Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Renata and I admiring this corner piece of Angkor Wat.Ruins of Naga, the many headed sea serpent, who helps create the world out of an ocean of cosmic milk. Yeah, whatever.

Fish Foot Massage in Cambodia

Here is one for cheap thrills. For $2/person, we were able to get our feet massaged (nibbled on) by hundreds of fish. Yum!

Incredibly ticklish. Victor giggled so loudly when he stuck his feet in that he embarrassed the kids.

Definitely worth the price of admission.

Angkor Wat

This is a side photo of the BIG Angkor Wat. It is the one on the Cambodian flag, the one that you picture when folks talk about Angkor Wat. Look at that sky! We never get skies like that in southern China.

Here is one of many carvings in the sandstone in a smaller Wat in Siem Reap. After going to the museum, I learned that she is an ASPARA, a dancing Hindu nymph. Isn't she fabulous? She does that thing with her fingers and wrists that all the Cambodian girls in Portland can do. So cool.

Cambodia, first impressions

We are in Siem Reap, home of Angkor Wat, one of the seven man made wonders of the world. I honestly never thought that I would go to Cambodia, so this is such an amazing feeling to be here.

When we arrived at our airport which had Asian flares on the roof, we were greeted with the welcome smell of grass and various Christmas trees. Immigration was a breeze and then our driver from our hotel found us. He guided us to a motorcycle driven tuk-tuk. Luc's eyes lit up when he realized that that was going to be our airport transport.

Tanei Guesthouse is tucked into a busy street in Siem Reap. We walked into an entrance with a giant buddha and myriad plants and bushes. Luc picked up a fruit, asked what it was, and the driver said, "Mango".

We generously thanked the men who carried our bags up three flights of stairs to our room. The ATM gave Vic a $100US bill which is not so great for tipping. We thanked them a lot, tho'.

Then we turned on the AC, noticed the many TV channels not blocked here as opposed to China and fell asleep.

A 5:00 tinny, repeated tune carried up to our room from the street. It even woke the rooster next door who also started crowing. I thought it would be like Malaysia with a brief and loud call to prayer and then stop. So did the rooster, I think. But now it is 7:32 and the tinny tunes remain, unending. As my colleague Tami says, Really?