Cambodia: the pink temple

When I arrived in Cambodia, I had very little knowledge of the country, city, area and temples I had traveled to see. But I learned a lot.

One of the epics carved into the walls of Angkor Wat. The
wall carvings were all "depicted about" epic stories and tales
from Hinduism.

The Angkor temples were primarily built as Hindu worship temples and the walls of each temple are covered with unique carvings of stories that are important to Hindu mythology. I learned all about the carvings from our tour guide, Piseth, who was very helpful. He spoke very good English and was very patient with our questions about the different legends or architectural wonders he was pointing out.

The apsara carved into the walls at
 Angkor Wat. Apsara were believed
 to be angelic dancerwomen who
accompanied the gods. In the carvings
"depicted about" the apsara, they
were very beautiful, with lots of jewelry
and ornate clothing. Also, big boobs.

For example, at Angkor Wat, which is a square, each wall has a different carving that is "depicted about" a story or epic from Hindu mythology. (That's how Piseth would say it: "Charlie and BF, this is a carved wall. This carving is depicted about the Hindu god Vishnu.) One of the famous stories in Hindu mythology is the churning of the ocean. It was shown in many places throughout multiple temples: on the entrance way to Angkor Thom, on the wall of Angkor Wat, within the Bayon, etc.

This story, along with the story of the Ramayana, an epic which includes details on prince Rama, appeared in several places, including Angkor Wat and Banteay Srei. 

Me in another doorway. Not sure
why I'm so into taking photos like this....

Banteay Srei is a much smaller temple, by comparison, and is the only temple in the complex built out of pink sandstone, rather than gray sandstone. There are many scholars who believe this temple to have been specifically for the women of the empire, due to its location (far out), smaller design and more intricate carvings and decor. We visited Banteay Srei the day after visiting Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom and Ta Prohm. It was a little farther out of town, so it was a bit of a drive, but it was very beautiful.

Intricate carvings

Entry gates at Banteay Srei

Entry gates at Banteay Srei

Me asking our guide lots of questions.

The intricate carvings at Banteay Srei. Everything was
 more ornate,more detailed and more embellished
here than at the  bigger Angkor temples 

In a nutshell....

I'm weird. At best, I'm "quirky and charming". At worst, I'm "freaking odd". Mostly I'm somewhere in between.

This is me, in a nutshell:
Music: In the last year I've been to two concerts. Both were arena shows where I had free suite tickets. One show was Motley Crue, the other was Beyonce.

Beverages: I went to dinner last weekend with some clients and other "vendors"/associates of my clients. I ordered a specialty cocktail called "Tickled Pink" that was champagne with a little pink liquer in it. I tried to order a second, but the restaurant was out of the pink liquer, so I ordered a stein of dark beer that required two hands to lift and drink. I have a pink flask.

Clothing: I wear my designer jeans with my pit-stained sorority t-shirts from college. I own at least six sequined sweaters as well as pants that have been hemmed with duct tape. I shop at Nordstrom and Target.

Home decor: I have a goat puppet hanging from a lamp and a framed map of Cusco, Peru decorating my living room. A room which is furnished in mostly hand-me-down furniture (thanks Pickle, Fritha and Pie!) and Pottery Barn.

Hobbies: Because they're my client, I started playing D&D. It's pretty fun; I use hot pink dice. I also watch reality TV. And football. I have season tickets to UW games and just joined a fantasy football league. Currently, I'm watching Green Bay vs. Chicago and flipping to an ABC Family Original movie (My Fake Fiance) on the commercials.

Movies: I love Pulp Fiction and Steel Magnolias. I quote Old School as easily as I quote The Sound of Music.


Yeah.....

No Naked Ladies!

I have this recurring issue with my gym: there is excessive nudity in the locker room. Yes, I understand the purpose of a locker room and that nudity is inherent in that, but I often fall victim to FLAGRANT nudity in the worst ways.

Until today!

I worked late (major event next week; lots to do) and then went to the gym. I got there 8:30pm-ish and was alone in the locker room. While changing, another girl came in, quickly changed her shoes and then left. NO NUDITY!

I worked out (worked out hard, actually...ended up VERY sweaty and gross. it was great!) then returned to the locker room to change and leave. Still alone. Still no nudity. Also, there was no one in there to judge me for a) stinking to high heaven or b) putting on a hot pink t-shirt with my bright orange shorts for the trip home.

On a related note: I was so disgusting when I left the gym that I was afraid I couldnt get on the bus, for fear of offending...well...everyone. Now, given that homeless people are sometimes on my bus, imagine the kind of smell it would take to really be inappropriate for the bus. Yeah.

So I walked home. Now, my office is only 2 miles or so from my house and on nice evenings (like tonight) I often walk home anyway. But when you walk home out of civic duty and love for your fellow man, rather than choice, it changes things. Also, let's remember that I was (by this point) a hot, sweaty mess wearing a hot pink "Sanitary Fish Market" t-shirt and bright orange Virginia Tech shorts. With a bright red face and post-workout hair. Awesome.

I like to think it was a safety technic: you're less likely to get accosted if you look like a color-blind sweatbag who's probably street-rat crazy.