Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Phnom Penh, Cambodia's capital has its beautiful elements like French influenced riverside architecture, but is also one of the dirtiest places I've been. A funny thing about the local currency, the locals don't want it! They'd much prefer to have U.S. dollars, or even neighboring Thailand's baht. But if you pay in U.S., you'll likely receive change in Cambodian riel. So, we always tried to pay with exact change rounded to the nearest dollar, because they don't use U.S. coins.

We saw quite a number of weddings, all set up the same way with a big tent parked in the middle of the street and a pink heart entrance way.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Angkor Wat, Cambodia -- 12th century Buddhist/Hindu temple, depending on the reigning king at the time. This place is vast. It is comprised of quite a few different temples and requires the hiring of a driver in order to see any part of it. We dedicated only one day to it, most spend two full days here. Each temple appears to be like a city within a massive, walled, and gated city.

As a kid, I would have died to have this area as my playground or backyard. It was exactly what I imagined, pretending to be Indiana Jones searching for ancient artifacts. It seemed actually too perfect at times. Almost surreal or Disneyland-esque. That's what happens when you become too familiar with the simulation, the real thing seems kind of off. Like how certain classical music brings up Disney cartoon images. I wish I could have been exposed to that music in a sterile environment so that I could have created my own story. Now I'm stuck with Mickey. Oh well, too late.

In any case, Angkor Wat was very interesting and very large. They take a picture of you when you buy your pass to be in the area and put it on an I.D. badge that you must keep with you at all times.