Post 20: Cambodian Paradise

Chinese new year is a treat.  The kids get 7 days off of school and work follows the same basic schedule.  It is a little weird because 2 of those days are on Saturday and Sunday, but it is still a nice block of work-cation.  Kind of… no matter what, work requires 2hrs every day to keep up with the world.

This year we organized a trip to Cambodia and Vietnam; Siem Reap in Cambodia and Hanoi / Halong Bay in Vietnam.  Our great travel friends (Jason and Terri) joined us from the US for the adventure.  Since I was in India for work, Amanda, the kids, and JT met me in Thailand for the layover.  I nearly missed the flight since I had to immigrate rather than transfer, but it is too long of a boring story for here. 

Getting into Cambodia was a breeze.  Amanda did all of the preregistration and so the airport wait time was 2hrs shorter.  Our AirBNB picked us up at the airport with three tuk-tuks and off we went.  Amanda and I both immediately thought the location reminded us of Indonesia… this continued the entire time. 

Our accommodations require a shout-out… First, it only costs 550 for 4 nights… And that included 5 bedrooms, 8 queen beds, a pool, breakfast to order each morning, transportation to / from the airport, and a personal travel agent.  What a steal.  The home is beautiful… perfect really for what we wanted. 

Day one was all about temples.  There are about 20 near Siem Reap.  All were lost for hundreds of years until an enterprising archeologist looked for and found them again in 1920.  How does that happen?  Something this cool lost for so long… It’s just like the Pompeii and Terracotta Warrior stories.  I am perpetually intrigued by what else is lost underground or underwater.

We hit several locations on Day 1; Ta Prahm, Angkor Wat, xx, xx, xx.  Each was unique, all were cool, and the tuk tuk rides between them were fun.  It’s like walking through an Indiana Jones Movie.  The structures are just cool and you wonder what life was like 500 years before.  When you arrive they give you a “menu” for which temples you should go see… Everyone says you will get tired of them, but for us we really didn’t. 

Our guide was a nice old Cambodian dude.  Honestly, this guy reminded me a lot of my Grandpa Clyde.  Loved to laugh, tell jokes, and have a good time.  Pretty sure he was taking snips of whiskey during the tour too (no confirmation there).  We followed the same script that everyone follows;  Day 1 – Temples, Day 2 – More Temples, and Day 3 – Sunrise at Angkor Wat. 

Aside from temples, we also added a few other fun excursions to our time.  The first was a sunset at a Water Town.  This, in theory, sounds awesome.  There are literally floating villages on the water… They are more than boats…  more like massive pontoon boats tethered together.  I thought we would be able to walk around, shop a bit, and take in in the unique setting… It just didn’t work like that for us. 

The ride to the town was pretty cool; a 45 minute john boat ride.  But, then you get there and you see some stuff that just isn’t right.  First, the waves are rocking the boats around quite a bit… no big deal.  Until you see 5-6 kids in the water right next to the boats floating in Styrofoam coolers and paddling with sticks.  As soon as you lift your camera, they point at you and demand money.  No big deal on the money, but to see kids in a risky situation like this just isn’t cool.  Then, you look around a bit more and you notice that half of the kids (including a 9 month old newborn) have pythons draped around their necks.  Totally wild.  And, as soon as you lift your camera… 

The sunset was ok, there shopping wasn’t good, the food was horrible… and, I left my backpack on the boat (with the passports) which created a temporary freak out moment for me. 

We also signed up for a dinner / dance show at a local tourist spot.  This was ok, but not great.  It is impressive how these people can contort their fingers and bodies for the show, but I really just don’t get impressionistic dancing… Some people love it, I just don’t.  Food was mediocre to poor, which didn’t help. 

Our 4^th day was the best.  We started early with a sunrise picture moment over Angkor Wat.  When you talk to people about Cambodia, they will mention Angkor wat.  For us, it wasn’t our favorite, but it is still good and the best preserved.  We tended to like the rustic, trees growing on and through everything type of temple.  Still the sunrise was spectacular; the colors, the sense of history, and the peacefulness just consume you. 

After the early start, we decided to chill at the house until lunch time and just ordered pizza.  Emily swam a bit and the rest of us dug into a game of Phase 10… It was a nice relief from the exhausting pace we maintained until then.  After lunch we hit the excursions again. 

Our first stop was for an Elephant ride between temples.  This was totally cool.  It is really hard to understand the power of an elephant until you are standing next to them.  They are just massive creatures.  This one was  little pricey, but we got the picture and the kids loved it. 

Afterwards, we headed to the night market… which is basically an active street with lots of restaurants.  We immediately ran into a “fish pedicure… yes, a fish pedicure.  This is where you stick your feet into an aquarium and let the fish eat the skin off of your feet.  I tried it, but couldn’t last.  I am just too ticklish. After I tried and the kids had some time to think about it, then they tried it too… Jacob volunteered first, then Caroline, and then reluctantly Emily.  They didn’t last long either, but I give them props for trying.  And, the pictures were totally priceless.

The last thing we did was a bit of street food… well, the kids tried it.  In Asia, at places like this, they are constantly peddling exotic foods.  In this case, they were serving up grilled snakes, tarantulas, crickets, cockroaches, and scorpions… Jacob, out of the blue, decided he wanted to try it.  I don’t know where this came from but he did… And then, as soon as he volunteered, so did Caroline, and reluctantly Emily.  They all tried it, did great, and said the liked it… To them, it tasted like bbq.  Go figure. 

Our flight left late on Day 5, so we scheduled a couple of cool excursions during the day and then skipped over to the airport.  We hit a famous Buddha temple (really impressive), a real life silk farm (pretty cool), and a scenic waterfall.   The pictures will explain this better, but the highlight was Jason falling in the water (again) at the waterfall.  He has a tendency to do this when he is around us. 

Cambodia was an absolute blast.  We loved this place and will probably come back before we leave. 

Picture 1 - A great start:  Fun pickup at the airport by our Air-BNB.  They sent 3 tuk tuks; 2 for people and 1 for luggage.

Picture 2 - Full on Thailand:  Girls love the dresses... everywhere.  And, the costumes that you find in each of the countries are a lot of fun.  The global brands are apparent wherever you go.

Picture 3 - Knees in the breeze:  This was a really cool way to start the vacation.  It was hot, but didn't feel like it.  It was humid, but the breeze kept up comfortable.

Picture 4 - Temples, temples, everywhere:  This temple was buried in the middle of a swamp.  Fun to get to, but watch out for the tourists... they'll knock you over to get there and then you're all wet.

Picture 5 - Nature meets history:  These temples were lost for a couple hundred years... and this proves that nature always wins.  Imagine your yard without a lawnmower or general upkeep.  It wouldn't take long to get out of control.  Several of the temples have trees growing through them.

Picture 6 - Sunrises are beautiful everywhere:  This is Angkor Wat; the crown jewel of Siam Reap.  It is the most famous because it is the most well preserved and because the sunset here is magnificent.

Picture 7 - Lotus root and little girls:  Just a couple of fun pictures.  Lotus root / flower is a special thing in Asia.  It is either a national flower or a delicate cuisine.

Picture 8 - Stop monkeying around:  Monkeys in Asia are like pigeons on the beach.  Give them a little food and then they won't leave you alone.  Especially fantastic pictures of the family... kids look great in the top left and Amanda looks beautiful everywhere.

Picture 8 - Better in the "idea stage":  We went to a "floating city" off the coast of Siam Reap to watch the sunset.... good in theory.  but, the poverty here took your breath away.  Snakes pictures for money, kids floating in coolers / buckets for money, and random crocodiles.

Picture 9 - Random fun:  Kids got a kick out of sun-inspired photos.

Picture 10 - Elephants are huge:  This was by far the most expensive excursion of the trip... but, it was totally worth it.  I mean these animals are just enormous... They are powerful, docile, and controlled by a single spur a the base of the neck.  Beautiful animal. 

Picture 11 - Asia delicacy:  Crickets on a stick anyone?  Live chickens on a motorcycle?  I have to give the kids credit, they gave it a try... Jacob first jumped in, then Caroline, then Emily.  Jacob and Caroline tried it and liked it... Emily followed them and spit it out immediately. 

Picture 12 - Fish Pedicure:  I don't like massages and I've only had one pedicure... this one.  And, it was horrible.  Forget about it if you are ticklish.  This was only good for a few interesting pictures. 

Picture 13 -  Buddha:  This was a relaxing stop... first stop to see the sleeping Buddha and then hang out at a waterfall.  The Buddha was impressive, but the homelessness took our breath away.  They sold bricks of cash on the way to the Buddha and then homeless people lined the streets asking for money.  It was interesting and, honestly, seemed like a scam.  I wonder if those people actually got the money.

Picture 14 - The Falls:  This place was nice.  We didn't have our suits with us (on purpose), but still wandered out to get a few nice pictures.  And, yes... our "in house" photographer managed to fall in the water again... this is a theme with him.

Picture 15 - The real deal:  This silk farm was fascinating.  It is amazing how much effort they put into making the fabric.  It literally takes hours.  The price tag for the real stuff is high too... which is probably why it has been replaced by wonderful petroleum based products.