Day 2: The Temples

After a fantastic night’s sleep we awoke to a massive buffet style breakfast, complete with Pho bar, omelet bar, dried and fresh exotic fruits, and coffee from around the world. We had some of the best Pho I’ve experienced in years and met up with our guides So and Rhett. They were excited as we had agreed to meet with them early to beat the tourists and they ushered us away quickly to get our park passes for the day. The itinerary was to visit 4 major temples without dying of heat exhaustion. So wanted to provide us with the unique experience of walking through the jungle and coming upon one of the hidden gates to our first temple.  With a daypack full of water and sunscreen we set out into the jungle. The air was thick and sticky with the slowly rising heat and humidity. But the sensation of being cooked alive was drowned out by the thunderous cicadas. It was like walking through a forest of jet engines. So had to yell to be heard. As the sun rose so did the temperatures but we pressed on and arrived at our first wonder. Ta Prohm, featured in Tomb Raider, is a temple deep in the jungle slowly being reclaimed by aggressive octopus-like trees, strangling vines, and nature’s own torments.    Our first glimpse into this spectacular temple started with its isolated northern gate. As the jungle cleared we came upon this ancient stone masterpiece. Rays from the rising sun struck the four faced Buddha a top a semi-collapsed structure.  Emily, myself, and our guide were the only ones present that early and we each stood in silence taking in the magical scene. Once through the gate we hiked to the main temple were there was a smattering of tourists from around the world.  So enlightened us with the rich history and culture of the temple as we climbed over and around various parts stopping only to take note of specific historical Easter eggs.    It was a surreal experience climbing over 1000+ year old ruins and seeing massive trees slowly overtaking the solid stone walls. It was all iconic to say the least. What I enjoyed most was being able to witness the amazed and bewildered look on Emily’s face as we rounded corner after corner revealing even more extraordinary sights.  

After our first temple we went next to temple #2. This was a fascinating temple as it was surrounded by a moat with giant ornate gates for entry. The bridges crossing the moat were adorned with large stone demon statues playing tug-o-war with a massive snake. We passed through the first gate then walked along the outer wall, high above the moat, to see the other gates in their various states from well maintained to completely taken over by the jungle.   The high sun and blistering heat of the jungle forced us to take a break midday so we returned to our hotel for a siesta. 

 

Angkor Wat, the pride and jewel of Cambodia, was incredible. A towering monument to religion surrounded by a massive square moat two football fields across, was our next stop. The temple was built with 3 inner areas, each rising precipitously and signifying our journey towards heaven.  The sheer magnitude of this structure and the knowledge that it had been built by hand with minimal tools was astounding. We circled the whole complex multiple times reading/following the stories etched on the walls.   We learned much about the Hindu religion and by the end So, Emily, and I just sat in quiet contemplation staring out at the landscape. 

Finally the sun was setting and the terrible heat was lifting giving us a brief reprieve from the sweating. This occurred just in time for a hilly hike to our final temple, Sunset Temple. This was a pyramid-like temple perched on the tallest hill in the area. The views were incredible but the temple was relatively plane.  So we packed up our gear and called it a day. As the sun was setting we decided to go out for some snake fish curry and try one of those fish foot massages which turned out to be an hour of tickling torture. Exhausted but happy we crashed shortly after. 

Long flights to Siem Reap

Off we go on another adventure! This trip started out a little rough with a visa snafu and a computer meltdown at the Juneau airport but we still made it to Seattle on time. I booked us on Business Class as this was going to be a LONG flying trip. It was amazing and worth every penny!! All the booze, food, and comfort one could want was available to us for the first two legs of our 17 hours of flying. With a ‘brief’ 9 hour layover in Japan, at an amazing lounge, we left late at night for Thailand. After being awake for the last 38 hours the solid 5 hours of horizontal sleep on the plane was very welcome.  We awoke refreshed and had a quaint Japanese breakfast before landing. The attention to detail was commendable, the Japanese staff would ALL pause and bow prior to assuming their responsibilities and the plane was spotless.  The respect for elders and children we witnessed was also inspiring. After a quick shower in Bangkok we boarded our last flight to Siem Reap and arrived at 7am, 28 hours after starting this journey. The air was thick and sticky and smelled of dense jungle as we made our way across a tarmac that you could fry an egg on and entered the eastern-styled airport for our visas. We were met by our tour guide ‘So’. She rattled off historical points and safety tips as we made our way to our luxury hotel. Looks like this visit would be MUCH different than my last backpacking and hostel hopping trip. We spent the day lounging poolside and sipping cocktails before a couples spa afternoon complete with body scrubs, massages, and candle lit hot tub with rose peddles.  Feeling rejuvenated we flagged down a tuktuk and sped off to a night market. Weaving and bobbing through chaotic traffic with the city’s colorful lights racing past, we made our way to our destination.  The city was preparing for one of its new years so there were lanterns, lights, and celebrations galore. After our mildly anxiety provoking ride we strolled through the market ignoring the sales pitches for ‘foot cleaning fish’, ‘Cambodia’s best restaurant’, and ‘cheap shirts’ while admiring the local goods.   We found a popular corner filled with locals and popped a squat to sample the street food and we were not disappointed.  Pork and noodles with a papaya shake filled us and we continued our perusing. Given that it was such a long day we decided to turn in early as tomorrow we have a crazy early day. Glad to be traveling again!

What a nice day for Nice

It was a rough morning. Still feeling the effects of the previous night’s libations we had to be up by 5am to get to the airport. As Emily and I zombied our way towards the airport we began looking forward to some beach and relax time. Unfortunately this portion of the trip was not well planned as we spent 3 hours at the airport then flew for an hour then got to our next hotel too early and we couldn’t check in… a little exhausted we made for the beach with the clothes on our backs. Solid decision as it was a hot overcast day and the beach had sand-side service including booze…  the remainder of the day was filled with relaxing beach time and booze leading to an excellent night of sleep at our beautiful hotel. I figured I smash two days into this blog as our last 2-3 days we planned to do absolutely nothing. 

What a great night of sleep, so much so that we both slept in. With such an energy recharge we elected to run our 4 miler along the coast. The views of the coast and the statuesque people made for a very enjoyable run. It was gloriously sunny and a slight breeze off the ocean made for an enjoyable jaunt. Up until now I have not described French people. I have yet to see a fat French person. They are all perfectly marshmallowy tanned, fit, thin, and slightly smug. But if I looked as good as they did then I’d be slightly smug too. The beaches were filled with six pack abs and Brazilian bikinis. We returned to our hotel for a mimosa infused breakfast and threw on our suits to head back out to the beach for another day of relaxing by the ocean.  What a beach, not sandy but sunny with warm ocean waters to swim in. We read, drank champagne, laughed, and people watched, it was glorious.  4 bottles of champagne and a bottle of fine rosé (what Nice is known for) later we were happily inebriated and sitting on a beach in southern France.  It started to rain slightly and the WHOLE beach packed up but Emily and I remained sipping a fine rosé and enjoying the ‘sprinkle’. Emily is turning into a true Alaskan as she looked around perplexed as to what anyone would leave a perfectly fine beach at 75°F with a little rain (and thunder with lightening).  I couldn’t be anymore in love. As the sun set we had to pack up for our final hurrah. A two Michelin star restaurant for dinner awaited us…

Oh wow, by far and away the best dining experience we’ve had thus far. We ate at a Michelin restaurant called ‘Pure and V’. I think I will write a review. This was a quite unassuming little restaurant with 7 tables, all worn-looking and 3 wait staff, one of whom was the chef.  The quaint vibe in conjunction with Scandinavian chef, Christian Kanstrup Pedersen, resulted in a gastronomical adventure with hints of Nordic influences.  Seven perfect courses all the while the chef kept returning to our table to receive exaggerated praises and watch as we exalted over each mouthful.  3 hours and 7 glasses of wine later we stumbled out on to the street and made our way back to our hotel for another night of great sleep! One more day…    

Wine country

Today was amazing! Day two in Bordeaux and now we were off to the Saint Émilion region. After a solid night of sleep and a great breakfast our guide came to pick us up at the hotel for a private tour. Our first stop was this spectacular little village called Saint Emilio. Carved into the limestone plateau, this quaint village housed some impressive history. It’s main church was originally built in the 5th century and underwent centuries of war, revolution, hardship, and prosperity.  This was apparent in the stonework of the church itself from beheaded and chiseled statues to bullet riddled walls to various turn of the century architectural components seemingly haphazardly thrown together.  This was the France I’d envisioned; small ancient stone and wooden villages overlooking vast fields of grapevines ripe and ready for harvest and dotted with elegant chateaus.  It was also the first day of school so this enchanted village felt like a lively and bustling day for any Frenchman.  Our guide was great and let us in on the scandals involving the wine tier system and when corruption of the vineyards.  Before setting out to our first tasting we explored a caved wine cellar brimming with recently and not so recently bottled wine.  The caves were dark, damp, and cool with bottles that appeared hundreds of years old. Though most were only a few years old but the conditions in the cave led to their withered appearance. 

Next we visited our first vineyard. We were a little disappointed that they don’t take us to multiple wine tasting but apparently that is the culture and they would rather you experience their vineyards in a more comprehensive way in order to truly appreciate their wines. Also, their tours are spectacular! They have props, 4D experiences, interactive machinery and all of this is presented in a very casual and engaging manner.  Château Fleur Cardinale was our first stop and FINALLY! Spectacular wines! Emily and I nearly fell out of our chairs when we tasted these wines. The actual tasting room was designed by the family to make the tasting a relaxing and enjoyable environment and we soaked up the vinyl records, comfortable couches, and eclectic art work as we were swooned by the luscious libations. We bought 4 bottles!! After the village tour and the vineyard tour it was time for lunch. Our guide made reservations for a glorious restaurant atop a winery deep in wine country.   Emily and I know our fish and the fish dish on this tasting menu knocked our socks off. So there we sat, a beautiful sunny day, amazing French food, local French wines, a 360° view of vineyards, and endless smiles.  Every dish at lunch was delectable. Following lunch we continued in to our second vineyard. Again, the wine was inspiring. We picked up a few more bottles. We may have taken a quick and pleasant nap in the way back to our hotel in the warm van with full bellies and heads swimming in wine nirvana.  Next we headed out to explore Bordeaux sampling wines here and there. We even got to help some damsels in distress. Two young women approached me afraid that a weird man had been following and bothering them. I told them to walk with us a ways as I stared down the weirdo who walked away. A few blocks later they felt safe and thanked us and moved on. We, in turn, stumbled in to a local wine shop and convenced the owner to give us a tasting. We laughed and talked about our trip and sampled some interesting wines. More bottles purchased and more exploring of the city was had as we killed time towards dinner. 

 Wow. Dinner. I can safely say that 4 of my top 10 best lifetime meals out have occurred on this trip. Tonight’s dinner was no exception.  The setting: a cute boutique restaurant set in a French renovated ‘brownstone’ with elegant plastered ceilings, violently red painted walls, hardwood floors, and marble table tops, La Table de Montaigne, was as impressively decorated as delicious. It was a very intimate setting in our room with only two other tables.   We had 6 courses of mind blowing cuisine and paired with 6 wines and 2 champagnes. Emily reported on the way home, “I was drunk 3 separate times today..” the staff was great and I think they liked us because they could tell we were dramatically savoring every morsel. After dinner we rolled ourselves back ti the hotel to pack for our early flight tomorrow. Nice here we come!!