There's Always Room for Mango

Sihanoukville, an accidental stop we made in order to get our Vietnam visa quicker, has turned out to be a quiet and calm beach oasis where we are relaxing and having a great time. It is low season so the hotel that we are staying at, Beach Club, and most of the other hotels, restaurants and attractions are really quiet and uncrowded. The beach is practically deserted when you compare it to the beaches in Thailand.

There is a long stretch of beautiful golden sand for us to wander up and down on, checking out the critters in the sand and lingering in the tide pools waiting for us to discover them. So far we've seen crabs, little jellyfish washed up on the shore, small fish and big bugs, even a dieing cuttlefish that was leaking murky ink into the water. When the tide is out there are many rocks to scramble around and sit on while watching the ocean and feeling the sea air on our faces. One day on our walk a cute puppy with ears that he still needed to grow into followed us around and tried snacking on a dead crab that Ryan found on the rocks.

At night the restaurants that line the beach have barbecues and you can sit in round wicker chairs right on the sand while you eat dinner. Ryan had a mishap with his chair while reaching for the bill after our dinner on the beach and tipped over into an ant hill. Unfortunately he was bitten many times before he regained his composure but has suffered no long term damage.

Our favorite place that we have eaten at so far was last night when we went to the Snake House. There is a long garden path that has lush vegetation on either side as you make your way down to the restaurant. Once inside you notice cages all the way around the outside of the seating area that have snakes, lizards, frogs and birds in them. Our table had a reticulated python underneath the glass table top. The food was excellent, Ryan had borscht and I had beef stroganoff. We finished off the evening with coffees and chocolate mousse. It was an excellent night out and since it was on the 30th of the month (our last fancy dinner out was on April 30th when we went out for our anniversary) we have started a new tradition that we hope to keep up even when we return to Canada of going out on date night every 30th of the month.

The meal at the snake house was far from the only good meal we've had here. It seems like every new place we try has excellent food. Our other favorite is LaPona where the chicken curry and chicken with cauliflower have both been scrumptious. After dinner you get a plate of fresh mango which is like getting free dessert. We have both decided that there is always room for mango, no matter how full you are.

Best Seat on the Bus

Since our last plane ride was a little bumpy and neither of us are huge fans of air travel we have decided that travelling by bus might be more ideal. We booked the bus to Phnom Penh through our hotel in Siem Reap where the receptionist that did the booking was very pleased to be able to get us the best seats on the bus. It turns out that the best seats are right up front on the top of the double decker bus. Not only did we have a view out the side window, we were also able to look at the road out in front of us. It was a very interesting ride and unlike air travel you get to see the landscape change in front of you.

We drove through small towns with lively markets, houses on stilts where small children ran around while their parents napped on hammocks under the house or prepared food with a baby at their hip. There were chickens, roosters, oxen, cows, pigs, ducks and many dogs. Ponds full of blooming lotus, rice fields stretching out from either side of the road, and kids going to and from school on bikes with their blue and white uniforms on.

Our bus driver was confident behind the wheel and had no qualms about using the horn as any good Cambodian bus driver would. His horn would sound to say 'watch out here we come' or 'please move over so we can get by' as he passed large trucks, cars and a plethora of scooters on the undivided highway. The scooters that we went past seem to be able to carry anything imaginable from entire families with televisions to 6 double mattresses (the driver had them strapped his back and the sides of the scooter).

Our next bus ride from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville was on a slightly nicer bus. It was the first bus I've been on that had a stewardess. We got sugar buns for breakfast and were treated to the most mind numbingly horrible pop songs ever conceived. The highlight of the music was the backstreet boys (I'm not even being sarcastic) and also included such gems as Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On'. We only had one set of headphones with us on the bus so we both decided to suffer, it wasn't fair for just one of us to get those songs stuck playing in our heads over and over and over...

We arrived at the bus depot and as we departed our bus the tuk tuk feeding frenzy ensued. They swarm you, trying to be the one to take you to your hotel. Luckily for us we had pick up arranged and broke free from the crowd with our driver. The tuk tuks in Cambodia are a little different from the ones in Thailand. Here you sit in a two wheeled covered cart that is pulled by a scooter. In Thailand the tuk tuks were all one piece units, in Bangkok they had three wheels, in Phuket they had four. They have all been quite comfortable to ride in, even though there is no air conditioning you get naturally cooled from the wind in your hair and the dust in your face (there is more than one reason to wear sunglasses here).

In Cambodia, as in most of Asia, traffic runs on a give way system. That means that every driver worries about the vehicles that are in front of them and if someone needs to get into your lane, or turn left in front of you, you slow down to let them by. The whole system seems to work very effectively considering the amount of vehicles and we have only seen one minor accident since we've been in Asia. There are hardly any traffic lights, only on very major intersections, and even those lights aren't paid attention to like they would be in Canada. Traffic lights have count down clocks to tell you when the light is going to switch so everyone starts going a few seconds before the green light.

Pedestrians do not have the right of way here as they do in Canada. Crossing the road is a little like playing frogger. Sometimes you can get all the way across when there is a break in traffic, but often you have to cross half way and then stand in the middle of the road until the other side is clear. As long as you are deliberate while you are walking you can cut in between the traffic coming along and all the scooters just go around you and compensate for you. The few pedestrian cross walks that there are have the funniest symbols to let you know when it is ok to cross. There is an animated running man on the sign and as it gets closer to a red light, the running man starts moving faster and faster. We got quite a giggle out of it the first time we saw it.

Upside-Down Pigs Make Horrible Noises.

After our trip to Angkor our time in Siem Reap has been spent relaxing, eating and wandering around town enjoying the sites and sounds as well as talking to locals and learning more of the language. Our favorite place to eat so far has been the Le Papier de Tigre which has the best lasagna I have ever tried. Ryan is very partial to their Khmer Cannelloni which has an excellent Cambodian curry twist to it.

Another notable place to drink and dine is the Dead Fish Tower. It is an establishment that would break every building code there is in Edmonton but it is so much fun! It's like swiss family robinson but with a crocodile pit. It would be quite scary to get really drunk because you could easily end up falling off one of the many platforms. There are hammocks to laze around and tires with glass over them for tables! We had drinks there one night after dinner and we were very amused to get to hang out in this adult tree fort.

The free breakfast at our hotel has also been a treat. Every morning we have an option of 5 dishes, we usually go for the scrambled eggs or the omelette, each comes with a lovely selection of local fruit. The mangosteens and the dragonfruit have been our favorite so far but the lychee and pineapple are also really tasty. The best part, especially for Ryan, is that coffee refills are free and plentiful.

We also headed off the the Butterfly Garden for lunch yesterday. Unfortunately a more appropriate name would probably be the Butterfly Graveyard due to the fact that we saw many more dead and injured butterflies than live ones. I do appreciate what they are trying to do as a portion of their sales go toward good causes such as Cambodians living with Aids/HIV, but the garden was not as romantic a spot as I had hoped for. Still we had a good meal, some nice photo ops and their pond had some gigantic and gorgeous koi in it. Also there was lots of other wildlife to see including skinks, agamids and frogs.

Besides the food we have also had some great conversations when we go out to eat. We talked with a young Cambodian traveller for a while at the hotel restaurant about the places he has been around south east Asia. The next night we discussed temple and border disputes between Cambodia and Thailand with one of our waiters. We also received our best language lesson from one of our waitresses who taught us how to say 'no, thank you' (very helpful with the touts), 'excuse me' and 'the bill please'. Whenever we use our new found language skills we are usually met with a surprised laugh and smile from the locals which makes our effort well worth it.

Amazing Angkor!

Our exceptionally hot day at Angkor started with the gates to Angkor Thom. We hopped out of the tuk tuk to walk through the gigantic gates and were met on the other side by our driver who had taken us on the 7 km trip outside of Siem Reap to the Angkor park complex. Our initial impressions of the size and scale of the site were only enhanced when we reached Bayon, the temple of 216 faces. We had been to the museum a couple days before, only there we were not allowed to touch any of the displays. Here we were very excited to be able to climb around the site through the many passageways and steep staircases.

After Bayon we headed north towards the entrance of Baphoun and then down the long elevated walkway. On the opposite site of the entrance way is a very large wall fashioned into the image of a reclining Buddha statue. From there we headed through an overgrown gate to the royal enclosure area and Phimeanakas. We stopped at some stalls over to the side to grab a cold drink and recharge in the shade. A couple of friendly fellow travellers from New York stopped with us and we chatted for a while while being accosted by a plethora of child touts. I shared some crackers that we had brought to snack on with the kids which seemed to appease them for a while.

Next stop was the terrace of the elephants which had immense carved elephants along a 350m wall. We then crossed the road to North Kleang to sit in the shade by what remained of the large pool where we watched the fish, dragonflies and butterflies. Back across the road we checked out the Terrace of the Leper King and met our driver who was concerned that we had gotten lost. Time for lunch!

We stopped at the strip of small restaurants and cafes close to Angkor Wat and had a bite to eat while we watched a monkey napping and being groomed by his human friend in the courtyard. The lunch recharged our energy and we headed across the road to Angkor Wat which we had both been looking forward to all day. The view as we headed down the bridge over the large moat towards Angkor Wat was spectacular and we snapped quite a few pictures. At one point a local motioned to Ryan that he wanted his picture taken too and I figured that I would go stand with him in the shot. This caused quite a commotion among his family who were all giggling and laughing as we got our picture taken together.

Angkor Wat is too much for words and I would do it a great injustice if I tried. We wandered around the outside of the site looking at the bas reliefs for hours slowly taking it all in. We stopped at one point at a stall just outside of Angkor Wat to relax in the shade and restock our water supply. Ryan spotted a shirt that he wanted, and also a purse for me, so Ryan went off to haggle. He decided to buy the shirt and change into it right there as we were both really sweaty at this point. When Ryan took his shirt off to change he got alot of attention and was told that "he must come from tiger" before one of the stall owners discreetly touched Ryan's butt.

Now that we were hydrated we went back into Angkor Wat and headed in to the middle of the complex. I will let the pictures (click here for more) we took of this majestic and awe inspiring place speak for me as it was too much to describe. We will never forget our trip to Angkor, the largest religious monument on Earth, as it has left such an impact on us and we are blessed for having the chance to come here and experience it for ourselves.

A Bumpy Start

We were both sad to leave what had become a home away from at Hillside in Patong but we were also excited to head off to Siem Reap, Cambodia to see what was in store for us. The flights went smooth except for the bounce on the landing at the Siem Reap airport. It was quickly forgotten however as the reception that we received on the tarmac was beautiful traditional dancing and music. Unfortunately, what awaited us at our next hotel was less than ideal conditions and a bit of a shock to the system after what we were used to. We were picked up from the airport in a scooter driven tuk tuk, a common site on the road here to take Barang (foreigners) around to their next destination. At the hotel we checked in and were led up to our room where a Tokay gecko greeted us at the door. It all seemed very promising till we opened the door and discovered a bathroom that looked like a workbench, wires hanging from the ceiling and an overpowering, throat burning stench of detergent and air fresheners. Also, there was a monastery next to us that played mantras and music which at first seemed exotic and pleasant but after waking up to it blaring from a loud speaker at 5am and going all day long it quickly lost it's appeal.

We were not to be deterred by our unforeseen living conditions and headed out for the next few days to wander and see what Siem Reap had to offer. We found the supermarket to get cheap snacks and drinks, pub street for a great place to eat and have a beer after a long day (or at the start of one) and meandered up the river which was a nice quiet place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. We decided to head to the Angkor National Museum to get some background on Angkor before going out to the site. The museum is new, high tech and very well done with info listed in both Khmer and English. The gallery of 1,000 Buddhas was definitely our highlight of the visit.

We slept in and then went out for a late breakfast on Pub street. When sitting having a bite to eat during the day you invariably get harassed by the street kids. This meal was no different. They are far more persistent than the adult touts that we encountered in Thailand and really lay on the guilt trip heavy about paying for school or not having enough to eat. We always try to refuse them politely but that never has much of an effect. This meal however, Ryan offered one boy half of his loaf of bread which resulted in the little guy leaving us alone for an entire five minutes before starting up again.

Cambodia has really started to grow on us as we've found our footing and gotten into the groove a little. We've switched hotels and we are much happier with our room, we also now have a gorgeous pool to take a refreshing dip in! The people here are warm and friendly and really appreciate it when we use the small amount of the Khmer language that we've picked up so far. Until next post, lee hi (goodbye)!

Bamboo for Two

It never ceases to amaze me that when you start looking for something you need, it always seems more difficult to find than the day before, when it was everywhere. This is exactly what happened to us when we tried to find a tattoo tout that we had met on the beach when we first arrived. Every other day that we went to the beach we stumbled upon him again (or rather he wandered up to us on our beach chairs). Since we couldn't find "James Bond" (the tattoo tout) we decided to try to find Patong tattoo, which according to the reviews on the internet was the most reputable place for bamboo tattoos in the area. Again, we were out of luck as the streets and addresses here are remarkably confusing. We found the sign for it once, but it was no where near the actual tattoo parlor.

We ended up asking another tattoo tout that was working the beach if she knew who James was and where we could find him. It turns out that he was sick, but she and her partner would be able to take us to the same tattoo parlor that James worked for. We figured that we had tried looking around enough, lets go for it. The tout and his partner went to go get their scooters so that they could take us to the parlor which was on the other end of the beach. It was our first scooter ride in Thailand and although we were a little nervous about hoping on the back, our fears turned out to be unfounded and it was an awesome ride.

As we zoomed down the road, passing parlor after parlor (getting a tattoo seems to be a very popular thing to do while on vacation here) we pulled up to none other than Patong tattoo, the place that we had been hunting for! We met Mit and Wat, the owners and tattooists and Ryan took a look at some of their work and designs. They had the exact tattoo that Ryan had been looking for, khmer script that is used for protection. Since they had the time and Ryan had the nerve, he decided to get it done right away. Ryan was definitely nervous, it had been more than 10 years since his last tattoo and that was done with a gun. He had no idea what this experience had in store for him. The spot that he picked for his new work was the inside of his bicep which is a very tender area. Prior to getting the tattoo, Ryan watched them prepare the brand new needle and the bamboo method was a more elaborate set up than he anticipated. The tattoo turned out very well and unlike gun tattoos there was no bleeding and he would be able to go into the water after only a few hours.

After a couple days, Ryan decided that one of the other tattoo designs that he looked at while deciding on the first one caught his attention heavily because it was a design that he had seem previously to coming to Thailand but never thought he would be able to get. We decided to go back to Patong tattoo to see what we could work out with Mit and Wat. The deal was pass up and they even offered a trip to a temple to get both new tattoos blessed by a monk to receive the protection that the tattoos truly stand for. The second tattoo went as well as the first although it took about twice as long to do. This one was also in a rather awkward and ticklish spot, on the side of his torso. Once it was complete, Ryan made arrangements to come back in a couple hours to travel to the temple.

The monk that he encountered once he arrived greeted him happily and Ryan was prompted to remove his shirt to show him the tattoos that he had received. The monk, who was himself covered in similar tattoos all over his body including the ones Ryan had, invited Ryan into the temple which was covered in amazing statues and imagery. Ryan was instructed to sit, legs crossed, looking out of the temple. The monk then started lighting candles and incense and gathering items he would need. He then smothered the tattoo in rosewater, started patting the tattoo, chanting and blowing against the it after he finished different sections of the chant. Once this was done, he read through the tattoos all the while holding a lit candle. After reading through it he put out the candle by flicking the candle towards the tattoo, dowsing the flame and sending the wax towards the tattoo. This was repeated for both tattoos. It was an intense moment and the hair on the back of Ryan's neck was standing up at the end of the blessing.