Day 3: Bicycling and pink stone temples
In which we biked 35 km (approx. 21 miles), saw a beautiful temple fashioned from pink sandstone, ate too much food (again), and visited an art school that is on a mission of mercy.
We ate breakfast around 7 and were out the door by 8 am for our excursion. The goal was to bike to Banteay Srei temple, which is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. The weather was perfect, and after a few mechanical issues were resolved, we were off.
The ride through the countryside between Siem Reap and the temple site was both beautiful and heartbreaking. It was wonderful to see young children attending a primary school we passed and to wave at the preschool children who always greet foreigners passing by with a cheerful "Hello!" But then I couldn't help but think of the youngsters who were desperately trying to sell us useless trinkets in depressing imitation of their elders. Cambodia has a program called Childsafe, which is designed to discourage children from begging and working and to get them in school. Tourist are discouraged from buying from children or giving handouts, but it's hard when a 5-head-old is trying very hard to sell you something.
Anyway, back to the trip. We stopped twice for snacks before reaching Banteay Srei. The structure was built in the 9th Century and is the oldest temple in Cambodia. The intricate carvings were well preserved because of the shape of the temple, and the entire structure is an extremely accurate restoration from the rubble of the original temple. Again, I'll leave the telling to the pictures.
After visiting the temple, we stopped nearby for lunch. 6 courses this time. *thud* I've had amok spiced fish every day since we arrived, and it's well on its way to becoming my new favorite dish.
After lunch, our guide suggested we might fit in one more activity: a visit to the Artisans Angkor art school. In addition to supplying many of the vendors with beautiful recreations of sacred artwork, the school is also dedicated to providing talented but poor and undereducated Cambodians with an education such that they can lift themselves out of poverty. It's a beautiful mission and the art the students produce is absolutely incredible. Such talent is extremely enviable. The guide graciously explained how each type of artwork, which included silk screen painting, stone carving, wood working, and metal working, was done as we watched the students work. The most amazing thing was to watch the artists "eyeball" their projects from nothing more than a drawing or a sample sculpture. Needless to say, we did some damage in the gift shop.
Then it was back to our room to contemplate whether we actually might want to eat dinner. As of this writing, we're still trying to decide. Heh.
We ate breakfast around 7 and were out the door by 8 am for our excursion. The goal was to bike to Banteay Srei temple, which is dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva. The weather was perfect, and after a few mechanical issues were resolved, we were off.
The ride through the countryside between Siem Reap and the temple site was both beautiful and heartbreaking. It was wonderful to see young children attending a primary school we passed and to wave at the preschool children who always greet foreigners passing by with a cheerful "Hello!" But then I couldn't help but think of the youngsters who were desperately trying to sell us useless trinkets in depressing imitation of their elders. Cambodia has a program called Childsafe, which is designed to discourage children from begging and working and to get them in school. Tourist are discouraged from buying from children or giving handouts, but it's hard when a 5-head-old is trying very hard to sell you something.
Anyway, back to the trip. We stopped twice for snacks before reaching Banteay Srei. The structure was built in the 9th Century and is the oldest temple in Cambodia. The intricate carvings were well preserved because of the shape of the temple, and the entire structure is an extremely accurate restoration from the rubble of the original temple. Again, I'll leave the telling to the pictures.
After visiting the temple, we stopped nearby for lunch. 6 courses this time. *thud* I've had amok spiced fish every day since we arrived, and it's well on its way to becoming my new favorite dish.
After lunch, our guide suggested we might fit in one more activity: a visit to the Artisans Angkor art school. In addition to supplying many of the vendors with beautiful recreations of sacred artwork, the school is also dedicated to providing talented but poor and undereducated Cambodians with an education such that they can lift themselves out of poverty. It's a beautiful mission and the art the students produce is absolutely incredible. Such talent is extremely enviable. The guide graciously explained how each type of artwork, which included silk screen painting, stone carving, wood working, and metal working, was done as we watched the students work. The most amazing thing was to watch the artists "eyeball" their projects from nothing more than a drawing or a sample sculpture. Needless to say, we did some damage in the gift shop.
Then it was back to our room to contemplate whether we actually might want to eat dinner. As of this writing, we're still trying to decide. Heh.