Captivating Cambodia

Spring break trip - off to amazing Cambodia where I kept us so busy the first 5 days that we needed a vacation from our vacation so good thing we had a few days at the beach to recover.

We spent several days in Siem Reap and the Angkor Wat region. The ruins there are amazing - 900/1000 year old and we're able to climb all over them.  So many ruins, we couldn't possibly see them all.  Very little commentary in this post - too many details and history to catalogue here so I'll mainly leave it at photos.  But overall one of our favorite vacations and definitely a destination worth checking out.

Our first stroll after arriving a day late (thanks to a big thunderstorm in Abu Dhabi, our flight was delayed and we missed our connecting flight so we spent our first night in Bangkok instead (Jake couldn't stop singing "One Night in Bangkok" after that little adventure.

Some kind of 'gate of death' where they would expel people

It's hard to tell but we're actually walking along the top of a 20M wall (drop off to the right) that surrounded a 3 square mile area that was walled off and filled with temples, houses, etc.

Cool tree - we saw mahogany, teak and what they all "spongie trees" (among others)

Super, super steep stairs to the top of one of the temples.  Anna was too young to climb this one.  Up go Regan and Meredith.

Rewarded with a great view from the top

Regan was a wee bit nervous 

Hello to Jane, Anna and me waiting at the bottom

A framed Anna - pretty enough to hang on the wall.

Brave Jake, Regan and Meredith made it to the top and the nice view

Watching the monkeys

Let's rub noses, like the Eskimoses.  Err... Ancient Khmers...

Our boat

Getting ready for a relaxing sunset boat trip

Boat cocktails

Our boat driver and propeller in the back (it was like Venice - he just used a long pole to get us around the moat)

Drinks and snacks by Kim our guide - loved the picnic basket he brought for us

Lily pads, flowers and peaceful views

Cheers!  Jake had a gin & tonic - the original tonic had quinine in it which is why it became such a popular drink (kept the malaria mosquitos away)

Super, super rushed dinner - we had like 20 minutes to scarf some food down before the circus!  The food was fabulous and the outdoor garden setting was gorgeous - too bad it was so rushed.

A real treat was going to Phare - a Cambodian circus where graduates from a K-12 performing arts school perform.  It's an amazing organization that gives education with a strong arts program to very poor village kids.  The performers were fabulous.  The girls got with one of the stars after the show.  Such a highlight - I think they have three different shows and I wish we could have gone to them all!  http://edition.cnn.com/2013/09/10/travel/cnngo-cambodia-phare-circus/index.html

Early morning bike ride through Angkor Wat.  Anna saw her little bike attached to Jake's and her first reaction was "OH, NO, I'M NOT!!"  But with a bit of coaxing, she gave it a whirl and decided it was okay.  I was worried because after their first foray around a dirt, bumpy parking lot, she clearly felt wobbly and unsafe.  Kudos for her for giving it another try (smoother roads were better for her), but she still didn't like when Jake went fast.

First stop - this temple (hmm, forgotten the name...)

Off on our next cycling route

Another temple we can climb!

It doesn't look look like it from the bottom but these starts were st-st-steep

Regan is hugging the steps - hanging on for dear life

Made it safely to the top

Ok - this looks like a nice quiet path but after getting left behind on my bike once already, reaching a fork in the forest and not being sure which way to go, I didn't want to stop again.  So this is me, on my bike, on a sandy path.  I managed to use one hand to get my camera out, wobbled in a deep sand patch and finally get a few shots of this great path we cycled down

Another action shot while I am on my bike - I did catch up with them.  Wildly old wall to our right, peaceful forest to our left.  Only saw one other person on this whole, long path.

And then we pop out at a spice farm where they've set up this delightful 'tea break' for us

Such a great tea break!

More great temples - famous for all the spongie trees growing all over it

Off we go again!

Ta Prohm - another amazing temple ruin

Cooling off with wet towels after the end of our great bike trip.  We loved the bike ride part of our trip - great combination of avoiding the crowds, seeing the forest and additional quiet ruins and staying active.  Seeing Anna get over her fear of her towed bike was a proud moment, too.

HOT!

Good day to jump into the hotel pool

Lobby of the Nuvutu Dreams Resort where we stayed in Siem Reap.  Large rooms, 3 pools, good and friendly service.  Loved our stay there.

Next stop - pottery making school.  It's a social business that trains deaf people how to make pottery and they were our instructors. So lots of modified sign language to communicate with each other.  They also had a clear 8-step process with words and pictures so they could point to tell us what to do next.

Off we all go with our foot-powered pottery wheels

Jake was very good at this!

I'm not being modest at all - but truly I was terrible at this.  Even my instructor was trying not to laugh (until he saw that I wasn't going to get my feelings hurt!)

Voila! 

One of Jane's masterpieces.  We were able to make five pieces and keep our favorite to keep.  They fired it for us and sent it to our hotel the next day.

Note: a few out of order photos when Jake and I merged pictures:

We are carefully, carefully climbing back down

Next stop: Sihoukville for a few days at the beach.  Night time tuk tuk ride - we could barely fit into one 

Hired a ricketdy boat to take us snorkeling and to see some islands (out of order!)

Next adventure:  Cooking school!  First stop was one of the local family farms where they grow some of the ingredients and where we can see how locals live.  This is there very simple outdoor kitchen. 

One of the three houses on the compound where part of the extended family lives

Cooking school!  Outdoor in gorgeous garden setting.  There was a (loud) house blessing ceremony (party) going on behind the garden so we could also hear a local celebration.

We used a mortar and pestle to smash lots of spices and then made "Fish Amok" which is like a fish curry

Now making a rice ball dessert

Mango chicken salad with a yummy, yummy spicy and sweet dressing

Time to eat what we made

Regan and her fish amok and rice

Jane excited to eat her dessert!

Ooops - she didn't really like it!!

Yes, Jane, your mother is laughing at you *and* taking a picture of your "I want to throw up" expression!

Buddhist temple

Getting a nice interfaith blessing where he hoped for a peaceful life for us and a strong faith journey regardless of our religious beliefs

He's tying a string around my wrist wishing me a strong connection with Jake (he got one, too)

Now we're in a country village visiting a farm that makes a very special sticky rice.  Jane made a new doggie friend

It's cooked over coals inside a bamboo stalk.  The sticky rice had black beans in it and was cooked in coconut cream so a bit sweet and savory.  They carved down the bamboo and then we could peel it back like this to eat it.  Before it is peeled back,  it's a good travel food

A nice walk down a rural area

Coconut water break

Anna's not so sure about the taste

Back to cooking school (photo out of order)

Fun way to get to our next destination!

It's a 'planes trains and automobiles' kind of day.  The car dropped us at a farm, we hiked through a village and then the ox cart took us to a lake side where a boat took us to the other side.  And our van finally picked us up way over there after dinner.

Big (but relatively shallow) lake

Champagne toast welcome on the other side of the lake

It's dusk - bug spray time!

Regan making some kind of rice cream by grinding wet rice.  It was then cooked into little patties that was like sweet cornbread with herbs.  Yummy!

Our tour company owns a fabulous villa out in the countryside and they grow a lot of herbs and vegetables there

Note this bridge over the water.  Meredith was helping to light candles before our dinner (when it was dark) and she tumbled into the water.  It was much deeper than it looks  - she was in up to her waist!  Brave girl handled it very well.  The staff got her a towel but she was pretty wet through dinner.

Mr. Brown - the puppy.  He got a lot of great attention during our visit

A swing at the country villa

Live mustic

Mr. Brown has a sister - Poppy!

Nice place to view the sunset

Gorgeous dinner spot

There were two groups at the villa for dinner - turns out the other one was a group of two families from Columbus, Georgia - small world!

Sunrise over the famous Angkor Wat temple - we tend to call the whole area Angkor Wat but it's really just this temple.  Although beautiful, this was the only low point of our vacation - we got up at 4:30 our first day, 6:00 the 2nd day and then 5:30 on this day - kids were just too exhausted to enjoy.  Took good naps back at the hotel after this excursion

Peek-a-boo

We look like a ridiculous version of the Von Trapp family (without the voices!)

So, okay - getting ready for our next big adventure - a 3 hour obstacle/ zip lining course above the Cambodian forest.  I signed us up on a whim (thinking it was just 1 or 2 zip lines that one of us could sit out if we felt it was too scary) so I was a bit nervous.  Even more so when I found out it was 3 hours long and really no way to back out once you start.  Oh, and Anna was saying this whole time that she rally didn't want to do this...

All harnessed up.  Let's see how this goes!

And we're off!  Here goes Jane

Anna did it!  With a smile on her face!!  She even did her arms and legs spread-eagle and looked like a little flying starfish.  Super, super, super proud of that kid (and me!) - we were the original nervous ones and we rallied and ended up having a great time (although Jake says the only fun part was the middle of the zip line - getting ready to go was nerve-wracking, launching was nerve-wracking and getting ready to land on the platform was nerve-wracking).

Mere

The zip lines didn't scare Regan but the wobbly bridges between platforms and the high platforms did a bit.  Brave girl!

Side-by-side

1/2 way done - water break

40 M high up above the forest

Our longest one

One of the scariest part was the end - I thought we would gradually zipline lower and end up on teh ground.  Nope - had to get lower down from very high.  

Getting lowered down selfie

Still smiling

Our helpers on the course were pretty small - was glad Jake didn't pull them off when he was lowered down!

Shed Cicada skin.  We heard them a LOT in Cambodia.  They had never heard of our 17 year life cycle cicadas in the US and say that they have them every year.

After zipline ice cream reward at Blue Pumpkin

Two tuk tuks this time.  Jake and two girls take off ahead of us.  Fun way to get around.

My tuk tuck buddies

Pool time

Trying to get the perfect jump in the pool shot.  Anna hasn't left the ledge yet I don't think.

Almost!!  Anna a little ahead of the rest

I think this one finally ended up pretty good!

After 5 days in Siem Reap, we flew down to Sihoukville for a couple of days on the beach.  I kept the family super busy in Siem Reap so a bit of down time was much needed and appreciated

One day we hired a pretty rickety looking boat to take us out and we got to go to two good snorkeling spot and a small island with a good beach and very clear water.  Here is Anna jumping off the boat

Off goes Mere

And Jane

Worn out, Anna

Look at the motor up near Meredith's head.  It was like a giant trawling motor with no cover.  It got us around okay!

Regan had devil's horn hair from the way the wind was blowing on our tuk tuk.  But also look at that scary pig...

Snorkel time

Beach time

Fun buggy at our hotel.  Beach was pretty good at our hotel but otherwise, not our favorite spot.

This time was got what they call a "Super Tuk Tuk" - more fun transportation options!

Dinner at a great non-profit place that trains underprivileged Cambodians in the hospitality industry.  Our server who was under training did a great job. 

One picture we don't have is when Jake and I went out to dinner on our own one night.  We were eating in a lovely spot in the garden and my hair was up in a bun.  I felt something large and slimy land on my neck!!!  I was about to hyperventilate and was shaking my neck/ shoulder.  I'm sure I looked insane if anyone else happened to look at me.  A FROG - a decent sized one at that managed to land on my NECK in the middle of our dinner.  He calmly leaped from my neck to the table and happily went on his merry way.  I look my hair down after that to hopefully discourage his friends from doing that again.

All in all, a truly wonderful vacation destination.  I don't usually use tour companies but have done so a couple of times in the past two years with me back at work.  I can't brag about this company enough - I described my interest in being active and doing interesting things and not just look at temples and they helped put together and execute a fabulous itinerary.  I recommend going to Cambodia and I recommend using the company we used (About Asia).