Speecy Spicy, Hotsy Totsy

In the words of the Swedish Chef, "Bork bork bork!"

Jeff and I learned to cook a little today. Or tried to, at least.We took a Thai cooking class and between the two of us we made: yellow curry, green curry, tom yam soup, chicken in coconut soup, green papaya salad, chicken and cashew nuts, pad thai, spring rolls, banana in coconut milk, and mango with sticky rice. We couldn't even look at food by the end of the afternoon, we were so full!

The class was a whole day affair. Our instructor, Tommy, picked us up at our guest house first thing in the morning. Once we had picked up the rest of the class, he took us to a large local market and began explaining the integral ingredients of Thai food. Since I've shown you markets before, I hold off on the pictures of this one, with one exception.

Mmm, crunchy!

After the market, we headed outside of town to their private farm where they grow many of the fresh ingredients. We learned more about the fruits, vegetables, and spices that go into Thai foods, and then we got down to business. Mortar and pestle at hand, we learned how to pummel our own fresh curry paste. From there, we moved into the kitchen where we boiled, chopped, stir fried, deep fried, and munched the day away.

We had a great time. Tommy, our teacher, was very funny, constantly throwing in unexpected pop culture references all day. The food we made was fantastic, and surprisingly easy to make. I say that now, but I'm sure recreating it all at home might not be the same. At least now I have a better idea of what I should be doing the next time I try!

No powders here.

Jeff, stir frying cashew chicken

The first three dishes I created

The first three dishes Jeff made

By the way, should you ever find yourself here, we highly recommend Thai Farm Kitchen, www.thaifarmcooking.com. Rather than a class in town, they have their own organic farm in the countryside. The staff are great, and the food you make is fantastic.

Keeping cool

Jeff and I are now in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It's rather warm here. So warm, in fact, that even the locals seek shade where ever they can find it.

We found him curled up inside a shrine at a local temple.

Taking time to relax

Seeing that it is our honeymoon after all, Jeff and I decided that it was time to relax and take some time to ourselves. After 3 weeks of moving every 2-4 days, long bus trips, and constant activities, we needed a little down time.

We left Phnom Penh for the beach town of Sihanoukville. We arrived on a weekend when the local population also had holiday time, so it looked like it was going to be very busy for a few days. That, and the fact that we didn't really take to the atmosphere of the town, lead us to look elsewhere. Friends had recommended we head out to Bamboo Island and book a bungalow with a place called Koh Ru, so that is exactly what we did.

Koh Ru is pretty much the only thing on Bamboo Island. It sits on a beautiful, empty beach with no sun lounges, no vendors, no tuk tuk drivers. Heck, no roads. You rent a bare bones, wood plank box called a bungalow and then you do nothing. Blissful nothing. Bathrooms are shared and showers are cold. Koh Ru has one main gathering area that is also the restaurant and bar, so you don't even have to make the choice of where to eat each night. Papasan mattresses that have seen better days are thrown everywhere for your comfort. Your daily activity choices include taking a swim, reading in the hammock, eating, and drinking. You could throw some sunning on the beach or a game of chess in there too, if you wanted. No internet. It was wonderful to be so unoccupied and amongst other similarly minded souls.

Bamboo Island beach

Beach

Chilling

Our bungalow

Proof that I too am on this trip

We stayed on Koh Ru for three nights. Today, we decided the relaxing should continue, although on an entirely different scale. Koh Ru was what you could politely call rustic. If you have serious issues with sand, dirt, or bugs everywhere, then it wasn't for you. While we didn't mind, we did find ourselves facing a necessities day (when you literally have no clean clothes left) so we splurged on a treat and checked into a resort just off of the beach on the mainland. We now find ourselves in the nicest hotel we've ever stayed in, for just $30 a night. It's huge, with a super comfy bed, satellite flat screen tv, wifi in the rooms, granite and tile bathroom with rain style shower head shower and a separate bath tub. The bath tub is huge, and is my dream. It was the first tub that I've ever been able to lay out completely in. Plus, it's next to a window into the room so that I can luxuriate and watch tv at the same time. Oh, but for privacy, it has a remote controlled curtain! The hotel also has a gorgeous pool. It's a great place to wait for our clothes to get back from the wash, especially since we don't have anything to wear other than our swimsuits!

Hotel pool

Our room

Our bathroom

 Now the only thing left to do is to figure out where we're going from here. Find out next time!

Street life

While I greatly enjoy sharing our activities with you, it has occurred to me that this simply gives you an idea of what we see, not where we are. I'd like to share with you a bit more of the reality of being in Cambodia.

Cambodia is a country of roughly 14 million people who are to this day still attempting to undo the damage wrought by just 4 years under the Khmer Rouge in the 1970's. As of 2010, the per capita income was just $2,470. Agriculture makes up more than 50% of the populations livelihood, of which rice is the main crop. Poor education is common, especially in the older and rural populations, and street begging is all too often the replacement to school for young children. Even so, the Cambodian economy is now growing at a faster pace thanks to the ever increasing influx of money from tourism. While scammers are plentiful, it's been our experience that most Cambodians are extremely friendly and want to keep the money from tourism coming in. Many speak English better than many other countries I've been to, and the country seems to appreciate tourism more, rather than simply expect it as a given.

I'd like to share a little more of what we see everyday when we walk down the streets. These pictures were all taken in Phnom Penh, and therefore do not represent what you see in the countryside, but should still give you a better appreciation of where we are. The country and culture here are well worth getting to know.

The fresh meat section of the market that was just down from our guest house

Fresh cooked meals available in the market

More fresh fruits and vegetables than I can identify

A small street side restaurant. These are found up and down the streets.

Typical building structure in Phnom Penh. A shop is often on the first floor, with apartments or private residences above that.

A gas station. Seriously. These home made gas stops are everywhere along the streets. My favorites are when the gas comes in Johnny Walker bottles.

A welding/metal shop located just across the street from our guest house. Next to it, you might find a restaurant, a mini mart, or a home. The variety of life on just one block is amazing.

I have many other photos to share, but I think this gives a small idea of where we are and how different life is like here. Differences like these are why I enjoy traveling and exploring other countries. It's good to have an open perspective on the world.

Temple time, part 2

I'm a bit delayed on posting our second day at the temples, due to a bit of an issue with the blog website. But, it seems we're up and running today, so here I am!

Last Sunday was our second day of exploring the many temples around Siem Reap. We didn't have plans to see all of them, since there are so many, so we visited some of the larger and more popular sites. Of course, with that comes more crowds, but that's just to be expected.

Our first stop was Angkor Wat. Built by Suryavarman II from 1113 to 1150, it was a temple dedicated to Vishnu, with whom the king identified. After his death, the temple became his mausoleum. Angkor Wat was eventually converted into a Buddhist Wat in the 13th century. Examples of both religions are evident throughout the vast complex, mainly in the large bas relief carvings that tell stories of the gods and kings. As I previously mentioned, pictures can not convey how truly amazing this, and all of the structures are, but I hope you like them anyway.

Angkor Wat from a distance

Small section of wall carvings

A devata, or female deity

One of the large center towers, with Jeff for size reference :-)

Next on our list was Angkor Thom, a complex that includes numerous temples within its walls. The most well know, I'd say, is Bayon. As with Angkor Wat, this is a temple that has been altered numerous times and was both a Hindu and Buddhist temple at times. The most prominent feature of Bayon are the Lokeshvara, or faces of the Compassionate Lord. It is estimated that there were, at one time, more than 200 of these faces to be found in Bayon.

Bayon

One of the many faces of Bayon

We couldn't resist playing with a little optical illusion

A fun carving I noticed at Bayon

After exploring Bayon and the other temples enclosed in the Angkor Thom walls, our last stop for the day was Ta Prohm, a temple you may have seen before without even knowing it. Ta Prohm, built in 1186, is largely unrestored and is famous for having very large trees growing in and on the structure. It was this jungle taken appearance that lead to it being filmed for the original Tomb Raider film, a novelty that is still quite played up around Siem Reap.

Ta Prohm

A tree growing fro a corner of the temple

Another tree located on the roof

An interior hallway that demonstrates some of the original arched ceilings

Finally, another fun size comparison :-)

 There you have our visits to just a few of the amazing ruins of Siem Reap. I hope you can someday visit these structures yourself, because there is simply no comparison to experiencing them first hand.

Border crossings are fun!

Hello from Cambodia!

Jeff and I left Koh Tao on Thursday afternoon and decided to head straight for the Cambodian border. It took roughly 24hrs, but we arrived Friday in Siem Reap with no issues. Our easy crossing was largely due to travelers that have come before and have posted warnings about the well established scams awaiting us at this particular boarder crossing. Armed with as much info as we could gather, we arrived in Aranyaprathet, ignored the Thai "officials" who claimed to be the only way to get a visa into Cambodia (and at twice the actual price), and walked out of Thailand. We proceeded to decline the unofficial Cambodian "expedition fees" when purchasing our visas, pointing out that we were the only travelers in the office and were sure we could wait the few minutes for processing. We thankfully did not encounter the fake police that sometimes haunt the area, and proceeded to the bus station on the Cambodia side. Easy. In fact, it was as easy as walking through a mile of scams can get!

Once at the bus station, we decided to hire a taxi to take us in Siem Reap, both for comfort and due to the fact that the bus wouldn't leave for another 4 hours. Shortly before leaving, our cab driver got into a fist fight with another driver. We suspect the fight was over us, but we're not exactly sure what the specific complaint would have been. As we were safely tucked into the back of the taxi, we watched our driver take the upper hand in the fight (seriously, he sent the other dude flying) until security showed up, when he proceeded to jump into the taxi and speed off with us in tow! With the exception of that unusual start, the final leg of our trip was uneventful and rather enjoyable.

Siem Reap is a beautiful city, with all the creature comforts anyone could want and at any price you want to pay. I'm very happy to be back, as I didn't get to explore it very much the last time I was here. In fact, I'm thrilled to be back in Cambodia. The differences between here and Thailand are abundant and obvious, and we're having a good time experiencing the changes.

Today was the start of our temple exploration. After a week being a beach bum, a dose of culture and history was welcomed.  Going off of a guide book that has landed in our hands, we decided to see a few of the older temples before seeing the real biggies like Angkor Wat tomorrow. Although we did not see them in this order, I'm presenting them to you according to their age.

The Roluos group - Preah Ko, Lolei, and Bakong - is one of the oldest sites in the area. The temples reflect the changing religions and architectural styles of the various eras, including Hinduism, Buddism, and worship of the ancient Khmer gods. The construction and artwork are awe inspiring. Pictures do not do them justice, though I've certainly tried.

Preah Ko is a temple dedicated to Shiva and was built in 879 as a honor to the ancestors of then king Indravarman I.

Preah Ko

Bakong is huge, and the first that we've seen built in the more pyramid like style. It was constructed in 881 and was the first to be built out of sandstone. Scrambling to the top was fun!

Bakong

Top of Bakong

Lolei is small, and some of the prasats (towers) are now heavily supported by scafolding, but it was one of my favorites of the day. Built in 889 by Yashovarman I, it was also a temple built to honor ancestors.

Lolei

While I was taking a few pictures, Jeff was approached by a young Khmer man who spoke fantastic English. He asked if he could chat with Jeff, explaining that he was an English teacher, and eventually took us to see the small school he had set up at the monastery that shares the grounds of Lolei. He lives there for free room and board in exchange for teaching the monks English.

Monks studying

Banteay Srei is located a considerable ways outside of Siem Reap, but was well worth the trip. Very small compared to the rest, Banteay Srei was built in 967 by two Brahmans (religious men), rather than a king. This temple was my favorite of the day due to the incredible carvings found all over the small site. The intricacy of them all is impossible to capture, since they spread up the walls, across the doors, and over most of the temples' surface.

Jeff, at his first temple of the day

Example of the amazing carvings on the buildings

Banteay Srei

So there you have our first two days in Cambodia. Tomorrow will be a day full of ancient sculptures, incredible architecture, and lots of really big, old rocks. I'll be back with more pictures soon!

Swimming with the fishes

Much to my delight, I've returned to my own personal paradise. Last Friday we arrived in Koh Tao, a place I'd stay forever in. Sun and sand, chill atmosphere and no demands beyond the choice of morning, afternoon or night diving. I'm so happy to be back.

Sairee Beach

Buddhist blessing at the bow of the boat, where the spirit of the boat lives

 We arrived via a night ferry. Basically, a large open room padded wall to wall with 1 inch thick mattresses. As far as night travel goes, this was actually one of the better options I've come across. Sure, you may find yourselves quickly making friends with a neighbor, but at least you can sleep most of the trip.

Night ferry

As soon as we landed, I made my way back to Big Blue, the dive shop where I learned to scuba dive. Much to my delight, some friends still work here and my favorite beach dogs are still around. I took a refresher course, since I hadn't been diving in a year and a half, and was pleased to find that it all comes right back. Since then I've been out on at least one, but usually two dives a day. The whale shark is here, but he or she still eludes me. I'm hoping I'll get lucky and see it before we leave.

Ugly, my favorite beach dog, chilling in front of Big Blue

The rest of my time here is spent doing very little. Relaxing and eating are legitimate time passing activities. Jessica and I had pedicures yesterday, and Brigitte and I wandered around town taking pictures. I haven't worn shoes in 4 days. It's rough, let me tell you.

Many businesses here keep these sweet singing birds

A typical street. Our room resides in the purple building

Beach food vendor offering grilled corn

Sadly, we have run into one small mishap here. On Saturday Jeff went snorkeling and came home terribly sunburned. He's pretty much spent all his time sine then in our room, recovering. We won't be moving on until he'll be comfortable to travel again, but when we do we think we'll be heading over to Cambodia. Maybe that's where we'll be the next time I write!