to go again (the old ones were practically chaps and I wasn't in the mood to expose myself to all of Cambodia).

Our group made a quick pit stop to grab some cold water and snacks before we headed to the next site. It always amazes me when I visit impoverished countries at how happy the people are with what they have. At the snack stand a young mother, a baby, two small children, and an elderly woman could not have had more smiles for all the foreigners that stopped to buy water from them.

The so called store was simply a line of plastic chairs and two small coolers packed with refreshments. The children giggled and ran around amused at all the westerners, and the elderly woman went about her day as normal. What I assume was the family's home sat right behind the "shop". It was a small wooden hut with a front deck. It was clear that everything they owned was in the 20 foot radius of the snack stand, but nevertheless they didn't seem to have any concerns.

Ta Prohm was the next stop on the temple tour. This Buddhist temple is infamous for the trees that grow between its walls. The temple was also featured in the film "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider".

Temple playgrounds for Cambodian children

Cambodia has had many struggles in the past 40 years. On our walk back to our tuk-tuks we came across the Landmine Victim's Band. All of the members played some sort of instrument but not necessarily with their hands (for obvious reasons). There are sights like these all over Cambodia which are heart-wrenching and definitely put your own life into perspective. 

After lunch and a quick nap on the lunch table (the heat clearly wore me out) we headed to the largest of all the ruins, Angkor Wat. Our first-class driver enjoys playing tour guide as well so we made a quick pit stop at the local swimming pool (a river). I didn't want to risk getting dirty river water into my stitches so I had fun taking pictures instead.

Angkor Wat, City of Temples, is the largest Hindu temple complex and largest religious complex in the world. It was very fitting to visit Hindu and Buddhist temples on Easter Sunday. The entire site is surrounded by a moat, but my favorite fact of the day is that there is an elephant door! 

Second pair of temple pants...

 

After a lot more steps, more sweating, ripping my second pair of temple pants (yes i'm serious), and seeing a monk and a monkey our day was finally over. 

Before getting back into the tuk-tuks and heading back to the hostel our tour guide made a quick purchase for his boss- two baby squirrels for a whopping $6USD (apparently that's a thing in Cambodia).