Another Day, Another 5 Temples

Inflation hit Cambodia hard today. Yesterday we were offered t-shirts for $3 and ate lunch for $2.50, but we felt like suckers today. We were feeling pretty good after negotiating a $1.50 breakfast, but it went downhill after that. $11 for a t-shirt! Getting those t-shirts down to $4 was like trying to negotiate a prisoner exchange, but both Greg and I got some Angkor Beer shirts. Souvenir from Cambodia - Check.

It was much hotter today than yesterday. Our tuk tuk driver took us to a location for sunset that didn't have any temples - just an open lake and the sun didn't show its face through the thick haze on the horizon. Greg was apocalyptically cross about this. Then he thought he lost his lens hood at aforementioned lake. It had the makings of a long day. I began to fear for my own safety, but we requested to return to one of the sites from yesterday - and were the only ones there. Shortly thereafter Greg found his lens hood and he was quite happy.

Tonight we head to Hanoi in Vietnam. Hopefully customs goes smoothly. We have pieces of paper with our names and about 17 others who are arriving that day. Allegedly these papers allow us to get visas on arrival. Check back on the blog to make sure we actually make it through. Bye bye Cambodia.

Angkor Temples

We were up early today to catch the sunrise over the Angkor temples in Siem Reap, Cambodia.

It is a far more expansive complex than I would have imagined - extending for miles. Initially we were contemplating riding bikes to the temples, but in retrospect this would have been a horrible idea. Our tuk tuk driver has been great. We can't understand anything he says - and often just nod in agreement when he is explaining something, but he has been very accommodating to our photography needs. Cost for this private driver? $10/person.

U.S. Dollars are apparently the main currency here. Basically one can buy anything they want here in Siem Reap - from postcards to jewelry - for a dollar. In fact, later on in the day, one young man was so convinced that Greg needed a flute, that he offered three of them for $1. I think we can all agree that this would have been a fine hobby for Greg to take up, but Greg would have none of it.

In other news, Nicole has warned me not to take any children home with me a là Brad & Angelina. I do not foresee this being a problem, but if someone wants to give me a good deal on them, I could be persuaded. We're about to head out to capture some sunset shots by the temples, so if you want to see some of those, check out Greg's blog in a few hours at http://photoyak.blogspot.com.



Have a good night!

We've Arrived!

I think this may have been my longest travel day(s) ever. At least Asiana Airlines had on-demand movies, but after watching five, I had to resort to Mr. Bean and a show with soccer highlights from the 80's. Nevertheless, thumbs up to Asiana's service and somehow managing to prevent the plane from smelling like kim chi.

Upon arrival into Cambodia, I think I made a noise of concern when our airport shuttle driver walked beyond all the vehicles in the lot and we ended up boarding a tuk tuk (motorized rickshaw I guess is the best description). A snippet of that journey is below. Tomorrow is Angkor Wat!

H-hour

After months of anticipation, we are finally here.  .  . LAX at least.  It has been discovered that Greg and I have the same pants.  He does not however have the fashion sense to wear keens with socks.  Nevertheless  Greg reports that he is stable and I am enjoying some excellent cookies courtesy of my lovely ladyfriend.  I shall see you all on the flip side.

Are you lost?

As you may or may not know, I will be heading to Southeast Asia in just 16 days.  The purpose of this blog is to inform people (mostly my Mom) of my whereabouts, so that sphincters the world over can unclench.  My friend Greg will be posting his own entries at PhotoYak.  We hope to add maps of our locations, photos, and maybe even videos.  This is all dependent upon how much time we have and the strength of our internet connection.

If you are fortunate enough to have made it onto my overseas phone book (aka my Mom), you may receive a call.  Keep in mind that Vietnam is 14 hours ahead of Los Angeles.  11 hours ahead of Miami.  Your phone will not show that I am calling, however.  It may show a 760 area code or just a glob of 12 numbers.  In any event, pick up the phone.  You are one of the lucky few and should not miss this rare opportunity to hear my voice.

Subscribe by email if you wish to know everything immediately as it happens or if you are my Mom.  Expect the next update in a couple of weeks.