Woodstock with livestock and party time with the village people

Caught the Mekong Express bus back to the bustling city of Phnom Penh. It was full of Barangs (tourists), in Thailand it's Farangs, so easy to just change the f for a b and we have a new label. The trip took about 6 hours passing daily life in the countryside with many worker bees bein bizzzzzzzy! We felt large in the smallish asian bus seats but adapted by moving little and sweating less. Now the currency is interesting! Here they use the US dollar along with their riel. Their money reminds me of Mexico 25+ years ago as it is used here for the change. For example, 1000 riel = 25 cents. So when paying for something that is $1.25 we give them either $1.00 +1000 riel or 5000 riel. Now for those that know me, I am mathematically challenged, so this country is great for exercising my gray matter or getting ripped off. Stayed one night at a guesthouse that was a little sketchy. We should of taken a hint from the name "Angkor Shadow". The next morning we moved a few doors down to the "Silver River", aircon, wifi, flatscreen, and breaky included for $28 bucks and not to forget the 2 pillows each with fluffy bed coverings. Hooked up with Anne's neice Lindsay and her possy for a 30'th birthday celebration. So it was off to the countryside to party with the village people. In the morning they went to the market and bought enough food for the 150 kids going to the free English school along with beer and rice wine for the adult villagers. Over 200 people were treated to a Khmer style feast. We westerners chipped in $10.00 each and that was enough to cover the cost. Lindsay spent $140 and $40 of that went to the D.J. We hopped a ride in a tuk tuk for $13 each way. Now this mainly dirt road ride was about 1 hour from the city and the tuk tuk driver stayed and enjoyed the festivities. What a system! We arrived in time to help the village ladies prepare food, they had most of the prep done but we were able to help peel and chop garlic. We are talking a lot of garlic here. We sat on bamboo matts and I so enjoyed the hang time with the local ladies and participating in food prep. It was funny as one lady was chopping lemon grass on her wooden burrow cutting board and took a large bunch and chopped down into mini slices in a minute or so. Well I tried and it took me like 10 minutes, the ladies would look at me and smile (I know they were really laughing). They use similar spices as the Thais but just not as spicy. That night we dined on pork curry. This dish had lots of potatoes, carrots, yummy homemade coconut milk, along with freshly pounded curry. The children were fed first from youngest to oldest, then we were served and finally the rest of the adults. We wandered around and visited with the kids, as they were eager to practice their English with us. After dinner the loud dj music kicked in and we all danced for hours. First it was the techno sounds our kids are familiar with then later in the evening their Khmer traditional stuff. The kids were so funny, they had some cool moves that they must have learned from tv. They showed me a few moves to go with their music. A table is placed in the middle of the dance area and they line up in rows and dance around it. I had one guy trying to help me with foot work which is like our three step waltz and a few young girls demonstrating some fancy hand movements. Got a few dances in with a couple of the local ladies and our tuk tuk driver. Chhorun (Annes Cambodian friend) came over and asked if we wanted to watch them butcher chickens. I declined but Steve checked out the action. They hold the chicken and run a knife over it's throat while draining the blood into a bowl. I am not too sure of what dish they put it into, I am just hoping it wasn't in our curry, oh well if so it was yummy all the same. We were asked many times to stay overnight in the village. It was an honor for them to have us stay as overnight guests. So even though we had our sweet room in the city and our tuk tuk and driver waiting we accepted the invite! So at 2:00 a.m. when the music was done, we slept in a big room (above the school is their library) along with many others, both locals and Barangs. Tucked in nicely in our separate moisquito netted area on a bamboo mat. There were 5 nets in total. These people are tough as there are no fat matresses in this village let alone two pillows each with fluffy blankets. We were so glad to be part of it all and do something that was not the same same and definitely quite different!

Siem Reap, ruins and tunes

After arriving safely to Siem Reap on a long fast submarine shaped boat we were promptly picked up by a taxi from our hotel. This time it was set up by Siemty who will be our guide for our first day touring the huge Angkor Wat site. Nice room, 25 us , usually 45 us, wifi (not that we used it, too busy being tourist) aircon, tv, pool, and breaky included, good deal. Settled in early first night, ready for the big day ahead. What a place. As we enter the grounds we're greeted with a couple troupes of monkeys going about their daily business of grooming and heckling tourists. The streets are tree lined offering lots of shade and places to hang out. Drove past the main wat "Angkor Wat" which we shall visit later in the day. Going with a guide was recommended as they know the history, what highlights to point out, how to avoid the crowds, and which ruins to visit at certain parts of the day. They also do a great job translating the bas relief work on the walls. We saw three wats our first day, Bayon is well known with many faces, definitely a favorite, then off to Angkor Thom. This ruin is one of the many that is being swallowed up by the huge silk trees that either take over the structures or their root system pushes through the massive foundations. We finished our day with Angkor Wat, so impressive, a must see for any trip to Cambodia. We rested up then went to pub street for dinner. What a lively spot this is! As suggested we stopped in at Red Piano and Steve played a few tunes on the piano that was missing keys and a bit out of tune, but all was good. We wandered across the street to enjoy the other musicians playing some great tunes. This was a band from the Philippines. They were very talented and yes you guessed it Steve got to jam with them too. Fun night in Siem Reap. Day two for the ruins we decided to rent bicycles and ride to and around the grounds area. Stopped by the entrance and hung out with the monkeys. We spent the day just riding everywhere, local singletrack, around moats, and generally off the beaten track. It must have been fun judging how sore our asses were. How they built these massive structures around the 12'th century is quite amazing, it's estimated there were over a million labourers. We try to imagine the Khmer dynasty at it's height seeing cavalry, infantry, elephants parading, and horse drawn chariots. Oh what a feeling! Day to rest and visit other parts of the city. Siem Reip is bustling with tourists and business as usual. Lots going on. Markets to shop at, many restaurants, bars, or massage parlours. Went to a silk factory and watched the workers, some sitting on matts on the ground, separating and putting the silk thread onto large spools, while others sat infront of looms making beautiful scarves, wraps, and table coverings. What a job, I would not like the working conditions here. Went and had my first foot soak with the fishes. What a funny experience! For $1.00 I got to sit for 30 minutes and have many little fish chew off my foot fungus. It took me at least 10 minutes until I stopped laughing and got used to the crazy feeling. My feet were so soft afterward. Steve says ALL my hairdresser friends should do this on a regular basis (Cynthia and Tracey take no offence). Major French influence in architecture and food. Viva la bagette! The Khmer ethnic people have been
in this area dating back to 5000 bc or more. They've been
really hospitable and welcoming, as we hope the best for their future.