Yesterday was such an amazing day. I was picked up by my tour guide, this time in a jeep, to head towards the jungle. We were headed to Phnom Koulen National Park which is a mountain that's considered very holy and a pilgrimage site for many. The drive took about an hour and thirty minutes but was entertaining as my guide insisted on practicing his English. In addition, the driver stopped at about 4 different food stands making me try various items, by the 4th time he stopped I couldn't stop laughing. I was stuffed full and certainly would not be able to climb a mountain if they kept feeding me. My guide told me that they don't get a lot of American visitors, especially American females, so my driver was probably trying to impress me. It was adorable and just one more reason I have come to love the Cambodian people, they truly have a pride for their country and are very generous.
When we got to the top of the mountain, our first stop was to observe the holy sights. We saw many many shrines for locals to worship and then the reclining Buddha where people leave gifts of money which goes towards helping the poor (hard to believe there is a distinction of poor and poorer in Cambodia). The culture in Cambodia, as I have now learned, is a mixture of Hindu and Buddhist traditions. Many locals will tell you they are half and half. Giving monetary donations is a form of karma, in which they hope will help them to one of their many heavens. I think this idea is wonderful, whether or not there is a god or many gods or no god at all, doing good for others is always necessary and should always be practiced. I whole heartedly believe in Karma.
After the holy sites, we drove over to the river where we saw the river of a thousand Hindu Lingas. Lingas are basically a symbol of man and woman uniting and signifies fertility. The water that runs over these symbols is considered holy and many locals will bottle this water to take home. Pretty cool!

After the river, I was melting, per usual, and my tour guide thought we should break for lunch. He laughed at me and said he didn't understand how I was hot, he was cold.. And also wearing jeans and a long sleeve shirt. I was wearing shorts and a tank top, and sweating through them. Alas, we drove towards the waterfalls, climbed past the first smaller one, and down a scary flight of stairs towards the beautiful big one (see photos). I can't even tell you how many times I wiped out on the slippery rocks, I've got a gash on my ankle to prove it, but we finally made it to the middle and sat down for perhaps the most magical lunch view I have ever had. It took my breath away. After lunch, my guide showed me where to get in and I swam among the locals and tourists at the base of the waterfall. It was such an amazing experience. The rocks were very slippery and everyone was helping everyone regardless of the language barriers. A group of I'm guessing Korean tourist kids were around me and the girl of the group says, "are you happy?" I responded, yes, very. She said "yes, I can tell, come climb with us." Right she was, my happiness was radiating, and I proceeded to climb with them for some pretty epic photos and memories!

On our way back home for the day, we stopped at the land-mind museum. Unfortunately, throughout Cambodia, there are still thousands of activated land-minds that locals occasionally stumble upon in rural areas causing death and injury. The land-mind museum explained how these land-minds are found and furthermore how they are deactivated. It's sad how many lives are effected by these land-minds still today.

For dinner I attended a cultural show which had a buffet included. I was underwhelmed by the show but it was a good experience nonetheless. After this, I was lucky enough to meet up with my friend Ashley's friend who she hooked me up with that is traveling in Siem Reap. It really is a small world. I was so thankful to have someone to head out with. We met up on Pub Street (night market district of Siem Reap) and made our way through a few bars. We had a great time and a lot of laughs. I also got sucker punched in the leg by a young boy because I wouldn't buy him food. Neither of us could believe it!

I'm absolutely in love with Cambodia (minus the brat who punched me)! Today I have nothing on my itinerary except walking the streets and getting a massage, possibly a fish massage for my feet too, and enjoying my last night! The next stop on my adventure is Chiang Mai in northern Thailand, so you'll here from me when I'm there!