Melting

I didn’t know too much about Cambodia before I went, and I’m actually really glad that I didn’t do too much reading or preparing for my traveling there, as I was pleasantly surprised by many things there, especially the main tourist sights such as Angkor Wat, Tuol Sleng Museum and the Kratie Irrawaddy dolphins, along with the delicious food and the warm and friendly people. Learning about what a horrible history the country has had, makes travel there even more interesting, especially when you realize their civil war only really ended about 9 years ago. The infrastructure is appalling however, and getting to and from certain places definitely needs patience, and sometimes, buns of steel. First impressions the day or two at the border crossing aside, I found my travels through the country my most rewarding so far. Sometimes, the worst day or event turned into my favorite memory or adventure, which is something that no guidebook can arrange for you. [read on]

Feeling refreshed on my last morning in Siem Reap, I decided to do a last minute,very touristy activity, and take a ride in the hot air balloon over Angkor Wat. Since my 3 day pass had expired the day before, I was concerned that I would need to buy another one day pass, but my moto driver Red assured me that he knew a way around the checkpoint, and after calling the place to make sure they were flying, off we went. Red took me the long way around, towards the airport and onto a backroad, where the checkpoint to enter Angkor Wat was only two blocks further up from the the hot air balloon place. Relieved, I was greeted quickly by an attendant, and told it would be only about 30 minutes, since they were in the middle of a large tour group. I was the only person there on my own, the entire waiting area was full of Japanese tourists. Since I had never been in a hot air balloon before, I was a little nervous, but quickly assured after realizing it was attached to a large wire. After paying my exhorbant $15 fee, I waited my turn and finally boarded the huge platform area with about 15 other people. The balloon quickly took off, and lucky for us, it was a nice clear day, or else we wouldn’t have been able to see diddly squat. Angkor Wat was miles away, and without a decent telephoto lens, the pictures I took are laughable.  The breezey 20 minute ride was soon over, and with that so was my visit to Siem Reap and the Angkor Wat temples. [read on]

The Temples of Angkor Wat is a huge and vast complex of temples, varying in degree of age, architectural style, and cultural and religious significance. Slightly misleading is the name, as Angkor Wat is actually just one particular temple, but ... [Continue reading this entry]

The town of Battambang is actually Cambodia's second largest city, situated on the banks of the Stung Sangker river. Paul and I didn't know much about Battambang, only that the boat trip to Siem Reap was the main reason people stop ... [Continue reading this entry]

The sun was shining brightly as I woke up in our luxurious guesthouse in Pnomh Penh. I checked my watch, and it was only about 8:30am, which was clearly not a long enough sleep after the previous days' travel, but ... [Continue reading this entry]

(Congratulations to my sister and her husband on the birth of their son, born July 7th. I love you guys!) The small town of Trat in southern Thailand is the last stopover before crossing over the border into Cambodia, about an ... [Continue reading this entry]