Reflections on Cambodia

Our initial plan was to come to Cambodia for a few days to see Angkor Wat but since we are travelling without a timeline, those few days turned into 16 - 9 days in Siem Reap and 7 in the capital, Phnom Penh. While talking with my brother Tim on the phone, he asked the question "why do you like it there so much?" and I didn't know how to answer right away but I have given it some thought. 

Food is always a big part of travel. Khmer food is delicious, not as spicy as Thai and lots of coconut, kafir lime, and lemongrass flavours. Fish amok (fish cooked with coconut in banana leaves) is one of my favourites. There are almost no American franchises. 

A delicious Cambodian breakfast:

The ruins of Angkor were breathtakingly beautiful and it was interesting to see the ancient architectural styles repeated throughout the country, but the landscape is dry and dusty at this time of the year and very hot (38C or 100F). 

We took part in many cultural activities, like learning how to cook and eat bugs and desserts, how silk is grown and woven, and a bike ride through the countryside. 

Taking a ferry across the Mekong with our bikes:

However, it was most interesting to observe how people live, especially adapting to the extremes of wet and dry seasons, such as the fishing villages that adapt to 12m water depth changes:

To begin to understand Canbodia's culture, it was important to learn about the history, especially the horrific genocide that occurred during the Pol Pot era of the 70's when millions were killed. We visited a prison and the killing fields to help us understand these horrific events. (We discussed this first with Zac and decided he could handle this emotionally, though I think a lot of 9-year olds could not). We learned even more by talking with Cambodians who had lived through these events. One man told us about losing 6 siblings - 3 from napalm and 3 from touching previously unexploded bombs - both from the US. This also generated a lot of good conversations with Zac: "But Mom, I thought the US were the good guys?"

Bracelets tied to the fences that marked the mass grave sites:

In Phnom Penh we stayed at an AirBNB house and experienced middle-class life in the city, even getting a week-long membership at the local gym where we swam almost every day. 

Our Phnom Penh 3-bedroom home:

Zac's swimming is improving and he's learning a few tricks too:

Modern day Cambodia is a place of rapid change as they are still rebuilding and growing. Phnom Penh felt like a city under construction. There is immense poverty, but also extreme wealth - few cars on the road but numerous Rolls Royce's, and also the excesses of the Royal Palace. We also leaned about the current politics and the hopes of the younger generation for the next election in 2018. 

The Royal Palace with the city's sole sky scraper in the background:

So why did I like Cambodia?  It is a country I knew nothing about before we went but learned a lot about their culture in a short time and will watch with interest the changes to come.  This is a country Zac might return back to in 30 years and he will say, "It was so different back then". 

Vote for your favourite movie trailer

We've been having a few quiet days here in Phnom Penh so Zac got the idea that we could each create a movie trailer using our photos so far and we want you to vote on which one you like the best. 

We have posted them each on YouTube - they are each about 1 minute long. You can vote by commenting on this blog  or send an email or FB message to me, zac or Danny. 

The movie trailers are:

1. Tales of Angkor

http://youtu.be/Ea1k4Q0puB4

2. Amazing Race Asia

http://youtu.be/aCyBTEiylWgh

3. Being awesome

ttp://youtu.be/8XQZ-LJoWl0

We won't tell you who made each one until you vote!   :-P  (But you can probably guess)

Thanks for watching,

Heather

The Backstreet Academy - cooking tarantulas and more!

The Backstreet Academy is a social enterprise that exists throughout Asia to connect tourists with a local person skilled in cooking, dancing, music, art, fishing etc. We have taken part in 3 of these courses so far and found them a great way to not only get exposed to a new skill but also to meet local people and learn more about their culture. In exchange, we paid a fee with most of the fee (about 70%) going directly to the teacher and translator. 

The first course we did was aptly named "Fear Factor". Danny and I have watched a show before about the future of eating bugs - so we thought it was time to try it out. We cooked (and ate) crickets, silk worms and ... Tarantulas!  

Beyond overcoming our fears and learning that crickets are delicious, one of the things that we liked the best was that the course took place in a local Cambodian's home. His 4-year old son was there too and Zac and him had fun picking flowers and playing with balloons. In fact, I think the reason why Zac was willing to try so many of the insects was because this little boy obviously obtained so much pleasure from eating them. 

Our second course was "Coconut carving". Zac and I spent 2 hours learning how to carve coconuts - and it is difficult!  Zac seemed to excel at this more so than I as two of my carvings broke so I was relegated to simple designs where he was quite successful at designing and cutting his own unique shapes. 

I needed a lot of help:

Our third course was "Dessert Making". Zac and I both having sweet tooths, we jumped at this opportunity, and Danny came along to take photos and chat. Again, one of the best parts was that this course took place in our teacher's house so we talked, cooked, and ate while surrounded by multiple generations of Cambodians. Our translator was a university student who was also very interesting and provided insight into what Cambodia needs to move forward as a country. If this young man is an indicator of the country's youth then Cambodia has a much improved future ahead. 

We made four different desserts and they were delicious - all based on varying forms and combinations of rice, coconut, green bean, tapioca, and sugar.  I took detailed notes so hopefully can replicate them when we are back in Canada, or maybe even here in our AirBNB house. 

Sticky rice with coconut custard: (Mmmmmm - much better than tarantulas!)

Backstreet Academy courses are also offered in Laos and Vietnam so I just might have to compare dessert making in all three countries, and learn some other new skills too. You can find out more about the Backstreet Academy by visiting backstreetacademy.com. 

Angkor photos

We spent 2 days touring Angkor, one with a guide and one on our own. Angkor was the city built by the Khmer people during the 10th - 12th centuries, a period in which they were the largest and most developed civilization on earth. It is considered the 8th wonder of the world. 

Photos from our 2 days:

Zac got a lesson on carving sandstone. Don't worry - he's not making graffiti in 1000 year old carvings!

Hanging out in Siem Reap

Today was one of those days where we had nothing planned but a lot happened. 

Danny got up early and went for a bike ride around the city and came home energized, and with new ideas for places to check out. We spend a LOT of time together and the opportunity to go off and do something on our own is relished!

Zac and I started the day a little slower with our usual breakfasts - a bowl of Khmer noodles for me and banana pancakes for Zac. 

We are staying at the 7 Candles Guesthouse, which is a family run place by Ponheary Ly, who also runs a foundation and registered charity to support 2500 rural children and 600 kids from the city streets to attend school. (www.plfcanada.org). 

This morning, we visited one of the local schools that was putting on a music concert. We sought out the grade 4s to see what their class was like - Zac would be one of the taller kids. Some of the kids were brave enough to say hello and practice their English. 

Grade 1's:

On the walk home we stumbled on the local wat (Buddhist temple) and cemetery. There were also many monks but I didn't feel comfortable taking their picture. 

We continued our walk and found the local soccer pitch, where we sat and enjoyed a game by a group of young men. 

Danny and Zac went home and I continued my walk to some nearby gardens where many people were having their wedding photos taken. 

After visiting a few art galleries and a stop for an iced americano, the morning was complete. What else might the day hold?

Reflections on travelling after one month

One month ago, Feb 7, we left home to begin our journey. We had small (carry-on sized) backpacks on each of our backs, a very vague itinerary - like approximately which country we would be in for each month, passports and bank cards to withdraw currency along the way. 

Now, after one month, we are in Cambodia, have got our travel legs and are feeling a lot more confident. Some of the things we have learned so far:

1.  Clothing:  We brought very little and it seems about right, especially when I see other travellers lugging around large packs.  I will detail what I brought in case someone is planning a trip:

-3 tshirts/blouses

-1 tank top

- 1 pair of shorts

- 1 skirt

- 1 sarong (which can be a short or long skirt, beach towel, or sun cover)

- 3 pants (1 Capri, 1 leggings, 1 light weight full length that rolls up into Capri)

-7 pairs of underwear (women's underwear doesn't take up much space)

-3 socks

-2 long sleeved tops (one for sun cover and one for warmth - which I don't need and might get rid of)

-one highly compressible warm coat (to wear on air conditioned busses and trains)

-2 pair of shoes (Teva sandals and running shoes)

-2 bathing suits

-2 hats (1 baseball and one brimmed)

-1 raincoat (so far unused)

We bought packing bags that compress all the clothes (made by Eagle Creek). They are quite sturdy and hopefully they last the whole trip. 

2. Packing for Zac: Zachary's list of clothes is pretty similar and carries all of his own clothes in his backpack along with his prized size 1 Brazuca soccer ball!  We also have a frisbee, two decks of cards, Yahtzee, and another dice game (Martian Dice). There is an endless number of games that you can play with cards and dice, (all rules on the internet) so that's all we need. 

3. Daily routine:

We've become pretty good at making a new place quickly feel like home. We unpack and "set up" right away, and seem to have developed routines so things like toothbrushes and e-device charges are all set-up in a similar way each time. Danny and Zac check out the wifi situation first thing. And we like to spend the first day exploring our surroundings and getting familiar with our new home before heading out to see the sites. Since we left Canada we have stayed in 6 different locations and they all felt like home within the first day or so. 

We are early risers and so usually wake with the sun around 6:30. This is good because we can get out and do our exploring in the cooler part of the day (if you call 29C cool). We are home early afternoon after lunch and spend the afternoon swimming, reading, blogging, Facebook, napping, and planning the next day.  Zac is usually quite tired early, even falling asleep at the dinner table so we need to get him to bed, limiting our evening excursions. 

4.  Zac's Schooling

"What about school for Zac?"  This is the most common question we are asked. 

In addition to our daily experiences, we require Zac to spend at least 1 hour reading each day. He is on his fourth book - this is way more reading than he would have done at home!  (He is an excellent reader but does not enjoy it). He reads on his tablet and Danny downloaded a large selection of books before we left home. We can access the Toronto Library and can buy additional e books easily.   Zac is also supposed to be writing regular blog entries but we are a bit behind on this. 

Zac learning how to carve sandstone at Angor Wat:

We have been working on multiplication drills (using the great Spirit of Math App) and zac has made huge progress in speed and accuracy and likes seeing how the app maps his progress. This is an area that is not covered sufficiently in the Ontario curriculum with most kids not knowing their times tables quickly. I also find many opportunities during the day to create real world math problems. Zac likes math so he enjoys these - when I get him in the right mood. 

Danny is in charge of keeping zac up to speed with French so has Zac using the app DuoLingo to practice basic French daily, as well as some conversational French wherever we can fit it in. 

Zac definitely has inherited a love of technology from his Dad so the fact that this all revolves around his tablet makes learning fun for zac, plus he can do it independently which reduces (but does not eliminate) parent-child conflict. 

5.  Food

For Danny and I, the food is awesome!  For Zac however and his more limited palate, this is more of a challenge, though our recent insect and spider tasting excursion showed us that he will try new foods. He eats a fair amount of fruit but getting sufficient vegetables in him is a challenge, and he is drinking more pop than he should be. Oh well, breathe deep and keep trying to make each meal as healthy as I can. Fortunately Cambodian food is less spicy than Thai. 

Hope that answers some of the things you may have been wondering about our trip and the everyday stuff that doesn't get posted on Facebook. 

We can't believe that one month has gone by and already feel like there isn't enough time left to do all the things we want to do. Our current dilemma is whether we should go to Laos or Vietnam after Phnom Penh. Vietnam is a more logical route but this will put us in Laos in April when it will be 40C+.   Also, we may go to China earlier than planned to meet up with Danny's cousin Chao from Chicago. These are great problems to have!

Back in Bangkok

We flew back to Bangkok from Khao Lok (via Surithani) instead of taking the 12 hour train. Flights with Air Asia are so inexpensive that flying only cost $13 per person more than the train. This is also helped by the fact that we are travelling with carry-on luggage only, as Air Asia charges for every bag. 

Our 2 days were spent at The Marriott Courtyard hotel - a level of luxury we can't usually afford on our budget but were able to buy with points. (Side note - if you travel a lot, check out the Marriott Visa card as it is one of the only Canadian credit cards for which you don't get charged the 3% currency conversion fee).   It was a different experience staying right downtown in the tourist area compared to the neighbourhood we stayed in the previous visit, but we all enjoyed both locations a lot. We are a city family!

Over the previous two weeks, we had done a lot of swimming and Zac had developed quite a painful ear infection. We had heard that Bangkok hospitals are very good - definitely much better than Cambodia - so we thought we should take him to have it looked at. 

I'm so glad we did!  The hospital was excellent, probably better treatment than we would have got in Toronto. Very fast and the doctor showed us the inside of the infected ear with video technology. (Yuchi!). The good news is that he cleaned him up and gave us antibiotics and ear drops so all will be well. (4 days later - zac's ear seems all better). Of course the medical care came with a bill, which we are not used to in Canada, but it will be covered by our travel insurance. (We used Nomads in case you are wondering). 

Other than great medical care, our other discovery in Bangkok was great street food. We had been seeing delicious looking food on the streets but were a little hesitant to try it. We found a "food fair" type cafeteria with "The Best Street Food in Bangkok" (their claim). It was a bunch of locally owned stalls, but they were located inside, very clean with refrigeration. We felt like this was the "go ahead" we needed to try everything. And we did. Yum. 

Vibrant downtown Bangkok:

City mouse in the country

We spent a few more days in the Khao Sok jungle, taking a Canoe trip down the river to see beautiful views of the karsts as well as swimming in the local river - which was an enjoyable swim as long as you kept moving or the flesh-eating fish would bite you. (Other swimmers had the flesh wounds to prove it.) We must have swam fast enough as we had no injuries to report. 

We had planned to stay here for 5 days, but found that most of the tours were a bit too intense for Zac, more geared towards the 20-something backpacker crowd, so we headed out to a nearby home stay on a lake. Here we enjoyed a short hike to a local waterfall. 

The house was located on a rubber and palm plantation so I decided to take advantage of all the palm leaves and spent the afternoon figuring out how to weave a basket, which also functioned well as a hat, as you can see below. 

Still in progress:

The final result:

I was quite proud of the result - you can learn how to do anything with YouTube!

After a few days on the lake, we headed to a fairly fancy resort that we had prebooked in Khao Sok, southern Thailand near Phuket. We aren't a family that heads out for winter beach getaways so we thought this was a good opportunity to experience it. The beach was a lovely white sand and the water very warm. This area was hit hard 10 years ago by the tsunami and many lives lost - thoughts of these people were never far from our minds. We visited the tsunami safety structures that have since been built as a refuge in case of future tsunami. 

View from our room:

While it was all beautiful, after 3 days in the jungle, 2 days on a lake, and 4 days on the ocean, we had all had enough of the slow pace and were ready to go back to the city. Bangkok here we come!