Days 4-7 SE Asia Trip, Cambodia

Days 4-7

We flew in Siem Reap, Cambodia with no idea what to expect.  I honestly didn't know if this leg of the trip would be worth it because I didn't even know if I would like visiting temples and that's what I thought Siem Reap is all about.    After paying for our visa, we got out of the airport and onto a tuk-tuk.  It seems the only way people travel there are tuk-tuks or motorbikes.   I would guess that those two small vehicles make up 80 % of the vehicles on the road there.

We immediately fell in love.   Siem Reap has such a great feel to it.  It's beautiful!  We checked into our (kinda gross) hotel and went out on the town for an INCREDIBLE dinner.    We ate at Marum which was so cool.  It's run by Child Safe.   They do a lot of work with and education for people about street kids.   (I soon discovered the streets of Cambodia are full of kids begging and selling things, not to mention the HUGE child sex market there.  It's so distressing).   So, while our food was a bit more expensive than the typical food in Cambodia, it was still cheap by our standards and went to a great cause.  We also discovered how cheap booze is there!  I'm talking $2 mixed drinks cheap.   Crazy.

tuk-tuk

check out these prices!   USD$$

tuk-tuks everywhere

quick rain outside the hotel

showing off the high heels in the hotel lobby

women's bathroom sign

Pub Street

happy, crazed girls after late night ice cream

The next morning we woke up early to make our way to Angkor Wat. 
Again, I didn't think I'd love it, but I was blown away.  We got a guide and he was wonderful.  He took us in the back way to avoid crowds so at times it felt like we were the only ones there.   I really don't have words for the magnitude of that temple.  It's SOOOO old (11th century) and massive and breath-taking.   It was awe-inspiring!   The pictures don't do it justice.

moat around the temple

rear view

amazing detail every corner you turn

monkeys

After Angkor Wat we went to a delightful lunch with hammocks afterwards and then hit up a few more Angkor Wat temples.    By 3:00 the girls were exhausted.

Our tour guide then took us to the floating village.   It was soooo interesting!  This huge village is all on the water.  The girls really enjoyed the boat ride and I think their little minds were blown by all the folks living like that.    We made it back just in time for a beautiful sunset drive through the rice fields to our hotel.  That night, we ate the best pasta dinner I think I've ever had at an Italian restaurant, Mama Shop.   OMG.  Yum.  

We decided to make the next day more for the kids, so we woke up late and played put-put on someone's lawn in the middle of fields.  It was fun.   We then went into the bouncing, beautiful city of Siem Reap and got hour long foot massages.   Everyone was in heaven!  That night we ate at another child safe restaurant where I got the local dish of amok .  My belly was so happy.  The kids were free-styling raping with Warren and I had just eaten a delicious meal and yummy cocktail and I just felt so happy.  I am so blessed to be able to travel and experience new things with the people I love most.

loved the foot massage

Next we went to the Cambodian Circus!  It's very similar to Cirque de Solei.    Warren got pulled into the show as one of the male performer's love interest.   He didn't literally get pulled in, but the performer came over and sat in his lap and kept winking at him and referring to him for the whole show.  We all loved it!   The circus was really amazing.  I cannot believe all that those athletes can do!    We again got home late and had a nice sleep in the next morning before we left the hotel for the airport for Chaing Mai!