With a slightly sore ass from the previous day's ride, I rented a bike and set off for the 78 kilometer (48 mile) roundtrip journey to Bantei Sray, a temple made of pink sandstone. Here's a snapshot of my day:
4:45am: Biked with a headlamp to watch the sunrise at the less populated sunrise viewing spot, Srah Srang.
5:20am: Experienced 2nd thoughts for choosing the further and less populated location for the sunrise. Stopped a car to confirm directions and he offered to escort me there. Offer gladly accepted as I trailed his head lights.
6:25am: Sun emerged like a big orange disc from the clouds over the lake. Camera could not capture the perfect round circle.
8:30am: Back at the 'Best noodles in Cambodia' stand. I disregarded the long, black hair in my noodles.
9:00am: Bought rice buns stuffed with savory unknown substance.
9:30am: Watched a woman stir palm sugar at one of the 50 palm sugar stands that lined the road. Learned that every day she has to stir each batch for 1 hour. The elderly woman next to her gave me a sugar cube.
10am: Stopped at a roadside stand selling a banana wrapped in sticky coconut rice. Yum!!
10:30am: Arrived to the 'Pink Lady' palace. Wow, is it stunning!! Pink sandstone is more durable, so the ornate carvings remained intact.
12pm: Made the assumption that the shack on the side of the road was a food stand and not a woman's home. Pointed to the soup and basket of fresh rice noodles and smiled.
12:30pm: Bought rice buns filled with coconut and some other sweet tasty goodness.
2:00pm: Got one more glimpse of Angkor Wat.
4:00pm: Bought sweet bean filled rice buns.
5:00pm: Ended a day of biking with sore buns, although I think I ate more sticky rice buns than biking. Decided I still deserved a $5 Hour massage.
UNIQUE TRAVEL TID-BIT of the DAY:
90% of the cultivated land in Cambodia are rice fields. This means the majority of the local vendors are cooking with rice flour. It's cheaper than importing wheat from Thailand. Yes, it's a Gluten Free girl's dream come true!
NEXT STOP: Floating village visit for my last day in Cambodia :(
4:45am: Biked with a headlamp to watch the sunrise at the less populated sunrise viewing spot, Srah Srang.
5:20am: Experienced 2nd thoughts for choosing the further and less populated location for the sunrise. Stopped a car to confirm directions and he offered to escort me there. Offer gladly accepted as I trailed his head lights.
6:25am: Sun emerged like a big orange disc from the clouds over the lake. Camera could not capture the perfect round circle.
8:30am: Back at the 'Best noodles in Cambodia' stand. I disregarded the long, black hair in my noodles.
9:00am: Bought rice buns stuffed with savory unknown substance.
9:30am: Watched a woman stir palm sugar at one of the 50 palm sugar stands that lined the road. Learned that every day she has to stir each batch for 1 hour. The elderly woman next to her gave me a sugar cube.
10am: Stopped at a roadside stand selling a banana wrapped in sticky coconut rice. Yum!!
10:30am: Arrived to the 'Pink Lady' palace. Wow, is it stunning!! Pink sandstone is more durable, so the ornate carvings remained intact.
12pm: Made the assumption that the shack on the side of the road was a food stand and not a woman's home. Pointed to the soup and basket of fresh rice noodles and smiled.
12:30pm: Bought rice buns filled with coconut and some other sweet tasty goodness.
2:00pm: Got one more glimpse of Angkor Wat.
4:00pm: Bought sweet bean filled rice buns.
5:00pm: Ended a day of biking with sore buns, although I think I ate more sticky rice buns than biking. Decided I still deserved a $5 Hour massage.
UNIQUE TRAVEL TID-BIT of the DAY:
90% of the cultivated land in Cambodia are rice fields. This means the majority of the local vendors are cooking with rice flour. It's cheaper than importing wheat from Thailand. Yes, it's a Gluten Free girl's dream come true!
NEXT STOP: Floating village visit for my last day in Cambodia :(
I'm drooling over all the yummy food in your photos!
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