Campuchia [Updated 2/13/11]

I got to wear shorts and sandals today!  Of course, I also had to wake up at five in the morning to make it to Cambodia (Campuchia in Vietnamese) in order to do so, but who cares about the details?  We flew into Phnom Penh, the capital of the kingdom of Cambodia, and within twenty minutes of stepping foot outside the airport, I was in warm-weather attire.  We're staying with a friend and former colleague of Kyle's, Marie from Madagascar, who was kind enough to cook us lunch and have two beautiful black labs waiting for us to play with.  How they haven't gotten heat stroke here I've no idea, but they gleam like obsidian and are the best-behaved labs I've ever encountered.

Miss Madagascar sporting her new Vietnamese lantern.

It's odd, but so far Cambodia seems like a greener El Paso (my birthplace) but with even fewer English-speakers. ;)  The colors here are so vibrant, or perhaps they just appear that way after my long stretch of sunlessness.  Unfiltered light reflects off every surface and creates of visual shmorgasbord filled with flowers and advertisements and fabrics.

We didn't have much time today, but we stopped by a Buddhist temple.  (Temple in Cambodia, pagoda in Vietnam.)  The style, coloring and imagery are so very different than what I've been seeing.  The architecture and decoration are more influenced by India with dashes of Cham thrown in for good measure.


Check out how pointy and gold and white this Buddhist temple is...also you can actually see the sky. :)



Very different stupas than the ones at Tran Quoc Pagoda last week.

Loverly.

 

Check out the monk in orange. If they come into physcial contact with a woman, they have to go through this long ritual to cleanse themselves. So I have to be really careful not to touch them...which will be hard since I frequently LOVE touching strange men. :/


We had dinner at a restaurant called Lotus Blanc, and is similar to Koto in Hanoi in that it teaches young adults English and trade skills to ensure they are kept off the streets.  There was also a wonderful performance of traditional Cambodian music and dancing.

Musical performance

Improvisational dance-theater.  The little guy was funny and adorable. ;)

Today's highlight was feeling the sun on my face and legs, warming my skin.  I'm sure in a couple days I'll be begging for the brisk chill of Hanoi, but for now, I'll let myself enjoy it.