BIKERS CLUB JULY 2019 ISSUE | Page 48

They were really nice, gave us water, offered us tissues to dry our faces and our helmets. They told us we could stay there till the rain stopped and also gave us directions to the old market are located about 10 minutes away. It was important to find a safe parking spot of our bikes. with that automatically being our topmost priority, it determined our choice of places to stay in crowded cities. we found a nice and reasonable hotel at US 40 $ a night. We later found out, there were rooms available even for as little as US 10 $ per night, however, this one was a proper hotel. 'Siem Reap' is touristic, very economical, and a great variety of food. It can get a little loud in the evening, but still a nice place, to unwind for a couple of days. It wasn't very difficult to guess where we ate dinner or even breakfast and lunch the next day. It took partner 5 minutes to locate every Indian restaurant around the hotel ! And I had no complaints - I enjoyed the Chai, naan and Indian music. India continues to have a strong influence on me. 15 years of my life in India has made me an entrepreneur, a designer, a PhD and a biker. In fact, this gives me a strong reason to finish my ride and return to India. The next day, we woke very early and got ready to head to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Temple complex Angkor Wat. We reached quite early and had to wait for about 45 minutes till they opened the gates at 7:30 am to let tourists in. The temples were huge, adorned with magnificent hand  Carvings. The giant trees hugged the temples and became one with them. We entered a temple that was full of huge faces. we were told that they were faces of the Kings. My question remains - how did they built that 8 Centuries ago ? How did they cut stones and carve them into these giant sizes, without the use of technology and machines. I really was intrigued and wanted to know more about this place. what happened here 800 years ago, who lived here, why did they leave and abandon the place... So many questions ! I need to research and read about this place, which I will do as soon as I get a good internet connection ! We finally visited 'The Bayon' which is the biggest Khmer temple, most well known for its rich decoration. A monk was sitting there, blessing people and tying a thread to their hands. His body was full of tattoos - I had never seen a monk like that before. I am drawn to anything that is 'out of the ordinary' so we went to him. He prayed for us and wished us luck. He tied a bright red and orange thread to our hands. Of course, a tiny thin thread cannot change your life. But the reality is that your positive thoughts and your belief about the thread is what works to bring you luck and keep you safe. You just need to believe and trust. I call it "FAITH". I hadn't realized how strong the sun was that day. When I looked into the mirror when we returned to the hotel. I saw a red neckline and a tomato instead of my nose !! However, the best part of our trip is that the way you look, that doesn't matter to you.