It was hot as Asian chili peppers in Cambodia. About 100 degrees with 90 percent humidity. People walked around with damp butterfly patterns spread across their shirts as we trudged up and down stairs and around corridors and walkways of the many lovely ruins of the Angkor complex of temples. Fortunately, the sights more than made up for the intense heat (more on that elsewhere), and I found two delightful ways to cool off and enjoy the scenery--an elephant ride, and a tuk-tuk ride.
The elephant ride happened at the Bayon Temple at Angkor. I was one of the last in our group to decide to go for it, and couldn’t talk Bob into joining me, so I got an elephant all to myself (and of course my driver). My pachyderm lumbered all the way around the temple and knew just where to stop for the best pictures. Afterward I bought the tiny bananas that tourists are encouraged to purchase as an elephant reward, and it was really fun to feed them to my elephant and some of his (her?) coworkers. Kind of like putting a coin in the vending machine slot.
Now for the tuk-tuk. That’s what the folks in Siem Reap call the little motorcycle-driven carts that are used as cabs. They’re named for the sound the little motor makes. A ride costs $2, no matter where you want to go (and we found it interesting that the Cambodians definitely preferred dollars, not reals). Tuk-tuks are fast, fun, and the breeze they create is delicious. I had decided to skip an afternoon of more temples, since we’d already spent a day and a half doing temples in the heat... Instead, I strolled through a wonderful market, did some shopping, and took the tuk-tuk back to the hotel for a nice rest. Great fun!
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