Siem Reap, Cambodia

I've been in Siem Reap for three days now. The bus ride wasn't too bad- it was a typical Asian bus, not a foreigners one. The difference is the local buses stop 100 times from point A to point B, where foreign buses would only stop once. The locals just hop on and off at their leisure which usually makes the trip a bit longer- but it's ok. Siem Reap is a busy city! It's a lot smaller than Phnom Penh but because everything is so condensed it seems just as, maybe ever busier! I got to my hostel and found that I was sharing a dorm with a girl who I had previously met in Laos a month ago! I couldn't believe it! It was normal to run into the same people throughout Thailand and Laos because often tourists do similar routes but I wasn't expecting to see anyone I knew anymore. I also made a friend from Australia who I did all the temples with. I was happy to meet someone to share a tuk tuk with because it majorly cuts down on cost- and he was a lot of fun so it made it a good time. The first day we took a tuk tuk to Bantaey Srei which was one of the farther temples, and on the way home we went to the Landmine Museum, and a collection of other temples (Banteay Samre, Pre Rup, East Mebon, Ta Som, Neak Pean and Preah Khan. I must say, I'm not much for the temples... they are certainly magnificant but that tour took us 9 hours... and it was HOT, and DUSTY.. and the tuk tuk is veryy bumpy. The landmine museum was my favorite part of the day. I didn't know much history or the current situation of landmines so I was happy to learn. The center also houses 40 at risk kids that they teach, feed and help them find work. The second day my friend and I were feeling energetic so we decided we were going to bike to the rest of the temples. We woke up for sunrise at Angkor Wat (530am), but it was too cloudy/ overcast to see the sunrise which was too bad. Then we spent the rest of the day biking to the rest of the temples. The Bayon (temple of many faces), Takeo (my favorite one, on a mountain with amazing views and no one else up there!), Ta Prohm which was also another cool one because it had MASSIVE trees growing through the bricks. I may have missed some because it really was difficult to keep them straight. I was exhausted after the day, I think the ride was 30 km, and it was HOT! Today I've just been relaxing and making the final plans for my trip. I have a bus back to Bangkok in two days, and I will head straight to the airport from the bus station. Tomorrow I am going to get up for sunrise again, I'm hoping it isn't overcast this time, and then I will bike the route again without stopping at any temples. The scenery is beautiful but I'm tempeled out! I've lucked out in Siem Reap, I met a lot of great people to hang out with for my last few days of traveling. <3