After more than an hour we finally had our fill and were surprised to find Brian waiting for us on the other side. He had just about had it with his book and was about to throw in the towel since it proved more difficult than expected to orient himself. He offered it to Jason and I many times but we always declined.
In this area of Angkor Wat there were large patches of cleared flat land, surrounded by trees, some containing large temple complexes inside. It was lot of ground to cover but one area was walk able to the next. We saw our first elephants here too! People were riding them into the temple complexes, just like the first explorers had done! I preferred my tuk tuk though and felt a little bad for the elephants.
After the maze like face temple, we were able to walk outside for a long time from one structure to the next. We passed over a dry mote via a long stone walkway, passed by a huge temple that was unfortunately closed for construction, and finally made it to a tall narrow one that we could climb up. The stairs were super steep and it was quite the scary climb with only a small landing at the top. After that we were finally almost done with the area, wandering around on some fortress like walls and sunken walkways. Brian was trying feebley to keep reading from his book but it was getting so incredibly hot we were all starting to melt and shut down. After hours in the hot sun, we needed food.
Our driver had told us to look for him across the street at the food vendor stalls where he would be waiting with his friends. But we had taken so lone he was sitting in the tuk tuk, ready to go when we arrived. We decided we needed to eat though! So he directed us to one of the stalls, number 26 or something. There some nice women once again ushered us into seats and we ordered more scrumptious food and some fruity Fanta soda.
Again we were surrounded by girls trying to sell us things, this time postcards and bracelets, but also a guide book, exactly like Brian's. Brian had bought his in town for $9, the girl was selling hers for $8 (originally $10) but we had seen it for even cheaper. Jason had decided by this time that he wanted to buy one for himself (as a keepsake, not to read on site) so this girl was tempting.
Actually these girls, who were older about 13 or 14, were extremely good sales persons. Their English was amazing (and made us wonder over and over why Korean's are so bad at English!) and they had a comeback to every excuse we made. "Sir, buy a postcard?" "But I don't have any friends to send it to." "Well that's because you don't buy them a postcard, if you do, you will have friends." Or "your mother would love this souvenir." The Canadian guy had told us last night he had been asked "buy a magnet sir?" "I don't have a frig." "Well, you could send it to a friend." It was lots and lots of fun to talk with these girls and they were pulling out all the stops! Telling us "I will be so sad, I will cry, if you do not buy!" And "I will remember you when you finish eating, you will buy then!" The girl with the book was really working on Jason, telling him she needed the money for school. She told us that her boss (I asked who, she said her cousin) buys the book, then she has to sell it for at least $5. She gets half of any profit above that, and he gets half. Thus if she sold it for $8 he would get $1.50 and she $1.50, thus she could not sell it for any less. She said then she would give the money to her mother for school, which cost $6 a month. That was also where she learned English. We asked why she wasn't in school then and she said she goes in the morning, then works in the afternoon.
Ultimately we didn't buy anything from these girls and the one with the book looked genuinely sad when we left her empty handed. Jason told us afterwards that he just didn't want to buy from a kid, after everything we'd been told about being careful where to put our money in terms of helping children. Maybe she really was going to use the money for school, we just didn't know. That's why everyone had recommended giving to charities if you wanted to give, because then you know the money goes to a kid.
After lunch we took things a bit slower and saw some of the smaller complexes in the area before calling it day. We ate some delicious fresh bananas and pineapple. We also enjoyed a light rain storm and heard some thunder. The cloudy sky was a nice relief from the sun.
That night we had dinner again at Rosy's. We drank lots of cheap beer. I really wanted to go to the Night Market we'd been hearing so much about, but Jason and Brian seemed very content to stay at Rosy's. Much later than expected, around 9 or 10pm, we finally walked into town. Another beautiful night greeted us; warm air, a call river lined with trees, colored lights strewn about and blinking in their branches.
We didn't really know exactly where the Night Market was, just that it was near Pub Street. We ended up just missing it, if we'd walked one block farther we would have seen it. Instead we stopped at Pub Street and decided to try the Mexican Food place. Not exactly what I had in mine but oh well. We got tacos and they were... amazing! The best Mexican food we had had yet! In Cambodia, who would have thought?! We also got margarita pitchers and were just one pitcher shy of getting the free tshirt. Unfortunately the place was closing around midnight so they kicked us out. Not ready to be done with the night we headed next door to one of the only bars left open, Temple Bar. Brian had heard it was an indie hangout but if it ever was, those days were gone, instead they were blasting late 90's early 2000's pop and hip hop music. This was the bar to be at if you were young and wanted to drink and dance. We sat outside on the patio, right next to the now dark and deserted street. Brian and I thought the place was fun but Jason thought it was just full of dumb "bro's." Maybe it was...
Because we ordered a pitcher of vodka red bull (not a good idea!) we got a free Temple Bar tshirt! Score! It went to Brian. The night got later and later as we sat talking and enjoying ourselves. We didn't get back to the guesthouse until after 3am!
The most awful thing about the night though was what we saw on Pub Street. Out front of Temple Bar many tuk tuk drivers stood around waiting to take people home. These guys, while nice, were not the most clean cut of types, drinking, smoking, etc. That was fine, but what was not fine where the two twelve year old girls that were forced by their parents to stand on the street holding two display case trays trying to sell jewelry. Multiple times they came up to our table and tried to engage us but we just had to ignore them. You feel awful. Jason was especially bothered by this and had a hard time concentrating on the bar. I tried to push them out of my mind, which I feel shamed doing... The girls were in the pajamas, with little clips in their hair. They were so young, and it was 2am. They should have been home in bed. These were definitely the kids you did not want to give money to. They doubtfully went to school and what kind of parent would send them out like this! It was sickening. The most disgusting thing happened. This awful fat blonde white girl stumbled out of the bar with tape wrapped around her body, for some reason. The little girls began to pick it off of her and save it on their trays. When her arms were free she drunkenly reached down the front of her shirt into her bra, pulled out a couple of crumpled dollars and thrust them at the girls, laughing and stumbling as she walked away. It was so gross. I wish we could have done something in this situation but I don't know what we could have done? Another awful juxtaposition of pleasure and poverty. I just fear these are the types of girls that are going to end up prostitutes, hanging around bars with older tuk tuk drivers around.
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