I am not sure what it says about me as a person, but despite the fact that Siem Riep is home to one of the most amazing historical architectural wonders in the world, pigs on mo-peds is still my favorite thing about my trips ('05 & '06) to Siem Riep. Angkor Wat as well as the surrounding temples truly astonish you when seen in person. The size of the individual temples, the level of detail, and the distance that is involved to cover all the Temples of Angkor leaves you in awe. The pictures that I took are mostly of Angkor Wat itself, but there are another 10-12 different temples also in the mix. Ah, but before I get to deep, back to the pigs! First of all, they are alive. Maybe not for much longer, but they are alive while being transported on the mo-peds. They travel in ones, twos, to up to a dozen or so. The fatter the pig, the lower the mo-ped to pig ratio is. Grown pigs travel on their backs while strapped down to a wooden board of some type which in turn is strapped to the back of the mo-ped's seat somehow. All the while, the pigs are waving their little legs in the air helplessly. It is down right hilarious. In one of the pics, I was able to walk up to a parked pig-ped to take a picture. Just when I got in for a close up, all three pigs let out a huge oink that sadly scared the hell out of me. My man card was definitely in jeopardy at that moment. Little piglets on the other hand travel in style inside of a bamboo basket of some type. I've never gotten an exact count, but there are enough piglets in one basket for them to crawl around on top of one another going from side to side fighting over the "window view" from the basket. These guys are funny too, but being a fat man with short arms, I feel more akin to the larger pigs on their backs. They are therefore designated as my favorite memory of Siem Riep. By the way, Siem Riep also has a few little temples. The bulk of the temples are spread out over a 15 mile (east to west) by 5 mile (north to south) area, but more temples (72) can be found over another 30 mile stretch just to the north. The most famous and best preserved is Angkor Wat. As you can tell from the 100 or so photos (Yndo's request) that I took, sunrises here are beautiful even if it means getting up at 4:30 a.m. to view it. To give you an idea of the size, the moat around it is 600 feet wide and four miles in circumference. The detail within the temple itself is amazing. Unfortunately, I am too darn lazy to go into detail. If you are interested, then go to http://www.sacredsites.com/asia/cambodia/angkor_wat.html or http://www.angkorwat.org/. All you need to know from me is that there are way too many steep, slippery stairs for my tastes, but the views achieved once you are up there are well worth it. As a result, I climbed up as well as down many, many temples literally on all fours. It was a pretty site. By the way, the picture of the temple with all the trees growing through the rocks is where Lara Croft Tomb Raider was filmed. The temple (like many others) is in shambles now. The Cambodian government charges $20 per head to enter the Angkor Temple area. It's safe to say that they are not putting the money back into the restoration. Instead they rely on foreign governments to sponsor and pay for the restoration. The Indian government is sponsoring the restoration for "Lara Croft Temple" at the moment. It is a ten year project, but by comparing the improvement the Japanese have made on the Bayon Temple in just one year (my last trip was in July '05) it is well worth the effort. Unfortunately, Cambodia is not all fun and games. Their tragic past is not only striking but also everywhere you look and every time you turn around. My next journal entry will not be too chipper, so if you are not one for a sad tune, then I would skip my Phom Phen entry.