Can I get a wat-wat? And a story of love and loss

Our time in Cambodia has come to an end. Angkor was stunning and magnificent; it alone would have been worth the trip. Phnom Penh was an ideal place to unwind after four days of touring the temples from dawn til dusk.  There's enough to see but not too much to see. 

We went to the National Museum which has some great artifacts from Angkor and other sites (although many of them were without descriptions or their descriptions read: unknown male divinity, unknown location, date unknown. I thougt it hilarious; Nick found it irritating and kept saying he wanted his $3 back.)

We went to the Central Market which is an Art Deco ziggurat with a large dome. The market was worth seeing just to see how all those attributes were possible in a single building. Sure enough, it fit all those descriptors and is among the oddest buildings I've ever seen. 

We went to the Russian Market which has eveything you can imagine. I beleive you could build an entire motorbike out of the parts you could find in just one row of stalls at the market. We named one area Tom Alley; it was full of wires, switches, and outlets. You could buy all 20 seasons of The Simpsons (bootlegged, of course) for $30.  Or some fresh-out-of-the-factory Adidas or American Eagle at a 90% discount. Or silk. Or casters. Or these hideous harem pants with bells that every merchant tried to push on me. It was awesome and exhausting.

But mostly Phnom Penh is about Wats. Most of what is worth seeing are the Pagodas/temples.  Today we went to the Silver Pagoda and saw monks and tourists alike gawking at the 90 kg Buddha with thousands of encrusted diamonds. 

And now for the story of love and loss:
In Hoi An,  I decided I needed a big floppy hat to help shield me from the tropical sun. I found an awesome blue and white ribbon hat and, after I haggled down to an acceptable price($2.50 from $3), Nick bought it for me.  I wore it everywhere: to the beach, hiking up temples, used it as a fan in museums. It was a great hat, crushable and of really good quality (direct from the Lane Bryant factory with price tag attached!) 

I discovered it had fallen out of my bag when we were taking Nick's birthday ride on top of an elephant at Angkor. Heartbroken. We went back to the places we'd been so far that morning (one temple and a wc) but still couldn't find it. So sad.

But there's a happy ending to this story. Although I never found my hat, I did find a nearly identical hat in a market in Phnom Penh which I haggled down to $2. Not as awesome as the original, but a fine replacement.

Safely arrived in Kuala Lumpur, where we'll be for 16 hours before we leave to see Aceh, Pulau Weh, and RINA!!!!!