Cambodia (part dieux)

Ok, we are obsessed. 

Maybe it's the friendly people, maybe it's the giant temples, maybe it's the cute town of siem reap, or maybe it's the pretty countryside. Let's be real, it's the adorable little kids that own the roads, fields, storefronts, and hearts of those that visit this friendly, outgoing country. Heck, Angelina couldn't resist but take one home with her! The Cambodians are best characterized by their awesome friendly attitudes and smiling faces. They are amost friendly to a fault, allowing foreigners to sometimes walk all over them. But few places in the world will you feel so welcome, no matter who you are, where you come from, what you believe, or what you look like. 

We love it here. That is why we came back to basically repeat (minus a few countries) our trip from last year. We didn't even have temples on our mind when we decided to come. Just the warm, hospitable people and the lovely average temperature of 35 degrees centigrade. (After this winter on the east coast, I'm sure you all will understand why this temperature is appealing!).  Just look how happy we are on our tuk tuk from the airport!

The itinerary for this trip included a bike ride into the country, a possible cooking class, and relaxation. Whenever we come here, we stay at the Golden Banana Superior Resort (or something). The place is just awesome - exactly what we look for when we come to new places; a gay establishment, locally owned, employs locals, and is NOT touristy. This place has such character, from the odd height of their stairs, to the entirely concrete construction, to the individual balconies for each room, the two pools, and the super friendly staff willing to do anything for you. It's really a treat, and we hope no one finds out about it so that it is never ruined. 

The lobby area of building two where we normally stay. 

We like to use the tepid pool water to relax after temple hikes and bike rides.

On the first day we did a bike tour from the same company we used last year - camouflage adventure tours. Our guide this time, Sopaa, was great, despite his moderate English and fast cruising speed. 

A few common scenes. This really reminds me of Africa. 

I'm in heaven!

My feeble attempt to selfie while biking:

One reason we love this biking excirsion is that it takes us deep into the countryside where we can get a glimpse of real life for the average Cambodian. Along the journey we are frequently accosted by little children running from their home yelling "hello!" Clearly they don't see foreigners much. This shot is from a "poor" primary school donated by the Swiss. The rural students from poor farmer families go to school either from 7-11 am or from 1-5 pm. This was the morning crowd at recess I'm pretty sure. 

Along the way we stop for food and refreshments at a(n actually) local place. At this outpost, they are in the business of selling brief respites in the comfort of hammocks, and selling coke and beers to passers by. We stopped for a rest and a coconut. 

The rest area was along what the locals call the baray, which is an ancient reservoir, built by a king 1000 years ago. The big business here is to sell baray-side hammock rests. 

It was as peaceful as it looks here.

The bike ride is always awesome, but other things around siem reap are special and unique in their own entertaining ways. One of the fun things to do here is to go for drinks at the elephant bar at the raffles hotel. It is like something out of Indiana jones.

The drinks here are always delicious and dressed to impress. 

The most fun thing to do in the town of siem reap is to take a cooking class, of which there are many. As one travel guide puts it, to say there are many cooking classes in siem reap is like saying that it rains a lot in London.

After some reviews and (unsuccessfully) calling around for reservations, we decided on Le Tigre de Papier, a French Cambodian restaurant that specializes in just good standard Cambodian Cuisine. 

The class starts off by you selecting the dish from their menu to cook, then them taking you to the market to faux shop for the ingredients you would need. Smelly but fun, this market was our first step. 

This is the banana flower that Jordan would make into a tasty salad. And holding the banana blossom is our teacher. 

After the market, we got to cooking. 

We were all dressed in cooking attire, 

and I was ready for chopping. 

After some feverish cooking with fish and oyster sauces, 

and garnishing,

we were ready to eat!

Yeah, Cambodia tastes pretty good. 

Another favorite pastime we have is to go to the town center for drinks and libations with the locals. Pub Street as they call it, is exactly what it sounds like - a street lined with pubs and restaurants. Surprisingly, locals and tourists both go here! In the evening it is bustling and fun.

By day, it's the same. This is our view from triangle bar - our favorite rooftop perch. 

Wifi SSID: triangle bar, Username: triangle, Password: 1234. In this part of the world, wifi is a commodity, especially when data costs $20.48/MB. 

No matter, we still love it, and will gladly shell out the twenties.