Sounds of Ubud June 2017

There is something incredible about the sounds of Ubud I have yet to encounter anywhere else in the world.  The streets are loud, motorbikes revving up their engines, tour buses full of tourists making their way on narrow streets, fumes of exhaust and cigarette smoke filling the air. And then you make a turn.

As much as I didn't enjoy the throngs of people, The Sacred Monkey Forest was a quiet place in a middle of city chaos. Vines and banyon trees dripping from top to roots created a green oasis even as girls squirmed and delivered unreasonably high pitched squeals. 

Walking into a local Balinese neighborhood instantly deafens the noise. One turn, one meter, one corner, it doesn't need much and just like a snap of fingers, there is a change in atmosphere. It's immediate and surreal.

My neighborhood in central Ubud 

 After Heather left this afternoon, I made my way to Agung Rai Museum of Art. It's indescribable how I had to dodge traffic to cross streets and breathe in nasty exhaust to get there.  And then in an instant I turned left to the entrance. Calming sounds of water flowing through the fountains, gentle music playing in the background, quiet square with a bench and a local greeting me with a smile.

      View from the aforementioned bench

I find that the noise and quiet change me. I generally have a very fast walking pace. As a rule, most students who have traveled abroad with me absolutely hate it. Few can keep up and I can take over slow walkers like nobody's business. I will walk as fast as possible to avoid the next person who offers me a taxi, bracelet, a dress or 5 more taxis. I always look like I know where I am going (Maury says "THAT was a lie!") I enjoy walking briskly but it is certainly a solo traveler safety tactic. No one messes with a girl on a mission. However, I noticed, when 

I enter these oasis of calm my walk completely changes. Subconsciously, I come to an almost stand still soaking up the energy and sounds of these unique places. Body knows before the mind, I suppose. 

Ubud is special and it transcends calmness into something I have never experienced. You just need to know where to make that turn.

Ubud Adventures Continue June 2017

Staying in the village outside the hustle and bustle of Ubud was an awesome idea. "Idea" sounds like we did it on purpose, but no, we just happened to be 5.5 km out of town. The walk into Ubud and the locals in the villages as we headed down the hill created some of the most wonderful interactions.  Locals smiled at us, started up conversations in English and we found a coffee shop overlooking rice paddies.  All this makes you soak up the surroundings and slow down. Even though we thought we'd be in town at a certain point in time we arrived there about 3 hours later. A few stops and many pictures along the way made the 5 km walk a wonderful part of experience. 

Speaking of locals and their hospitality... due to terrible traffic from the airport, the first night we got to the restaurant late in the eve. We enjoyed a delicious meal until we walked out and realized our driver left us there. This seems to be a pattern in Indonesia... It was 11:15 pm and raining. We messaged him and he said "just walk, it's close" Fair enough, 1.5 km is not a lot but it's eve and raining. WTH? We stood outside for a minute, trying to figure out how to walk and if there was uber in Ubud  (the answer is no). By the time we were getting ready to brave the rain, the owner walked out and without a second of hesitation told us she'd give us a ride. "You ride with me and you ride with my staff." And just like that, we got on the back of two scooters and were whisked back home. That is the second time in less than a week that a local gives us a ride without us asking and wanting nothing in return. Amazing.

Today we did doing the touristy thing. We got picked up in a shiny van and were taken to various locations around Eastern Bali.  First stop was the Elephant Cave Temple though we are not quite sure we found the elephant. The tour driver is a just that: a driver so information was limited but Google post fact is not. 

Elephant Cave Temple 

Next stop was Holy Spring Temple where oodles of locals and tourists alike bathed themselves in water. The grounds were beautifully manicured and we wondered where Obama bathed when he visited here 3 days ago. This is also the place where the best bargain award goes to Heather. From 80,000 rupiah she got the shirt down to 20,000 rupiah. Bargaining and haggling is a sport here and you don't do it because you want to bring down the price, you do it because it's a game you are expected to play. So with that, the $6 shirt got to be $1.50 and everyone was happy. 

                       Holy Spring Temple 

Speaking of shopping, I need shoes. Every since I left behind my slip on flip flops/whatever they were, it's been a pain to walk into places. I know, I know first world problems BUT... you take your shoes off any time you walk into a cafe or a nice shop even some hotel entrances. Floors are squeaky clean tiles and you wouldn't dare step in with a shoe. No one here wears anything but flip flops. We spotted a few tennis shoes and those were the "well" prepared foreigners seizing the day at the temple. We have hiked the rainforest, visited waterfalls in a torrential downpour, gone to nice restaurants all in the name of a flip flop. Love it all. Need to invest in a pair.

Back to visiting Eastern Bali on the tour. One grand stop was Sant Coffee Plantation.  I have seen several coffee plantations in Costa Rica and Puerto Rico so I wasn't expecting anything special. False. This was cool! We met Luwak, the jungle cat from yesterday's blog and tasted a long list of Balinese coffees, teas and chocolates.  It was neat to have a side by side tasting and see how others tasted as well. While Heather and I went to town on everything but the Ginger tea our European friends from the van didn't indulge in more than a sip. Our personal favorite was Bali coconut coffee with the delicious local coconut sugar. Goodness galore. 

                             Sant Tasting 

Listening to a few Europeans discuss geography makes me feel just a teeny bit better about (lack of) American map education. Firstly, an Italian, Swiss and a Dutchman took turns making fun of how German is spoken in various countries. From yelling out random words to just mimicking accents they went to town. But then the highlight happened. The Dutch to the Swiss:

--Where in Vienna are you from?

-I'm from Switzerland.

--So where in Vienna are you from?

-Vienna is in Austria. 

--Oh that's right, Zurich is the capital.

-No, that's Bern. 

And just like that, we the Americans feel good about ourselves.  

Our next visit was Besakih, the biggest temple compound consisting of 80 separate temples. Earliest was built in 8th century, biggest in 11th and another in 1965. This is the place of pilgrimage for Balinese Hindu and there is something disturbing about taking pictures of those praying. So you sneak in a shot of the architecture and keep going. I'll be posting many pics in the next few days, words won't do this justice.

We spent Heather's last eve eating  delicious Mexican food  (we have gone totally global on this trip: burgers, Italian, Spanish, Balinese, Sushi, Indonesian, Thai and Indian, phew!) and listened to live music on Jalan Suweta, Ubud's main artery of activity.

As Heather heads home tomorrow, I'll be staying here for three more nights before I bid farewell to Indonesia. I'm getting sad already but I still have stuff to do and things to see. And if I haven't convinced you to plan a trip here then I'm doing this all wrong, this place is amazing.

Ubud June 2017

What did you start your day with? Coffee? Me too!

Luwak coffee, one that has gone through the fermentation process in the intestines of a jungle cat.  The result is that I can't tell the difference, it's a delicious coffee regardless but Heather remarked on its lovely flavor.  I had the pleasure of meeting Luwak, the appropriately named 5 month old jungle cat whose poop treated my morning's coffee.

Luwak

Ubud's architecture and vibe is exactly what I had pictured in my mind (not Google Images for once). Ornate sculptures, colorful tapestries, the smell of incense permeating the air. This place is magical. The tourists are overrunning the place and in my head I have to dream of empty streets and quiet roads to fully enjoy this. But even with the chaos of high season, this place is something else. 

I've gone 15 days without hearing Russian but I knew I was running out of time. Russians are everywhere and they are here in Ubud too. Probably because Obama is as well. 

There is a first for everything and today I got side swiped by a car. Light enough that I didn't fall, hard enough to make their side mirror collapse. A bit of pretty red on the right side of my face for a souvenir. Explanation: 2 way streets here are really one lane for driving in both directions *and* walking. Other lane is for 4 scooter deep parking. 

Any Ubud Top Ten List suggests a visit to the Sacred Monkey Forest. The nature is beautiful but the monkeys are fierce.  Tourists are encouraged to buy bundles of bananas and most oblige.  Then they proceed to scream when a monkey attacks them. Shocker that happens, huh? It felt a mix of a zoo and a tourist trap and I will most definitely think back on my Wildlife Alliance experience outside of Phnom Penh as a proper monkey adventure. 

As in all things stereotypes, Bali and yoga go hand in hand. There are many studios throughout town, holding drop in classes, weekly seminars and workshops on a variety of topics. Heather and I bought a pass to the biggest of them all, Yoga Barn.  With over 15 classes to choose from per day, we were able to find something for our schedule and the views of the lush gardens were a lovely bonus. A Canadian from Ottawa taught the class and it marked the first time we dealt with someone English speaking and not from Australia. 

Yoga Views 

We finished the day at a traditional Balinese restaurant, Batan Waru  where I ordered having zero clue what I was actually getting. Fish baked in banana leaves, a coconut drink with something that doesn't exist in English and crepes filled with coconut and pineapple. Delicious! 

Tomorrow is Heather's last full day and we are off to see some temples on the East side of Bali. The ones Obama visited yesterday (yes, still hoping!) 

Observations From The Last Few Days: Living and Learning June 2017

-While getting  a foot massage:
--Did you go jungle trekking? 
---Umm no, just walking around Kuala Lumpur
(Testament to how clumsy I am and the amount of bug bites and bruises I've obtained!)

- There so many Australians in Indonesia. Considering this is a 3 hr flight from Northern Australia this is like Mexico for Californians. 

- How many mosques are there in Lombok?! There seems to be one per family, one every block.

-Another morning of being wakened by cannons and firecrackers.  The Imam hasn't taken a taken a breath in 4 hours of prayer.  Amazing to be here and even as a complete outlier feel the energy of the Ramadan celebrations and the days after 

-How was your day? 
--Great, finally done fasting!
-Did you eat lots today?
--Oh man, got some KFC, smoked some weed and had a few beers. 
Ramadan is clearly over ;)

-Got attacked by a little boy with a bamboo stick.

-Family of 4 on a scooter? Not a problem, plenty of space! Zero helmets are also apparently not a problem here. Driving age is 15 for motorcycles, 20 for cars. We have definitely seen some 10 year olds operating scooters. 

- Our 28 yr old driver Zul told us he wanted a Western girl and that he is not interested in locals. First cousins marriages are OK and arranged marriages are common. He was curious if cousin marriages happen in the US. Good thing he was seated when we told him our ages too, pretty sure he gulped! 

-Traffic alert! Can't drive through here,  gigantic lizard in the way so we just wait.

-There is a scream on the road as I try to negotiate a boat to take us to an island. Lots of people run to see who got hurt.
--"Is everything OK?" I ask.
---"Just a local."
Guy continues to negotiate, some people are assholes, regardless of what happens around them. 

- It's hard to tell which side of the road you (are supposed to) drive on in Indonesia but I assure you that there are more than 2 lanes at play here.  One lane, the other lane and whatever needs to happen in the middle to split the traffic and go around.

- Heather saw her first wild monkey! 

- "Are you an artist?" Heather and I agreed that's a pretty awesome compliment of a question. We wish?

- Wahid, our tour guide was so smitten with "the teacher" and wasn't afraid to show it. My name went out the window and he continued to refer to me as "the teacher" the entire time. It was a good reminder for me that it's a sign of respect since I'm known to get annoyed when some of my students call me that instead of my name.

- Our local driver readily volunteered that he doesn't understand any Arabic that has been chanted over the loud speaker for days as Ramadan has been wrapping up, just like majority of people residing in Lombok.

-Keluar, hati hati, teremakasu, sama sama. The only words we learned here. Exit, be careful, thank you, please. 

-A regular menu has food, drinks and cigarettes on it. Smoking is everywhere. Inside and outside and everywhere in between. Upon further research, it is no surprise that lung cancer is the leading cause for death in this region.

- In the last two days I've lost a hair clip (while snorkeling), sunglasses (climbing rocks, went back and retrieved!) and shoes outside of the car.  I guess my luggage lighter!

- Local children smile and let out hearty helloooooos every time they see us. It's so sweet and of course we smile right back. It's  a great memory to take away.

Lombok June 2017

Where am I and how did I get here?

Well, first of all Obama is here too, so yay Indonesia! I do, however, hope that he had an easier time getting to his hotel than we did.

We were told there was going to be a driver awaiting us at the airport. We came out and we couldn't find "Heather" on a sign anywhere.  It was also dark so as we squinted at tiny signs we quickly determined that in fact nothing said "Heather" on it. Ya know, just to make sure. 

Many men swarmed us trying to get our bags and get us into a taxi. Not scary at all. Did I mention it was dark out? Yeah, slightly uncomfortable and stressful. In order to recoup, we went back inside the airport to find a "legit" taxi who could take us to a hotel instead of killing us. Jaber was called and even though he quickly proclaimed he didn't speak any English he knew where to take us. Fast forward 20 minutes and we are dropped off in the middle of Kuta downtown and him telling us he has no clue where to go. Awesome.  Did I say it was dark and now getting quite late? Oh, right. 

Out of nowhere comes Rudy wearing a t-shirt that said "rockstar attitude". He is a local with his own restaurant appropriately titled "Rudy's", knows where our hotel is, speaks English and offers us a beer. Did we look that frazzled?! We ate delicious nasi goreng, a traditional Indonesian fried rice dish with green beans, carrots, cabbage and an egg on top and washed it down with a large Bintang pilsner. We met Rudy's brother Harris who ran the restaurant next door and all of the sudden everything was going to be ok. Once fed, Rudy Marley (yes, he used to have dreadlocks) took us to our hotel where no one was waiting for us and there was/is no functional Wi-Fi to tell our people we arrived.  Oh, Indonesia, you better shape up because this is not cutting it. 

After one hell of an evening we passed out and hoped for a better day. 

                    

Waking up to the sunrise over the mountain with an infinity pool at our feet made our morning a bit better. But not quite. The manager came over and explained everything in one word: Ramadan. 

No drivers to pick us up because... Ramadan

NO Wi-Fi getting fixed because... Ramadan

Random fire crackers going off at all hours... Ramadan

You have to eat dinner before 6 or after 6:30 because... you guessed it. 

When we asked if we could get coffee at 7:12 am the manager told us they don't open till 7. But it's 7:12. He shows us his watch which displays 7:12 and declares:  "No, it's 6:58 local time"

After carefully reaching the local time of 7 am and getting our breakfast over a ridiculous view all the stresses washed away. A nice 2 hour conversation followed and we were back to normal. 

We hiked 2 miles over the mountain to get to the gorgeous Mawun beach where we spent $5 to rent lounge chairs, have drinks and a delicious lunch while admiring some of the most crystal blue waters one can find. Microsoft wallpaper style. 

Our hotel sits on a hill over a village of 60 people. Nearby village is population 30 (ie smaller than my 1st period class) and the large metropolis is hovering at 200. It's another world. 

Thinking of our arrival, one of my travel rules is to always get into a new place during daylight. I'm not sure why I loosened up on that rule (maybe because it is two of us traveling?) but I won't do that again. Yeek.

I have no clue what tomorrow will bring but today was a beautiful day with a wonderful friend in the middle of absolutely nowhere Lombok, Indonesia.

Kuala Lumpur June 2017

At the police station talking to a guy with a big gun? Done.

Trip to the pharmacy to get band aids for a bloody toe? Duh.

Just all in a day's work in Malaysia. 

But before...

My last day in Cambodia I spent  at the Phnom Tamao Wildlife Sanctuary. I had read about it on Trip Advisor and felt like I have had my fill of the city and wait, did you say I could feed elephants?! The scantuary is sponsored by various NGOs from the US and the UK and my donation went to Wildlife Alliance which sponsors rescued elephants, tigers, leopards, monkeys, birds, river otters and more.

We met Lucky, and elephant who has been sick on and off and currently has a 24 hour /day guide that walks with her. Lucky is one of 150 elephants kept in captivity in Cambodia today, and there are about 300 in the wild.  She was mild mannered, enjoyed all the pineapples and mangos we gave her and loved the pets and hugs. She was 200 kg underweight yet still much bigger than our van. Another cool story is Chhouk, an elephant with a prosthetic leg.

We got to watch the process of putting it on and off and it is one big foot!

Throughout the day we heard various stories about animal laws in Southeast Asia, various NGOs on the ground, how the locals feel about the elephants etc. I also got to learn a ton from Dan, a guy on tour who is from Chicago,  lived in SF and has spent the last 4 years teaching in Vietnam and Cambodia.  Always great to talk to teachers from abroad especially when they are cool!

That eve, I did yoga near the house and that marks the first time I did some form of exercise during this trip. Notice that  it is not the first time I mentioned eating!

One of the most interesting things about Phnom Penh are the foreigners that live there. While few tourists (it's low season) there are many many expats making Cambodia their home.  I met Australians, Brits,  Canadians, Americans, Dutch and everyone wants to call it home. Some permanently, some for several years. I have never noticed that in places before, usually where there are tourists there are those that stay but not really the other way around. Cambodia is special! 

I ended my trip with a dinner at a Russian restaurant and off I went to meet Heather in Kuala Lumpur.  New country, new adventures!

Facebook recommendations provided some excellent tips for Siem Reap and Hong Kong but failed miserably at Phnom Penh  (that's right, no one really goes there, read the lack of tourists part!) I had high hopes for Kuala Lumpur recs as I have several people who have lived and traveled in the area. It became painfully obvious that this concrete jungle didn't have much to do other than shop and eat. I thoroughly enjoy one of the these two. 

Heather and I had booked an AirBnB in a hotel in a central area. There is only so much you know when you look quickly at a map and make a decision, we really didn't know where or why we booked this area.  Until we got here. The famous Jalan Alor "food heaven" street is here, the fancy restaurants are too. One street of massage places we dubbed "Massage Row" has people attacking you trying to make a deal for various types of massages. Let's just say in Southeast Asia you can include many add ons to your massage but really all we wanted was foot and/or traditional Thai.  None of that funny business,  thanks. 

Coffee in a bag (yes, plastic baggy, not a cup) bbq bacon on a stick, deep fried pineapple, pork bun dim sum, masala dosa, liquid nitrogen meringue cookies and sesame balls later we decided we should probably get some drinks. All that prior food cost about $2 each so we sprung for a delicious jug of sangria and some tapas at an amazing Spanish restaurant Pinchoa.  The street food amazingness and ridiculously priced tourist trap restaurants are a block away from each other and the clientele so so different.  With Achy Breaky Heart and Britney Spears coming from the fancy restaurants, the Spanish choice seemed like a good one  and it didn't disappoint.  It was some of the best Spanish food I've ever had  (that's right Teleferic in Walnut Creek, take notes).

A great rec I got from Tom and Rachell who lived in Kuala Lumpur (and I *almost* visited years ago), was to check out the Forest Research Institute Malaysia. I'm noticing a trend in all the big cities, I've left every single one of them to go to a rainforest! FRIM is the largest manmade forest in the world and has a neat canopy walk. That part became so popular in the last 25 years that the FRIM was closing all tours on June 30th and taking the canopy walk apart to preserve the trees.  We were our guide's last tour and after 8 years he was teary eyed telling us about it. We learned about all kinds of neat trees, uses for medicinal purposes and cooking and hiked 2 miles with some great elevation. I'm glad we got to do this before it closed forever and our guide Wahid made it extra special. Oh and his birthday is July 13th too! 

Food? Ok! A three hour dinner took us back to coffee in a bag and some yummy Thai food. I love traveling solo but it's also lovely to have a real conversation with someone who knows me. Heather and I don't talk about where we are from or what we do! Second massage and a trip to the Sky Bar at the top of the Traders Hotel made me stay up till 1 am, I rarely do that. The views were beautiful, there was a pool in the middle of the bar (don't ask), Petronas Towers lit up the sky and our time in Kuala Lumpur came to an end. Today we are off to Indonesia!

Petronas from the 33rd floor

These trees will never touch each other 

Coffee bags!

Phnom Penh June 2017

I knew ahead of time that my lack of planning in Phnom Penh will bite me in the ass. Sometimes it pays off and friends on Facebook and random strangers pass along their knowledge and other times you end up in Panama (read last summer's blog ;)). The lack of word on the ground immediately let me know I had to get creative or just enjoy my surroundings.

I got to my Khmer style (art deco?) house where I am renting a bedroom from a British guy. These bastards are everywhere ;)  He wasn't gonna spend a minute more than he had to so after telling me how to work the key and the AC he went upstairs and turned on Trump on TV. After I spent a few minutes staring at a map, I ventured out into the big and wild Phnom Penh. It doesn't mean it has traffic lights and if you've been to Asia  (Vietnam and Cambodia specifically) and have gotten *any*where you know that you have to be 100% comfortable walking into oncoming traffic and just trust that you won't die. I haven't. Yet.

I made my way to Wat Phnom, a pretty unexciting and shabby temple. Not to sound ungrateful but once you've been to Bangkok the bar for temples is pretty damn high. Entrance  $1 for foreigners and free for locals.

Speaking of... can I stand out anymore?! Besides the obvious look and complexion, I'm tall, wear colorful clothing and show skin. It doesn't matter how much I try not to, unless I'm wearing jeans and a jacket I will stand out. See my commentary on heat and humidity for how I feel about all that.

There was a sunset cruise I had read about in Lonely Planet and thought I should investigate that. Because me and boats are pretty tight, ya know .  The "cruise" came with a free Coke and when I said I don't drink such a thing they shrugged. Water, please? No, just Coke. Damn it.  The whole thing was a bit of a joke and reminded me of the most pointless ride I've ever had on any body of water, the Moscow River.

The dock is about 3 km away from the apartment. There is a pretty promenade that I could take home or at any point about a million tuk tuks ready for me. I figured I'd walk towards the house and when I'm hot and dying I could hop on some mode of transportation.  Best decision of the night.

As I walked through the streets (no real pictures,  I was warned too many times about purse and camera snatchings in this city) I got to see locals enjoy their capital. People were everywhere and I was startled to see a beautiful fireworks display over the river. Today is the Queen' s birthday  (Cambodian one!) and a national holiday.  Couples watching the sunset along the river, many a group of teenagers playing soccer, light show at Wat Botum and most memorable this:

https://youtu.be/TJrS8w7TFCs

Dancing in formation is a thing I've noticed and if I am ever brave enough I'll join. Obviously not the pros but the Zumba - like classes happening on every corner it's only a matter of time before I jump in. (Still regretting not doing so in Hanoi to Ricky Martin last year #yolo).

It's been about a paragraph since I've mentioned heat so let's get to it. I want food/coffee off the cart but what I really need is AC. At all times. While I had breakfast at an Indian joint this morning, I took the fan and pointed to me and me only, none of that fan-turns-in-all-directions-thing (there was no one else there). So when the time to eat comes there is only one decision to make. Cooling or melting. I suppose I could take tuk tuks everywhere to not sweat so much but the walking is fun albeit tiring.

Which brings me to this morning's trip.

Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum. Phnom Penh is full of sadness and history of what transpired here in the 70s (yes, 1970s) and no trip would be complete without learning about it. One of the most common things to do is take a day trip to the Khmer Rouge's killing fields but I decided not to. It is not for lack of desire but because un/fortunately I've already had the chance to see Dachau, a German concentration camp I visited when I was 17. The images stayed with me forever and when I visited another concentration camp in my mid 20s, Dachau was in my mind like I saw it yesterday. Instead of going to the place of killings, I spent my morning at a detention center S-21 which was the first stop for the 12000-20000 people interrogated,  bludgeoned, tortured and then sent to get killed.  Images of skulls, blood soaked clothing and pictures of young people who would still be alive today are chilling. S-21 was a high school and because the Khmer Rouge believed education was the devil they made this location the site of horrid events of 1975-1979. A handful of people survived S-21, all due to their skills. A mechanic, artist (to keep records) and various other trades that the torturers wanted to use.

Please read more here.

After 2 hours of listening to a poignant audio tour I spotted one of the survivors, Bou Meng by the exit. What the hell do you say? I nodded and wished I had something clever to contribute.

I spent the rest of the day walking around town, enjoying the hustle and bustle and the insane buzz of traffic in this city. Tomorrow will be very different and I can't wait to share it with you.

Some things to note:

-Monks here seem less religious? Intense? Dedicated? I don't know what the word is but I feel like if I offered one  a beer he'd go for it  (don't worry,  I won't try)

-A.C. is the strongest at Stabucks. I didn't buy anything but walked in solely to cool off. Also walked into a massage parlor and a bakery just to use them for their air

-Monks on smartphones taking selfies is a weird sight

-It's cool to see the same place at night and daylight. Things you don't notice during one time pop out at another

-Follow the Maps.me app directions. When feeling adventurous, expect to get lost in a monastery complex

-A 2yo girl just started singing "Despacito"

Siem Reap 2.0 June 2017

Not sure I've ever been up at 4 am to start my touristic ways. Maybe when some roosters (Mexico) and dogs (Vietnam) were doing their thing but never on purpose. 

My 4:40 pick up meant I was going to see the sunrise over Angkor Wat. As I was one of the first ones to arrive, I had the front row view to the reflections of Angkor Wat in the water and I was not disappointed.  Pro tip for future Cambodian travel: Angkor Wat is just one temple, there are bazillion, located kilometers from each other. Next time buy a 3 day pass and go a couple of hours each morning, don't plan on having a "temple day." 

By 9 am, I was overheated and exhausted and after 4 hours of being in awe I had to go home and spend time with my bff, the A.C. I'm going to pretend the chef didn't call me uptight yesterday when I mentioned the heat but that's ok. I know my body's limits and tolerance for heat and humidity is not a strength I possess.

After my rest (read: sleep), I headed off to the Old Market and played a really good tourist for a minute.  Magnet and a fantastic t-shirt  (pics to come!) were purchased and Tom's req of 4 hands massage fulfilled. 

David and Nak earlier told me that I need to have water blessing. A what?! 

A monk met me at a Wat Arthea temple and waited until I changed into a wrap I had purchased earlier. I thought "water blessing" was a few drops on my head a la church style. Is that what happens? I don't even know! 

The monk however did know as he proceeded to dump buckets and buckets of water on me, blessing me with good fortune, luck and all the wishes I have for myself while the water washed away all the bad in my life. Once done, I changed back into my regular clothes, was given a red Buddhist bracelet and had a moment to walk around the temple. Alone, I had a "pinch me" feeling I get every once in a while when I travel.  I often talk about the power of Internet and how with it the world is that much smaller. How does one end up on a tiny off road temple in Cambodia being blessed by a monk? Oh that's right, the dude from Calgary organized it.  I never finished the "Eat, Pray, Love" book but maybe now I should?

I have been asking Nak to take me to get street food and we have done so with various levels of success. The beauty of having a tuk tuk for personal transport is obvious, the downer is you are constantly on the move. Meat on a stiiiiick, oh wait, just drove by that.  I had told him tonight I'm getting food from the street and I meant it. I saw some meat on a stick and Nak said "I'll take you to a better place." A minute later we pulled up to a restaurant. Nooooo. It was a local one but damn it,  I was determined to eat off a cart. He took me 5 steps closer and let me off where all the carts were. I think he was  mildly amused that I was gonna eat who-the-hell-knows-what and determined to negotiate without any vendors speaking English. Dinner: olives, egg sandwich and meat on a stick. I won!!!

After being disgusted with my low bar for food, Nak took me to a local fair and basically said knock yourself out. All of the sudden I had the trust to be let out in the wild! Various dried fruits later (I still don't know what one of them is!),  nutella filled waffle on a stick and yet another coffee, I finally had my fill of local delicacies.

To finish of the eve: Phare, Cambodian Trip Advisor famous circus. The story line was a bit sad (based on a true story and reality sucks sometimes), the acrobats amazing. At the end of the eve, Nak showed up on a motorcycle, not a tuk tuk. I'll go ahead and check that off the list of my modes of transportation for the week.

It was a great way to end my time in SR and even though I'm moving on to Phnom Penh tomorrow, I don't think this is good bye. 

Siem Reap June 2017

You guys! I love blogging when I travel but this time I decided to bring an actual journal. I got four days in before I realized I need to share Siem Reap with the world. No one is going to read my journal but two of you will read my blog.

This was my last "planned/not at all planned" part of the trip. Rachell has said it was a place to see and of course, Angor Wat is just a weeny bit famous. I got my tickets and place to stay with zero knowledge about anything just last week. Now, I'd be shocked if this place won't be my highlight of the summer!

"Why?" you may ask. Let me tell ya.

It's a huge city with a population of just under a million yet it feels reachable.  It's perfect. In a messy, dusty, authentic, friendly, delicious kind of way. It's everything I love about a new place. It has some rough parts, some nice parts, people from all over the world and locals eager to share a part of their life.

David, my airbnb host and a Canadian from another life, had my tuk tuk driver and personal tour guide Nak pick me up from the airport.

I lost an entire day due to my delayed flight but I enjoyed the local dinner at Khmer Grill and the beer at the roof top bar of my house. Did I mention that I have the entire house to myself? Yes, somehow I managed to rent the fanciest house in town. For $36 per night. Hostels nearby are anywhere between $3 and $13 so yes, in comparison I went a little nuts (the air conditioning is always worth it).

This morning Nak took me to a side of the road restaurant where my pork and rice and soup and coffee was an incredible breakfast. Even if that sounds like a lot of food it wasn't and if it was who cares, it was delicious! 

We went to a local market where the fish is still bopping around, crickets are marinated and ready for consumption and you get to decide how you want your frog legs. 

For my morning exploration, off I went to a cooking class by Jean Luc,  a French man who seemingly owns half of the restaurants in  the touristy part of town. Alongside, there was a lawyer from Munich who is quitting his everything as of January 1st and will travel the world for the next three years. A Thai girl who grew up in Toronto and her Australian boyfriend shooting the cooking lesson for her TV show.  And then there was me, just trying to figure out how the &#%@ does someone cut a chilly pepper so small! (Pic of the spicy shrimp salad I made is attached)

The food was tasty and the company great but the heat, OMG, Siem Reap, get it together,  I can't handle 95 degree heat and the same percentile of humidity. 

I had a couple of hours to rest (read above about the AC!) and then it was time to get my 5:30 am ticket to Angor Wat ticket for tomorrow. That ticket also included a sunset entrance for tonight which naturally needed to happen. 

As I approached the temple I asked two guys (one German and one Portuguese) to take a picture of me. I try so hard to not just come home with selfies and that requires some communication! One guy laughingly obliged and we started talking. Rather soon we were told that the sunset is not this way, it's that a-way. 2.5 kilometers to be exact. And this is where meeting people pays off. If I were with a friend I would have whined that it was too far and too late. If I were solo I would have gone home. But here I had two people determined to find this "high mountain" to catch the sunset regardless of my plans. I couldn't miss out! 

Once we found the hill, I was told I couldn't go up since I wasn't covered up. Bad planning! I have my temple wear for tomorrow but didn't think about it for today. No worries, the German guy whips out his sweat handkerchief and up we continue. 

After the 3 mile hike, I no longer felt guilty about my cooking class and the second, third and fourth helping of dessert at lunch. This trek was going to be worth it! And oh man, it didn't disappoint!!!

Pics to come, of course, but in the meantime here are some thoughts in no particular order:

-Breakfast $2, dinner $5, beer $.50. I can do this. 

-Was that a water buffalo that just ran by? 

-Any city that has Gloria Jeans automatically becomes awesome. 

- I should make it a rule to only travel to places where monkeys randomly pop out of nowhere  

-Driving here makes Hanoi look like a relaxing stroll in the park.

Almost a million people here? Zero traffic lights. (Edit: I have since discovered 2 in the 30 km radius)

Traffic in front? Go in the left lane.

Lanes? What? That's just silly. No such thing, even when it comes to which side of the road you drive on.

-Girls, travel alone! Yes, do some homework and make sure to pick safe places but man, there are so many more male solo travelers than female. 

-A student I've had for the last two years wanted to know how she can help with my school supplies fundraisers for abroad in the near future. She is an incredible artist and was hoping we could collect art supplies. I told her I'd think about it and get back to her. Forward to today: walk into a gallery that helps children in poverty create art.  All ages, many villages in the area and the art just beautiful. Read more at http://www.colorsofcambodia.org/m/index.php I can't wait to get back to Logan and make a difference in Siem Reap! 

In the meantime, I need to start planning my next trip here. Yes, it's one of "those" places.