Phare Circus

PLast night, my family and I went to go see a circus called Phare. We were watching the production called "Eclipse". The circus was very highly rated on Tripadvisor, so my mom checked it out, and then surprised Robin and I. The performers are all from very poor villages in Cambodia, but this circus organization provided these talented young artists an amazing opportunity to join this circus. The money all goes to help out the education of young artists, and to help further educate people in poor villages, like the ones these people came from. It's for a really great cause, so we all went yesterday night. The circus was set up in a small, non-air conditioned arena, but that didn't matter because we had fans. Our seats were in the second row, and we were super close the the stage/floor. Everyone was pretty close though, because it was a pretty small tent. The show was about a boy who grew up in a poor village, and was bullied for being different. He prayed to the gods to be as powerful and as beautiful as a woman, and so the gods transformed him into a young woman. It's about discrimination and bullying. The circus was amazing!! The performers were so talented and there was a lot of humour in the circus too. Even though it was only an hour, it was defiantly worth it! 

Leaving Cambodia

Am in yet another airport, reflecting on where we have just been. We were all keen to get to Cambodia and it didn't disappoint. Feeling quite sad about leaving today and think we could have used a few extra days here for sure. Of the places we have travelled, both this trip and ours in 1997, Cambodia stands out as something special. I love the people. Their ancient history is amazing, but what is more amazing to me is the resilience of the modern day people given the war and Khmer Rouge regime ending just 20 years ago. 

Siem Reap has completely transformed itself and is a vibrant tourist town. There is still a ton of poverty here though and while the city transformation has certainly created work for many, it is clear that the average citizen doesn't have it easy. At times I feel guilty for what we have and what has come so easily just out of being born into an educated family in a great country. 

The kids loved it too and despite the serious history lessons for two days at the temples, they remained engaged and enthusiastic for the most part! At about 3pm the 2nd day, Abby said "I think I'm getting templed out!"  Well hallelujah girl, me too! 

The quad bike thing was not a highlight for me. I think it was for Craig. He screeched past me once and said "isn't this fun?!"  Shopping is fun. Markets are fun. Walking is fun. Drinking wine is fun. Blazing through the dirt like Mad Max and the Thunderdome is NOT my idea of fun. What he failed to mention in his blog post is that I basically failed my driving test on the damn thing...couldn't get up a hill properly and my guide asked if I had ever driven a car. Jill, Tracey and Sue will perhaps not be surprised by this question. I was totally humiliated so agreed to have a guide drive with me in case I needed it (I didn't thank you very much). Was uncomfortable and dirty but I managed to reward myself with a nice massage when we were done. 

So we are back to vietnam now...this time in the south. We are all excited for the arrival of the Mudfords late tonight! Wishing we had booked more time in Cambodia, but agreed to a no regrets policy on this trip!

Posting some of my favourite shots of Angkor Wat...truly an unbelievable place!

Day 53: Quads and Khmer Cirque

On our last full day in Cambodia, figured we would do a coule of fun things. The first was to do a "quad" adventure and we would cap the day off with a renowned circus show.

We booked the quads (think 4-wheel all terrain vehicles - ATVs) while in Luang Prabang, maybe seeking something with a little more energy as our blood pressure was starting to get a little low there :-). We were picked up after an early breakfast and brought to the office to do our driving test. We ended up with me taking Abby and a guide each taking Beth and Robin.

The quads were fun. Our main objective was a chance to get into the countryside and see some distant villages and farms. Our time here had been so focused on Angkor that I didn't want that to be the lone impression of the country.

It took us about 10 minutes to get into some real countryside. We stopped to take a picture, then the guides asked if the kids wanted to give it a try. Robin took to driving very quickly - in fact, she was a speed demon.

Abby and I fell in behind Robin and her guide, with Beth and her guide slowly bringing up the rear. We were alternating between laughing our heads off watching Robin speed down the roads or trails, and taking in some beautiful countryside. Abby played the role of a national geographic videographer on the back of her chauffeur.

We made a couple of stops - once at one of the really cheesy new Buddhist temples (they really are gaudy, with painted single frame stories replacing bas relief carvings!) and later for a drink. The best part was when we would find a stretch of tree-lined road or pathway that went through a farming village. Little kids would come running down the end of their yard to smile and wave.... Very cute. Like we've seen many times over now, there seemed to be poverty and happiness intertwined.

On our water break, one of our guides, a really inspiring 21 year old, opened up to us after we started peppering him with questions. We are like sponges and while it may seem nosy, I find in these situations the conversations are mutually beneficial - they practice their English while we learn. He told us that he was one of 4 siblings, living in small village outside Siem Reap. His older brother is a monk and his younger two siblings go to school. He is the breadwinner, as he studied and learned English the most. His father is a construction worker (which we've discovered is the default labour job that pays the least in most southeast Asian countries). The guide is on a monthly employment contract (I guess he makes about $3-400 per month, plus tips which are probably rare), works every day (7 days a week) from 6:00am until 7:00pm and then tries to go to a local free English lesson at night or tries to watch English TV or read. His grandparents work the farm and his mother runs the household. Although he wants to get a better job (hotels and restaurants are the next step up, proper tour guides even higher), employers look to education levels first and he does not have his high school diploma. It's an all to familiar story - although he has the drive and brain to elevate his lot in life, the pressure to continue in his current situation pretty much means he's trapped for now.

Beth and I talked about the company itself. It seemed to be run by an impersonal French family and a Khmer manager that seemed very well off. These excursions are expensive - ours was $195US for two and a half hours and they have 24 quads which were mostly gone when we got back. You see a lot of businesses in town (a restaurant we ate at called Genevieve's owned by an Aussie really demonstrated how a business can take care of employees through profit sharing, education and training) that have a story about how they are trying to give back to the community. Not this business. You can argue the point that if this business wasn't there, they wouldn't employ locals and therefore the locals would be worse off. True, but it wouldn't take much to try to elevate the employees' station in life and give them a path to a better future. We tipped the guides well - I hope some of that money wasn't given to the shwarmy manager or end up in the cold owner's pockets.

We returned to the hotel and cleaned up. Getting around by Tuk Tuk in Siem Reap is a lot of fun and helping the desperately underused drivers out (it's low season) makes us feel good. Put it this way, Beth is not asking to get additional steps logged in favour of short Tuk Tuk rides - that really says it all. We went back to town and found a fantastic Indian restaurant for lunch. The owner was from Kerala and was such a nice guy - it really reminded me of how much I enjoyed the people in India - and the food!

After lunch, the girls did some shopping and a spa while I got a haircut (for $3... Felt very weird!) then holed up at a bar and waited for them. It was torture - enjoying a couple of ice cold Hoegardens while people watching and tapping out a blog :-)

Beth found a local company called Phare that is one of the truly inspiring organizations that has transformed the lives of local kids, while putting on a fantastic show. You can read about the organization here, but in short it is a mini Cirque du Soleil that uses traditional Khmer martial arts and gymnastics while telling a Khmer story. They actually travel around the world, coming to France and the U.S. this fall. It was a great way to cap our last night off in Cambodia.

Day 52: Angkor Wat

It was an early start for us and our 20,000 closest friends this morning. We woke up at 4:45 in time to meet the smiling Siya in our hotel lobby. The plan was to check out sunrise at Angkor Wat, then come back for breakfast. The girls were pretty pumped once they woke up fully.

On the drive, I noticed a growing number of Tuk Tuks and cars on the road, and I figured we would have lots of company. We drove through a security checkpoint and made it in short time to the outside of the grand most. There we sat and waited for some morning light to come up. Beth and I were pretty amazed that we had done this same thing, with nobody there 18 years ago. There was a pretty big crush of people sitting with us, and even more making their way across the most into the outer temple walls. There were even a fair number of monkeys around stealing food and leftover snacks from people.

After the sky started lighting up, Siya said it was time to go inside to watch the sun come up. We made our way across the impressive stone road that crosses the moat, and stepped in through the Western gate into,the grounds of Angkor Wat. Abby was oohing and ahhing and I had chills running down my spine. We went in front of the inner South pond and waited. The view was spectacular.

After sunrise, got a small taste of the main temple. We went inside,for a quick look, then went along the front,wall,to,check out one of the,impressive bas reliefs. One of Angkor Wat's most impressive aspects in the hundreds of meters of bas reliefs or sandstone carved figurines and murals. At Angkor, the outside tell different Hindu stories - one scene only in each section that is perhaps 100 meters long, for a total of 8 sections around the temple. We looked at the story of the monkey king, with Siya pointing out small details that we would surly have missed. Again, I was really impressed with the girls.

We went outside and had a look back from where we came. As I think about it now, although it was "busy", compared to more accessible man made wonders of the world like the Taj Mahal and the Colleseum, the area still had plenty of space to breath.

We headed back for breakfast. As soon as we ordered, Abby sitting across from me said "Daddy, look!" Too funny...

After two of us had naps (you can guess which two), Siya picked us up and we headed back to Angkor Wat for a closer look. This time, we went to the rarely used East gate. Angkor Wat, like many of the temples, was designed with perfect symmetry in mind, and even though there was only one road crossing the most on the Western Side, there were four gates at each point of the compass. However, the French had built a causeway on the eastern side (and knocked a @&$?ing hole in the ancient wall next to the gate) in the early 20th century to make it easier to build a modern Buddhist temple inside the grounds to one side.

It was very quiet as we approached from the east. The main temple got bigger and bigger as we walked up - the scaled of it and the age (finished in 1150!) really makes you pause. We looked at the very impressive bas relief of the Hindu story of the "churning of the sea" on the east side, and a huge mural of heaven and hell on the south side.

We climbed up the expansive second story. Since the monument is supposed to represent the religiously important Mount Meru with it's five peaks, the foundation of each floor is solid filled, so every floor you group, the temple narrows. To get into the Bakan, the uppermost level and most sacred, you had to cover up, which mean pants or long skirts for the girls. Luckily, Siya had told us that you couldn't just wear a wrap to cover up, as we saw women in line getting rejected. We climbed the really steep stairway and really took the time to enjoy the peaceful upper level (they only let in a hundred people at a time).

The climb down was uneventful, though some of the tourists were going so slow, I think the risk of heat stroke is greater than the risk of falling down.

Mid morning, we left Angkor Wat. I can't say I won't be back because I definitely enjoyed coming back for the 2nd time... Who knows. On the way out we stopped at an early temple (9th century) named Kraven that was made almost entirely out of clay bricks. Impressive here were the carvings on the wall of various incarnations of Vishnu.... Carved from the clay brick?!

My stone mason, Tom, is very good, but even he will tell you it's virtually impossible to carve fine shapes and curves into bricks - they are so brittle and crack in straight lines. To see these perfect carvings that were over 1150 years old left us with our mouths open for sure.

After Robin had her natural energy drink fix, we headed out for a bit of a drive on our way to the so called "ladies temple". When we were almost there, we stopped for lunch and yet another sample of one of the great local beers they have here.

Banteai Srei is about 32km north of Angkor Wat is very unique looking. They figure that women were the sculptors of this 10th century Hindu temple because the detail of the sandstone carvings are more intricate and beautiful than elsewhere. The colours of the sandstone, pink, green and yellow tints make it even nicer. The female side of the family was especially pleased with the ladies temple for some reason.

Beth and I were not allowed to visit this one in 1997 because of militants in the area and the risk of land mines. Now, the grounds around the temple are beautiful, and the grounds are surrounded by land that would make an Irishman blush.

Our last stop was at the Rolous group, which was about an hour drive from the ladies temple. There was head bobbing by the ladies...

Pre Rup was the temple we visited in the Rolous group. It was like a mini Angkor Wat, built using brick and sandstone and surrounded by a wide moat. The scene was quiet. It was nice seeing these outlying temples - both to give us a sense of scale of just how much ground this kingdom covered and to avoid crowds which gave us a real chance to pick Siya's brain.

A good guide is not just there to provide rote memorization of the facts and figures of a building. A good guide can teach you how things tick - how society works (healtcare, government, money etc), what challenges the local people face and how everyday people behind the tourism curtain live. Siya provided this insight and more over the two days. I caught the girls listening intently when he would talk about the struggle to get educated and the "universal" healtcare system where you would still die in the hospital of neglect if you didn't have money change hands. I poked and prodded on land ownership and he painted a picture that told me the rich get richer and the poor had better keep quiet and be satisfied with what they have.

We learned about weddings - guests bring money as gifts as is common elsewhere, so people tend to invite a thousand people to weddings.... It gets paid back by getting invited to a thousand weddings! When I was at one temple, a policeman tried to sell me his badge. Beth asked what would happen when he told his boss that he had lost his badge. Siya laughed and said, "he would tell his boss he sold it and his boss would be happy as he would get some of the money". This is how it goes - like seemingly everywhere else - from communist to capitalist - as Tony Soprano once said, money runs up hill and shit runs down.

Siya dropped us back home in the late afternoon. We said heartfelt goodbyes. We really came to like him and I promised to keep in touch.

We quickly headed to the pool to cool off. We were all pretty tired and it was a great refresh.

We went to Pub Street for dinner and landed on a Latino place.... Well ok, it was a Tex Mex place. It was good food - there are so many expat businesses in the area, it's really hard to believe.

We topped the night off with a visit to a mobile Nutella pancake vendor. Mmmm... Late night pancakes!

Day 51: Angkor Archaeological Park

We were finally going back to Angkor. Beth and I have really fond memories of Angkor from our trip years ago. It was definitely a perfect storm situation that made it such a huge impact on that trip and therefore has left us with some very strong, positive memories.

"Angkor" and "Angkor Wat" are terms used interchangeably and can be confusing if you haven't been here. Here's the deal... Angkor Wat is the biggest temple/structure within the entire Angkor Archeological Park. The park is 400 square kilometres and has close to 200 temples in it. The word Angkor means "city" and Wat means "temple" (in Cambodia, Laos and Thailand). So Angkor Wat is loosely the "City Temple". The city it refers to is Angkor Thom, which is located near Angkor Wat and is an enclosed city that is 9 square kilometres and houses a bunch of important temples and structures. Check out the map below to clarify...

Beth's Dad referred us to a guide he used last year for four days when he came here. We had tried looking up our original guide, Lap Tek, but couldn't find him so we booked with Siya to guide us for two days. Angkor is a place where you need a guide - for a whole bunch of reasons that I will get into later. Within about 10 minutes I decided I really liked Siya.

We left the hotel at abut 8:30 after a nice Khmer noodle soup breakfast. Siem Reap is right next to the park, so it was a very short drive before we were at the gates getting our two day tickets. Turns out, Robin was free so we saved $40!

As soon as we entered the park, it struck me that I'd forgotten how beautiful the scenery is. The roads are surrounded with trees that rise way into the air, providing some much needed cover. When we turned the corner to the road that runs in front of Angkor Wat, a slight chill ran down the back of my neck - I was recalling the first time we were on this road on the back of a moto, seeing the outer wall of the temple, then being denied seeing the main temple until the end of our stay there. Siya was no different - he was going to save the best for last, which was just fine with us - we drove right past.
We drove up towards the South Gate of Angkor Thom - one of the very popular sights for tourists in the area. I saw a horde of vehicles and people and I have to admit I was a little iffy. However, Siya had the driver "stop short" of the gate. He had something quieter in mind, saying "I don't like the crowds" - I had a good feeling about Siya from this point on. In fact that became the theme of the day - we pretty much avoided crowds, diving into popular places from unconventional routes, walking nice forested paths to reach less seen temples hiding in the jungle. Very cool.

A little highly inaccurate background info will help here. Basically, the park was occupied and structures built between roughly 950 A.D. to the mid 14th century. Indian envoys had come to the Khmer empire before that time and had introduced Hindism. The religion stuck and was enthusiastically embraced by the Kings. Thus, most of the structures built before 1100 A.D. or so were Hindu worship structures. But, like an entire country with religious ADHD, Buddhism was introduced in the early 12th century, and quickly overcame Hinduism as the religion of choice. It wasn't exactly a holy war where you would see evidence of Hinduism eradicated and replaced by Buddhist iconography, but the earlier Hindu temples were definitely enhanced with Buddhist references and statues of Buddha. Basically, the Hindu artwork and carving was so beautiful and extensive that it added to the magnificence of any future construction or renovation in the area.
Got it? Good!

So we stopped short and went up to the very steep pyramidal shaped Baksey Chamkrong, a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu the Destroyer (of bad things!). We've got three main Hindu gods - Vishnu (the protector), Shiva (the destroyer) and Brahma (the creator). Shiva rides a giant bull (this is one of the reasons why cows are sacred in India) and there was once a giant stone bull in front of this temple, but it was looted and removed long ago, a fare shared by many artefacts in Angkor unfortunately.

It was very cool to see the intact carvings at the top of this temple.... Carvings created by artisans over 1000 years ago! It was also great to see, not 500 yards away, a few hundred people taking pictures of the South gate of Angkor Thom, while we were alone.

We got back in our car, reloaded on ice cold water, and drove through the South Gate of Angkor Thom ("Big City"). We saw glimpses of fantastic sights that we would examine on foot later, and it was great to hear the oohs an ahs from the girls. We didn't know how this whole thing would work out with the girls - would it be interesting? Last an hour? So far, so good.

Angkor Thom has 5 gates (4 symmetrical middle gates, and a fifth Victory gate on the East side meant only for the king. While all of the tourists were at the south gate, Siya had us climbing up the berm against the wall next to the North Gate which we had to ourselves! I've seen both gates up close and confirmed with Siya - they are exactly the same. Loving Siya!

A poor shot of the girls with Siya on top of the wall at Angkor Thom.

We found out that Siya is also an avid cyclist and leads mountain bike tours in the park, and outside, around Cambodia and even into Laos. Check, check Siya! We benefited from this as we ditched the car and took to foot. He led us on a 7km walk on a soft sandy trail through the forest, pointing out various natural points of interest (Abby and I loved the termites - there were tons of large termite hills throughout and every once in a while we would come across thousands of termites in the path and you could hear them munching away on leaves and wood). They eat eveything in Cambodia, so a lot of wildlife has disappeared - they eat tarantulas, scorpions, snakes, rats, crickets, ants - pretty much anything that moves. In fact, in the afternoon we came across a woman who was collecting red ants and ant eggs from trees and drawing them in a bucket. Siya said she could probably collect 2kg of ants on a good day and sell them for 7US per kilo.

Halfway through the walk, we stumbled upon Preah Khan, a really cool temple structure that the girls really liked. I remember in '97 we couldn't got to temples that were off the main road as land mines were a real danger. There used to be both land mines (laid defensively by the Khmer Rouge to protect their makeshift base in Angkor) and buried bomblet UXO from American bombers that we'd heard about in Vientiane, but the government made a huge effort in the early 2000's and managed to clear all 400 square kilometres of the park.

The trees were beautiful, particulately the Spung trees that grow throughout the temple structures, and the fig trees that grow around (and kill) larger trees.

Here's an example of a Spung tree growing on top of a wall. It's between 300 and 400 years old. The wood is very soft and not good for furniture, so it's not in demand, which is probably the biggest reason they are still standing.

We walked over to Ta Prohm, the site of filming Angelina Jolie's Tomb Raider movie.

Here are the girls in front of the "tomb raider tree" lol.

Robbie discovered a natural jungle swing.

The "bas reliefs" or carvings are everywhere. The foundations and strength for temples and walls comes from limestone (excavated and cut near the mountains of Vietnam and floated by boat to Siem Reap) and the decorative and finishing layer is done in sandstone panels that are cut and laid in place, and then carved and shaped. There was no mortar or concrete in Angkor construction, so all of the structures are fully self supporting - this has allowed them to last for so long, but also enabled the fruit seeds from the Splung tree to germinate in the rocks, take root and grow "into" the temple structure. Some temples or parts of temples are now completely symbiotic with the trees - kill the tree and the temple may fall down and visa versa. Here is Yama, the Hindu god that decides if you go to hell or heaven based on Karma ("yeah Abby, Karma!" Says Robin with a knowing distasteful look at Abby) on the beautiful Terrace of Leper king.

There are a few large Buddhas that have been restored like this one. There are only three active Buddhist shrines in the park, and we witnessed one small group of three in a blessing ceremony getting doused with water as a monk chanted rhythmically. Siya seemed a little disillusioned with the Buddhist movement in the area. It seems like there is a big money grab going on, as Buddhist organizations have built over 20 new temples in Siem Reap at a cost of one million dollars each, while there is plenty of poverty. As Siya puts it, a true monk smiles and gives a blessing no matter what your offering is - including nothing. They are supposed to be completely selfless and devoid of possessions or passions...you know, like the order of the Jedi....

After lunch, it was time for the penultimate attraction of the day and a big one - Bayon. Bayon is one of my favourites - it is a Hindu temple with 54 towers that each have 4 faces, in identical fashion to the 5 gates around Angkor Thom. I don't know how he did it, but Siya found the time when the hordes had gone and we had the place virtually to ourselves. Beth and Robin were both starting to hit the wall, however they made it up the steep steps of the Bayon for some truly cool sights.

Siya had been pointing out opportune photography spots all day, and he was now comfortable enough to ask to use my camera, always finding cool and funky shots.

Around 4pm, we headed over to the road in front of Angkor Wat for sunset. Robin was not doing well. We'd probably walked close to 15km and it was damn hot. I give her full credit, as I thought she'd be asking to go home 8 hours ago. Beth too was as white as a sheet. Abby was a rock - that kid is tough as nails. We waited until the sun got a little lower for some great shots of the front wall and moat, but we pulled the chute on full sunset in favour of heading to the pool to cool off.

On the short drive home, Robin was giving a step by step demonstration of the term "nodding off". This was about 30 seconds after getting into the car!

Miss Bounce Back was back to herself one minute after slipping into the pool, so we lazed around for an hour before getting a Tuk Tuk to and from town for an awesome dinner. What a great day. I'm so impressed with the girls - their interest and ability to interact with Siya was impressive. I didn't even get too many embarrassing laugh-out-loud comments from Robin after explaining just what all the talk about Shiva Lingam was!

Tomorrow we are up early for sunrise at Angkor Wat. I can't wait!

Day 50: Canada Day in Cambodia

First of all.... Happy Canada Day! July 1st is usually a big day at the grandparent's house, but now that Ross and his family are in Pittsburgh and we are on on the other side of the world, we are missing the celebration even more.

We said goodbye to the Green House, and took a taxi to the Luang Prabang airport - a whole 5 minute ride away! We saw signs for a post office, and we thought it would be a good time to ship a bunch of junk we've accumulated back home. The woman checking in confirmed that we could send whatever we wanted at the "post office". We saw arrows and were going back and forth, asking people without much luck. Finally, we found the "office" and burst out laughing....

We were on Vietnam Airlines (no issues with Abby's age again today.... Weird because she's almost, almost 14.... You know, a day after she turns 13!), but kept thanking the staff in Laotian. We couldn't even remember how to say it in Vietnamese, how pathetic! Come on! Oh yeah, that's how you say thanks in Vietnamese, "come un"... I need to remember that for next week.

Nope... It's gone again. D'oh!

When we got to Angkor Airport in Siem Reap, although it was way bigger than our visit 18 years ago, the inside of the airport customs line and the taxi stand was pretty barren just like when Beth and I arrived in 1997 as virtually the only tourists in the city.

It was smoking hot today as the stats in the taxi can attest...

We checked into our hotel by about 4:30 and headed upstairs to the really impressive pool and bar. The kids cooled off in the pool while Beth and I cooled off next to the pool.

The girls had a great time in the pool, even adding in a little traditional Canada Day celebration ceremony that we do at Gram and Banka's house every year...

Now back to Siem Reap. As Beth explained, we'd heard and read that the city had changed a lot since 1997 when it was really a 750 meter strip consisting of three small guest houses and a handful of empty restaurants. I had pretty much stopped my brain from setting any expectations long ago, deciding instead to treat this visit like I was visiting a completely new place.

It IS a completely new place....big time. And I think they've done a great job. On the road from the hotel we passed dozens of huge five-star hotels, and I was thinking that the city did not seem to have any real Khmer culture, but eventually when we got to our hotel, the scene started to change.

We caught a Tuk Tuk for two bucks (the currency here officially is the Riel, but in reality everyone uses US dollars - even in official capacities) to the Old Market area and I was shocked and amazed. They have done a fantastic job at creating a tourist friendly yet culture rich walking area that is packed with Khmer and foreign restaurants, food vendors, shops, spas and markets. There is even a street called Pub Street that would give King Street in Toronto a run for it's money in terms of a nighttime club/bar scene. There are alleys of restaurants that almost seemed like we were walking the small streets around Yorkville. I think the cynic in you would say that this progress was bad progress, but when we were visiting in 1997 and they did not have any fresh food in the town and the guy who owned the Mahogany Guest House where we stayed truly felt like he had won the lottery, I would say that what they've done here in this city is great.

Of course... I may change my mind when we visit the famous Angkor temples tomorrow.... There were only 7 tourists including us visiting the 400 square kilometres of Angkor Archaeological Park last time we were here... We shall see!

Oh Canada

It's July 1st. Happy Canada day! At big brother mouse yesterday, it was nice answering questions about our wonderful country. There was one question we couldn't answer though..."What is the price of a Buffalo in your country?"  A buffalo? In Laos it's between $800-1200 USD. What is it in Canada?  No clue. Never been asked that before. I was expecting more like "what sports do you play in Canada?  What is a typical breakfast?"   Not how much a buffalo costs in Canada. 

Although it doesn't seem like it's Canada Day here, we are missing the July 1st Tyndall pool party tradition which we've managed to make happen every year since 2002. Ten Tyndalls sporting matching Canada Day t shirts and doing cannonballs into the pool is an annual favourite tradition and signal that summer has started. 

Off shortly to Siem Reap, home of Angkor Wat. The heat is stifling and apparently even worse humidity in Cambodia. Last I checked it was 38C with 88% humidity! That combined with a 9th century history lesson could potentially tip us all (me?) over. Angkor was a 1997 highlight for Craig and I but was in the midst of a travel advisory so we virtually had the place to ourselves. We are hopeful the kids are as impressed as we were but also realistic that this may not float their boat.