Siem Reap, Cambodia

Well what was supposed to be a 12 bus ride turned into 18 hours traveling with border crossing, multiple stops and bus switchings. We finally arrived in Siem Reap at 2:30am. Luckily there were tuk-tuk drivers waiting at the bus station to take us to a nearby hotel that had 24 hour reception. It turned out to be a nice hotel with a pool so we decided we would spend all our time here at Temple Villa. After sleeping in, day one was just a relaxing day. We ran a few errands, checked out the town and sat by the pool. The next morning would be our first day of our three day ticket to Angkor Wat so as excited as we were we wanted to get there at sunrise to take in some pretty spectacular views. The first day we did what is known as the outer loop of the Angkor temples. It consisted of 5 temples. After living in a predominantly Buddhist country for year and now traveling in other Buddhist countries I thought I had seen my fair share of temples but boy was I wrong. These temples were built in the 1200's. Of course they have done some conservation to the buildings but they all still looked ancient and majestic. After exploring 5 temples and getting up at 4:30 it was time for a nap! We then went to dinner and shopping through the night market. The night markets are always my favorite with locals selling their hand crafted things or other typical souvenirs. The next day we slept in a bit hoping to catch the sunset at the temples. We explored 5 more temples in the central area of the temple grounds. At one of our stops as we were walking back to our tuk- tuk our driver was flagging us down. As we got closer we noticed that there were 2 monkeys on the backseat of our tuk- tuk. They had stolen my water bottle opened it and were drinking it. There were many monkeys in the area and many babies so although I was robbed by the monkeys they did allow for some great pictures and videos. With the temperature being in the 90's and my water stolen all we could take was a few hours before we needed to leave. Our tuk-tuk driver suggested we go see the floating village so we headed out for Tonle Sap. It is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. It is dry season now so the lake is only 1-2 meters deep right now but in wet season it can rise to 10-11 meters. There are about 3,000 people that live in the floating village. The housing is free as you are living on a boat with no running water. These people make their living by fishing. They are also in charge of the upkeep of their houses such as replacing bamboo and keeping it afloat. There are also floating restaurants, convenient stores, a basketball court, and a school in the village. The school houses 122 orphan children who's parents have been killed in storms or tsunamis while fishing. At the convenient store we bought the school a large bag of rice that is said to feed the children for 3 days. We then got to go play with the children. It was so much fun learning their games and seeing the smiles on their faces. The next morning was our last day at the temples and we had saved the best for last...Angkor Wat. This temple is the largest in the world and I known to have beautiful sunrise views. We of course had to see this so that meant another 4:30 am wake up for us. Waking up early was well worth it as we watched the sunrise over the temple. Words can not explain the beauty but it was simply spectacular. We then did a bit more exploring through other temples until we could no longer take the heat. We then ate lunch and packed up our belongings as we will soon be heading out to Sihanouk, a beach town on the Southern coast of Cambodia. Happy Easter to everyone from Siem Reap! At midnight tonight I will be getting on yet another 12 hour bus ride. This one will fortunately be a sleeper bus again.

4,000 Islands (Don Det), Laos

4000 islands got its name because there are literally thousands of islands in the Mekong river in one small little area.  You can only stay on two of the islands. We stayed on Don Det. We arrived in the dead heat of the afternoon so once we found an air conditioned room we headed straight for the water. We just relaxed on the "beach" area for the day but mostly in the water as it was brutally hot. That night we heard there would be a temple party. The island always celebrates together when something new opens such as a restaurant or guesthouse. In this case they built more bungalows near the temple to house more monks on the island. The party was held in a huge field and consisted of a lot of music and traditional Lao dancing. This was my second experience with Lao dancing after crashing the wedding so I would say I'm pretty much a pro. The next day we rented tubes and floated around on the Mekong. We went out to another little island and just relaxed on our tubes. We did get caught in a bit of rain but it was nice that it cooled us off for a bit since the river felt like a bathtub. The next day we went on a half day tour. We first took a boat to an area near the Border of Cambodia where there are a few Irrawaddy dolphins. We were lucky enough to see them surface numerous times. These dolphins are endangered and they say there are only 60 left worldwide. Although we did see them they were way too fast to get pictures so you will just have to take my word for it. After that we went to Khone Pha Pheng waterfall. This waterfall has the largest volume of water flowing in Southeast Asia. It was not very tall but very wide and very strong. We were also attacked by a family here that were in love with foreigners. They asked Molly and me to be in all their family pictures. They even snuck in our pictures and took solo pictures of us. I don't really understand the obsession or what they will do with those picture but I guess I can say it was flattering. 4000 islands was such a chill place and definitely a place I would have spent more time if our travels were longer. Molly's condition continued to get worse while we were here as the antibiotics seemed to not be working. She was only able to talk a little and could only eat yogurt or smoothies. With no food and being a mute it was our running joke that she was our Bernie from the movie Weekend At Bernie's. We would put her in a tube and drag her around and have her pose for pictures. She is now getting a little better but it's a slow process. We will be visiting the hospital in Siem Reap since we have heard it is much better than Laos. As we headed out we prepared for another 12 hour bus ride as we cross the border into Cambodia headed for Siem Reap!

Vientane, Laos

Vientane is the capital of Laos and we had heard there were a few things to do and see in the city but we knew this would just kind of help us break up our trip to the next destination. In Vientane we spent 1 night and two days. We spent our time walking around the city, exploring temples, overlooking the city from the top of Patuaxi which is comparable to France's Arc de Triomphe and taking Molly to the international clinic. We knew coming into this trip that one of us would probably end up in a clinic of some sort in each country. We just happened to skip Thailand. She had tonsillitis and now has meds to help her get on the road to recovery. If it doesn't get any better the other Molly and I will start blending up her food to help her swallow easier. On the one night we stayed we happened to stumble across a singing contest sponsored by Pepsi. There were local high schoolers competing in the contest but it seemed as if it would be aired on television with all the cameras and setup they put into the show. There were a few English songs that we could sing along with. With sitting in one of the front rows and being the only foreigners and singing along we had the camera in our faces very often so I wouldn't be surprised if we are famous in Laos. Other than these events Vientane wasn't much to write about. They did have awesome food and awesome singers. We then caught another 16 hour bus headed for 4000 islands, luckily 12 of it would be on a sleeper bus with full beds to sleep in.

Vang Vieng, Laos

Once we arrived in Vang Vieng we were on the hunt for a guesthouse once again! Walking down the street you are usually greeted by people trying to sell you their room and take you on a tour. After the guesthouse we wanted was full we stumbled across a cute little guesthouse with a riverfront view and a nice open terrace with bar. It was also the cheapest we had found and a really nice room. The guesthouse came complete with two little puppies to play with for the three nights we would be staying. We got in in the afternoon so the first day we just walked around to explore the city and take in the beautiful river and mountain views. The next morning we had breakfast and went to rent tubes to float down the Namsong River. This river used to be known for quite the party. They used to have bars lined on both sides of the river along with zip lines, rope swings and water slides all leading you into the river. They had to close down everything because too many people were partying too much and not paying attention to where they were jumping and killing themselves. They have re-opened the tubing but all the other things still remain closed. Tubing down the river allowed for some spectacular sights. There are giant mountains on either side of you and a gentle current pulling you down the river. All in all it took us about 4 hours make our way to the endpoint. The next day we signed up for an all day tour. The tour included 2 caves, tubing and kayaking. We started with elephant cave. This cave like all the others we have seen had many Bhudda statues in it. They call it elephant cave because there are a few sections on the wall that look like elephants. The next stop would be tubing. Although we had been tubing before this time we would be tubing through the next cave. We grabbed onto a rope and pulled our tube through a gigantic cave. It was very dark, cold and a bit spooky but with our headlamp we saw some pretty awesome rock formations throughout the cave. The next stop would be kayaking! Me and Molly buddied up since I hadn't kayaked in forever and I wasn't super confident with my paddling skills. We kayaked down the river for about 3 hours. We did get caught up on rocks 3 times but nothing we couldn't manage getting out of and it made the experience that much more interesting. The next morning we packed our bags and prepared for our next stop...Vientane!

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Once we arrived in Chiang Mai and checked into the Smile House guesthouse. I had a feeling this place was going to be my favorite. Our place had 2 swimming pools and a nice lounge area. It had a really chill vibe to it and I knew we would love it. The first day we just kind of hung out by the pool planning the remainder of our trip in Thailand.  We knew a lot of things we wanted to do so our next stop was booking all the tours we were interested in. We found a travel/tour office right by our place with the sweetest lady that spoke perfect English. Little did we know she would be such a huge help throughout the week. We booked a few things with her them headed out to dinner. We ate at a restaurant called Tiger Kingdom. No they didn't have a tiger there like Tyler thought but they do have amazing food and a wonderful band playing on the deck. It was then that I really wanted to take a picture. I went to get my camera and realized my camera was not in there. I remembered taking it off the charger that morning in Bangkok and thought I put it in my purse but we were I'm a rush so I think I left it on my bed. We tried calling the hostel and nothing was turned in or found in the room. I was really upset because I was so cautious with my purse in Bangkok because I've heard all the horror stories but I still managed to lose my camera. Also it was upsetting to realize I had lost all my vacation pictures. Luckily Molly takes amazing pictures and we saw the same things so I will just have to steal hers and just keep my memories. The next morning we went to the Women's Correctional Institute to get Thai massages. This is a place for former inmates, sort of like their halfway house before making it back out in the real world. Although it is a strange thing if you really think about it, it was dirt cheap costing a whopping $6.00 for an  hour massage.  Molly had broken her party camera in Ko Phi Phi and I had lost mine in Bangkok,yes we are hot messes I know, so we decided to go shopping for cameras because I knew I needed a camera for the trip. We both were successful shoppers!  Later that night we went to a Thai cooking class. We started the the local market looking at the ingredients we would be using to cook. It was then time to start in the kitchen. You got to chose 4 different things you wanted to cook. I chose chicken with coconut milk soup, pad tai, green curry and vegetable spring rolls. It was a really neat experience filled with delicious food and we even got a cookbook at the end of quite a few traditional meals.  After filling our bellies we then went to a Maui Thai boxing match.  I don't do well watching boxing but it's part of the culture so I figured I needed to see it. There were about 8 fights and only 3 of them went further than the first round and only 2 went all five. As an intermission of the fights they put in a few guys in Muai Thai training and blindfolded them as they fought each other. It was pretty humorous. The next day we went to Baanchang Elephant Park. We started the day by feeding the elephants bananas and sugar cane. They had elephants of all ages and sizes. Most of these elephants have been rescued from logging or performing. After feeding time we learned how to be a mahout (elephant trainer). We learned simply commands such as lay down, turn left, turn right, go straight and stop. We then got some practice guiding them. We had lunch at the camp then it was time for riding. We each got our own elephant that we got to ride bareback. We rode a course which was probably 45 min long. We then got to bath them in the pond at the end I the trail. The elephants just plop down and we scrubbed them up. Molly, Molly and I then got in a water fight with our marhouts while Tyler got in a water fight with his elephant. The only bad thing about this is the elephants started pooping in the water and the marhouts  started throwing poop bombs! Needless to say woods a good scrub down before heading home. This was such a neat experience. I'm glad these elephants were saved from the days when they worked longer hours than the average person does.  The next day Molly and I went zip-lining through a jungle for half the day.  It was voted the best zip-lining course in Asia and is the longest course also. There were various types of lines, bridges and free falls to go through the jungle. We then ate lunch and checked out a waterfall before heading home. We met some really nice guys from England. They Mentioned the temple we wanted to go check out so we went back to e hostel to get Tyler and Molly. We all rented scooters and drove up to a beautiful temple at the top of a mountain overlooking the city. They driving is a little nerve- racking for me since they drive on the wrong side of the road and there are scooters constantly swerving through traffic. Luckily our English friends were willing to drive considering that normal for them. I probably would have killed someone. Then we hopped on a bus to head for the border for our next stop...Laos! It has been quite the experience so far and I'm excited for the rest of it. I will try to be better about posting about each place we stay since I can't call and tell stories and it's hard to skype with time difference and being on vacation. I just got lucky I had another 12 hour bus ride on the way from the border to Luang Prabang. These bus rides are not fun but allow me to catch up on things.

Bangkok, Thailand

We caught the ferry out of Ko Phi Phi that went to Krabi. We then caught a bus to Bangkok. This was a 12 hour long bus ride with our seats barely reclining so needless to say it was a sleepless night. We got into Bangkok at 6:00am with a hostel in mind but found out we couldn't check in until 11:00. Exhausted but bored we dropped our bags and headed off to explore. We found an open air market that was surprisingly very busy for so early on the morning. After checking in and a short power nap me and the Mollys headed out to explore more. We found a Kahlong Boat Tour. These boats are the long narrow wooden boats. On our tour we went through many canals with traditional Thai houses. We then went to a floating market. It was not the big one they have that we wanted to see but a floating market nonetheless. It was really neat to see all these people cooking up food in there boats to sell in the market.  We then fed humongous catfish in the river. The river boat tour was wonderful especially since we had the whole boat to ourselves. Later that night we had arranged to meet up with Jeff, a friend from South Korea, who was stopping in Bangkok to star off his traveling. It was so great to meet up with him and have a night out on the town with him just like old times. The next day we went to explore the temples of Bangkok. We went to Wat Pho and Wat Phra Kaew. These were beautiful temples. We luckily showed up just in time to snag a free English tour with an amazing and funny tour guide. After exploring the temples and royal palace we were exhausted and drenched in sweat since we had been walking for hours in 100 degree weather with pants on since they won't let you in in shorts. That night we went to a place that was recommended by a friend we met. All we knew of the place was the name and that it was a rooftop bar. With backpacking its not like any other vacation clothing wise. You have very limited outfits mostly all being quick dry clothing which we all know is not fancy. Well anyways we walk in to a hotel and ride the elevator to the 59th floor and immediately get stopped by a woman behind the desk who informs us that there was a dress code that we needed follow she then gave Tyler a pair of black pants and gave all three of us girls closed toe shoes. It was a bit embarrassing but what we were about to see was well worth the embarrassment. We went up to the rooftop that overlooked all of Bangkok. It was so beautiful to see the whole city lit up with sly rises every which way on the horizon.  The next morning we checked out and headed to the airport to fly to Chiang Mai.

Ko Phi Phi, Thailand

After a bus ride and ferry ride we had arrived in Ko Phi Phi! We found a hostel right away with the help of a local. We stayed at the Scenery Guesthouse. It may sound nice and luxurious but the biggest flaw it had was no air conditioning. You would think this would be ok in March but March and April are Thailand's hottest months of the year. Needless to say is was some hot, sticky, sweaty sleep.   The next day we got up and went on a boat cruise around the island. The boat first took us to Monkey Beach where we feed monkeys out of the palm of our hand. We then went cliff jumping. I had been cliff jumping before in Boracay so I was expecting something similar. We then get to a literal cliff not all dolled up with diving boards and lifeguards like the one in Boracay. We then had to put on climbing shoes to climb the cliff that we would be jumping from. It was actually quite difficult. I then jumped off and landed wrong of course. I was not injured just a big smack on the butt. It then was black , blue and purple for the next few days. After cliff jumping we headed to Viking  Cave. We then went to Maya Beach which is where the movie "The Beach" was filmed. We got to get out swim around and even started up a soccer game on the beach. It was absolutely beautiful. We then started to head home but on the way back we used a sea jacuzzi. It is just like a big net off the side of the boat that you could sit in as you coast through the ocean. As we headed home we watched a beautiful sunset while eating dinner on the boat. The next day we just relaxed on the beach. The tide was really low so you had to walk out pretty far out and step over a lot of coral to finally get to waist high water. Not the best beach of the trip but a beach nonetheless. We had to soak it in because the next day we would be heading out of paradise and making  our way to Bangkok.

1st Stop: Phucket, Thailand

 Our southeast Asia tour has finally begun! I have been looking forward to this for so long. We started our traveling by flying out of Seoul headed to Phuket with a short layover in Shanghai. Phuket is known for it's beautiful beaches. After teaching for a year with minimal vacation time it was a must that we start in paradise. We got in to Phuket really late Sunday night so we just crashed at the first hotel we found open near the hostel we would be staying at the next day. The next morning we checked into Bodega hostel and headed straight for Patong Beach. It was nice to just sit and relax and play some cards with the sun shining down on us. The next day we decided to change up the scenery and check out Kata Beach. It was just as beautiful as the other. I don't think there is such thing as a bad beach in paradise. The next afternoon is was time to jump on the ferry Headed toKo Phi Phi.

Saying Goodbye to Seoul

I know I didn't write to fill everyone in about the end of the year but it was a great end to my time abroad. It was really hard to say goodbye to all my children and all the friends I have made throughout the year. This year really would not have been the same without all these people. It is hard being away from family and friends but when you have a great group of friends that act as your family and children that can bring a smile to your face each day it makes time fly by and the experience so much more enjoyable. I was however very excited to hit the road and start my southeast Asia tour with Molly, Tyler and Molly's friend from home Molly. I am also excited that my flight home will have a weekend layover in Seoul so I can see all my friend one more time and check in on my kiddos to see how they are doing in kindergarten. I was so blessed to have the opportunity to move across the world and learn about another culture. This is an experience I will never forget. If I wrote about my traveling in this post it would be WAY too long so I will write a separate on for the start of my travel.