Well I have been quite the globe trotter (as my brother would say) the past few days. Right now I am at our hostel in Siem Reap. Andrea and I left Tokyo on Thursday, had an overnight layover in Thailand (from our original trip, before we were forced to cut out our island adventure to Ko Phangan) and left for Cambodia the next day.
The rest of our stay in Tokyo was incredible. We took in a lot of the major sights, and revelled in the lush shopping! It is truly an international city and Andrea and I enjoyed finding some of our favorite things from home iterspersed with the Japanese items. Tokyo also seems to host a pastiche of world monuments... their tower is modeled identically after the Eiffel Tower (but is painted red and white), their most famous bridge is called the "Rainbow Bridge" and is a grey version of the Golden Gate in San Fransisco. But strangest, would have to be the miniature Statue of LIberty that they house on a small man-made island in Tokyo Bay calle Odaiba. The story goes (as we heard it from other tourists) that a few yeas ago the French sent their original on a tour of major World cities, and Tokyo liked it so much that they asked for one of their own. I have to say it was pretty surreal to see Lady Liberty holding her torch high above the Tokyo skyline - but hey, that's just me. haha.
We stayed in Ginza - the shopping district, haha - kind of the 5th avenue of Tokyo - and were next to two great subway stios, so we didn't have much trouble getting around. The Kabuki-Za, which is the most famous kabuki theater in Japan, was right around the corner from us! So we visited it often, and took in two kabuki performances. It still blows my mind that I saw it all first hand! The cool thing about both kauki actors and noh actors in Japan is that it is sort of a family business. All of the actors come from acting families, and the art is passed on from father to son (of course, in traditional Japanese drama there are no women on stage... but there are plenty of women acting in contemporary, western style plays). It is not rare for a young Japanese boy to debut on stage with his father while he is still a toddler! Kabuki dramas developed after Noh dramas and were intended for a more of the common audience than Noh, which were meant for the elie classes. Kabuki dramas typically involve themes of the average man while Noh dramas address eternal themes, such as spirtuality and the afterlife. Even today, Kabuki and Noh actors are regarded with high esteem and celebrity, and according to the information at the Kabuki-Za, are treated similar to the way Hollywood TV actors are treated by the Japanese public.
This past Thursday we flew to Bangkok and met Kirsten and Liz. It was so great to finally meet up with them! We left the next morning for our seperate treks to Cambodia. They swugn flights direct to Siem Reap (which I reccommend doing!!!) while Mullen and I flew to Phnom Penh and then hired a car to drive us. The car should normally cost about 50 US dollars and the drive can take anywhere from 4 to 6 hours. The rode was smooth and I imagine had the sun not set so early it would have been nice scenery. So if you have the time it isn't your worst option, I would have just preferred the conveince of getting here -- for future reference.
Siem Reap is incredible. Cambodia is definitely one of my favorite places to have travelled. In general the people have been very kind. We are staying at the Siem Reap Hostel. It is a fabulous place to stay on a budget. Aside from the dorm-style rooms, you would think this place was a 4 star hotel. They cater to backpackers and laid back travelers, so they do a lot to make the place comfortable. They show movies, offer game-boards, have a swimming pool and a stocked kitchen... PLUS they have free internet! A Major Plus :-) Not to mention they are affiliated with a great group of Tuk-Tuk Drivers who have carted us around Angkor Wat the past two days. There is a variety of restaurants within walking distance and it is a short ride to the ruins.... so all in all ... it's perfect! I would definitely recommend this place to anyone coming to Cambodia. As they say in their advertisements, it is a five sandal resort ;-)
I am off to take a swim and wash of the dust and grime from our day .. then it is out for Mexican food for dinner!! Cambodia, sa rang hae yo!!!
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