Ankor girls

Today I rented a bike. I visited the Bayon again, and checked out the rest of the temples in the ancient city of Angkor Thom. Then I took an unpaved road to where I thought some minor temples would be. It turned out to be villages filled with smiling people saying “hello” as I road past. With so many friendly people, I couldn’t help but smile.

The villagers were a nice change of pace from the restaurant ladies and the postcard kids. They’ll have a row of ten identical restaurants by each temple, with nothing to distinguish them except for their comically aggressive proprietors: “You want cold drink, sir?” “You want something to eat, sir?” When Japanese people walk by, they’ll shout “Oni-san!” Since I’m usually the only foreign tourist around, I’ll get all their attention, and there will be a chorus of shouting. One time I used the “eany-meany-miney-moe” method to pick one, since they are all exactly the same. I don’t think they got the joke.