So Wat?

Hello Family and Friends,

I hope this finds you and yours doing well.  Things here are hopping, so I haven't had much time to catch you up about Cambodia!  Here goes:

On the way to Cambodia, I stayed for 3 nights at the Bangkok home of my friend, Angela, and her sister, Veronica.  Thanks Angela and Veronica for taking such good care of me!

Whilst in Bangkok, I met up with some former colleagues (Mike and Jim), and got my very first set of braids.  This is how it happened:
After meeting up with Mike (we worked together in London), I went to H&M where I saw a black woman with braids.  I asked her where she'd had them done, and she gave me the phone number of the stylist.  I called the stylist while I was still in the store, and got an appointment for the next day, which happened to be my last day in Bangkok before going to Siem Reap.  Patricia is Senegalese and lives in a high-rise near Lumpini Park.  My braiding session took 9 hours!  I honestly don't know how she was able to do it, but she says she does it all the time.  Amazing!  Here's a picture:

Braid-a-thon

Still not sure getting braids was a wise decision on my part.  I'll keep you posted!

Siem Reap was AMAZING!  My hotel (The Golden Banana - http://www.golden-banana.info/) was wonderful, and I fell in love with the Khmer people and their history.  We saw a lot of Wats:-)  'We' included me and my guide, Sopheara (photo below).  Before arriving, I had visions of being bored out of my gourd with so many wats, but to my surprise, it was all very interesting.  So glad I went.  Following is a photo gallery with captions.  Enjoy!

Sopheara - Best Guide Ever!  We laughed a lot:-)

Angkor Wat at sunrise

Me and my braids at Angkor Wat

Apsaras on the columns at Angkor Wat

Angkor Wat

For more information about this amazing place, go to this link:
http://www.tourismcambodia.com/attractions/angkor/angkor-wat.htm

Angkor Thom was by far my favorite.  Link here: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/cambodia/angkor-thom

The faces at Bayon Temple had me mesmerized.  I really did not want to leave!

Entrance to Angkor Thom

While it was nice to have Sopheara take pictures - I did manage a few selfies.

Nothing but smiling faces!

A kiss is but a kiss~

My 2nd day in Siem Reap was spent bouncing around in the tuk-tuk on very bumpy roads as we drove to Tonle Sap Lake to see the floating village.  I was told that during the rainy season, the road can be impassable.  More information at this link: http://www.roughguides.com/destinations/asia/cambodia/siem-reap-temples-angkor/tonle-sap-lake/

Ox cart filled with hay on the bumpy road to Tonle Sap

Floating house

Floating store

Floating school (sign says "This school is sponsored by One Child Matter & Assemblies of God")

The sign on this school building says "Tourists please do not disturb the children..."

The boat driver - he looked like he was about 15 years old

A boat similar to ours

The third day was the last day with my guide.  We saw 4 wats...each had its own special charm.  Here's a link to the first temple, Banteay Srei: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/cambodia/angkor-banteay-srei

At the entrance to Banteay Srei

Link for YouTube video Preah Khan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oKXr_ENUoQ

Here's a wikipedia link for Preah Rup: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pre_Rup

Last but not least, we went to Ta Phrom (this is the temple that was highly publicized in the Tomb Raider & Indiana Jones movies.  Here's a link to information about this wonderful place:
http://www.sacred-destinations.com/cambodia/angkor-ta-prohm
A YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkZ09aN-wbQ

Me at Ta Phrom

In Siem Reap, I also went to:

•  Chanrey Tree restaurant.  It was delicious!  http://chanreytree.com/
•  The Cambodian Landmine Museum Relief Fund - http://www.cambodialandminemuseum.org/ 
•  Sala Bai Hotel School (Sopheara, our tuk-tuk driver and I had a delicious lunch here) http://www.salabai.com/html/
• Angkor National Museum (surprisingly well-done) - http://www.angkornationalmuseum.com/
• Phare Cambodian Circus - http://pharecircus.org/

Phare Circus - I laughed throughout the entire show!

• A dinner show at the Kulen II Restaurant that featured Cambodian Musicians and Dancers.  The food was buffet-style and just so-so.  Here are 2 YouTube video samples of the performance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_hv7Hyn0BY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uCSMnLgd54

The tuk-tuk that ferried me around Siem Reap - what a delightful experience!

So long until next week!

Bike Sunday

Greetings!  I hope you and yours are well!

Sunday I went on this bike tour:

http://huahinbiketours.com/tours/day-tours/burma-to-the-beach-3-bays-tour/

It was wonderful!  Views were fantastic:-)  But...it took us a lot longer to complete because we had terrible headwinds.  I was good and tired when I finally got home.

Here are some photos:

Burmese border - Daan Sing Korn

At this border crossing, they only allow Thais and Burmese to cross.  So, in lieu of getting arrested attempting to cross into Burma/Myanmar, our guide, Gaye, took us through the market area while the driver/bike mechanic set up our bikes.  In the market, we saw:

Beautiful orchids - 3 for 100 baht (under $3)

Well-crafted very heavy outdoor furniture

On the bike we rode by:

Ao Minoaw (Lemon Cove)

Road between Ao Minaw & Ao Prachuap

Dusky Langur Monkeys near Ao Prachuap

Our guide, Gaye, in front of Wat Ao Noi, where we finished our ride

Ao Noi (Little Bay)

Comments:

• The Hua Hin Aquarium was our first stop but not as photo-worthy as the Georgia Aquarium.
• We passed TONS of fruit farms (mainly pineapple and coconut) and saw loads of sweet potato farms.  We also whizzed by many jackfruit and mango trees.
• This ride was made even sweeter by the 20% discount I received for just knowing David Puckett.  Thanks David!

I'm off to Bangkok and Cambodia for a week.  Blog posts will resume after I return.

Have the best week ever!

Adventure Week

Hi - I hope you're doing well.  It has been an adventurous week.  My new friend, Janet (from Chiang Mai), came to visit me for a few days.  We decided to have lots of adventures by exploring some of the wonderful things about Hua Hin.  What fun!

Janet - at the wonderfully adventurous Jungle Cafe near the Hua Hin Pier

We were both afraid we might fall into the gulf through the covered up holes in the floor!  Still...Jungle Cafe had lots of character, good food and reasonable prices.

View from Jungle Cafe

Beach day!  Wait...every day is beach day here:-)  One day we went to Suan Son Pradipat Beach (http://www.thaiso.com/hua-hin-beaches/suan-son-pradipat-beach.htm) and spent the whole day sitting in comfortable beach chairs, swimming and eating.  The shade trees near the entrance were an extra bonus!

Being silly at Suan Son Pradipat Beach

Another day we hung out at Hua Hin Beach:

Posing at Hua Hin Beach

When we heard there was a vineyard nearby, we booked a reservation.  A 45 minute van ride took us to Hua Hin Hills Vineyard, where we found out that they only export their wine to Japan.  After drinking some of the wine...we now know why they only import to Japan.

After lunch & wine at Hua Hin Hills Vineyard

Hua Hin Hills Vineyard

After much waffling, we finally decided to go to Khao Takiab (http://www.tourismhuahin.com/khao-takiab-huahin.php), where we had heard that monkeys eat out of your hand.  This place is really beautiful, so we were glad we went.  But...we did see a monkey climb up an unsuspecting lady's back and snatch her potato chips right out of her bag.  It was a bit traumatic!  Lesson=don't go to Khao Takiab carrying food of any kind!  We cautiously had a coffee, whilst keeping an eye on those monkeys and the beautiful views!

Monkey waiting on steps leading to Wat Khao Takiab - ready to pounce on anyone with food

View of Khao Takieb Beach from Khao Takieb Temple

Buddha image at the temple

There has been some controversy surrounding Ratchapakdi/Rajabhakti Park.  Janet and I just had to go and see what all the fuss was about.  The statues are massive (http://www.bangkokpost.com/learning/learning-from-news/649564/giant-king-statues-in-hua-hin-complete-with-photos)!

Me & 6 of the 7 Kings on a very hot day at Ratchapakdi Park

For more about the controversy, go here: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35069188

A huge thanks to Janet for taking pictures of me, so I didn't have to attempt to take any selfies.

 Wishing you Love, Peace and Adventure~