To the temples... (part 1)

Even if you know nothing else of the Kingdom of Cambodia, you are likely to have heard of its treasure - the temples of Angkor.  And if, by chance, the name rings no bells, you would undoubtedly recognise the infamous skyline of its highlight, Angkor Wat.  Some would consider it sacrilege to come to Cambodia without paying a visit to the "eighth wonder of the world", and we were both excited to have the opportunity.  So there was never any question in our minds that we would travel to Siem Reap, situated as it is just 7km from Angkor; the perfect base for eating and sleeping in between temple time.  Needless to say, neither of even bothered reading what the Lonely Planet had to say regarding this small city, so convinced we were that our sole activity would be visiting the historic wonders that surround it.

So we arrived with no expectations, our anticipation solely for the temples, only to discover with much surprise and delight that Siem Reap is a magical city.  Our intended four day stay became six, and whilst one would assume, as we did, that the highlight of our time here would have been the temples, in reality our favourite experience of Siem Reap was the city itself.  Embodying everything we have discovered we love in a place, Siem Reap retains all the tale tell signs of past French occupation.  Rustic buildings, picturesque alleyways, colourful markets, countless craft shops, quirky cafes and too many culinary wonders to sample in only six days.  Though the longest we have spent in any place, the time past all too quickly, and if it weren't for all the other places we've yet to see, I'd have quite happily stayed in Siem Reap until our visas expired.  For the first time I have felt truly torn between the desire to travel and that to stay and drink in every inch of this wonderful place.

We arrived on a Saturday, and on the Sunday we met with the Kellers, a couple and their one year old son, who live and work as missionaries in Siem Reap.  A contact of my grandparents, I had assumed they would be much older until we met them and I realised my mistake.  They took us to a Khmer church (with translator), which was our first proper experience of meeting the local people.  They made us feel so welcome, and it was such a joy to worship with them.  After lunch with the Kellers, Phil and I went to local international church - quite a different experience to the morning, as it was full of Westerners, including (much to Phil's excitement) a Northern Irish pastor!  Once again we were welcomed with open arms.  We spent the following evening at the Kellers home for dinner, our first home cooked meal since arriving in Asia.  Spagetti bolognaise has never tasted quite so delicious.  Spending time with this like-minded, young couple was such an encouragement to us, and in conversation with them we became aware of how many opportunities there are, in both textiles and IT, for people like us, in Cambodia.  This both excites and daunts us.  We are constantly seeking God's direction for where he wants us to be long-term, and for the first time, Asia felt like a possibility.  Cambodia has really got under our skin, and fills me, in particular, with all sorts of emotions that I'm having trouble identifying.  Siem Reap has, undoubtedly, been my favourite place of our travels so far, and the only thing that convinced me to leave was Phil's voice of reason, reminding me that there is a lot of the world that we've yet to see.